short stories unit plan - rachel gorrell's...
TRANSCRIPT
Rachel Gorrell English 8 Unit: Short Stories Connected Concept: Belief Works Discussed: The Tell Tale Heart, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Monkey's Paw, The Necklace, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and The Raven. The unit will revolve around five short stories and the poem The Raven. All of the works share the common motif of belief or believing, and the unit will focus on that theme throughout each story/poem. We will discuss the different meanings of belief throughout the stories, how belief can influence your reading/understanding of stories, and why it is important to have beliefs. This unit plan will last an estimated five to six weeks, and will culminate with a trip to the Keswick Theatre on November 15, in which the students will see these stories performed on the stage. In between stories, students will have small assessments that range from reading quizzes to writing assignments. At the culmination of the unit and after the theatre trip, students will write an essay regarding their favorite story and seeing it performed. The essay will cover the following: Compare and contrast the story and the play. Was it anything like you pictured in your head while reading? What did you like better in the end, the story or the play? How must a playwright make decisions when adapting a piece of writing for the stage? Rationale: The concept of belief is one that students will encounter throughout all forms of literature. Whether they are reading a fantasy story and must suspend their disbelief or reading a piece of religious text, beliefs and holding beliefs are an important theme that students will meet in both English class and their day-‐to-‐day lives. Learning how to form and hold beliefs is important to adolescent personal development, and the theme of beliefs can be analyzed in each required literary text. In The Necklace, students will learn to stand up for what they believe in, as Mathilde vows to make enough money to replace a stolen necklace. They will also learn what happens when you don’t believe in fate while reading Monkey’s Paw, and what consequences arise from trying to control your fate. Students will then become familiar with how to recognize things they shouldn’t believe in, and will analyze what happens when you do or do not believe others in the stories The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Finally, students will learn the concept of suspending their disbelief, which will overlap with Sleepy Hollow, with the stories The Telltale Heart and the poem The Raven, in which madness drives both characters into strange beliefs. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life.
Enduring Questions: What does it mean to believe something? How must you suspend your disbelief when reading a piece of literature? How can a belief dictate certain life choices? Why is having beliefs important? Additional Application: Running parallel to reading the stories and analyzing different types of belief, students will be taking part in an interdisciplinary assignment related to the election. This assignment ties in with their Social Studies classes and learning about the 2012 Presidential Election. Students will use their analysis in upholding beliefs to create an essay about the election and whom they would vote for if they could vote. This assignment will include writing instruction. Unit start date: 10/11/12 Unit end date: 11/16/12
Reflection and Analysis
Upon completion of my unit, I have felt success, relief, and accomplishment. What first felt like an enormous, almost impossible task, turned into a demonstration of my growth as a teacher. My unit was an undertaking that I can say I am proud of for creating, instructing, and completing.
When looking through the beginning of my unit plan, I see the beginnings of where I was in how I instruct. The first story I taught was “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs. As the first thing I really planned, I think I did a good job, but there are some changes that I would make in the future. I like how I introduced the idea of inferences, but I would change it in terms of my instruction on how to make inferences. I did a good job setting it up, but when it came to applying it, they struggled. I do like the worksheet that I used, but the students did not completely understand it. I had them work on this activity independently, and instead I would have had us do it more as a class and with their partner so I could really monitor how they were doing with the information. Also, I included a homework assignment about creating a talisman. In hindsight, I would not include that activity again. I thought it was fun, but I don’t think it served much of a purpose to assist the students’ understanding.
Following “The Monkey’s Paw” we paused from the short stories and did a writing lab. I liked how I instructed this, but I did not like it’s disruptive timing. It worked with the student’s Social Studies assignment, but I wish I had planned it at the beginning of the unit instead of putting it after the first story. In an ideal world I would have placed the writing lab at the end of the unit to prep the students for the in-‐class essay final assessment, but I was not able to do that because of the timing and the agreement to work with the Social Studies Election Essay. The placement of the writing lab was my biggest qualm about the instruction.
I started Edgar Allan Poe and his works “The Raven” and “The Tell Tale Heart.” I really like how I taught the Edgar Allan Poe stories. It is my favorite piece of instruction from the unit, and while I taught it still relatively early on in the unit, I think I presented it well. I really liked the jigsaw activity and how I was able to use it to outline Poe’s background information. Poe ended up taking a lot longer than I would have liked, and I did plan a lot of extra time because I thought it would take a while, but it got stretched through the hurricane break. This challenged me to create a cohesive connection back to where we left off, since we did not get to break at an ideal place in the lesson.
In my original plan, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving was to be after the Poe works. The hurricane altered those plans, however, and I was not able to fit it in before we went on the field trip. In another setting I would like to revisit these lessons. I liked what I had created in my plan, and I would like to see the lessons and their effectiveness in practice.
Since “Sleepy Hollow” was not covered, after Poe I taught “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain. These plans were also shortened from what I had originally intended, but I liked how they worked. One thing I would definitely change and redo, however, was my worksheet to demonstrate the “story within a story.” I could feel myself talking my way through it
when instructing them, almost as though I was convincing myself it made sense. I think I knew what I was trying to get from them, but I did not translate it well into an effective reading strategy. My worksheet was almost like a flowchart, but looking back on it now, I think I would make it to be more like circles within larger circles. I think that would more easily show what information is being transferred along in the stories. I would also like to focus more on the dialect in the story. I think this story is a great opportunity to introduce a mini-‐lesson on dialects and how different dialects came to be. I do not believe the material is too hard, and with the little bit of dialect practice I had them do in class, the students really enjoyed it, so I think further study would be both beneficial and enriching.
The final selection I taught the students during unit was “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. My time restraints before the fieldtrip only allowed two days for the story, and I believe that the story could have used more time to more fully analyze the details of the text. I liked that I was able to make the connections to “The Monkey’s Paw” with the introduction of irony, but I do feel that more practice could have been done for identifying the different types of irony before reading the story and
One of the things that I thought went really well was the summation of my unit and the review of the plays to get ready for the unit assessment. With the exception of the ever-‐quiet first period, the students were very eager to discuss the plays, their likes and dislikes, and work on the brainstorm worksheet that would aid them in writing the final essay. I would change some of the questions on my brainstorm worksheet, though. I think that when I created it, I knew exactly what was in my head but I forgot to make it clear on the paper. I had a lot of questions regarding the back page of the worksheet, which was very directed to the essay, but I didn’t really do any prompting for the essay, which made it hard for them. I would change this for future instruction.
I was very happy with my final assessment and the scores. I thought I did really well with the assignment, as well as the alternative assignment for the students that missed the plays. On top of that, I was very impressed with the quality of work my students handed in to me. They scored, overall, very high. I really enjoyed reading their different opinions on the plays, and seeing where their passions were focused. The results of the final assessment are as followed, with the average scores listed on the graph by class period. Periods two and five are advanced classes, and periods one, three, and five are academic classes. Period one is my only class with students who have IEPs and 504s.
87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97
1 2 3 5 7
Average Percentage
Period
Student's Average Grade by Period
Average
Overall, I would say that my unit plan was a success. It is evident that the
students found mastery in the subject matter and I have been very pleased with the work that I have received from them. While I would make future changes in this unit I ever return to any of these stories, I believe that it was a success and a very big achievement for me during student teaching.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/11/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: The Monkey’s Paw Unit: Short Story Unit PA Standards: 1.2.8.A: Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas. · Differentiate fact from opinion utilizing resources that go beyond traditional text (e.g., newspapers, magazines and periodicals) to electronic media. · Distinguish between essential and nonessential information across texts and going beyond texts to a variety of media; identify bias and propaganda where present. · Draw inferences based on a variety of information sources. · Evaluate text organization and content to determine the author’s purpose and effectiveness according to the author’s theses, accuracy and thoroughness. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: Do you believe in fate? How do your beliefs motivate you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will define and discuss the term fate and its meaning in the story as well as throughout history. Students will make inferences to fill in gaps in the story while reading. Students will create their own talisman. Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, kinesthetic, visual, auditory Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Journal entry: What if you had three wishes? Formative: Inference worksheet, class discussion on believing in fate Summative: Create your own talisman worksheet; Revisit journal entry: Would you still make three wishes if you knew they could go wrong? Materials and Resources Pen/pencil English notes Copy of The Monkey’s Paw Inference worksheet Vocabulary worksheet Talisman homework Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 2 and 7 will be required to write their journal entries in their Writer’s Notebooks
Procedures Attention Grabber: On the board as students walk in: What if you had three wishes? On a piece of paper (or Writer’s Notebook), respond to this question. Share with your partner. Now, what if those wishes were to go wrong or different than how you expected? For example, what if you wished for a puppy and received it, but that puppy was bad behaved so your parents decided to take it to the SPCA. Think about a way that each of your three wishes might go wrong and write down your ideas below your journal entry.
Connection to past material: When we defined the word conflict, recall the conflict of character versus fate. The definition of fate is the will or force that predetermines every outcome of events. It is the idea that you have no control over your ultimate outcomes. Fate has been a concept throughout cultures since the days of Greek mythology, where The Fates were three goddesses who dispensed everyone’s fortunes and foils. Does anyone remember the Disney movie Hercules? The three old women who used scissors to cut people’s threads were depictions of the fates in Greek mythology. The use of fate in culture and literature has evolved over time, but it is still seen as a determiner of outcomes today. If anyone in this room believes in the philosophy “what’s meant to be will always find a way,” is a believer in fate. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: Today we will be reading a story called The Monkey’s Paw about a couple who comes into possession of a magical talisman that will grant them three wishes. Those wishes, however, come with a price for trying to mess with fate. Guided Practice: Day 1 -‐Before reading I will pass out the vocabulary and comprehension worksheet. Students will be instructed to work with their partner to complete the vocabulary for the story before reading to familiarize themselves with the terms they will come across while reading. Students will use dictionaries to define the terms so that they are physically looking for and reading the definitions. -‐After finishing the vocab, I will prompt the strategy for reading:
• There are some important things in this story that the author intentionally leaves out for the reader to figure out on their own
• Students will have to fill in these gaps by paying special attention to the details in the story and making inferences
o Inference is just a big word that means a conclusion or judgment. If you infer that something has happened, you do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the actual event. But from what you know, it makes sense to think that it has happened. You make inferences everyday. Most of the time you do so without thinking about it. Suppose you are sitting in your car stopped at a red signal light. You hear screeching tires, then a loud crash and breaking glass. You see nothing, but you infer that there has been a car accident. Making inferences means choosing the most likely explanation from the facts at hand.
o Students will complete an inference worksheet during and after reading the selection. The worksheet will be called “It says, I say, And so,” which will prompt them to find unanswered questions from the reading and come up with an answer through making inferences. The questions will be given to them to guide them while reading and it will be their job to find the “It says” from the text and make their inference from that.
-‐I am expecting the reading to continue into Day 2, so with a few minutes left in class I will pause them on the reading and instruct them on their homework
-‐HW: Create your own Talisman. Here are some examples of a talisman: Your grandmother knitted you a pair of sucks that you wear every time you take a test because you believe they are lucky; You found an arrowhead at a Native American gravesite and you keep it in your back pocket because you believe it wards of evil and bad luck. Answer questions 1-‐5. Day 2 -‐Start class by redefining fate and talisman -‐Continue reading/completing inference worksheets -‐Discuss the inference worksheets in groups of four. Students must add at least two things from their partners’ answers to their own answers; the final answer should be reflected as a group answer. Students will be assigned a number, and a random number will be called upon to share their group’s answer with the class. -‐Facilitate class discussion on fate using a power point to aid in the discussion
• More detail on the history of fate • How fate is presented in the story • Ask for more examples of fate in the story • Believing in fate versus not believing in fate: how do you live your life? Write
down your ideas about fate and then share with your partner and class -‐Students will spend the remainder of class drawing pictures of their talisman and coloring it in. Stop with five minutes to spare for closure. Independent Practice/Homework: Talisman worksheet Closure: Now that you’ve read the story, revisit your journal entry. Would you change your mind about making wishes if you knew something bad could come from wishing? Write a new journal entry explaining why or why not. If there is time, share your ideas with your partner.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/15/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: The Monkey’s Paw Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.6.8.E: Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations. · Initiate everyday conversation. · Select a topic and present an oral reading. · Conduct interviews as part of the research process. · Organize and participate in informal debates. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: Do you believe in fate? How do your beliefs motivate you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will define and discuss the term fate and its meaning in the story as well as throughout history. Students will make inferences to fill in gaps in the story while reading. Students will create their own talisman. Multiple Intelligences: Visual, auditory, kinesthetic, interpersonal Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Talisman presentations Formative: Pair-‐sharing inference worksheet information Summative: Journal entry Materials and Resources Inference worksheet Talisman worksheet Pen/Pencil Copy of The Monkey’s Paw Differentiation/Accommodations Period seven will need more time to finish reading the story.
Procedures Attention Grabber: Students will start class by presenting their finished talismans to the class. This will let me check the homework and will be a fun way to start off the week. Connection to past material: Presenting their talismans will demonstrate their knowledge of the definition and concept of talisman, as well as remind them about the story. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: Today’s lesson is a continuation of Friday’s lesson. It will be followed immediately by a writing workshop, but we might not get to that until Tuesday, depending on how long today’s exercises take. Guided Practice: -‐After students present their Talismans and I collect them, they will return to their inference worksheet. I will do a check with the students at this point to make sure they have completed enough of it to move into partner work. -‐Pair-‐share: I will explain to students that they will work with their partner to make a their answers reflect a “pair answer.” Making an inference does not rely on just one clue, but many, so it is important to look at their answers with their partner and
add the different clues they each might have to their worksheets. Also, an inference cannot be right or wrong, because the author intentionally does not give an answer. They will also add their partner’s inference to their paper to see that there can be different options for what could have happened. I will then call on students to make the final inferences, and students can vote on which inference they believe are the most likely answers. -‐When the students have finished the inference worksheet activity, we will move on to the Fate and Belief power point and discussion:
• More detail on the history of fate • How fate is presented in the story • Ask for more examples of fate in the story • Believing in fate versus not believing in fate: how do you live your life? Write
down your ideas about fate and then share with your partner and class -‐Summation of The Monkey’s Paw and how belief will be the recurring theme of the short stories unit:
• The Monkey’s Paw use the classic set up of the three wishes to tell a tale of what happens when you don’t believe in the concept of fate and try to go against it.
• The other stories we will be reading during this unit also have to deal with beliefs and how different beliefs affect and control motives, actions, and decision.
• While reading the stories in the upcoming weeks, it will be important to you to pay attention to how these beliefs carry the characters and plots and what importance they play in the stories. You will also want to think about your own beliefs, and how, if they differ, you would handle certain situations.
Independent Practice/Homework: Depending on how much time is left in the period, students will write a closing essay that will be used not only to finish their examination of The Monkey’s Paw but also to start off the two-‐day writing lab. Closure: Essay prompt (to be completed either at the end of class Monday or the beginning of class Tuesday): Now that you’ve read the story, think back to your journal entry that you wrote about having three wishes. Would you change your mind about making those wishes if there was the possibility that something bad could come from wishing? Is the risk worth the wish? Write a new journal entry explaining why or why not.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/16/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Writing Lab Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.5.8.C: Write with controlled and/or subtle organization. · Sustain a logical order within sentences and between paragraphs using meaningful transitions. · Establish topic and purpose in the introduction. · Reiterate the topic and purpose in the conclusion. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: What are the essential elements of an essay? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will know the parts of an essay. Students will recognize where they already use the parts of an essay in their writing. Multiple Intelligences: Intrapersonal, auditory, visual Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Classes who did not write the journal entry will begin class with the journal entry “Would you change your mind about making those wishes if there was the possibility that something bad could come from wishing? Is the risk worth the wish?” Formative: Complete notes on the parts of the five-‐paragraph essay Summative: Use journal entry from The Monkey’s Paw to identify which elements of the five-‐paragraph essay you are already using and which elements you will need to work on Materials and Resources Pen/pencil Five-‐paragraph essay note handout Closing journal entry from The Monkey’s Paw Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 1, 2, and 7 will start class with the journal entry. Periods 3 and 5 completed the journal entry in class yesterday.
Procedures Attention Grabber: Connection to past material: The students will be using a journal entry they have already written related to the themes in The Monkey’s Paw to identify elements of a five-‐paragraph essay. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: I will pass out the notes worksheet for the five-‐paragraph essay. Is anyone familiar with the five-‐paragraph essay? When writing in seventh grade, did your teacher ever tell you that you had a paragraph requirement? The five-‐paragraph essay is the standard length for a formal essay, because that is the typical number of paragraphs it takes to develop and prove your point. With any less than five paragraphs you will be missing enough details to back up your claim. That is not to say, however, that an essay has to be five paragraphs, maximum. In fact, you will hear your English teachers, starting with me, tell you that you are encouraged to go beyond five paragraphs,
because more paragraphs mean a more developed argument, which is always good for you! For this class, you will be required to write five paragraphs for a formal essay. Will I be happy if you hand me a seven or eight paragraph essay? Of course! I will not, however, give a lower grade based only on paragraph length. That is unless you’ve given me less than five paragraphs. Guided Practice: -‐Students will complete the parts of the essay notes while I go over the power point. -‐They will receive the definitions of the thesis statement, introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Independent Practice/Homework: Students will use their notes on the parts of the essay to locate what parts they are already using in their writing. They will be told that writing creatively is much different than writing a formal essay, but the act of writing and the use of certain techniques are still prevalent. You always use some kind of claim when writing, because there is always a purpose to everything you write. So while a thesis might not be exactly what the definition of a thesis is, you will still have at least one sentence in your journal entry that states what your purpose for writing is. Your writing will also always have supporting evidence. It might not be documented facts or proof from a text you read, but it will be facts from you or your own personal knowledge. This counts for body paragraphs. -‐Students will locate these things in their closing journal entry from The Monkey’s Paw. Closure:
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/17/12 English 8 Pd 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Writing Workshop Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.5.8.C: Write with controlled and/or subtle organization. · Sustain a logical order within sentences and between paragraphs using meaningful transitions. · Establish topic and purpose in the introduction. · Reiterate the topic and purpose in the conclusion. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: What are the essential elements of an essay? What is the process that must be completed when writing an essay? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will understand how to build an argument. Students will practice writing thesis statements. Students will understand the steps of the writing process. Multiple Intelligences: Kinesthetic, auditory, visual, interpersonal Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Students will use a graphic organizer to order the steps of the writing process in what they think is the correct order Formative: Students will correct the steps with the class. Students will practice writing strong thesis sentences. Summative: Students will practice writing thesis statements at the end of class and finish it for homework Materials and Resources Pen/pencil The Writing Process worksheet Thesis notes Thesis practice worksheet Differentiation/Accommodations If students, especially in the large classes, have problems with moving in groups to the different stations, I will give a power point presentation on the writing process instead.
Procedures Attention Grabber: Connection to past material: In yesterday’s class you defined what a thesis is why it is needed in your essay. We also talked a little bit about some of the steps you use in your own writing processes. Today we will be building more on how to create a strong thesis and what the steps of the writing process are. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: While you might already be using a writing process to guide you as you write, there are certain defined steps that a writer should use when creating a piece of writing. There are six steps to the writing process, and you will find the definitions of those steps around the room. Guided Practice:
-‐There will be definitions of the writing process around the room. The students will first move around the room to copy the definitions of the writing process on their Writing Process worksheets. -‐After copying the definitions, the students will return to their seats and use the definitions to put the steps of the writing process in order, using a graphic organizer to correctly order the steps. -‐I will have a model organizer on the board, and when they are done, we will complete the correct order of the writing process on the board and discuss the details of the writing process, and which parts of it they will be working on in this class. -‐Students will turn back to independent work to learn more about how to create a thesis statement. Thesis Workshop: -‐Before writing a thesis statement, the writer must be aware of his or her audience and purpose. Unclear thesis statements emanate from the minds of writers with an unclear purpose.
• You must begin with a topic question. • You must form an opinion and state it clearly. Do not be wishy-‐washy. • Be sure you have approached your evidence fairly, without bias. • Consider both sides of a controversial issue. • Once you've established the topic question, a clear position, and objectivity,
you're ready to write a thesis statement. -‐Thesis power point and accompanying worksheet Independent Practice/Homework: Students will work independently to practice writing thesis statements in class using the thesis statement worksheet. Closure: The thesis practice worksheet will also be homework because they will not be able to finish it in class.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/18-‐19/12 English 8 Pd 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Edgar Allan Poe Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How did Edgar Allan Poe’s beliefs influence his works? How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will understand the life of Edgar Allan Poe and how the events in his life influenced his writing. Students will practice group work and teaching others what they know through a jigsaw activity. Multiple Intelligences: Auditory, visual, interpersonal, kinesthetic Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Determine writing process order as a class before fixing the order Formative: Students will do an Edgar Allan Poe jigsaw activity Summative: Students will teach their classmates their expertise on Edgar Allan Poe Materials and Resources Pen/pencil Paper Edgar Allan Poe jigsaw activity notes Differentiation/Accommodations -‐Period 5 will miss Friday’s class due to the pep rally, so their lesson will not have the jigsaw activity. Instead the Poe background notes will be given via Power Point presentation. They will then watch the video that the other periods will watch on Friday.
Procedures Attention Grabber: Review of yesterday: -‐Periods 1 and 2: Go over HW -‐Periods 2, 3, 5: Go over HW; Finish copying definitions (use partner’s paper to finish the missing definitions), go over the correct steps of the Writing Process Transition to Poe Connection to past material: Before the writing lab, we talked about how beliefs can influence a person’s motives and actions. We will be moving onto studying Edgar Allan Poe, an author and poet whose beliefs are clearly reflected in his writings. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: We will ultimately read two of Poe’s works, The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven. Poe uses his fears to write suspenseful and scary stories and poems that are meant to thrill his readers. However, we can’t jump into reading Poe just yet; it is important to understand Poe’s life and background, because it will help you to see how his fears manifested in his works from his own personal experiences. Guided Practice: -‐Jigsaw: Students will be counted off into four groups: Classes with 28-‐30 students will count off to seven, and class of 17 will count off by four. From there they will be
lettered A-‐D, and the two extras will be letter As. Each letter will be assigned an article: A= family, B= Poet, C= Prose writer, D= Dead man. It will be their job to become the “Expert” of the article based on what their letter is and find ten notable facts from the article that they will copy onto notebook paper: this means that they must determine what is “very important” versus “extra information” (the goal of this is to aid them in learning good note-‐taking skills and learning important information versus the extraneous), and become confident enough in their knowledge to present it to their Home Base. -‐After taking notes and determining their ten pieces of notable information, students will group together with their Expert Groups. The Expert Groups will work together to determine the five most important pieces of information.
• I will be checking in with each Expert Group to make sure they are going in the right direction with their important pieces of information.
Independent Practice/Homework: -‐Once each Expert Group has had a conference with me, they will reconvene with their Home Bases.
• In Home Base, each student will teach their group members their decided pieces of information.
• Students learning will be required to take notes on the five pieces of information.
• Each student will have 20 final pieces of Poe background information when completed.
-‐The compilation of finished Poe Notes will be added to their English binder. -‐ Instruction: for the remainder of the class students will be watching the video “Tales of Edgar Allan Poe.” This video “explores the psychology of terror in some of Poe’s most haunting tales.” It also talks about how Poe’s work is connected to his life, which is what the notes were about (make connections between notes and video). The video illustrates the two stories we will read, The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart, so be sure to pay close attention because we will revisit many of the ideas discussed in the video. Students will be given a worksheet to complete while watching the video. Closure: On the back of your movie worksheet, explain one connection you made between the movie and the notes you took from class yesterday and today.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/22/12 English 8 Pds. 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Edgar Allan Poe Unit: Short Story PA Standards: The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How did Edgar Allan Poe’s beliefs influence his works? How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the plot diagram. Students will Multiple Intelligences: Visual, auditory, kinesthetic, intrapersonal Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: “What makes you afraid?” journal entry Formative: Plot diagram reading strategy Summative: Story board assignment Materials and Resources Pen/pencil Elements of literature notes Plot diagram reading worksheet Story Board/After Reading worksheet Differentiation/Accommodations N/A
Procedures Attention Grabber: -‐On the board: What makes us afraid? -‐Students will be instructed to look at the board: What makes us afraid? Our different beliefs cause us to have different fears and things that scare us. While I queue up the video clip, students will take out a piece of paper or their Writer’s Notebooks for a journal entry. I think most people should recognize this clip, so watch it carefully and start thinking about what your own fears are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doxxfXqpKYA -‐Students will watch the Boggart scene from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; this scene will help them start thinking about what scares them, why it scares them, and why we like to be scared. Connection to past material: In this clip, the Hogwarts students had different fears and the Boggart manifests itself as whatever scares its victim the most. Everyone in this classroom has different fears, and some of what contributes to what scares us is our different beliefs. Write a journal entry about one of your fears, how your beliefs contribute to that fear. Maybe there was a specific incident that spawned that fear, or maybe you’ve always had the fear but there’s something in you that keeps you from moving on from it. Write about how your personal beliefs and personal experiences influence one of your fears. -‐Poe finds fear from much of his personal life, which we learned about last week. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -‐Today you will be reading The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. Before you start reading please get out your Elements of Literature paper.
-‐On Elements of Literature paper, please write The Plot Diagram under the last element you wrote. Then copy this graphic (it does not have to be too big, we will define each point under the graphic) -‐Under the graphic, define each term (which will be written and defined on the board):
• Exposition: the background information and what happens first • Rising Action: what leads up to the main conflict • Climax: When the conflict reaches its peak and turning point • Falling Action: How the conflict is solved • Resolution: How the story ends
Guided Practice: -‐While they are writing definitions, pass out “During Reading Strategies” worksheet. –Students will listen to TTH recording; please complete the reading strategies worksheet that will help you organize the story -‐After reading, students will receive Story Board Assignment Independent Practice/Homework: -‐Create a storyboard after reading:
• Front of the paper will have instructions and questions; back will have six-‐panel story board
• Instructions: First, identify the plot of The Tell Tale Heart by correctly showing the organization of the story. Then turn over this paper and create a storyboard using the elements of the plot diagram. Each box will represent one of the elements. Illustrate the elements in each of the boxes; there are six boxes and five elements, so you may use the first box as your title box. Your finished storyboard must be colored in.
-‐This will be completed for homework and collected the next day (I want to create a bulletin board from their work!) Closure: What elements from Poe’s life could you see reflected in The Tell Tale Heart? Turn and tell your partner.
Teacher’s Note: Students did not have enough class time to begin listening to The Tell Tale Heart. The following lesson plan for the next day details the changes that were executed.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/23/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Edgar Allan Poe and The Tell Tale Heart Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.6.8.B: Listen to selections of literature (fiction and/or nonfiction). · Relate them to previous knowledge. · Predict content/events. · Summarize events and identify the significant points. · Identify and define new words and concepts. · Analyze the selections. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How did Edgar Allan Poe’s beliefs influence his works? How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will understand the use of transitions and practice inserting them into their own writing. Students will practice following the plot diagram while reading The Tell Tale Heart. Students will generate a storyboard using the plot diagram for Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart. Multiple Intelligences: Auditory, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, visual Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Find the transitions in your journal entry Formative: Plot diagram reading strategy Summative: Insert transitions into your journal entry; post-‐reading plot diagram and storyboard Materials and Resources Pen/pencil Journal entries English book Reading strategies worksheet Storyboard homework Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 2 and 7: Vocab unit 2 due Friday
Procedures Attention Grabber: Connection to past material: Yesterday you defined the parts of the plot diagram. What is the purpose of the plot diagram? Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -Mini-‐lesson on transition words and phrases:
• Power point: What is a transition? • Practice: Take out your journal entry homework from last night. Circle every
transition phrase and word you can find. -‐Writing using transitions is important to the flow of both essay and story. Having clear transitions enables the author to make full use of the plot diagram in an orderly, sequential way.
-‐Edgar Allan Poe makes great use of transitions in his story The Tell Tale Heart. His use of transitions help to create a clear and flowing plot full of thrill and suspense. Guided Practice: -‐Today you will be listening and reading along to The Tell Tale Heart. While you read you will fill out a reading strategies worksheet to guide you along the steps of the plot. I will be pausing the story at different points throughout the recording so that you can keep track of what is happening in the plot. -‐Check in after reading: What is the climax of the story? When the man murders the old man with his bed, cuts up the body, and hides it under the floor boards. -‐Pass out reading strategies worksheet and homework: Tonight you will also have homework. You will complete both sides of this plot worksheet. The front side asks you to fill in the plot diagram of The Tell Tale Heart. You will be able to use your reading strategies worksheet to help you complete the diagram. The second part is a few short answer questions. On the back, you will find boxes. I would like you to create a storyboard of The Tell Tale Heart. Using each part of the plot diagram, illustrate what is happening in the story. Please color in your pictures, and use the first box as your title box. I will collect this tomorrow because I plan on making a bulletin board using them! Independent Practice/Homework: -Students will listen to The Tell Tale Heart and complete the reading strategies worksheet. -‐If story is not complete, stop with five minutes left in class for closure activity. -‐If there is time after closure, students will begin homework. Closure: Turn back to your journal entry. Look at the places you do not have transitions. Go back into the entry and add those transitions where they should be.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/24/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.6.8.D: Contribute to discussions. · Ask relevant, probing questions. · Respond with relevant information, ideas or reasons in support of opinions expressed. · Listen to and acknowledge the contributions of others. · Adjust tone and involvement to encourage equitable participation. · Clarify, illustrate or expand on a response when asked. · Present support for opinions. · Paraphrase and summarize, when prompted. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How did Edgar Allan Poe’s beliefs influence his works? How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will analyze The Tell Tale Heart. Students will predict themes in The Raven. Students will define rhyme scheme and alliteration. Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, auditory, visual Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Discuss homework and yesterday’s classwork Formative: The Tell Tale Heart discussion questions Summative: Read The Raven and answer comprehension questions Materials and Resources Pen/pencil Copies of The Raven Comprehension questions English notes Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 2 and 7 have vocabulary unit 2 due Friday. Period 5 will do the Transitions presentation/activity today (originally planned for yesterday)
Procedures Attention Grabber: -‐Go over homework: Plot diagram and discussion questions -‐Go over “End” column from yesterday’s classwork Connection to past material: -‐Return to The Tell Tale Heart for discussion questions
• Emotions play a huge part in the story. The man, the old man, and you as the reader experience a range of emotions as the story progresses. With your partner, identify two emotions that stood out most to you for the man, the old man, and yourself as you read. This question will be discussed.
o Key emotions:
Man: patience, guilt, madness, obsession Old Man: trust, fear, complete horror Reader: Intrigue, horror, disbelief, creeped out
• The old man’s bedroom is the main setting of the story. Why do you think the narrator chose this location to stage the murder?
o The murder was very calculated; he had to devise an exact plan, and the bedroom worked the best because it guaranteed that the old man would be asleep, and gave the murderer access to a murder weapon that would get the job done without causing too much mess.
• The mood of a story is the feeling or atmosphere the writer creates for the reader. Poe uses certain techniques to create a mood of suspense and horror. What does Poe do to create those feelings?
o Vivid sound descriptions: the old man’s loud groan, the beating of the heart before and after the murder
• What is wrong with the old man’s eye? o The old man likely has a cataract. A cataract is an age-‐related
condition that develops when the eye’s lens becomes clouded, sometimes to the point of opaqueness. The old man’s eye has also likely swelled, causing it bulge. This is what gave the appearance of a beady, vulture’s eye.
• Do you think the man is crazy? • What is it that makes the man confess his crime?
o His guilt manifests itself in the form of the beating heart. -‐Similar themes will be present in The Raven as you saw in The Tell Tale Heart. In TTH, you saw a man who was so obsessed with the old man’s eye that he went so far as to murder him. In The Raven, you will see another kind of obsession. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: The Raven is the poem that shot Poe to success. It is about a man who is obsessed with the death of his lost love. He cannot accept her death, and his mourning straddles a dangerous line of madness. Guided Practice: Tonight you will read The Raven and answer response questions for homework, but in class I would like to set you up a little bit for what you will see:
• Setting: What kind of words or phrases will you look for to create an image of the setting in your mind?
• Characters: Based on how he characterized the man in TTH, how might Poe portray the characters in The Raven?
• Perspective: Who is the narrator? Is it written in third or first person? How does this affect the piece?
• Elements of poetry: What is the rhyme scheme? Internal rhyme: Internal, or middle, rhymes usually occur within the same line. What is alliteration? The repetition of the initial (first) consonant sound.
Independent Practice/Homework: Read The Raven and answer the discussion questions. We will go over the questions tomorrow in class. Closure: In your opinion, what was the most effective technique Poe used to create suspense and fear in the reader?
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/25/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Edgar Allan Poe: The Raven Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.6.8.D: Contribute to discussions. · Ask relevant, probing questions. · Respond with relevant information, ideas or reasons in support of opinions expressed. · Listen to and acknowledge the contributions of others. · Adjust tone and involvement to encourage equitable participation. · Clarify, illustrate or expand on a response when asked. · Present support for opinions. · Paraphrase and summarize, when prompted. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How did Edgar Allan Poe’s beliefs influence his works? How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will make connections between The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart. Students will analyze The Raven. Students will identify internal rhyme and alliteration within The Raven. Students will compose a Poe-‐esque poem using similar feelings and poetic elements. Students will understand the elements of an essay’s conclusion. Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, visual, auditory Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Go over homework Formative: Conclusions practice; The Raven discussion Summative: Poe-‐Esque Poem Materials and Resources The Raven handout Comprehension homework Highlighters Pen/pencil Differentiation/Accommodations Periods two and seven have vocabulary homework due on Friday.
Procedures Attention Grabber: Students will take out homework from the previous night. I will check it, and then we will go over the comprehension questions as a class. Connection to past material: The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven both have strong emotions that guide their plots. With your partner, find three similar emotions found in both the short story and the poem. Discuss. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -‐Writing Conclusions practice: Powerpoint with a refresher of what goes into a conclusion, a example of how conclusions mirror introductions, tips on how to create an “Ah-‐ha!” moment, and a practice introduction for students to write a conclusion from. The practice conclusion will be pair-‐shared.
-‐Post-‐reading comprehension check
• What happens to the narrator throughout the poem? • What are the key emotions in the story? • Who or what is the narrator mourning? • What are some poetry techniques Poe uses throughout the poem?
o Alliteration, internal rhyme Guided Practice: -Using highlighters, go through the poem and highlight all the examples of alliteration with one color and examples of internal rhyme with another. Independent Practice/Homework: Students will spend the remainder of the period and tomorrow’s period (after peer editing Social Studies paper) writing a Poe-‐esque poem. Their work must portray the emotions that Poe uses in The Raven and incorporate their own emotions to make it personal to them.
• Brainstorm different events or images that could cause similar feelings for you that are demonstrated in The Raven. Pick one of those events or images and write a poem modeled in the style of Poe’s The Raven. Use an internal rhyme scheme and alliteration.
Closure: Now that you know you will be going on a field trip to see the stories performed, what aspect of either the poem or the story are you most interested or excited about seeing on stage?
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 10/26/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Peer Review and The Raven Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.5.8.F: Edit writing using the conventions of language. · Spell common, frequently used words correctly. · Use capital letters correctly. · Punctuate correctly (periods, exclamation points, question marks, commas, quotation marks, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, parentheses). · Use nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections properly. · Use complete sentences (simple, compound, complex, declarative, interrogative, exclamatory and imperative). The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How did Edgar Allan Poe’s beliefs influence his works? How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will learn the steps of the peer editing process. Students will peer edit and review a paper. Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, visual, auditory Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: How to peer review an essay Formative: Review and edit your partner’s essay Summative: Final essay or editorial (to be turned into their Social Studies teacher); Poe-‐Esque poem Materials and Resources Pen/pencil Social Studies Essay or Editorial packet Highlighters The Raven The Raven homework worksheet Differentiation/Accommodations Second and Seventh periods have vocabulary homework due today.
Procedures Attention Grabber: Get out Social Studies Essay or Editorial packet for peer review. Connection to past material: Recall what goes into the five-‐paragraph essay: look at your notes if needed. Look for an introduction and conclusion paragraph, three body paragraphs, transition phrases and words, and written in third person. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -‐Alternative ways to refer to Barack Obama and Mitt Romney:
• Obama: o The President, candidate, the Democratic Candidate, Democrats,
Commander-‐in-‐Chief, he/him • Romney:
o Governor, candidate, the Republican Candidate, Republicans, he/him
• NO Mitt or Barack: they are not your pals that you are casually writing about. In a formal setting, you always refer to them by their proper address.
-‐How to peer review power point slide. Guided Practice: -‐Peer review and edit partner’s paper. This should take half of the class, possibly longer. Advanced classes might take longer. -‐Go back to The Raven and what did not make it into the lesson yesterday:
• Finish going over The Raven homework worksheet • The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven both have strong emotions that guide their
plots. With your partner, find three similar emotions found in both the short story and the poem. Discuss.
-‐Post-‐reading comprehension check • What happens to the narrator throughout the poem? • What are the key emotions in the story? • Who or what is the narrator mourning? • What are some poetry techniques Poe uses throughout the poem? • Alliteration, internal rhyme
-Using highlighters, go through the poem and highlight all the examples of alliteration with one color and examples of internal rhyme with another. Independent Practice/Homework: Students will spend the remainder of the period writing a Poe-‐esque poem. Their work must portray the emotions that Poe uses in The Raven and incorporate their own emotions to make it personal to them.
• Brainstorm different events or images that could cause similar feelings for you that are demonstrated in The Raven. Pick one of those events or images and write a poem modeled in the style of Poe’s The Raven. Use an internal rhyme scheme and alliteration. Poem should be between 5-‐8 stanzas long (though students are welcome to go beyond that if they want to do so).
Closure: Begin brainstorming the different events and images for your poem.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 11/5/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.4.8.A: Write short stories, poems and plays. · Apply varying organizational methods. · Use relevant illustrations. · Utilize dialogue. · Apply literary conflict. · Include literary elements (Standard 1.3.8.B.) . · Use literary devices (Standard 1.3.8.C.). The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How did Edgar Allan Poe’s beliefs influence his works? How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will recognize the internal rhyme scheme and alliteration in The Raven. Students will analyze The Raven. Students will find similar themes in The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart. Students will compose a Poe-‐Esque poem. Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, intrapersonal, auditory Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Discuss The Raven homework questions Formative: Comprehension questions Summative: Poe-‐Esque poem Materials and Resources Copies of The Raven The Raven homework Highlighters Pen/pencil Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 2 and 7 will have a vocabulary quiz on Tuesday; studying will be their homework.
Procedures
Attention Grabber: We had a week off because of the weather! Think back to The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart. Connection to past material: Students will be given time to reread The Raven to refresh their memories. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -‐Post-‐reading comprehension check
• What happens to the narrator throughout the poem? • What are the key emotions in the story? • Who or what is the narrator mourning? • What are some poetry techniques Poe uses throughout the poem? • Alliteration, internal rhyme
Guided Practice: • Finish going over The Raven homework worksheet • The Tell Tale Heart and The Raven both have strong emotions that guide their
plots. With your partner, identify three similar emotions found in both the short story and the poem. Discuss.
-Using highlighters, go through the poem and highlight all the examples of alliteration with one color and examples of internal rhyme with another. Independent Practice/Homework: Students will spend the remainder of the period writing a Poe-‐esque poem using the topic of Hurricane Sandy. Their work must portray the emotions that Poe uses in The Raven and incorporate their own emotions to make it personal to them, or to the images and stories they heard on the news.
• Brainstorm different events or images that could cause similar feelings for you that are demonstrated in The Raven. Pick one of those events or images and write a poem modeled in the style of Poe’s The Raven. Use an internal rhyme scheme and alliteration. Completed poems will be between 5-‐8 stanzas long (though students are welcome to go beyond that if they want to do so). Remember to give your poem a title!
• Poems will be completed for homework, typed, and turned in the next day. Closure: Pair-‐Share: Think about Poe’s life. The Raven was written with a deceased lover in mind. Based on what you know about Poe, make an educated guess as to what or whom Poe drew inspiration from while writing the poem.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 11/6/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? How did Ichabod Crane’s beliefs determine his outcome in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will define “legend.” Students will make connections between Washington Irving and his work The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Multiple Intelligences: Auditory, interpersonal Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Identify the picture of the Headless Horseman Formative: Read the story as a class, pausing for reading checks. Summative: Vocabulary homework Materials and Resources Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 2 and 7 will begin class with a vocabulary quiz.
Procedures Attention Grabber: -‐Collect homework -‐Students will enter the room to a picture of the Headless Horseman on the projector -‐Once everyone is seated, I will ask them if they know who the picture is. Pair-‐share ideas for a minute or two, and then I will change the slide to the next one that will read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. -‐Today we will be starting The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Perhaps you have seen the Disney cartoon, or you might not have seen or read anything about Sleepy Hollow before. Whatever the case, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been a fun tale to read around Halloween since its publication in 1820. Connection to past material: Before reading the works by Poe, you wrote a journal entry where you discussed how someone might find one of your fears to be funny. In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, you will read about a character that is taken advantage of because of his fears. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -Define “legend” on Elements of Literature paper:
• A legend is a traditional tale handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis.
• Legends can have a basis in folklore: a story forming part of an oral tradition. Folktales possess many or all of the characteristics listed below.
o Are generally part of the oral tradition of a group. o Are more frequently told than read o Are passed down from one generation to another
o Take on the characteristics of the time and place in which they are told
o Sometimes take on the personality of the storyteller o Speak to universal and timeless themes. o Try to make sense of our existence, help humans cope with the world
in which they live, or explain the origin of something. o Are often about the common person o May contain supernatural elements o Function to validate certain aspects of culture
• Legends can be “tall tales” o An extravagant, fanciful or greatly exaggerated story. Usually focuses
on the achievements of the ultimate hero. -‐Facts about Washington Irving:
• Named for George Washington • Given the title the Father of American Literature because he was the first
American author to become popular in Europe and is the first American writer to make his living from writing
• Irving believed that description was the most important part of writing • The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and another of Irving’s popular works, Rip Van
Winkle were published in The Sketch Book in 1820. • Both stories take place along the Hudson River in New York
-‐We will be reading the play version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Irving’s original version is written in short story form, but this play is based off of that version. It is important to note, however, that a play will lack the original details of the short story. While Irving said that description was the most important part of writing, much of his original description and detail is left out of the play because it is assumed the viewer will be able to see it as it is performed. You will be seeing this play next week, but realize that some of Irving’s original description has been lost in the play form. Guided Practice: Students will read the story as a play. Different students will be assigned different characters. The play will be split into five acts, with a different student reading for the characters at every scene change. Each student will have a chance to read. Independent Practice/Homework: -‐Students will finish Sleepy Hollow in class. -‐Students will complete vocabulary worksheet for homework Closure: We read the play version of this story. What types of visual details were you missing that you think Irving might have supplied you with in the original text?
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 11/7/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? How did Ichabod Crane’s beliefs determine his outcome in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Students will define description. Students will practice using adjectives to create descriptive writing. Students will rewrite a scene from Sleepy Hollow using descriptive adjectives. Multiple Intelligences: Auditory, interpersonal Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Review of yesterday’s material Formative: Description and adjective practice Summative: Descriptive scene rewrite Materials and Resources The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Elements of Literature paper Differentiation/Accommodations
Procedures Attention Grabber: Review of yesterday: What is a legend? Who/What is the legend in Sleepy Hollow based around? Connection to past material: Students will finish reading Sleepy Hollow. I will check homework while they are reading, and then we will go over the homework when they are done reading. Comprehension discussion questions:
• What is the name of the girl with whom Ichabod is in love? • Who is Ichabod’s rival? • Why do you think Brom wanted to scare Ichabod? • Do you believe that the Headless Horseman chased Crane the night of the
party, or could it have been someone else? Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -Define “description” on Elements of Literature paper.
• Any careful detailing of a person, place, thing, or event. Descriptions re-‐create sensory impressions: sights, sounds, smells, textures, tastes.
Guided Practice: -‐How does an author create vivid descriptions? Mini-‐lesson on adjectives and descriptive adjectives. -‐Students will create an “adjective” mad lib and then trade with their partner. We will share some of the funniest examples with the class. Independent Practice/Homework: The play version of Sleepy Hollow lacks Irving’s original description. Choose a scene from the play and rewrite it using
descriptive adjectives. Do not write it in play form; write it in paragraphs. Use dialogue if the scene calls for it. Your scene rewrite must be at least two paragraphs long and have at least eight descriptive adjectives. Closure: Ichabod Crane was extremely gullible and superstitious. If Crane hadn’t been so quick to believe, what might have happened at the end of the story? How did Crane’s superstitions lead to his ultimate ending? Teacher’s Note: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was not used in the implementation of the unit due to a time constraint after the time off for Hurricane Sandy and the need to complete the unit before going on the theater fieldtrip.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 11/8/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.3.8.A: Read and understand works of literature. The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life Enduring Questions: How do the characters in The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County try to convince each other to believe certain stories? What influences your ability to believe or not believe in different stories, such as folklore, tall tales, or even news stories? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will understand the definition of a tall tale. Students will read The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Students will understand the concept of a story within a story. Students will practice dialects. Students will write a news story based on the events described in The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, auditory, visual Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Review definition of “humorist” Formative: During reading worksheet; dialect practice Summative: News story Materials and Resources Copy of The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Pen/pencil Mark Twain notes During reading worksheet News story prompt Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 2 and 7 have a vocabulary quiz today.
Procedures Attention Grabber: Have you ever been told a “tall tale?” Was your story teller able to convince you, or did you have trouble believing it? Share with your partner. Connection to past material: Remind students the definition of “humorist” from Memories of Dating; new concept of targeting someone to make a joke at their expense. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: -‐Mark Twain power point presentation and notes -‐Set up Celebrated Jumping Frog:
• Story within a story (the narrator is telling a story about being told a story) o How might this affect the story and the humor within the story?
Guided Practice: -‐Students will read Celebrated Jumping Frog along while I read aloud. Students will complete a during-‐reading worksheet to help them set up the story and what characters are doing what action. -‐Go over worksheet
-‐Making a joke at someone else’s expense: Who is the target of this story? Jim Smiley is the primary target, but the narrator can also be seen as a target of Simon Wheeler.
• Examples: what characters do we see in movies, TV shows, and books that get similar laughs by being the butt of a joke?
o Patrick Star from Spongebob, Millhouse from The Simpsons -‐Another element that adds humoristic aspects to the story is Twain’s use of dialect: a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language
• Twain writes this story with a distinct, 19th century Southern, uneducated Hillbilly accent that was prominent at the time he was writing. For example, Twain writes, “yaller one-‐eyed cow that didn't have no tail, only jest a short stump like a bannanner.” You might even need to read that sentence out loud to understand it clearly!
• Dialects add color and authenticity to a story. They might be different to read, but they make the story more realistic. Not everyone speaks in Standard English like a news anchor!
Independent Practice/Homework: • With your partner, work on dialect practice. You will be given a dialect, and
create a phrase that you think might sound like the people in that situation might talk like. You will do one, and your partner will do another.
• Dialect examples: o New England ladies at a fancy tea o LA cool teens at the mall o Philly fans at Pat’s (or maybe Geno’s, depending your preference) o Southern hillbillies at the fishin’ hole o The cast of Jersey Shore spending a weekend at Seaside Heights o Angry New Yorker hailing a cab
Closure: -‐ What makes a news story believable? How must a piece of news be presented so that the audience doesn’t think they’re the ones being tricked by false news? Turn to your partner and discuss what it takes for an audience to believe a news story. Assignment: Imagine you are a reporter reporting on the events in Twain’s story. How might you create a believable article? Perhaps your headline was “Local Man Gets Duped.” What evidence would you use from the story that would make your article believable and accurate, so you are note creating a victim in your reader? -‐Students will have to separate the “tall tale” facts given by Wheeler and determine what facts in the story can be used to create a believable piece of news -‐This assignment will also draw connections to Twain’s journalism past -‐Final draft should look like a newspaper: Create the title of your newspaper (make it using Word Art/draw it in pen) and put it at the top. Date the newspaper and create an issue number (make it up). Beneath that have your headline, with your name underneath as the author. This will be due on Monday.
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 11/12/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: The Necklace Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.1.8.H: Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading. · Read familiar materials aloud with accuracy. · Self-‐correct mistakes. · Use appropriate rhythm, flow, meter and pronunciation. · Read a variety of genres and types of text. · Demonstrate comprehension The Big Idea: Everyone’s beliefs control his or her motives, actions, and decisions in his or her day-‐to-‐day life. Enduring Questions: How do your beliefs motivate and influence you? How did Mme. Mathilde’s and her husband Charles’ beliefs motivate their choice to work off the cost of the necklace? How does irony affect your beliefs? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will define the three types of irony and practice examples. Students will read The Necklace. Students will identify the situational irony within The Necklace. Multiple Intelligences: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, auditory Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: Journal Entry: Write about a time something happened to you that you weren’t expecting Formative: Irony practice Summative: The Necklace comprehension questions Materials and Resources Periods 2 and 7: Journals Pen/pencil Paper Copies of The Necklace Comprehension questions worksheet Differentiation/Accommodations Periods 2 and 7 will use their journals for the journal entry
Procedures Attention Grabber: Think of a time when something happened that you weren’t expecting. Maybe something happened that you weren’t expecting at all, or it happened the opposite way from what you were expecting. Write about that time in your journal, and then share it with your partner. Connection to past material: In The Monkey’s Paw you saw wishes that went in a different way than the wishers were expecting, and the story that you will read today has a situation that goes in a similar way. Introduction of new material/concept/skill: Take out your elements of literature papers. When something happens that a character or person is not expecting, it is called irony.
Guided Practice: There are a few different types of irony: 1. Verbal: Words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant (sarcasm).
a. Ex: When Bob points out the obvious, Joe exclaims: “Wow, you’re a regular Einstein!”
i. Joe is deceiving and mocking Bob by calling him a genius, when what he really means, is that he is not smart.
ii. Verbal irony is not often nice. When someone is being sarcastic, it is often in a nasty way to insult the other person.
2. Dramatic: When the reader/audience knows something that the character does not know. What appears to be true to the character is not what the reader/audience knows to be true.
a. Ex: In a typical horror movie move, the scared babysitter runs to hide in the basement and bolts the door behind her, but we already know the killer is waiting behind the boiler with an axe.
i. The babysitter thinks she’s doing the smart thing by hiding and locking the bolt, but we know it’s the worst thing she could possibly do.
3. Situational: When an event occurs that directly contradicts expectations. a. Ex: An ambulance rushing to the scene of a car accident runs over one of
the victims who had been crawling across the street to get away from the wreckage.
i. The ambulance’s intention is clearly to rescue and help the victim, but instead it causes harm (the opposite of its purpose).
Independent Practice/Homework: Students will read The Necklace silently. After reading they will answer comprehension questions, which we will discuss as a class. Closure: Pair share: Turn and talk to your partner. Do you think Mathilde did the right thing, or do you think she could have saved herself time and stress by going a different route?
Rachel Gorrell Lesson Date: 11/15/12 English 8 Pds 1,2,3,5,7 Lesson Topic: Summation of the Unit Unit: Short Stories PA Standards: 1.6.8.B: Listen to selections of literature (fiction and/or nonfiction). · Relate them to previous knowledge. · Predict content/events. · Summarize events and identify the significant points. · Identify and define new words and concepts. · Analyze the selections. The Big Idea: How do beliefs influence the different characters and situations in each of the stories you read in the unit? How do your beliefs influence your personal decisions? Enduring Questions: How do beliefs influence the different characters and situations in each of the stories you read in the unit? How do your beliefs influence your personal decisions? Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will complete a chart to review the stories from the unit. Students will discuss the play and their likes/dislikes. Students will complete a brainstorming activity to prepare them for the assessment. Multiple Intelligences: Interpersonal, intrapersonal, auditory Assessment/Evaluation Diagnostic: What did you think of the plays? Class discussion Formative: Story review chart Summative: Pre-‐assessment brainstorm activity Materials and Resources Pen/pencil Review chart Brainstorm worksheet Differentiation/Accommodations
Procedures Attention Grabber: Let’s talk about what everyone wants to talk about: the plays! What did you like? What didn’t you like? Did anything shock you? Bore you? What elements did you especially like? Did the stories translate well to the stage (think of The Giver for those of you who saw it)? Were you looking forward to seeing something, and were your hopes lived up to or let down? Now is the time for all of your thoughts! Things to remember when discussing the plays:
• Your favorite play might not have been someone else’s favorite play. • Someone else’s favorite might have been your least favorite: in this case, you
need to keep your opinions to yourself. You are welcome to volunteer your opinions on why you did not like the play, but you will not “bash” another student’s favorite play because you did not prefer it.
Connection to past material: This lesson is a review, so we will be making connections to the material learned throughout the unit and making connections between the play discussion and the stories we read.
Introduction of new material/concept/skill: No new material will be introduced today. Guided Practice: Students will complete a chart with their partner to review the main concepts from each of the stories to make a summation of the stories and connect them to the big question of the unit as well as the plays. We will do the first story as a class, and then they will work with a partner for the remainder of the activity. We will go over the chart as a class to check for understanding. Independent Practice/Homework: -‐Students will begin to complete a brainstorming worksheet to assist them with the final assessment. The brainstorming worksheet will prompt students to start thinking about the following:
• What is your favorite story from the selection of stories from the unit? • What were your expectations for the play before you saw it? What were you
expecting to see regarding the set, the actors, the dialogue, what was chosen to be included in the play, etc.
• After seeing the play, what were the artistic choices regarding the aforementioned list? What are your thoughts on those choices?
• Make a list of at least three things that were similar in the story and play • Make a list of at least three things that were different in the story and play • Make a statement regarding which interpretation you found more enjoyable • Create your thesis statement • Determine your three main points • Determine your supporting evidence for those main points
-‐The brainstorming worksheet for those students not on the fieldtrip will prompt students to think about:
• What is your favorite story from the selection of stories from the unit? • What would your expectations be for a stage production of the story
regarding the set, the actors, the dialogue, what was chosen to be in the play, etc.
• What elements from the story would be important to include in the stage production of the story?
• What kind of choices might the writer of the play make to create a stage-‐able production of the story regarding the aforementioned list?
• Make a list of three things you would want to see in a stage production of the story
• Make a list of three things you would not want to see in a stage production of the story
• Create your thesis statement • Determine your three main points • Determine your supporting evidence for those main points
-‐If this brainstorm is not completed in class, students will be assigned to finish it/elaborate on it for homework. Assert: they will be able to use this to write their essay, so an unfinished brainstorm will result in a weaker essay. Closure: Turn and talk to your partner: did you enjoy the story or the play version of your favorite short story more?