Primary Grade Levels: Lesson 2
Lesson Topic/Focus: Abraham Lincoln: A Leader Who Impacted History
Lesson Essential Question(s): How do we remember individuals that have impacted history, such as Abraham Lincoln?
Estimated duration of lesson: 2-3 class periods
Academic Expectations
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Program of Studies: Understandings |
Program of Studies: Skills and Concepts |
Related Core Content for Assessment |
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SS-P-HP-U-1 Students will understand that history is an account of human activities that is interpretive in nature. A variety of tools (e.g., primary and secondary sources) are needed to understand historical events. SS-P-HP-U-3 Students will understand that history has been impacted by significant individuals and groups. |
SS-P-HP-1 Students will develop an understanding of the nature of history using a variety of tools (e.g., primary and secondary, family mementoes, artifacts, Internet, diaries, timelines, maps): b) distinguish among past, present and future people, places, events SS-P-HP-2 Students will use print and non-print sources (e.g., stories, folktales, legends, films, magazines, Internet, oral history): a) investigate and give examples of factual and fictional accounts of historical events. |
SS-EP-5.1.1 Students will use a variety of primary and secondary sources (e.g., artifacts, diaries, timelines) to interpret the past. |
Targeted Lesson Essential Question(s): How do we remember individuals that have impacted history, such as Abraham Lincoln?
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Students Will Know…… |
Students will be able to….. |
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Lesson Summary
Brief overview of the lesson
Students will evaluate primary/secondary sources to create a photo story displaying how significant individuals have impacted history are remembered, such as Abraham Lincoln.
Previous Instruction
The goal for this lesson is for students to know how significant individuals that have impacted history are remembered. Therefore, they must have an understanding of why individuals, such as Lincoln, are remembered. Students need to have a basic understanding of leaders and importance of studying significant figures in history. The students should also have an understanding of primary and secondary sources.
Instructional Set/Bell Ringer
Lower Primary
Who are people in your life that have made a difference? (e.g., coaches, mom, dad, teachers, etc) What are some ways that you could do a memory tribute to them so everyone will know about them?
Upper Primary
The teacher will show pictures of sports stars/legends, famous actors, artists, etc. that students would recognize. Do you think that these individuals have impacted history in some way? How? In what ways will they be remembered?
Transition
How do we remember individuals, such as Abraham Lincoln, who have
impacted our history? Show a penny to the students. Do you
recognize this? Students will answer. The teacher will make
the connection that important people that have impacted our history are
sometimes remembered or honored on national currency as well as
memorials. Turn over the penny to show the Lincoln Memorial and
show an enlarged picture of the Lincoln Memorial. Ask students:
“Why would he be honored with a memorial? Where is it located?
Have you ever seen these monuments? How did that make you feel?”
Answers will vary with student experience.
The teacher will then ask students, “Do you know of any other ways that
Lincoln was honored besides being on a penny and in the Lincoln
Memorial?” (Answers will vary: President’s Day, Lincoln’s face on
Mount Rushmore, on the five dollar bill, statues, monuments, books,
etc.) Teacher will need to review primary/secondary sources with
these examples.
Instruct students: “Today, we are going to be looking at different primary/secondary sources (teacher guided) to find out how Lincoln is remembered. We are going to create a photo story of remembrances of Lincoln. We are going to be looking at various websites to find different ways that Lincoln has been honored. More importantly we want to find out how that source honors him and why.”
Lesson Assessment
Students will create a photo story that will show the many ways Abraham Lincoln is remembered today.
Other suggested options: Create a power point, poster board, or display board to display ways he is remembered today.
Learning experience
The teacher will create a webpage that has links to various Lincoln-related sites (suggested websites are in Resource link). This page will allow students to have a controlled site where they can evaluate primary/secondary sources to identify ways that Lincoln is remembered. The students will then copy pictures from the site to put into a photo story. This is a free downloadable program from Microsoft. Students can provide captions for the pictures as well as narrate, optional. An emphasis needs to be made on why the memorial was created and where it is located.
The teacher will discuss with students the rubric for this learning experience.
Students should:
- Visit all the sites
- List 10 ways he is remembered (can be modified depending on level)
- Create a photo story by importing pictures
- Create captions explaining where the memorial/monument is located and why it was created to honor
Abraham Lincoln: why the books were written; why currency was a way of honoring him; or why a holiday was created to honor him.
Resources
SUGGESTIONS for DIFFERENTIATION
- For early primary students, the teacher may opt to do this as a class or have students do a poster board or display board, use of graphic organizer
- For the learner who needs more teacher–directed instruction, consider giving the pictures to the students and allowing them to answer the why and how Abraham Lincoln is remembered through the primary/secondary sources. You may also choose to allow students to work in groups to do this activity or a modified version of the photo story.
- Students with high interest in Lincoln could be given the list of websites to visit. Then they could be directed to narrate their photo story making connections to the place where the memorial is located and why it was created to honor him.
Lesson Wrap Up
The teacher will allow students an opportunity to present their photo stories. The teacher will make connections that memorials, monuments, currency, literature, holidays, etc. are all ways that we remember individuals who have impacted our history in some way. The teacher will allow the students to make the connections of memorials, monuments, currency, holiday, literature, etc. in their displays that honor Lincoln for his accomplishments as a leader in one of the most critical times in our nation’s history.
Ask students, “What are some possible other ways that we could honor Lincoln or other leaders?”