Lesson Plan Template

EDIS 5400: English Education

Context:
Course name: Language Arts 8, Standard Level
Grade level: 8
Length of lesson: 60 minutes
Description of setting, students, and curriculum and any other important contextual characteristics: This
is a standard language arts classroom. It is the beginning of the year, around late September. We are
beginning the year with easier class texts, like YA Lit, to introduce students to reading strategies, class
discussion, and reading expectations. It is a class of 18 students, varying in ability.
Virginia SOL(s):
7.1 The student will give and seek information in conversations, in group discussions, and in oral

presentations.
a) Use oral vocabulary and style appropriate for listeners.
b) Communicate ideas and information orally in an organized and succinct manner.
c) Ask probing questions to seek elaboration and clarification of ideas.
d) Make supportive statements to communicate agreement with or acceptance of others ideas.
Common Core State Standard(s):
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.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.B
Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals
and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C
Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others' questions and
comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.D
Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their
own views in light of the evidence presented.
Objectives (KUD format):
Know:
1. The students will know how to express orally the important features of a story such as characters,
plot and figurative language that affected his/her understanding or opinion.
2. The students will know how to collaborate with their peers to reach a consensus.
Understand:
3. Students will understand the appropriate use of language when responding to classmates or
teacher in a discussion.

4. Students will understand the importance of contributing to class discussions and how it generates
learning.
5. Students will understand that good reader and writers ask questions before, during and after to
help them understand the text better.
Do:
6. The students will be able to defend their interpretation of the text.
7. The students will be able to respond orally to questions by classmates regarding Bamboo People
based off the text or through their own experiences.
Assessments: Methods for evaluating each of the specific objectives listed above.
Diagnostic: Students will demonstrate what they already know by
Re-reading class norms then Ill ask for thumbs up/thumbs down (KUD 3, VSOLS 7.1a,
VSOLS 7.1d, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.B)
Formative: Students will show their progress toward today's objectives by
I will sit in on conversations to make sure students are on track, like mini conferences,
while taking notes, using the attached rubric (KUD 1, KUD 2, KUD 6, VSOLS 7.1b,
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.B, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C)
Summative: Students will ultimately be assessed (today or in a future lesson) on these standards by...
Working as a group to write a short presentation tying up all of the groups comments,
disagreeing or agreeing (KUD 2, KUD 6, VSOLs 7.1b, VSOLs 7.1d, CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.8.1.D)
Present summary to class and respond to class questions (KUD 4, KUD 5, KUD 6, KUD
7, VSOLs 7.1b, VSOLs 7.1c, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.C, CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.8.1.D)
Reflect on questioning and differing opinions (KUD 5, KUD 7, VSOLs 7.1b, VSOLS
7.1d, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1.D)
Materials Needed:
1. Progressive brainstorm sheets
2. Discussion norms print out
3. Clipboard and rubric to record during students observations
Instructional Steps (Procedures): Detail student and teacher behavior.
Beginning Room Arrangement: The tables are arranged in a half circle to resemble a panel discussion.
[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
I.

Welcome/greeting/announcements (5 minutes)
Good afternoon, class. I hope you enjoyed finishing Bamboo People last night. It is one
of my favorites, mainly because we can get a good discussion from what happens to Chiko, Tai
and Tu Reh. So lets talk about it, see how the class is feeling. I know weve been talking in a lot
in our reading groups, so I want to mix that up today. Since weve all read this book, we can all
participate in a group discussion to our fullest. I have the groups for today. Once I read your

name, take your stuff to the corresponding table. Well stay in our usual half circle arrangement
the whole class period. [Sort groups based on public speaking confidence. Each group will
have at least one strong speaker and one improving speaker.]
II.

Hook/ bridge/ opening to lesson

Now that were in our groups, Ill fill you in on todays activity. Were going to do a bit
of role-playing, but well be sharing the burden among all the groups. Each group will represent
a person or group of people in Bamboo People. Well be discussing whether or not this person or
people would have wanted to save Chiko or not and why or why not. Youll want to carefully
consider what youve read and put yourself in the characters shoes. What would you have
done?

III.

Instructional steps
Step 1: Explanation of discussion
Before we get talking, in front of you, youll see a laminated copy of the classroom
norms or discussion expectations. We remind ourselves of these norms before every discussionbased class period. Please take a minute to read these to yourselves. Any questions? Thumbs up
or thumbs down? Great, now that we understand each other, we can move forward. On the
board, Ive written whom each group will represent, in this imaginary Karenni council. Group 1
is Tu Rehs village. Group 2 is the villages council, including the president. Group 3 is Tu Reh.
Group 4 is Auntie Doctor. Group 5 is Tu Rehs friend, Sa Reh. Group 6 is Tu Rehs father Peh.
For todays discussion, well use the progressive brainstorming sheets everyone liked so much
last class text.* Well being using these sheets in our debate in the second half of the lesson.
Remember, like with our last novel, I want to see that youve read closely, and I also want to see
you talking purposefully and politely with those in your group. Each group will get five minutes
to write as much as they can before passing to the next group.
*Do no have to model progressive brainstorming because students are familiar with it
Step 2: Discussion (30-40 minutes)
Lets get started! Talk with your group about what youd do and why. Write down
anything that comes to mind. [I will circulate and check for behavior and comprehension. Time
every 5 minutes and make sure students are appropriately passing sheets.]
Observing Group 2:
Student 1: I think they made the right decision to save Chiko because hes a human
being, just like them.
Student 2: Yeah. Write that down. Ummm, also because hes not really a soldier, right?
He doesnt want to be there.
Student 3: That happens a lot in war. Does anyone really want to be there?
Student 2: Still. Im writing it down.
Student 1: Well, also wouldnt it reflect badly on the council if they didnt save him?
Because the people wanted them to.
Student 3: And theyre a village of refugees. Like someone saved them once.
Student 1: Yeah, that one random line about the Americans! Ha ha.
Observing Group 6:

Student 1: I dont understand why hes an option in this assignment. Hes barely in the
story.
Teacher: But they talk about him a lot, dont they?
Student 2: He has a lot of influence on Tu Reh. Hes ultimately the one who tells Tu Reh
to leave him to save Chiko.
Teacher: Write that down. Do you all agree?
Student 1: Yeah, and I found that his mom also talks about him a lot. And the president
of the council.
Teacher: So how do the Karenni see Peh?
Student 3: Hes well respected.
Teacher: Youre right. Once you figure out HOW you know that, write that down. Dont
forget that Why or why not? is part of the question, too. You need to defend your
answer with evidence, so I can see that you all were responsible and did the reading. I
recommend keep looking in the text and talking with each other. Who does Peh
influence? How does he affect the outcome of the story?
Okay, class, you should now have the sheet you started with. Look at how full it is now
compared to when you first started! Your classmates have a lot to say. As a group, take a few minutes to
look over the new additions and comments. [Wait a few minutes]
Now were going to do something different with our brain storming sheets as we head into our
debate. Ive taken one groups progressive sheet as example and projected it on the board. We shared our
brainstorming sheets around the classroom so that we could see if our opinions agreed or disagreed with
our classmates. Disagreement: thats what leads to a debate. You need to know what the opposition
thinks so you that can defend yourself. But before we debate, we need to recognize the differing
opinions on our sheets. I recommend we, together in our groups, highlight statements of agreement and
underline contradictory statements. On this sheet, the question is, If you were the council, what would
have been your decision? Would you have wanted to save Chiko? Why or what not? So if your group
thought yes, youd save him because hes innocent, youd highlight all of inscriptions by other groups
who agreed. Here, wed highlight what someone wrote in brown, because theyd save Chiko, too. In
dark blue, however, someone said no, theyd let Chiko die because theyre in the middle of the war, so
wed underline that one. You might have more of one than the other, and thats fine. So Ive started this
one for this group. Look at your sheet and categorize what everyones said.
[Wait 2 minutes] Now appoint a scribe in your group. We want to hear about what youve found.
As a group, compile the comments into sentence form. Id recommend addressing the statements that
agree with your own first and then acknowledge the other comments. You can structure it basically like
We believe the council should or should not save Chiko because then Certain groups also thought
that the council should save Chiko because and In contrast, other groups thought that the council
shouldnt save Chiko becase This will serve a similar purpose as the position papers we wrote last
semester. Youre arguing for or against saving Chiko. Ill put ten minutes on the clock. [Wait 10 minutes]
Is everyone happy with the product? Great, were going to put all of our sheets aside for now and
talk about questioning during discussion. We know that good readers and writers ask questions before,
during and after to help them understand the text better. Here Ive given you main idea questions on
your brainstorming sheets already that should help generate further questioning. When were assuming

our roles within Bamboo People, well need to understand our peers opinions, and if we dont, well
need to respectfully ask probing questions, ask why they believe that. Give me some examples. What
makes up a good question? Write on the board.
Student 1: Long
Teacher: What do you mean exactly? Can you elaborate?
Student 1: Need a long answer
Teacher: So youre saying a good question isnt a yes or no question. Great. Anything else?
Student 2: Needs evidence
Teacher: Right. That kind of ties into the previous point, doesnt it? Ill write, needs to be
supported. Lets keep thinking.
Great, we have a strong list of what makes a good question. Were going to bring these good
questions and our class norms into our discussion. First appoint a speaker to represent your group. Well
go in order. Please share what your group believed, whether or not to save Chiko, and what you found
your peers to believe. After youve finished reading your response, allow for questions from your peers.
Im going to ask that you address each other by name. If you have a question for Group 1, ask someone
who hasnt spoken yet. You can think of questions together. Remember you are representing a group of
people in Bamboo People and their interests. [Go in order until each group has shared]
Group 1:
Student 1: Group 1 represented the Karenni council. A lot of us found it interesting that
village was made up of representatives, at least it seemed that way with the president. We
felt that since the council represents the peoples wishes, they should do as they wish. We
did not know the entire villages wishes, but we felt that most of them wanted to save
Chiko, so we would have saved him too. Most groups agreed with our decision. Some
groups commented on the fact that it was a bad idea to save him, since they were in the
middle of a war, and he could be a spy or something.
[Student raises hand. Student 1 calls on Student 2]
Student 2: Do you think people would actually to want to save their enemies? Especially
during a war
Student 1: We thought so, in these circumstances. Since Chiko wasnt responsible for
anything. Hes as innocent as the Karenni in this war, and Tu Reh knows that.
Teacher: Great answer. Anymore questions? Okay, Group 2, go ahead.
Step 3: Reflection:
Now that we have discussed each sides viewpoints, I would like for you to write a short
reflection/summary of the discussion. If your peers had different answers for saving Chiko, why
do you think they disagreed with your opinion? Remember you can use the brainstorm sheet to
help you with this.
IV. Closing
Wow! That was a great discussion, class. Thank you for your hard work and for respecting your
classmates opinions. Now that youre experts in productive and polite discussions youre ready to work

for the government. Ha ha. If your parents are in PTA, you could go home and ask them if their meetings
go this well! In addition, as we keep reading class texts, we can continue filling out thinking sheets, like
this one, especially when there is conflict in a story, in which a character or group of characters has to
make a choice. Well collect these in our reading notebooks throughout the year. Go ahead and glue
these in on the next available page in your notebook and pass your reflections to me.
Attention to Individual Student Needs: Detail specific actions/materials you will use to
differentiate your instruction to meet various individuals learning needs in this lesson.
I will assign the groups so that they as heterogeneous as possible. I will try and create supportive
groups. Gifted students can help struggling students.
ELL students can use a translator if need be.
I will conference with each group. For the shyer students, I will speak to them directly in these
mini conferences if they wouldnt feel comfortable contributing to a class discussion yet.
All of the copies will be in large, legible font with plenty of space for writing.
Technology Use: Detail specific technology being used in the lesson with explanation for why it is
being used.
Online timer projected onto the board: to keep students on track for how long they should be
discussing and to finish their thoughts in time to switch
How this lesson incorporates specific insights from course readings and/or class discussion:
Gibbons writes, A thinking sheet is a structured way of having students make their reasoning
explicit while they are engaged in cognitive tasks it provides a planned curriculum space in which
students can talk explicitly about their thinking and explain it to others (Gibbons 70). By using a
thinking sheet for this lesson, students are engaging with the text while they are also focused on
productive classroom talk.
Own reflection:
I felt it was important for students discussion to revolve around something concrete, a text. I feel
like we have good discussions in Curry classes, so I drew on what Ive seen in class and examples given
in class. I especially like the concept of role-playing. It forces students to expand their viewpoints and
also engage with the reading.
Materials Appendix:
1. If you were the villagers, what would have been your decision? Would you have wanted to save
Chiko?

2. If you were the council, what would have been your decision? Would you have wanted to save
Chiko? Why or why not?

3. If you were Tu Reh, what would have been your decision? Would you have wanted to save
Chiko? Why or why not?

4. If you were Auntie Doctor, what would have been your decision? Would you have wanted to
save Chiko? Why or why not?

5. If you were Sa Reh, what would have been your decision? Would you have wanted to save
Chiko? Why or why not?

6. If you were Peh, Tu Rehs father, what would have been your decision? Would you have wanted
to save Chiko? Why or why not?

Discussion Norms
1. Listen actively and respect others when they are talking.
2. Participate to your fullest ability.
3. Acknowledge multiple perspectives.
4. Critique ideas, not people.
5. Draw upon your background and real-life experiences but also be sure to connect them to the
ideas were learning about it class.
6. Invite others into the conversation.
7. Participate in varied turn taking.
8. Use eye contact to take turns, but raise/extend your hand if you havent been noticed or have an
urgent comment.
9. Honor silence and provide wait time.
10. Respectfully explore (rather than make assumptions about) others diverse backgrounds,
experiences, and expertise.
11. Ask follow-up questions/ask for clarification/etc. to deepen discussion.
12. Keep your contributions to discussion relevant to the course objectives, readings, and activities.
13. Pay attention to what has been said before and try to move the discussion forward.
14. Refer to peers by name and relate your comments to what theyve previously said as applicable.

15. Reflect on the process of discussion.

16. Bring concerns with discussion to instructor or group attention immediately.
*Norms adapted from EDIS 5400 class norms*