Lesson Plan

And the Nominee Is...

Main Subject Area: Language Arts

Keywords:

• Essay

Brief Description:

Teams of students research commemorative coin honorees and share the reasons for the recognition with the class. Then the teams select individuals they believe deserve to be on a coin, write short essays explaining their selection, and illustrate coin designs.

National Standard(s):

• Demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process

Additional Subject Area Standard(s):

Objectives:

To help students develop evaluation, paragraph writing, and art skills.

Materials (online):

Materials (offline):

Research books, internet access, paper, and art supplies.

Coins Used in Lesson:

Grade Level(s):   3-5  

Procedures (online):

Procedures (offline):

1. Select a number of individuals who have been honored on U.S. commemorative coins.

2. Divide the class into small groups, and assign one honoree to each team.

3. Have each team research its commemorative coin honoree and why the person was selected. Then have the group present its findings.

4. As a class, brainstorm a list of reasons why people are honored on commemoratives.

5. Reconvene the teams, and ask them to select a person they believe should be honored with a commemorative coin. Caution them that they will need to be able to cite at least one reason for each team member.

6. Assign each team member to write a paragraph supporting his or her reason and to draw a coin design that reflects it.

7. Reconvene the teams, and have them compile the paragraphs and drawings in a report. In addition, ask them to select their team's most convincing reason.

8. Have each team present the paragraph and drawing for its winning reason to the whole class.

Assessment / Evaluation:

Use a standard writing rubric that includes any criteria set by you or the students to judge the merits of the commemorative coin presentations.

Differentiated Learning Options:

Have each team create a multimedia card for its honoree, and then combine all the cards into a presentation.