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INSTRUCTION (^ Domains 2b and 1f)
standards and ongoing assessment will inform instruction
(Domain 1c and 1e) EXAMPLE:
LESSON PLAN:
Thursday February 23, 2017
Eighth Grade Language Arts
Maya Angelou: Excerpt from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.”
Core Curriculum Content Standard(s)
CCSS.ELA- LITERACY.RI.8.1. Cite the textual evidence and make relevant connections that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
NJSLSA.L5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
Understanding(s)/Goals:
Students will understand:
Essential Question(s[JE2] ):
Objectives
Assessments/Evidence of Student Mastery
Class work/ Homework:
Vocab Builder Worksheet
Making Connections Worksheet
Open Book Test: Restate the questions
Discussion/ Participation:
Would you rather tell your own story[JE3] ? How does hearing Maya’s poem read by her enhance the experience for the reader?
Student Learning Plan:
Pre-reading activity: (15 mins)
Reading and Worksheet completion: (25 mins)
Listening and Reading: (15 minutes)
Post-Reading activity: (15 minutes)
REFLECTION ON THIS LESSON:
Overall, I feel that this lesson went well. I mostly followed the existing plan for this unit, but incorporated much more discussion to underscore the essential questions. We reviewed new vocabulary first with the Vocab Builder, and I walked around to assess[JE7] which words were brand new to each student, and see what their understanding was of the vocab. When we came across the vocab in the story we briefly reviewed[JE8] , aided by the new context.
Timing of the questions and discussion was important: at each juncture of the lesson, I wanted to draw out their prior knowledge about Maya Angelou, about autobiography and biography, to encourage them to make connections to their own lives, and to have them think about the poems/odes they wrote last week.
They were very engaged by[JE9] the question: “If your life story was being written, would you rather it was written by you or by someone else[JE10] ?” At first, several of them preferred it to be someone else’s job, because they were feeling lazy, or worried that they wouldn’t remember all the details. When they realized[JE11] that a biographer would also need to sit with them and question them about the details, many of them said they would prefer to write their own story so that they could get the feeling and details right.
We discussed the dark details about Angelou’s life and how they related to the story: After being raped as a child, she stopped talking for five years. The excerpt we read centered on Mrs. Flowers and how she helped Maya to find her voice. Acknowledging this tragic turn and its violent aftermath was difficult in an eighth grade class, but the discussion stayed positive[JE12] and I reminded students that she could have let the experience make her hateful, angry or depressed, but instead she used her voice to become powerful and good at many things, speaking out in a way that empowered many people.
We live in an area where many families own small businesses. As we read about Maya’s grandmother’s store, I asked if [JE13] anyone had a family business where they felt similarly at home and familiar with the sounds and rhythms of that place. I asked “How does Maya feel[JE14] about the Store?” (She speaks poetically about it as if it is a living, breathing entity.) And “How do you think[JE15] the fact that she has been quiet for several years affect her observations?” Several students offered suggestions that because she wasn’t distracted by noise, and maybe she was lonely, she felt that the store was a friend, and she was able to see things that other more noisy folks could not. I asked if any of them felt that they were asked to make new observations while writing their odes. Several offered that yes, they did.
Reading “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” while listening to a recording of Angelou reading it was a new experience for some. The week before we had listened and watched Martin Luther King, Jr. give his “I Have a Dream” speech, but they were not required to read along at the same time. It was much longer, and some students do much better if they are able to listen and process without also reading. We reviewed rhyme scheme and then moved on to practicing Restates, further polishing their essay writing/RACECAR skills. I circled the room, clarifying[JE16] the directions for several students because they were different from what was written.
At the conclusion of this lesson, I felt that students gained a deeper understanding of the value of autobiography, and of the power of language to convey a theme or idea. The included worksheets fostered vocab growth, reading comprehension, and writing skills. We have been talking about word choice and honing their writing skills, so I hope that reading an essay and poem by the same author helped them appreciate her skills and become familiar with Angelou.
REFLECTION ON MY GROWTH AND PERFORMANCE IN THIS DOMAIN: (Domain 4a)
I generally feel like I have strong performance in this third Domain, because I have a good rapport with students and a command of the material I am teaching. I have been observed and have had good feedback. The things I am working on in this domain are keeping an engaged voice and clear communication without “Um”, “Like” or “uhh...” and further developing my discussion techniques. I have been focusing on asking open-ended questions that foster discussion, but I would like to develop stronger skills in fostering discussion between students, not just between students and teacher. I am interested in diversifying my instruction more than I have lately, getting off the beaten path of pre-existing plans and bringing in more of my own ideas.
I feel that I communicate well with students, and generally am strengthening my questioning and discussion techniques. I like to incorporate their life details when they are relevant, and make the stories we read relevant to their middle school experience. I like to think that I might, through my instruction, spark some curiosity in these students for the subjects and authors we cover, so that when they delve further into their work in a later grade, they will bring some background knowledge and interest with them.
While I habitually travel the room and asses where students are in their work and ask questions when I see them struggling, I would like to increase my skillset in the area of using assessment in instruction. I believe it is inseparable from good teaching, and I probably do it sometimes when I don’t realize, but I would like to be cognizant and utilize assessment consistently. I do believe that I modify what I am doing when I realize some students are behind or not fully understanding what we are doing.
I believe I have been gaining skill in this domain, and polishing what skills already existed. My students have been, for the most party, engaged in my instruction, and I feel they respect my ability to instruct them well.
[JE1]3a: Communicating with Students
3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE2]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE3]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE4]3a: Communicating with STudents
[JE5]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE6]3a, 3b
[JE7]3d:Using Assessment in Instruction
[JE8]3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
[JE9]3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE10]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE11]3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE12]3a: Communicating with Students
3e: Demonstrating Responsiveness
[JE13]3a: Communicating with Students
3c: Engaging Students
[JE14]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE15]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE16]3a: Communicating with Students
3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
LESSON PLAN:
Thursday February 23, 2017
Eighth Grade Language Arts
Maya Angelou: Excerpt from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings and “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me.”
Core Curriculum Content Standard(s)
CCSS.ELA- LITERACY.RI.8.1. Cite the textual evidence and make relevant connections that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
NJSLSA.L5. Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
Understanding(s)/Goals:
Students will understand:
- How to analyze text for theme
- How to draw from text and connect[JE1] lessons to real-life events
- How we use language and create mood in our writing to connect with readers
- How to restate a question
- The difference between biography and autobiograpy
Essential Question(s[JE2] ):
- How does what we know about Maya Angelou’s life affect this chapter of her story?
- How might this theme connect to our own lives?
- How does hearing a poem or story in the author’s own words change or enhance the meaning?
- Would you rather tell your own story or have someone else do it?
Objectives
- Demonstrate reading comprehension
- Analyze the difference between written and audio information and how it affects your understanding
- Practice restating a question
Assessments/Evidence of Student Mastery
Class work/ Homework:
Vocab Builder Worksheet
Making Connections Worksheet
Open Book Test: Restate the questions
Discussion/ Participation:
Would you rather tell your own story[JE3] ? How does hearing Maya’s poem read by her enhance the experience for the reader?
Student Learning Plan:
Pre-reading activity: (15 mins)
- Hand out Vocab Builder worksheet, give students time to write definitions
- Review[JE4] what we learned in our research yesterday about Maya Angelou.
- Discuss the difference between an autobiography and a biography. Would you rather write your own story or have someone else write it? Could you be fair[JE5] ? Could you trust it to someone else?
Reading and Worksheet completion: (25 mins)
- Materials: textbooks, Making Connections worksheet
- Students will popcorn read an excerpt from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
- Students will complete Making Connections worksheet
Listening and Reading: (15 minutes)
- Students will discuss how they expect their understanding to be affected by hearing a poem read by the author[JE6]
- Students will read along with a recording of Maya Angelou reading “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”
- Students will discuss their impressions of Maya’s reading and how hearing her voice colored their impressions and understanding of the poem
- Students will briefly relate Maya’s poem back to the odes they wrote last week
Post-Reading activity: (15 minutes)
- Students will receive an Open Book Test, on which they will practice restating the questions, to hone their essay writing. They will restate six questions and choose one to answer more thoroughly.
- Remaining time will be spent completing Vocab Builder, Making Connections and Open Book Test worksheets.
REFLECTION ON THIS LESSON:
Overall, I feel that this lesson went well. I mostly followed the existing plan for this unit, but incorporated much more discussion to underscore the essential questions. We reviewed new vocabulary first with the Vocab Builder, and I walked around to assess[JE7] which words were brand new to each student, and see what their understanding was of the vocab. When we came across the vocab in the story we briefly reviewed[JE8] , aided by the new context.
Timing of the questions and discussion was important: at each juncture of the lesson, I wanted to draw out their prior knowledge about Maya Angelou, about autobiography and biography, to encourage them to make connections to their own lives, and to have them think about the poems/odes they wrote last week.
They were very engaged by[JE9] the question: “If your life story was being written, would you rather it was written by you or by someone else[JE10] ?” At first, several of them preferred it to be someone else’s job, because they were feeling lazy, or worried that they wouldn’t remember all the details. When they realized[JE11] that a biographer would also need to sit with them and question them about the details, many of them said they would prefer to write their own story so that they could get the feeling and details right.
We discussed the dark details about Angelou’s life and how they related to the story: After being raped as a child, she stopped talking for five years. The excerpt we read centered on Mrs. Flowers and how she helped Maya to find her voice. Acknowledging this tragic turn and its violent aftermath was difficult in an eighth grade class, but the discussion stayed positive[JE12] and I reminded students that she could have let the experience make her hateful, angry or depressed, but instead she used her voice to become powerful and good at many things, speaking out in a way that empowered many people.
We live in an area where many families own small businesses. As we read about Maya’s grandmother’s store, I asked if [JE13] anyone had a family business where they felt similarly at home and familiar with the sounds and rhythms of that place. I asked “How does Maya feel[JE14] about the Store?” (She speaks poetically about it as if it is a living, breathing entity.) And “How do you think[JE15] the fact that she has been quiet for several years affect her observations?” Several students offered suggestions that because she wasn’t distracted by noise, and maybe she was lonely, she felt that the store was a friend, and she was able to see things that other more noisy folks could not. I asked if any of them felt that they were asked to make new observations while writing their odes. Several offered that yes, they did.
Reading “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” while listening to a recording of Angelou reading it was a new experience for some. The week before we had listened and watched Martin Luther King, Jr. give his “I Have a Dream” speech, but they were not required to read along at the same time. It was much longer, and some students do much better if they are able to listen and process without also reading. We reviewed rhyme scheme and then moved on to practicing Restates, further polishing their essay writing/RACECAR skills. I circled the room, clarifying[JE16] the directions for several students because they were different from what was written.
At the conclusion of this lesson, I felt that students gained a deeper understanding of the value of autobiography, and of the power of language to convey a theme or idea. The included worksheets fostered vocab growth, reading comprehension, and writing skills. We have been talking about word choice and honing their writing skills, so I hope that reading an essay and poem by the same author helped them appreciate her skills and become familiar with Angelou.
REFLECTION ON MY GROWTH AND PERFORMANCE IN THIS DOMAIN: (Domain 4a)
I generally feel like I have strong performance in this third Domain, because I have a good rapport with students and a command of the material I am teaching. I have been observed and have had good feedback. The things I am working on in this domain are keeping an engaged voice and clear communication without “Um”, “Like” or “uhh...” and further developing my discussion techniques. I have been focusing on asking open-ended questions that foster discussion, but I would like to develop stronger skills in fostering discussion between students, not just between students and teacher. I am interested in diversifying my instruction more than I have lately, getting off the beaten path of pre-existing plans and bringing in more of my own ideas.
I feel that I communicate well with students, and generally am strengthening my questioning and discussion techniques. I like to incorporate their life details when they are relevant, and make the stories we read relevant to their middle school experience. I like to think that I might, through my instruction, spark some curiosity in these students for the subjects and authors we cover, so that when they delve further into their work in a later grade, they will bring some background knowledge and interest with them.
While I habitually travel the room and asses where students are in their work and ask questions when I see them struggling, I would like to increase my skillset in the area of using assessment in instruction. I believe it is inseparable from good teaching, and I probably do it sometimes when I don’t realize, but I would like to be cognizant and utilize assessment consistently. I do believe that I modify what I am doing when I realize some students are behind or not fully understanding what we are doing.
I believe I have been gaining skill in this domain, and polishing what skills already existed. My students have been, for the most party, engaged in my instruction, and I feel they respect my ability to instruct them well.
[JE1]3a: Communicating with Students
3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE2]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE3]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE4]3a: Communicating with STudents
[JE5]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE6]3a, 3b
[JE7]3d:Using Assessment in Instruction
[JE8]3d: Using Assessment in Instruction
3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
[JE9]3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE10]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE11]3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE12]3a: Communicating with Students
3e: Demonstrating Responsiveness
[JE13]3a: Communicating with Students
3c: Engaging Students
[JE14]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
[JE15]3b: Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques
3c: Engaging Students in Learning
[JE16]3a: Communicating with Students
3e: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness
