Introductory Week

Day 1
Week one: Plan #1 of 3
Plan type: Summary
Context:
Grade level: 8th
Length of lesson: 90 min.
This lesson will be taught on the first day of class, during the introduction
week with a classroom full of new students. The goal of Day 1 is:
Acknowledging Individuality and Basic Routines.
Critical Learning Objectives
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
1. Students will know general classroom routines.
2. Students will know the names and some information about their peers
and teacher.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
1. Students will understand that each person brings unique background,
experience, and perspective to our class.
Performance (do):
1. Students will know how to listen and take notes while others are
speaking.
2. Students will collaborate to write norms for Quiet-Attentive-Listening.
SOLs:
7.1 The student will participate in and contribute to conversations,
group discussions, and oral presentations.
a) Communicate ideas and information orally in an organized and
succinct manner.
b) Ask probing questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas.
CCSs:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Methods of Assessment:
Diagnostic:
Interest inventories will serve as the main formal (meaning collected
formally, but it will be ungraded) diagnostic assessment. This will give
the teacher an idea about how students are entering the class in terms
of what they like, what their preferred learning environments are, a
little bit about who they are, and finally, how they are approaching this
year in the English classroom.
The teacher will also listen to the students and observe and take notes
on their listening skills.
Formative:
When going over classroom routines, the teacher will pause after
explaining each routine. At this time, students will take 20-30 seconds
to explain this routine and its significance to a partner. The teacher will
circulate and listen to students explanations, specifically looking to
see if students are explaining the routines accurately. The teacher will
re-explain if necessary. [Informal Formative Assessment, K1]

During Quiet-Attentive-Listening students will write ideas on sticky

notes and place them on a large t-chart. The teacher will read the
sticky notes as students bring them up and plan to fill in gaps when
going over the lists as a whole class. After this class period, the teacher
will write the Q-A-L norms onto the chart to display in the classroom.
Students will reference these norms throughout the year. The teacher
will collect student Partner Grids to review notes taken during partner
discussions. The teacher will informally assess students listening skills
by taking note of the looks like and feels like descriptors they come
up with. The teacher will collect student sticky notes to get a handle on
students understandings of how to listen attentively and quietly.
[Formal Formative Assessment, D1-2]

The teacher will explain why we are doing icebreaker activities (i.e. to
get to know each other in our classroom). While students play Train
Wreck and later complete Partner Grids, the teacher will assess how
the students are relating to each other by listening to and observing
student interactions. The teacher will collect Partner Grids to review
what students learned about each other and how much they noted
about one another in their grids. Students will also complete an

Interest Inventory for the teacher to review. [Formal & Informal

Formative Assessment, K2, A1]
Summative:
On the third day, students will write and perform skits about classroom
procedures for Quiet-Attentive-Listening, Silent-Patient-Waiting, Home
Court, and Daily Classroom Routines. Students will be split into four
groups and assigned one of the previously listed procedures. Their task
will be to write and perform a 2-3 minute skit about their assigned
classroom procedure. The students will choose to make the content of
their skit an example or non-example of the assigned procedure. The
students will be asked to be dramatic, emphasizing the example or
non-example in a fun, memorable way. The teacher will take notes
during each skit and assess how well each group understands the
classroom procedure they perform. To assess individual students
understanding of ALL classroom procedures, the teacher will have
students fill out a graphic organizer consisting of four boxes. Each box
will be assigned one of the four assigned classroom procedures (QuietAttentive-Listening, Silent-Patient-Waiting, Home Court, and Daily
Classroom Routines). Students will fill out 3 of the 4 boxes while they
watch other groups perform. At the end of the skits, students will
individually fill in the box corresponding to the procedure their skit was
based on. Students will be responsible for using the box to record both
the main idea(s) of each classroom procedure and evidence for how to
exemplify or not exemplify that procedure (based on the student skits).
Students will also draw a symbol or picture representing the main idea
identified in each skit. This will allow the teacher to assess the
students on each of these critical classroom norm activities, helping
ensure all students understand how the classroom will function
throughout the year.
Materials Needed:
Partner Grid Worksheet
Interest Inventories
Post-It Notes
Post-It Paper
Composition Books
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Beginning Room Arrangement: The class is currently set up in a large
circle.
[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in
the plan]

Welcome:
The teacher will greet students at the door as they come into class.
Chairs/desks will be arranged in a large circle in preparation for Train Wreck.
Students can choose their own seats in the circle. The teacher will greet
students at the door as they come into class, instructing them to choose a
seat and to place their belongings under their chairs. (5 minutes)
Bridge/Hook/Opening to Lesson:
Step 2: Train Wreck
The teacher will explain how the game will work. Everyone will start near
their respective spots in the circle while the teacher stands in the center of
the circle. The teacher will start by saying her name and sharing something
about herself. She will frame it using the phrase switch if The teacher will
explain that things shared can be likes, dislikes, fun facts, experiences, etc.
For example, the teacher could say, Hi, my name is Ms. Lin. Switch if you
love going to the beach. After the teacher says this, everyone who loves
going to the beach has to find a new seat, including the teacher. This means
that a new person, a student now, will end in the middle. Then, the student
will say his/her name and share a fact about him/herself using the phrase
switch if Everyone who shares this like/dislike/fun fact/experience will
find a new seat. The game continues until the teacher calls time. This game
will allow students share about themselves to the whole class while
discovering what they have in common with other students. (10 minutes)
Main Lesson:
Step 3: Go Over Basic Classroom Routines
The teacher will explain that these routines will help the classroom run
smoothly. The teacher will explain the following routines:
Silent Hand Raise Whenever the teacher needs to have the class attention,
the teacher will raise her hand. When students notice that the teachers
hand is raised, they are quiet and also raise their hands to help other
students know that it is time to be quiet and pay attention. The teacher will
challenge students to get quiet as fast as they can. Students will practice by
chatting and watching for the teacher to raise her hand.
Do Now When students come into class a Do-Now will be posted at the
front of the classroom. This will tell students what they should be doing at
the start of class and where they can find needed materials. The teacher will

explain this procedure. After explanation, students will turn to a partner and
explain how the Do-Now will work each class period. The teacher will listen in
and re-explain if necessary.
Composition Books Throughout the year, students will complete classwork
and note taking in their composition notebooks. Periodically, the teacher will
collect composition books to grade. Students are responsible for making sure
they keep up with assignments, even when absent, and they will store their
composition books in a file cabinet in the classroom. After the teacher
explains this procedure, students will turn to a DIFFERENT partner and
explain how composition books will work. The teacher will listen in and reexplain if necessary. (10 minutes)
Step 4: Quiet-Attentive-Listening
From the circle set-up, the teacher will instruct students to stay in a circle
shape, but to push two desks slightly closer so they can work with a partner
for this activity. While explaining, the teacher will distribute Sticky Notes to
each pair, two different colors. The teacher will direct students attention to a
large t-chart posted on the board. One side says, Looks like and the other
says, Sounds Like. The teacher will ask students what teachers and
students would be doing if they were listening carefully to someone during a
discussion. On one color, students will write what this would look like. On
the other color, they will write what this would sound like. As they finish,
they will bring their Sticky Notes up to the chart and place them on the
appropriate side. The teacher will lead the class in a short discussion to go
over the sticky notes. After class, the teacher will write the norms onto the
chart and keep it posted in the classroom for students to reference
throughout the year. If there are any norms the teacher had in mind that the
students did not brainstorm, the teacher will suggest these. (20 minutes)
Step 5 & 6: 2 Truths & 1 Lie with Partner Grid
The teacher will come to class with 2 truths and 1 lie about likes/dislikes/fun
facts/experiences. She will project these on the board. The teacher will
explain that students will create their own 2 Truths & 1 Lie after trying to
identify the teachers truths and lie. Students will turn to 3-4 people near
them and will work together to identify which statements are true and which
one is false. Groups will have 2 minutes to decide. Each group will share their
thoughts before the teacher dramatically reveals the answer. After revealing,
the teacher will briefly share any appropriate or necessary stories to explain
the examples. (5-7 minutes)

The teacher will instruct students to create their own 2 Truths & 1 Lie. The
teacher will put a timer on the board for students to reference. (5 minutes)
While students are working, the teacher will distribute Partner Grids and
explain how to use them. For the next part of the activity, students will use
their 2 Truths & 1 Lie to complete Partner Grids. The teacher will remind
students to refer to the Quiet-Attentive-Listening charts as they are talking to
each other. Students will find a partner and decide who will be Partner A and
Partner B. They will exchange 2 Truths & 1 Lie, but Partner A will guess
first. After Partner A guesses, Partner B will share the answer and explain one
of the statements. As Partner B is sharing, Partner A will take notes and write
down a follow-up question. Partner A will ask Partner B the follow-up question
and write down the answer. Students will switch roles. Students will be in the
same pair for 2-3 minutes. They will switch partners TWO times and follow
the same procedures. The teacher will collect the students 2 Truths & 1 Lie
to use in future class periods. (10 minutes)
Step 7 & 8: Interest Inventory & Wrap Up
The teacher will distribute Interest Inventories and give students until the
end of class to work on them. Even if unfinished, the teacher will collect
these at the end of class. Dismiss the class. (10-15 minutes)
Closure:
Step 5: Wrap Up and Q&A
The teacher will summarize everything discussed during the first day of
class. She will allow time for students to ask questions about the work done
this week to build community and safe learning space. (5-10 minutes)