Weekly Journal Lesson

Subject: Social Studies and Writing

Grade: 4th

Time: 45 Minutes

Lesson Summary: Every week the students will be asked to put themselves in the perspective
of a young Mexican immigrant and create a journal. Their journal will be completed every week
after a major topic has been discussed in the unit plan. They will we be asked a question and then
complete an entry in their journal that describes the event, feelings, and description of a possible
prediction to what may happen to them next week.
Journal Entry Discussion Points:
1. How does it feel to live in a new country? What challenges are you now facing?
Do you miss living in Mexico, or will America complete your dreams?
2. How was the Sleepy Lagoon murder unfair? Was it fair? How did the murder
make you feel? Were any of your friends involved?
3. How has the media perceived young Mexican Americans? Do you feel judged?
Do you feel safe? Can you change the medias perspective?
4. Will you participate in the Zoot Suit Riots? Do you feel people dont like you
because you are a Mexican? Do you feel safe or scared? What will happen
now?
5. Now that the Zoot Suit Riots are over do you feel safe? Is everything equal?
Are you still facing discrimination? Has the media changed their
perspective?

Standards:

K-4 Benchmark I-BUnited States: Understand connections among historical events,

people, and symbols significant to United States history and cultures.
1.Describe local events and their connections and relationships to national history.

K-4 Benchmark I-CWorld: Students will identify and describe similar historical
characteristics of the United States and its neighboring countries.
1. Explain how historical events, people, and culture influence present day Canada,
Mexico, and the United States (e.g., food, art, shelter, language).
K-4 Benchmark II-E: Describe how economic, political, cultural, and social processes interact
to shape patterns of human populations, and their interdependence, cooperation, and conflict.
1. Describe how cultures change
4. Identify the causes of human migration.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.B
Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.A
Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in
which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
Objectives: Students will be able to create opinion perspective pieces based off of facts that
are supported by detail and use of emotion.

Differentiation: Students who are below grade level in reading and writing may type on the
computer or complete illustrations that accurately describe how a young Mexican immigrant may
feel in the provided circumstances. For students who are in gifted, they will be provided with

short research documents on each provided topic. They will need to complete their journal entry
in the same perspective as a young Mexican immigrant but also include one of the provided
research documents in their journal. They must explain why they included the research document
and how it is relevant to their journal entry.

Assessment: Students will be assed based on their journal entries at the end of the unit. They
will be graded and their understanding will be assessed based on the use of the facts they
included in each entry. The facts they included must be relevant to the entry and include what
was previously talked about throughout the week. The students must also show use of 1st person
perspective and use emotion words such as; horrified, scared, happy, sad, ect. Since this is a
formal writing assessment, the students will also be graded on their handwriting, spelling, and
punctuation.

Handwriting I formed all my

letters neatly

I did a good job I did an okay

MOST of the
just, but there
time
are some
mistakes

Capitalizatio I capitalized all I used correct

n
names, titles,
capitalization
places, and
beginning of
sentences

MOST of the
time

I had SOME
correct
capitalization in
my story

1
I did not do my
personal best,
my handwriting
was sloppy
I used NO
correct
capitalization in
my story

Punctuation I have ALL of my I have MOST of I have SOME

punctuation

Spelling

my punctuation punctuation

1
I have NO
punctuation

All of my words MOST of my

SOME of my
NONE of my
are spelled
words are
words are
words are
correctly
spelled correctly spelled correctly spelled correctly

Entry
I have ALL parts I have MOSt
Completion of the questions parts of the

I have SOME
I have NO parts
parts of a
of the questions
answered. I
questions
question
answered. I did
included how I answered. I
answered. I have not write in first
felt, at least 3
included at least at at least 1 fact person or include
facts, and wrote 2 facts and wrote and wrote in 1st facts to support
in 1st person
in 1st person
person
my entry.
perspective
perspective.
perspective.