Mess Learning Segment Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan 1
Date: 10/14/22 Teacher’s Name: James Mitchell
Subject: English Grade level: 10th

Learning Segment Title: How characters grow over a text and how this connects to the theme.
Length of each lesson: 45 mins
Central Focus:
Students will interpret and analyze complex themes and messages in To Kill A Mockingbird as
well as create a written product describing how the characters grow and interact with the
themes of the text.
Essential Question(s):
How do characters develop throughout the story?
How does the character development connect to the main themes of the story?
How do characters interact with one another across the story?
Learning Standards: 9-10R3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop
and interact over the course of a text. In literary texts, analyze how complex and/or dynamic
characters develop, interact with other characters, advance the plot, or develop a theme. In
informational texts, analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or argument, including the
sequence, the introduction and development of ideas, and the connections that exist.
Academic Language
Language Function Students will explain and discuss different themes of the text
during three different group discussions. During these
discussions students are expected to articulate their ideas
and present them in an ordered manner.
Vocabulary Jigsaw, Socratic seminar (fishbowl), theme, character

development, analyze, plot
Syntax Students are expected to have a discussion on the text.
Discourse Students will be sharing their knowledge during several

different discussions. During these discussions, students will
be talking about different themes and how characters develop
across the text.
Differentiation
Special Needs of Students High performing students: students who actively read
the material and come to class with even a basic
understanding of the text will flourish during this
learning segment.
Low performing students: students who did not

actively read the material will struggle during this
learning segment. Classes from the previous
learning segment will still provide these students with
enough understanding to participate. Moreover,
because of how closely the students will be working
together, those who did not read the material will
come to learn the material from discussions with
those who did.
ELLs/ESLs: This learning segment is heavily relying

on class based discussion. With that being said, for
students who are still learning English or have
English as a second language, they will not be
expected to participate as heavily in the discussions
as a student who is fluent in english. ESLs/ELLs will
also be provided with sentence starters in order to
push them in the right direction.
504s: Students with 504 plans should be ok to

actively participate in this learning segment. If their
504 plan relates to an issue that would hinder a class
discussion, they will not be expected to participate to
the same level as other students. Moreover,
depending on what the 504 is for, they will be
accommodated accordingly. For example, if the
student has a tactile issue and cannot write on paper,
the usage of a laptop in class will be acceptable.
IEPs: Students with IEPs will be provided with

sentence starters in order to give them a slight boost.
Low Income Students: Students are going to need

laptops for this learning segment. If a student does
not have a laptop, one will be provided. If a laptop
cannot be provided, a paper and pen is also
acceptable.
Pre-assessment & Student This learning segment will be done immediately after
Readiness the students finish reading To Kill A Mockingbird so
the text is fresh in everyone's mind. Students will be
expected to know basic English terms such as
“theme, plot, and character development.”
Content Differentiation Students will need to be taught how to follow these

discussion methods. Prior to having these
discussions, students will be presented with
diagrams and explanations on how to follow the
methods. This will ensure that every student in the
room understands how to follow the discussion
methods.
Process Differentiation Students will be provided with instruction on the skills

needed to participate in a jigsaw/socratic seminar
discussion. Scaffolding will be in place when the time
for group discussion arises. Students will be given
diagrams and explanations as to how this method of
learning should be done.
Product Differentiation Students who have background knowledge on the

material will be encouraged to participate more
heavily in order for them to share their knowledge of
the text with the students who do not have the same
background knowledge. Coming into this learning
segment, students will have all the knowledge they
need about the text. This knowledge will come from
lectures and discussions about the plot of the text
while the students are in the process of reading the
book.
Lesson Topic: Jigsaw Discussion About Character Development
Outcomes Assessments
Students will: participate in a jigsaw Character sheet: students will be given a

discussion with their peers that will better character sheet that they are to complete
their understanding of how characters in To with their group. This will be graded on a 1
Kill A Mockingbird grow and change as the to 3 scale; 3 being the highest, 1 being the
story progresses. lowest.
Procedure:
Introduction:
Sponge Activity: The students will be given a do now. The students must answer the question:
are they the same as they were when they started the school year? This connects to character
development because the students also develop as people.
Anticipatory Set: The students will be asked, “how do people grow over time?”
Activating Prior Knowledge: As for a student volunteer to give a BRIEF summary of the plot.
Initial Phase Direct Instruction

1. For the part of class, the Teacher will be explaining how to hold a jigsaw discussion.
Students will be shown a diagram of how a jigsaw discussion works. Students will be
told that they are going to be working with the group of people that they are sitting with.
Each table will cover a different character and explain how they grow throughout the text.
After a discussion with their table, they will split and meet with one person from the other
tables. Students will discuss how “their” character grows and take notes when their peer
speaks about “their” character. After explaining how this discussion will be held, the
Teacher will stop talking for a few minutes in order for students to ask any questions that
they may have.
Middle Phase
1. Guided Practice: First half of the Jigsaw discussion. Each group will be given a character
discussion sheet that they will fill out. I will explain how they should fill out the sheet. I
will explain that each question on the sheet is a broad question that they need to give
specific answers. For example, “How does your character start the book?” The proper
answer for Scout would be, “Scout started the book as a normal child unaware of what
goes on in the world. She is a bit of a tomboy and enjoys playing with her brother.” After
that, I direct them to start working on the character sheet with their table. There will be 4
tables in the classroom, one for each major character. These characters being Scout,
Jem, Tom Robinson, and Atticus. During this time, I will be going table to table in order to
make sure that the students are on the right track. I will try to provide hints and push
them towards the correct answer if I see that they are not on the right track. By going
table to table, I ensure that the students understand the assignment and are actively
participating in the discussion with their groups.
2. Independent Practice: Second half of the Jigsaw discussion. Students will split away
from their groups and meet with members of the other groups. Students will share what
they wrote on their character sheet. After they are done presenting their sheet, they will
take notes and listen to their peers share their character sheets.
Concluding Phase
3. Closure/Summary: I will briefly discuss what we did in class. I will talk about what the
class achieved (“Today we have learned that Atticus goes from being a simple father to a
man that everyone can look up to, we learned that Scout…. etc”) and provide an exit
ticket. Students will write on a notecard one way that their character changed throughout
the story.
Follow up: What comes next to reinforce the lesson (HW or supplemental instruction): Students
will be tasked with going home and coming up with one theme about their character's growth
from To Kill A Mockingbird. For example, how Scout defies gender norms.
Materials: (items, technology, etc.)

Premade powerpoint
Character sheets
A copy of To Kill A Mockingbird
Laptops
Resources: (reference any “borrowed” materials)

No borrowed materials.
Lesson Plan 2

Central Focus:
themes of the text.
Academic Language


across the text.
Differentiation
learning segment.

those who did.




methods.


book.
Lesson Topic: How Characters Connect to Theme
Students will: work with groups to connect Students will be asked to turn in notes at the
characters to major themes. end of the class. These notes will count as a
classwork grade and will be graded on a
scale of 1 to 3; 3 being the highest, 1 being
the lowest.
Procedure:
Introduction:
Sponge Activity: Students will be asked to get in the same groups from the prior day and take
out their homework. After sharing their homework with their peers, students will be tasked with
coming up with 4 themes for the character. They can be the same themes that they wrote for
homework. If 4 different students have 4 different themes on their homework in the same group,
that is acceptable.
Anticipatory Set: Students will be asked, “how do you, as a person, grow due to life’s
circumstances?”
Activating Prior Knowledge: The Teacher will remind them that books have overarching themes
that the characters interact with.

1. The Teacher will go over the homework from the night prior. Each student will share what
they put for their homework. While the class lists off their themes, the Teacher will write
them on the board. From there, the Teacher will pick 3 notable Student made themes to
talk about. For example, if a student were to say, “Scout defying gender norms” I would
point out a moment or two in the text where this can be seen; for example, the way she
dresses. The Teacher will make sure she covers themes from all 4 major characters.
Middle Phase
1. Guided Practice: I will provide the class with 4 major themes from To Kill A Mockingbird.
These themes will be racism/prejudice, family life, gender norms, coming of age and
courage. From there, the Teacher will split the class into 4 groups. These groups will be
premade and in a way that allows high performing students to work with those who may
need some extra help. The Teacher will ask the Students which theme they would like to
cover with their group. From there,
2. Independent Practice: Students will be tasked with talking about their character from the
Jigsaw discussion fits into their theme. For example, “how does Scout tie into gender
norms? How does Atticus? How does Jem? How does Tom Robinson?” During this time,
the Teacher will be going table to table in order to make sure the students are on task
but they will not interrupt the group's discussion unless they absolutely have to. Students
will be required to take notes throughout the discussion in order to be graded on their
learning.
Concluding Phase
3. Closure/Summary: The Teacher will ask the Students how they feel their discussion went
and tell them that we will be continuing this discussion tomorrow.
will be required to go home and complete an assignment. They will be required to connect one
character to each major theme. The students will be given more time the next class to work with
their groups.

Their character sheet from the previous day
Laptops

Lesson Plan 3

Central Focus:
themes of the text.
Academic Language


across the text.
Differentiation
learning segment.

those who did.



methods.


book.
Lesson Topic: Introduction and Preparation for a Socratic Seminar
Students will: work with their groups to Students will be assessed based on
prepare a 10-15 minute discussion on the participation. This will fall under their
themes of the text. participation grade. The Teacher will make
note of the groups that are working
efficiently and those that are not.
Procedure:
Introduction:
Sponge Activity: Place homework in a bin in the front of the room and sit with the group you
worked with the day prior.
Anticipatory Set: No anticipatory set will be given. Students will need as much time as possible
to work as a group.
Activating Prior Knowledge: The Teacher will go group to group and ask the students what they
discussed the previous day.

1. The Teacher will explain what a socratic seminar (fishbowl) is. Students will be told that
in the next class they will be leading a larger conversation about the theme of their
group’s choice. The Teacher will show a diagram and explain that one group will sit in
the middle while the rest of the groups sit outside the fishbowl. The group in the middle
will talk about how the characters connect with their chosen theme. A seat will be left
open in the middle in case any of their peers have a question or would like to add to
another group's discussion. After the first group is done discussing, the second group
will go into the fishbowl. This process will take two days, with 2 groups going on the first
day and the remaining 2 going on the second. The Teacher will explain that their group
discussion should last 15 to 20 minutes, they need to provide textual evidence from the
book, they should talk about the 5 major characters, however if a character does not fit
into a theme, they need to say so. All the group needs to talk about is their theme, how it
is shown in the book, and how the characters interact with the theme. For example,
“Racism is ever present in the text. Atticus takes a stand against it during the court case.
He is one of the few people who is willing to give Tom Robinson a chance. He even goes
as far as to protect him against a lynch mob while in prison.”
Middle Phase
1. Guided Practice: The teacher will ask the kids to help them move the desks in order to
make the room fit for a fishbowl. The class will then be shown exactly how a fishbowl
seminar is done. One group will go in the middle, a student will take the open chair, the
first group will leave and the second group will come in. There will be no discussion
during this time, this simply so the students understand how this is going to work. From
there, the desks will be moved back into the 4 group arraignment.
2. Independent Practice: The remainder of the class will be spent with the groups working
on their discussion. The Teacher will go group to group to make sure they are working
diligently. Under no circumstances is the Teacher to interrupt the group unless they are
off topic or doing something completely incorrect.
Concluding Phase
3. Closure/Summary: The teacher will reaffirm that the students understand the fishbowl
method and are prepared for the next day.
Follow up: What comes next to reinforce the lesson (HW or supplemental instruction): Day 1 of
the Socratic Seminar starts the next day. The students will not have any other homework other
than working on their discussion.

A copy of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Laptops.
Slideshow with a diagram of a fishbowl seminar

Lesson Plan 4

Central Focus:
themes of the text.
Academic Language


across the text.
Differentiation
learning segment.

those who did.



acceptable.

methods.


book.
Lesson Topic: Socratic Seminar: Day 1
Students will: participate in a socratic Students will receive a project grade for the
fishbowl seminar. seminar.
Procedure:
Introduction:
Sponge Activity: Welcome them into the class and ask them to move the desks into seminar
formation
Anticipatory Set: Ask the students if they have heard of Socraties
Activating Prior Knowledge: Remind the students what we will be doing today

1. Introduce final summative assessment. The teacher will inform the students that a brief
two page paper will be due after the second day of the seminar. This paper will require
students to write about a chosen theme and relate it back to a chosen character.
Students are expected to talk about how their character progresses, which events in the
story impact their growth, a theme that specifically fits the character, and how they
interact with an overarching theme.
Middle Phase
Socratic Seminar
Almost all of the class is going to be spent on a socratic fishbowl seminar. The first two groups
to present their discussion will be the groups doing “courage” and “gender norms.” For the first
10 minutes, the teacher will ask questions such as, “how do certain characters embrace gender
norms? Do they? Which character displays more courage as the book goes in? Do any?”
Students will be expected to discuss different characters and how they interact with each other
and the theme of the book. Each group will discuss for around 20 minutes, any shorter than 15
will result in a deduction of points. Students will be graded on a scale of 100 points. 20 points
are for how they worked in the days before the seminar, 20 points will go toward how long the
discussion is, 60 points will be for the quality of discussion. The teacher will start the seminar off
with guiding questions, however students should have questions prepared for each other. The
teacher will interject if the conversation is slowing down, however this should be left to the
students. An open chair will be left in the middle in case anyone on the outside circle has
questions or comments.
Concluding Phase
3. Closure/Summary: the seminar will run until there is no time left. No closure until the end
of the next lesson.
Follow up: What comes next to reinforce the lesson (HW or supplemental instruction): Day 2 of
the Seminar starts the next day. No homework for the students who presented today, those who
did not are encouraged to look over their seminar notes

Laptops
Notebooks and pens

No borrowed resources
Lesson Plan 5

Central Focus:
themes of the text.
Academic Language


across the text.
Differentiation
learning segment.

those who did.



acceptable.

methods.

book.
Lesson Topic: Socratic Seminar
Students will: participate in a socratic Students will receive a project grade for the
fishbowl seminar. seminar.
Initial phase Direct Instruction
1. The teacher will briefly sum up the previous day’s seminar. This will be a 2 minute recap.
As much time as possible should be spent on the seminar.
Middle Phase
Socratic Seminar
Almost all of the class is going to be spent on a socratic fishbowl seminar. The first two groups
to present their discussion will be the groups doing “racism/prejudice” and “family roles.” For the
first 5 minutes, the teacher will ask questions such as, “which communities are marginalized in
the text? How do we see this? What are the family roles of the Finch Fam?” Students will be
expected to discuss different characters and how they interact with each other and the theme of
the book. Each group will discuss for around 20 minutes, any shorter than 15 will result in a
deduction of points. Students will be graded on a scale of 100 points. 20 points are for how they
worked in the days before the seminar, 20 points will go toward how long the discussion is, 60
points will be for the quality of discussion. The teacher will start the seminar off with guiding
questions, however students should have questions prepared for each other. The teacher will
interject if the conversation is slowing down, however this should be left to the students. An
open chair will be left in the middle in case anyone on the outside circle has questions or
comments.
Concluding Phase
4. Closure/Summary: Remind students that they have a paper to do and congratulate them
for their hard work.
are required to write a brief two page paper over the weekend. This paper will require students
to write about a chosen theme and relate it back to a chosen character. Students are expected
to talk about how their character progresses, which events in the story impact their growth, a
theme that specifically fits the character, and how they interact with an overarching theme.

Laptops
Notebooks and pens

No borrowed resources

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Lesson Plan 1

Date: 10/14/22 Teacher’s Name: James Mitchell

Subject: English Grade level: 10th

Vocabulary Jigsaw, Socratic seminar (fishbowl), theme, character

Syntax Students are expected to have a discussion on the text.

Discourse Students will be sharing their knowledge during several

Low performing students: students who did not

ELLs/ESLs: This learning segment is heavily relying

504s: Students with 504 plans should be ok to

IEPs: Students with IEPs will be provided with

Low Income Students: Students are going to need

Content Differentiation Students will need to be taught how to follow these

Process Differentiation Students will be provided with instruction on the skills

Product Differentiation Students who have background knowledge on the

Lesson Topic: Jigsaw Discussion About Character Development

Students will: participate in a jigsaw Character sheet: students will be given a

Initial Phase Direct Instruction

Materials: (items, technology, etc.)

Resources: (reference any “borrowed” materials)

Date: 10/15/22 Teacher’s Name: James Mitchell

Subject: English Grade level: 10th

Vocabulary Jigsaw, Socratic seminar (fishbowl), theme, character

Syntax Students are expected to have a discussion on the text.

Discourse Students will be sharing their knowledge during several

Low performing students: students who did not

ELLs/ESLs: This learning segment is heavily relying

504s: Students with 504 plans should be ok to

IEPs: Students with IEPs will be provided with

Content Differentiation Students will need to be taught how to follow these

Process Differentiation Students will be provided with instruction on the skills

Product Differentiation Students who have background knowledge on the

Lesson Topic: How Characters Connect to Theme

Initial Phase Direct Instruction

Materials: (items, technology, etc.)

Resources: (reference any “borrowed” materials)

Subject: English Grade level: 10th

Vocabulary Jigsaw, Socratic seminar (fishbowl), theme, character

Syntax Students are expected to have a discussion on the text.

Discourse Students will be sharing their knowledge during several

Low performing students: students who did not

ELLs/ESLs: This learning segment is heavily relying

504s: Students with 504 plans should be ok to

IEPs: Students with IEPs will be provided with

Process Differentiation Students will be provided with instruction on the skills

Product Differentiation Students who have background knowledge on the

Lesson Topic: Introduction and Preparation for a Socratic Seminar

Initial Phase Direct Instruction

Materials: (items, technology, etc.)

Resources: (reference any “borrowed” materials)

Date: 10/17/22 Teacher’s Name: James Mitchell

Subject: English Grade level: 10th

Vocabulary Jigsaw, Socratic seminar (fishbowl), theme, character

Syntax Students are expected to have a discussion on the text.

Discourse Students will be sharing their knowledge during several

Low performing students: students who did not

ELLs/ESLs: This learning segment is heavily relying

IEPs: Students with IEPs will be provided with

Low Income Students: Students are going to need

Content Differentiation Students will need to be taught how to follow these

Process Differentiation Students will be provided with instruction on the skills

Product Differentiation Students who have background knowledge on the

Lesson Topic: Socratic Seminar: Day 1