General Educator: Jourdan Morgan

Special Service Provider: Shelby Lebo

Co-Teaching Lesson Plan

Subject Area: English Language Arts

Grade Level: 8

Class Description: General Ed ELA Classroom

Classroom Arrangement: Desks arranged in groups of four

Students with Disabilities:

Student

Disability Classification

IEP Accommodations and Assisted

Technology

Additional Modifications for this

Lesson

Ashley

Autism Spectrum

Advanced notice of plans and

expectation
Scribing
Support from teachers and peers.

Providing answers verbally instead of

written.
Multiple readings of the poem.

Jane

Learning Disability

Materials read and clarified

Directions read and clarified
Tests: Separate location/time and a half
Consultant teacher in ELA/Math classes
Use of calculator
Support from teachers and peers.

Directions clarified by teachers as

needed and repeated by students in
group.
Multiple readings of the poem.
Ability grouping

I.

Preparation
a) Purpose
i)

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce perspective through poetry. Using Jordan Nichols poem Our Generation students
will encounter two different perspectives. We want our students to begin thinking of how diverse todays society is and how a
change in perspective and point of view can alter the way a person views an opinion.

b) Objective(s)
When given the definitions of previously taught literary elements, students will be able to identify the literary element by
conferring with a partner and writing the words on the whiteboards.
ii) While reading the poem, Our Generation students will establish the authors tone and mood through pair-share methods.
iii) After reading the poem, students will demonstrate their understanding of perspective through writing a reflection, which they
will turn in to the teacher when they exit the classroom.
i)

General Educator: Jourdan Morgan

Special Service Provider: Shelby Lebo

c) New York State Common Core State Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5 - Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing
structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
ii) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.6 - Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader
(e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
iii) CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2 - Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
i)

d) Essential Questions
i)
ii)
iii)

What would happen if everyone had the same perspective?

Why do we have different perspectives in life?
Why do authors try to show us multiple perspectives in their work?

e) Key Vocabulary
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

Perspective - a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something

Point of View - the vantage point at which a story is told
Mood - inducing or suggestive of a particular feeling or state of mind.
Tone - the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

f) Materials
PowerPoint with definitions of previously taught vocabulary words, directions for marking the text of the poem and ticket out
the door.
ii) Whiteboards and markers for all students in class.
iii) Our Generation (Fleisch-Kincaid Readability Level 1.5)
iv) Copy of Poem handout for all students on different colored papers
v) Loose-leaf paper, pens/pencils
vi) Photo of optical illusion
Procedures
i)

II.

1) Anticipatory Set
Co-Teaching Method
One Teach,
One Observe

Time

552 min.

General Education Teacher

While students are entering the
room, a picture will be on the

Special Education Provider

Assessment
General consensus
polling of students

General Educator: Jourdan Morgan

Special Service Provider: Shelby Lebo

smartboard as part of a bell-ringer

activity. The picture will be an
optical illusion. The class will be
asked if they see a woman. (All
should answer yes). Some will see a
young woman and some will see an
older woman. The class will take a
vote of who sees the old woman, and
who sees the young woman in the
picture. Some may see only one, and
others may see both. It will be
explained that this is an example of
how people can have different
perspectives when looking at the
same thing.

3 min

In previous lessons, students learned

the definitions of key literary
elements found while reading
fictional works. The GE teacher will
explain that the purpose of this
lesson is for students to demonstrate
their understanding of the literary
terms, specifically perspective, point
of view, tone and mood, by using
them in the context of poetry.
On the smart-board, the definition
will be shown for one of the
vocabulary words. Together with a
partner, students will write the word
that corresponds to that definition on
their whiteboard and hold it up.
(The four words will be displayed on
the word wall.)
The GE teacher will go through each
definition and check the students

knowledge of defintions.
Will help students who may need
defining features of the pictures
pointed out to them to be able to see
a woman in the photograph.

Keeps track of students who may

need further explanation of
definitions and concepts

Will observe the understanding of

the vocabulary with the GE teacher
SE teacher will make sure Ashley is
partnered with a student who will
work patiently with Ashley.

General Educator: Jourdan Morgan

Special Service Provider: Shelby Lebo

understanding of the definitions of

the words.
2) Body of the Lesson/Lesson Development
Co-Teaching Method
Team

Time

df 3 min

1 min

2 min

2 min

1 min

General Education Teacher

Every student will be handed a copy
of the poem on a yellow, green,
blue, or pink paper.(One of each
color per group) The group member
with the yellow paper will be
instructed to read the poem to their
partners from top to bottom.

Special Education Provider

Make sure all students understand
the directions by asking certain
students what they are supposed to
be doing.

Once completed, the GE teacher will

SE teacher will make sure Jane does
read the poem aloud to the students
not receive a green or yellow paper.
and ask students to think about the
authors perspective on the world
today while listening to the poem.
GE will ask students to reflect on the
mood poem through a pair-share
SE teacher will remind students that
with their group. Partner with the
mood is the way the reader feels
green paper will reflect first, then
yellow, then blue, lastly pink.
GE teacher will ask the person with
the pink paper to summarize the
groups reflection.
The GE teacher will then instruct the
students with the green paper to read
the poem to their group, but this
time from bottom to top. Once the
reading is concluded, the teacher
will ask students to discuss that
authors perspective on the world

SE teacher will help students with

the mechanics of reading the poem
in reverse if the students become
confused.

Assessment
General observations and
conferral that students are
understanding the tasks
and information
presented by the poem.

General Educator: Jourdan Morgan

Special Service Provider: Shelby Lebo

when they read the poem in reverse.

1 min

The GE teacher will remind students

that tone is how the people the poem
is describing must feel.

2 min

Once completed, the SE teacher will

ask students to think about how the
authors tone is different while the
poem is read from bottom to top.
The SE teacher will read the poem
aloud again while the students
reflect.
SE will ask students to reflect on the
poem and how the mood, tone and
perspective of the poem have
changed by reading it in reverse
through a pair share with their
group. Yellow first, then pink, then
blue, lastly green.
SE teacher will ask the person with
the blue paper to summarize the
groups reflection.

3) Closure or Concluding Activity

Co-Teaching Method
One Teach,
One Support

Time
2 min

General Education Teacher

The optical illusion will be shown
again. In their groups, students will
be asked to see if they can
collectively get everyone in the
group to see both the young woman
and the old women. This will take
communication from those in the
group to point out defining features
of the picture. Once the groups can
identify seeing both women, GE will
explain that the ability to see two

Special Education Provider

Assessment
Ticket out the door

Will monitor groups that may be

having difficulty seeing both women
in the picture and will assist groups
that may need help in identifying
distinct features in the picture.

General Educator: Jourdan Morgan

Special Service Provider: Shelby Lebo

pictures where they originally saw

one is a real life example of how
someones perspective can change
based on how they have been
presented with an idea.
1 min.

SE will reflect on what was done

On a half sheet of paper, GE will ask today in class. This will be done by
reviewing key words ands the
students to write a free write
different perspectives that come
response to the question: Which
version of the poem did you feel like when reading the poem.
you connected with more and why?
GE will collect the responses as
students leave when the bell rings
Will assist students with writing
their responses if they are having
trouble formulating their thoughts
for the ticket out the door.

Follow-Up Activities: Independent Practice, Enrichment, or Reinforcement

Students will look at a short story with multiple perspectives in follow up lessons, and write their own multiple perspective narrative
pieces when the concept is solidified.
III.

Evaluation
A. Of Student Learning
i. If the students can carry on a discussion of the terminology in context with the poem, they will have demonstrated a sufficient
understanding of the literary elements. While the definitions are important, the ability to correctly identify and explain the use
of these elements in context will help demonstrate the students understanding of the literary elements. The conclusion exercise
of answering what version of the poem did you feel like you connected with more and why? will express each students own
understanding of the lesson. The use of the optical illusion will enhance the definition of perspective to students who are
visual/ kinesthetic learners, and help solidify the idea in a concrete and creative way.
B. Of Teacher Processes

General Educator: Jourdan Morgan

Special Service Provider: Shelby Lebo

i. If the students seem to struggle with the concept of perspective, we will focus on that before moving into tone and mood. The
beginning stages of the lesson focus on polling the students to see where they stand. If the students are not understanding this
process from the beginning, it may be wise to address this concept again with more concrete examples, rather than going into
poetry which may be frustrating if the basic concept is not understood. Tone and mood often carry over from the perspective of
a work, so the tone and mood should be covered within that context, but not unless the perspective of a work is fully
understood. Tone and mood are very specific to teaching poetry so if they students are not ready for this type of literature, it
may not be introduced to the students until perspective and point of view are clarified and understood. The best way to assess
if the students understood the poem will be in their ticket out the door. If the students seem to struggle with filling in that final
assessment, it can be assumed that these concepts will need to be addressed again before moving onto other abstract concepts
like symbolism and irony.