Concept Unit: Lesson Plan # 4

Unit Working Title: This I Believe

Unit Big Idea (Concept/Theme): Status Quo
Unit Primary Skill focus: Questioning, personal essay
Week __2__ of 3; Plan #__4__ of 9; [90 mins.]
Plan type: ____Full-Detail ____Summary
Content Requirement Satisfied: Writing Instruction, Mentor Text
Unit Learning Objectives:
SWBAT:

Cognitive (know/understand):
2. Students will understand that asking questions can help us explore
who we are.
c. Students will understand that questioning the rules (at home, school, etc.)
helps us
determine when rules are helpful or harmful.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
5. Students will feel empowered by the possibilities of questioning the
status quo.
c. Students will use a childrens story to consider how they would handle
school rules.
Performance (do):
7. Students will be able to explore and develop their own belief systems.
a. Students will brainstorm and free write ideas for their personal This I
Believe
statements.
SOLs:

8.7 The student will write in a variety of forms, including narration,

exposition, persuasion, and informational.
b. Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas.
h. Use computer technology to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writing.
CCSs:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.6

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present
the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact
and collaborate with others.
Methods of Assessment:
Diagnostic

Students will
demonstrate their initial
ability to ask questions
and explore their own
belief systems through
their blog posts
completed each class for
given topics and by
participating in a class
discussion (2c, 5c)
Students will
demonstrate their initial
understanding of a This
I believe statement by
participating in a class
reading of an exemplar
This I Believe
statement and
identifying its qualities.
(7a)

Formative

Students will reveal their

understanding that
questioning rules helps
us determine when rules
are helpful or harmful by
responding to a selfselected blog prompt
after reading a childrens
story. (2c, 5c)
Students will reveal a
degree of exploration in
their own belief systems
by creating a list of
topics to use in a This I
Believe statement
gleaned from their own
blog posts, generating a
topic blast for 1-2
potential topics, and
writing a short, freewrite blog post. (7a)

Summative

Throughout the
remainder of this week,
students will have time
in class to continue
discussing ways to
question the status quo
as well as developing
their own beliefs in a
persona, This I Believe
statement. Students will
continue working on
their written This I
Believe statements in
each class period this
week. (2, 5, 7a)

Beginning Room Arrangement:

[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]

Students will be arranged in their base groups of 3-4 students.

Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]

1. [__20_mins.] Bridge/Hook/Opening to lesson:

As students are entering class, the following directions will be written on the board:
Do Now:
You will need: Electronic device & head phones
You will work: Independently
We will be looking at a childrens story about school rules today. Choose ONE
packet to explore the story:

PURPLE Read the story only

YELLOW Read AND listen to the story
GREEN Listen to the story only

There is a blog prompt at the end of your packet. Choose ONE of the bullet points
to respond to.
If you finish early, please start to re-read your blog posts from last week. We will
use those for another activity.
In my class, I will keep 3-5 extra sets of headphones for students who may not
have their own. This allows students who may want to listen to the story to do so.
As students are entering class, I will greet them and direct their attention to the
board. Directly underneath the board, students will find the color-coded handouts
in 3 different baskets. I will make at least 10-15 copies of each handout to ensure
there will be enough for students to choose their preferred means of exploring the
story.
Once the bell has rung, I will briefly go over the do-now instructions.
Good morning everyone! Thank you for coming in and getting right to work. For
those of you just coming in, take a look at the board for your do-now. By the end of
the week last week, we talked about all kinds of things that impact the status quo.
We looked closely at some of the rules we have at school and at home, some of
our laws here in the US, and we finished the week discussing what beliefs are. This
week, were going to start questioning some of these things in order to figure out
what it is we personally believe in.
Were going to have a mini-discussion of a childrens story today. You have the
choice to read it, listen to it, or both. If you havent already, please come up to the
front and choose how youd like to explore the story. Purple handouts are read
only, yellow are reading and listening, and green is for listening only. For listeners,
we are not reading the entire story, so make sure to pay attention to the start and
stop times on your handout. When you are done with the story, you have three
blog prompts to choose from. You only need to respond to ONE of the three bullet
points. I know some folks are already hard at work, but are there any questions
before we all jump in?
Though I have noted that I will keep a few extra sets of headphones in my
classroom, I anticipate that some students might ask to share headphones with
peers. I am okay with this option, so that students who want to listen can still have
an opportunity to do so. I also anticipate that some students will ask to listen to
music if they are doing the read only option OR while they work on their blog
posts. This is an acceptable use of devices for independent work.
While students are working, I will take attendance and circulate around the class.
Because there will be a lot of starting and stopping for students listening to the

story, I will be sure to address any questions or issues they may have trying to stay
on the correct portions of the story. Listening to the story should take
approximately 11-12 minutes. This gives students an additional 8-10 to complete
their blog posts. I will give students a 2-minute warning to finish up their final
thoughts in their blogs. After 20 minutes have passed, I will bring the class back
together to begin a brief whole class discussion.
2. [__7-10__mins.] Class Discussion of Story
Ok, lets stop there and come back together. Thank you guys for working so hard
and staying focused on the story. Lets start with your general reactions. I know
this was a childrens story, but what did you guys think about it? Some students
might have been slightly confused by the fact that Katie is a witch, so I will
address that if it comes up. However, for the excerpts I pulled from the story, it
isnt necessarily a significant part of the overall theme I want students to explore.
This is why I did not emphasize it initially. Great, I also thought it was a little bit
silly, especially Mrs. Vices harshness. But, sometimes this happens in real life,
right? Some of us really, really love the rules but others dont. What did you all
think of Katies decision to get rid of the rules all together? Allow a few minutes to
discuss. If needed, I will call on students that chose to write about this question in
their blogs. Nice ideas so far guys! How did you feel when most of the students
voted to bring the rules back? Did that seem strange to anyone? Allow time for
discussion. Great thoughts, it seems like you all are maybe a little bit split about
bringing the rules back. What would you guys do? What if this happened at our
school? Allow time for discussion.
Sounds like you all have some great ideas and opinions about how to handle the
school rules. Im excited to read what you were writing in your blogs later. I hope
youre excited to check out what your blog partners wrote too. Remember to make
your comments on your partners blog before tomorrow!
3. [__10__mins.] Introduce This I Believe Assignment
Now that we have started our discussions looking at different examples of how
status quo topics might be challenged, were going to switch gears for the rest of
class. In just a second Im going to pass out a handout for the unit project that we
will start working on during the second half of class. This is the project that we
mentioned at the start of the unit last week. Remember when we listened to those
believe statements in our unit promo? Survey the class for nods. Should the
students seem particularly aloof, play the example TIB for todays lesson now to
prime them before distributing the assignment.
If you would please go ahead and clear your desks, please put away your devices
and headphones. You can keep out a pen or pencil to take notes on the
assignment handout if you would like. Distribute the handout while students are
putting their devices/headphones away.

Ok, Im going to give you a minute or two to skim this handout, then well go over
it together. Pause while students skim. This assignment is called a This I Believe
statement. The National Public Radio organization made this a big thing several
years ago. Practically anyone could create their own belief statement and submit it
to their project. Their website and radio show have TONS of statements that
people of all ages, races, nationalities, etc. have written over the years. Most of
the time people write and record themselves reading their statements out loud.
Youre going to do something similar. As you can see on your handout, there is
going to be a written component and a multi-media component. I want you to
ignore the multimedia and reflection portions for now, and hold your questions
about those requirements. We are going to have plenty of time in class to dig into
that and work on it during class next week. I wanted you to have the entire
assignment on hand and in the back of your minds as we start working. This week,
starting today, were going to work on the writing portion. What questions do you
have just looking at the writing portion?
I anticipate that some students might assume that This I Believe means it must
be religious or an elaborate morale. I will tell them that these are both possibilities
to be explored, but that it can actually be much simpler than that. They may also
ask if they have to submit their statements to NPR. This will help me transition into
reviewing the example TIB from the NPR initiative.
4. [__20__mins.] Read & Discuss TIB Example
Great questions, you guys are already on the right track. Were going to take a
look at an example of a TIB statement written by a teenager, just like you guys.
Youll see that his statement isnt necessarily religious or a really intense moral
opinion or realization. Certainly, some of the statements people have submitted
are like that, and yours can be, but it doesnt have to. This assignment is meant to
have YOU explore whatever it is you believe in right now and to then figure out
how it is or isnt connected to the status quo. And, before we dive into our
example, to answer the question about submitting to NPR, this is NOT a
requirement for our project, but, I would be happy and excited to look into that for
anyone who might want to submit it. I think that would be really cool, and
something that we can talk about later if folks are interested.
Ok, if you didnt keep a pencil out earlier, please grab one now while Im passing
out the example TIB. We will look at some other examples throughout this week so
that you have some different ideas of how to approach this. Pass out the example.
So lets read this together. I will call on random students to read each paragraph
out loud. We will read through the entire thing before I direct their attention to
particular excerpts. Then we will listen to the author read it from the NPR website.
After we read, we will discuss. Thanks to my readers. So, this if this is called a
This I Believe statement, lets identify where that is in the example. There are a
couple of possibilities, but particularly the line that reads I believe that I expect

that at least one student will pick up on this. We will discuss the following related
to this example:

I believe that is typically found somewhere in the statement as a whole

The statement is usually based on something specific from the authors life
o Event, scene, struggle, etc.
o Hobby, activity, sport, etc.
o Personality or physical trait about the author
o Influential people, etc.
o Lesson learned
o This particular example is based on a hobby AND a personal struggle
that inform the authors belief statement. I will guide students to notice
this, and then I will mention the other possibilities and that we will look
at different examples later.
The authors voice and opinions are present
o Focusing on this authors point that girls love the Rubiks cube shows
us his sense of humor and helps us hear more his voice when we read
it. It also clearly shows us his opinion and how the Rubriks cube taught
him the lesson in his belief statement.

5. [__15__mins.] Topic Blast Ideas

For the past week or so we have been writing and commenting on blog posts
about some of the elements of the status quo. Last week we talked about rules
and home and at school, our nations laws, and also where peoples beliefs can
come from. Today, we read a story showing the pros and cons of questioning the
rules. You had an opportunity to write about that too. Were going to use the ideas
youve already been forming as a starting place for your TIB statement.
The first step in this brainstorm process is to go back and re-read the blog posts
you have already written. You all have come up with some great ideas so far, so
this is your chance to pick out those ideas that you might want to write more
about. In the example we just read, the author says, I believe that progress
comes in unexpected leaps. So, his belief is about how we can make progress in
our lives in ways that we might not always see, and sometimes we might have to
take a leap of faith. Look for ideas like this that YOU have started thinking about in
your blog posts. Look for statements youve made that could be turned into This I
Believe statements.
Im going to give you a few minutes to skim through your blogs and start making a
list of these ideas. As you are creating a list of what you find in your blog posts,
feel free to add any new ideas that come to mind. Your topic does NOT have to be
from your blog. We are merely using your blog as a starting point. What questions
do you have about what we are about to do?

Students may not fully understand the purpose of re-reading blogs and
making the lists. I will reiterate that we are using what they have already
written to find ideas they could turn into a TIB statement.

For any students that may not be up-to-date with blogs or missing blogs, I
will use this time to conference with them and begin brainstorming lists (in a
small group, or individually depending on how many students are in this
situation). In this case, I would say, I will need ___, ____, ____ at the back
table. Once there, Okay guys, I realize that you all are missing some of
your blog posts. For this reason, we are going to work together to make lists
of topics without using your blogs.

After the allotted 7-10 minutes has passed, I will bring the class back together for
the next steps. Finish up your last idea from your blog and list. Pause for a few
seconds to allow students to finish. Ok, take a few seconds to look over your list.
Circle 1-2 that you would really want to write about. Pause again to let students
circle their topics. Now that youve started to narrow down what you might write
about, were going to brainstorm further to help you decide how youll support
your statement. In the example we read, the author wrote about his experiences
learning about the Rubriks cube to support his ideas about personal progress. On
the back of the example handout, youll see what I call a topic blast. In the center,
write down one or both topics you circled from your list. Around the blast, youll
write down any personal hobbies, events, people, places, etc. that could support
your statement. This is space to spit out anything that pops into your brain when
you think about your topic. Youll narrow down your examples later like we did with
our lists. Im only going to give you five minutes to do this blast. Lets get started!
Project a timer for students to reference.
6. [__15__mins] Free Writing
Alright, now that youve thought through some topics and things that you can
write about, we are going to spend the next part of class free writing these ideas.
You will use these brainstorms to begin writing your This I Believe statement. But, I
want you to write it as a blog post. You dont need to filter yourself as your writing;
just write freely using your ideas. Your blog partner will be the only person reading
this draft right now. We will use class time later this week to transform this blog
post into a working draft for the assignment. This is part of class is to keep you
thinking and help you get started writing.

Students will use the remaining time to begin writing about their ideas in the
topic blast. They will write another blog post to do this. That way, their blog
partners can comment on their ideas before next class, giving them almost
immediate feedback on their ideas. Throughout the rest of the week I will
start conferencing with students as we enter into the revising phase of the
writing.

7. [__1-2__mins] Closure
We have just a few minutes left before the end of class. Can we have three or four
people share what topics you started writing about for this class? Take 3-4
volunteers to share their topics. Wow! Im excited to read what all of you have
been working on today. These topics sounds great! For your blog comments

tonight, you only need to comment on your partners free writing post. Tell your
partner 1-2 ways they can turn this into a This I Believe statement. Before we go,
what questions do you have about your blog comments or posts for today?
I will clarify any issues with blog comments and remind students to check the
homework board for their assignments.
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:

Grace Students have the option to read, listen, or read and listen to the
childrens story that the blog prompts are based on. This should help Grace with
her language challenges through listening and reading at the same time.
Cody & Bethany Both of these students tend to do better when the topics are of
interest to them. Most of todays class will be about brainstorming and pre-writing
on a choice topic for the unit project.
Sam I have given some filler activities for students like Sam who may finish
quickly. He can go back and reread his blog prompts to prepare for topic blasting
later.
Materials Needed:

Devices (preferably computer or tablet)

Headphones (some provided)
Pen/Pencil
Katie Cancels School Rules Handouts (3)
This I Believe Assignment Handout + Rubric
Example TIB Statement Handout
Projector & Computer to write alongside students

Materials Appendix:

**See below for complete materials.

(READING ONLY HANDOUT)

Katie Cancels the School Rules
http://www.storynory.com/2015/05/26/katie-cancels-the-school-rules/
Katies form teacher, Miss Vile, has a motto. It is this: The Rules are the Rules.

If anyone ever complains about a punishment by saying: But Miss, thats not fair, it is
as if a dark cloud appears in Miss Viles head, the ground trembles a little, and she
repeats her favorite phrase.

The Rules are the Rules.

For instance, she said it when she gave Isabelle a detention for being five minutes late.
Isabelle explained that she had been helping a little boy to visit the sick bay because he
had fallen over and cut his knee.

That may be so, Isabelle, said Miss Vile, but the Rules are the Rules.

Rishi had his phone switched on in class because his mother was in hospital having a
baby, and his dad had promised to text him to say if he had a new brother or sister.
When the phone vibrated with a message, Miss Vile confiscated it.

The Rules are the Rules, said Miss Vile, and Rishi did not find out the news until he got
home. It was a baby girl by the way.

Opinions were divided about Miss Vile. Some people said that she was a good teacher
because she was strict and did not stand for any nonsense. Others thought that she was
simply unfair. Katies opinion was sort of in the middle, until one day Miss Vile went too
far. She gave Isis a detention because her mother took her to a doctors appointment
half an hour before school ended. She had called the school secretary in advance to
arrange it all. The next morning, Isis brought a note in from the doctor. But Miss Vile gave
her a detention all the same.

It would have been better if your mother had consulted me, she said, and I would
have explained that it is not permitted to leave school early. You know the Rules are the
Rules.
Isis isnt a complicated person. The only thing you need to know about her is this shes
perfect. Isis has perfect features, perfect taste, perfect homework, and above all, at the
end of term she has a perfect school report. She never gets into trouble. Not ever. It is
unthinkable.

When Isis sat down at her desk, she had to rummage around in her bag on the floor for a
tissue. She needed one to wipe away a tear from her eye. Her best friend Katie sat and
fumed on her behalf.
Katie, why do you look so cross? asked Miss Vile. Did you get out of the wrong side of
bed this morning?

No Miss, said Katie. Im not cross, Im just, er, thoughtful.

Would you care to share one of your thoughts with us? asked Miss Vile.

No Miss, said Katie. I wouldnt. They are private.

In fact, her thought was that Miss Vile had gone way beyond being strict. She was
turning into a tyrant.

Well Katie, said Miss Vile. You shall have time to think in detention.

Why Miss? asked Katie agasp.

Disobedience is against the rules, replied the teacher.

On Friday, after school, Katie and Isis reported to the detention room. The punishment
was not so bad, because they were allowed to get on with their weekend homework. But
Katie could not concentrate. Miss Vile was right. Detention gave her time to think.
Do we really need all these rules? she wondered as she looked at Mr Smart who was
marking maths homework. I think we might just all behave better towards one another
if we werent bossed around.
---------------------------------------------------In this story series, Katie is a witch. Over the weekend, she came up with a spell to
cancel the rules starting on Monday. Mrs. Hepworth, the head teacher at Katies school
makes an important announcement:

Then at last, Mrs Hepworth cleared her throat:

I have an important announcement. Everyone must listen very carefully as I am going

to say this only once. We have decided that the school will take part in a social
experiment. So I trust that all of you will be a credit to yourselves and to your school. We
are counting on everyone to act like grownups.

From 9.00 am today, all the school rules are cancelled.

A gasp went around the hall. Miss Vile stood up and said:

Did I hear you correctly, head teacher?

Miss Vile, for your benefit, and for the benefit of anyone else who was not paying
attention, I shall repeat myself once only. From 9.00 am today, there are no more school
rules. I shall place the red book, which is on the shelf behind my desk, into the recycling
bin. May you all live up to this challenge.
----------------------------------------------------

It took a few days for most people to feel really relaxed. On Friday, Charlie brought his
dog to school. Her name was Pearl and she was a black labradoodle which is a trendy
mix between a labrador and a poodle. She was a hit with almost everyone, except Miss
Vile who had a phobia of dogs. During morning registration, she kept glancing at Pearl
and shuddering. At last she could not help herself. She said:

Rules or no rules, if that beast bites somebody, Charlie, Im going to kick up a fuss.

But Miss, she wouldnt hurt a flea, he replied. And to be honest, it was obvious that she
was a gentle family animal.

But at the word flea Miss Vile instinctively scratched under her arm which made the
class fall into fits of laughter.

As they were leaving for the first lesson, Katie said: Miss Vile, Im sorry that you look so
unhappy.

Thank you Katie, said Miss Vile, that is very sympathetic of you.

The formerly formidable teacher did indeed look somewhat strained. Her forehead had
more lines than geometry lesson. Her eyes looked like those little wheels that go round
and round when your computer freezes up. Her voice strained like a car that wont start
properly.

I am struggling to do my job. I might have to resign. I cant take much more of this. You
see rules are not all without reason, Katie. What if somebody was allergic to dogs? Or
what if somebody brought in a pet tarantula? Its not that we dont like cute, furry
animals. Its just that in a school with 900 students in it, we have to think of everyone
and every possible thing that might go wrong.

But if you dont mind me saying so, said Katie, teachers can go a bit crazy with the
rules -handing out detentions for every little thing, and then people start to think the
rules are just silly and unfair.

It was the first time that Katie had ever been able to speak to a teacher like that just
spitting out the straight truth. When the school had rules, you had to be very careful
what you said. If you went around saying what you really thought, youd be in detention
until the end of time. Miss Vile, instead of becoming angry, just sat down wearily behind
her desk looking defeated.

Perhaps you are right, she admitted with a sigh, and maybe, Katie thought, with just a
touch of remorse for some of the unfair detentions she had handed out. Katie put her
hand on her teachers shoulder and said:

Dont give up yet. Mrs Hepworth said it was an experiment. It might be over soon.
---------------------------------------------------Things start to get a little out of control. Students have spray painted the front of a
building, a boy climbs a tree and hurts himself, and classes are pointless due to all of the
disruptions of phones and students getting up and leaving. The students themselves
start to disagree about how their school should operate until one student speaks up

Hamish called out: Quiet everyone, Quiet! and a few people started saying: Quiet, let
him speak.

Hamish had a certain authority. He said: At the end of school tonight Im going to stand
by the front gate. Ill be holding a ballot box. On the way out everyone should drop a
piece of paper into the box with one word on it. Yes for Rules, No for No Rules. The vote
shall be secret so that nobody feels bullied and can say what they really want. I shall
count the votes tonight, and on Monday morning I will announce the result in assembly.

How do we know you wont cheat? asked Russell.

If you want to count the votes with me you can, replied Hamish.

No man, Im busy tonight washing my hair, replied Russell.

On Monday morning, the school gathered for the first assembly since all the rules had
been cancelled. Mrs Hepworth asked:

Shall we sing the school song?

And there was a chorus of Noooooooo!

Oh dear, I didnt realize it was so unpopular, she said. Well theres no point in hearing
the sports results, because the football match ended in a punch up, and the referee had
to run and hide. I suppose thats what happens when you dont have any rules. So
without further ado, I shall ask Hamish to give you the news you are all waiting for the
result of the big vote on the School Rules.

Hamish walked across the stage and spoke into the microphone.

The result of the referendum on School Rules is as Follows. Yes, 522 votes, No, 399
votes. I hereby declare that the school has voted in favor of bringing back the rules.
----------------------------------------------------

My Thoughts for Discussion

When you finish reading/listening, choose ONE of these bullet points to answer
in your blog:

Do you agree with Katies decision to cancel the school rules? Why or why not?

Why do you think the majority voted to bring back the school rules?

How would you handle the canceled school rules? Would you vote yes or no to
bring them back?

(READING AND LISTENING HANDOUT)

Katie Cancels the School Rules
http://www.storynory.com/2015/05/26/katie-cancels-the-school-rules/
Start listening at 0:18.
Katies form teacher, Miss Vile, has a motto. It is this: The Rules are the Rules.

If anyone ever complains about a punishment by saying: But Miss, thats not fair, it is
as if a dark cloud appears in Miss Viles head, the ground trembles a little, and she
repeats her favorite phrase.

The Rules are the Rules.

For instance, she said it when she gave Isabelle a detention for being five minutes late.
Isabelle explained that she had been helping a little boy to visit the sick bay because he
had fallen over and cut his knee.

That may be so, Isabelle, said Miss Vile, but the Rules are the Rules.

Rishi had his phone switched on in class because his mother was in hospital having a
baby, and his dad had promised to text him to say if he had a new brother or sister.
When the phone vibrated with a message, Miss Vile confiscated it.

The Rules are the Rules, said Miss Vile, and Rishi did not find out the news until he got
home. It was a baby girl by the way.

Opinions were divided about Miss Vile. Some people said that she was a good teacher
because she was strict and did not stand for any nonsense. Others thought that she was
simply unfair. Katies opinion was sort of in the middle, until one day Miss Vile went too
far. She gave Isis a detention because her mother took her to a doctors appointment
half an hour before school ended. She had called the school secretary in advance to
arrange it all. The next morning, Isis brought a note in from the doctor. But Miss Vile gave
her a detention all the same.

It would have been better if your mother had consulted me, she said, and I would
have explained that it is not permitted to leave school early. You know the Rules are the
Rules.
Isis isnt a complicated person. The only thing you need to know about her is this shes
perfect. Isis has perfect features, perfect taste, perfect homework, and above all, at the
end of term she has a perfect school report. She never gets into trouble. Not ever. It is
unthinkable.

When Isis sat down at her desk, she had to rummage around in her bag on the floor for a
tissue. She needed one to wipe away a tear from her eye. Her best friend Katie sat and
fumed on her behalf.
Katie, why do you look so cross? asked Miss Vile. Did you get out of the wrong side of
bed this morning?

No Miss, said Katie. Im not cross, Im just, er, thoughtful.

Would you care to share one of your thoughts with us? asked Miss Vile.

No Miss, said Katie. I wouldnt. They are private.

In fact, her thought was that Miss Vile had gone way beyond being strict. She was
turning into a tyrant.

Well Katie, said Miss Vile. You shall have time to think in detention.

Why Miss? asked Katie agasp.

Disobedience is against the rules, replied the teacher.

On Friday, after school, Katie and Isis reported to the detention room. The punishment
was not so bad, because they were allowed to get on with their weekend homework. But
Katie could not concentrate. Miss Vile was right. Detention gave her time to think.
Do we really need all these rules? she wondered as she looked at Mr Smart who was
marking maths homework. I think we might just all behave better towards one another
if we werent bossed around.

Stop listening at 4:39.

---------------------------------------------------In this story series, Katie is a witch. Over the weekend, she came up with a spell to
cancel the rules starting on Monday. Mrs. Hepworth, the head teacher at Katies school
makes an important announcement:

Start listening at 7:42.

Then at last, Mrs Hepworth cleared her throat:

I have an important announcement. Everyone must listen very carefully as I am going

to say this only once. We have decided that the school will take part in a social
experiment. So I trust that all of you will be a credit to yourselves and to your school. We
are counting on everyone to act like grownups.

From 9.00 am today, all the school rules are cancelled.

A gasp went around the hall. Miss Vile stood up and said:

Did I hear you correctly, head teacher?

Miss Vile, for your benefit, and for the benefit of anyone else who was not paying
attention, I shall repeat myself once only. From 9.00 am today, there are no more school
rules. I shall place the red book, which is on the shelf behind my desk, into the recycling
bin. May you all live up to this challenge.
Stop listening at 8:51.
----------------------------------------------------

Start listening at 14:22.

It took a few days for most people to feel really relaxed. On Friday, Charlie brought his
dog to school. Her name was Pearl and she was a black labradoodle which is a trendy
mix between a labrador and a poodle. She was a hit with almost everyone, except Miss
Vile who had a phobia of dogs. During morning registration, she kept glancing at Pearl
and shuddering. At last she could not help herself. She said:

Rules or no rules, if that beast bites somebody, Charlie, Im going to kick up a fuss.

But Miss, she wouldnt hurt a flea, he replied. And to be honest, it was obvious that she
was a gentle family animal.

But at the word flea Miss Vile instinctively scratched under her arm which made the
class fall into fits of laughter.

As they were leaving for the first lesson, Katie said: Miss Vile, Im sorry that you look so
unhappy.

Thank you Katie, said Miss Vile, that is very sympathetic of you.

The formerly formidable teacher did indeed look somewhat strained. Her forehead had
more lines than geometry lesson. Her eyes looked like those little wheels that go round
and round when your computer freezes up. Her voice strained like a car that wont start
properly.

I am struggling to do my job. I might have to resign. I cant take much more of this. You
see rules are not all without reason, Katie. What if somebody was allergic to dogs? Or
what if somebody brought in a pet tarantula? Its not that we dont like cute, furry
animals. Its just that in a school with 900 students in it, we have to think of everyone
and every possible thing that might go wrong.

But if you dont mind me saying so, said Katie, teachers can go a bit crazy with the
rules -handing out detentions for every little thing, and then people start to think the
rules are just silly and unfair.
It was the first time that Katie had ever been able to speak to a teacher like that just
spitting out the straight truth. When the school had rules, you had to be very careful
what you said. If you went around saying what you really thought, youd be in detention
until the end of time. Miss Vile, instead of becoming angry, just sat down wearily behind
her desk looking defeated.

Perhaps you are right, she admitted with a sigh, and maybe, Katie thought, with just a
touch of remorse for some of the unfair detentions she had handed out. Katie put her
hand on her teachers shoulder and said:

Dont give up yet. Mrs Hepworth said it was an experiment. It might be over soon.
Stop listening at 17:40.
---------------------------------------------------Things start to get a little out of control. Students have spray painted the front of a
building, a boy climbs a tree and hurts himself, and classes are pointless due to all of the
disruptions of phones and students getting up and leaving. The students themselves
start to disagree about how their school should operate until one student speaks up
Start listening at 23:58.

Hamish called out: Quiet everyone, Quiet! and a few people started saying: Quiet, let
him speak.

Hamish had a certain authority. He said: At the end of school tonight Im going to stand
by the front gate. Ill be holding a ballot box. On the way out everyone should drop a
piece of paper into the box with one word on it. Yes for Rules, No for No Rules. The vote
shall be secret so that nobody feels bullied and can say what they really want. I shall
count the votes tonight, and on Monday morning I will announce the result in assembly.

How do we know you wont cheat? asked Russell.

If you want to count the votes with me you can, replied Hamish.

No man, Im busy tonight washing my hair, replied Russell.

On Monday morning, the school gathered for the first assembly since all the rules had
been cancelled. Mrs Hepworth asked:

Shall we sing the school song?

And there was a chorus of Noooooooo!

Oh dear, I didnt realize it was so unpopular, she said. Well theres no point in hearing
the sports results, because the football match ended in a punch up, and the referee had
to run and hide. I suppose thats what happens when you dont have any rules. So
without further ado, I shall ask Hamish to give you the news you are all waiting for the
result of the big vote on the School Rules.

Hamish walked across the stage and spoke into the microphone.

The result of the referendum on School Rules is as Follows. Yes, 522 votes, No, 399
votes. I hereby declare that the school has voted in favor of bringing back the rules.

Stop listening at 26:14.

----------------------------------------------------

My Thoughts for Discussion

When you finish reading/listening, choose ONE of these questions to answer in
your blog:

Do you agree with Katies decision to cancel the school rules? Why or why not?

Why do you think the majority voted to bring back the school rules?

If you were a student at Katies school, what would you do?

(LISTENING ONLY HANDOUT)

Katie Cancels the School Rules
http://www.storynory.com/2015/05/26/katie-cancels-the-school-rules/
Start listening at 0:18.
Stop listening at 4:39.
---------------------------------------------------In this story series, Katie is a witch. Over the weekend, she came up with a spell to
cancel the rules starting on Monday. Mrs. Hepworth, the head teacher at Katies school
makes an important announcement:

Start listening at 7:42.

Stop listening at 8:51.
----------------------------------------------------

Start listening at 14:22.

Stop listening at 17:40.

---------------------------------------------------Things start to get a little out of control. Students have spray painted the front of a
building, a boy climbs a tree and hurts himself, and classes are pointless due to all of the
disruptions of phones and students getting up and leaving. The students themselves
start to disagree about how their school should operate until one student speaks up
Start listening at 23:58.
Stop listening at 26:14.
----------------------------------------------------

My Thoughts for Discussion

When you finish reading/listening, choose ONE of these questions to answer in
your blog:

Do you agree with Katies decision to cancel the school rules? Why or why not?

Why do you think the majority voted to bring back the school rules?

If you were a student at Katies school, what would you do?

This I Believe Project

Objectives Assessed:
You will understand that other peoples values have validity through your experiences in our community of
diverse learners (Objective 3)
You will be able to explore and develop your own belief system (Objective 7).
You will be able to express the significance of diverse perspectives in various communities (Objective 8).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Throughout this unit we have been discussing things that influence the way things are
around us, or to use our buzz word, the status quo. We have looked at rules from our
school and our own homes, laws and cultural traditions in our nation, and morals and
beliefs.
As we dig deeper as a class, you will have the opportunity to dig deeper for yourself too.
You will write a This I Believe statement using personal anecdotes, opinions, and

examples that will explain your belief and how it either aligns with or questions the
status quo. These will be comparable to the examples we will study from the NPR
initiative. Your statement will allow YOU to articulate something that you believe in. You
will choose your own topic.
To enhance your presentation, you will choose ONE option from the list below to create a
multi-media component. Your media presentation should complement what you have
written and allow us to better understand your statement.
Visual Options
Digital Story
Podcast
Silent Film
o Note: You will need to read your statement aloud while the class watches
your silent film
Propose your own topic to be approved!
Finally, after you have written your This I Believe statement and digitally enhanced it,
you will share your statement with our classroom community at the end of the unit. After
our celebration and presentation day, you will write a brief unit reflection considering the
belief statements of your peers as well as your own.
SUMMARY STEPS TO FOLLOW:
Re-read your blog posts
List OLD ideas from your blog and add NEW ideas that could
be your topic
Choose 1-2 of your favorite topics
Brainstorm anecdotes, opinions, and examples to support 1-2
topics
Begin drafting your statement
Revise in class AND on your own
Digital Workshop your visuals

Grading Rubric
Scoring
Category

Powerfully
Proficient

Belief
Statement

Clearly
articulated
Central to the
piece
Explains how it
favors or
challenges the
status quo

Quite
Competent

Present, but
somewhat
unclear
Somewhat
linked to the
status quo

Rethinking
Required

Statement is
not relevant
Does not fully
discuss the
status quo

Points Earned

/15

Personal
anecdotes,
opinions, &
examples

Multi-Media
Presentation

Reflection

Personal
examples are
relevant and
support the
belief
statement
The authors
opinions are
clear and
appropriately
used to expand
the belief
statement

Relevant use of
visuals, audio,
and belief
statement

Media used
supports and
extends ideas
presented in the
belief statement

Clear personal
evaluation of belief
statement and
visual presentation
based on the
learning goals
Includes at least
ONE take-aways
from peer
presentations
Includes at least
TWO lessons
learned from blog
discussions

Examples are
somewhat
relevant, but
unclear
The authors
opinion is
somewhat
present, but
unclear or not
appropriately
used to expand
the belief
statement

Some visuals
and audio are
relevant
Media used
supports the
belief
statement, but
does not fully
extend ideas

Personal evaluation
of belief statement
and visual
presentation is
unclear or not
totally based on the
learning goals
Partially includes
ONE take-away from
peer presentations
Partially includes
ONE-TWO lessons
learned from blog
discussions

Examples are
not relevant,
coherent, or
clearly linked to
the belief
statement
The authors
opinion is
unclear, and
does not fully
extend the
belief statement

Visuals and
audio or not
relevant or cited
properly
Media does not
clearly support
and/or extend
ideas presented
in the belief
statement

Personal evaluation
of belief statement
or visual
presentation does
not fully address the
learning goals
Lacking any
complete takeaways from peerpresentations
Lacking complete
lessons learned
from blog
discussions

/35

/30

/20

Total Points Earned: ________ / 100 points

Example This I Believe Statement

Accomplishing Big Things in Small Pieces
I carry a Rubiks Cube in my backpack. Solving it quickly is a terrific conversation
starter and surprisingly impressive to girls. Ive been asked to solve the cube on the New
York City subway, at a track meet in Westchester and at a caf in Paris. I usually ask
people to try it first. They turn the cube over in their hands, half-heartedly they make a
few moves and then sheepishly hand it back. They dont even know where to begin.
Thats exactly what it was like for me to learn how to read. Letters and words were
scrambled and out of sequence. Nothing made sense because Im dyslexic.

Solving the Rubiks Cube has made me believe that sometimes you have to take a
few steps back to move forward. This was a mirror of my own life when I had to leave
public school after the fourth grade. Its embarrassing to admit, but I still couldnt
consistently spell my full name correctly.
As a fifth-grader at a new school, specializing in whats called language processing
disorder, I had to start over. Memorizing symbols for letters, I learned the pieces of the
puzzle of language, the phonemes that make up words. I spent the next four years
learning how to learn and finding strategies that allowed me to return to my districts
high school with the ability to communicate my ideas and express my intelligence.
It took me four weeks to teach myself to solve the cube the same amount of
time it took the inventor, Erno Rubik. Now, I can easily solve the 3x3x3, and the 4x4x4,
and the Professors Cube, the 5x5x5. I discovered that just before it solves, a problem
can look like a mess, and then suddenly you can find the solution. I believe that progress
comes in unexpected leaps.
Early in my Rubiks career, I became so frustrated that I took the cube apart and
rebuilt it. I believe that sometimes you have to look deeper and in unexpected places to
find answers. I noticed that I can talk or focus on other things and still solve the cube.
There must be an independent part of my brain at work, able to process information.
The Rubiks cube taught me that to accomplish something big, it helps to break it
down into small pieces. I learned that its important to spend a lot of time thinking, to try
to find connections and patterns. I believe that there are surprises around the corner.
And, that the Rubiks cube and I, we are more than the sum of our parts.
Like a difficult text or sometimes like life itself, the Rubiks Cube can be a
frustrating puzzle. So I carry a cube in my backpack as a reminder that I can attain my
goals, no matter what obstacles I face.
And did I mention that being able to solve the cube is surprisingly impressive to girls?
William Wissemann - Hastings on Hudson, New York
As heard on NPRs Weekend Edition, September 14, 2008
https://thisibelieve.org/essays/age/under18/

Topic Blast: Write ONE of your potential topics in the center of the blast. Surrounding the
blast, write down any ideas you have that could support your topic. For example, think
about events, people, hobbies, places, jokes, struggles, etc. that will help explain
your This I Believe statement.