Concept Unit

Lesson Plan 1 [90 min]

Unit: Life Isnt Fair: Overcoming Adversity in Literature
Unit Primary Skill focus: narrative writing
Critical Learning Objectives:
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
1. Students will know the classroom expectations for the entire year.
Affective (feel/value):
2. Students will feel that their input is valued.
3. Students will value the input of others.
4. Students will value the ability to work collaboratively with others.
5. Students will know how they are expected to behave in an academic setting.
Performance (do):
6. Students will be able to develop a list of expectations.
7. Students will be able to complete a Student Interest Survey.
8. Students will be able to engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.
SOLs:
Communication
7.1 The student will participate in and contribute to conversations, group discussions, and oral
presentations.
a) Communicate ideas and information orally in an organized and succinct manner.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]
Beginning Room Arrangement:
Desks are set in a large circle. Each desk has a notecard on it.
A Declaration for Students:
I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. Ill be a better somebody when I leave. I am
powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here. I have things to do, people to
impress, and places to go.
-Rita Pierson
When the students enter the room, I will have the above saying projected on the board. This
saying will begin our day every day for the first week of class. I dont plan to play the video that

the saying originates from until halfway through the lesson, so if students ask, I will let them
know that I will explain everything by the end of the lesson.
1. [15 mins] Introduction
Hello, everyone! My name is Ms. Heriford. Im looking forward to getting to know you
this year. Today our focus will be getting to know our classmates. Its important that
everyone learns the names of their classmates. So think of an adjective that describes you
that also starts with the first letter of your name. For example, my name is Ms. Heriford,
so I will choose Helpful Ms. Heriford because I hope to be a helpful teacher. As we go
around the room, youll need to remember all the names that have gone before you with
their descriptive words. Lets start to my right. Ill finish the circle.
[Students go around the circle sharing their names and adjectives. When students are
stumped, I will encourage their classmates to help them out. If adjectives seem unusual, I
may ask the students to elaborate on their answer. At the end of the circle, I will ask
students to make a name card using notecards and markers on their desks.]
2. [15 mins] Student Interest Survey
[Pass out Student Interest Surveys. Students remain in their desks in the circle
arrangement for this activity.]
Now that weve shared our names, Id like to get to know more about your interests.
Knowing your interests will help me get to know you as a person beyond the student. It
will also help me plan lessons that will interest you. Here is a survey Id like for you to
fill out. When you are done, turn your paper over and look around. If the people around
you are still working on the survey, follow the directions on the back of the survey. When
I call time, put the paper in the basket in the front of the room that is labeled Turn
In. This is where you will be turning in many of your papers this year.
[While students are working on the survey, pull up the Rita Pierson Ted Talk on the
smart board.]
3. [10 min] Introducing A Declaration for Students
Thanks for turning those surveys in. You probably noticed a saying on the board when
you came in today. I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. Ill be a better
somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get
here. I have things to do, people to impress, and places to go.-Rita Pierson
Rita Pierson was a teacher who did a TED talk last year. Does anyone know what a TED
talk is?
[Pause for student responses. When they have responded, click on the About page on
the TED website.]

Heres the formal answer: TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the
form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference
where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all
topics from science to business to global issues in more than 100 languages.
TED talks are awesome. Today we will watch an excerpt of a TED talk that I got the
Declaration for Students from: Every Kid Needs a Champion. It focused on fostering
student-teacher relationships.
[Click on the back button to go back to Ritas talk.]
Here is something I want you to look for if you check out a TED talk: subtitles. Once you
click the play button on a TED talk video, it has a little conversation box in the bottom
right that allows you to turn on subtitles in tons of popular languages. For today, lets do
Spanish subtitles so you can see how it works. Now Im going to play the video. I hope it
will help you understand why we will be spending a good deal of time getting to know
each other in this class.
[Watch from 1:07 to 5:10]
Ms. Pierson believes that relationships are important in learning. In order to learn best, I
think we should spend time getting to know each other to help foster learning, which is
why we filled out a survey today and will be doing some more activities tomorrow to
build relationships.
4. [25 mins] Think-Square-Share
a. [10 min] Think: Setting Expectations
I love Ritas pointthat we need relationships in order to learn. But I think its important
that students be able to have a voice in the purpose of their class and to have input
regarding the expectations and consequences of their class. Today we will be focusing on
the purpose and expectations for our classroom. Tomorrow we will focus on the
consequences. Please open the composition notebooks youve brought with you today. If
you didnt bring one in, take one of mine today and bring a new one in the next week or
so to replace the one you take today. [Hand out notebooks; write down names.]
On the front, write Response and Reflection Journal. Also include your name. Now
open up to the first page. Write Purposes at the top. What do you want to learn in this
class? [Write Purposes on board to model what they should be doing in the notebook.
Brainstorm with students and list them on the board. Remind students to add the things I
list on the board to their notebooks.]
Now, on the second page of your notebooks, writeExpectations at the top. Id like for
you to come up with as many expectations for this class that you can in the time allotted.
How are you best able to learn? What do you need to be able to achieve the purposes

weve set for this class? Think of these questions to give you an idea what sort of
expectations you want. I find it difficult to learn when there is a lot of noise in the
background, so I might write down, Attempt to be quiet during independent work. But
there are many other expectations to focus on. Take a few minutes to write down the
expectations that are important to you.
[I monitor the students while they write and redirect them if they are off-track.]
b. [10 min] Square: Revising Expectations
Now that you have finished writing your expectations, count off to 5. [Point to start them
off] 1, 2, 3, 4Get into a group with your number. Group your desks together. Then talk
about your expectations. Look for expectations that might not work together in harmony.
Discuss solutions and revise your expectations as necessary. Pull out a piece of paper
and write down expectations that your group can agree upon. You will be sharing these
with the class.
[Groups should have roughly 5 people. I will monitor during discussions.]
c. [5 min] Share: Sharing Class Expectations
Lets talk about what you have discussed. Ill be typing the expectations to show on the
board so we can remember the expectations.
I type and allow students to present their expectations.
5. [15 mins] Step 3: Developing Class Expectations
Now that everything is on the board, lets start working on what we think we really need
to have on our classroom expectations list. Is anything redundant? Well look at each
bullet point, and decide whether its a good classroom expectation for us. If we decide it
is a necessary expectation, Ill make a note of it so that we can put it on a big Classroom
Expectations poster later this week. If not, I will scratch through it.
We go through each bullet point, deciding if and why each expectation should be
included.
6. [10 mins] Closure: Exit Slip
For an exit slip, Id like for you to write down some consequences for the expectations
listed on the board. How will we make sure the expectations are implemented? Turn
these slips into the basket on your way out. Ill type the consequences up tonight so they
will be ready for a discussion tomorrow. Please turn in your name cards and composition
notebooks as well.

Methods of Assessment:
Formative:
o Think-Square-Share
Class brainstorm for purposes (2, 3)
Free write for expectations (2)
Participation in group discussion (2, 3, 4, 8)
Class discussion of expectations (2, 3)

Summative:
o Student Interest Surveys (7)
o Class Expectations List (1, 5, 6)

Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:

Dmitri sometimes struggles to participate in discussions because he is unable to translate his
thoughts from his native language to English quickly enough. The Think-Square-Share format
allows Dmitri, my ELL student, to have time to gather his thoughts. This will be helpful for
introverted students, as well.
In addition, I added Spanish subtitles to the TED talk to make it easier for Dmitri to understand.

Materials Needed:
Students will need composition books and pencils/pensI will have backup
Smart Board
Student Interest Survey
Turn In basket
http://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion#t-299281

Materials Appendix:

Name: ___________________________________
Student Interest Survey
I would like to get to know each of you a bit better, so please answer the following questions to
the best of your ability.
1. What is your favorite book from childhood and/or your favorite book now? Why?

2. Circle the expression that most closely reflects your own view.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

I love to read and often read for pleasure.

I like to read when I have the time, and I can find something I like.
I dont often read on my own, but sometimes I enjoy the books teachers assign.
I dont read on my own and dont always understand the books I am assigned.
I dont like reading and am bored when I have to sit and read.

3. Rate the following descriptions of books using these codes:

0 = no way would I read this
= I might like this book
+ = This sounds like a perfect book for me
_____ A young man gets caught up in the world of wealth during the Roaring Twenties and
meets a mysterious millionaire
_____ A young girl living in a sleepy southern town is exposed to new ideas and danger when
her father, a lawyer, becomes involved in a controversial trial
_____ After a difficult childhood, an orphan begins working as a governess for a
brooding and unusual man
_____ Two young gentlemen have bent the truth in order to create excitement in their lives.
Things go awry when the women in their lives discover their deceptions
_____ In 1920s Harlem, a woman reunites with a childhood friend and is fascinated by her
biracial friends new lifestylepassing as a white woman
_____ A young man leaves his troubled school on the reservation to attend an all-white farm
town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot
_____ A boy becomes best friends with a slave, and the pair travel on the Mississippi River
together seeking freedom
_____ An ambitious man manipulates his boss relationship with his new bride out of envy
_____ Adventurers embark on a journey to recover lost treasure guarded by a dragon

4. What are your favorite formats of reading? Check all that apply.
__Poetry
__Short Stories
__Newspapers
__Comics
__Magazines
__Online Articles
__Other (please specify below)

__Novels
__Essays
__Graphic Novels
__Plays
__Blogs and social media sites

5. What is your favorite movie, and what did you like about it?

6. What is your favorite place to be? Please provide two reasons why.

7. Describe the best class youve ever had (please dont use names!). What made this class so
great?

8. Who is your favorite character? This character can be from a book, movie, or television show.

9. Complete this sentence: When I am not in class, I like to.

10. Name someone you admire, and explain why.

11. If there were something you could change today about the community or society you live in,
what would it be?

12. What are some topics and possible future careers that interest you?

13. What question do you wish I had asked you on this survey? What would your answer be?

Soyou finished the survey early. Draw a picture of yourself to help me get to know you. This
could be a simple sketch, or you could include some of your favorite things.

If you still have time, draw a picture of the character from question #8 on the back of this paper.