Analysis of a Lesson Plan
This paper analyzes a lesson plan for an eight grade class covering the Emancipation Proclamation. This was a turning point for the United States and the world as freedom was given to a race enslaved for centuries. An important piece of American history with an elaborate story in itself, the Emancipation Proclamation gives the teacher an opportunity to expand the students' understanding of the world in which they live.
The Learners This lesson is for an 8th grade class. These learners have some experience in school and are typically between ages 12 and 14 years old. Eighth graders have some experience in school and many have either decided to be part of it or not. This makes instructing them more of a challenge as the teacher must keep them engaged in the lesson. Although this is a challenge for a teacher of any age, the middle teen years present teachers with students undergoing pubescent changes that can have the child's mind otherwise occupied.
The Learning Environment The learners will be in a classroom with desks, although multiple students may be seated at tables, work will be performed individually. The class will be shown a video to be displayed on a screen at the front of the classroom.
Activities and Elements
Day One Students will begin the class by answering the questions: “If you were president during the Civil War, how would you have responded to the existence of slavery in the United States of America? Why? How do you think people would have reacted to your actions?” (Self, 2011). (G1, Remembering, Understanding, Applying) Teacher will explain to the students that the next few days will be spent examining the Emancipation Proclamation and how different people reacted to it. An important part of the discussion will pertain to the impact of constitutional interpretation, turning points in the Civil War, and