English 309w Mini-lesson Proposals, fall 2007

 

1.  Guided Freewrite - Theories of the Social Contract

For this lesson students will be asked to perform a guided freewrite based on two opposing opinions about the tendencies of man.

The following will be written on the board for students to consider:

"Life in the state of nature is nasty, brutish and short."

-Thomas Hobbes Leviathan


"Man is born free and is everywhere in chains."

-Jean-Jacques Rousseau The Social Contract

Students will be asked to react to these quotes for five to ten minutes.

Prior to conducting the freewrite, a short discussion about the meaning of these quotes may be in order.  If this activity is used as an anticipatory set for teaching Enlightenment thinkers a longer discussion might be necessary.  If using the activity as an assessment tool following instruction about Enlightenment thinkers, a shorter discussion might be in order.

If the class is one that requires specific directions, the following could be used as talking points or writing ideas (either given orally or written on the board:

What do you think these writers are talking about?
How are the opinions different?
Are there any similarities between the two ideas?
Compare and contrast the two ideas.
Relate your experience or knowledge to one or both of the ideas.
Discuss how these ideas were implemented in government and society.

Finally, if completed toward the end of class collect the freewrite as an exit ticket.

2.  Mini lesson Proposal                                                                                  ENG309

 

I would like to try a historical writing exercise.

It will present the students an opportunity to be creative, use some techniques or methods used in class to better their writing.

 

The options for the assignment would be

 

Student will assume the identity of a historical figure in a monumental situation that defined them for better or worse.    Include some historical relevancy to connect the figure with the era and accomplishments

 

They will describe what decisions they would have made with the information available at that time, describe the mood, atmosphere and effects it had on there choices.

 

Examples:

 

Abraham Lincoln’s reasoning and private convictions for the

“Emancipation proclamation”

Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan

King Leopold II or Otto Von Bismarck’s Berlin conference initiatives to dominate and dismantle Africa.

Martin Luther King Junior’s “I have a dream Speech”  March on Washington

Thomas Jefferson or comparable individual ratification of Declaration of independence.

 

3.    Lesson:  Enhance creative writing through building an alternate ending to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

 

Time limit: 12 to 15 minutes

 

Background knowledge:

Students will have already read the play Romeo and Juliet.

 

Objectives: 

Students will use their previous knowledge of the play Romeo and Juliet to develop their ability of creative writing. 

 

Introduction:

Shakespeare is known for his many great tragedies.  Romeo and Juliet, the play we just read is one of his most famous tragedies.  But…what if it did not have to end so sad? Could it have ended funny? happy? or even worse?  We are going to explore this idea!

 

Assignment

For this assignment, we are going to create an alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet.  You may begin your alternate ending any where in the last act. 

To begin, you will be allowed 5-7 minutes to write a general summary on how you will be changing the ending.   After this time we will go around the room and each student will read what they have written as their summary. 

 

Homework:

Students must construct a scene based on the assignment of creating an alternate ending.

What to do:

  • The alternate ending scene must contain 2 acts
  • There must be dialog
  • You can choose to create new characters
  • You can choose to create a new setting
  • Within the writing you must show great emotions from at least 1 character

 

Standards:

Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

Standard 2: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.

Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

 

4. After studying a unit on European imperialism I will show the students a picture of a scene from nation that has had European imperialism.  I would then have the students develop a story of their choosing using free-writing.  They can develop it anyway they would like as long as it pertains to imperialism.  The story direction does not matter as long as they develop it using different ideas whether positive or negatives or both on imperialism.  This story will be well developed and count as more than a quiz grade but not as much as a test grade.  The students will have a several days to finish it and it should be of ample length.

 

5.  Mini-teach proposal

 

            I propose to focus my mini-lesson on the narrative voice. Through this lesson students will improve their ability to recognize and describe the narrators in various text. In groups, they will be expected to identify the approximate age and sex of the narrator in specific pieces of writing along with other characteristics discernible from the text. The students will be required to explain to the class how they reached their conclusions. A graphic organizer will be drawn either on the front board or on an overhead projector to organize the ideas the students are generating. After this discussion, students will compose a short creative writing piece where the language and syntax used to tell the story identify the narrator in some way. Some texts that could be used as examples in class could be the vignettes "The House on Mango Street" and "A Smart Cookie" from The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, or the poem "Next Day" by Randall Jarrell.

 

6.  Lesson Plan Title:  Diary of a Napoleonic Foot soldier

 

Grade Level:  Appropriate for grades 9-12

 

Content Area:  ELA/ Creative Writing

 

Abstract:  Students will create their own Napoleonic diary entry to stimulate thought and understanding of the hardships during Napoleon’s Moscow Campaign

 

Type of Writing:  Creative

 

Time required:  20 minutes

 

Pre-Writing:  The students will free-write any thoughts or feelings that come to mind about Napoleon for three minutes

 

Activation of Prior Knowledge:  Students will be challenged to use their prior knowledge about Napoleon, Napoleon’s Moscow Campaign and the hardships of his soldiers, supplemented by a brief discussion, to develop their diary entry 

 

Assessment:  Students will be assessed based on their use of detail and creativity, as well as their ability to fulfill the requirements based on the rubric handed out

 

Learning Activities or Tasks (step-by-step):

  • The instructor will explain what it means to free-write and will then instruct the class to free-write any thoughts or feelings that come to mind about Napoleon
  • After three minutes the instructor will move the lesson on and will engage the class in a brief discussion of the hardships Napoleon’s troops experienced during the Moscow Campaign
  • The instructor will then present the class with the book, Diary of a Napoleonic Footsoldier, and will explain how it is a primary source from a real soldier during the Napoleon campaign
  • The instructor will explain that the class is expected to use the time remaining to create their own diary as if they were one of the soldiers on a transparency of the march which will be presented
  • The instructor will pass out the rubric and go over the expectations of the class
  • The instructor will allow students to begin working on the assignment and will walk around the class monitoring progress
  • Time permitting, the instructor will let the students present their papers and if not will have them present their paper the next day

Audience:  This is a creative writing exercise where the students create their own diary and can choose who the audience they write to is.  The students will be given the opportunity to present their papers in front of the class as well.

 

What kind of writing is this assignment?  Academic creative short fiction

What is your instructional objective?  To stimulate thought and understanding of the hardships during Napoleon’s Moscow Campaign for the students

How have your students been prepared for this assignment?  The students have been learning about the Napoleon and his campaigns already.  Their previous knowledge will be supplemented by an in-class discussion before the writing assignment

Have you included any types of prewriting exercises?  The students will be free-writing their thoughts and feelings on Napoleon

What will follow completion of this assignment?  The students will present their work in class and will take a short quiz the next day on the Moscow Campaign

Is revision part of the assignment plan?  After the assessment, students may revise their work for a better grade

Who is the intended audience for the student’s writing? The teacher and the class as well

Will students publish this writing?  How?  Yes, they will be given the opportunity to read their diary out loud for the class

Which of the New York State English and Social Studies standards are addressed in this lesson?

  • Arts Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
  • ELA Standard 1: language for information and understanding
  • ELA Standard 2: language for expression
  • ELA Standard 4: language for social interaction
  • NCSS 2: Time, Continuity and Change
  • NCSS 3: People, Place and Environment
  • NCSS 4: Individual Development and Identity

 

 

7.  Mini-Lesson

 

I will start off my lesson by asking my students what they think about this quote:  “Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can spend it only once” and what it means. After discussing and defining the quotation, students will be asked to respond to whether they agree or disagree with this quotation. Students will then be given an assignment on writing to oneself 10 years into the future. In the letter, they will tell the reader:

What they should have accomplished by now

How they want to be remembered

If they became as successful as they planed

Whether or not they completed there hopes, dreams, desires, and wants which may be…..

 

After completing their letters, some students will read their letters to the class followed by a class discussion. This lesson will be about 30 minutes long giving the students an opportunity to express themselves. This lesson fulfills ELA Standard 2, Language for Literary Response and Expression as well as Standard 4, Language for Social Interaction.

 

8.  Mini-Lesson Proposal

 

Lesson Topic: Building Sensory Details in Fiction

 

NYS Learning Standard(s): 3, 4

 

Grade(s): 5-9

 

Objective: By the end of this lesson students should be able to write a fictional narrative that creates suspense through movement, sensory details and gestures.

 

Materials: List of prompt(s) – “He/she thought heard/smelled/saw something in the house…”

1.      What did he/she hear/smell/see?

2.      What is the character thinking?

3.      What does the character hear/smell/see that is out of the ordinary?

4.      What memory does this remind them of?

5.      Have the character notice something different in the house, something also out of the ordinary.

6.      What does the character want to do right now?

7.       Have them take action.

8.      Put an obstacle in their path.

9.      Let it give them the courage to move forward.

10. Let the character move closer to the disturbing sound/scent/sight.

11. Let the character discover what it is or isn’t.

 

Procedure:     1. Discuss how in movies the director slows down the moment of doubt and creates suspense.

2. Read aloud suspenseful passages from various pieces of literature.

3. Brainstorm methods to create suspense.

4. Share; students will be creating a short fictional narrative that uses sensory details to show what a character(s) thinking, feeling and experiencing during a suspenseful moment.

5. Practice as a class; to help/guide - use prompt(s).

6. Have students exchange papers and allow them to grade with a rubric.

Rubric –

4: Slowly builds a lot of suspense; uses rich sensory details; includes elements of surprise; reveals compelling details about the main character's personality
3: Builds suspense; uses sensory details; includes an element of surprise; reveals the main character's personality
2:  Builds some suspense; uses some sensory details; may be somewhat predictable; may reveal something about the main character's personality
1: Builds little, if any, suspense; uses few, if any, sensory details; may be very predictable; reveals few, if any, details about the main character's personality

                        7. Allow students to grade and then revise their own papers.

 

Summary: The overall ability of each student’s comprehension of the material will be gauged in writing a short suspenseful piece for homework using sensory details to create an air of mystery.

 

9.  Black Death/ Crusades Document Based Question (10th Grade Global Studies)

Performance Indicators: 

-Students will interpret and analyze document related to significant developments and events in world history.

- Understand and development of Western civilizations and the influence of other world civilizations

 

Task: In class have the students complete the Medieval Document Based Questions only.  Breaking the students into groups of 3-4 have the students read and answer short questions involving the Black Death and Crusades.  Answer and questions they might have and being up discussion questions while they are debating over the answers. 

 

Task II: This is an essay (one typed page) using the documents from Task I and answering the assessment questions that will be provided.  Students will bring in this assignment for the following class.

 

Task III:  Students will peer review the Black Death DBQ essays.  Have the students break into pairs and have them read and critique each other’s writing according to the grading rubric that will be handed out.  Once this is completed the students will then turn in the newly revised copy the following class period.

 

 10.   Lesson Plan Title:  Orientalism: Western Misconceptions of the Middle East

 

Date(s): October 15, 2007

 

Grade level(s): Appropriate for grades 7-12

 

Content Area(s): Prewriting

 

Abstract:  Students will be asked to brainstorm and write down all their initial thoughts of what they think of when they think of the Middle East.

 

Type of Writing: Prewriting

 

Timeline:  15 minutes

 

Cognitive Instructional Objectives:  Students will write down on paper everything that comes to mind when they think of the Middle East.  Students will be encouraged to be honest and write down both good and bad preconceived notions. 

 

Affective Instructional Objectives:  Students will practice the craft of brainstorming and the activity will act as a form of prewriting. 

 

Pre-Writing: The activity is a pre-writing activity in itself.

 

Activation of Prior Knowledge:   Through socialization and living in the Western world, students will have already built up common misconceptions and beliefs in regards to the Middle East. 

 

Assessment:  Students will be assessed based on their participation; there is no right or wrong answers.  The goal of the assignment is to have students brainstorm.

 

Learning Activities or Tasks (step-by-step):

-Students will be asked to think to themselves what comes to mind when they think about the Middle East. 

-Instructor will inform students that they will be asked to brainstorm and write down on paper everything that comes to mind when they think of the Middle East.

-Instructor will inform students that there is no right or wrong answers and that they should be honest with themselves when writing their preconceived notions.

-Instructor will inform students that they will have 15 minutes to complete this activity.

-Teacher will have students participate in a classroom discussion based on what students had written.

-Instructor will inform students that for homework, they will write an essay 2-3 pages in length discussing preconceived notions of the Middle East.

 

Audience: This is a prewriting exercise so the only audience will be the writer and the teacher.  Students will be asked to share what they have written and participate in the classroom discussion.

 

  What kind of writing is this assignment? Prewriting/ Brainstorming

  What is your instructional objective? For students to think of preconceived notions of the Middle East.

  How have your students been prepared for this assignment? Through socialization and living in the Western world, students will have already built up common misconceptions and beliefs in regards to the Middle East

  Have you included any types of prewriting exercises? This is a pre-writing exercise

  What will follow completion of this assignment? For homework, students will be asked to write a paper 2-3 pages in length on common preconceived notions of the Middle East.

  What is the time-frame for this assignment? The class period and the evening for homework

  Why should your students write this? The activity acts as a prewrite; students will be able to put down all their ideas on to paper.  The combination of the in-class assignment and class discussion will help students with their essay.

  Is revision part of the assignment plan?  No, students will hand in one draft.

  Who is the intended audience for the students' writing? Teacher, possibly other students.

  Will students publish this writing? How? Yes, if they wish to read the story aloud to the class for extra credit.

  Which of the New York State English and Social Studies standards are addressed in this lesson? 

NYS English Standards:

Standard 1- language for information and understanding

Standard 2- language for expression

Standard 3- language for critical analysis

Standard 4- language for social interaction (if students wits to read their stories out-loud)

 

11.  Mini Lesson – Labor Unions

 

Objective: Students will be able to identify the causes for the creation of labor unions.

 

- The class will begin by asking the students if they have anything in their life that they would like to change, or if anything there are any examples of unfairness that would relate to them.

- I will then ask if there is anything they would like to do about, what they are willing to sacrifice to attain these goals.

            - I understand there will be certain unreasonable requests made by the students that are unreasonable and I also think that there will be differences among student beliefs, so we will hold a discussion that debates the items brought to the classes attention.

- I will then state that the purpose of this exercise is to represent the discussions and atmosphere that labor unions experienced during the growth of big business.

- I will then introduce new vocabulary words to the class.

- We will define and discuss the terms as a class.

- I will then ask the class to use the terms we discussed in class to choose a position (for or against) labor unions and ask them to (in one paragraph) intelligently explain why they chose the side they did. Also I will instruct them to write a page of a diary in the life of a person on whose side they chose.

 

12.  I would like to do my lesson on the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. Students will be writing letters about their experiences in America during WWII as one of the internees deciding whether or not they would still come to America knowing what they know now.

 

13.  I plan on doing a mini lesson that will focus on students who have different types of learning styles.  My lesson will offer different options for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. The lesson will focus on Lincoln and when he delivered his famous speech in Gettysburg.  This lesson is designed to be fun and creative.  The students will have to choose from one of the following topics.

1) write a paper as if you were a set designer and this was going to be a scene in a Civil war play.  Describe how you would design a stage and the area around it in order to portray the mood of the scene.  ( this would work best for a visual learner)

 

2)  write a paper as if you were chosen to find music to be played at this historic occasion.  Describe what types of music you would choose and why.  What would you be looking for the audience that is gathered to hear President Lincoln’s speech get out of this music?  ( this could work well for auditory learners)

 

3)  write a paper as if you were the event organizer.  Who will or was included in the proceedings  and what role should each person take.  Also you can include who stands where and when each person will speak.  (this can work well for a kinesthetic learner)