3 History Lesson Plans for Grade 3 – Special Celebrations

By
Leanne W
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Summary of Lesson Plan Sequence:

Rationale:

The first lesson is to create a historical vocabulary, an awareness of events commemorated in Australia and to gain an understanding of students’ prior knowledge.

The second lesson aims to utilise the students’ questioning schema to enable them to explain why, when, where, who and how the five selected days/weeks (ANZAC Day, Australia Day, NAIDOC week, Labour Day and the Queens Birthday) are celebrated in Australia.

The third lesson will take place after the class excursion to the Shrine of Remembrance.  Students will be required to start analysing the data and information they have collected and decide upon their chosen medium to present their findings.

Teaching approach: Inquiry-based with the focus question for the unit:

How and why do we commemorate significant events in Australia?

A focus question has been selected as inquiry questions are pervasive throughout the History curriculum.  Inquiry-based approach has been selected as history should not just be a body of content delivered to students, nor a set of concepts, methods and skills taught in isolation.  Students develop historical knowledge and understanding by utilising historical concepts, methods and skills in their investigations of aspects of the past.

To enable deeper thinking a number of tools and strategies will be used to assist students with learning situations both within and beyond the classroom.  This school weaves its inquiry process through a number of subjects and not just humanities.  During the students’ library sessions they will be exposed to the following texts: The Red Poppy by David Hill and My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day by Catriona Hoy.

Teaching context: Year 3

  • History – Historical Knowledge and Understanding – Community and Remembrance
  • History – Historical Skills – Chronology, terms and concepts AND Perspectives and interpretations

Australian Curriculum Links:

Year 3 History:
  • Days and weeks celebrated or commemorated in Australia (including Australia Day, ANZAC Day, Harmony Week, National Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC week and National Sorry Day) and the importance of symbols and emblems. (ACHHK063)
  • Use historical terms (ACHHS066)
  • Identify different points of view (ACHHS069)

Lesson Plans Sequence:

Lesson Plan 1 – Historical Terms and Events in Australia

WALA: Australian history

WALT: Identify days/weeks commemorated in Australia

Introduction:
  • Explain verbally in a succinct manner the structure of the lesson, repeating key words and supplementing the verbal instruction with written dot points (to cater for a variety of intelligences and one student with auditory processing issue)
  • Careful to not use any idioms as one student is on the autism spectrum
  • Inform the students that they are commencing a new inquiry and they will have a number of exciting options on how to display their learning (5 minutes)
Body:
  • Discuss briefly the meaning of the word ‘commemorate’ and scribe the following definition ‘commemorate means to take notice of, or remember, someone’s achievements’ or similar
  • Discuss briefly common celebrations (10 minutes)
  • Provide the students (in pairs) with one month handout and instruct them to scribe special events commemorated in Australia during their provided month (twelve groups of two students)
  • Students can either use their laptops or the books displayed around the classroom (25 minutes)

Other information

Conclusion:

  • Instruct students to return to the mat and starting with January ask each pair to share their findings
  • Teacher to scribe all of the responses by month on the interactive whiteboard
  • Teacher to address any misconceptions during this phase and add any celebrations not included by students (10 minutes)

Reflection/Assessment:

  • The learning objective will have been met if students are able to identify the majority of significant events commemorated in Australia
  • Formative notes (observation and anecdotal records) should be taken during the lesson on each pair and also based on how much information the pairs report back.

Resources:

  • Interactive whiteboard
  • Laptops
  • Month calendar handouts – copied already and on the teacher’s desk

 

Lesson Plan 2 – Historical Questioning

WALA: Australian history

WALT: Explain why days are commemorated in Australia

Introduction:
  • Explain verbally in a succinct manner the structure of the lesson, using the same cues listed in the previous lesson plan
  • Undertake the Australia Day quiz on the interactive whiteboard
  • Inform students that they will be working in groups to create data charts (10 minutes)
Body:
  • The groups will complete a data chart including when, who, what, why and how about one of the five days listed above.  Students will use the handouts and the internet resources to complete the data charts (25 minutes)

Other information

If any IT issues are unable to be resolved prior to the lesson students can complete the data charts using the handouts only

Conclusion:

  • Using the ‘fish bowl’ strategy, ask all students to stop work and move around each work station, with each group explaining their data chart
  • Provide each student with a KWL chart to complete based on what they have just learned about the five days/week (15 minutes)

Reflection/Assessment:

  • The learning objective will have been met if the groups have populated the data charts and were able to explain their findings to the class
  • The teacher should also collect and review the KWL charts to ascertain any misconceptions or to adjust future planning
  • Formative notes (observation and anecdotal records) should be taken during the lesson.

Resources:

 

Lesson Plan 3 – Historical Data Analysis

WALA: Australian history

WALT: show our learning in different ways

Introduction:
  • Explain the lesson using the same cues listed in the previous lessons
  • Ask the students to think-pair-share with the person next to them on the mat using this sentence ‘I used to think, but now I think…’ about ANZAC Day
  • Ask for volunteers to share their learning and correct any misconceptions
  • Inform students that they will be creating one or more pieces of work about the learning objective.  Choices should be uncovered brainstorming with the students, however here are some ideas catering for multiple intelligences
  • Show the artefacts in Appendix D and inform students to search those websites
  • Show and discuss the rubric for the project (Appendix E) and advise that they will be self-evaluating their performance (25 minutes)
Body:
  • Using a Y Chart (Appendix F) or another visual organiser students should work quietly to plan their presentation (20 minutes)

Other information

If any IT issues are unable to be resolved prior to the lesson students can start their research using the resource books in the classroom

Conclusion:

  • Students require a ‘ticket to leave’ and must write on two postits, the first one how they are planning to display their learning and the second one something they are still confused about (5 minutes)

Reflection/Assessment:

  • This learning objective will continue over a number of sessions to allow students time to undertake further research and to create their presentation
  • The teacher should review the postits to ascertain if students are progressing towards the learning objective
  • Formative notes (observation and anecdotal records) should be taken during the lesson
  • The final product, once completed, will be assessed by the students’ themselves and by the teacher as an assessment of learning.  Symbols and emblems will constitute the next series of lessons

Resources:

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