Lesson Plan #2
Title: Chapter 12-14 Guided Reading Questions Discussion and Sunday’s Child Assessment
Grade Level(s): 7
Subject(s): Language Arts
Overarching Objectives:
Students learn to read the text closely and extend their thinking beyond the concrete details
Students learn to connect their personal experiences to the literary text and provide commentary on the text
Students learn to write a newspaper article advertising for themselves for adoption
Content Objectives:
Reading 2.3 Students expand comprehension by analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing information and ideas in literary text.
Communication2, 3: Students use communication skills/strategies to work with or talk with each other – in forms of group discussion and whole-class discussion
Writing 2: Students write for different purposes and styles. In this case, a Sunday’s Child article
Social and Affective Objectives:
The book They Cage the Animals at Night addresses social issues such as poverty and foster care system. Students will relate to the story by imagine themselves are ready for adoption. In this way, they can better understand those kids in plight.
3.
Higher Order Thinking Skills Objectives:
Many students can make a personal connection to the story, but in this task, they are required to extend their thinking beyond the concrete details and apply the ideas in a new situation. They will compare themselves with the main character and imagine they are in his shoes, and then creatively come up with a newspaper article.
Learning Activities
Materials and Resources:
Smartboard
Wordly Wise book
PPT file of Ch. 12-14 guided questions
PPT file of the Jennings Today and Headlines
Sunday’s Child assignment packet
They Cage the Animals at Night
irections/Procedures (including transitions and scaffolding):
Teacher Does/Says…
Student Does…
Time Frames…
1. Teacher prepares the beginning, greeting the students. She reminds the students to look at the whiteboard to see the content of the lesson, the objectives of the lesson, and record down homework.
Students take out planners and record homework in them.
2 mins
2. Teacher gives students time to work on Wordly Wise individually. Then she checks answer with students.
Student work on WW.
10 mins
(Transition) “Now let’s continue the group discussion we had previously. When we discuss the questions, I hope you will try your best to use one vocabulary word in the answers.” Teacher shows the PPT file and gives students 10 more minutes to work on group discussion about guided reading question.
(Transition): “Today, as we answer the guided questions, you’ll get to know my
Doggie. Those who answer the questions get to hold Doggie for a while.” She leads a discussion about the questions. Focus on the following points:
1. Students’ ideas about Mark’s life -- why is it so miserable for him and why can’t he see any hope?
2. Jerome’s wisdom – where does he get the wisdom?
3. * Jennings’s birthday gift
4. Why is Jennings so sympathetic to Kevin? What lesson has he taught to Kevin?
Students engage in group discussion and then whole class discussion.
15 mins
4. (Transition): “Since now we’ve finished the book, let’s look at a PPT file that tells us how Jennings is doing today.” She shows the PPT.
Students listen with intent.
3 mins
5. (Transition): “As you can see, my Doggie is not too different from Jennings’s Doggie. But I got this gift for my 30th birthday! Growing up in a poor family in China, I hardly had any toys. And now I have Doggie. Sometimes when I was young, I would imagine what would happen if I were adopted by a rich family. But then I decided I’d rather stay with my parents because they showered me with love. However, a lot of kids are not so lucky. Now you’ll have to imagine you are one of them and your goal is to get adopted.”
Students listen with intent.
3 mins
6. She distributes the Sunday’s Child worksheet. Then she asks students to read the newspaper article. She calls students’ names by drawing popsicle sticks.
- what newspaper articles look at (merges on report and advertisement)
- description of two kids
- some of their challenges
- what kind of family suits them best
Students read the passage.
5 mins
7. Teacher explains the prompt and rubric and asks students to highlight the important directions:
Final Product Directions
- no first person
- You are who you are. Write an autobiography.
- in Jennings’s situation – that is for adoption
- explanation of what a newspaper headline is
- lead
- not a comical piece, no weird fabrication
Students listen with intent and answer questions. Then they work on their worksheet.
7 mins
8. Teacher reminds students of homework, and that Monday is the due date of Ch. 15 dialectical journal and theme poem. Wednesday for Sunday’s child.
Students wait to be dismissed.
2 mins
Adjustments For Diverse Learners
Diverse learners (students with higher capability and those who need help) will be grouped together in the discussion to complement each other.
Post-reading group discussion is an activity students are used to doing. This familiarity provides structure, per some of the LA IEPs in the classroom
Additional time will be allotted for students to work on the worksheet
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Anti-oppressive Pedagogy:
Learning activities support various cultural learning styles, both oral and written
The discussion and assessment, related to adoption and family, build bridges of meaningfulness between home and school experiences as well as between academic abstractions and lived socio-cultural realities.
Closure:
Reminding them of the homework – dialectical journal and “Sunday’s Child” article
Assessment
Prior Knowledge:
Students should have prior knowledge about foster care system and adoption (as is assessed in Day One’s Quickwrite)
Students have some prior knowledge about print media (questions about newspaper’s headline and lead)
Classroom Routines:
Listening to the other students with respect during class
Formative Checks:
Informal observational assessment: using a call roster on the clipboard to record participation points when students engage in a group discussion and when they share their answers
Teacher circles the classroom to answer students’ questions about the assessment and also check their work
Summative Assessment:
Students turn in Sunday’s Child
Summative Assessment Criteria:
Students can give a vivid description about themselves
Students display skills in using words to advocate for their adoption
Formative Assessment:
Feedback on students’ work
Adaptations and Differentiations:
For the benefit of ELL students and students who need directions repeated, paraphrasing will be used to review directions and to check for students’ understanding
For the IEP students, directions will be delivered more clearly. And teacher will ask them if they need extension
Time adjustment for group discussion: if the class is working efficiently, more time on whole-class sum-up