Lesson 4: Field Trip
I. Objectives
a. Standard SOL- USI.9: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes, major events, and effects of the
Civil War by d) describing the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee,
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Frederick Douglass in events leading to and during the war; e) using maps to
explain critical developments in the war, including major battles;
b. Learning Objective- Students will be able to recognize and illustrate the impact of Stonewall Jackson and the
First Battle of Manassas on the Civil War
II. Materials for Learning Activities
a. Different levels of Civil War books for research
b. Think-Tac-Toe choice board (found in supporting documents)
c. Student computers for research with appropriate student websites
d. Admission Fee for the Manassas Battlefield
e. School bus for transportation to the battlefield
f. Lunch for students (either provided by students themselves or by the school)
III. Procedures for Learning Activities (approximately 5 hour)
a. HALF DAY FIELD TRIP TO THE MANASSAS BATTLEFIELD (4.5 hours)
i. Itinerary
1. 9:00am – Board the buses to the Manassas Battlefield
2. 10:00am- Arrive at the Manassas Battlefield Visitor Center
3. 10:15am- Take a guided tour of the Henry Hill Loop (The First Battle of Manassas)
4. 11:15am – Sit by the Stonewall Jackson Statue and hand out lunch – during lunch, have a discussion
about what we learned yesterday about Stonewall Jackson and talk about how he played a role in the
First Battle of Manassas
5. 11:30am-12:15pm – Have chaperones take groups of students into the visitor center giftshop as well
as the mini museum inside the visitor center
6. 12:30pm – Board the buses to return to school
7. 1:30pm - Return to school
b. Re-introduce the Think-Tac-Toe board (document attach)
i. Instruct students that for the next half hour or so you will have the opportunity to work on the Think-Tac-Toe
activities for the field trip lesson. They are welcome to use any of the resources in the classroom, notes or
informational sheets from the fieldtrip, as well as a virtual fieldtrip that I created for the First Battle of
Manassas (30 minutes)
ii. Let the students know that it is important that they stay focused during this Think-Tac-Toe time. If the
Think-Tac-Toe assignments are not finished today, they will have some time to complete them tomorrow.
c. While the students are working on their Think-Tac-Toe project I will go around and assist students in choosing
their project, answering any individual questions they might have, and observing their progress
d. Closing: Bring the students back together and ask them to self-evaluate their progress. Have students hold
up a “1” if they are less than half way done with their Think-Tac-Toe project and feel they are going to need a lot
more time to finish, a “2” if they are approximately half way done with their project, or a “3” if they are more than
half-way done. (5 minutes)
IV. Assessment-
a. During the lesson-
i. Informal and Formative: I will use the technique of questioning to informally check my student’s
understanding. I will target specific students for specific questions based on their readiness and using varying
levels of questioning from Bloom’s taxonomy. I will do this while discussing the field trip with them on our
lunch break
ii. Informal and Formative: While the students are working on their Think-Tac-Toe boards, I will observe their
progress and take anecdotal notes on their progress, and knowledge.
iii. Formal and Summative: Students will work on completing their Think-Tac-Toe choice board. Their
completed 4 choices will be turned in at the end of class (or after the weekend if more time is needed due to
extenuating circumstances like absences) as formal and summative grade for the unit
V. Differentiation and Accommodations
a. Content differentiation by interests and readiness based on the types of resources students have access to. I
have provided picture books, textbooks, encyclopedias, other non-fiction books, articles, as well as Internet
resources and videos complete their Think-Tac-Toe activity. A lot of our students are very interested in media,
which is why it is important to include videos and media prints. Furthermore, print difficulty ranges from picture
books for our ESOL students to more complex biographies and encyclopedias for our students who receive GT
services.
b. Content differentiation by readiness based on the different levels of questioning I address the students with.
Bloom’s taxonomy offers questions that range from knowledge to evaluation and each level asks for a higher
level of thinking that some students are ready for and other students are not.
c. Product differentiation by learning profile through the Think-Tac-Toe boards. The different rows represent
different multiple intelligences that focus on the strengths of my students. These intelligences include spatial for
all of our artistic students, interpersonal, and kinesthetic for those with strengths in dance and music. The Think-
Tac-Toe board is my high-prep differentiation task that will carry through the entire lesson sequence. A Think-
Tac-Toe board gives students an element of choice while also making sure their tasks align with my objectives.
d. Accommodations- I have made several accommodations for individual students that go beyond the
differentiating I did for the class.
i. For students with learning disabilities, I have created a checklist to help monitor their way through both the
poetry journal entry and think-tac-toe board. This includes showing them what books to look at for specific
information that will help him organize his assignment. I also guided him into a particular think-tac-toe
assignment.
ii. For GT students, I asked them to do the artistic choice in addition to one of the other two choices if they
finish their work ahead of time
iii. For ESOL students. Not only do I guide them to the easier leveled resources, I encourage them to use the
videos and the Internet resources that have been translated into Spanish. I have guided them to the spatial
choice for their think-tac-toe pick.
iv. Allow ADHD students to take frequent breaks and provide fidget sticks
v. Assign specific chaperones for students who may need additional assistance on the field trip
a. Standard SOL- USI.9: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes, major events, and effects of the
Civil War by d) describing the roles of Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee,
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Frederick Douglass in events leading to and during the war; e) using maps to
explain critical developments in the war, including major battles;
b. Learning Objective- Students will be able to recognize and illustrate the impact of Stonewall Jackson and the
First Battle of Manassas on the Civil War
II. Materials for Learning Activities
a. Different levels of Civil War books for research
b. Think-Tac-Toe choice board (found in supporting documents)
c. Student computers for research with appropriate student websites
d. Admission Fee for the Manassas Battlefield
e. School bus for transportation to the battlefield
f. Lunch for students (either provided by students themselves or by the school)
III. Procedures for Learning Activities (approximately 5 hour)
a. HALF DAY FIELD TRIP TO THE MANASSAS BATTLEFIELD (4.5 hours)
i. Itinerary
1. 9:00am – Board the buses to the Manassas Battlefield
2. 10:00am- Arrive at the Manassas Battlefield Visitor Center
3. 10:15am- Take a guided tour of the Henry Hill Loop (The First Battle of Manassas)
4. 11:15am – Sit by the Stonewall Jackson Statue and hand out lunch – during lunch, have a discussion
about what we learned yesterday about Stonewall Jackson and talk about how he played a role in the
First Battle of Manassas
5. 11:30am-12:15pm – Have chaperones take groups of students into the visitor center giftshop as well
as the mini museum inside the visitor center
6. 12:30pm – Board the buses to return to school
7. 1:30pm - Return to school
b. Re-introduce the Think-Tac-Toe board (document attach)
i. Instruct students that for the next half hour or so you will have the opportunity to work on the Think-Tac-Toe
activities for the field trip lesson. They are welcome to use any of the resources in the classroom, notes or
informational sheets from the fieldtrip, as well as a virtual fieldtrip that I created for the First Battle of
Manassas (30 minutes)
ii. Let the students know that it is important that they stay focused during this Think-Tac-Toe time. If the
Think-Tac-Toe assignments are not finished today, they will have some time to complete them tomorrow.
c. While the students are working on their Think-Tac-Toe project I will go around and assist students in choosing
their project, answering any individual questions they might have, and observing their progress
d. Closing: Bring the students back together and ask them to self-evaluate their progress. Have students hold
up a “1” if they are less than half way done with their Think-Tac-Toe project and feel they are going to need a lot
more time to finish, a “2” if they are approximately half way done with their project, or a “3” if they are more than
half-way done. (5 minutes)
IV. Assessment-
a. During the lesson-
i. Informal and Formative: I will use the technique of questioning to informally check my student’s
understanding. I will target specific students for specific questions based on their readiness and using varying
levels of questioning from Bloom’s taxonomy. I will do this while discussing the field trip with them on our
lunch break
ii. Informal and Formative: While the students are working on their Think-Tac-Toe boards, I will observe their
progress and take anecdotal notes on their progress, and knowledge.
iii. Formal and Summative: Students will work on completing their Think-Tac-Toe choice board. Their
completed 4 choices will be turned in at the end of class (or after the weekend if more time is needed due to
extenuating circumstances like absences) as formal and summative grade for the unit
V. Differentiation and Accommodations
a. Content differentiation by interests and readiness based on the types of resources students have access to. I
have provided picture books, textbooks, encyclopedias, other non-fiction books, articles, as well as Internet
resources and videos complete their Think-Tac-Toe activity. A lot of our students are very interested in media,
which is why it is important to include videos and media prints. Furthermore, print difficulty ranges from picture
books for our ESOL students to more complex biographies and encyclopedias for our students who receive GT
services.
b. Content differentiation by readiness based on the different levels of questioning I address the students with.
Bloom’s taxonomy offers questions that range from knowledge to evaluation and each level asks for a higher
level of thinking that some students are ready for and other students are not.
c. Product differentiation by learning profile through the Think-Tac-Toe boards. The different rows represent
different multiple intelligences that focus on the strengths of my students. These intelligences include spatial for
all of our artistic students, interpersonal, and kinesthetic for those with strengths in dance and music. The Think-
Tac-Toe board is my high-prep differentiation task that will carry through the entire lesson sequence. A Think-
Tac-Toe board gives students an element of choice while also making sure their tasks align with my objectives.
d. Accommodations- I have made several accommodations for individual students that go beyond the
differentiating I did for the class.
i. For students with learning disabilities, I have created a checklist to help monitor their way through both the
poetry journal entry and think-tac-toe board. This includes showing them what books to look at for specific
information that will help him organize his assignment. I also guided him into a particular think-tac-toe
assignment.
ii. For GT students, I asked them to do the artistic choice in addition to one of the other two choices if they
finish their work ahead of time
iii. For ESOL students. Not only do I guide them to the easier leveled resources, I encourage them to use the
videos and the Internet resources that have been translated into Spanish. I have guided them to the spatial
choice for their think-tac-toe pick.
iv. Allow ADHD students to take frequent breaks and provide fidget sticks
v. Assign specific chaperones for students who may need additional assistance on the field trip