ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

The needs for this unit came from our 4th grade CTBS scores. Because of the federal legislation entitled “No Child Left Behind”, I want to ensure that my fifth graders continue to meet and improve upon our state academic standards. In the spring of 2004, Eastwood Elementary met the Adequate Yearly Progress in Reading. The fourth grade composite score in comprehension was 90%. The state score was 84%. In order to keep up these great scores in fifth grade, I thought my unit on Lewis and Clark would be a good way to ensure that the students maintain their high composite scores. In our Social Studies curriculum, students are expected to analyze the accomplishments of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. By doing research on this journey, students will come to an understanding of the importance of this historical expedition and maintain and improve their comprehension skills.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: I want my students to understand the significance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in American History. After they complete this unit, they will know what a great accomplishment it was to explore and map the lands of the Louisiana Purchase. Goal(s): Students will understand what the Louisiana Purchase was and the impact it made on America. Students will understand and appreciate the obstacles Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery faced and how they survived the journey. Students will strengthen and implement research tools to compose facts into a report. Students will strengthen and enrich their comprehension skills through a study of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: Who were the people in the Corps of Discovery? How did Lewis and Clark choose members of their expedition? How did Lewis and Clark navigate the trail covered in their expedition? How did Lewis and Clark record the plants and animals that they discovered? How did they get along with the Native Americans? How did they survive the winter in North Dakota? Objectives: Students will use various websites and textbooks to gain knowledge of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Students will use thinking, research, and cooperative learning to produce a product that will demonstrate their knowledge of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? Two students will work cooperatively to compile information into handwritten notes about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The class will help design a rubric before they start their Power Point slide show. This rubric will help each pair know what it takes to attain a certain grade. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will receive a list of topics to research and include in a packet. These topics will be included in their Power Point slide show. These topics will be about the Corps of Discovery and Lewis and Clark. Facts will be included such as: types of food, shelter, illnesses, types of plants and animals, modes of travel, clothing, Native Americans they encountered, and any other interesting facts they find in their research. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? Students will access web sites and library resources successfully to learn about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This information will be written into their packet of notes. Students will create a Power Point slide show on their findings. Students will present their Power Point slide show to the class. What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? I will collect their notes they compiled to make their Power Point slide show. Each group will print a copy of their completed slide show. I will attach a rubric with their final grade. (Each child will receive their own rubric.)

Instructional Strategies

Students will use inquiry-based and project-based learning to learn about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Through research they will use a variety of resources such as books, journels, filmstrips, and the Internet to gather and record their information. They will also learn from videos and video streaming clips about the expedition. By using project based learning they will create a map and Power Point slide show presentation.