Strategies
Many of my learners have difficulty comprehending material. So that I can accommodate those learners, I will scaffold their learning by using a number of graphic organizers. I can reach the visual and auditory learners by providing material that will be read aloud and short episodes from the television shows. Among the strategies that will be used in my unit are as follows:
Venn-Diagrams
These diagrams will aid in understanding the immediate differences and similarities between "Good Times" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." The diagram will serve as introducing new concepts. As the students complete the diagram, I am interested in them discovering how similar or dissimilar their family structures are to these shows.
KWL Charts
These charts will be used to tap into the learner's mind about what they KNOW (K) about the show, what they WANT to know (W) about it and what they have LEARNED (L) as we finish the lesson. I am interested in all parts of the chart because typically I will uncover their familiarity of the shows in the (K) column, their curiosities(W), if any, in the middle column, and what they have learned (L) in the last column. As the unit progresses, I am hoping to see the middle column (W) become lengthier because new concepts and criticisms will be added to the lesson plan. The students are not just watching the shows for pure entertainment. They are now watching with a critical eye. The first column can be used as the student's pre-assessment (K) as the last column (L) can be used as the student's post assessment.
Cooperative/Collaborative Learning Groups
As the school year progresses, I will place students in cooperative learning groups. There are many benefits to high school students being able to communicate with one another. As the students complete activities, each group member will be assigned a different task to complete. This type of group learning is termed the round – robin – brainstorming.
- The class is divided into small groups (4 to 6) with one person appointed as the recorder.
- A question or dilemma is presented and students are given time to think about answers.
- After the "think time," members of the team share responses with one another round robin style.
- The recorder writes down the answers of the group members.
- The person next to the recorder starts to record for the next questions and the cycle begins again although with a different recorder each time. 25
Aside from the immediate positive effects of having collaborative learning groups (enhancing student satisfaction with their learning experiences, helping students develop skills in oral communication, promoting student self-esteem, and promoting student learning and academic achievement) I am extremely interested in helping to promote positive student relations.
Mini-Lessons (Classroom Activities)
Day 1- "Where I'm From" by George Ella Lyons
The first day of class will be spent reading this poem. I plan to read the poem aloud to my students instead of them having to read it to themselves. After reading it, I want to analyze each stanza as some stanzas appeal to our senses and others bring us to pause. I want to pull out symbolisms and details that may be personal to the author. I definitely want to allow a time for questions and comments as I am sure some students may not understand some inferences or concepts that were developed. Now, I want students to write their own "Where I'm From" poems. After they finish writing them, I will volunteer to share my poem first. I will project my poem for all to see so that after I read it, I can begin to tell a bit about my life and my family. As I share, I will pose the questions,
- Can anyone relate to my poem?
- How do I value family?
- Is this different from you?
- If so, how or how not?
- What does it mean to be resilient?
- Please provide examples of when you or someone you know had to be resilient?
- Are there examples of resiliency in black families?
- If so, how or how not.
- Are there resilient black families in the media?
- Is so, what are the qualities that those families have that make them resilient? If not, what are qualities that those families are lacking?
Day 2
Students will complete two KWL charts for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Good Times so that I can assess their prior knowledge of the two families. I will only have them to complete the (K) and (W) columns of the chart. Please refer to the Strategies section of this unit as I have already outlined how KWL charts work.
Day 3
Students will watch the "Fresh Prince Project" episode. They will return to their KWL charts to complete the final column (L). Questions that will be posed after viewing the episode will be:
- What did you know about the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" prior to viewing this episode? (K)
- What did you want to learn? Why was this something that you saw as important to learn? (L)
- What were Uncle Phil's immediate reactions to Will?
- Why do you think he reacted like this? Were his reactions fair?
- Can Will become a "real" member of the Banks' family? Why or why not?
- What have you learned (L) by the end of this episode?
- Are there any families that look like this now where you live?
- Are any of you members of extended families?
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