Tusculum College Lesson Plan Template

Summer 2014

Name: Maria Farnham

Subject/Grade: English/6th

Estimated Time Frame: 60 minutes

Standard(s): ISTE 1a: Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes; ISTE 1b: Create original works as a means of personal
or group expression; ISTE 3d: Process data and report results; RL 6.6 Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in
the text; W6.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience; W 6.6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others;


Big Idea(s)/Essential Question(s): Who is Edgar Allen Poe and why is his writing so famous? What types of experiences influence an authors writing?

New Learning:
Vocabulary life experiences: Job loss, financial difficulties, long periods of unemployment, the loss of a spouse or other family
member, or other traumatic events may trigger depression. Long-term stress, at home, work or school, can also be involved.

Concepts A persons life experiences affects what they produce as well as affecting who they are; both are linked
together.

Skills needing to know how to navigate and post in the class blog.

Applications kidblog.org

Learning Target(s)/Objective(s): Given the platform of the class blog on kidblog.org, students will be able to produce a post that demonstrates their
understanding of how an authors life experiences help develop their writing. The students will demonstrate this by posting in the blog how their life
experiences has influenced their own writing.
Summative Assessment: Assessment will be the blog post itself. I will ascertain their understanding by assessing the content.

Instructional Strategies/Activities:
Direct teaching
Materials and Resources: Link to youtube video of The Simpsons The Raven
A copy of Edgar Allen Poes The Raven
Internet access
A Promethium Board or Smartboard





INSTRUCTIONAL STEPS
BEGINNING
Assessment
Anticipated Learning
Difficulties/Misunderstandings and Strategies to
Address Them
I will begin the lesson by questioning the students about their familiarity
with author Edgar Allen Poe. After giving several of the students to
acknowledge what they know about him, I will as if any of my students
have seen the Halloween episode of The Simpsons where Homer narrates
the poem, The Raven. I will pull up the episode with the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlgQQgDhH7U.


I will use formative
assessment to make sure all
students are paying
attention. This part of the
lesson is supposed to be
humorous; laughing and
kidding are to be expected.
But they still need to be
paying attention to what the
words are saying.
For my students with visual disabilities,
I will make sure to seat them close
enough to the screen that they can see
as clearly as possible. For my students
with auditory disabilities, I will have
them seated close to the speakers.

MIDDLE
Assessment
Anticipated Learning
Difficulties/Misunderstandings and Strategies to
Address Them
Content Input ( I do activities): After watching the Youtube video, I will
hand out to all students a copy of The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. I will
read through the poem first, with them following along.


Guided Practice (We do):After the poem is read, I will visit the website
Poes Life on the Promethium board/Smartboard. I will walk through the
content on the website with the students. We will discuss the information
that we find on the site as a class. I will guide the students to see the
connection between the challenges in Poes life and writing (eg. Poes dead
wife and mother as influencing the character of Lenore in The Raven). I will
show the students that Poes writing comes out of what he experienced in his
life, just like the writing that many of us dowe write about what we know.


Independent Practice (You do; may include Homework): The students will
then have time (15 minutes) to get started on their homework. Their
Formative assessment will
be used throughout the
lesson to make sure the
students are paying
attention.

Summative assessment will
be the blog post which I will
check for understanding of
the concept with the use of
a rubric.

assignment will be to post on the class blog about how their life
experiences have influenced their writing. They need to give specific
examples (at least 3). They must have an introduction and a conclusion (5
paragraph essay).



END

For fun, I will read another version of The Raven. This one is a parody done by two students at http://irishpotato7.tripod.com/id3.html.


TEACHER REFLECTION
Reflection on Lesson Plan and Delivery (to be completed after lesson is taught):