Topic: The Past and Present with Pocahontas CONTEXT

Topic: The Past and Present with Pocahontas
CONTEXT—Kindergarten; Whole Group and Independent Work; 21 students; Ms. Nicole
Smith and Ms. Cate’s Classroom (Oliver C. Greenwood Elementary); 10:15-11:15 a.m. (1 hour);
to be taught 11-6-15; prepared by Sarah Gunter.
STANDARDS—History
K.1: The student will recognize that history describes events and people of other times and
places by
a) identifying examples of past events in legends, stories, and historical accounts of Powhatan,
Pocahontas, George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Abraham Lincoln.
K.2: The student will describe everyday life in the present and in the past and begin to recognize
that things change over time.
OBJECTIVES—(1) Given information about Pocahontas, students will recall one leadership
quality and one act of kindness. (2) Students will draw an example of Pocahontas helping the
settlers and a person from the present doing something kind for someone else. (3) Given a
variety of images, students will distinguish which images relate to the past and which images are
associated with the present.
RESOURCES—Nettleton, P. (2003). Pocahontas: peacemaker and friend to the colonists.
Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books. Pre-post assessments (Handouts #1 & #2) with answer
keys (Appendix A).
LESSON DESCRIPTION
Pre-assessment administered on November 5, 2015. INTRODUCTION (5 min.)—
Introduce the topic of Virginia Indians and ask students to share what they already know about
them. Record students’ responses on the board or on chart paper.
CONTENT FOCUS—INCLUDING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT—Content Focus (15
min.): Read Pocahontas: Peacemaker and Friend to the Colonists by Pamela Hill Nettleton.
Reiterate the following ideas: Pocahontas was a Powhatan from the past; Pocahontas was the
daughter of Chief Powhatan; the Powhatan tribe is from Virginia, Pocahontas became friends
with the settlers, Pocahontas helped the settlers find food in the winter. While teaching about
Pocahontas, point out differences between the past and the present. For example: Native
Americans and settlers had to hunt for and find food in the past. In the present, people go to the
grocery store or visit a restaurant. Engage students by asking them what kind of food they buy at
the grocery story or at a restaurant. If a student provides McDonalds as an example, emphasize
that Native Americans and settlers could not go to McDonalds in the past. Students will discuss
the information they absorbed after learning about Pocahontas. Make a web on the board or on
chart paper while students provide facts about why Pocahontas was well liked by the settlers and
how she made friends with the newcomers. Share and ask for modern examples of kind acts.
Student Engagement (30 min.): Next, instruct students to fold a piece of blank paper
“hamburger” style. While providing instructions, model each step. Explain how students will
draw a picture of Pocahontas helping the colonists on the left side, and a picture of another
person helping someone else on the right. The example of someone helping another person, or
group of people, should be given from a present context. When students complete their drawings,
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provide students with the past and present post-test. Extensions: Instruct students who complete
their assignments early, to draw a picture of an act of kindness he/she would like to do in the
future.
CLOSING (10 min.)—Invite students to share their illustrations on the document camera
and explain what they drew. If time permits, review the answers to the past and present
assessment.
ASSESSMENT
FORMATIVE— students’ responses when discussing prior knowledge about Virginia
Indians and student’s ability to recall facts after learning about Pocahontas.
SUMMATIVE— students’ illustrations of people helping others and an accurate
description of how the person in the illustration is helping someone else; results of pre-post past
and present assessment.
CONTENT/BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Explicit historical account of Pocahontas—
Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, chief of the Powhatan tribe located in Virginia. Her
original name was Matoaka (“little snow feather”) but she was nicknamed Pocahontas, which
means “playful one”. People from England settled in Jamestown, Virginia where Captain John
Smith was one of the leaders. Fighting occurred between the Powhatans and the English settlers,
and some believe that Pocahontas saved John Smith from her native people. Pocahontas and
John Smith’s friendship helped maintain good relations between the Virginia Indians and the
English. Throughout the winter, Pocahontas helped the English find food to survive. Later,
Pocahontas married an Englishman named John Rolfe.
Implicit examples of leadership: Positive disposition (engaging with newcomers); peacekeeping
mission between the Virginia Indians and the English settlers. Pocahontas demonstrated actions
for the common good by: helping the colonists find food so that they could survive in the winter,
and acting as a translator to maintain peace between two cultures.
Concepts: leader—a person who takes action to help and promote others; settler—a person who
travels to live in a new place where few people have lived before, often creating a community;
past—something that has occurred previously at an earlier time.
DIFFERENTIATION—Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences that will be addressed:
verbal/linguistic (class discussions; drawing explanation); visual/spatial (pictures provided in the
Pocahontas book; illustrations created by students); interpersonal (understanding kindness and
how it makes others feel); whole group and independent work.
ACCOMMODATIONS— H.V. has an IEP that indicates a motor disorder known as Apraxia.
H.V. specifically has an Apraxia of Speech (AOS), which makes oral communication especially
difficult. Aside from brainstorming activities during group discussion, assessments given
throughout the lesson avoid the use of interviewing methods. Students are later asked to provide
an illustration and circle pictures on a worksheet. This accommodation was made with H.V.’s
disability in mind. I did not create an assessment specifically for H.V. We believe it is important
to avoid singling him out.
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Handout #1—Pre-Post Assessments
Circle items that are from the PAST. At the bottom, circle Pocahontas.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Handout #2—Pre-Post Assessments
Cut out items.
Fold construction paper “hamburger” style and label the left section “Past” and the right
section “Present”. Glue the pictures in the appropriate categories.
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APPENDIX A—Answer Sheets for Pre-Post-Test
Circle items that are from the PAST. At the bottom, circle Pocahontas.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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APPENDIX A—Answer Sheets for Pre-Post-Test
PAST
PRESENT
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Grading Rubric—Past and Present
Content and
Conceptual
Knowledge
Ability to recognize
items from the past
and present.
Exceeds Expectations
(10 points)
Meets Expectations
(8 points)
4 or more images
2-3 images
appropriately matched appropriately matched
in both the past and
in both the past and
present categories
present categories
Below Expectations
(5 points)
0-1 image
appropriately matched
in both the past and
present categories
Ability to recognize
image of Pocahontas
Correctly points to
image of Pocahontas
Points to an image of
a person
Points to an image
that does not portray a
person
Identification of
Pocahontas helping
the settlers, and of
someone from the
present helping
someone else
Draws and articulates
the acts of kindness
demonstrated in the
illustrations
Draws but cannot
articulate the acts of
kindness
demonstrated in the
illustrations
Does not draw or
articulate an act of
kindness
Scores
Total ____/30
Grading Scale: 27-30= A; 24-26=B; 21-23=C; 18-20=D; Below 18 =F
*Student cannot fail unless he or she does not participate
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ADDITIONAL STANDARD—Civics
K.8: The student will demonstrate that being a good citizen involves
e) practicing honesty, self control, and kindness to others
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