Writing Lesson
Subject: English Grade level: 10th
Unit: Julius Caesar Day/periods: 3/02/12, 2nd period, 50 minutes
Topic: Writing standard 2, informative writing
Content Standards:
Writing Standard 2 (a-f): Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization and analysis of content.
Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, text and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Speaking and Listening Standard 2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g. visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
Reading Informational Text Standard 2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Learning Experience Outcomes
Students will: Discover the role of women during the Roman Empire.
Compare and contrast women in society now and women back then.
Display their new understanding of women.
Work collaboratively in groups to discover meaning.
Learning Experience Assessments
Participation in class discussion following the reading.
Observed connections made with peers comparing women’s roles.
Evaluating level of student’s paper.
Evidence used effectively to back up information in paper.
Observing productivity and collaboration of group work.
Differentiation
Approaching Gave students further explanation on the paper topic. Give examples of men roles in this time for future reference.
On-level Some participation in the group discussions. Answer student questions to help further their learning, but don’t need much assistance.
Beyond Students were making extensive comparisons and deeper connections without help of teacher. Teacher gave these students a more in-depth essay prompt (include comparisons of women roles in their papers).
Curriculum Integration History, literacy
Procedures/Strategies: Do now journal prompt, focus question, class discussion of previous learning on women’s roles in past society, powerpoint explaining women in the Roman Empire, read article in groups, continuation of powerpoint explaining informative writing and thesis statements, group work with key points and thesis, class discussion on each group’s thesis statement and how to apply what they learned to their future paper, assignment and explanation of essay prompt.
Materials/Resources:
Powerpoint
Smartboard
Copy of article for every student
Essay prompt hand-out
Day 1
Sponge Activity (activity that will be done as students enter the room to get them into the mindset of the concept to be learned) Do now: What are the roles of women in our modern day society? (journal prompt)
Anticipatory Set (focus question/s that will be used to get students thinking about the day’s lesson) Focus question on board: Who are the women characters in Julius Caesar? List them.
Activating Prior Knowledge (what information will be shared with/among students to connect to prior knowledge/experience) Class will discuss what they have previously learned in other classes about women’s role in past societies—what things are similar, different, the same?
Direct Instruction (input, modeling, check for understanding)
1. Powerpoint on the role of women during the Roman Empire.
2. Specific people will be highlighted and expanded upon to demonstrate further learning.
3. Continued slides from powerpoint describing how to write an informative essay based on the informational article and the text itself. The powerpoint will give students step-by-step instructions of how to write this kind of paper using models and examples from the texts as a reference guide for them.
4. Included in the slides will be a demonstration of how to write a thesis statement with examples to accompany the explanations.
5. Explanation of assignment through hand-out.
Guided Practice (how students will demonstrate their grasp of new learning)
1. Students will read an informative text, “Women in the Roman Empire,” in groups.
2. After reading this article they will discuss what they found to be important in the text.
3. They will collaboratively make a list of 5 key points.
4. After completing this they will come up with a thesis based on the article in their groups.
Closure (action/statement by teacher designed to bring lesson presentation to an appropriate close) Class discussion of how their 5 key points will assist the students in beginning their papers.
Independent Practice (what students will do to reinforce learning of the lesson) Students will write an informative essay, based on their interpretation of the play and other readings done in class, discussing the role and status of women during Julius Caesar’s time (the Roman Empire).
Unit: Julius Caesar Day/periods: 3/02/12, 2nd period, 50 minutes
Topic: Writing standard 2, informative writing
Content Standards:
Writing Standard 2 (a-f): Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization and analysis of content.
Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, text and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Speaking and Listening Standard 2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g. visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
Reading Informational Text Standard 2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
Learning Experience Outcomes
Students will: Discover the role of women during the Roman Empire.
Compare and contrast women in society now and women back then.
Display their new understanding of women.
Work collaboratively in groups to discover meaning.
Learning Experience Assessments
Participation in class discussion following the reading.
Observed connections made with peers comparing women’s roles.
Evaluating level of student’s paper.
Evidence used effectively to back up information in paper.
Observing productivity and collaboration of group work.
Differentiation
Approaching Gave students further explanation on the paper topic. Give examples of men roles in this time for future reference.
On-level Some participation in the group discussions. Answer student questions to help further their learning, but don’t need much assistance.
Beyond Students were making extensive comparisons and deeper connections without help of teacher. Teacher gave these students a more in-depth essay prompt (include comparisons of women roles in their papers).
Curriculum Integration History, literacy
Procedures/Strategies: Do now journal prompt, focus question, class discussion of previous learning on women’s roles in past society, powerpoint explaining women in the Roman Empire, read article in groups, continuation of powerpoint explaining informative writing and thesis statements, group work with key points and thesis, class discussion on each group’s thesis statement and how to apply what they learned to their future paper, assignment and explanation of essay prompt.
Materials/Resources:
Powerpoint
Smartboard
Copy of article for every student
Essay prompt hand-out
Day 1
Sponge Activity (activity that will be done as students enter the room to get them into the mindset of the concept to be learned) Do now: What are the roles of women in our modern day society? (journal prompt)
Anticipatory Set (focus question/s that will be used to get students thinking about the day’s lesson) Focus question on board: Who are the women characters in Julius Caesar? List them.
Activating Prior Knowledge (what information will be shared with/among students to connect to prior knowledge/experience) Class will discuss what they have previously learned in other classes about women’s role in past societies—what things are similar, different, the same?
Direct Instruction (input, modeling, check for understanding)
1. Powerpoint on the role of women during the Roman Empire.
2. Specific people will be highlighted and expanded upon to demonstrate further learning.
3. Continued slides from powerpoint describing how to write an informative essay based on the informational article and the text itself. The powerpoint will give students step-by-step instructions of how to write this kind of paper using models and examples from the texts as a reference guide for them.
4. Included in the slides will be a demonstration of how to write a thesis statement with examples to accompany the explanations.
5. Explanation of assignment through hand-out.
Guided Practice (how students will demonstrate their grasp of new learning)
1. Students will read an informative text, “Women in the Roman Empire,” in groups.
2. After reading this article they will discuss what they found to be important in the text.
3. They will collaboratively make a list of 5 key points.
4. After completing this they will come up with a thesis based on the article in their groups.
Closure (action/statement by teacher designed to bring lesson presentation to an appropriate close) Class discussion of how their 5 key points will assist the students in beginning their papers.
Independent Practice (what students will do to reinforce learning of the lesson) Students will write an informative essay, based on their interpretation of the play and other readings done in class, discussing the role and status of women during Julius Caesar’s time (the Roman Empire).