Date created: 10/13/2013 11:03 PM EST ; Date modified: 11/04/2013 4:02 PM EST VITAL INFORMATION Subject(s) Language Arts (English) Grade/Level Grade 12 Objectives The students will demonstrate their ability to write informative and persuasive articles in the context of a newspaper. They will also make connections between their writing and the novel Animal Farm. Standards PA- Pennsylvania Common Core Standards (Draft) (2013) Subject: English Language Arts Grade 6-12 Grade: Grades 11-12 Content Area: 1.3 Reading Literature Students read and respond to works of literature-with an emphasis on comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and making connections among ideas and between texts with a focus on textual evidence. Domain: Key Ideas and Details Text Analysis Standard: CC.1.3.11-12.B Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an authors implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs. Content Area: 1.4 Writing Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey a welldefined perspective and appropriate content. Domain: Informative/ Explanatory Standard: CC.1.4.11-12.A Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately. Domain: Informative/Explanatory Focus Standard: CC.1.4.11-12.B Write with a sharp, distinct focus identifying topic, task, and audience. Domain: Informative/Explanatory Content Standard: CC.1.4.11-12.C Develop and analyze the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audiences knowledge of the topic; include graphics and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Domain: Informative/Explanatory Conventions of Language Standard: CC.1.4.11-12.F Demonstrate a grade-appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Domain: Response to Literature Standard: CC.1.4.11-12.S Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES Resources Materials and resources: -Newspaper -Terms of newspaper worksheet -Benchmark lesson worksheet -Informative graph worksheet Technology resources: Smart-board The number of computers required is 1 per student. Students Familiarity with Software Tool: Informed, the students use computers on a daily basis Classroom has laptop cart in room, each student will work at their desk with their laptop IMPLEMENTATION Page 1 of 2 Lesson Procedures 1. Hand out and go over benchmark lesson (5 min) 2. Hand out newspaper worksheet, go over terms refering to the example (3 min) 3. Working in groups, review newspapers picking out the different terms that are on worksheet (7 min) 4. Do a who, what, when, where chart to get the students thinking about what they want to write about, first modeled by me using the smartboard (10 min) 5. Students start working on their own chart and eventually start writing their piece. (25 min) ASSESSMENT Assessment Students will create a newspaper with an informative article, persuasive article, and two more creative options. A rubric developed by my teacher will be used in the grading process Lesson Analysis and Reflection
After teaching my first lesson on my own, I am quite proud of how it turned out. I thought the students were all fairly interested in the lesson and the activities kept them engaged. I thought that the most challenging part of the lesson was the planning. I am currently struggling with remembering to scaffold each lesson to the correct degree that my students need it. I am constantly thinking about the end goal and big picture instead of each step it takes to get there. I also just have trouble with narrowing down what ideas I want to use for my lesson. While in the planning stages, I usually google what I am teaching for different ideas. While doing that, I tend to get overwhelmed with different ideas and need to force myself to focus on making a cohesive lesson. What I liked best about my lesson was how engaged each student was. I was worried that the students would be overwhelmed because not only was I introducing their most important writing project, but I was also giving them multiple activities to do, introducing a new format of writing which included new vocabulary, and instructing them on how to write informative articles. I was worried that the activities I was doing would not translate as cohesive and building blocks to one another when I actually taught the lesson, but luckily they did! I believe that each student benefited from the small scaffolding that I did. I was also happy that the students understood what they needed to do by the end of the day and felt prepared for the writing that would take place the following day. What I would want to improve from this lesson is my overall instruction and ability to translate information to my students. I wanted to make sure I was going at a slow pace for my students, but I would frequently get tongue tied or lose my train of thought because I was trying to keep track of so many different things at once. Overall though, I am very happy with the lesson. With the help from my mentor teacher, I believe the lesson was effective and well thought out. Page 2 of 2