Friday, December 5, 2014

"DO" Chart


All "Do" Requirements 


Required Entry
Specific “Do” Number
Explanation
Lesson Plan #1 STOPME format
2—“Inviting Other Multiple Theoretical Perspectives”
I created a lesson in STOPME format that correlates with today’s reading.  The goal of this STOPME lesson is to immerse students into multiple theoretical perspectives. 
Lesson Plan #2 STOPME format
3—“Finding the Right Balance”
I created a lesson in STOPME format that correlates with today’s reading.  The goal of this STOPME lesson is to investigate “formal analysis,” and learning new information,” by accessing “prior knowledge.” 
Classroom support material #1 (want to do in classroom)
5—“Book Clubs”
My “do” for this week is a PowerPoint presentation that introduces book clubs and potential book club options to students when doing a unit on Romeo and Juliet.  I want to use this PowerPoint in my future classroom.
Classroom support material #2
(want to do in classroom)
4—“Foster Talk Around Literature”
I created a handout for conducting a Socratic Seminar with To Kill a Mockingbird.  This hand out explains what a Socratic Seminar is, what is expected of students, has model questions, and a potential rubric.  I want to use this in the future.
Artifact of what I did in classroom
6—“Close Reading”
The lesson that is included as this “do” was actually used in the classroom.  Students immersed in close reading strategies while studying the short story “Marigolds.”
Artifact from classroom, media environment, reading text
3—“Finding the Right Balance”
**The original hand out we were given says that this lesson can be reused from above **
 
 
 
This is a lesson I actually did do in the classroom that immersed students with technology and they had to “read texts”
**The original hand out we were given says that this lesson can be reused from above.**
Artifact from classroom, media environment, composing text
9—“Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary”
This “do” is a mini lesson that I actually did in the classroom to help students with vocabulary (a part of today’s lesson).  This mini lesson involves technology usage when composing the self-composed “vocabulary flashcards.”

 

**NOTE: . If you are not satisfied with either of the last two “do” requirements, my do for #7 (“Reading Like Writers”) was also used in the classroom, involves media, students reading, and students composing texts. 

 

The following “do’s” are categorized as:

·         1—“Introducing Reader Repsonse” works as a classroom support material I want to implement in the classroom. 

·         8—“Writing Multiple Genres” is an actual artifact from my classroom, but it does not involve technology

·         10—This is a unit plan I created that I want to incorporate into my classroom one day.  It also has several STOPME lesson examples that can work with various readings we did. 

Friday, November 28, 2014

Organizing Units with Literature


Organizing Units with Literature

 

Probst—Response and Analysis

Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman—Pathways to the Common Core

Herz and Gallo—“Building Bridges: Getting Students from Wherever They are to Where            The Curriculum Says They Should Be” and What Else? Other Approaches”

Richinson and Carter—“Theme Sets for Secondary Students: How to Scaffold Core Literature”


Say:


Today’s readings have been very helpful when it comes to understanding and organizing a specific unit on a piece of literature.  There are so many different components that need to be implemented when organizing a unit and doing that can be somewhat overwhelming.  Similarly, today’s readings also engulf the array of different themes can work over the course of a literary text. It is also important to consider incorporating other literary text with the primary text.  By incorporating supplemental texts that discus the major theme, students will engage in higher level thinking.  Each article gives helpful insight on what to include and discuss in a major unit plan with literature.

             Along with developing a major theme for an entire unit, the Response and Reading chapter, “The Text and Other Texts,” Probst discusses how a teacher can implement some texts with the larger text that is being studied in a unit. The two texts can work together to discuss the major theme of the unit.  As Probst argues that we create units to focus on major “conceptions, beliefs, and attitudes,” he also explains that other texts can further compliment the theme of a major work of literature (101-102).  Pairing texts can complement major ideas, and it can show students how a major theme or idea can be looked at in many different ways.  Probst states, “…choosing works that fit together, either because they deal with similar situations or because they reveal similar or contrasting attitudes, is likely to predispose the teacher toward a certain line of inquiry” (104).  In another words, the secondary text can be used to teach complimenting or contrasting information that correlates with the primary work of literature.  I like how Probst also gives examples of how two works can complement each other or contrast each other to show two completely different vantage points.  Altogether, this Response and Analysis chapter explains why teachers should consider involving secondary text in with literary units to help further the development of the belief, conception, or attitude from the primary literary source.

            Herz and Gallo’s article, “Building Bridges: Getting Students from Wherever They are to Where the Curriculum Says They Should Be” and What Else? Other Approaches” also gives a great deal of insight about how to use units of literature to harbor major ideas as students learn what they are supposed to be learning in the curriculum.  The themes should be used to make connections.  Like Probst suggested, this can be done through pairing texts (29). Herz and Gallo recommend pairing canonical text with Young Adult Literature.  For example, they suggest reading River Rats (YA book) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (canonical) together because of the similar topics and themes.  Herz and Gallo also give numerous other examples that I will review again in the future when I have my own classroom.  Altogether, using a paired text can help when organizing a unit with literature to show students the major theme in different ways.

            Richinson’s Theme Sets for Secondary Students: How to Scaffold Core Literature discusses how to choose a theme from a text. Richinson states, “Theme-sets, as we use them, are meant to work in heterogeneously grouped classrooms, as either an organizational methodology for using literature that may be beyond the reading ability or interest of many of the students in our classes” (12).  Essentially, themes can be used as organizational tools when deciding how to go about teaching a literary text.  These units may also be studied through literature circles.   More than anything, the theme should allow for high level and critical thinking (15).  Some of the theme-sets Richinson discusses are: migrant families, growing up ethnic in America—the African-American experience, literature of war, the bullying mentality, utopian/dystopian societies.  With these theme-sets, specific information is being studied with an array of different literary texts.

            Again, each of these readings are complimented by Pathways to the Common Core.  Incorporating key pieces of knowledge and ideas through literature can be done through a unit work.  Similarly, Pathways to the Common Core discusses how a piece of literature can actually be used to teach an array of different concepts and ideas.  The common core actually requires teachers to “integrate knowledge and ideas” through literature, and this is usually done best through longer time frames set aside through units.  Similarly to some of the articles, Pathways to Common Core also implies that studying other texts with a primary literary work can help enhance a specific theme.  This can be done through informational and narrative texts.

            Each reading has really helped me see how to organize unit plans involving a major piece of literature.  It is important to follow the common core standards while involving major literature themes and ideas through the major work of literature.  Also, it is helpful to pair text that can compare or contrast the major concepts or ideas that are being discussed through the unit theme.  Altogether, each article from today has aided in my understanding of how to organize units with literature. 
 
Do:
 
Here is the link to a comprehensive unit plan I have created on a Unit of Literature.  In this unit plan, there are multiple examples of me involving supplemental text with the major work of literature:
 

Friday, November 21, 2014

Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary


Teaching Grammar and Vocabulary

 

Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman—Pathways to the Common Core

Jeff Anderson—Mechanically Inclined

Beers—When Kids Can’t Read

Zuldema—The Grammar Workshop: Systematic Language Study in Reading and Writing Context

“Beyond Grammar Drills: How Language Works in Learning to Write

 

Say:


Overall, this was one of my favorite weeks to read for thus far.  Teaching grammar and vocabulary have always been my least favorite parts about being teaching English.  Whenever I was in high school, every teacher taught grammar and vocabulary with traditional practices.  Therefore, these two areas were never my strong suits.  The reading from today was very helpful because it discussed many ways to revolutionize the traditional teaching styles for grammar and vocabulary. 

            Ever since EDSE 547, I have really liked Mechanically Inclined.  It is the first book I have ever read that harps on making grammar just as interesting as teachers try to make literature and writing.  Reading it a second time around has actually been very helpful because I have noticed different aspects that could work with the writing workshop model we have discussed in EDSE 787 (27).  I like how Anderson argues that “weaving” grammar mini lessons into traditional writing practices is the best way for students to learn (28).  Having traditional grammar units is not going to be meaningful to students because they cannot see how what they are learning can be explicitly applied to their writing. 

            I also love how Anderson discusses almost every single major aspect of grammar teachers are expected to teach their students are expected to learn in high school English.  From crafting sentences to learning different forms of punctuation, Anderson gives explicit examples of how teachers can introduce grammar to students in an innovative way.  He gives explicit examples of how to scaffold each grammar lesson in with reading in writing (61).  He also explains how each lesson needs to be accompanied by mentor text and visual scaffolds so that students can see how the grammar lesson applies to themselves and their work (62).  Most instructors separate grammar into one category, but Anderson shows that it is important to intertwine grammar with reading and writing practices.   

            Along with Anderson, Zuldema’s article, “The Grammar Workshop: Systematic Language Study in Reading and Writing Context,” also argues the importance of integrating grammar with the daily lessons of reading and writing.  Zuldema states, “If reading and writing are two sides of the same coin, then grammar study is one way in which these two types of language study can be connected” (64).  Essentially, grammar can be the glue that connects reading and writing.  Zuldema’s article also made me reflect on how grammar can be used to segue “reading like a reader” to “reading like a writer.”  Because grammar is such an intricate part of connecting reading and writing, it can be a tool that teachers use to bridge the two major subjects together.  Also, this would ensure that grammar is being weaved into context.  Additionally, I like many of the teaching strategies Zuldema offers.  For example, I like the idea of allowing students to create unique grammar names for grammatical aspects they pick up on their own.  This enables ownership in their learning; it will make students feel like what they have discovered in the text is innovative to their learning process.  This can also be mirrored in studying vocabulary.  Altogether, Zuldema displays the importance of the relationship grammar has with reading and writing. 

            “Beyond Grammar Drills” also complements Zuldema and Anderson.  This article discusses how grammar drills, or grammar bell ringers, are really not beneficial to the student.  The article goes on to explain how grammar drills are used as a separate component from what the class is studying in reading and writing.  For meaningful learning to occur, the student has to be able to make that connection.   This can also be applied to vocabulary.  Students will only experience memorization if they are handed out words for a quiz on Friday.  For meaningful learning, students need to see how grammar and vocabulary connect to what they are reading. 

            While Anderson, Zuldema, and the NCTE give a lot a great information on teaching grammar, the reading from When Kids Can’t Read gives specific insight when it comes to teaching vocabulary.  Along with grammar, vocabulary does not need to be a separate entity. Vocabulary should also compliment the writing and reading being conducted in daily lessons (178).  For example, it is great for students to study that vocabulary that is already found in the books or text they are reading.  If students are studying words from their reading, they will see more of a connection as to why it is important for them to learn those specific vocabulary words (180). Similarly, I like how Beers explains that teachers need to show students how to use context clues when learning new vocabulary.  Although it is great for students to look up words they do not know, it is also just as beneficial for them to try to figure out a words meaning by the rest of the text around them (183). Beers gives a lot of great ideas about how to implement context clues and other types of vocabulary instruction into the classroom.  Like Anderson, Beers also makes it very prevalent that studying vocabulary needs to be fluid with what students are reading and writing.   

             Pathways to Common Core also gives evidence that explains how grammar and vocabulary are needed in the classroom to meet the Common Core standards.  More importantly, Pathways to Common Core compliments what the other readings have been saying about intertwining grammar and vocabulary with the reading and writing that happens in the classroom daily.  Grammar and vocabulary are important when it comes to crafting structure (59).  Stronger vocabulary and proper grammar usage can help students strengthen their writing (60).   Furthermore, grammar and vocabulary are also important when focusing on speaking and listening (174).  To become more proficient speakers or listeners, students will need to strengthen their word and grammar usage.  The best way to strengthen vocabulary and grammar is to show students how these two components can be useful in their daily lives. 

            Altogether, all of the reading today really resonated with me because teaching grammar and vocabulary are what I consider my weakest aspects. All of the readings complimented each other by arguing how important it is to make grammar and vocabulary an innovative experience in the classroom.  I will definitely be using these references again in my future classroom.    
 
Do:
 
**This is my vocabulary lesson that I taught in my classroom.  Students used technology to write in this lesson.** 
 


Usually in my teacher’s classroom, they have weekly vocabulary words.  They are given the words on Monday, and then they take a quiz on them on Friday.  For my week of teaching, I did not want to give students a list of vocabulary words.  Instead, I wanted to work with the unknown words that were found in the sonnets we were studying.  After we read about two to three sonnets, we engaged in a vocabulary workshop so that students could learn the words that were actually being used in what we were studying.


·         To begin the mini lesson, I asked for students to take out all of the sonnets that we had studied so far.  Then, I asked them to work with a partner and highlight all of the words that they did not know.  Because student have already annotated each sonnet, highlighting unknown words should not take too long because they have already looked for them when they were annotating.  (5-7 minutes)
·         When they are done highlighting the words they did not know before reading each sonnet, I will tell each set of partners to pick out one word from each sonnet that they want to be “experts” on.  They wrote these three words down on a scratch sheet of paper. 
·         Next, I asked the partners to brainstorm a kid friendly definition of the word, and they had to think of a visual that would go along with the word. (5-7 minutes)
·         Then, I invited them all into separate google presentations documents.  In this presentation, only the two partners and my teacher were allowed to work on it.  In this document, I told students to make the presentation have six slides total (two for slides for each expert word).  On the even numbered slide, they were only supposed to write their expert word.  On the odd numbered slide next to the even numbered slide, they had to upload their kid friendly definition and a visual to go with it.  (5-7 minutes)
·         Then, I showed students how they could print the document off to have 6 slides on one page. After the document was printed, I showed them how they could fold each piece of paper in half hotdog style.  By doing this, their unknown words were on one side while they definitions and visuals were on the other side. 
·         Each group also presented their words to the rest of the class.   (5-10 minutes)
·         For the next day, I had a sheet printed for each student from each group.  This way each student had mini flashcards of all of the group’s words. 

Here is an example of what one group did.  It can be found in the link below:
 
 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Writing Multiple Genres


Writing Multiple Genres

 

Romano—“Multigenre Stirrings”

Creating Flow: Pulling It All Together

Styslinger—“Mutligenre-Multigendered Research Papers”

Biltz—“Teaching Literature Through Multigenre Paper: An Alternative to the Analytical Essay”

Wilhelm, Smith, and Fredicksen—Get It Done!

 

SAY:

 
            I find it very interesting that we are reading about multigenre pieces this week because the class I am observing is working with them right now.  I have looked through multiple projects that have been turned in, and I have become very intrigued by them.  I was very happy when I started my reading for this week because I have wanted to learn more about multigenre projects ever since I have seen them in my internship.  After reading this week’s articles and Get It Done, I feel much more educated about multigenre projects, and how significant their role in the English Classroom can be. 

            In Romano’s article, “Multigenre Stirrings,” gives a great overview of multigenre projects/papers and how they work.  Though I have seen extensive examples in my internship classroom, I like the examples in this article because of the diversity given.  Though I do not exactly like that he only put in college student examples, I do not let it cloud my judgment too much because I have seen so many successful projects come to life in my internship.  Also, I feel like I will use this reading again in my classroom to show students samples of multigenre entries. 

            My favorite part about Romano’s reading, aside from the multiple examples given, is the routine of making this work (starting on page 27).  Because I am such a concrete thinker, I like to see how things actually work in the classroom.  The routine given by Romano makes the Multigenre project feel much more accomplishable.  On day one, the teacher is share an encyclopedia entry and a poem about the text at hand to get students thinking about multiple writing styles. You are then supposed to engage in a large class discussion about how these multiple genres work together.  On day two, share an entire Multigenre paper with the class.  This is where the project is essentially introduced, and engage in a class discussion about how everything relates together (27).  On day three, let students choose the topic of their Multigenre project, and share topics that can be written about.  Let students talk together and discuss different ideas.  On day four, students need to submit their chosen work.  They will have had a day to make the decision.  Again, students will immerse into small groups to discuss everything.  On day five, students will actually begin writing (28). I really like this approach because everyday frontloads the next day.  By this schedule, students should not feel overwhelmed.  I like this schedule because it shows how doable this can really be in the classroom.     

            Next article I read, “Creating Flow,” was a great read after learning all of the basics in Romano’s text.  In “Creating Flow,” it becomes apparent that it is important to let students make the creative decisions in the project.  My limiting them too much, the process will be pointless, be letting students choose their own modes of genre, they are gaining much more insight.  Essentially, they have to feel out their own “flow.”  My favorite quote from this article is, “It is best if you let them think the problem through on their own before they rely on others” (97).  Essentially, for students to really learn through this project, they have to be able to make the creative decisions so that they can work through textual problems on their own. 

            In Styslinger’s article, I feel much more comfortable with actually immersing high school students with multigenre projects.  As I said before, Romano uses college examples, but Styslinger makes us feel like this is actually accomplishable with high school students.  Styslinger’s article gives a lot of great insight about how we can still immerse students with reading and writing without asking them to only focus on the 5 paragraph essay.  Even though a lot of the same skills may be applied to both forms of writing, the multigenre projects shows how the needed writing skills can work with so many different forms of writing.  Also, students will not feel forced into writing one specific way.  It becomes much more about form than formula because students are able to apply what they know about writing across multiple genres (54).   Along with this article being very informative, I think it also helps that it was written by Styslinger.  Because we all know her, it makes multigenre projects feel much more feasible because I know she would be telling us the same thing if she were teaching this course.  As weird as it sounds, it just feels much more factual than theoretical.

            My favorite reading for today was “Teaching Literature Through the Multigenre Paper” because it shows how multigenre projects explicitly work in the classroom.  She outlines some of the important goals that are met while implementing the multigenre project, and she explains how it works with her curriculum.  Additionally, she includes a list of purposes and state standards that are met by implementing this project.  Furthermore, the examples of how to implement multigenre projects with specific texts was very helpful. I will definitely use this resources again in the future.  This reading made me want to implement the multigenre project into my classroom as soon as possible. 

            Though the articles do a great job of explaining Multigenre projects, Get It Done gives a great deal of insight on writing and analyzing informational texts.  Though I feel like informational texts usually have the negative reception by teachers and students.  This book addresses that right off the bat by implying that nonfiction is a better term to use, so that students (and probably teachers) do not go into each lesson kicking and screaming.  This book shows how studying and writing informational texts can be treated just like other engagements.  One of my favorite parts about this books is the 5 Stages of Composing.  Planning, practicing, transferring, first drafts, and final drafts are all intricate steps to the formal writing process.  Even though some of these stages cannot be applied to all forms of writing, it is still a good idea to familiarize students with them.

            Additionally, this book gives a lot of great insight on the fundamental writing styles in a way that makes them seem a lot less traditional.  Some of these forms include: cause and effect, summarizing, and compare and contrast.  Instead of only engaging in these forms of writing through essays, Get It Done gives us more creative ways of implementing these strategies into the classroom.  Therefore, they can be transferred into the multigenre project. 

            Altogether, I think that this week’s readings are my favorite so far.  Because I have seen hands on examples of multigenre projects in my internship, I feel like these readings have answered a lot of my questions.  Additionally, these readings really illuminate the practicality of implementing multigenre projects into my future classroom.  This will be a much more fun and insightful way of bonding reading with writing without turning to the traditional 5 paragraph essay.  All in all, I really enjoyed the reading for this week. 

 

DO:

 My "do" for  this week can be found here: 
https://sites.google.com/site/saydodocuments/

Please look in the folder labeled "Say/Do Oct 30 2014."  It is an artifact from my internship.  This is the handout she gives her students about the Multigenre project they are required to do. 
 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Reading like Writers


Reading Like A Writer


Daniels and Steineke--Mini-Lessons for Lit Circles (188-210)

Ray—“Another Invitation to My Library”

Ray—“The Craft of Writing”

Ray—“Organized Inquiry: Teaching Students to Read Like Writers”

Ray—“Reading Like a Writer”

Calkins, Ehrenworth, Lehman—Pathways to the Common Core (58-62)

 
SAY:

            Teaching students to read like writers will simultaneously help their reading and writing skills at the same time.  Also, students who are reading like a writer are going to invest more in what they are reading. It is a great skill to teach students because writing and reading become more personal.  After reading a few chapters from Katie Ray’s Wondrous Words, we given great explanations of why reading like a writer is a great skills to teach.  Additionally, the chapters for today’s reading in Daniels and Steineke Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles also shows us how teaching students to read carefully like a writer can reflect in literary circles.  Furthermore, Pathways to the Common Core gives evidence of how these strategies can align with the common core standards.  Altogether, each of the texts give evidence that shows how teaching students to read like a writer will help them with their reading and writing skills.

             In Ray’s chapters, she discusses many different aspects of teaching students to read like writers.  In the chapter “Reading like Writers,” Ray discusses some of the basics of introducing readings that students can in turn use to better their writing.  For example, she discussed how one of her students wrote the poem “Something Dead” after they read exotic poems.  Ray then discusses the idea of how reading different types of literature can influence student’s creativity when writing.  The student who wrote “Something Dead” would not have had any way of writing that even an hour earlier.  She then goes into how writers learn to write from other writers.  This reminded me of what Dr. Oglan has said before about students imitating writing before they can create their own; they have to start from somewhere. 

            From the philosophy on writing like writers, reading like writers is beneficial too.   I love how Ray explains reading like writers with the metaphor of studying “the techniques of others who practice the same craft as you” (12).  If you want to get better at a particular skill, you will observe others to see how they do it.  Even if you do not particularly like the way they do it, by observing them you are still learning something about the craft.  The same applies to reading.  If we teach students to read like writers, they will see reading through many different ways.  Just like writing is unique to each person, reading needs to be treated the same way.  Everyone can interpret texts differently, and we need to value that (17).

            In the few chapters, we learn about particular needs when reading and writing.  In the chapter “The Craft of Writing,” Ray gives specific examples of how we need show students to “attend to the craft of writing, learning to do the sophisticated work of separating what it’s about from how it is written” (25). Essentially, students need to see what to look for as they are learning to write from other writers.  Some of the aspects Ray discusses are: intentional vagueness, grammar needs, sentence structure, and closings.  Additionally, something in particular that I liked in this chapter was when Ray discussed connecting to other text because students need to connect multiple outlets of literature together to strengthen their writing (38).  Altogether, studying the craft of writing will help students strengthen their own writing and improve their analytical skills when studying literature. 

            My favorite chapter from today’s reading was “Organized Inquiry: Teaching Students to Read Like Writers” because it explicitly shows teachers how to use this method in the classroom.  Ray does not expect students to just do this over night.  First, we need to let students read like readers.  Students need to feel comfortable with the text; this can be done by a read aloud.  Next, students need to be explicitly told what reading like a writer means.  Also, I think that modeling this would be helpful for students.  Ray even gives five major parts of reading like a writer that students need to be made aware of:

1.    Notice something about the craft of the text.

2.    Talk about it and make a theory about why a writer might use this craft.

3.    Give the craft a name.

4.    Think of other texts you know.  Have you seen this before?

5.    Try and envision using this craft in your own writing.

(120)

These parts will help students learn to how read like writers. Another chapter we read from Wondrous Word was “Another Invitation to My Library.”  This chapter gives many great text ideas when teaching specific writing and reading skills.    This is definitely a reference that I will turn back to in the future.  Altogether, Ray gives a great deal of information about teaching students to read like writers.

            For today’s chapter in Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles, Daniels and Steineke’s discuss how studying the author’s craft that can be used when studying books in literature circles.  This chapter teaches us to savor powerful language, take note of strong verbs, examine the setting with research, predicting plot, and looking at characterization.  All of these can be done in book club groups to study the text even further.  Essentially, Daniels and Steineke’s are wanting students to read texts through different scopes like Ray wants. 

            Additionally, a quote from this chapter really stuck out to me.  Daniels and Steineke’s state, “We think American students spend too much time dissecting books they don’t want to read, and not enough time enjoying books they choose themselves”
(188).  Even though it does not necessarily have to do with reader like a writer, I think read this after reading Ray’s chapters made it really resonated with me.  An important part of getting students to want to read in the first place is allowing them to choose texts they want to read.  If we can give them the choice to choose, then making the connection between reading and writing (or author’s craft) will already be more appealing to students. 

            Pathways to Common Core also gives evidence that explains how reading like a writer can be incorporated into the common core standards.  The standards want us to study crafting and structuring writing (59).  By incorporating reading and writing together, we are taking care of these standards while also interrelating two major aspects of the English Classroom.

            Altogether, all of the readings from this week argue how reading like a writer can improve reading and writing skills.  If we study different literary texts through the lens of a writer, we are gaining insight that we would not have picked up on before.  Teaching students to read as writers also supports common core standards because students are learning how to study the craft and structure of written texts.  Altogether teaching students to read like writers will simultaneously make them better readers and writers. 

 
DO:       **I want this to count as one of the internship artifacts.**

To find artifacts for this lesson, please go to:

https://sites.google.com/site/saydodocuments/home



Daily Lesson Plan 4

 


Instructor And Room #:

 

Kim Tiedemann

521A

 

Date & Start-Stop Times:

 

 8:35-9:25

(repeat from 9:25 to 10:15)

 

Subject and Block/Period:

 

English I

1st and 2nd Period

Unit and Topic:

 

Understanding Cornell Notes and how The Great Depression correlates with “Marigolds”

Student Objectives:

 

  • Create understanding of Cornell Notes
  • Apply Cornell Notes strategy to “The Great Depression” article
  • Understanding how the article connects with “Marigolds”
  • Comprehension of fewer and less in bell ringer

 

Common Core:

 

  • RL.9-10.2
  • W.9-10.8
  • SL.9-10.1

Items to Display as Agenda:  (Activities)

 

·         Practicing the Difference between “Fewer” and “Less”

  • Going Over Cornell Notes PowerPoint
  • Independent reading with Great Depression Article

 

Purpose: Opening Statement of Value for Day’s Lesson—the WHY

 

The purpose of this lesson is to engage students with specific note taking skills and non-fiction text.  This lesson will help students make connections with the real world and the short story “Marigolds.”  Additionally, students will be able to practice take sufficient notes through the “Cornell Way” note taking strategy.  Altogether, this lesson will help students in the future by showing them how narrative texts can connect with informative articles and students will learn how to take better notes for all classes.

 

 

Lesson Procedures: (Introduction, Development, Conclusion)

 

Before: (10 minutes)

·         While students are coming into the classroom, there will be a slide up on the board that prompts them to take out there earbuds and put away their phones.  Additionally, the note will ask students to put away their Chromebooks for this portion of class.

  • There will be a bell ringer on the board that introduces them to the difference between fewer and less. After we discuss the differences between fewer and less, students will engage in a small online assessment.  (5 minutes)
  • SEGUE: I will tell students, “When you finish your bell ringer assignment, talk to your groups about the PowerPoint you viewed last night on Cornell Notes.”
  • NOTE: The Cornell PowerPoint was found online previously. (Woods 2001)

During: (35 minutes)

·         As I enter into the formal analysis section, I will ask students to talk to their groups for a few minutes and discuss the PowerPoint they viewed for homework that night on Cornell Notes. This will help student remember what they worked on.

o   NOTE: This lesson has some “Flipped Classroom” elements.  For homework the night before, students had to view a PowerPoint on how Cornell Notes work. 

  • After students have discussed the major points of Cornell Notes with their groups, we will engage in a whole class discussion on the elements of Cornell Notes.  This will help get everyone on the same page.

·         Next, I will give students a New York Times article on “The Great Depression.”  Independently, students will take Cornell Notes on the article. 

·         I will walk around the room and help students individually.  This will allow for one on one instruction with students.  (15 minutes)

·         Once students have finished reading the text individually, they will discuss the text together.  In this discussion, they will be required to talk about the style and structure of the article, savoring powerful language, taking note of strong verbs, and unpacking any research that may have been conducted in the article.  All of these requirements will be written on the white board for them to refer back to. At this time, I will be walking around to make sure students are on task.  (15 minutes)

·         The class will engage in a brief whole group discussion about what they found in small groups. (5 minutes)
**NOTE: Blythewood is a one to one school.  Therefore, every component of this lesson (the PowerPoint and worksheet) are done online.**

 

Closing: (5 minutes)

  • After students discuss the article, they will then be asked to write an article that could be submitted to the New York Times about African American life during the Great Depression that mirrors the structure and style of the Great Depression article.  Students will start this at the end of class.  If they do not finish (which is unlikely), they will work on it for homework, and they will have class time tomorrow to do it.  This assignment must be submitted on Google Classroom.

 

Materials and Resources:

 

  • SMART board
  • PowerPoint on “Fewer/Less”
  • PowerPoint on Cornell Notes
  • Cornell Notes Template
  • New York Times Article on “The Great Depression”

 

 

Assessments and Assignment:

 

For this lesson, students will be assessed on their bell ringer, participation, exit slip, and Cornell Notes worksheet.  The online bell ringer assessment will count for accuracy.  This will be counted as Bell Ringer/Exit Slip/Homework grade.  The exit slip also be a classwork grade, but it will count as an effort grade.  Bell Ringer/Exit Slip/Homework grades will count as 15% of overall grade. 

For students to gain full participation points, they will have to engage in small group and large group discussion, at the appropriate time.  Additionally, they will have to work diligently and quietly during the independent work time of this lesson.  If students meet all expectations, they will receive a 100%.  If they meet most, but not all requirements, they will receive an 80%.  If students hardly meet any requirements, they will make a 60%.  Participation will count at 20% of overall grade.

Students will also be assessed on their ability to take Cornell Notes.  This grade will count for accuracy.  It will fall under the classwork assignments category; this category will count as 20% of overall grade. 

The writing assignment will count as another classwork grade.  This will not count as a major writing assignment, so it will not be graded like an essay.  If the student puts in substantial effort and include the majority of the discussed structures, the student will receive a 100%.  If they incorporate mediocre effort, they will receive an 80%.  If they do minimal work, they will receive a 60%.  This assignment is just to immerse them in a new writing style. 

 

REFERENCES:

Woods, Lonny.  “Cornell Notes PowerPoint.” 2001.