Class: 9th grade English

Unit: Teenage Tragedy, Trauma, and Tribulation

Teacher: Mr. McNeely
Class Length: ~48 minutes
This lesson revolves around the Interview Process and it will be taught on
Tuesday of the first week in the unit.
1. Desired Results (what students should know/be able to do):
a. Essential Questions
i. What makes a quality interview question?
ii. What makes for a quality interview answer?
b. Enduring Understandings
i. Students will understand foundational aspects and
techniques that go into a well-conducted interview.
ii. Students will understand that interviewing is based off of
both speech and body language.

2. Assessment Evidence:
a. Formative:
i. Prior to watching videos ask students what qualities they
believe make up a good interview.
1. After, ask about bad interviews.
ii. After showing the students the first video have the class
pause for reflection.
1. As students discuss with a partner, Mr. McNeely will
be walking around the room listening to ideas.
iii. Have students discuss as a who group the aspects they
thought were positive and negative
1. Mr. McNeely will start a class document labeling
positive and negative methods. (This process will
repeat for every video keep same document and
print a copy for each student at the end of class).
iv. Exit Slip:
1. What are two things you learned about
interviewing?
b. Summative:
i. Preparing students for State Standard 9.9.3.3.

3. Learning Experience:
a. Anticipatory Set:
i. When students come into class I will have everyone take
out their notebooks and pencils. I will tap into students
prior knowledge by asking students what they believe
makes up high and low quality interview (give suggestions
to think about such as: red carpet, sports, presidential).
Students will have 3-5 minutes to write about this question
prior to Mr. McNeely asking the class to discuss for another
5 minutes.
b. Teaching:
i. Once students have discussed interviews we will continue
into watching interview videos. We will begin with the Wolf
Blitzer video. After the videos plays I will open up the class
document that is going to be split into Good quality of
interviewing and Poor qualities of interviewing. After
each video we will have a mini Think-Pair-Share where
students get the chance to digest the interview, discuss it
with a partner, and then finally discuss it as a full group.
During their initial paired discussions I will be walking
around the room listening to conversations and asking
questions to help prompt students need be. When we get
together as a whole, I will put all student suggestions onto
the class document. When students first pair together for
the Wolf Blitzer video I am going to ask them to think about
the approach the interviewer took. What sort of tone was
he setting with his questions? Were his questions
appropriate? (~10 minutes)
Prior to watching the second video I will tell my students to
specifically watch out for the interviewees body language.
I want them to try and compare and contrast the second
and third videos. The second video we will watch is Alex
Rodriguez Denies Steroid Use. Instead of doing a ThinkPair-Share, we will first watch the third video, which is Alex
Rodriguez Admits to Steroid Use. Prior. The class will
then repeat the Think-Pair-Share process, however, this
time students will work with a different partner. Students
will then talk as a whole about the contrast in body
language. The class will have the choice to watch the
videos again if they would like a second chance to analyze.
I will again write down students answers on the class
document as students share them with me (making sure to
write down answers word-for-word). (~15 minutes)

Depending on where the class is on time, we will conclude

with the Robert Downey Jr. interview. I will ask students to
pay specific attention to the sort of follow up questions that
are being asked by interviewer James Lipton. Again, once
the video clip is over the students will do a Think-Pair-Share
prior to discussing the video as a larger whole. (remainder
of class until last 5 minutes)
To end class, I will give all students a copy of an an
interview with John Green conducted by a spokesperson
from Goodreads (the article can be found in the Handouts
section). Students will be asked to come to class the
following day with the interview annotated to the best of
their abilities.* (~1-2 minutes)
c. Exit Slip: What are two things you learned about interviewing?
(~2-3 minutes)
Following this lesson:
Students will continue into the week and eventually conduct their own
interviews with a partner.
* - It is assumed that students have had to annotate texts in the past