Problem+Based+Learning+Lesson+Plan

I found a link that is going to be the basis of my lesson plan. I regularly use the story "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury in my teaching. The web site is [].

The grade level is 8th grade and the content area is English. The lesson will involve students reading "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" and then discussing and writing about military service, not only for teenagers during the Civil War, but also for other people during controversial conflicts, like the Vietnam Conflict, and some of the military operations in the Middle East.

First, we will discuss how the various ELA objectives are met in the story - plot, setting, foreshadowing, characterization. Then we will move to an examination of military service in the Civil War, and especially looking at the military service of drummer boys during this particular war. The students will use the website and other websites to find information on the service life of drummer boys, what they did, how they performed their duties, and what was the average age of service. They will also, no doubt, find statistics on how many were killed and other interesting facts that they don't know. They will be responsible for developing a wiki or technology presentation to share the information they have found and developed.

After that, I will pose the problem of military service to the students. Is military service desirable and appropriate? What benefits can come from serving in the military? What disadvantages? What about reserve units being called up? How does military service now differ from service during the Civil War? How about during the Vietnam Conflict when the draft was being used?

This is relevant to my students because many may view the military as a good alternative for employment and for college education. While the military does provide these things, there are more considerations than just that for a young person looking at this as a viable alternative to finding a job locally. I want my students to understand all the options available.

Certain students may have more of an interest in WWI or WWII and I would be willing to allow them the leeway to look up service life in those wars to use as a comparison to Civil War service. Additionally, girls may be interested more in women's topics, such as how were women treated early on as opposed to how they are currently treated. I would group the students according to their interests in groups of no more than 3-4 so that they could work on a topic of their choosing. I would also review the groups to ensure that people who are working together will actually work together and not waste time.

Addtionally, students may choose to use one of the projects listed on the sie - I particularly liked the diary entry and the venn diagram idea as well. These would be good options for students who don't have the skills to do a wiki.

I will assess the students on their information by what they present. I have a rubric that I would adapt for this function and use to assess them when they present their project to the class.