Intern Name: Jamie Hewett

Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): SOL Review Social Studies

Grade: 5th Grade
Length of Lesson: 30 minutes (can be more)
Date Taught: 5/27
LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE
In this lesson…
Students will be reviewing over Social Studies learning objectives that will be
Overview needed on the SOL.

VS.2 - The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship

between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and
present, of Virginia by
a) locating Virginia and its bordering states on maps of the United States;
b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont,
Standards of Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;
Learning c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of
Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River,
Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the
Dismal Swamp)

What are the boarding states of Virginia on a U.S map?

How do geographers describe the five regions of Virginia?
Essential Questions How are the water features in Virginia important features to modern and past
history?

Students will be able to…

To locate Virginia and the surrounding states on a map of the United States.
Objectives Describe and locate the five regions of Virginia.
Identify major water features important to Virginia today and in the past.

I can differentiate Virginia from the surrounding states on a U.S map and
can identify the states around Virginia.
I can explain and identify the five regions of Virginia.
Learning Target I can locate the major water features of Virginia and explain how they
contributed to the early history and modern-day life.

Necessary Prior Basic concept of Virginia geography.

Ability to read and interpret a map.
Knowledge
● Chrome book
● Paper
Materials ● Pencils/Writing

[Link]
Introduction/Hook Have students watch this video beforehand as a refresher of the subject.
Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
 Have students then quickly identify the surrounding states on this map. Time the
students and make it a friendly competition.

SOL REVIEW !!!!! Use this PowerPoint as a guide.

[Link]
Students will take this quizizz to review for the SOL. If students feel they need
more help with the topic, then students will go on SOL Pass.
Instructional - [Link]
Activities & Then students will test their knowledge some more using:
Strategies - [Link]
- [Link]
- [Link]
Students will be able to to choose which matching they wanted to complete.

● Fall Line: The natural border between the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) and
Piedmont regions, where waterfalls prevent further travel on the river
● Relative location: May be described using terms that show connections
between two places such as “next to,” “near,” and “bordering.”
Key Vocabulary or ● Peninsula: A piece of land bordered by water on three sides.
● Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge
Concepts Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau
● Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac
River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal
Swamp

Social Studies SOL

Assessments
Give students a study guide to take home with them before their SOL.
Closure Activity SS SOL Review - Study Guide

Students that need to use google translate are allowed to use their computers.
All instructions will be read out loud for all students to hear.
Students that need the instructions reread to them will be able to call/ ask either
Accommodations teacher to read them.
Students are allowed any extra paper that may need to brain dump onto or draw
out Virginia’s geography.
Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
 Students are allowed to raise their hands and are encouraged to ask for help if
they find anything confusing.

● [Link]
e/united-states-5th-grade
● [Link]
ience/[Link]
Resources ● [Link]
[Link]
● [Link]

Reflection on a Lesson Plan Taught

Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow
Intern Name: Jamie Hewett
Lesson Title (Subject/Topic): Social Studies Review
Date of Lesson Taught: 5/27
Cooperating Teacher & School: Mr. Cress & John B Dey Elementary
Grade: 5th Grade

1. What steps did you go through to create this lesson? With whom did you talk, discuss, or edit your lesson?
I first talked to Mr. Cress about doing my final lesson; he simply said that I could do whatever I wanted. My brain
soared with many different possibilities on what to teach the class. I first wanted to do a fun lesson, but after
observing the class and talking to Mrs. Prater and Mr. Cress I realized that the SOLs should be the students'
main priority. I also realized that the students weren’t as strong in certain areas compared to others. One of
those areas was Social Studies. I talked to many of the students themselves and the majority of them said they
were nervous about this SOL. So I decided to make my lesson on topics the students were nervous about. I
discussed and edited this lesson with my mother, who helped me make it more legible.

2. How did the SOLs and Objectives help focus your instruction?
The SOLs and Objectives helped me stay focused on a particular topic. Since this is the SOL review there are
many things I could have covered because the SOL covers all of them. The objectives helped me narrow down
exactly which topics I was going to have the class review. Allowing me to focus on providing more information
about a specific topic instead of just brushing over it in a larger review.

3. What parts of the instructional plan worked as you anticipated?

All of the parts of the instructional plan worked as I anticipated. By having the slideshow be shared with the
students they were able to work at their own pace once completed with the main quizzizz. It allowed each
student to digest the information that they specifically needed to. For students who needed more help on the
regions of Virginia, they were able to go to the specific links that would review those regions. The study guide

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)
helped students a lot because they were able to use it as a review tool when they would go home and study
again.

4. What, if any, adjustments needed to be made once you began?

The only adjustments that I would make were to make the matching more hands-on than on the computer. All
of my reviews were based on the computer for accessibility, but I wish I had more hands-on activities. I feel
some students don’t respond as well as others to online resources. Some students need that extra connection
that holding something provides. So in the future, I would create the matching to be a cut and sort/paste
activity; that is why the students are using their hands for more than typing and clicking.

5. How well did you anticipate the materials needed?

I anticipated the materials perfectly because they were not many needed to begin with. Since I made everything
accessible online all the students truly needed were their Chrome books, which each take to school every day.

6. How effective was the assessment you chose to use? (If no assessment was used, what will the future
assessment be and how will you gauge its effectiveness?)
I did not have a true assessment because it is going to be the SOL. Now I do feel that standardized assessments
are not the best course of assessments to take because not everyone is a natural test taker. One could have a
brilliantly smart student yet do terrible on tests. I do think the SOL does have a relatively good overall gauge on
effectiveness, but I do not think it should be counted/relied on to be the gauge of effectiveness.

7. To what degree do you feel that this lesson was a success? What evidence do you have for the success of
the lesson? (Hint: Student learning is the key to a lesson’s success!)
I think the lesson was a success because the students were answering the questions right, which then would
boost their confidence for the upcoming SOL.

8. How did the time spent preparing for your lesson contribute to it’s success?
I reviewed the materials and the learning objectives for fifth graders before making this lesson. I wanted to make
sure the subject/topics I was covering would be on their SOL this upcoming week. The time truly helped me
figure out the best course of action to take for the review.

9. If you could do this lesson again with the same students, would you do anything differently? If so, what?
I would make the lesson more hands-on. Have the students sort out the different regions with their hands-on
paper. Then allow them to color the certain regions so they could use that color to help them memorize the
information.

10. Any last comments/reflections about your lesson?

Nope I enjoyed reviewing with the students.

Adapted from the Teacher Cadet Curriculum, Property of CERRA—South Carolina © 2004, and/or the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow Curriculum
John M. Merritt, English Teacher at Kellam High School (Virginia Beach City Public Schools)