Jessica Marovich

CI 403
Lesson Plan A
October 3, 2012

My students just finished reading the novel The Cats Table. For my lesson, I am going to have
the students write a journal entry from the viewpoint of one of the characters. The directions are
as stated: You are to create a story from the viewpoint of one of the characters from The Cats
Table. Write the story as if you are the character writing a journal entry. The entry can explain
the characters emotions after the voyage, what that character plans on doing in London, what the
character plans on doing with the rest of their life, the character can reflect on their time on the
Oransay, etc.. Get creative and think outside the box! The entry needs to be two pages long. The
possibilities are endless for what you can write about!
The students in my class are predominately white with 4 African American speakers and 2
Chinese speakers. 2 of my students suffer from anxiety, while one student suffers from
depression. There are 22 students, with 13 girls and 9 boys. My class is a 9
th
grade English class.


Special Education Accommodations

Depression and Anxiety are similar diseases in that a lot of the treatments are the same. Students
with these emotional disabilities do not have trouble with comprehending the instruction, unless
they are not listening because their mind is elsewhere. Therefore, when it comes to the
instruction of these students, the only thing that I will do differently is ask them if they
understand the directions.

To assess the student with depression, I will walk around and make sure that they are doing the
work since sometimes kids with depression seem to slack and refuse to do the work. I will also
make sure that I give them extra time to complete the work (Ill tell the class that the journal
entry/story will be due the next day) so that if the student feels depressed and cannot think
straight, they will be able to have an extra day to complete the work.

To assess the student with anxiety, I will walk around and make sure that they are completing the
assignment and not talking. As I stated previously with the student with depression, I will give
them an extra day to finish the work (turned in the next day), so that they do not feel rushed and
get worried that they will not receive a good grade. This will relax the student and allow them to
focus more accurately.

Assessment
My assessment is below in rubric form.

Extension Ideas
The students can read their story aloud to the class
The students can get into groups of two, read their stories to one another, and
respond on a sheet of paper to their partners stories (what they liked, what they
would have changed if they wrote the story, etc.)
The students can draw a book cover that represents the journal entry that they just
wrote. The book cover needs to coincide with their story.
The students can get into pairs according to the characters that they wrote about
(all of the Michael stories get together, all of the Emily stories get together) and
they can compare and contrast their stories.

Source of Activity
I got the idea for this activity from my cohort teacher last year, Hilarie Welsh. Professor
Dressman also touched on this activity, but did not go into depth about it the way that Hilarie
did. I was referenced this novel from Professor Willis.


Illinois State English Language Arts Goals
Performance Indicator 2P: adjusts practice to meet the needs of each student in the content
areas; and
2Q: applies and adapts an array of content area literacy strategies to make all subject matter
accessible to each student.
-Both of these performance indicators are reflected in my lesson plan because I had to make
accommodations for my students with emotional disabilities and my students that speak other
languages. I had to change my content instruction and my form of assessment in order to meet
the needs of these students.

Knowledge Indicator 6D: understands writing processes and their importance to content learning.
-This knowledge indicator is reflected in my lesson plan because I am having them write a
journal entry from the perspective of one of the characters. By doing this I am checking their
comprehension of the novel. By having the students write, I believe that this is a beneficial way
for the students to become engaged with the novel and to express their creativity.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards
Writing Standard 3 (students 9-10): Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
-This common core standard is reflected in my lesson because my students have to create an
imagined extension to the novel we read. They need to be creative, therefore they need to use
detail and they need to make sure that they have accurate knowledge of the novel in order to
create the story.


Language Standard 2 (students 6-12): Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
-This common core standard is reflected in my lesson because I am grading the students
assessment on whether or not they use proper/correct grammar. They will get points deducted for
spelling errors and incorrect grammar.

Directions: You are to create a story from the viewpoint of one of the characters from The
Cats Table. Write the story as if you are the character writing a journal entry. The entry can
explain the characters emotions after the voyage, what that character plans on doing in London,
what the character plans on doing with the rest of their life, the character can reflect on their time
on the Oransay, etc.. Get creative and think outside the box! The entry needs to be two pages
long. The possibilities are endless for what you can write about! I will grade you on the
following:

A: 20-17 B: 13- 16 C: 9-12 D: 6-8 F: 0-5

Exceeds
Expectations: 5
Meets
Expectations: 3
Does Not Meet
Expectations: 1
Comments:
Creativity The student uses
their creativity to
create an
interesting and
engaging story
The story was
creative, but
there was room
for more
creativity.
The student was
not creative.
Facts were just
stated and the
story had no
creative aspects.

Grammar Errors 0 to 5 Grammar
Errors
5 to 10 Grammar
Errors
10 or more
Grammar Errors

Knowledge of
the Character
The student has a
full
understanding of
the character
(personality,
looks, actions,
etc.)
The student
understands the
character, but
stated a few
wrong facts
about the
character
The student had
no idea who the
character was
and did not have
an accurate
account of that
character

Understanding of
directions
The student
meets the
requirements
stated in the
directions.
The student met
some but not all
of the
requirements in
the directions
The student did
not follow the
directions.