Exemplary Lessons
Lesson Plan One5
This lesson will occur over the period of sixty minutes in a ninety-minute block-period. I never like to use the entire class period for any one thing. I feel that the students need to move through a series of exercises to keep busy and pass the time with less apathy. The half-hour that follows the lesson can be used for any other curriculum need or standard to be taught. This entire unit is taught over time, one semester in my case, and should not encompass whole class periods, for it is not the only thing of importance to students. I dedicate, most days, the first fifteen minutes of class time to individual reading or writing. I call this SSR or Sustained Silent Reading6; the key is silence during this time. It is a differentiated exercise in that not all students will be reading at the same pace or writing at the same pace and they choose what is most important for them at any given time. Prior to this lesson, the only essential step is that students must have chosen a book for their reader response and the teacher must have approved the book. Students must also have a place to keep notes. I approach this by teaching students about organization. I like to see a three-ring binder, and a section for class notes. This component can be accomplished in many ways but must be in place prior to the first lesson on the elements.
At this stage, students really should be reading during SSR. I cannot imagine that a student is ready to write this close to the beginning of the unit. The instructor must monitor progress by moving about the room and watching student behaviors. If students know what is expected and teacher monitors this expectation, success is nearly assured. Today's lesson is on plot and only this single element. In lessons to come, two or three elements may be introduced, but in the beginning it is wise to establish less rather than more. We are now fifteen minutes into our lessons and student must turn to the note-section of their notebook. This next ten to fifteen minutes is teacher-led instruction, with students taking notes and asking questions. In this case, the intention is plot discovery; the teacher puts definitions of plot on the board (or any relevant medium for note taking). The objective for the lesson is that students understand plot as a design of incidents in all fiction writing. This design is explained in detail, in terms of what students should realize, below under the heading "Elements of Literature". This design is exactly what students should observe as they read from the exposition to the resolution. Now that notes are taken and available for further use during the unit, the ninety-minute period is one-third over. The next fifteen to twenty minutes should be spent reading an elementary text, the first of the basic stories to examine. I will use Tony the Tow Truck, by Robert Krauss, which is short enough to read aloud and still leave time to discuss. Students will then diagram the story using the upside-down "U" chart. On the diagram, students will choose which parts of the story are exposition, rising action, crisis, climax, falling action, and resolution. These may be one-sentence discoveries for each part of the plot. Tony the Tow Truck may be reused for characterization in the next lesson, mainly because students are now familiar with the text. Once each student has a diagram—this may take ten minutes or so—this lesson and portion of the block period have concluded. The reading of the text should be done aloud, with the diagram done by partners, and with an additional diagram drawn on the board by the teacher once students have finished. This ensures that all students have the same diagram for their notes and can revisit plot when needed. The remainder of the period is used for another lesson or unit. Alternatively, teachers may have students or pairs of students put their diagram on the board and discuss it; students may switch partners and share; students may work alone and share with a partner, or the teacher can choose any other creative method for this portion of the lesson.
Timetable Breakdown, 90-Minute Block Period7
- 15 minutes: SSR
- 15 minutes: Plot note taking
- 15 minutes: Read story as whole group
- 15 minutes: Diagram and report findings
- 30 minutes: Additional lesson
Lesson Plan Two
This lesson will occur over the first seventy minutes of a ninety-minutes block period (just as in Lesson Plan One). The objective is for students to see characterization in a work of somewhat more advanced fiction. At this point in the unit, we have moved past the using of elementary texts and have begun to delve into adolescent literature. I will use James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl because of its great characterization and descriptions. In the first fifteen minutes of the period students will be given time for SSR; again, they are reading and/or writing, depending on their schedule. This time is teacher-monitored, but at this point in the unit students should keep themselves on task. Once the SSR time is over, it is time to discuss, whole-class, characterization as an Element of Literature. As done for plot, students should take notes from the board in a teacher-led forum. Students need the definitions only, and these should be kept in the "notes" section of their notebooks for further use in the unit. Below, beneath the section headed "Elements of Literature," please find a working definition of characterization. Once students have their notes, it is time to turn to the text and read. This can be done in several ways, and I propose to do it in as many ways as possible. I will read aloud to students, break them into reading partners or reading groups, or have them read silently or take volunteers for reading aloud; this instructional time should also be differentiated. About twenty minutes into reading, it is time to discuss; I prompt the students with a question, such as, which character is the protagonist, and why? I take responses after students jot down their answers. Depending on how far we get in the text, other levels of characterization can be discussed. It is also important to touch on any of the elements which have been taught in previous lessons, as a reinforcement method. I continue with this type of lesson at the beginning of the period each day until the novel is finished. I observe the level of student understanding of characterization, and if they do well I may add another element for study.
Timetable Breakdown, 90-Minute Block Period
- 15 minutes: SSR
- 15 minutes: Characterization note taking
- 25 minutes: Read (several different techniques)
- 15 minutes: Character discussion question and answer
- 20 minutes: Additional lesson
Lesson Plan Three
This lesson incorporates short stories into the unit. Because short stories are "short," it is a great way to begin looking at a grade-appropriate text before reading an entire novel (which is the next segment of the unit). In this case, students can diagram plot as they have done before in "Lesson Plan One," and/or look at every element that has already been covered. It is not assumed that all elements have been introduced at this point, but most of the elements, listed in the section entitled "Elements of Literature," should have been covered at least briefly. The idea behind reading the short story is to introduce and review as many elements as possible, in an age-appropriate format, prior to the novel. I suggest looking for these short stories in the grade-level literature textbook, finding something there that is suitable and has supplementary materials. I will use such titles as "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, "The Euphio Question" by Kurt Vonnegut, and "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. I suggest doing three stories using the same approach, which is to read aloud as a group and identify the elements. Students should answer questions, usually provided by the textbook, to ensure comprehension and then answer a set of teacher prepared questions pertaining to the elements. Some questions may be as simple as, "Describe something ironic in 'The Most Dangerous Game'. Why is this irony? What type of irony is this?" Students can work on these questions in pairs, using their notes, and report their findings during an in-class discussion. Some stories may take more than one or two days to complete, but I do not spend an entire class period on this subject matter alone. Also, at this point in the unit it is important, with supervision and prior knowledge of the class's momentum, to spend more time with the difficult elements (irony and satire for example), and simply touch on the others. It is vital to verify student involvement in SSR time at this stage, as students should be writing or finishing their "novels". This is also the point at which SSR time can become teacher-student conference time.
Timetable Breakdown, 90-Minute Block Period
- 15 minutes: SSR
- 25-30 minutes: Introduce and read short story
- 15-25 minutes: Students answer questions for comprehension and Literary Elements
- 15 minutes: Class discussion/note taking
- 0-20 minutes: Additional lesson
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