"Ben Franklin's Life and Times"
Sample Lesson Plan

Step 3: Group Projects: Research Stage

Target Objectives

1. Students deepen their knowledge by applying research skills to gather information for group projects (either a biography or an original invention).
2. Students contribute to group projects, and learn team collaboration skills.

Student Activities

1. Students divide into cooperative learning groups to develop a project related to the book. In their groups, students conduct research. Project options are:
   
   • Write and illustrate biographies of Ben Franklin and other key figures during the Revolutionary War period
   • Create a poster showing an original invention, and write a report about its purpose and how it works

Electronic Resources

For the Invention Groups:

• Benjamin Franklin and His Inventions, from the Franklin Institute Online. Students can find information about and pictures of some of Franklin's inventions.
• TeachersFirst's Inventors Workshop. Students should read the "Become an Inventor" section that demonstrates how inventions come to be, and encourages students to explore problems that could be helped by original inventions.
• Science Explorer: Making a Sun Clock. Students can read step-by-step directions for making their own invention (a sun clock) using simple materials such as a pencil and a compass.

For the Biography Groups:

• Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man, from the Franklin Institute Online. This site offers biographical information about Franklin in his many roles as "a scientist, an inventor, a statesman, a printer, a philosopher, a musician, and an economist." It also includes a timeline of his life, family tree, resource materials, glossary, and activities.
• Someone in Time. Students can engage in interactive mysteries based on the lives of important historical figures.

Assessment

• Use Rubric 3

Impact of Technology: In what ways (if any) will technology enhance students' learning experiences in these activities?

• Students will learn to use the Internet to conduct research, by exploring specific web sites related to their projects.

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