Lesson Plan Week 1

LESSON PLAN WEEK 1

DAY 1

Class Description
This is a 9th grade English class with 50 minutes class periods. There are 28 students in this class are of mixed abilities. There are 13 boys are 15 girls. Three of the students in this class have ADHD and have particular difficulty focusing after lunch time, which is when they are in this class. Two students do not speak English as a first language but have completed the prerequisite English Language Learner courses. They may still need additional support, however. Additionally, one student has a physical disability that interferes with his fine motor skills. Since he cannot write to take notes, accommodations are made for him to tape record lessons and have notes and test emailed to him. He also completes some classwork and assessments on his computer and is allotted extra time per his IEP.
Unit Title
Bullying and Discrimination in Literature / Lesson Topic
Introduction to TKAM and Black and White / Type of Lesson (Introductory, Developmental, Culminating)
Introductory
National Content Standard
NCTE standard(s):
3: Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
MD Core Learning Goal(s):
4: The student will demonstrate the ability to evaluate the content, organization, and language use of texts.
Judges Prior Knowledge (How do you know students are ready to learn the content in this lesson?)
I will ask the students questions to gauge their knowledge and experience prior to this class.
Lesson Objective(s):
Objective 1 – Given The Scarlet Ibis and instruction on symbolism, students will be able to create their own symbol and write about its meaning.
Objective 2 – Students will be able to write about an experience they have had with bullying or discrimination in their journals to get them to begin thinking about these social issues.
Assessment(s):
Assessment for Objective 1 – After having read The Scarlet Ibis and having had a discussion on symbolism, students will be asked to come up with a symbol for something they have read, learned about or have had experience with. After identifying the symbol, students should write an expository paragraph explaining their choice and what makes it symbolic.
Is this a formative or summative assessment?
Formative
Would you characterize this assessment as a traditional or performance assessment?
Traditional
Why did you select this assessment strategy to measure student learning?
Asking students to apply the learning on symbolism to their own experience gives them an opportunity to share something about themselves and their experiences. By coming up with a symbol themselves, they will remember the discussion and the material better as they will have a mental picture to help them with the concept.
Assessment for Objective 2 – As an exit ticket, students will be asked to spend 5- 7 minutes at the end of the class period journaling about a time they have experienced or witnessed someone bullying or discriminating against someone else. Students may write in whatever format they would like.
Is this a formative or summative assessment?
Formative
Would you characterize this assessment as a traditional or performance assessment?
Traditional
Why did you select this assessment strategy to measure student learning?
Asking students to identify a personal experience of social injustice creates a connection between them and the characters in the novel. It creates interest and empathy. It also allows students to explore their feelings about those types of incidences.
Materials Needed for Lesson
The Scarlet Ibis handouts
Projector
Computer
To Kill a Mockingbird
Journals
Pen/pencil
Markers/colored pencils
Paper
To Kill a Mockingbird video clip
Black and White
Black and White video clip

Lesson Development

Teacher
Drill/Warm-up/Motivational Activity –
Show To Kill a Mockingbird (hereafter: TKAM) trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd7NFo9P-fg). Then show Black and White (hereafter: B&W) trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S2sDSjZ7QM). Ask students to pay attention to video.
Transition – Our first two books of the school year to read together are To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Black and White by Paul Volponi. As you were watching the trailer for the theatrical version of this book, what types of things did you notice about the setting, characters, conflict etc.? The first activity we will be doing is filling out a KWL chart for this book.
Activity 1 – Students will receive a KWL chart that has already been created for this unit. Students will be arranged in their literature circles already. Each student should take 3-4 minutes to write down things they noticed from the video and questions that they have about the novel. Students will then take 2-3 minutes to share their ideas with their group. Each group will then write a prediction about what they think this book will be about which they will share with the class.
Key Questions: (What broad questions are guiding this activity?)
What do you notice about the story from watching the video?
What questions does this raise?
Transition
An important aspect of appreciating literature is identifying literary elements. Today we are going to talk about symbolism as an example of a literary element. For some of you, this may be a review but for others this may be new material. Now, who can tell me what the purpose of a symbol is?
Activity 2 –
Right, the purpose of a symbol is to substitute for something else. In your literature circles, we are going to read a short story called The Scarlet Ibis. After you have read the story, try to think of a symbol in your own life or in something else you have read recently. Draw a picture of this and you can use the colored pencils and markers to color it in. Write a paragraph explaining how this item is symbolic in this situation. (http://209.184.141.5/westwood/academ/depts/dpteng/l-coker/virtualenglish/englsih%20i/english%20ia/scarlet_ibis.htm)
Key Questions:
What is symbolism?
What symbols are meaningful to each student?
Transition:
The Scarlet Ibis, To Kill a Mockingbird and Black and White all employ symbolism as a literary device to add to the reading experience. Today, we are going to begin reading To Kill a Mockingbird and Black and White. You will notice that we are already set up in the literature circles we discussed last week.
Activity 3:
Please open your books are read chapter one of TKAM or B&W silently. If you have any questions about the vocabulary, please use one of the resources in the room (dictionary or computer). Remember to write down any unfamiliar words on your vocabulary logs.
Key Questions:
Does the chapter include anything that appears to be symbolic?
Who is the mockingbird?
Summary/Closure/Revisit Objective:
For the last 5-7 minutes of class, please take out your journals and write a reflection on a time you witnessed or experienced a form of discrimination or bullying. You may write in any format you would like (journal entry, letter, poem, song, rap etc.).
Safety Valve: (If you finish early OR one of your activities does not go well, what activity can use to substitute?)
I am thinking of substituting the The Scarlet Ibis activity for something else. Students would look at a sideshow I had created a head of time where different images were being displayed. They would write a few words about what each of those symbols meant to them or how they made them feel. Students will share responses with their group and the class. / Students
Students should watch video.
Expected student responses:
In TKAM there is a trial, it seems older, there are kids in it.
B&W is about teenagers, they play basketball, they rob people to get money for shoes
Expected student responses: These will vary due to individual experiences. Students may use icons from popular culture (peace signs, American flags) or something more personal.
Students read ch 1.
Expected student response:
Incidences from school or neighborhood problems, may be related to recreation activities / Time
2 minutes
10 minutes
15 minutes
15 minutes
7 minutes
Differentiation: (Describe what you did in this lesson to differentiate learning and to accommodate all learners)
One of the students in this class has an issue with his fine motor skills and cannot write. His assignments will be sent to him on his computer and he will be able to submit schoolwork there. This lesson can be differentiated for students at different skill levels. For students who are performing at a high level, they can create a short story about the symbol they chose in that activity. For students at a lower skill level, they would only need to write one or two sentences. The other activities are individualized for the most part so each student would be able to work at their own level.
Reflection– Assume that after you have taught this lesson and assessed student learning you find that students did not meet the objective(s). How would you plan future instruction on this lesson’s content and skills to ensure student mastery and application?
If I fail to meet my objectives with this lesson plan I will have to rework these activities. A source of failure could have to do with the student’s prior knowledge. If students are not familiar with certain literary terms they may struggle with the lesson. On the other hand, if students have had this material in the past they may be bored with it. This unit is designed to be taught at the beginning of the school year and therefore it will be a little more difficult to know where their learning is at that point. At the beginning of the year I may have students fill out a survey indicating terms and concepts they are familiar with. This can help me decide what to review and what to teach.