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Description
OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will take part in a reader’s theater activity as a participant or audience member to answer questions about the significance of the Zimmerman Telegram.
LESSON TIME
This lesson will take approximately 45 – 60 minutes.
Exact times may vary based on the specific needs of individual classes.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
- What was the Zimmerman Telegram, and why was it significant to U.S. and Texas history?
Teacher Tools
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Lesson Plan, Teacher Guide, Sources
Downloadable/editable versions of this lesson plan, including a step-by-step guide through the lesson. When applicable, a list of primary sources used in the lesson is also included.
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This ready-to-use classroom slideshow contains the warm-up exercise, the daily objective, the “We will / I will” statements, and the essential question for the lesson.
It guides the class through the assignment providing larger versions of images, visual representations of the directions, and supports for reading and answering questions including sentence stems for in-class responses. It concludes with the exit ticket.
Student Activities
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Warm-up & Exit Ticket
In this printable warm-up / bell-ringer activity, students will make observations, inferences, and predictions about the lesson based on a photocopy image of the Zimmerman Telegram.
In this exit ticket, students will read a short secondary source on the Zimmerman Telegram and answer questions about vocabulary terms based on the context of the passage and the significance of the Zimmerman Telegram as it relates to the U.S. entry into World War I.
The Warm-up and Exit Ticket document includes two warm-ups on the front of the page and two exit tickets on the back of the page. This formatting reduces the number of copies needed, as teachers will cut each printed page in half. Each student will receive a half-page with the warm-up on the front and the exit on the back.
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Zimmerman Telegram Readers Theater
This printable material is a five-act readers theater play. Each act is one page in length and pertains to various events related to the Zimmerman Telegram. Students use this material to take part in the activity and answer questions about the Zimmerman Telegram.
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Grade Level Work
In this printable assignment, students will answer a multiple-choice question and a short, constructed response question about the main ideas, supporting evidence, and significance of each act of the play. They also make inferences and predictions about the information based on each act.
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In this printable assignment, students will answer a multiple-choice question with one answer option eliminated and a short, constructed response question with sentence stems about the main ideas, supporting evidence, and significance of each act of the play. They also make inferences and predictions about the information based on each act. The amount of writing in Foundations work is reduced.
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In this printable assignment, students will formulate short, constructed responses about the main ideas, supporting evidence, and significance of each act of the play. They also make inferences and predictions about the information based on each act.
Sources
Previews and links to sources referenced in this lesson.
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Palacios Beacon (Palacios, Tex.) April 6, 1967
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