Henry B. Gonzáles

Lesson Plan 1

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Written by: Jacqueline Armstrong
Date: January 23, 2007
Grade level: 7
Subject: Texas History

TEKS Connection: 7C, 7E, 11A, 11B, 11C, 18B, 21A, 21D, 21E, 21G,

As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to:
Identify and explain the major points of Gonzalez’s congressional speech and the speech’s significance for Texans.

The lesson content is about: Henry B. Gonzalez

The student will process the content by: Group discussion

The student will complete the following product as part of this lesson:
An oral report to be shared with the other classmates

I will know how well the student has understood the content, process, or product by:
The quality of the oral reports prepared by the students

Prerequisite skills that students should have for this lesson to be successful:
General knowledge of Henry B. Gonzalez’s life and political career

Actual Lesson

Introduction: Provide students with information on Henry B. Gonzalez’s political career. Read the transcribed congressional speech by Henry B Gonzalez out loud as a class or in groups. Tell the students to note any words or phrases of interest for later discussion. Students need to give extra attention to the key points of his speech.
Time needed 5-15 minutes

Learner-centered Strategies/Activities: After reading the speech, divide the class into groups. Have the students talk about the speech and what it means for Texans of Gonzalez’s time and also what it means for them as students. Instruct the students to talk about the things they noticed in his speech: what they noticed, why the noticed certain aspects, etc. Also have students discuss the major points of his speech and their importance. As an aide to understanding the speech, students can outline the speech and highlight key points.
Time needed for each: 20 minutes

Closure: To check the quality of the discussion, have the groups each prepare an oral report of what they discussed and share with the class.
Time needed: 5 minutes for each group

How will this lesson be made relevant to the lives of the students?
Students will be able to understand public speaking and its importance as a form of communication.

Materials required:
Paper, pencils, highlighters, computers or copies of Gonzalez’s speech found at http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/mexican_voices/voices_display.cfm?id=112

Classroom setup: Room to allow ample space for group discussion

In order to differentiate the lesson to meet the needs of the learners I will do the following: (Please highlight those intelligences that have been addressed in this lesson)

• Verbal-linguistic
• Mathematical-logical
• Spatial
• Bodily Kinesthetic
• Musical
• Interpersonal
• Intrapersonal

The following levels of thinking skills are utilized in this lesson:

• Knowledge
• Comprehension
• Application
• Analysis
• Synthesis
• Evaluation