i.+Lesson+6+Jessica

//Following the “How to Tell a True War Story” lessons, students will discuss “The Dentist.” The focus for this lesson will be to examine how stories keep characters alive. In this instance, Tim O’Brien brings Curt Lemon “back to life” after he is “killed off” in “How to Tell a True War Story.” Students will discuss the implications this has for the text’s structure, characterization, and overarching themes noticed thus far. The rest of the class period will be devoted to preparing for the first Socratic Seminar. Students in this class have done Socratic Seminar prior and are familiar with what it entails. To aid student discussion during the seminar, students must contribute comments to the questions on the wiki site (see Project Schedule, Unit Worksheets, and Wiki Questions Page). During the Socratic Seminar, students will focus on the major issues, themes, and questions they have regarding the first portion of the novel. As always, Socratic Seminars are student-led and students will be assessed on their contributions, textual support, preparation, professional attitude, and respectful interactions. For homework, students must read “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” and take notes on their reactions to the chapter for homework.// "Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” Lesson Plan 1 //By the end of this unit…//
 * A. Purpose of the Unit and Concept (Long Term)**
 * -Students will be able to 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. **

//By the end of this lesson…// -Students will be able to analyze multiple genres (song and text) to develop an understanding of characterization -Students will be able to identify elements that contribute to character development. -Students will be able to interpret the significance of a character in relation to the larger story. -Students will be able to make textually supported predictions about the unknown future of a character.
 * B. Objectives for this lesson (Short Term)**

-For homework the night before, students will write their reactions to this chapter in note form, informally -Students will begin class by listening to “Ballad of the Green Berets” -Students will tell the teacher their impressions about the song, the images it conjures up, and the significance they think it has in relation to //The Things They Carried// -Students will then take out their books and turn to “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” -Students will orally list the characteristics //they// notice about Mary-Anne when she first arrives in Vietnam, taking notes from the board -Students will then orally list the changes in character they notice when Mary-Anne begins to change, taking notes from the board -Students will then orally list the characteristics of Mary-Anne at the end of the chapter, taking notes from the board -Students will then work with their partners to discuss the overall significance of Mary-Anne to the chapter and to the greater work -They will summarize their ideas into one sentence or phrase to present to the class in approximately five minutes -Students will listen to the presentations, taking notes on what each group said Mary-Anne’s function and purpose is to the story -Students will then be given their homework assignment (bring their reaction notes to class, reread the chapter, and draw / write what they believe happens to Mary-Anne at the end of her story) -Students will be given the rest of the period to begin their drawing or writing with the supplies in class
 * C. Process / Procedures for Students**

//Before// -Teacher will do a close reading of the chapter “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” -Teacher will take notes on Mary-Anne’s role in the story, specifically her changes in character, dress, attitude, speech, and relationship with Mark Fossie -Teacher will bring in blank paper, markers, crayons, and colored pencils for the students to use during the activity -Teacher will also find a visual and aural version of the song “Ballad of the Green Berets” to play during the start of class (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH4-tOqLH94) //During// -Teacher will begin class by playing the song “Ballad of the Green Berets” for the class to watch and listen to -Teacher will explain that the Green Berets are what O’Brien calls the “Greenies” in the text (i.e. the group Mary-Anne joins) -Teacher will explain the class activity (the class will generate a list of textual support and quotes from the song or chapter to develop an understanding of how Mary-Anne functions in this chapter (students will take notes)) -Teacher will begin by asking students to list the characteristics and description they heard in the song and why they think it relates to the chapter they read -Teacher will write their ideas on the board -Teacher will ask students to then turn to the “Sweetheart of Song Tra Bong” to list the way Mary-Anne is described when she first arrives in Vietnam -Teacher will write their ideas on the board -Teacher will then ask students to describe Mary-Anne as soon as //they// begin to notice a change in her character -Teacher will write their ideas on the board -Teacher will then ask for the ways Mary-Anne is described at the end of the chapter, or when they feel she has become an entirely different person -Teacher will write their ideas on the board -Teacher will then instruct the students to talk with their partner (the person sitting next to them; they know who their partner is) about what they think Mary-Anne’s purpose is in the text -Teacher will allow 5 for this discussion -Teacher will also walk around during their conversation to see what kinds of comments and inferences students are making -Teacher will bring the students together to share what they believe happens to Mary-Anne -Each pair must present their idea in a one sentence or less synthesis of their thoughts //Closing / Summation// -Teacher will write their ideas on the board for students to take notes on -Teacher will then give their homework assignment, which will allow the students to begin working in class -For homework, students should reread the chapter again and bring their reactions notes from the night prior to class tomorrow -For homework, the teacher will tell students that they must either draw a picture or write a short paragraph describing what they think really happened to Mary-Anne
 * D. Process / Procedures for Teachers**

-Blank paper -Markers, colored pencils, crayons -Tim O’Brien’s //The Things They Carried// -Paper / Pencil -Ballad of the Green Berets link
 * E. Materials Needed**

-There are many opportunities for formative assessment for the teacher during this lesson -During the class list generation, the teacher will be able to see the kinds of characteristics the students recognize -If students choose elements that are not entirely important to Mary-Anne’s character development or if the students miss huge components, the teacher will be able to direct their attention to specific page numbers or directly to the characteristic itself to highlight important elements -While of course it is important for the students to see themselves, pointing out these elements for them in one list-generation should help students with generating the rest of the lists and characteristics -During the paired discussion, the teacher can listen to student conversations and notice the ways students are interpreting Mary-Anne’s function -If students miss the point entirely, either in paired discussion or in their presentation of ideas, there should be time enough in class to refocus their thoughts to get a better understanding of Mary-Anne’s purpose as a whole class -The formal assessment for this lesson is their art work or creative writing regarding what really happens to Mary-Anne at the end of the chapter -Students will not be graded on the quality of their drawing, nor will their paragraph be graded for stylistic elements of their writing -The focus here is for students to have the freedom to creatively apply their understanding of Mary-Anne’s character developments and shifts to write another part of O’Brien’s story (thus developing their ability to tell stories individually) -They have enough evidence to make some predictions about what became of her, especially because they ended the lesson by focusing on her function to the whole novel -Students have freedom to be creative but their ideas should be textually rooted -Students who obviously draw or write out of context, without focusing on the text or class discussion, or who clearly put no thought into what happened to Mary-Anne //after// Tim O’Brien finishes telling the reader about her will be penalized -The grade will be a daily participation grade in the form of a check plus, check minus, or zero -Students who get a zero will be asked to speak with the teacher after class to determine if they misunderstood the lesson or if they simply did not give it any thought or attention
 * F. Assessment**

-This lesson incorporates several different learning styles to try to accommodate all students comfortably in some portion of the lesson -Students who have special needs regarding speaking in the class do not have to speak during the list-generation activity or the pair-presentation -These students are able to simply take notes and follow along in their book, having freedom to ask questions along the way if they do not understand something in particular -These students can also meet with the teacher before or after class at a scheduled time to discuss the activity -Students who have difficulty taking notes can either use a computer, laptop, or simply get the notes from another student (or the teacher) -These students should notify the teacher so they can best assist them and to make sure the student receives the right information for future reference -Students have the ability to choose their homework assignment, giving them the ability to express themselves as comfortably as possible -ELL students or students with special needs can use drawing to represent their ideas -Students who feel uncomfortable with drawing can rely on a written reflection for their homework assignment -ELL and special needs students can also refer to dictionaries or a thesaurus during the list-generation activity if there are words or phrases that are confusing -ELL and special needs students who need more time on their homework assignment (although I do not foresee this being an issue as they have class time to do the work) can be given additional time, as long as they meet with the teacher
 * G. Modifications or Accommodations**

-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.1112.1.7.3: The student will determine the main idea or essential message in grade-level or higher texts through inferring, paraphrasing, summarizing, and identifying relevant details and facts -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;
 * H.** **Sunshine** **State** **Standards Met**