Holes Teacher for the Day!
Your group is going to teach the class for a full forty-five minute lesson about the particular reading we’ve done in the novel. Your lesson should also include treatment of a theme you’ve found in this reading. These themes include: prophecy/fate, style and suspense, literacy/education, key symbols and objects, or racism. In order to do this effectively, you will need to think like a teacher. You will plan a range of activities, organize a lesson plan with times for each activity, and prepare materials for your lesson.
Lesson Requirements:
- Everyone in the group must lead some part of the lesson.
- The lesson must include reading, writing, and oral participation.
- The lesson must include three new vocabulary words, either from the text, or words that are useful for discussing your theme.
- Your lesson must include examinations of one or two key moments in the text that will help us to understand your topic.
- A lesson planner must be approved by Mr. Phan.
- If your lesson requires any photocopying or special materials, like art supplies or response slips, you must let Mr. Phan know at least two school days in advance.
Lesson Structure:
- 5 min.: focus activity
- 30 min.: one or two main activities
- 5 min.: wrap-up
Focus Activities / Main Activities / Wrap-up Activities
-written response to a question or provocative statement on the board
-reading a significant passage, either silently or out loud
-a short fill-in or matching exercise that helps students recall key characters or events that are important to your topic / -a presentation followed by a discussion
-reading aloud followed by discussion
-creation of posters
-performance of a skit based on a key moment
-small group discussion (you create guiding questions) / - a “slip” exercise, where students write down an interesting idea/fact they learned during the lesson
- a short quiz that reviews key terms/concepts
- partner sharing (telling a partner something interesting learned)
- five minutes reflective journal writing
How do we get started?
The way every teacher does. With your group, decide what it is important for the class to know about the chapters you’ve read, and the topic in Holes. Once you’ve decided what they need to know by the end of the lesson, it will be easier to figure out how to teach it to them.
One Sample Lesson Plan
Topic: Peer Pressure in Holes
Focus Activity: (7 min) Read Chapter 11 silently, and consider whether Stanley does the right thing when he agrees to what X-Ray asks.
Vocab: smug (adj) , acquiesce (v.)
Main Activity:
- (8 min) Discuss results of focus activity at tables. Share results as a class. Encourage class to think about why people want to belong to groups. What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages? Vocab: margin(n.)
- (20 min) Using the handout, with a partner, fill out columns of characters in Holes who are bullies and characters who are bullied and answer questions.
Wrap up: (5min) Slip response: What do you think Louis Sachar wants his readers to learn about peer pressure and bullying?
Special materials needed: handouts photocopied (20), response slips (20, quarter-page)
How you will be assessed:
As a group, you will be assessed on the A, B, and C (modified) categories of the MYP criteria.
A: Content. Did you provide all relevant materials and cover the relevant theme of the book that we’ve read?
B: Organization. Did your group have all materials needed on hand? Were handouts clear and directions given to the class helpful and pertinent to the content you wish to convey?
C: Ideas and Creativity: How inventive and interesting were your activities? Did they offer new ways of looking at the story of Holes? Did your lesson plan engage fellow students and you as teachers?