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Subject: World History
Grade: 6-8

Brief Description

Students use library and Internet resources to compare biographies of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.

Objectives

Students navigate the Internet and use print resources to find and record information from biographies of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Students work in teams of two or three to gather information and create graphic organizers that provide visual comparisons of the two Mexican revolutionaries.

Keywords

Ypringa, hacienda, bandit, madiero, Zapata-Montafio document, Zapatista, Doroteo Arango, Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata

Materials Needed

• books
• news articles
• computers with Internet access or printouts from related Web sites
• paper
• pens or pencils
• samples of graphic organizers, such as the following:
  • Graphic Organizer Index
  • Graphic Organizers
  • Graphic Organizers from SCORE Language Arts
  • Write-Design Online Graphic Organizers
  • Graphic Organizers from TeacherVision.com
  • Graphic Organizers

Lesson Plan

• Discuss with students the meaning of each of the keywords listed above.
• Provide students with print resources, videos, and URLs -- or printouts from Web sites -- about the lives of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata.
• Tell students to fold a sheet of paper in half, making two columns to write in. Have students write Pancho Villa at the top of one column and Emiliano Zapata at the top of the other.
• Organize students into teams of two or three. Students should use provided and found resources to note facts about the life of each of the men in the appropriate column. Information might include the place and date of birth, family facts, places lived, hobbies, occupations, significant life events, and other details. Students should list a minimum of five similarities and/or differences between the two Mexican heroes.
• When team members agree on the information, ask them to choose an appropriate graphic organizer to display the findings for the entire class. Students should work together to complete the comparison of the biographies and choose one team member to explain the diagram to the entire class. If necessary, prompt students to share inferences or other higher-level thinking observations with the class.
• Display the graphic organizers on a classroom bulletin board. Let the class view the charts while one member of each team stands by the display to explain the team's findings.

Assessment

Observe students during individual and team sessions. Evaluate individual students on the final organizers (include neatness and accuracy) and how well they worked with teammates to complete the task.

Lesson Plan Source

Submitted By

Juanita Gomez, North Grammar School, Rio Grande City, Texas,

The submitter of our highlighted lesson received a $50 honorarium. See our guidelines to submit your lesson plan!