Lesson Plan Template

Subject: Language Arts/English Grade: Sixth (6th)

Teacher: Cassandra Carroll
Thinking About Planning:
1. Common Core Learning Standard(s) Addressed:
R.L5.7: Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel,
multimedia presentation
of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).
2. Learning Target(s): (What will students know & be able to do as a result of this lesson?)
Objective: Students will analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the tone of a text
Goal: Students will watch a number of clips and apply their understanding of tone (along with their list of tone words provided)
to interpret the tone of the multimedia text (in this case a script) and will record their findings and their explanation on their
graphic organizer.

3. Academic Language: Which examples of language function (there are more on Blooms taxonomy) analyze, argue,
categorize, compare/contrast, describe, explain, interpret, predict, question, retell, summarize will you address?
Challenging vocabulary may include, but are not limited to, the following (as seen on their word list): nostalgic, modest,
reflective, sentimental, sympathetic, compassionate, elated, earnest, empathetic, exhilarated, impartial, unambiguous,
hostile, melancholy, psychotic, sinister, unsympathetic, apprehensive, bewildered, blunt, enraged, and grave
o I have decided to include these possibly challenging words in order to expose my students to a wider vocabulary.
The students are not required to use these words but may be inspired to learn new definitions. This vocabulary is
included on the tone sheet in order to expose the students to new words in a low-stress, low-stakes environment.
Their understanding of these words are not critical to the assignment.
Students will break down the contents of the clips in order to apply their understanding of tone and decide on
appropriate words to describe the tone, backing up their reasoning with an explanation.

Thinking About Instruction

4. Engagement/Motivation
This lessons engagement is the use of technology specifically YouTube
I have already selected appropriate clips the students will view and have collected them in a playlist so they cannot

access other videos during the session

I have decided to use multimedia in this lesson in order to expose my students to different learning styles. Because I
did not get to do a learning style inventory, I am experimenting with different learning styles to see what my students
respond to. (If this becomes an issue, I will distribute an inventory to get on track)
I will use the behavior management strategy of keeping check marks for positive behavior. If the students acquire 5
check marks, they will receive a ring pop.

5. Explicit Instruction
Direct Instructiono I will begin this lesson by engaging my students in a discussion on tone
o According to the _________ Middle School Teacher Website, this is a topic they have previously covered this year
o The discussion will revolve around their background knowledge and the following questions/prompts will be posed:
Explain to me what tone means when it comes to a text
Imagine the tone of voice your teacher uses when a student is in trouble vs. when a student answers a
question correctly. How does the tone of voice change?
What does tone of voice have to do with text?
o I will ask my students to read the multiple definitions of tone aloud along with the concluding example
o If the students have any questions, they will be answered promptly
o I will then direct their attention to Todays Task
o I will explain that we will be viewing seven different video clips on YouTube. The students will be responsible for
watching the clips and determining the tone the speaker uses (the speaker is using a script, therefore the text is
a script)
o The students will be reminded that they will be looking for the actual tone of voice, adjectives, verbs, word choice,
overarching moral or message they receive from the clip, and how images, audio, visuals, music contribute to the
tone if applicable.
o The students will then be given a handout Words to describe tone
o The students will have five minutes read through the list independently. If the students have any questions, they
will be answered promptly.
o We will then make our way to the computers
o I will access my playlist by typing in Tone Lesson on YouTube (time permitting, this will already be accessed before
the students enter the library)
o Together, we will all watch the first clip: a trailer for a Frozen Short film
o I will highlight the use of happy music, the light and cheery tone of the narrator, the bright colors, the smiling
faces, and the overall positive message come see this show, its wonderful! after viewing the clip
o I will then turn to my word list and pick out the words joyful, lively, cheerful, gleeful, happy, and light as accurate
words to describe the tone
o I will narrow down my selection to lively and joyful and record these in the column titled tone in my graphic
organizer

o In the explanation box I will cite all the reasons I highlighted above as my evidence
o I will then ask if the students have any questions (which will be answered accordingly)
Guided Practice- (We Do). Give details of what you are going to help the student(s) do to move toward mastering the
skill you are teaching.
o The students will then be prompted to watch the following clip: a parody of Frozen in which they create a trailer in
horror-film fashion (this drastically contrasts the previous clip)
o After we have all viewed this clip, we will have a discussion on what factors stood out in regards to tone
o The students will be supported in discussing the music, the colors, the dialogue, the tone of voice, etc.
o They will then return to their word lists and pull out appropriate ones to describe the tone. If they have a different
idea for a word, they can record this in the add your own column
o The students will then write down the words we come up with along with an explanation that we determined
during out conversation
o The students will repeat this process for clips 3 and 4 in order to encourage collaboration and to ensure they are
on task and understanding the assignment.
Independent practice (You Do) .
o After completing clips 1-4, the students will be responsible for repeating this process independently for clips 5-7
o The students will be expected to listen and watch the clips (with their headphones) independently
o They will then need to identify the key factors that contribute to the overall tone as we had done in discussion
previously
o Students will need to decide on 1-4 words that describes the overall tone
o Once the students have completed this, they will have the chance to share their findings
o If the students disagree over a certain clip, we will have a discussion and they will have the opportunity to defend
their decision
o To conclude the lesson, the students will be asked the same questions/prompts they were at the beginning but this
time applied to multimedia presentation
o They will need to explain, using their graphic organizer, how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the
tone of a text.

Thinking About Assessment:

6.Type of assessment
This lesson includes a formative assessment because the resulting graphic organizer measures how well they have
understood the concept and will not be contributed to a summative grade.
By monitoring the students work during their independent practice, I will be able to see if they remain on task and
focused.
At the end of the lesson, the students will share their findings with the group. This will give me another opportunity to
measure their understanding and performance.

7. Resources/Materials:
(2) computers with internet access
YouTube video clips:
o
o
o
o
o
o

clip
clip
clip
clip
clip
clip
clip

one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic
two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQRLVxZHKPs
three: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eD2UpdhbwA
four: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqCquDl4k4
five: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPiLXfne9M0
six: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFvqpAT9YQk
seven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zTDbpxT8ZI

o
What is Tone? handout
Tone graphic organizer
Words to describe tone handout
Pens/pencils
headphones

8. Reflection:
Description
James and I worked together with Kevin, Shane, and Ned
During our review of tone, Shane offered his insight on tone (a topic he covered with James in a previous lesson)
and Kevin and Ned took turns reading the definitions aloud
After reviewing the definitions, James and I opened up the conversation to the students background knowledge of
tone
James and I posed the following questions:
Explain to me what tone means when it comes to a text
Imagine the tone of voice your teacher uses when a student is in trouble vs. when a student answers
a question correctly. How does the tone of voice change?
What does tone of voice have to do with text?
The students worked together to arrive at accurate answers to all of these questions
James and I then directed their attention to the word list
The students had time to independently read the world list before we began the second part of the lesson
Shane was then asked to read Todays Task aloud
At this point, I implemented the check mark behavioral management strategy which the students responded to
positively
The students were eager to talk about the first clip but James and I asked them to allow us to demonstrate the
task first

James and I modeled cooperative collaboration by taking turns speaking and demonstrated the appropriate way to
complete the task by talking out our thoughts and highlighting key aspects of the clip we just saw. James and I
decided on three words lively, playful, and celebratory and backed it up with our explanation on the graphic
organizer
The following clip really engaged the students and they were eager to discuss what they saw
The students needed a good amount of guidance during this first clip in order to focus them on identifying features
of the clip to determine the tone. After each student offered an idea for tone, James and I asked why in order to
have them elaborate and arrive at a reasonable conclusion with evidence.
The proceeding two clips created great discussion among the group
o during the clip on 9/11, we focused on President Bushs facial expression, his tone of voice, and his word
choice to determine that the tone was business-like, straight-forward, upsetting, and direct. The
students showed significant improvement from one clip to another after being scaffolded
The students were then asked to complete the last three clips on independently
The students, with some reminders, remained focused throughout
After completing the last few clips, the students were asked to share their responses
This discussion helped James and I monitor the students understanding
The students responses were supported by evidence and were, for the most part, accurate responses

Analysis

Todays lesson was definitely the strongest one so far

The students remained engaged as a result of choosing relevant, interesting, and age-appropriate clips. The clips
were all less than 2 minutes, helping to retain their attention.
Another factor that made this lesson a success was the use of the SmartBoard.
In the beginning of the session, I was having difficulty gaining access to YouTube. I was offered the opportunity to
use the SmartBoard and this made it easy to keep everyone on the same page. Everyone watched the clip at the
same time, making it easy to monitor and to keep everyone on the same page.
The use of the behavioral management strategy went over successfully and, after being reminded, the students
were able to maintain positive behavior and earn all 5 of their checks
The students worked well together and built off of each others ideas to arrive at accurate words to describe the
tone
One thing that could have gone better was the direct instruction
I think James and I depended too heavily on the students background knowledge of tone and did not take into
account that using the new medium (multimedia) would require more instruction
While the students worked through the first few clips, James and I gave them more instruction and direction,
however this would have worked better had we done that before the activity
Overall, the students were cooperative and engaged and the lesson was successfully completed in a perfect
amount of time

Suggestion
I want to find ways to include technology and interactive activities throughout the lessons to maintain the
students engagement
I would also like to put more thought into direct instruction I would rather over-plan than under-plan and offer the
students more support than not enough
This lesson included material relevant to the students which, in turn, grabbed their attention. I would like to make
material more personal and accessible to their age