4th+Grade+Gold+Rush


 * Unit Title: California Missions **


 * Grade Level(s): 4 **


 * Time Frame: 3 Weeks **


 * Theme: **** Early Settlements in California **


 * Subject/Topic Area(s): Social Studies/Writing/Fine Art **


 * Key Words: colony, mission, missionary, expedition, primary source, secondary source, presidio, pueblo, plaza, alcalde, Father Serra **


 * Designed By: Katie McFate and Casee Beyer **

__** Summary Description of Unit (including but not limited to: curricular and unit goals, context, inclusion of parent participation, use of technology, learning environment considerations, and the unit’s appropriateness for English learners and special needs students): **__ This unit is on the establishment and development of the Spanish mission system in California. This unit will follow a unit on explorers to the new land and will precede a unit on the Gold Rush and California's statehood. The goals of this unit are that students will know and be familiar with Baja and Alta California, the reasoning for the establishment of the California missions, the role of Father Serra, and the relationships among the soldiers, missionaries, and California Indians. It is also intended that students have a general idea of each of the 21 missions in California. Students will participate in three main performance tasks that assist them in achieving these goals: a Powerpoint presentation on an assigned mission, a shoebox diorama of that mission, and a writing assignment where students are able to apply content information to their own lives and personal experiences. Technology will be used throughout the unit as students listen to direct instruction lessons via Powerpoint and create their own Powerpoint presentation to present to the class. The inclusion of parent participation is imperative for this unit since it is likely that parents will have some prior knowledge pertaining to this content information and therefore, will be able to assist students in obtaining a clear understanding of the material. The creation of a shoebox diorama is conducive to this learning environment because of limited space to display large three-dimensional models of missions like ones that have done in the past. Parents will be invited to attend the presentation of the shoebox diorama after the second week of this unit. This will give parents an opportunity to observe exactly what the students are learning in the classroom and, after learning that visitors will be observing their projects, will encourage students to contribute an increased effort to their diorama, allowing them to take pride in their work. This unit is well-adapted to English learners and special needs students because of the differentiation of instruction used. The groupings, which the students will spend a great majority of the time working with, are homogeneous and strategically arranged based on each students' academic achievement level. GATE students will work with other GATE students and will be expected to complete a project depicting a higher level of critical thinking. Similarly, EL and RSP students will be strategically placed together, where they will be given different requirements more suited to their academic abilities.

** Stage 1: Identify desired results. ** __** What content standards are addressed? **__

4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre- Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods. 2. Identify the early land and sea routes to, and European settlements in, California with a focus on the exploration of the North Pacific (e.g., by Captain James Cook, Vitus Bering, Juan Cabrillo), noting especially the importance of mountains, deserts, ocean currents, and wind patterns. 3. Describe the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, including the relationships among soldiers, missionaries, and Indians (e.g., Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola). 4. Describe the mapping of, geographic basis of, and economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; and understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America. 5. Describe the daily lives of the people, native and nonnative, who occupied the presidios, missions, ranchos, and pueblos.

__** What enduring understandings are desired (and what misunderstandings will be addressed)? **__ Enduring Understandings: 1. Students might have a vague idea that the missions exist, they might have been to a mission or have seen one. 2. Students might have an idea of the early explorers coming to America from other countries. They most likely have heard of Christopher Columbus. 3. Students are most likely aware of Native Americans (Indians) that lived in America before explorers. Misunderstandings Addressed: 1. Students might believe that the missions have been built recently. 2. Students might believe that the missions exist purely as museums and not understand why they were bullt in early California.

__** What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning? **__


 * How and why did Spain begin to settle in California?
 * How did the establishment of the missions help expand Spanish influence in Alta California?
 * How was the Spanish mission system in California organized?
 * Who was Father Serra and how did he influence Spanish expansion in California?

__** What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit? **__ As a result of this unit, students will have a clear understanding of the establishment of Alta California and everything that occurred to bring about the changes to this region. Students will understand Spain's reasoning behind the establishment of the missions and how they were used expand Catholicism and Spanish influence among the native indians. The will have an understanding of daily life on the missions and will acquire skills that allow them to write their own primary source letter pretending they were an active participant during this time period. Students will also develop skills working with Microsoft Powerpoint as they work in groups to create a presentation on a particular mission assigned to them. This activity will also give them the opportunity to develop oral speaking skills. Along with the development of technology and speaking skills, students will acquire skills in visual art as each group creates a shoebox diorama of the particular mission assigned to them with everyday materials gathered from home. Each of these activities will give the students opportunities to develop critical thinking skills in relation to this content material while also further developing skills in both writing and creativity via visual art.

__**// Students will know: //**__
 * The geographic location of both Baja and Alta California.
 * The purpose and reasoning for the establishment of the California missions.
 * The role of Father Serra and Gaspar de Portola in the establishment of the first missions.
 * The purpose of the pueblos and presidios in the mission system.

__**// Students will be able to: //**__
 * Identify the land and sea routes taken to California by early settlers.
 * Describe the hardships the Spanish faced in settling Alta California.
 * Differentiate between primary and secondary sources.
 * Explain how sources can be used to learn about the past.
 * Discuss the importance of Junipero Serra in California.
 * Describe the relationships among soldiers, missionaries, and California Indians.
 * Analyze the reasons for building each kind settlement in Alta California.
 * Tell how the mission system increased Spain's power and spread Christianity.

** Stage 2: Determine acceptable evidence. ** __** What evidence will show that students understand? **__ Students will demonstrate understanding through several formal and informal assessments. Most of the assessments are created to be dynamic, hands-on activities that demonstrate knowledge through the creation of a product. This includes creating a Powerpoint presentation with a group, creating an individual shoebox diorama of a California mission and writing a primary source document. Students will also demonstrate knowledge through homework assignments that provide practice for skills learned in class as well as through summative, formal test assignments that provide a concrete number for test data.

__** Performance Tasks*: **__ __** * ****// Complete a Performance Task Blueprint for each task (next page). //**__

__** Other Evidence (quizzes, tests, prompts, observations, dialogues, work samples, etc.): **__ The students will be tested on key terms and events at the end of this lesson.

__** Student Self-Assessment: **__ Students will assess their work at the end of the unit. They will be able to evaluate what they have learned through a debriefing conversation that provides them the opportunity to work through all of the collected data. Due to the nature of this unit, the students have not gathered their data in the traditional way. A conversation about gathered information provides the students with the opportunity to share knowledge with classmates as well as evaluate their own learning throughout the unit.

**Performance Task Blueprint **
 * __Ta__ ****__sk Title: California Mission Powerpoint Presentation Approximate time frame: Three 45 minute sessions (135 minutes total)__ **


 * What desired understandings/content standards will be assessed through this task? **
 * The student will be able to use a controlled secure internet search engine to research information about an assigned California mission. The students will use this researched information to create a Powerpoint presentation that will be presented to the whole class. This lesson will provide an assessment of the students' ability to use technology to gather information as well as their listening and speaking skills. **


 * What criteria are implied in the standard(s)/understanding(s) **//regardless //** of the task specifics? **
 * The California Social Science standards require that students understand the function and the influence of the California mission system. This includes understanding the influence that Spanish Catholicism had on native Californians through the mission system. It is aslo implied that students will present oral reports that use clear and correct voicing to convey messages. **

The students will demonstrate understanding through the creation and oral presentation of a Powerpoint.
 * Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding? **

//Task Overview (include G.R.A.S.P.S. – ////goal, role, audience, scenario, purpose, and standards): // Goal: The student will be able to work as a group to create a Powerpoint presentation that relays information about a specific California mission. Each Powerpoint presentation is designed to teach the rest of the class about that particular mission, ensuring that each student has the opportunity to teach their mission and learn about a variety of missions from classmates. Role: The students will have the opportunity to take on the role of both teacher and student during this lesson. The students will have the opportunity to work in groups of three to research information about the assigned mission. The students will be provided with a short guideline of what information to include in the Powerpoint. This information will include the date that the mission was built, who built the mission, where the mission is located, who worked at the mission and any unique facts about the mission that make it different from the other mission. The students will utilize their roles as the teacher by presenting the Powerpoint presentation to the class and teaching the class about their mission. The students will be able to utilize their roles as the audience by practicing effective listening skills. The teacher will explain that the students that they need to be respectful of the presenters, which means that students should not be talking and their full attention should be on their “teachers.” Audience: Just as each student has the opportunity to participate as the teacher, the students will also spend part of the class as the audience of the students who are teaching. This provides the students with ample opportunity to practice their listening skills as well as practice their ability to process information that is presented in an oral and visual manner. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Scenario: After the teacher presents a two-day directed instruction lesson, the students will have the opportunity to become the teacher. The students will use controlled, secure internet search engines to research information about the subject. The teacher will provide a short guideline that will give the students a direction for information to gather. After the information is gathered, the students will put together a Powerpoint presentation that presents the information in a clear and organized manner. Finally, each group will have the opportunity to share their presentation with the class and become the teacher for the mission that they researched. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is multi-faceted. This lesson serves to provide a brief, informative overview on several of the California missions, specifically what makes them unique from the other missions. It also provides the students with the opportunity to learn a new form of technology through using the Powerpoint application. It also assists the teacher in diagnosing what students are able to do in terms of technology skills.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**Standards**: <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Social Science Standard <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish**
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Describe the mapping of, geographic basis of, and economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; and understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">English-Language Arts Standard <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Listening and Speaking// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication** <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> The students will provide evidence of their learning through the completed Powerpoint. The product that is their Powerpoint is a tangible assessment that can inform the teacher about whether or not the students followed directions and if they were able to complete the assignment successfully.
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Palatino-Roman,serif;">Present effective introductions and conclusions that guide and inform the listener’s understanding of important ideas and evidence.
 * 2) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Palatino-Roman,serif;">Use traditional structures for conveying information (e.g., cause and effect, similarity and difference, posing and answering a question).
 * 3) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Palatino-Roman,serif;">Emphasize points in ways that help the listener or viewer to follow important ideas and concepts.
 * 4) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Palatino-Roman,serif;">Use details, examples, anecdotes, or experiences to explain or clarify information.
 * 5) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Palatino-Roman,serif;">Use volume, pitch, phrasing, pace, modulation, and gestures appropriately to enhance meaning.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What student products/performances will provide evidence of desired understands? **

Student products will be evaluated based on a rubric. This rubric provides the teacher with a guideline for assessing the student products. Students will be assessed on the presentation that is produced as well as their participation in the group work. While this assignment is used for students to learn about and teach a specific California mission, it is also a great tool for teaching team work. As students move on to higher grades, group projects will become more frequent. It is important that students have the opportunity to work in groups so that they can learn to share the workload and work as part of a team. Students will also be assessed on their oral presentation. As each student is required to present part of the information, the teacher will have a clear assessment of each student's oral presentation skills.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">By what criteria will student products/performances be evaluated? **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Performance Task Blueprint **
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Ta__ ****<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__sk Title: Shoebox Diorama Mission Approximate time frame: Four 45 minute sessions (180 minutes total)__ **


 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What desired understandings/content standards will be assessed through this task? **
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The student will be able to use standard art materials as well as other household items to construct a California mission. The student will use obtained knowledge about the structure of California missions to replicate a mission. This will assess their knowledge of the mission as well as their ability to use materials to construct the mission. **


 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What criteria are implied in the standard(s)/understanding(s) **//<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">regardless //**<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> of the task specifics? **
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The standards imply that students are able to understand and discuss the functions and intentions of the California missions. The students should be able to describe the style of the missions and how that style relates to the function. Students should be able to use materials to construct an artistic interpretation of a concept, which is a California mission in this assignment. **

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The students will demonstrate understanding through the creation and presentation of a shoebox diorama of a California mission.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding? **

//<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Task Overview (include G.R.A.S.P.S. – ////<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px;">goal, role, audience, scenario, purpose, and standards): // <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Goal: The student will be able to use art and household materials (a shoebox, popsicle sticks, glue, natural resources like grass and rocks) to construct a replica of an assigned California mission. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Role: The students will take on the role of artist in this assignment. While the student should be able to explain how their mission is a replica of a specific California mission, they should also be able to explain their artistic process and how they chose the materials for that mission. This connects their historical knowledge of the California missions to the artistic expression that they convey through the project. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Audience: The students have the opportunity to showcase their dioramas for the other students as well as for any parents and family members that choose to attend the presentation. This gives the students the opportunity to play the role of artist and presenter to explain their diorama as well as be the audience members for the other students. The teacher will ask students to give each other postive feedback to ensure that they practice their social skills through being good citizens and good friends to their classmates. This gives them the opportunity to look at the dioramas in a more detailed fashion in order to provide good feeback for their classmates. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Purpose: This lesson serves purposes in both the social science and the fine arts standards. For social science, this lesson provides students with the opportunity to use their critical thinking skills to learn about and evaluate a specific mission. For fine arts, this gives the students a hands-on approach for creating a project that goes beyond the social science standards. The students have the opportunity to create and be hands-on with this project, while still operating within the social science realm of learning.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**Standards**: <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Social Science Standards <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Fine Arts Standards
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Describe the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, including the relationships among soldiers, missionaries, and Indians (e.g., Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola.)
 * 2) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Describe the mapping of, geographic basis of, and economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; and understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**5.0 CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS**
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Connecting and Applying What Is Learned in the Visual Arts to Other Art Forms and Subject Areas and to Careers <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> Students apply what they learn in the visual arts across subject areas. They develop competencies and creative skills in problem solving, communication, and management of time and resources that contribute to lifelong learning and career skills. They also learn about careers in and related to the visual arts. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**Visual Literacy**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> 5.3 Construct diagrams, maps, graphs, timelines, and illustrations to communicate ideas or tell a story about a h istorical event. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> The students will provide evidence of their learning through the completed diorama. The product that is their diorama is a tangible assessment that can inform the teacher about whether or not the students followed directions and if they were able to complete the assignment successfully. This also gives the teacher an opportunity to look at artistic skills of the students, as many schools do not have the opportunity to fine tune artistic skills.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What student products/performances will provide evidence of desired understands? **

Student products will be evaluated based on their shoebox diorama. The criteria for this assessment will be for the students to show creative effort and to demonstrate historical knowledge. Even if a student is not the most artistic individual, he or she has the opportunity to display effort and enthusiasm for learning artistic skills. The students also have the opportunity to display historical knowledge. They have to replicate a real California mission, which means they have to study that mission and show evidence of learning through demonstrating specific traits for that unique mission. A student will have completed the assignment successfully if he or she is able to demonstrate historical knowledge as well as enthusiastic participation, even if his or her artistic skills are not refined.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">By what criteria will student products/performances be evaluated? **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 21.3333px;">Performance Task Blueprint **
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Ta__ ****<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__sk Title: Primary Source Letter Approximate time frame: One 45 minute session__ **


 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What desired understandings/content standards will be assessed through this task? **
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The student will be able to demonstate a culminating understanding of the California mission system and primary and secondary documents through the creation of a primary source document. **


 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What criteria are implied in the standard(s)/understanding(s) **//<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">regardless //**<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> of the task specifics? **
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The standards imply that students understand the daily living situations of the missions and how the missions and Catholicism effected native Californians. Students also need to demonstrate knowledge of the basics of reading comprehension and writing skills. **

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">The students will demonstrate understanding through the creation of a primary source letter. This letter is to be written from the point-of-view of either a native American living on the mission or a Catholic priest. This letter is to be written to someone not living in California in order to clearly explain the benefits and detriments of the mission system.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding? **

//<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Task Overview (include G.R.A.S.P.S. – ////<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12px;">goal, role, audience, scenario, purpose, and standards): // <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Goal: The student will be able to create a primary source document in the form of a letter. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Role: The students will take on the role of writer in this assignment. They will write a letter, as a native American or a Catholic Priest, to inform of the California mission system. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Audience: The audience for this assignment is the reader of the document. The students have the goal of accurately describing the missional life to the reader. The reader should have a clear understanding and a vivid detail of what life was like on the mission for that particular purson. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Purpose: This lesson serves purposes in both the social science and the language arts standards. For social science, this lesson provides students with the opportunity to learn about the benefits of primary and secondary documents. Students get the opportunity to understand the emotional connection that can forge from the use of these documents. They are to demonstrate culminating knowledge of the mission system through the creation of a primary document. In the realm of language arts, students have the opportunity to practice their writing skills. Students are already familiar with the rules of creating a good written work, and this assignment is created provide them with the practice that is necessary to further develop proper writing skills. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Standards: <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Social Science Standards <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Language Arts Standards <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">2.0 **Reading Comprehension** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Structural Features of Informational Materials// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text//
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Describe the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, including the relationships among soldiers, missionaries, and Indians (e.g., Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola.)
 * 2) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Describe the mapping of, geographic basis of, and economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; and understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America.
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Identify structural patterns found in informational text (e.g., compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential or chronological order, proposition and support) to strengthen comprehension.
 * 1) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Use appropriate strategies when reading for different purposes (e.g., full comprehension, location of information, personal enjoyment).

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**1.0 Writing Strategies** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Organization and Focus// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">**1.2 Create multiple-paragraph compositions:** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">a. Provide an introductory paragraph. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">b. Establish and support a central idea with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> the first paragraph. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> c. Include supporting paragraphs with simple facts, details, and explanations. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> d. Conclude with a paragraph that summarizes the points. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> e. Use correct indention. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Penmanship// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">1.4 Write fluidly and legibly in cursive or joined italic. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">//Evaluation and Revision// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">1.10 Edit and revise selected drafts to improve coherence and progression by adding, delet­ ing, consolidating, and rearranging text.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> The students will provide evidence of desired understandings through the completed primary source document. The student will be able to use knowledge of the mission system and their excellent writing skills to convey an emotional connection to the material through the use of a primary document.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">What student products/performances will provide evidence of desired understands? **

Student products will be evaluated based on their written product. The written product will be evaluated for both historical content and writing skills. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the mission life and the key people within the system. Thety will also provide evidence of learning in the area of writing skills by producing a well-written, correct document that shows writing growth.
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">By what criteria will student products/performances be evaluated? **

** Stage 3: Plan learning experiences & instruction. **


 * What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired understandings? **
 * Consider the W.H.E.R.E. elements, from the //student’s// perspective. **

Students will develop and demonstrate the desired understandings through a variety of activities and assessments. Each assessment will show evidence of a different type of learning and a different learning objective. The unit will begin with a direct instruction lesson where the students will be introduced to Baja and Alta California. During this direct instruction, the teacher will introduce lesson vocabulary and important content material and information in the learning objectives. The material will be presented through a Powerpoint presentation which will begin to scaffold information pertaining to the technology portion of this unit. Since the students will eventually be creating their own Powerpoint presentation, the use of a similar technique for presenting the direction instruction will serve as an example for what students will do when they work on their group presentations. Following the creation of a group Powerpoint presentation on one selected mission, the students will be asked to obtain materials and different household objects to bring to class to assist them with the creation of a shoebox diorama of part of their mission. Students will be given approximately three days in class to create their model. After the creation of the diorama, the students will be given the opportunity to display their work in the classroom. One day will be given to walking around and observing each group's work. Parents will be allowed to attend this short period of class time in order to take part in their student's learning and to give the students the opportunity to take pride in their work. This learning experience incorporates the use of visual art and therefore gives students the opportunity to not only expand their understanding of the structure of the missions, but also to develop and expand their creativity within the arts. The students will demonstrate the desired understandings of primary source documents and important figures during this time period through the use of a writing activity. This activity will follow the group Powerpoint presentation and the creation of the shoebox diorama. After a direct instruction lesson on important figures during this time period (Father Serra, Portola, etc) and the value of primary source documents, the students will pretend they are one of these important figures and write a letter to their families describing their experience establishing the missions. This activity will helps students make progress towards several of the learning objectives and is also useful because it incorporates writing skills with social studies content, giving them a dynamic lesson that works across the curriculum.

** Stage 3: Plan learning experiences & instruction. **


 * In what ways will technology be used that will equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired understandings? **

Technology will be incorporated in this unit through the use of Powerpoint. The teacher will teach a direct instruction lesson that will provide an introduction to the Spanish mission system in California. While providing important introductory information in regards to the Spanish missions, the lesson will also be an example to introduce students to the concept of Powerpoint presentations. The students will be divided into groups of three or four students to complete a group Powerpoint presentation. Each group will be assigned a California mission. The group will research the assigned mission using secure internet search engines, such as Google. Each group will use the internet- gathered information to create a Powerpoint to present to the class.

The groups will be assessed on the content that they present as well as their ability to work together as a group. This will be the students' first time using Powerpoint. This project will provide a good diagnostic assessment to determine the students' technological skills.

The parents will be asked to help the students gather materials for the shoebox dioramas. Although these dioramas will be completed in class, the parents and families of the students will be asked to assist their students in gathering materials for the project. The teacher will ask that these materials mainly be gathered from the home (and not bought from the store), to avoid high costs and to provide the students an opportunity to think creatively with the tools that are around them. Some of these materials can include popsicle sticks, rocks, sticks, sugar cubes, etc. The teacher will ask the parents to discuss these items with their student and to assist the student in thinking creatively to create their own mission.
 * What parental/family involvement activities will equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired understandings? **

The parents will be invited to attend the discussion and presentation of the dioramas on the second Friday of the unit (unit day 10). The teacher will include a short letter to the parents on the This activity will take place during the normal social studies time allotment. It will include a short discussion of how the students made their dioramas, materials used, etc. It will also include plenty of time for the students and parents to look at (and make positive comments about) each student's diorama. The teacher will remind the parents that this is a special time to celebrate each student's creative work and not compare or critique the projects.

The parent involvement in this activity is appropriate because it gives the parents an opportunity to be involved in the student's work. However, this assignment will be completed in class to ensure that the assignment is the student's work, and not the work of an artistic parent or sibling.


 * Design a bulletin board (include a sketch) and tell in what ways it will be used to equip students to develop and demonstrate the desired understandings? **

The bulletin board to accompany this lesson would include a large cut out the shape of California. Surrounding this cut out of California, there would be 21 notecards, each with a picture and a brief description of a mission. These notecards would be placed around the state with pieces of string connecting them to the exact location on the map in which the mission is actually located. This would allow the students to see a big picture of where each mission is located. It would also allow students to see pictures of each mission and quickly retrieve the basic information pertaining to each one. Surrounding this map showing each mission, I would place several examples of the students' personal primary source documents and information about Father Serra and a few other pertinent Spanish explorers.


 * Stage 3: Plan learning experiences & instruction. **

The sequence of this unit was designed to address each learning outcome in an order that chronologically prepared them to be able to demonstrate each desired understanding. The use of the direct instruction lesson at the beginning of the lesson to introduce the topic is purposed to provide adequate background information that will prepare them for their assignment to research their own mission. This direct instruction powerpoint will give them a thorough understanding of the reasoning behind the establishment of the missions. They will learn about Spain's desire to develop colonies in Alta California in an attempt to prevent the Russian fur traders from taking over this area. Students will also become familiar with this particular region geographically and they will learn why the expeditions to this new area caused a great deal of hardship for Spanish explorers. They will learn the basic general layout and plan for each mission, which will help them gain a broad, overall understanding of the mission system and will successfully scaffold this content information as they move into their group Powerpoint presentations on an individual mission. The group presentations on an individual mission will directly follow the initial direct instruction lesson. This project will therefore, allow students to delve deeper into the content and research more specific details about each mission, before presenting this information to the class. Allowing each group to present their mission to the class is a beneficial strategy because it provides each student in the class with the opportunity to learn more specific details about each mission without having to research each mission themselves. These activities will conclude week one of the unit and will successfully lead into the following weeks activities. For week two, students will continue their research of their group's particular mission as they research the mission's layout and create a three-dimentional shoebox diorama of their mission. Student will obtain an even greater understanding of the mission system as they compare and contrast their mission diorama with the models of their classmates. They will be able to visualize the similarities and differences between several of the missions as depicted through these projects. Finally, in the last week of the unit, students will explore the importance of primary and secondary source documents as they prepare for their summative assessment on the unit. They will read firsthand accounts from Father Serra, Gaspar de Portola and a few indians that lived and worked on the missions. After being introduced to these documents, students will create their own personal letters, pretending to be a historical figure during this time. This activity is useful at the end of the unit because it helps the students revisit all the information they have been introduced to and will allow them to apply the content information to their personal lives as they write about what they would have felt living during this time. This deeper level of thinking is a great way to conclude this unit and lead into the review and the final assessment. The summative assessment at the end of the unit will provide valuable information pertaining to whether or not the students have obtained a clear understanding of the mission system. The three performance tasks throughout the unit will serve as formative assessments and will also help drive instruction as the unit progresses.
 * What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to engage with, develop, and demonstrate the desired understandings? **


 * The following calendar many be used to map the unit sequence. Code each calendar entry with the appropriate initial(s) of the W.H.E.R.E. elements. **

Direct-instruction Powerpoint: Students will be introduced to Spanish exploration and reasoning behind the establishment of California missions.
 * //**Monday**// ||  //**Tuesday**//  ||  //**Wednesday**//  ||  //**Thursday**//  ||  //**Friday**//  ||
 * **1** **(W.H.E.)**

Homework: Finish Cloze activity for the day. Review vocabulary.

|| //**2**//  **(W.H.E.)** Direct-instruction Powerpoint: Students will continue to learn about the establishment of the missions and will learn more details regarding mission life and details of each mission.

Homework: Finish Cloze activity for the day. Review information addressed in the lesson and discuss with a parent or family member. || //**3**//  **(W.H.E.R.E.)** Begin Powerpoint Assignment: Students will work in groups to create a presentation based on their assigned mission.

Homework: Independently research any information determined by group members. || //**4**//  **(W.H.E.R.E.)** Continue Powerpoint Assignment (in computer lab): Students continue to work in groups to create a  Powerpoint presentation based on their assigned mission.

Homework: Independently research any information determined by group members. || //**5**//  **(W.H.E.R.E.)** Present Powerpoint Assignments to the class: Students present their group work to the rest of the class so that all the students are able to gain a broad understanding of each mission.

Homework: Students begin looking around the house for any common materials that may assist them in the creation of their diorama project. || Homework: Students will be given a map of California   that depicts each mission without a label. They will be required to  label each mission and the proper number to correspond   to the order in which it was   established. || **7**   **(W.H.E.R.E.)**   Work on Diorama Project:   Students will continue their work on their group   diorama project in order to   prepare for the presentation   at the end of the week.
 * ** 6 ** **(W.H.E.R.E)** Introduction and Begin Diorama Project:   The teacher will show   the students a sample project   and explain what is required of   the assignment. Students will   remain in the same groups   in order to create a project on the same mission they had   previously researched.
 * (W.H.R.)**

Homework: Students will complete a  short worksheet that will serve to reinforce key terms   and vocabulary and therefore, prepare them for   their summative assessment. || **8**   **(W.H.E.R.E)**   Work on Diorama Project: Students will continue   their work on the group diorama project and   continue preparing for   the presentation. **(W.E.)** Homework: Students look for any final materials  their group may need to   complete the diorama project and bring them   to class. || **9**   **(H.E.)**   Computer Lab: Students will   use computer lab time to complete a review of missions   on "Study Island" in order to   further prepare them for their   final assessment. || **10** **(E.)** Presentation and Walk through of Diorama Projects: students will display their diorama projects on their desk as a way of presenting them to the class. Parents will be invited to attend this event.
 * (W.H.R.)**

||
 * **11**  **(W.E.R.E.)**   Direct Instruction Lesson:   This lesson will introduce   primary and secondary   sources, giving students   several examples of firsthand   accounts from what life was   during this time period. They   will read accounts from a   variety of sources including   Father Serra, Gaspar de Potola, and a native   Californian.

|| **12**   **(W.H.E.R.E.)**   Students write Primary Souce Letter: After a brief   review of the previous   lesson, students will write   their own primary source   document imagining they   were living during this time   period. If time permits,  a few students will be   able to share their letter   with the class. || **13**   **(W.R.E.)**  Wrap-up Discussion of Spanish Missions, Vocabulary/ Spelling Review Game (Jeopardy): This review will help prepare students for the summative assessment at the end of the week. || **14**   **(H.E.)**   Computer Lab:   Students will again use the   computer lab time to   complete "Study Island"   review questions on the   mission system. Homework: Study for the  test on California missions  ||  **15**   **(W.R.E)**  Summative assessment: Students will be tested on vocabulary key terms, an  understanding of the mission system, and an understanding of primary and secondary sources.

||

__**What happened when we taught this unit?**__

Due to limited time, the only part of this unit that was actually taught in the classroom was the first week. A Powerpoint presentation was used to teach the direct instruction portion of the unit. This method was utilized to give students a preview of how a Powerpoint presentation is supposed to look and what main components should be included in their group presentations (i.e., title page, bullet points, pictures). The means for presenting this direct instruction also activated the students' prior knowledge about Powerpoint presentations, as several students claimed they had either seen or worked with Powerpoint beforehand. The students were given a "Cloze" activity to complete while they listened to the presentation. This additional means of note-taking was extremely beneficial because it kept the students engaged and paying attention as they listened to the presentation. The use of pictures and maps to support content was extremely helpful in explaining concepts. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would be sure to include at least one picture or map on each slide. (I had to skip over the slides that did not have pictures much quicker than the others because it was evident that the students struggled to remain engaged when there were only words on the screen)

For the group presentations, the students were strategically placed in homogeneous groups in order to successfully differentiate instruction for the wide range of academic levels in the classroom. The GATE students were placed with only one other partner, while the remainder of the class worked in groups of three. Each group was given a notecard to refer to that listed the information necessary to include in the Powerpoint presentation. This was an effective way to differentiate information because each notecard listed different necessary information to include. The GATE students were given different requirements that would engage them in a deeper level of thinking. Using notecards was an effective way to differentiate information because it allowed students to be given different directions for the assignment, without even knowing that each group had varied requirements. Similarly, it allowed students to take the directions with them wherever they were working on their presentation. For example, when they were working in the computer lab and doing research, they were able to know exactly what information they needed to include. All in all, this part of the unit was very successful in achieving the learning goals for this lesson when taught in the classroom.