Table of Contents Touching Spirit Bear 3 The Book Thief 6 Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children 10 Fault in Our Stars 14 American Born Chinese 17 13 Reasons Why 20 Unwind 24 Mockingbird 28
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 3
Touching Spirit Bear Mini-Lesson Our Own Circle Justice: Literary Analysis
Purpose/rationale: In this regular sixth grade Language Arts class, students will be reading Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Nikaelsen. They have been just started reading this novel and have discussed (as a pre-reading activity) their opinions of troubled teens, the juvenile system, and morality. Students have also been keeping literary journals for each chapter, answering guiding questions like, Why do you think Garvey wants to help Cole? or Why do you think Peters lawyer is adamantly against Circle Justice helping Cole? Now, the students will explore that further through a literary analysis activity where they set aside their own thoughts and opinions and look at it from someone elses point of view. This activity is taking place after the students have completed reading Chapter 6 of the novel. The purpose is for students to assess Coles character while understanding the dramatic irony the author is presenting: The characters in Circle Justice do not know (or at least they do not fully understand) that Cole is trying to cheat the system. With this in mind, the students, in groups of 4-5, must take the stand point of one of the members of Circle Justice (Coles father, Peters lawyer, Garvey, the Keeper, or Cole himself) and argue for what they feel is the right course of action. The students will understand by the end of the lesson that each character has their own viewpoint of Coles situation based on experience and understand and their own morals. This is also a good way to have students understand the importance of discussion as a whole; People have differing opinions and they must be respectful of those opinions.
Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1a Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text
Objectives: Students will be able to interpret different points of view by acting out the given role of different characters. Students will be able to discuss the different points of view respectfully with one another.
Materials: A fake feather for each group to mimic the Circle Justice discussed in the book. Roles for the students to act out as (these are written on a slip of paper, one character for each student; one set of characters for each group)
Anticipatory set: At the beginning of class, the students are already in their pre-assigned groups based on the set-up of the classroom, and the teacher will write on the board, Circle Justice, then Final Mini-Lesson Unit 4
launch into a brief review of the ideals of Circle Justice: You should all remember from your reading that Circle Justice is the system that is used to help heal kids with problems. It is different from the prison system because it seeks to heal, not punish. In Circle Justice, a feather is used to control who talks and everyone must respect that persons right to talk. Now, were going to act out Coles circle justice meeting. Im currently giving each of you a role that you will have to play. You must discuss Coles situation based on that characters feelings. You ARE that character. Think about what your character would say and why. Then, share that with the group. Try to speak AS the character. Remember, the person with the feather is respected and listened to during this activity! Nobody else may speak unless they have the feather! The Keeper should start with the feather. If you need to, you can read through your writing journals to remember what your characters view of the situation is. From there, the teacher should address any questions before the students begin the activity.
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity: Time Student is doing Teacher is doing 2 minutes: Anticipatory Set Students, pre-arranged in groups of 4-5 people, receive a character to impersonate. They will then review their characters personality and association with Cole/perception of the situation based on their journals from each chapter. Teacher will explain the activity while giving each student a character to impersonate within the circle. He/she will also review the ideals of Circle Justice with the class, mainly respect the feather. 10 minutes: Circle Justice Activity Students will impersonate the characters that they were assigned and argue for their ideas about how to help Cole. The students should back up their ideas with reasoning deducted from their understanding of the character they are impersonating. Teacher will observe the group discussions and provide guiding questions when needed, such as, What experience have you had with Cole that makes you think ____ is a good idea? 3 minutes: Summary/Closure Students will discuss as a class the viewpoints that the different characters had and why. Teacher will facilitate the class discussion and write the main ideas understood from the activity on the board.
Summary/Closure: The class will have a brief review of how each character had a different opinion for different reasons to emphasize the point that people bring different Final Mini-Lesson Unit 5
experiences to conversations. The teacher should facilitate this discussion with questions like, What did you notice about each persons/characters view on the topic? She should also sum up these ideas for student comprehension by writing key things the groups say on the board. The teacher should ask students to write these main ideas down like she is doing so they can review them later.
Assessment: Formal assessment: See homework assignment. Informal assessment: Students contribution in the Circle Justice activity and class discussion. Level of activity will provide insight to students understanding of different points of view.
Homework/follow-up assignment: Students will decide on and write a short description of a treatment for Cole that the book did not discuss and how it would help him forgive and get over his anger. (This is for deeper understanding of the Circle Justice ideals rather than the individual characters beliefs).
Accommodations/adaptations: Gifted and Talented students will be given the more challenging roles of The Keeper and Coles father (these are more challenging because there is not a lot of context about their views in the novel) to inspire the students to think more analytically about the text. ELL students will be given a chance to discuss like any other student in this activity. Students with visual disabilities are seated closer to the board in their groups so they will be able to copy down the main ideas of the discussion, but otherwise, they will be able to discuss with their classmates for the main activity without any problems. The students with physical disabilities will be able to fully participate in this mini-lesson by contributing to the group and class discussion. Students below reading level will be given a warning the day before the activity to be better prepared for the discussion by rereading the chapter and reviewing their notes and journal entries the night before. Students with ADHD will be actively stimulated by their contribution to the discussion, but may have difficulty listening to the other members. For this reason, they will be asked to write down what their group-mates are saying throughout the activity. This will keep them actively engaged.
Resources: Mikaelsen, B. (2001). Touching spirit bear. New York: Harper Collins.
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 6
The Book Thief Mini-Lesson Tracking the Book Thief with a Timeline: Reading Strategy Purpose/rationale: For the past four weeks, students in this regular ninth grade class have been reading The Book Thief. The class chose to read this book from a variety of choices because of its recent popularity from the release of the movie. I chose this book as an option because the topic correlates with their current studies in World History (World War I and II) and also because of the great literary features that have been discussed. As they have been reading The Book Thief the students have been employing active reading skills by writing summaries on their classroom blog after each part in the novel as well as what they thought about the section they just read. They have also circled and discussed important key words from the novel to review and elaborate on, including defining them and using them in their blog posts. They have explored the Nazi Germany time era through research and video clips during class and drawn connections to their World History class lectures. They have discussed themes of morality brought up in the book (stealing food and books, hiding a Jew, etc.). They have analyzed literary components such as the personification of death, imagery, and character development and how each of these literary components affects the meaning of the writing to them. Because the students have spent a long period of time reading and analyzing the novel, this activity is a good review session to remind them of what has happened from the beginning to the end of the novel in preparation for their unit exam in a couple days. The students may use their notes/completed worksheets and outside understanding (e.g. their knowledge of WWII) to complete the following assignment in order to create a comprehensive compilation of the events discussed throughout the novel.
Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. Objectives: Given one key event from the novel they just finished reading, students will be able to recognize those key events and accurately place the events in a chronological order to create a timeline at the front of the room. Students will be able to cooperate with one another through discussion in order to create this timeline as a class.
Materials: The students will be supplied with one key event written on a piece of cardstock or paper (see appendix A). Final Mini-Lesson Unit 7
Anticipatory set: To begin, the teacher will draw a timeline on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom and will explain the activity: Today, we will be creating a chronological timeline of the novel you have finished reading. [Write chronological timeline above the timeline itself.] A chronological timeline is a line that shows events that took place from the earliest time on the left [write earliest on the left side of the timeline] to the most recent time on the right [write most recent on the right side of the timeline]. You each are getting one main event from the novel and will have to discuss, or talk to, your classmates in order to figure out what order the events go in. You may use your notes or the novel if you need to, but try your best to remember when each event took place! At this point, the teacher will give each student an event written on a piece of paper that they will need to identify and place accurately on the timeline. When you figure out where your event goes, come up to the board and tape it in the right order. Remember, you need to work together to figure out where it belongs. Try working with your usual group members first, then, group leaders, start trying to fit your groups events with the rest of the class. You can NOT place your event in the middle of the timeline because it is in the middle of the book. It needs to be next to an event that precedes it (comes before your event) or next to an event that proceeds it (comes after your event). Give me a thumbs up if you understand and a thumbs down if you dont!
When the students understand, they may begin working together to create the timeline!
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity: Time Student is doing Teacher is doing Anticipatory Set: 3 minutes Students are listening to the instructions for the activity. (See anticipatory set) Teacher is explaining the activity to students. (See anticipatory set) Timeline Activity: 4-7 minutes Students are discussing their events with each other trying to figure out where they belong in relation to one another. As they figure it out together, group leaders will tape the events to the timeline at the front of the room. Teacher is monitoring the students progress and giving leading questions if needed. Leading Questions may be: Where in the book is your event? What happened before or after your event? Final Mini-Lesson Unit 8
Summary: 5 minutes Students will agree or disagree with the placement of each event and explain their reasoning if there is not a consensus. (See Summary) Teacher will guide the class in checking the order of the events. (See Summary) Summary/Closure: The lesson will be concluded by reviewing the timeline as a class to check for accuracy. The teacher will go to each event, from left to right (earliest to most recent) and ask the class if they think the event is in the right place. The students will give a thumbs up if they agree that it is in the right place and a thumbs down if they do not think it is in the right place. If there is not a consensus, the students will have to explain why they think the event is or is not in the correct place and the teacher will make the adjustments accordingly. Assessment: Formal assessment: In the next few days following this assignment, students will complete a written exam based on their understanding of the novel overall (as they just reviewed with the timeline) and the concepts previously discussed in class about the novel. Informal assessment: After the students have finished piecing the events in order at the front of the room, the teacher will go through each event, asking if students agree with where that particular event is placed. Thumbs up means the students agree; thumbs down means they do not agree. If there is not a consensus, the student(s) will have to explain where they think the event belongs and why. This will indicate understanding of the timeline of events throughout the novel.
Homework/follow-up assignment: None
Accommodations/adaptations: The gifted and talented students are in leadership positions during this activity and help guide students who are confused to figure out what to do with the event timeline. ELL students can be helped by fellow students as they piece together their events, or the teacher can help clarify things they dont understand. The teacher may also inform the ELL students ahead of time of the activity they are going to do to make sure they fully understand. The strips of paper will be in a 20 point font to accommodate the visually impaired and they will be seated at the front of the classroom if they need to read the strips at the end. Everything will be read aloud as well as written down throughout this activity. The student with a physical disability will be accommodated by other students/the teacher reading and discussing his event with him. The other students/teacher can tape it to the board for him. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 9
Difficult words are defined in the explanation of the activity for students who have difficulty reading and understanding complex vocabulary. The events are written at a lower level than the book and will be easily comprehended by all students. The constant movement of this activity will hold the attention of ADHD.
Resources Zusak, M. (2005). The book thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 10
Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children Mini-Lesson Emulating Ransom Riggs: Writing Purpose/Rationale: In this 8 th grade class, the students are currently reading Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. It is a Young Adult fantasy novel that employs great figurative language and demands imagination from its readers. For this reason, the students are currently working to improve their writing skills in preparation for their narrative essays they will be writing at the end of the unit in two weeks (and for the narrative essays that they will write for their standardized test in two months). In the past five days, the students have read the first six chapters of the book and have discussed similes and metaphors as a means of describing the world around them. They have also been maintaining writing journals about the novel for every two chapters. In these journals, the students could write what they liked/disliked about the novel, quotes that they found interesting, and predictions about what will happen. These journals are graded for completion/effort and will often be commented on to make to students think deeper about the novel, writing, and themselves. Today, the students will practice writing similes and metaphors on a topic of their own choice. This allows the students to choose a topic they have an interest in while practicing their writing skills.
Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3d Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
Objectives: Students will be able to recognize similes and metaphors in a given text they have seen before by underlining the figurative language. Students will be able to write similes and metaphors of their own invention to create a comprehensible scene/image for their reader.
Materials: Opening passage from Chapter 5 of Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children: It was an almost-too-perfect morning. Leaving the pub felt like stepping into one of those heavily retouched photos that come loaded as wallpaper on new computers: streets of artfully decrepit cottages stretched into the distance, giving way to green fields sewn together by meandering rock walls, the whole scene topped by scudding white clouds. But beyond all that, above the houses and fields and sheep doddering around like little puff of cotton candy, I could see tongues of dense fog licking over Final Mini-Lesson Unit 11
the ridge in the distance, where this world ended and the next one began, cold, damp, and sunless. Students will have their own paper and writing utensil to work on.
Anticipatory Set At the beginning of class, the class will briefly review what a simile and metaphor are: the teacher will prompt the class with questions like, What is a simile? What is a metaphor? How are they different? Why do we use them? The teacher should call on students with their hands up, and as the student gives the answer, the teacher should write key phrases on the board. The key phrases should include like or as, compares, and creative writing. She will then display the passage from the novel on the overhead and the class will identify similes and metaphors together by students saying which phrases are similes and which are metaphors and explaining why while the teacher underlines those phrases. [If the students do not show comprehension of the literary terms through participation, the teacher may review it by explaining them and showing them the examples in the passage.] After this brief review, the teacher will explain the activity that the students will do. Now, were going to create our own scenes. I want to you think of a place that you really love and then write about it. You can describe any place you like, but you have to use similes or metaphors in your description! We should be able to imagine the place based on your description. It doesnt have to be very long, only a few sentences. So, get out a piece of paper and pencil, or a pen. You only get 5 minutes! *Timing will be based on how long the review took.
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity Time Student is doing Teacher is doing 7 minutes: Anticipatory Set Students will contribute to discussion, and then listen to description of the assignment. (See anticipatory set) Teacher will be guiding the discussion and writing/displaying the key words and phrases at the front of the room. (See anticipatory set) 5 minutes Students will write about a topic of their choice, describing a scene using similes or metaphors. Teacher will monitor student writing, giving particular attention to students who may be struggling to get started. She may recommend places that the student can describe. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 12
2-3 minutes: Summary/Closure Students may share their work with the class, if they wish. The teacher will call on students who wish to share their passages/similes/metaphors. She should write the simile or metaphor on the board for the other students to see in addition to hearing.
Summary/Closure
To wrap up, the teacher will call time on the assignment, then ask for a couple volunteers to share their writing. As a student shares their writing, the teacher should write the simile or metaphor the student used on the board for the other students to see in addition to hearing and succinctly discuss how it is (or is not) a simile or metaphor. After 2- 3 examples, the teacher will collect students work individually (see accommodations). The teacher will tell the students as she collects their work to include at least one example of a simile or metaphor from the novel in their next reading journal.
Assessment:
Informal Assessment: Students show comprehension by participation in review/anticipatory set and the summary/closure. Formal Assessment: The students show comprehension by the examples of metaphors/similes that they wrote in their passages. Also, their use of similes and metaphors should appear in their final narrative writings in two weeks.
Homework:
Students will continue reading Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, and they should include at least one simile or metaphor in their next reading journal.
Accommodations/Adaptations: The gifted and talented students will be given an additional homework assignment to create extended metaphors (a more advanced form of creative writing). ELL students will be allowed to complete their passages for homework if needed. (The papers will be collected individually, so that the teacher can make that judgment and so that other students are not aware of the accommodation.) Preferred seating, close to the front of the class and a large-print copy of the passage will be given to the visually impaired student to help them follow along in the review session. Also, everything will be read aloud as well as written down throughout this activity. The student with a physical disability will be able to complete this activity without difficulty and is placed close to an exit in case of emergency. The content-specific words (simile and metaphor) are defined and exemplified in the review activity for students who have difficulty reading and understanding complex Final Mini-Lesson Unit 13
vocabulary. The students will write at their own level of understanding on a topic of their choice, so they will not have any difficulty completing this assignment. Students with ADHD will be able to participate in the discussion and sharing of this activity and may work quietly with a partner in the back of the room to create their simile/metaphor description during the silent writing time.
Resources: Riggs, R. (2011). Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children. New York: Penguin.
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 14
Fault in Our Stars Mini-Lesson Creating our own definitions: Vocabulary Purpose/Rationale: In this regular tenth grade classroom, the students have recently been exposed to their end-of-the-year research project for which they are now brainstorming topics. This lesson is aimed towards catching students literary interest through a popular Young Adult novel while exposing the students to new vocabulary that will increase their ability to write. The topic of the novel (Cancer) is heavily researched and this novel may serve in inspiring students to choose a topic of interest to them for their final project since the narrator of the novel is very close in age to this group of students.
Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.4a Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a words position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
Objectives: Students will be able to define a given set of vocabulary words based on context clues.
Materials: The Fault in Our Stars opening passage Paper and pen/pencil (students should have these materials daily)
Anticipatory Set: To begin this vocabulary lesson, the teacher will explain to the students that she is going to display a word on the overhead/projector and I want you to hold up one finger if you know the word on the screen, two fingers if you sort of know the word, and three fingers if you do not know the word. Then, Id like for you to write down the word. Finally, if you know the word or sort of know the word, write your own definition for it. If you dont know the word, leave a space blank for it. She will then display the words veritably, decrepit, prospects, and facet from the passage they are about to read on the overhead/projector one at a time and assess the classs understanding from the number of fingers they hold up. To transition into the reading, the teacher should ask for four students who feel comfortable reading aloud and explaining where they will read from and to, before starting herself. (The teacher will read from Late in the winter to a weekly Support Group. The first student will read from This Support Group to sacred heart and whatever. The second student will read from So heres how it went to AND YOU TOO MIGHT BE SO LUCKY! The third student will read from Then we introduced ourselves to I gotta outlast four of these bastards. The final student will read from The only redeeming facet to the three dots on page 15.)
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity: Time Students will: Teacher will: Final Mini-Lesson Unit 15
5 minutes (Anticipatory Set) Observe the word on the overhead, listen to it said by the teacher, and respond if they know the word (by holding one finger up), sort of know the word (by holding two fingers up), do not know the word at all (hold three fingers up). Show a word on the overhead, say it out loud, and ask the students if they know the word, sort of know the word, or dont know it at all. 5 minutes (Reading Passage Aloud) 4 students will read the passage out-loud in turns while the rest of the students follow along to the reading, noting when the words they just heard are read. The teacher will begin the reading, and then listen to four different students complete the section of the chapter with the four vocabulary words in it. 3-5 minutes (Summary/Closure) Students will review and revise their original definitions based on the contextual reading of the words and create definitions for words they did not know. The teacher will observe the students work, ask students to share their definitions, and then collect the students work.
Summary/Closure: Now that the students have heard the words once out-of-context, made predictions about what the word means, and heard the words again in the context of a novel, the students will revise their previously written definitions or fill in ideas of what the word means if they left if blank originally. The teacher may ask students to share their definitions. **The dictionary definitions of the words will not be provided to the students. This activity helps to build reading and vocabulary skillsnot grade students on whether they are right or wrong. Definitions for substitute/for checking students understanding: Veritably: to be true Decrepit: weak, feeble, worn-out Prospects: outlook for the future, probability of something Facet: one side of a multi-sided object
Assessment: Informal Assessment: Students comprehension of the vocabulary words will be initially assessed at the beginning of the mini-lesson by asking students to show their understanding of each word as it is displayed on the overhead/projector by raising one finger for know the word, two fingers for sort of know the word, and three fingers for do not know the word. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 16
Formal Assessment: Students self-made definitions will be collected as a formative assessment to see if the students gained anything from reflection on the initial vocabulary and the contextual reading of the vocabulary.
Homework/Follow-up: Students will read the remainder of Chapter One of The Fault in Our Stars and write any words that they do not recognize/know to create a cumulative list in the next class.
Accommodations/Adaptations: Gifted and Talented students may already have been exposed to many of these vocabulary terms, but it will be advantageous for them to complete this activity by writing out their understanding of the words; it challenges them to think critically about what they know and how best to define the words. In addition the students may be asked to write example sentences with the vocabulary terms in it to help other students gain a better understanding of the word (giving them a leadership position). English Language Students will be able to use the vocabulary they currently understand to construct their own idea of what the new terms mean. However, this may not be enough for level 1 and 2 students, and, to keep them on pace with the rest of the class, may be allowed a multi-lingual dictionary (e.g. Russian-English) in order to create understanding from their own language. Students with a visual disability have preferential seating, close to the board in order to see better when the words are displayed and will have a larger-print copy of the novel (possibly on an e-reader) to follow along during the reading. Students with a physical disability will be able to participate in this activity and have easy access to the door if needed. This book is written for 14-17 year olds, so students who are below reading level will be able to follow along with the reading easily and learn the new vocabulary with the rest of the class. Any students who are repeating the year will be exposed to a new novel through this lesson because it is not a typically canonical text read year-after-year. Students with ADHD will be stimulated by having to be engaged with the numbering technique, writing their own definitions (which could be totally awesome), and will have an easier time following along in the reading than if they were reading the text on their own.
Resources: Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York: Penguin.
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 17
American Born Chinese Mini-Lesson Creating your own panel: Arts/Music Purpose/Rationale: In a unit about Acceptance, this group of seventh grade students will read American Born Chinese, a graphic novel that promotes the importance of accepting who you are and portrays how harmful stereotypes can be. Before reading the graphic novel, the students discussed how stereotypes are harmful and how they can help fight against stereotypes by accepting our peers and seeing people for who they truly are. Students completed an activity with one another by listing positive, non-stereotypical things about their classmates to demonstrate how everyone is more than their looks. This was to create not only a positive mindset for reading the graphic novel, but also to promote Acceptance in the classroom/school as a whole. The students have also read and discussed the graphic novel, focusing particularly on how the author conveys his meaning through images. Now, the students are going to create one panel (picture) of a time when they were excluded from something or accepted into something. The panel has to consist of: a drawing (stick figures are fine if the student is not exceptional at drawing), quote(s) from the character(s), and have a sound effect at the bottom of the page that emphasizes the situation. A good example from American Born Chinese is the bottom panels on page 115. The students are arranged in groups of 4-5 for a collaborative classroom atmosphere.
Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).
Objectives: Students will be able to artistically express an event in their lives based on the graphic novel they have previously read. Students will be able to discuss the difference between text, image, and image as text.
Materials: Directions for the activity at each group (desks are in groups, but this is an individual assignment.) Printer Paper for panels to be drawn on Set of markers/crayons at each group table
Anticipatory Set: Brief Review of what the discussions they have had so far: So far, we have discussed stereotypes, *teacher should write this word on the board/overhead for the class to see* or the assumptions we make about people. And we have talked about acceptance *teacher should place stress on this word* as a way to avoid stereotyping people. Then we looked at how the graphic novel American Born Chinese addressed these themes as well through images. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 18
Instructions for the activity: Today, were going to create our own stories through images just like Yang did for his book. You may have noticed that in the center of each of your groups, there are markers and paper. There are also the directions for this assignment. Lets read through it together: Using the paper and markers provided, create your own panel. A panel is one image, like the one below. In this panel, you should draw one image of a time that you were not allowed to join something or a time when you were accepted. In addition to the drawing, include some quotes from the characters and a sound along the bottom of the frame that adds more meaning to the event. (Yang, 2010, p. 115)
After answering any student questions, the students should begin working.
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity: Time Student is doing: Teacher is doing: 2-5 minutes: Anticipatory Set Listening to the review and instructions for the assignment Reviewing the past couple days and explaining the assignment (see anticipatory set) 7-10 minutes: Activity Drawing/Creating their own panel using the markers and paper provided, following the directions given to them. Monitoring and observing student work. 3-5 minutes: Summary Share their work with their table-group members, and then participate in class discussion about the activity. Facilitate the class discussion about text v. image/image as text.
Summary/Closure: Students will be given an opportunity to share their work with their table-group members, explaining the image they drew. The teacher will then call the class to attention and ask some guiding questions about the activity to draw out student understanding of how images are a different form of text. Was it easier to understand the picture your classmates drew or the explanation they gave? Final Mini-Lesson Unit 19
How might it have been different if we wrote the stories instead of drawing them? The teacher should conclude the discussion with an explanation about how images can be a different form of text and writers have to make their own decisions about when to use them.
Assessment: Formal assessment: Students will hand in their panel drawings. Their work will show understanding of graphic representations of stories. Informal assessment: None.
Homework/Follow-up Assignment: Students will write a brief paragraph in their weekly journals answering the following prompt: What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages to using images (like a graphic novel) instead of text (like a standard novel)?
Accommodations/Adaptations: Gifted and Talented students may be challenged to create a short story using multiple panels during this activitythey should be informed prior to the activity. ELLs will be able to express themselves through images and do not require strong English skills in order to complete the assignment. They may ask their group members for help when writing the quotes and sounds for their image. Visually Impaired students will be supplied with larger text for the directions and the directions will be read aloud as a class. They should be able to complete the assignment/image without any disadvantage. Physically Disabled students will be able to participate in this lesson because it does not require any movement, but they will have preferred seating by the door/teacher if they need help/need to leave. Any students with difficulty reading will be able to complete this activity because the graphic novel does not require an extensive vocabulary/syntactical understand and the activity is completed based on the students own experiences. Any Retread students, if they have not completed this activity before, may find it interesting to reflect on. If they have completed this activity before, they may use a different personal experience than they used previously. The teacher may also want to ask him/her to explain the difference of text versus image or image as text to the other students in the conclusion. ADHD students should be stimulated by this activity for its interactive engagement, but, if needed, may be allowed to get up and pace the back of the room.
Resources Yang, G.I. (2010). American born Chinese. New York: Macmillan.
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 20
13 Reasons Why Mini-Lesson Linking Concepts Rationale/Purpose: In this tenth grade classroom, the students have been reading the novel, 13 Reasons Why (they are about half way through the novel). The novel is being taught for its multiple perspectives and real-life issues/relatability as a scaffolding tool towards more canonical coming-of-age novels (such as To Kill a Mockingbird). The students have been introduced to blogging and have begun discussing the novels themes/topics of suicide, bullying, growing up, reputations and images, and grief in their online reading logs and in literature circles. Since these topics can be controversial and difficult to discuss, this lesson is aimed at exposing students to facts on suicide and bullying. Students will then relate these facts to the novel and their beliefs in order for them to make strong connections between real-life issues and literary merit as well as dispute incorrect assumptions.
Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technologys capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
Objectives: Students will be able to create and articulate how topics discussed in a novel correlate to facts in real life.
Materials: Computer lab/COWs/laptops brought to class Class blog site Informational Websites o Bullying http://www.stopbullying.gov/news/media/facts/#listing http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/teenage-bullying.html o Suicide http://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/facts-and-figures http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us- statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml
Anticipatory Set: The first 3-5 minutes of this activity should be expected to be used for setting students up on the computers and explaining the activity. Before allowing the students to log on, the teacher will explain the activity and set some ground rules: When you log on, you will go to our class blogging site. I have posted a new blog post. You will look at two of the links about either suicide or bullying. Id like you to read the pages, browse the sites, then respond to the questions I asked in my blog post in your personal blog, just like we do for reading logs. Remember, you are only going to those websites. You can do more Final Mini-Lesson Unit 21
research on the topics later if you want. For now, were only going to be on the class blog and the websites I provided. When the students are all logged on to a computer, the teacher will direct them to their class blogging site where there is a new blog post with four links to different websites and instructions: How does the novel 13 Reasons Why exemplify or not exemplify the facts discussed on the websites you have reviewed? How do the facts from the websites affect your understanding/feelings towards the main character? Are any of your own assumptions about the topic changed?
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity: Time Students will Teacher will 3-5 minutes Anticipatory Set Log onto computers, sign on to their classroom blogging site, read the instructions for the activity. Assist students with logging onto the computer/website, and review the instructions with the class 5 minutes: Browsing Read/browse the two websites to gain a general idea of the facts Monitor students (make sure they are on task) and give a 5 minutes warning that the students should begin working on their blog posts now. 5 minutes: Writing Write a response to the initial blog post, addressing the questions posed in about 3-4 sentences, citing the page or site they are discussing. (see anticipatory set) Monitor students (make sure they are on task), giving a 1 minute warning for students to start wrapping up their blog posts. 2-3 minutes: Summary/Closure Comment on what they learned or gained from the website and log off of the computer. Ask students to share an overview of what they learned
Summary/Closure: To wrap up this activity, the teacher will ask the students to log off the computer before asking students to share some of their general responses were to the questions posed. What did you learn/gain from reading the facts? Did you change your mind about anythingthe book, the character, the reasons for her decision?
Assessment: Formal: The blog post the students created based on their review of the websites will be assessed for completion/effort. Informal: The teacher will informally be assessing the students ability to stay on- task and write meaningful responses to questions posed on the blog. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 22
Homework/Follow-up Assignment: Students will be asked to respond to one of their fellow students blog posts and discuss what they have learned with their family for a more well-rounded understanding of the topic. When they respond to the students blog post, they should incorporate the new source in their response. (The additional website must be respectable; it should have facts, not opinions.)
Accommodations/Adaptations: Gifted and Talented students will be adequately challenged in the follow-up assignment to find a reputable resource to incorporate in their response to another students blog post. ELL students will be asked to read the websites ahead of time so they may spend the full ten minutes writing and responding to the questions. If possible/needed, they may type their responses in their native language. Students with visual disabilities can enlarge the screen in order to more clearly read the websites and their own writing. Students with a physical disability may work from a laptop or be seated a handicap- accessible computer desk. The websites do not consist of difficult vocabulary or jargon, so students who are below reading level should not have much difficulty. Any retread students may bring up new ideas and concepts in association with the facts they may not have before. (The Young Adult novel is not likely to have been taught previously either.) Students with ADHD should be stimulated by the short time they have to work and the readings are primarily bullet-listed and will not require a great deal of focus.
References Asher, J. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New York: Razorbill Facts about bullying. Retrieved 2/27, 2014, from http://www.stopbullying.gov/news/media/facts/#listing Facts and figures. Retrieved 2/27, 2014, from http://www.afsp.org/understanding-suicide/facts- and-figures Final Mini-Lesson Unit 23
Suicide in the U.S.: Statistics and prevention. Retrieved 2/27, 2014, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us-statistics-and- prevention/index.shtml Teenage bullying. Retrieved 2/27, 2014, from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/teenage- bullying.html
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 24
Unwind Mini Lesson Activating Prior Knowledge through Current Moral Issues: Reading Strategy Rationale/Purpose: This activity is designed for a tenth grade class. The students are about to begin a research project of which they have already been informed. They will choose a topic from a predetermined list of current moral issues (Gun control, healthcare, poverty, or drunk driving). To scaffold into this project, the students will be reading the book, Unwind by Shustermann, which touches on multiple moral issues that are prevalent in our society through a fictional dystopian society. The book is Young Adult literature, an easy read that will grab students attention and make them start thinking critically about the current issues in their own society. Furthermore, the fictional novel allows the students to discuss real-world issues through literature, rather than directly. Before they begin reading this book however, the students will complete this discussion activity which jumpstarts their thinking about what topics they might discuss in their papers and their own beliefs on the topics. It will also help students think critically as they begin to read the novel as a step into a research unit dealing with similar real-world problems.
Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1d Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
Objectives: Students will be able to express their opinions on current moral issues Defend their opinions in an appropriate manner.
Materials: Power point slide show to display the questions/statements of the activity Anticipatory Set: What defines a moral issue? This question should be projected on the screen for students to contemplate as they enter the classroom. To kick start this lesson, the teacher will ask the class what they think defines a moral issue and what moral issues they think are important in todays society. As students respond, the teacher should probe the students further with questions about why they think the issue is important right now. Take the following discussion as an example: Teacher: Every society has a set of morals that they live by, but not everyone always agrees on those morals. What do you think are some moral issues being debated lately? Final Mini-Lesson Unit 25
Student: Gun control/health care/drunk driving/poverty. *Teacher should guide the discussion and try to steer clear of controversial topics. Teacher: What do you think makes that a moral issue? What sides do people take? How is wrong in one persons eyes, but right in another? How are people addressing this issue? The student should make a case that the topic is a moral issue based on the different perspectives of the public on the topic. For example, pro-life versus pro-choice activists define life and murder differently. The teacher should then explain the activity they are going to do. Im going to display a statement on the board. If you agree with the statement, move to the left side of the room (teacher should point to her right), if you do NOT agree with the statement, move to the right side of the room (point to her left). If you do not know if you agree or disagree, move to the middle of the classroom.
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity: Time Students will Teacher will 3-5 minutes Anticipatory Set Suggest examples of current moral issues Prompt and guide students in an opening discussion about current moral issues 6 minutes: Activity After hearing/reading the statement on the projected PowerPoint, students will move to a section of the room that aligns with agree, disagree, or I dont know. Given two minutes for each statement, they will then explain why they agree, disagree, or cant decide. Read each statement from the PowerPoint out loud, and then facilitate the discussion by making sure multiple students are given the opportunity to discuss their opinion. The teacher should also guide students thinking with critical questions regarding their answers. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 26
2 minutes: Summary/Closure Reflect and informally write about their experience with the activity. Ask students to write about their experience with the activity. She should ask prompting questions like, Did you change your mind about any statement based on what others said? Was there something you wanted to say, but didnt have the opportunity? Did this activity make you want to research a particular topic and why? She will then collect the dialogues and begin explaining the novel they are about to read.
Summary/Closure: To conclude, the teacher will ask students to reflect again on the three statements of activity and write an informal dialogue to her about their experience with the activity. Finally, the teacher should collect the dialogues and explain that many of these topics are addressed in the novel they are about to read.
Assessment: Informal assessment: Students will write dialogue responses about the activity through which the teacher may gain insight about the students thoughts in regards to the activity
Homework/Follow-up Assignment: Students will brainstorm specific topics for their research papers by browsing for factual information on their own. They will also begin reading the novel, Unwind, and respond in a reading journal with their initial thoughts on the Heartland War and the concept of unwinding.
Accommodations/Adaptations: Gifted and Talented students will be challenged to think critically about the issues presented. ELL students may have difficulty relating to the topics at hand because their culture may not have considered these issues. The students will be encouraged to ask for clarification and to offer their unique opinions on the subject based on their own experiences/culture. The statements/questions will be read aloud and projected on a screen, so students with visual disabilities will be able fully participate in this activity. Students with a physical disability will be given adequate room to move for this activity. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 27
Students below reading level should not have any issues with this activity; the vocabulary for the questions is simple and the statements are read aloud. Any retread students may bring up new ideas and concepts in association with the facts they may not have before. (The Young Adult novel is not likely to have been taught previously either.) Students with ADHD should be stimulated by the short time they have to work and the readings are primarily bullet-listed and will not require a great deal of focus.
Resources Shusterman, N. (2009). Unwind. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Appendixes: Unwind Powerpoint: Appendix A
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 28
Mockingbird Mini-Lesson Formulating Figurative Phrases: Writing Purpose/Rationale: In this regular 8 th grade classroom, the students have been reading Mockingbird by Katheryn Erskine. The complex issues of the novel make the novel good for deep discussions about real-life issues, and the rich, yet simple, language serves as a good foundation for expanding students writing skills. The class is about a quarter of the way into the novel (through page 41, Chapter 9) and have briefly researched the aspects of Aspergers and have been maintaining reading logs (responses to questions, interesting quotes, thoughts/feelings on the passage, etc.) in response to each nights reading to continuously develop their writing skills. The easy reading level of the novel serves as a scaffolding tool into more complex informational texts that they will have to read for an upcoming research project. In this mini-lesson, the students will be developing writing skills through their understanding of the figurative language in the novel. In particular, the class will focus on idiomswords or phrases that dont mean what they literally say. This should be a type of review for the students (Common Core State Standards indicate that students should learn idioms in the fifth grade), but should be treated as an activity in which to build upon developing writing skills involving figurative language. This lesson serves as a tool for deeper comprehension of the novels meaning and tone through word choice. Side-note: The classroom is pre-arranged into groups of 4 for a collaborative classroom environment on a daily basis. This will play a role in this mini-lesson.
Common Core Standards: RL.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. W.8.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Objectives: Students will be able to recognize and cite examples of figurative language within the context of the novel. Students will be able to construct writing using figurative language. Students will be able to critique the use of figurative language through their peers.
Materials: Students reading journals Students daily logs Paper and Pen/Pencil Mockingbird by Erskine Final Mini-Lesson Unit 29
Final Mini-Lesson Unit 30
Anticipatory Set At the beginning of class, students complete a daily bell-ringer. The bell ringer today relates to the novel. On the projector, the teacher will have the following prompt: In Mockingbird, what situations did Caitlin misunderstand the true/implied meaning of a conversation or phrase? Cite two or three of these situations in your daily logs by including the page number and explaining the implications of the phrase used and how Caitlin misunderstood it. You are encouraged to use your book and reading journals. After three minutes, the teacher should ask the students to share the examples they found from their readings so far in the novel. She should then explain that these types of language are forms of figurative language. *The teacher should write this phrase on the board as she explains that figurative language is often characterized by its implied meaning and not its literal meaning, such as an idiom, like its raining cats and dogs. (This is all to activate students prior knowledge of figurative language.) Next, the teacher should introduce the activity, explaining, Now, Id like you all to write a short paragraphjust a few sentencesin which you use figurative language. You may write it as a conversation, or as a journal, or as a description of something, whatever you feel like writing. You will have 3 minutes to do this. You will then have 2 minutes to share your responses with your group. At the end of the lesson, I would like you to write a short note giving one compliment and one critique each group members writing. You will be turning in all parts of this assignment. After answering any questions, the teacher will start the timer for the writing time.
Teaching Strategy/Procedure/Activity Time Student is doing Teacher is doing 5-6 minutes: Anticipatory Set Activating prior knowledge by reviewing and citing instances of figurative language from the novel. Monitoring student progress, followed by facilitating the sharing of daily logs. She will then briefly define figurative language and explain the activity. 3 minutes: Writing Students will write their own example of figurative language. Monitor student writing. She will also answer questions and guide students thinking when necessary. Teacher will call time when the writing portion is complete and ask students to share their responses with their group members, reminding them to listen in order to compliment and critique each group members use of figurative language. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 31
2 minutes: Collaborating Students will share their examples of figurative language with their pre- assigned table group, listening respectfully to each member. Monitoring student learning and giving a warning for students to wrap-up their sharing time. 2-3 minutes: Summary/Closure Students will write one compliment and one critique of each of their 3 group members writing. Teacher will ask students to write one compliment and one critique of each of their 3 other group members use of figurative language on separate sheets of paper. She should remind them to write their name and the name of the person they are critiquing on the paper.
Summary/Closure: To close the mini-lesson, the teacher will ask the students to write one compliment and one critique of each of their three group members writing on separate sheets of paper. It will be turned in to the teacher (to check for appropriateness) before being redistributed to the appropriate individuals. This allows for students to reflect on what figurative language is, how it is employed, and how to make it better while providing constructive feedback to their peers, and participating in a mini-writing workshop (draft and review stages). It also serves to further students awareness and comprehension of figurative language within the book being read and its implications to the writing style/mood/message.
Assessment:
Informal Assessment: Student participation throughout the activity will demonstrate understanding of the task(s) at hand. Formal Assessment: Student writing and responses to peers will demonstrate their ability to compose and critique figurative language.
Homework/Follow-up Assignment: HW: Students will read Chapters 10-12 of Mockingbird, and reply to the following question in their reading logs: How does Caitlins literal interpretation of closure affect her quest to find it? CW: Students will edit and expand their figurative language drafts, exploring different forms of figurative language throughout the reading unit. (E.g. hyperboles, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeias, personification, etc.) *The gradual introduction/review of figurative language serves students well for writing and language throughout life, especially for standardized tests and future grade levels without cognitively overloading them with the terms all at once. Final Mini-Lesson Unit 32
Accommodations/Adaptations: The gifted and talented students are designated as group leaders within their table groups. For this lesson, they will facilitate the sharing of the writing and keep the group focused. They are also able to express their creativity in this open-ended lesson, which may be more advanced than other students. ELL students are accommodated by the additional explanations and examples of figurative language given and explained to them during the bell ringer (front- loading). They are also assigned to groups that may assist when needed. Visually impaired students are accommodated with enlarged print of prompts and instructions are given out loud. The student with a physical disability will be able to participate fully in this activity. He/she is situated at a special desk in a group, located near the door for easy maneuvering. Students who have difficulty reading will be able to participate fully in this activity because the novel is below reading level and the activity is open-ended enough to allow students to generate their own level of writing. RETREAD students are encouraged to think outside of the box for their writing responses and offer unique advice to their classmates. Students with ADHD will be stimulated by this fast-paced activity, but may be permitted to release anxiety through walking along the back of the room or otherwise indicated by their IEP.
Resources: Erskine, M. (2010). Mockingbird. New York: Puffin Books.
Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life) (The Surrounded by Idiots Series) by Thomas Erikson: Key Takeaways, Summary & Analysis
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