e.+Lesson+2+Julie

// For the day covering two chapters "Love" and "Spin," the students will be introduced to the Dichotomy Chart (see Project Schedule and Unit Worksheets page), and will receive brief separated overt instruction on the definition of dichotomies and how to expand their dichotomy chart to include those they counter in future readings. They engage in a class brainstorming session to explore possible meanings of the words “Love” and “Peace,” and will compare their definitions to those of the author in these chapters. They will be asked to continue to fill in the columns for other conceptual words with their own ideas and examples from the text. This will be an ongoing process throughout the course, and the purpose of this lesson is to prepare students to critically evaluate the author’s use of these conceptual words. This lesson will also introduce students to the idea of creation of memory through storytelling. The author uses the operative word “Spin” as a title chapter, and some students may need clarification of this term. The students will have the opportunity to voice any questions or comments regarding the reading so far, as the narrative structure has gotten tricky and there are some graphic images in the third chapter that may be distressing for students. This class period will allow for informal discussion of any student concerns, and students will be able to share their backpacks before turning them in.//

** Lesson: “On The Rainy River” Day 1 **
 * Purpose of the Unit/Concept (Long Term Goals)**

· Students will explore the social, ethical, and civic implications of war · Students will be able to develop an understanding of the art of story-telling · Students will be able to write their own story.


 * Objectives for This Lesson (Short Term Goals)**

· Students will be able to define challenging vocabulary found in the excerpt. · Students will be able to define the cultural reference terms contained in the excerpt and describe personal and cultural values that are attached to these references. · Students will be able to identify personal and cultural influences in their own lives, and will describe how these influences reveal certain values. · Students will be able to apply the critical lens of Deconstruction to their reading.


 * Processes/Procedures for Students**

· Prior to the lesson, the students will have been assigned the reading of this chapter for homework, so the context and material of this lesson will not be unfamiliar. · At the beginning of class students will be able to briefly voice any comments or questions they have regarding the reading thus far. · One student will be asked to volunteer to //slowly// read the excerpt out load to the class. · As the student in reading, the teacher will record the cultural references from the excerpt in a column on the board in the first column of a previously drawn four-column chart. · The other students will make their own charts mirroring the chart drawn on the board, and will fill in the first column of the chart with the terms the teacher records as they follow along with the reading. · After the student is done reading the excerpt, the students will voice any comments or questions they have regarding the excerpt, and will be asked to offer any knowledge they have regarding the terms listed on the board. · The teacher will go down the list of terms and ask students for brief definitions of each, supplying explanations where the class appears to be unfamiliar with a reference. · Students will be told to take brief notes in the second column and to ask for clarification when needed so that the teacher and class collaborate together to create a cultural context for the excerpt.
 * Activity 1: Overt Instruction and Discussion to Establish Cultural Context**

· Students will be divided up into small groups (about 4 students in each group). · The students will observe as the teacher models the following process for the first term on the list and describes how the students will categorize the terms by highlighting them with different colors. · Students will then collaborate with their groups to write (in the corresponding place in the third column) the cultural/personal values that they think each item on the list represents. · Students will highlight each term (using different colors for classification) based on whether it refers to: 1) the narrator’s personal life; 2) the cultural time period in which this part of the story takes place; 3) something that is stereotypically representative of “American life;” 4) something that goes beyond the American cultural setting/is more universal. The teacher will be sure to emphasize that these classifications are subjective, and that group members should discuss their reasons for the possible categorization of each term. · In the fourth column the students will then indicate which “shore” this person or reference would be on in terms of persuading the narrator in his decision. Again, students will be reminded that there are not necessarily “right” answers and students will benefit from being able to discuss their reasoning. · When the groups have finished, the class will reconvene to compare the various charts. Students will engage in informal discussion and sharing of the discoveries they have made during this process, and will respond to the differences between their charts and those of other groups.
 * Activity 2: Group Work to Investigate Embedded Meanings in Cultural Terms**

· To end this lesson, the teacher will ask the class to brainstorm controversial issues/difficult decisions that students are facing today. Ideas will be recorded on the board. · Students will make their own charts listing the people/cultural characters that influence them and make up the “audience” of their own lives. · Students will identify several people/cultural elements that represent all the four categories described in Activity 2. · Students will write some of the values and expectations associated with each person on their list. · Students will select one of the issues from the brainstorming list (or will be allowed/encouraged to think up another). · Students will determine which side of the issue each person on their list would be on, and will identify those on the list that would be neutral or ambivalent. · Students will write a one-page reflection in which they discuss the effect of cultural and community influence on their personal value systems and decision-making processes, and in which they compare these understandings with the situation of the narrator in the excerpt. · Students will observe as the teacher briefly models these procedures with an example from his or her own life. · This assignment will be finished for homework. · For extra credit, students can turn in a drawing/collage/song (or some other artistic representation) of their “Audience.”
 * Activity 3: Homework: “Audience of My Life” Assignment**


 * Processes/Procedures for Teachers**

· The teacher will prepare for this lesson beforehand by researching any terms from the excerpt that he or she does not already know. · The teacher will devise an example of the “audience” of his or her life to be used in modeling the assignment in Activity 3. · The teacher will draw the “audience” chart on the board as a model for the students.
 * Preparation**

· At the beginning of class, the teacher will ask students to briefly voice any comments or questions they have regarding the reading thus far. · The teacher will ask one student to volunteer to //slowly// read the excerpt out loud to the class. · As the student in reading, the teacher will record the cultural references from the excerpt in a column on the board in the first column of a previously drawn four-column chart. · The teacher will instruct the other students to make their own charts mirroring the chart drawn on the board, and will fill in the first column of the chart with the terms the teacher records as they follow along with the reading. · After the student is done reading the excerpt, the teacher will ask students to voice any comments or questions they have regarding the excerpt. · The teacher will go down the list of terms and ask students for brief definitions of each, supplying explanations where the class appears to be unfamiliar with a reference. · The teacher will tell students to take brief notes in the second column of their own charts after the descriptions on the terms. · The teacher will offer clarification where students appear to be confused about certain terms.
 * Activity 1: Overt Instruction and Discussion to Establish Cultural Context**

· The teacher will divide students into small groups (about 4 students in each group). · The teacher will model the following process for the first term on the list and will describe how the students will categorize the terms by highlighting them with different colors. · The teacher will instruct the students to collaborate with their groups to write (in the corresponding place in the third column) the cultural/personal values that they think each item on the list represents. · The teacher will instruct students to highlight each term (using different colors for classification) based on whether it refers to: 1) the narrator’s personal life; 2) the cultural time period in which this part of the story takes place; 3) something that is stereotypically representative of “American life;” 4) something that goes beyond the American cultural setting/is more universal. The teacher will be sure to emphasize that these classifications are subjective, and that group members should discuss their reasons for the possible categorization of each term. · The teacher will instruct the students to indicate in the fourth column which “shore” this person or reference would be on in terms of persuading the narrator in his decision. Again, the teacher will remind students that there are not necessarily “right” answers and students will benefit from being able to discuss their reasoning. · While the groups are working on their charts, the teacher will visit each group individually to formatively assess the understanding a progress of the group. The teacher will be able to help groups and individual students that are having difficulty with the assignment, and he or she will be able to determine if students are making connections between the influences of the listed personalities on the decision of the character. · When the groups have finished, the teacher will ask members of the groups to share some of the conclusions and difficulties they experienced in making the charts. The teacher will scaffold students in discussing the discoveries they have made during this process and responding to the differences between their charts and those of other groups. · The teacher will then ask students to comment on how they think the ideas developed in the chart relate to the decision-making process of the narrator.
 * Activity 2: Group Work to Investigate Embedded Meanings in Cultural Terms**

· To end this lesson, the teacher will ask the class to brainstorm controversial issues/difficult decisions that students are facing today. Ideas will be recorded on the board. · The teacher will model the following procedure for students with an example from his or her own life. · The teacher will instruct students to make their own charts listing the people/cultural characters that influence them and make up the “audience” of their own lives. · The teacher will instruct students to identify several people/cultural elements that represent all the four categories described in Activity 2. · The teacher will instruct students to write some of the values and expectations associated with each person on their list. · The teacher will instruct students to select one of the issues from the brainstorming list (or will be allowed/encouraged to think up another). · The teacher will instruct Students to indicate which side of the issue each person on their list would be on, and to identify those on the list that would be neutral or ambivalent. · The teacher assign students a one-page reflection paper in which they discuss the effect of cultural and community influence on their personal value systems and decision-making processes, and in which they compare these understandings with the situation of the narrator in the excerpt. · This assignment will be finished for homework. · For extra credit, students can turn in a drawing/collage/song (or some other artistic representation) of their “Audience.” The teacher will explain that this extra credit can be turned in any time before the end of the unit.
 * Activity 3: Homework: “Audience of My Life” Assignment**

· The teacher will end the lesson by allowing students to begin the assignment described above. The teacher can therefore be available to assist students that might have questions or difficulty with the assignment. · The teacher may set out examples of previous classes’ extra credit projects to help inspire students in their own charts and potential projects.
 * Closing/Summation**

· Background research (if necessary) on the cultural terms found in the excerpt · Previously constructed example from the teacher’s own “life audience” to be modeled for the assignment · Dry-erase markers or other tool for writing on the board · 6 highlighters each for 4 colors (24 total) if students will not have their own · (optional) construction paper/magazines/other art materials for drawing/collage · (optional) example projects from previous years
 * Materials Needed**


 * Assessment**

Students will be formatively assessed throughout these activities based on their in-class and group responses. The teacher will collect the charts completed in class and those assigned for homework and will grade them for completion only. The teacher will then be able to determine if students are making the connections between culture and value systems, and if they have a grasp on the cultural context that is the setting for the novel. This is not an evaluation of students’ knowledge, but rather an exercise in critical thinking and personal engagement.

The teacher will grade the reflection paragraph on these criteria: 1) analysis of connections between “life audience” and personal value systems; 2) assessment of role of “life audience” in personal decision-making 3) comparison between personal experience during this activity and that of the narrator on the excerpt scene; 4) sufficient length of paper (one page) and quality of analysis; (5) grammar and conventions.

The reflection paper will not constitute a large portion of the students’ overall grade for the unit, as the goal of this assignment if to engage students in critical reflection on the ideas introduced by the lesson and to help them make connections between their personal lives and communities and those of the narrator of the novel.


 * Accommodations**

This lesson is especially beneficial for ESOL students as they negotiate cultural connotations found in the English language. This lesson will acquaint them with characteristically American cultural components and will help them explore and understand cultural elements that contribute to present and historical atmospheres. However, they may need more structured explanation from the teacher or other classmates regarding the nuances or the references or the value systems they imply. The nature of the lesson is beneficial in that it slows down the reading and focuses attention on the detail of the text, so ESOL or other struggling students will be able to concentrate on smaller pieces of information at one time. Working in small groups benefits ESOL students because they have more opportunities to speak and are faced with less personal risk than if they were speaking in front of the whole class. The negotiation of meaning within a group is also an essential literacy community practice. Furthermore, during the group-work portion of the activity, the teacher will be able to visit groups and individuals to assist them personally with difficulties in understanding or in completing the activity.


 * Sunshine State Standards Met**

LA.1112.1.6.2 - listen to, read, and discuss familiar and conceptually challenging text

LA.1112.1.6.4 - categorize key vocabulary and identify salient features

LA.1112.1.7.1: The student will use background knowledge of subject and related content areas, prereading strategies (e.g., previewing, discussing, generating questions), text features, and text structure to make and confirm complex predictions of content, purpose, and organization of a reading selection

LA.1112.2.1.7: The student will analyze, interpret, and evaluate an author's use of descriptive language (e.g., tone, irony, mood, imagery, pun, alliteration, onomatopoeia, allusion), figurative language (e.g., symbolism, metaphor, personification, hyperbole), common idioms, and mythological and literary allusions, and explain how they impact meaning in a variety of texts with an emphasis on how they evoke reader's emotions

LA.1112.1.7.1: The student will use background knowledge of subject and related content areas, prereading strategies (e.g., previewing, discussing, generating questions), text features, and text structure to make and confirm complex predictions of content, purpose, and organization of a reading selection

LA.1112.2.2.3: The student will organize information to show understanding or relationships among facts, ideas, and events (e.g., representing key points within text through charting, mapping, paraphrasing, summarizing, comparing, contrasting, outlining) LA.D.2.4.2 Student will understand the subtleties of literary devices and techniques in the comprehension and creation of communication

LA.E.2.4.5 Student will analyze the relationships among author’s style, literary form, and intended impact on the reader