My Teaching Style

A Little About Me

As I return from a family vacation, I begin the year with a new class. I am a student at National University. I am waiting for my student teaching position to finish my credential and working toward my masters in education. I have been a substitute teacher for several years and have been very busy with teaching, my own education, volunteering, and my family. I am looking forward to having my own class next fall, teaching 4^th, 5^th, or 6^th grade. After 14 months in this program, I am anxious to start my new career.

The picture above shows my beautiful family. My husband, William, and I are lucky to have three grown, but not on their own, kids. My daughter is a biology student at San Jose State University. My middle child is at Chabot College's Fire Academy. My youngest is a high school student who is interested in programming. 

My Personality Test

The Metarasa Personality Test can give insight into what makes a person a good leader and how he or she can work with other people. I took the test to determine my teaching style and discovered that the test believes I have a strong sense of knowledge and insight which I like to keep hidden from others. I am imaginative and have strong relationships but have trouble articulating my insights to others.

I found this to be interesting. I am an introvert and have found it hard to speak up in large gatherings. However, I tend to get along very well with my students. I like to talk with them about what they like to do and hear their stories. I think my shyness does not transcend to the classroom. Realizing this, I know I must watch myself to make sure I don’t try to hide behind my desk. I need to be out talking with the students and learning about them as much as I can so that I can guide each one of them through their education.

I also discovered that I am an ideological leader; I have a strong sense of my principles and lead with those in mind. I can be very opinionated when it comes to something I feel is right. I teach with diversity and equality in mind. Hopefully, I can continue this as I enter my career.

My Learning Style

I also took a test to determine my learning styles. NorthCarolina’s Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire informed me that I am a visual learner. This I already knew. I love charts, graphs, and pictures. This has hurt me in the past. When I was at the University of California, Berkeley ages ago as an undergraduate, I had a difficult time in the lecture hall. I tended to not pay attention. I did have one professor in European History who lectures while showing a slide show. I thought of it as a travel guide. I loved his lectures because of the pictures.

When I enter the classroom, I need to remember that the students each have their own learning styles. Some will love my anchor charts that I will make constantly. Some will be happy reading the text and finding answers. Some will need to incorporate movement. No matter what they need, I must be ready and put that into my lessons. Change things up a bit so that they all get a piece of the lesson with their own preferred learning method.

My Education Philosophy

I think my education philosophy is rooted in Progressivism. I believe a teacher should think of the whole child when developing the curriculum. Students need to be active in their learning. They should be questioning and experiencing. The progressive approach helps develop critical thinking skills in students. I am a big proponent of Project Based Learning which is part of progressivism.

Project Based Learning

Project Based Learning is a teaching method for the 21^st century. PBL is in essence student directed learning. The teacher acts as a guide; the students are driving the project.

Student Driven

The teacher begins with an idea. He or she introduces a topic, based on the state standards, and facilitates a discussion. The goal is for the students to have an idea of their project by the end of the discussion. The students choose their topic and research it. They might work as a group or individually. The point of the project is it is student driven. The teacher gives some guidelines and feedback, but the student decides on the course of action.

21^st Century Skills

The students develop and use 21^st century skills during the project. They are developing critical thinking skills and learning to collaborate with others. They learn to self-manage. These are all qualities needed to be college ready and needed for today’s workplace.  

Driving Question

The project begins with an engaging challenge or a question with real world applications. This will be the thesis or the driving question of the project. The teacher can begin with a discussion using an open-ended question. Have the students brain storm the question and discuss a variety of solutions. The students can then narrow down the subject and determine the direction they wish to take.

Inquiry and Innovation

The students then research their topic. They might interview experts, find resources in the library, explore resources on the internet, or visiting a site. The students are now detectives following a trail. Sometimes the trail will lead to a dead end and they need to step back and look at it again which leads us to the next step.

Revision and Feedback

Not all parts of the research will work. The students need to use their critical thinking skills and decide what works and what doesn’t. They need to collaborate with other students to work out ideas. They need to seek advice from their teacher, peers, or experts in the subject. The students need to reflect on their work. Before one workshop session, the teacher might want to lead a short discussion asking the students to reflect on how their research is going? What is working? What is not working? Besides reflecting on the process of the research, they should also reflect on the research itself. What have they found fascinating about the topic? With reflection and feedback during the discussion, the students will be able to understand more of what they are doing and learning.  

Going Public

The final result of the project should not stay between the teacher and the student. It needs to be seen publicly. This gives a feeling of authenticity to the project and encourages better work. A public showing of the work emphasizes a learning community. The students can teach their peers about their subject and they can share their project with parents. The class might have worked on a city issue. They can invite a city official in to see their presentation.

Resources on Project Based Learning

Three great blog posts on project based learning are  Gold Standard PBL, How Does Project Based Learning Work? and Seven Essentials for PBL.

This video explains the steps of PBL.

Helping the Teacher Plan

As I plan a project based learning activity, I am never sure I have covered all the elements. On the Buck Institute for Education website, I found a  checklist to ensure I have all the essential elements of a PBL activity. The checklist is downloadable as a PDF. Now, I have it on my computer to print as I need it. As I develop the activity, I can look at the checklist and ask: Do I have a driving question? Is this project authentic? As I go down the list, I know what needs to be addressed. As I become more of an expert at PBL, I won’t need a checklist. But, at this point, I am a novice. 

Project Based Frameworks

PBL can be used cross curricula. Researchers in Michigan used PBL to combine literacy and social studies. By studying classes that used PBL and those that didn’t, the researchers found that the students in classes using PBL scored higher on the end of the year tests. They found that combining the curricula into PBL groups, the students were more engaged, seeing the connection between what they do and what they are learning. The students are in 2^nd grade and are learning critical thinking. Project Based Learning is not just for older students. 

Project Based Learning Ideas

Students in this first grade class take an idea from a story and create a science lesson.

Charles Drew Charter School takes one PBL project each quarter that covers all subjects in the school. 

Reading Comprehension Strategies for Upper Elementary

In one of my classes, another student noted in a discussion that 25% of people in the United States couldn't read well enough to understand simple instructions listed on packaging. There was no data to back up this number, and I have found no evidence to support this statement. It did start me thinking--  how many people out there cannot read? Is it 10%? 20%? Per the website, the Statistic Brain, 14% of adults in The United States cannot read.

As a teacher, I find this appalling. Reading is such an important skill. How does one fill out a job application or get a job without being able to read? It must be frightening to live in a world where you are unable to understand everything around you. It is no wonder why so many inmates cannot read. They had little choice but revert to a life of crime without education.

Besides the basics of everyday life, a person should read because it helps develop the mind. Reading engages critical thinking and imagination. Reading gives a person a better self image and initiates creativity.

How can a upper elementary teacher help a student to read? Let's start by picking a book.

Picking a Book

Mims has a great post on how students pick books. The article states that too much choice in books is too overwhelming for the student. They walk into a library packed with books and have no idea where to start. Students will then most likely go to an area in which they have had success in the past. This is why Geronimo Stilton is so popular. (The librarian at my school takes all the Geronimo Stilton books off the shelves one month out of the year, "Geronimo is on vacation," she tells the students. This forces the students to look elsewhere for a book.

When starting a literature group in class, the teacher should pick three or four books for each group in that group's reading level. The students can look at the books and decide, as a group, which book to read.

Other sites, such as Reading Rockets, teach students to use the "5 finger rule." Using this rule, kids find a book they are interested in and open up to any page. As they read that page, they count the number of words that they don't know. At 3 words, the book is beginning to be a little challenging for the student.

However, some teachers say that if a child wants to read a book that is above his or her reading level, it might be best to give the OK. Sanjay is looking forward to reading Harry Potter because all of his friends have read it already, but Sanjay is a low level reader. As his teacher, I would encourage him to read it and let him know if he is having a hard time to come to me. Desire to read helps a student break past barriers. As teacher, I can take him aside and talk to him about the book and help him with the parts that are difficult for him.

Reading Strategies

Reading the words in a book and understanding the concept of the book are two different things. When a child begins to read, all he or she sees is the words. How to comprehend the passages must be taught.

Beginning a passage

Reading Rockets has a step by step guide for teachers to teach comprehension. 

First, look at the book. What might it be about? 

As they read, the teacher should teach the students to ask questions about the text and to summarize important ideas. They can integrate the text with their background knowledge. They can visualize characters and setting. After the reading, the students should learn to summarize what they have read. They need to discuss the text and extend the ideas to other texts and real life situations. 

The website continues with many  activities a teacher can use to teach reading comprehension.

The Crazy Professor Reading Game

Chris Rekstad brings reading to life in his Crazy Professor Reading Game. The teacher uses whole brain teaching to promote reading comprehension. The students read aloud in a dramatic way. They read aloud using hand gestures. Then the students explain to their neighbor the passage. The final part is the Crazy Professor and the Eager Student. One person who gets excited about teaching the Eager Student about passage and the Student is so excited, he or she encourages the Crazy Professor. The students are excited to play the game while reading. They use their whole body to act out parts. They are a part of the story. In the end, they understand the reading and they remember what they have learned.

Anchor Charts

In a previous post, I wrote about Literature Groups.  When working with literature groups, the teacher gives a mini lesson to help reading comprehension before the students break into their groups. We Are Teachers has a fabulous post on anchor charts. The anchor charts are a visual guide to help students understand the teacher's mini lesson. When the students begin reading their text, they can look up at the anchor chart and ask, "What am I supposed to do when trying to figure out the word?"

Teaching about cause and effect? Finding the main idea? Making inferences? There are sample charts on 25 different reading comprehension subjects for a teacher to use.

Focus on Language

In this video, teacher Clara Gonzales-Espinoza teaches reading comprehension to her 5th grade students. She begins with a mini lesson on idioms which will help them understand when story. While reading the story to her class, she pauses to help them comprehend the text. The Cinderella story is filled with rich text. Gonzales-Espinoza stops for one difficult sentence, asking the students to identify the key words. She breaks down the sentence, defining the words. Then the students use the context clues to understand the meaning of the sentence. She believes that the students need to hear the complexity of the language. Don't dumb it down. Simply continue to repeat until they understand.

While watching the video, I noticed that Gonzales-Espinoza didn't just read the story to the students and discuss it at the end. The discussion took place during the reading of the text. The questions she asked were not simple questions, but questions meant to get them thinking. Gonzales-Espinoza engaged higher level thinking with her students.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers can be maps to the text. The student can learn to make notes that organizes the information in a visual way, creating more learning and more retention.

Erin Lowry gave a presentation, from Skeptic to Believer: The Power of Graphic Organizers. Her slide deck offers a great overview of graphic organizers.

How do we teach students to create a graphic organizers? There are plenty of sites that will provide the instructor with a worksheet for the students to fill in as they read. Reading A-Z offers an array of charts for its members. Lowry believes that these ready made charts do not allow the students to organize in their own way and engage independent thinking. They seem to be a good way to start your students out and give them ideas of types of organizers there are.

When introducing graphic organizers to the students, the teacher should model the process and explain the purpose. The students need to understand that creating a graphic organizer will mean less work for them in the future.

Before reading, the teacher needs to give a little instruction and background on the topic of the text. As the students read, they search for important pieces of information and organize them. They need to create the organizer in a way that makes sense for them based on their learning style. After the reading, add a summary.

Once the students begin using graphic organizers, they will understand how helpful this technique can be.

Scaffolding

Patricia Babbitt, in her article Scaffolding: Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension, states that with scaffolding of eight basic strategies for reading comprehension, the struggling reader will begin to understand. 

The 8 most effective strategies for reading comprehension are:

• comprehension monitoring
• cooperative learning
• graphic organizers
• story structure 
• question answering
• question generating
• summarizing
• multiple strategy

Scaffolding supports the reader before, during, and after the read. As the students work with the teacher using these techniques, they soon become independent readers. 

These are just a few ideas to help your students in reading comprehension. If you have a favorite strategy, please share it. I am always looking for more ideas.

Web Based Teaching Resources: A few good finds!

Teaching Methods for Inspiring the Students of the Future | Joe Ruhl | TEDxLafayette

In this TED Talk, Joe Ruhl states that students are wired for choice. The classroom needs to be based on the 5 C’s: student choice, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. The teacher needs to be a guide, not a lecturer. Learning and the classroom needs to be about the students. Then he talks about the 6^th C, caring. It motivates and inspires the students. The teacher is the most important part of school and the most important part of a student’s academic life. 

Teaching Vocabulary to Young Learners Through Brain-Based Teaching Strategies by Setenay Çelik

Setenay Celik is an English teacher in Turkey. She explains how a teacher must understand how the brain works for a child to remember what he or she has learned. The brain needs to feel enjoyment in the process and make connections. Without it, the neurons in the brain will not react and the lesson will not be remembered.  

The Jigsaw Classroom

The Jigsaw Classroom is a cooperative learning technique that enhances student learning. Break up the students into groups. Then break up the assignment into sections. Each person in the group takes charge of one section of the assignment. Once they understand the material of their section of the assignment, “expert” groups are formed. Tge student assigned section A of the assignment in each group form the “expert” group and so on with section B, C,… The experts discuss that section so that they truly understand it. Next, the expert groups disband, and the students go back to their original groups. Each student then presents his or her part of the assignment to the group. The students learn from each other. The last part is to give a quick quiz to the student to check on their comprehension. 

List Group Label

This Reading Rocket video explains the vocabulary strategy List, Group, Label. This strategy helps students understand words by classifying them. The first step has the students list words based on a theme or a passage. Then the students group the words in any way they wish; they simply need to be able to explain why they grouped them that way. The last step in to label each group of words. The students get a better understanding of the words and remember them. 

Reading Rocket has quite a large number of resources. If you are looking for something, check it out. You might find just what you need. 

Play the Bag Game to Learn the Parts of Speech.

Education.com has a variety of activities, worksheets, lesson plans, and more. It is a wonderful resource for all teachers. Simply click on the grade level and the type of activity you are looking for and soon a long list will pop up.

One activity I found and plan to use in the Bag Game used to learn parts of speech. It is simple and fun. First the teacher takes 8 paper bags and writes a part of speech on the front: noun, verb, adverb, conjunction, pronoun, adjective, preposition, and interjection. Review those parts of speech briefly with the students. Then ask the student to write on cards a variety of words, one word per card. As a class, we look at the words and put them in the appropriate bag. Then the students take out one word from each bag and make a sentence. They receive one point for each word they use correctly. The students are bound to make some creative and possibly funny sentences. They will have a great time while learning parts of speech. 

Purpose of this Blog

As a teaching candidate, I am constantly looking at different resources. I need to read books, look at websites, view TED talks, read articles in journals. The list goes on and on. While creating a blog has been a requirement in several of my masters classes. I hope that this blog will develop into a set of notes for me. I can look back through these blog posts and see my research. Which books did I like and should pay attention to in the future? What strategies have I tried and did they work? Honestly, I am not hoping for a public audience. However, if another teaching candidate or a teacher who is just starting out happens upon my blog, I hope that he or she will be able to use some of my insights. Teachers should assist other teachers and share resources as much as possible. I have been saved by tips from other teachers many times. I am happy to help anyone I can.

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

-William A. Ward 

Tiered Lesson: Classifying Triangles

While researching ideas to help me differentiate instruction, I came across a fabulous article by Rebecca Pierce and Cheryll Adams which gives step by step instructions on creating a tiered lesson. As a teaching candidate and a substitute teacher, I have some experience in differentiating my lessons. However, that experience is limited. I am still not quite sure I am doing it correctly, and it does take me a bit of time to create these lessons. I decided to try out the step by step plan. Will it make differentiated lesson planning easier for me? We will see.

Step 1: Identify the grade level and subject:

4^th grade math

Step 2: Identify standard:

California Common Core State Standards Mathematics

4.G.2: Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles. (Two-dimensional shapes should include special triangles, e.g., equilateral, isosceles, scalene, and special quadrilaterals, e.g., rhombus, square, rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid.) CA

Step 3: Identify the key concept and generalization:

Students will be able to identify special types of triangles: right, equilateral, isosceles, and scalene. Students will explain the differences between the types of triangles.

Step 4: Do the students have the necessary background?

The students have been working on 4^th grade geometry. The class has learned lines, line segments, and rays, parallel and perpendicular lines, and right, acute, and scalene angles. Most of the class has mastered all the subjects. However, six students have not demonstrated mastery on the subject of angles. This group will need some reteaching before they will be able to master triangles.

Step 5: Which part of the lesson will be tiered? Content, Process, or Product?

Pierce and Adams state that a teacher can tier all parts of the lesson. But, they recommend that, as a teacher is learning to tier, he or she should take it one step at a time. I will tier the content portion of the lesson.

Step 6: What type of tiers? Readiness, interest, or learning profile?

           I will be tiering based on readiness.

Step 7: How many tiers do you need? Develop the lesson.

           I will create three tiers:

Green group: This is the group that will need a little more attention from the teacher. There are six students who did not quite master the types of angles. They need some reteaching. In addition, there are two EL students who do very well in math but, because there is more writing in English in Geometry, they are having more difficulty than usual, and two students who usually need a little more guidance in math than other students.

                     

                      Blue group: This group of twelve students are on track for 4^th grade.

Yellow group: This set of ten students began our geometry unit understanding many of the concepts. This is the advanced group and will need some enrichment. This group includes one boy with mild autism. He has no learning issues but does have social challenges.  

           

           Materials:

Teacher: Triangle poster, triangle handout, task cards, a lot of triangles cut out in various colors.

Students: Math notebook, pencil, glue stick, colored pens, mini whiteboards

           Warm up:

Teacher: “In our last lessons, we have been learning about lines, rays, and angles. Talk to your elbow partner about what you remember about lines, rays, and angles.” Give students two minutes to talk with their partner.

Teacher: “Time’s up. Let’s come back together and talk what we know or in this case I think we may want to draw it on the board.” Call up volunteers to draw a line, line segment, ray, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, right angle, acute angle, and obtuse angle.

By reviewing the previous lesson, the students get their minds ready for the next step in learning. Activate that prior knowledge.

           Introduce triangles:

Teacher: “Take a look at that right angle. It’s a nice looking right angle. What would happen if I put a line segment here from one ray to another (on the board, teacher closes up the angle with a line segment to create a right triangle)? What do you see?” Most of the class will recognize a triangle. “Yes, a triangle has 3 sides and 3 angles. You have learned that before. But, this is a special triangle. Because it has that right angle, it is a right triangle. Do you see it? There are several other special triangles: equilateral, isosceles, and scalene. You are going to learn about each type in your groups today. 

"In a minute, but not yet, you will get into your groups. Blue will be over there, yellow- there, and green over here. You will need your math notebooks, pencil, and a glue stick. Each group box has your task cards, a few handouts to explain the triangles, and a lot of colored triangles for you to use on your activity. Go to your groups and get started.”

           Activity:

Task cards:

           Green:

1.     Take a handout and look at the types of triangles

2.     Find a colored triangle to match each type of triangle

3.     Glue the colored triangles into your notebook, noting the type of triangle and its characteristics based on the handout

4.     Create a picture using 4 right triangles, 4 equilateral triangles, 4 isosceles triangles, and 4 scalene triangles.

5.     Mark each triangle with the type of triangle it is.

Blue:

1.     Work together to identify the types of triangles.

2.     Find a colored triangle for each type of triangle

3.     Glue the colored triangles into your notebook, noting the type of triangle and its characteristics based on the handout

4.     Create a picture using the different types of triangles.

5.     Note how many of each type of triangle was used.

Yellow:

1.     Work together to identify the types of triangles.

2.     Find a colored triangle for each type of triangle

3.     Glue the colored triangles into your notebook, noting the type of triangle and its characteristics based on the handout

4.     Create a picture using the different types of triangles.

5.     Identify other shapes created with the triangles.

Handout:

The green group has 1 handout per person. The other groups have 3 handouts to share. The green group has an additional handout which shows the names of the triangles written in the first language of the EL students.

                     Poster:

Group work:

Once the students break into groups, the teacher begins with the green group and gives a mini lesson on angles and triangles. By reviewing the angles using the cut-out triangles, the teacher can help the students in making the connections. The teacher can ask each student to find a triangle with a right angle. Students in the group can help each other find one. They might want to make a box on the right angle to visualize the right angle. The teacher can then ask them to find a triangle with an acute angle. “The angle is small and cute, so it is an acute angle.” Next, have them find a triangle with an obtuse angle. Use the hang loose symbol on your hands to remind them to hang loose with obtuse angles.

After a review of the angles, the teacher can introduce an equilateral triangle. All sides and angles are equal. Have the students each find an equilateral triangle and glue it into their notebook. Next, introduce an isosceles triangle with 2 equal sides and 2 equal angles. The students should find an isosceles triangle a glue it into their notebook. Finally, introduce a scalene triangle with no equal sides or angles. Have the students find a scalene triangle to glue into their notebooks. When they each have their triangles glued in, ask them to mark which triangle is which and note use the handout or the poster to note characteristics of each type of triangle. Use colored pens to help identify the characteristics if necessary. Have them complete their task card with their group, each working in his or her own notebook. Be sure to check in with the EL students to make sure they understood the definitions. Ask if they need a translation. The visuals should help the EL students understand the characteristics of each triangle, but the teacher should check in to be sure.  

The teacher should them go to the other groups and answer questions and make clarifications. Check to see if each student understands the difference in the types of triangles. Check on notes in their notebook. How are they doing on the pictures? Are they able to identify the triangles? Are students in the yellow group identifying other shapes?

Step 8: Assessment:

Have the students return to their seats and take out their white boards. Ask everyone to draw a right triangle. They show their boards. The teacher can go through the other 3 triangles and throw in a few other things learned during the unit such as parallel lines. The teacher can mark down who did not draw the right item for reteaching the next day.

Using this Pierce and Adams plan, I was able to tier the lesson’s content for the different levels in the classroom. It did help me to clarify my thoughts as I was creating the plan. I think I will use this again in the future.

For more information on this article, check out “Tiered Lessons: One Way to Differentiate Mathematics Instruction” by Rebecca Pierce and Cheryll Adams. Published in Gifted Child Today (vol 27, Issue 2, pp 50-65).

Problem Based Learning: Debating Independence

Project Based Learning

Project based learning is an instructional strategy which allows the student to grow, discover, and learn on their own based on a problem or a topic. Project based learning helps develop critical thinking and reinforces time management skills. The students research the topic and determine the solution.  

In the lesson plan following, Debating Independence, the students are put into groups and are randomly assigned which colony that group represents. They then work together to research their colony and work separately to research their delegate. Each student will discover the character of their delegate. What was he like? What were his views on independence? Then the students will act out the debate on independence where the students will need to portray their delegate. The students are able to discover the minimums or, if intrigued, can learn more about their delegate.

The student will show their knowledge and creativity during the debate.

Debating Independence: A Lesson Plan Based on Project Based Learning

Learning goals: The students will demonstrate the debate of whether or not to declare independence from England during the Second Continental Congress. Students will describe the lives, views, and impact of members of the Second Continental Congress.

This lesson is part of the American Revolution Unit. During this unit we will cover California Social Studies Standards for 5^th grade.

5.5 Students explain the causes of the American Revolution.

1. Understand how political, religious, and economic ideas and interests brought about the Revolution (e.g., resistance to imperial policy, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, taxes on tea, Coercive Acts).

 2. Know the significance of the first and second Continental Congresses and of the Committees of Correspondence.

3. Understand the people and events associated with the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence and the document’s significance, including the key political concepts it embodies, the origins of those concepts, and its role in severing ties with Great Britain.

4. Describe the views, lives, and impact of key individuals during this period (e.g., King George III, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams).

Materials needed:

·       13 cards. One for each colony.

·       8x10 colored card stock

·       Computer cart

·       Books and articles about the Continental Congress

·       A poster of the Declaration of Independence with a space for students to sign

Planning:

Break students into 13 heterogeneous groups. Be sure a high achiever is teamed with an EL student or low achiever. Having heterogeneous groups will enable the students to help each other.

Plan on 2 periods for the research and preparations and 2 periods for the mock Congress.

Activity- The students learn about the delegates of the 2^nd Continental Congress and their views on independence from England.

• ·       Review with students what happened at the 1^st Continental Congress and what has happened since.
• ·       Explain to the students that they will be taking on the role of a delegate to the 2^nd Continental Congress in Philadelphia. At this point in the Congress, the delegates are debating declaring independence from England.
• ·       Break the students into their groups and explain that each group is a colony. One person from each group picks a random card to determine which colony they will represent.
• ·       The students will research who were delegates to the 2^nd Continental Congress from their Colony. Each student will pick a person to represent in the mock Congress. He or she will learn about that delegate (his name, where he was from, his occupation, his views on independence, and did this person sign the declaration of independence).
• ·        Each student will create a name tag on an 8x10 piece of card stock which describes the delegate. The name tag must have the delegate’s name and colony in writing. The tag should also describe the person in words or images. The tag will be attached to a piece of ribbon and worn around the student’s neck during the mock congress.
• ·       Each student needs to prepare a speech stating the view on independence to be given during the mock congress. The students need to determine what type of person was their delegate. How should he or she portray him?
• ·       The teacher should tell the students that if the colony has more delegates than they have students in their group, pick the more prominent delegates to represent. For example, the Virginia delegation can’t forget Thomas Jefferson.
• ·       Find out who is John Hancock and take that person aside. Let that student know that as John Hancock he or she will act as the President of the Congress and moderate the debate.
• ·       The teacher should circle the room during this process and make sure students are on task. Are the EL students or lower performing students understanding the information? Is everyone participating in the assignment? Are the higher achieving students taking over?

Mock Congress- Time to put the research into action. The students take their roles as delegates and state their opinions on independence.

• ·       John Hancock calls up colonies to voice their opinion. Student should introduce themselves with name and colony then state their opinion.
• ·       Once everyone has stated their opinion, John Hancock should call for a vote.
• ·       Signers sign the Declaration of Independence.

Discussion-Get the students thinking and talking about what they did for the past few days.

• ·       Ask students what they learned about the 2^nd Continental Congress.
• ·       Did any part of the research surprise or intrigued you?
• ·       What do you think happens next?

Final wrap up- The teacher gives a quick review of what the students learned during the mock Congress and lets them know that in the next lesson they will continue with the reaction of the King and the other actions performed by the 2^nd Continental Congress.

Assessment- Students will be assessed on their knowledge of their delegate based on their nametag and their statement during the debate.