Alamo Introduction

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Lesson One 
Unit Introduction
(English Language Arts)

OBJECTIVES:
By the lessons end, the student will be able to:
  • Identify the unit’s theme.
  • List at least two ways the Alamo has impacted Texas history.
  • Have identified at least four questions they’d like to have answered by the unit’s completion. 

TEKS:

  •  §110.6. English Language Arts and Reading, Grade 4.
  • (b) Knowledge and skills.
  • (13) Reading/inquiry/research. The student inquires and conducts research using a variety of sources. The student is expected to:
  • (A) form and revise questions for investigations, including questions arising from interests and units of study (4-5).

Materials Needed:

Teacher:

  • Pre-made, class size KWL chart (to be filled in during lesson)
  • I Remember the Alamo by D. Anne Love 
  • Communities text book (MacMillan/McGraw & Hill)

Student:

  • A plain folder for each student for the unit’s material.
  • Individual copy of a blank KWL chart to complete for folder. 
  • Copy of I Remember the Alamo by D. Anne Love from the class set
Anticipatory Set:
  • The teacher will build anticipation towards the unit within her students by announcing that she’s going to show the class a short video clip from a movie that pertains to what they’ll be discussing in the days to come.
  • Announcing what the clip pertains to in advance is unnecessary, and in fact, is undesired (as it dilutes anticipation levels and waters down attentiveness towards detail within the clip itself).
  • Video Clip Address:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_yQPBsoQao
Lesson Content/Sequence/Activities:
  • The teacher will end the video clip and immediately reference the KWL chart (which she has already created and hung) as she asks the class what they think the unit will be about after having watched the clip.
  • Fill in the title of the KWL chart as the students correctly answer.
  • Students can fill out individual copies of the KWL chart along with you as you complete the class chart with student generated responses.o    After completing the KWL chart, the teacher will inform the class about growing up in San Antonio and visiting the Alamo.  She will briefly tell the class about her general experience of living in the city and show them her personal appearance in the Communities text book (p.128) from when she was their age.
  • This is a good idea in order to form personal relevance with students, as they will (at basil), be able to relate the fact their teacher grew up in the area if they themselves are not familiar with San Antonio.
  • Lastly, the teacher will correlate the previous two stages of the lesson with an introduction to the book the class will be reading over the ten day unit:  I Remember the Alamo by D. Anne Love.  She will explain that the Alamo has not only shaped much of what is the city’s culture today, but that it’s played a major role in Texas history in and of itself.  With that said, she will reference the “W” section of the KWL chart they completed, and mention that several of these answers will be discussed in the book.  Time permitting, it would be ideal to read chapter one as a class at this point in order to have completely introduced the unit, and to have done so as a class collaboration. 

Closure:
  • Each student will be given a thematic folder for the unit to keep their work organized as we move forward. 
  • They will be asked to design a picture of the Alamo on the front of their folders and to insert their individual/completed KWL charts.

Accommodations:

For Advanced Students

  • Have students seeking an additional challenge obtain definition hypothesis in regard to difficult vocabulary that may appear early on in the unit.  Some examples include: artillery, besieged, cavalry, dictator, empresario, infantry
     

For Students Needing Assistance

Students needing additional assistance can be aided by

  • being given a color page of the Alamo (rather than drawing one)
  • being presented with a vocabulary page of unit words with the definitions already completed.

Assessment 

  • Students will complete their first summarization entry in their Alamo folders pertaining to chapter one.  (Upon completing each chapter within the unit book I Remember the Alamo, the student will complete a brief summary and illustration from the chapter’s main event). 

Teacher Made Materials:

  • Class & individual copies of the of the KWL chart

Resources & References: