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PLANNING for VIL ASSIGNMENT

OVERVIEW & CONTEXT


Your name: Heather Dannenberg

Grade level and school: 3rd, Sierra Vista Elementary School

Title of lesson/activity: Visual Inquiry Lesson

Teaching date(s) and time(s): November 2nd, 2017 1:10 pm-1:45 pm

Estimated time for lesson: 30-45 min.

Overview of lesson: Provide a Central Question:How did different people react to


short description of the lesson (3-4 the building of the transcontinental railroad?
sentences). Include the central ● Activate student's prior knowledge of the
question you are addressing in the transcontinental railroad by showing them a
lesson. short video.
● Model to the students how to analyze an
image.
● Describe the activity to the students.
● Pair students and give out assessment sheets.
● Assist students that need help.

Context of lesson: Describe the Unit of study: Transcontinental railroad


unit of study, including the lesson Lesson that comes before: Students have learned
that comes before and after your about the transcontinental railroad through reading
lesson, and explain how these assignments where they read about the
lessons help develop a big idea or transcontinental railroad.
disciplinary practice. Lesson that comes after: After this lesson students
will further their learning about the pros and cons
that came from building the transcontinental
railroad.
Lessons help develop a big idea: The big idea
created from these lessons is there are two sides of
history. This VIL lesson will be the introduction of
this big idea since they have already learned of the
positives of the transcontinental railroad. They will
learn that there were also cons to it being built.
Background research: Include History.com Staff. (2010). Transcontinental
all sources you referenced in Railroad. Retrieved October 29, 2017, from
creating this lesson. In 1-2 http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transconti
paragraphs, describe what nental-railroad
background knowledge you Building the First Transcontinental Railroad. (n.d.).
learned that will help students to Retrieved October 29, 2017, from
get a more complete https://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/transcontinen
understanding of the image and tal-railroad/human-impact/native-americans
historical context. The background knowledge I learned that will help
students to develop a more complete understanding
of the images and historical context was centered
around:
● what the transcontinental railroad meant for
white people,
● what it meant for Native Americans,
● when it was built
● who built it
● why it was commissioned to be done in the
first place.

LEARNING GOALS
Central question: Central Question: How did different people react to
the building of the transcontinental railroad?

Specific learning goals: 1-2 Connection to C3, NM Connection to activities


goals which relate to the Social Studies Standards
central question in the and/or Common Core
lesson.

Students will be able to… K-4 Benchmark II-C: Students will be able to do
Describe how environments, this by analyzing images
both natural and man-made, that show two different
have influenced people and reactions to the building of
events over time, and the transcontinental
describe how places change. railroad

Students will be able to… K-4 Benchmark II-C: Students will be able to do
Be familiar with aspects of this by activating their
human behavior and man- prior knowledge, and
made and natural learning how the
environments in order to transcontinental railroad
recognize their impact on the changed the lives of all
past and present. people living in the United
States through the lesson I
teach and using the
enhancements of the
lesson and with media.

ASSESSMENTS
Type of assessment Connection to learning goals: 2-3 sentences explaining
how this assessment addresses the learning goal(s) you
identify above.

Formative This assessment will be done by checking for student


understanding after I model how to analyze the image for
the students. This will be done by having the class work
together to analyze the second image.

Summative Summative assessment will be completed using the


question worksheet. This worksheet asks students
questions that assess their ability to analyze images. This
assessment addresses the learning goals I identified above
by addressing their ability to recognize the impact the
transcontinental railroad had on the past and present, and
to also be able to describe how environments, both natural
and man-made, have influenced people. They will do this
by analyzing the images and answering the questions
using evidence they gain from the image.

ATTENDING TO THE LEARNERS


Anticipating student ideas: My students have only learned the positives of the
Explain what you think will be building of the transcontinental railroad so I think it will
students’ prior knowledge be challenging for them to realize there were cons to the
about the content, including building of the transcontinental railroad and there are
the alternative ideas or multiple perspectives to history. I plan to work with
challenges you anticipate these challenges by explaining to students that there are
students might face and how pros and cons to most things and that there are always
you plan to work with each of multiple perspectives to history. This lesson can also
these challenges during the help to expand the student's ability to identify pros and
lesson. Also explain your cons in all subjects. It also allows student to be able to
ideas about how students are think critically about the information they are learning
likely to respond to the tasks and be able to ask questions about the information they
in the lesson and how you are given.
might use these likely
responses to focus students on
the intended content.

Making the content I will help all students engage productively in the lesson
accessible to all students: by activating prior knowledge by asking the students to
Describe how you will help tell me what they remember about the transcontinental
ALL students engage railroad. From what they remember I will expand their
productively in the lesson. knowledge about the transcontinental railroad. I don't
This includes identifying just assume that they have a lot of prior knowledge I will
assumptions made during the ask them what they remember and adjust my lesson. By
lesson about students’ prior modeling for the students I am not assuming that they
experiences, knowledge, and have the capabilities to analyze an image and be able to
capabilities; making the answer leveled questions I will show them how to do it. I
representations, explanations, will make the vocabulary accessible and meaningful to
and/or vocabulary accessible all students by defining words they don't understand. I
and meaningful to all will make connections to personal, cultural, and social
students; and making experiences by having them recognize there are multiple
connections to students’ sides of history and just because something being done is
personal, cultural, and social good for one group of people it is not necessarily good
experiences during the lesson, for all people.
if appropriate.

INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE
Materials: List the materials ● Flip chart- contains images, information, and
you will need and the videos.
materials the students will ● Assessment worksheet
need. Include image citation ● Image Citations:
(title, artist, the date or time ○ “Indian Tribes in 1868”
period in which it was http://www.nairiok.org/files/images/Indian
created, and the source battles.jpg
where you found the image). ○ “Trains meeting at Promontory Summit,
Utah,” 1869.
https://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/collect
ion/object_370.html
○ “Map of the Great Transcontinental
Railroad 1875”
https://i.pinimg.com/474x/f9/1f/23/f91f23
65451a38262ca41882f6ea6d14--the-
railroad-transcontinental-railroad-
activities.jpg
○ “Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks of
the Union Pacific R.R.” 1867. J. Gogolin
https://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/tran
scontinental-railroad/human-
impact/native-americans
Time Steps describing what the teacher and students will Notes and reminders: Include
frame: do/say management considerations as well
For each Include how you will launch the discussion; the as possible student responses and
step, observation, inference, and interpretation/evaluation follow-up discussion moves you
indicate questions you will ask; the discussion moves you may use; could use.
how and how you will wrap up and assess student learning.
many
minutes For each image, write 2- 3 questions for each kind of
you question (observation, inference,
think it interpretation/evaluation).
will take. OBSERVATION: questions that draw students’ attention to
literally noting descriptive details inside & outside the
image.
INFERENCE: Ask questions that enable students to
generate ideas or make inferences based on details noticed.
INTERPRETATION/EVALUATION: Ask questions that
prompt students to consider how the picture helps them
think about the central question, share hypotheses they
have, or evaluate the author’s perspective or bias. These
are the “so what” kinds of questions that prompt students
to draw conclusions about the central question, often by
comparing.

4 Introduction: Remind students to raise their


minutes ● Ask the students what they remember about the hands and speak one at a time.
transcontinental railroad . ● When it was finished
● Explain what the activity is ● Where it was built
○ How analyzing these images will give them ● How it helped expansion
more of an idea as to what else was going West across the U.S.
on at the time ● Native Americans also lived
● Show the video on the transcontinental railroad. in the United States.
● Show the flipchart that contains the images and
explain to them how the transcontinental railroad
impacted more people than just people wanting to
expand westward across the U.S.
During Discussion:
● Ask probing questions
○ How do you know?
○ Can you explain that?
○ Tell me more about that
● Turn and talk so every student has a chance to talk
● Explain that they need evidence from their image
for their answers.
Conclusion:
● Have students discuss with a partner their answer
to the central question.
● Explain to the students how these images show two
sides of history and that there are always multiple
sides to one story.

8 Image 1 Questions
minutes Trains meeting at Promontory Summit, Utah, 1869, on Key details for students to notice
the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. and for me to follow up on:
Observation Questions: ● Promontory Summit, Utah
● Where did this picture take place? ● Celebrating the completion
● .What are the men doing in this picture? of the transcontinental
● When was this picture taken? railroad
Inference Questions: ● 1869
● Who are the people in this picture? ● The people who worked on
● How do you think the people in this picture are the railroad and the
feeling? presidents of the Union
● Why would the men in the picture be shaking Pacific and the Central
hands? Pacific.
Interpretation/Evaluation Questions: ● Happy due to the fact their
● What do you think the people from this picture project is done and they
thought about the transcontinental railroad made a lot of money
● What does the completion of the railroad signify building it.
for these people? ● They are celebrating the
completion of the railroad
and is signifying the union
of their two railroad tracks.
● They were supportive of the
railroad.
● Signified easier westward
expansion.

8 Image 2 Questions
minutes “Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks of the Union Key details for students to notice
Pacific R.R.” 1867. J. Gogolin and for me to follow up on:
Observation Questions: ● Burning of the railroad
● Who are the people in this image? ● The bones of the buffalo.
● When was this image created? How skinny the men and the
● What are the people doing in this image? horses are.
Inference Questions: ● How they are taking apart
● How are the people in this image feeling? the railroad.
● Why are these people doing what they are doing in ● The stance of the Native
this image? Americans, defensive.
● What do the bones in this image represent?
Interpretation/Evaluation Questions:
● What do you think the people from this picture
thought about the transcontinental railroad
● What does the completion of the railroad signify
for the these people?
5 Compare Images 1 & 2 and revisit the Central
minutes Question

Interpretation/Evaluation Questions:
● How do these two images differ from one another?
● What viewpoints are these two images showing
you of the transcontinental railroad?

5 Assessment (link to central question): Remember to collect student


minutes Make sure the students know to support their answer with responses
evidence from the image/
Central Question: How did different people react to the
building of the transcontinental railroad? What do you
think is happening in the first picture?
What do you think is happening in the second picture?
How do these two images differ from one another?
How do these images shape your opinion about the effects
of the transcontinental railroad?
What do you think the people from picture 1 thought about
the transcontinental railroad
What do you think the people from picture 2 thought about
the transcontinental railroad
Do these images help you answer the central question?
Why or why not?

REFLECTION ON TEACHING AND LEARNING (complete after tagging the video)


Reflection on Learning and Thinking. The students were able to answer all three
Make an overall statement about strengths levels of questions by looking at the
in students’ thinking during the lesson and images and connecting them with prior
areas where you’d like to push their thinking knowledge. They were also able to form
or knowledge of the topic further. Connect their own opinions from looking at these
to relevant course readings. images and support their reasoning with
evidence from the image. I would like to
push their thinking further by teaching
them there are pros and cons to all things,
and that there are multiple sides to history.
I want my students to be able to question
what they learn from textbooks.

Reflection on Teaching. With regard to I think I was able to engage the whole
your facilitation of a whole-class discussion, class in a discussion and had them
what do you think went well? What do you collaborate while analyzing the images.
think could be improved? Connect to For example, when one student would ask
relevant course readings. a question about the image I would have
the other students work together to try and
answer that question. I think what needed
improving is my ways of getting the class
to focus on who is talking instead of
talking to each other at their table groups.

Next steps: Share one to two concrete I think if I were to teach this lesson again
examples of something you would do next to I would split the question sheet up so that
support your students’ learning or improve one group would work with one image
your facilitation of discussion. and answer one question with a lot of
detail and reasoning. Then when every
group had answered their question they
would present their answer to the class. So
they would be able to debate the answer
they think is the best making them support
their answer with evidence. This would
control the classroom a little better and
would also keep the students more
engaged. I would also include a
vocabulary list that would consist of: pro
and con, differ, observation questions,
inference questions, and interpretation
questions. This would help the students
understand my assessment questions more
and help them build their vocabulary.

** Attach all images and any handouts, worksheets, and assessments you plan to use with the
students to this instructional plan.
Name:
Visual Inquiry
Trains meeting at Promontory Summit, Utah, 1869, on the completion of the first
transcontinental railroad.

“Cheyenne Indians tearing up the tracks of the Union Pacific R.R.” 1867. J. Gogolin
s

Central Question: How did different people react to the building of the transcontinental
railroad?
What do you think is happening in the first picture?

What do you think is happening in the second picture?

How do these two images differ from one another?


How do these images shape your opinion about the effects of the transcontinental railroad?

What do you think the people from image 1's thoughts were about the transcontinental railroad
were based off of this image?

What do you think the people from image 2's thoughts were about the transcontinental railroad
based on this image?

Do these images help you answer the central question? Why or why not?

Central Question: How did different people react to the building of the transcontinental
railroad?
Student Work Samples:

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