Instructor: Chandler Ambrester Grade & Subject: 6th Grade ELA Lesson Title: Survival – Character Traits and Cause & Effect in “Hatchet” Date: November 11, 13 1. LESSON CONTEXT & RATIONALE Culture and The school in which I am placed, Hart County Middle School, is a rural Title 1 public middle Context school with a diverse students population. The four periods of English-­‐Language Arts that rotate through my mentor teacher’s classroom are a standard representation of the school’s diversity. These students have been tracked as on-­‐grade level, indicating that this is not a gifted nor remedial class setting. There are, however, a few gifted students per period as well as several with IEPs and 504s. The ethnic breakdown of these classes is about 60% white, 30% African American and 10% Hispanic and Asian. The classes are split 50/50 in regards to male and female students. As chosen by the mentor teacher, the text the students are exploring this grading period is Hatchet, written by Gary Paulson. This fictional story tells of a young, adolescent boy who after being stranded in a plane crash is forced to survive in the Canadian wilderness and rely upon himself and the skills he develops. The students are particularly interested in this novel because of its rich detail of the outdoors and outdoor skills. Many of these students are heavily involved and/or interested in outdoor activities that are traditional in a rural community such as hunting, fishing, and camping. Above and beyond the content of the text is the universal theme of survival. As middle school students, many of them are placed in situation in which they feel that they just have to survive – sixth grade being one of them. Exploring the skills, attitudes, and dispositions necessary to survive resonates with this particular group of students as they have experienced this in their day-­‐to-­‐day lives. Within the larger curriculum, this lesson falls within a unit that is reading and analyzing the novel Hatchet. It acts as a review of the eight chapters they have already read while also bringing to light themes will resonate throughout the remainder of the novel. The skills that will be focused on are closely tied to the ELA objectives of finding, utilizing, and citing evidence found within a text and written about in response to a writing prompt. This particular lesson looks at the literary concepts of character trait and cause and effect and how this is used in Hatchet. Connections will be made between the ways in which we discover a character’s character traits and how they react to or act in certain situations and events that arise in the plot. This will be analyzed through cause and effect of the story’s plot line. The content will be delivered through a teacher-­‐directed mini-­‐lesson utilizing PowerPoint and Prezi presentations with periodic opportunities for peer and whole group discussion. This dialogue will allow for students to pull from their existing knowledge of character traits and cause and effect while also allow for them to construct their own meanings of these concepts. Cause and effect will be illustrated through a multi-­‐flow thinking map, which will then be applied to a concrete example from the text. Through teacher modeling of this skill, students will be provided with the necessary scaffolding for them to handle this task on their own in collaborative group learning. The students are currently organized in desk groupings of three or four so as to foster a social learning environment. This will be utilized during the collaborative group learning exercise in which groups will be assigned particular roles and work together to construct a multi-­‐flow thinking map of their own for a particular passage. Following this learning activity, groups will then present in front of the classroom to their fellow students as to showcase their mastery of the content and skills. With teaching a concept at the highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy, this will allow for formative assessment as to whether the students successfully mastered the material. A writing assignment at the end of the lesson will ask students to incorporate the skills and content that they have learned so as to analyze the character traits of Brian and/or themselves that have proven necessary to survive. This choice in assignment will let students either stay in their comfort zone in terms of traditional writing assignments or find relevancy to the topic and make connections between what they learned and their own life experiences. Identity and Intellectual For several middle school students, the topic of survival is extremely relevant to what goes on in Development their daily lives. This lesson will make frequent and pertinent connections between the literary concept of character traits and how this manifests itself in regards to “surviving.” Students will 1 Adapted from Tennessee State University, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE) and Columbus State University Instructor: Chandler Ambrester Grade & Subject: 6th Grade ELA Lesson Title: Survival – Character Traits and Cause & Effect in “Hatchet” Date: November 11, 13 be able to see how their character traits can grow or develop by the ways in which they respond to certain situations or events by analyzing the ways in which Brian responds to the events in Hatchet. Students will become smarter about these two important literary concepts but also the ways in which writers use direct quotes and paraphrasing in their writing to provide substantial evidence. Management The most effective classroom management within this lesson will be maintaining efficient transition periods from one activity to the next. When transitioning from teacher-­‐directed to peer and whole group instruction, a timer will be used that will also have a buzzer to indicate it is time to transition back to the teacher. By developing and carrying out an engaging lesson that does not allow for much down time, it is believed that classroom management will not be a considerable issue. There will be an explicit explanation to each class period as to the ways in which the lesson will be conducted and if there is any behavior that takes away from the learning process, it will be dealt with according to Hart County Middle School protocol, which is to take away points on a behavior card. This will be a last resort and will take place only if absolutely necessary. 2. STANDARDS & REQUIREMENTS CCGSP or GPS Standard(s) ELACC6RL1: Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. ELACC6RL3: Describe how a particular story or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. Individual Education Plan Goal(s) and Benchmarks Modification(s) /Accommodation (s) Differentiation ELACC6SL5: Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes, use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. • Consider students with IEPs and/or 504s • Consider students below and/or above grade level-­‐in cognitive and /or affective areas -­‐ A modified Cornell Note Taking Sheet has been produced so all students do not have to take notes down verbatim; they will be told which important phrases and words must be written down on their sheet -­‐ Along with a list of character traits that will be projected on the board, students have been provided with a hard copy in their packets that they can use for future reference both during the collaborative learning activity and for the remainder of the school year -­‐ The roles in the collaborative learning group project have been intentionally chosen by the teacher based on students’ strengths and skills -­‐ Slides on the board will be read to the students while they copy them down -­‐ For the multi-­‐flow thinking map modeling activity, students will be told to just copy down the page number on which the evidence was found rather than the entire direct quote Differentiation will take place in the form of periodic transitions from teacher-­‐directed lectures to peer discussion to whole group discussion throughout the mini-­‐lesson on character traits and cause and effect. Students will also be able to experience a 2 Adapted from Tennessee State University, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE) and Columbus State University Instructor: Chandler Ambrester Grade & Subject: 6th Grade ELA Lesson Title: Survival – Character Traits and Cause & Effect in “Hatchet” Date: November 11, 13 collaborative learning group activity rather than sit in their seats the entire class period. This will involve moving around, reading, writing, and drawing. The use of multimodal texts (text, image, video) will provide several reference points for students to become familiar with the meaning of character traits. 3. RESOURCES Academic Language Language Vocabulary Materials •
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Technology The academic language used within this lesson will focus primarily on reading and writing and analysis through these modes. The literacy concepts character trait, paraphrase, direct quote and cause and effect will be explored, defined, and illustrated. We will also explore and construct definitions of various common character traits as listed on our handout. Cause and effect, character trait, observant, perseverance, resourceful, direct quote, paraphrase, summarize, cite, evidence Cornell Note Packet (Include Cornell Note Sheet on Character Trait and Cause & Effect, List of Character Traits, Writing Assignment, Brainstorm Sheet, Response Sheet) Notebook paper and pencil PPT Presentation “Survival” with link to Prezi presentation embedded Hatchet, by Gary Paulson Whiteboard and whiteboard markers Bulletin Board paper Markers, pens, crayons The technology implemented in this lesson will be a PowerPoint and Prezi presentation as projected onto a Promethean SmartBoard. This will allow students to view the presentation as well as allow the teacher to interact and mark on the presentation’s slides. Within the PPT presentation, there is a link to a YouTube video that will be used to illustrate, analyze and discuss character traits. This will offer students another representation of the ways in which we can discover a character’s trait. 4. LESSON PROCEDURE Enduring Understanding Essential Question(s) Lesson Objective(s) The enduring understanding of this lesson is the ways in which individuals survive. What does it take to survive? How does one determine if they have what it takes to survive? Can the necessary skills and attitudes for survival be learned and developed or is one born with them? Students will understand and illustrate the concepts of character trait and cause and effect through the use of a multi-­‐flow thinking map and evidence integrated in their writing. Students will be able to identify the character traits of the main character, Brain, and 3 Adapted from Tennessee State University, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE) and Columbus State University Instructor: Chandler Ambrester Grade & Subject: 6th Grade ELA Lesson Title: Survival – Character Traits and Cause & Effect in “Hatchet” Date: November 11, 13 Introduction to Lesson Body of Lesson the various ways in which this is presented to the reader. Students will understand the ways in which writers use direct quotes and paraphrasing to provide evidence and demonstrate this understanding in their response to a writing prompt on character traits and cause and effect. As written on the board, students will be instructed to sit down in their seats, get out a piece of paper and in five minutes respond to two journal prompts that will be on the overhead. For one, students will respond to Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” and identify the ways in which that writer illustrates survival. The second option, students will identify a life experience in which they survived and create a list of things that are necessary for survival. Following the five minutes students have to write, there will be a five-­‐minute sharing period in which 3-­‐4 students will share to the class what they wrote. This will begin a dialogue on character traits necessary for survival and the different meanings of this word. During the discussion, a 2-­‐column T chart will be drawn on the board for the teacher to record what the students share. (10 minutes) (1) Introduction to the Lesson (2 minutes) -­‐ Students will be told the agenda for the lesson and what they can expect. -­‐ Connections will be made between the journal prompt and Brian’s survival story. -­‐ As this introduction is being verbalized, the teacher will hand out the Cornell Note Packet to each group of desks. (2) PowerPoint/Prezi Presentation on Character Trait and Cause and Effect (40 Minutes) -­‐ For Slide 4 and Slide 10, there will be a breakout into peer discussion in the form of a Think-­‐Pair-­‐Share. For slide 4, students will have one minute to look at the list of character traits, find one or two that jump out at them and think about what that word means to them. They will have another minute to share with their elbow partner. We will then have one to two minutes for the class to share as a whole. For slide 10, students will have one minute to brainstorm with their elbow partner their own example of cause and effect and write it in their note packet. -­‐ During this presentation, students will take notes as modeled on their Cornell Note sheet and as explained by the teacher. The teacher will scaffold the students during their note taking and share with them the most important phrases and words that they must write down. -­‐ Slide 11 marks the transition from PPT to Prezi in which an application of the multi-­‐flow thinking is taken to the text. The teacher will only go half way through this presentation as the second half of Chapter 9 will be analyzed by a collaborative learning group later on in the lesson. -­‐ Slides 14-­‐16 explain specifically the collaborative group learning activity that will take place. The roles of the group, the procedures of the activity, and the various passages they have to choose from to analyze will all be explained through the use of these slides. [This marks the possible BEGINNING OF DAY TWO OF LESSON] *Opener/Hook for DAY TWO: (5 minutes) -­‐ Students will take out a sheet of paper and as indicated on the board, fill out a 3-­‐2-­‐1, sharing three things they learned from the previous day, 2 questions they have and one thing they really need help on. This will be collected by the teacher and quickly 4 Adapted from Tennessee State University, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE) and Columbus State University Instructor: Chandler Ambrester Grade & Subject: 6th Grade ELA Lesson Title: Survival – Character Traits and Cause & Effect in “Hatchet” Date: November 11, 13 reviewed throughout the class period. (3) Collaborative Group Learning Activity (40 minutes total; 5 minutes to explain, 20 minutes to work, 15 minutes to share) -­‐ Students will be assigned the particular roles as designated and intentionally chosen by the teacher. (May be done at the end of the previous day) -­‐ A timer will be set for 20 minutes to indicate the amount of time they have to research and create their graphic organizer. -­‐ While groups are working, the teacher will walk around, observe, and offer assistance to groups as needed. -­‐ When the timer goes off, the teacher will inform students that it is now time to present. Presentations will take 15 minutes total with 2-­‐2:30 minutes per group. (4) Hatchet Writing Assignment (10 minutes) -­‐ The class will return to the PPT presentation at slide 17, which explains the two writing prompts students have to choose from. -­‐ Before students begin writing, the teacher will do a very small lesson on incorporating direct quotes in writing, noting its effect and the grammatical rules that surround it. -­‐ Students will then be given time to brainstorm on their provided worksheet their response to the prompt they have chosen to respond to. Brainstorms will be checked by the teachers before they can go on to their paragraphs. -­‐ Beginning in class, and done for homework, the students will write a first draft of a paragraph response to one of the prompts. Closure Closure for Day 2 will be for students to revisit their 3-­‐2-­‐1. The teacher will hand back their 3-­‐2-­‐1 and ask students to write down three new things they learned today, two things that got clarified from yesterday, and one thing they still need help on. (5 minutes) 5. ASSESSMENT Evaluation (Assessment Plan for IEP Goals and/or 504 Plans) Formative assessment will take place in the form of classroom observation of discussion and the collaborative learning group activity. This will indicate to the teacher whether or not the students are heading down the correct path in proper understanding and mastery of skills and content. Formative assessment will also take place throughout the writing process of their paragraphs and the multiple drafts that will be produced. Summative assessment will not be taking place during this particular lesson. Students will demonstrate successful learning of character traits that arise from an analysis of cause and effect by creating a clear and correct multi-­‐
flow thinking map of their selected passage and a proficiency in the presentation. Students will demonstrate their ability to transform direct quotes into paraphrases as shown on their group’s graphic organizer as well as their incorporation of both skills in their individual writing assignment. 5 Adapted from Tennessee State University, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE) and Columbus State University