LESSON PRESENTATIONS 

EDUC 412   DESIGNS FOR LEARNING:  SECONDARY LANGUAGE ARTS

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Group One:   Jon, Lisa, Mandy & Arzina

Lesson Presentation “Satire” 

Lesson Introduction 

Subject: Language Arts

Grade: 9

Text: Animal Farm

Lesson focus: Satire

Objectives/PLO’s: evaluate the effectiveness of literary techniques including figurative language and describe and provide examples of the power of satire to influence beliefs.

Assessment tool: storyboard.

Lesson Review: This lesson incorporates two ideas from our class readings; first, that students should read in LA class; and second, that class discussion should be initiated by students. Teacher preparation: enough texts for every student, having the text read, have Mad magazines and Simpson’s clips, have all relevant A/V equipment, have storyboard paper (with film edges), have completed examples of storyboard to show students, and criteria for evaluating storyboard.

IRP’s

? describe and assess the strategies before, during and after reading, viewing and listening purposes

? describe what they already know about, and previous experiences they have had with, specific topics

?use a wide range of resources to aid in comprehension

? demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas, events or themes of a variety of novels

? interpret details and draw conclusions about the information presented in a variety of illustrations, maps, charts and other graphic forms

? describe and provide examples of the power of satire to influence beliefs

? demonstrate a willingness to experiment with an increasing array of sophisticated figures of speech and genres, including satire, parody and irony

Lesson Overview 

          This lesson is designed for a grade 9 Language Arts class.  The purpose of the lesson is to address the use of satire through a famous and popular satirical text: Animal Farm.   Our lesson will use clips from the television show the Simpsons and examples from Mad magazine to get the students hooked and into the lesson.  We will also use these tools to introduce satire to the students and to further elaborate their understanding of it.  This will be done by facilitating a student-led discussion about satire.  After the discussion the texts will be handed out to students and the teacher will read aloud chapter one with the students following along with their own texts.  There will be a short question and answer session after the read aloud for questions about what they read; what words mean for example.  Then the storyboard will be handed out and the criteria for evaluation will be discussed with the students.  The lesson allows for approximately 10 minutes of class time for work on the storyboard.  If the storyboard is not completed, and we’re expecting it not to be, it is to be completed for homework.   In what follows, Lisa will explain the first half of the lesson.  Mandy will discuss the second half of the lesson and Arzina will discuss our lesson rationale. 

Pre-Reading Activities: The day before the teacher will have assigned their students the task of defining satire, rephrasing it in their own words, and creating one good example to portray satire.

Introductory Activity: In class the students will break into groups of 4 or 5, depending on class size, and discuss their definitions of satire. Then, they will judge each members’ definition and example, selecting the best and writing them on the board.

(7-10 minutes)

Class Discussion: The class will collaboratively come up with the best “working definition” of satire, which will solidify their understanding through example.

(2-3 minutes)

Hook: Images of satire, Simpson’s clips (i.e Bart selling his soul to Millhouse) and MAD magazines [creating personal relevance for students to connect literature with and illustrating multiple perspectives].

Students break into groups and look at satires in MAD magazine. They would discuss their example with the class and connect the concept of satire to current events (i.e. political [war in Iraq, Afghanistan; debates within their country parliament or between the people and government]) OR the teacher could present these examples (time/personal pedagogical strategy).

(5-10 minutes)

Transition: All these examples contain the ‘big idea’ of a political satire, a satire that is relevant to people in societies throughout past cultures through to present-day society. The novel, Animal Farm is a political satire which is a key component to the development of the plot and its characters. The use of animals in the text is due to the location of its publication, Britain, who, as an ally of Russia had to conceal its political commentary with the use of animals instead of people.

Hand out the book and book cards (3-5 minutes).

After the teacher has handed out the book cards he/she would begin the second half of the lesson.

‘Round Robin’ read aloud (15-20 minutes) — teacher will begin by reading chapter one and then pass if off to the students who will read in a round robin formation. Students who wish to pass should feel free to do so. This is an opportunity to allow students to begin reading, participating and performing in front of the class.

If while reading aloud students come across a word or phrase they do not know the teacher would then stop and ask the class to figure it out together. This would lead to a discussion on what tools to use to access this knowledge. For all those who are familiar with Reading 44 that is an excellent place to start.

An important reading strategy that would come up in conversation includes:

Gathering meaning from context—

Ask class what other identifiers/strategies could be used to help students figure out meaning.

Class Discussion (10-15 minutes) —after we are done reading the chapter together in class we would have a brief student-led discussion addressing such important issues as what major themes and issues arise in the book, what information are we given by the author, what are some significant words to watch for, who are the main characters, what conclusions can students draw from what they read and finally allow them to make predictions about what they think will happen in future chapters.

Storyboard (10 minutes) – assign students the storyboard. Set criteria, hand out film edged paper and show an example. Whatever is not done shall be completed for homework to be handed in next class.

 Rationale 

          We initially choose this topic since each one of our group members comes from an English/ Social Studies background. We thought introducing a novel study on Animal Farm was fitting, as it is a great literary novel that has political connections and implications. Thus we wanted to focus on a lesson that could be cross-curricular.  It is a multi level lesson as it introduces students to important terms (such as satire) that are necessary to understand before delving into the book. In addition our lesson plan incorporates and recognizes the multiple intelligences by including strategies and activities that are visual, verbal, written and auditory.

          We began our lesson by encouraging students to find out what the term ‘satire’ means. This provides the background knowledge necessary for the lesson. During the lesson we are attempting to engage students by making the term satire relevant to their lives, essentially through pop culture examples of satire found in the Simpson’s and Mad Magazine. What we hope to show our students is that they can go beyond the ‘dictionary’ example of the term by finding how satire is relevant in their lives. Our storyboard exercise incorporates creativity and written components so the emphasis is on grammatical sentences and visual presentation to illustrate their understanding of the text.

          This lesson supports ESL and shy students through several avenues. Firstly by asking students to define the term on their own in preparation for the class, they all come in with the same basic knowledge and are not presented with any surprises. By breaking them into smaller groups we hope to increase their confidence level and encourage participation in a more intimate group. Finally, the round robin reading of the first chapter as a class enables all students to practice the vocabulary and learn together. As the round robin occurs, the teacher will be sure to explain and define difficult vocabulary terms, which is not only essential for our ESL students, but also beneficial to all the students in our classroom. By reading aloud and giving the students the option to pass, this creates a positive and comfortable learning environment. Our theory emerges from these various methods. We are hoping to introduce the terms, vocabulary and themes of the novel through methods of shared learning, student initiated activities and engagement through relevant and interesting hooks. Our theory is these methods will serve to engage and help all the students in our classroom.

The value of this lesson for a grade 9 English class is, as mentioned before, the fulfillment of the specific IRP’s in addition to activities that engage students. As they are learning difficult terms and definitions for the first time, it is important to hook them in from the beginning, which we hope we will accomplish by showing them clips of the Simpson’s to further demonstrate the term satire. We are building up to the novel at a pace that allows students to feel comfortable and give them the tools necessary to understand the novel.

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Group Two: Heather, Angie, Sarah & Jason

Lesson Presentation "Found Poetry"

I am teaching this lesson (purpose): to introduce students to writing poetry through a form that does not require them to generate their own language

The students will learn (objective): how to manipulate the conventions of language for stylistic effect; make connections between the ideas and information presented in literary and mass media works and their own experiences

This lesson will show me: how to make students feel comfortable manipulating language in a different way

Questions I will ask to help them connect this lesson to the big ideas: How is meaning changed by manipulating the order of the words? How does the viewpoint change when words are moved? What effect does capitalization, punctuation, and spacing have on the poem? What words attracted your attention when you were arranging the poem? What were necessary connector words? How did you choose the ending of the poem?

Language/words they need to understand:  Students will choose words that appeal to them

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Group Three:   Orla, Darcy, Suzy & Marie

Lesson Presentation “Greek Mythology” 

Introduction

Teaching mythology in a secondary language arts classroom can be an exciting task, as the cultural diversity of myths opens the door to possibilities.  Mythology appeals to many students as it combines cultural traditions with storytelling, gives students a sense of ancient people and places and includes a wide range of intriguing characters.  The study of mythology also delves into ancient beliefs and can be used along with creative writing.   If presented by teachers in a fun and interactive manner, students can make meaningful connections with the myths they are learning about. 

Our group has chosen to design a grade ten English lesson on mythology.  This lesson can be easily adapted to suit the needs of students in a grade nine English as well.  In groups, students will be given a myth that has been cut apart into sentences.  Their task is to put the myth into a logical order and then write in five sentences a summary version of their myth. The focus of this lesson is to guide students’ comprehension of mythology through an interactive task designed to utilize the creative minds of students.  The focus on comprehension and creativity is meant to encourage students to enjoy the activity, understand the purpose of mythology and work cooperatively in groups.  If students benefit from this lesson and connect with it in some way, they are more likely to remember this lesson as a significant learning experience.

 In Teaching English in Middle and Secondary Schools, Rhoda J. Maxwell and Mary Jordan Meiser discuss several activities for students to familiarize them with the storytelling tradition.  In one such activity, the questions to ask students are, “Why do we tell stories? Why do families and entire nations need stories?” (149) The mythology lesson addresses these vital questions in the discussion components, so that students have an opportunity to explore their opinions and feelings about storytelling through their engagement with mythology.

The group work component of the lesson responds to Virginia O’Keefe’s ideas as stated in Maxwell and Meiser.  O’Keefe asserts,

[G]roup work produces more actively engaged, task-orientated behavior than when students work alone on “seatwork.” The struggling student profits from an interactive situation where he or she receives feedback from peers. And, students at all achievement levels benefit from the opportunity to “rehearse” new concepts as they talk through problems (125). 

By creating a lesson that utilizes group work, the varying social needs of adolescents are met.  This type of lesson would be very different if students were completing the task individually.  The many talents and ideas of students facilitate a setting in which creativity flourishes.      

Prior to the lesson, the teacher would have prepared and taught an introductory lesson to mythology.   Students would have brainstormed what they believe a myth is. How myths play a role in today’s society, and share any myths/superstitions they already familiar with. 

As a “hook” for the lesson, the teacher would have used urban mythology to make this topic relevant to the lives of students.  Students would have explored what urban myths are and shared any urban myths they know.   Students would have had a contextual understanding as well as the necessary background information for the lesson in which they are compiling pieces of a myth together. Our focus lesson will further refine students understandings of what myths are, what unique myths have in common and what myths try and explain about the world.

 The series of lessons that the teacher would have planned may have touched all or some of the Prescribed Learning Outcomes listed below.  Both the grade nine and grade ten PLO’s are provided to ensure that the lesson is easily adapted. 

Lesson Plan

Lesson 2 of 10                                                                                                

                                                                                                Unit: Greek Mythology                                                                                             

Objective:  (Related to the IRP’s – Grade 10)

·        Make generalizations, supported by specific details and examples, about key concepts. 

·         Students will use language to interact and collaborate with others to explore ideas and to accomplish goals.  

Questions & Discussions:   (What are the big ideas?)

1. What is a myth?
2. What is a creation myth?
3. How are creation myths that differ in geographical origin similar? How are they unique?

4.  

Lesson  Agenda : 

Conclusion/Discussion

Rational for Design of this Lesson

Maxwell and Meiser (2005) state that “because the language arts influence and strengthen one another, students need lessons where their teachers have consciously balanced listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities” (p. 31). This lesson was designed to engage a broad range of students through the four aforementioned activities.

·       The creative writing stemming from the myth excerpts provides students the opportunity to express themselves and interact with the material in a unique and personally relevant way.

·       The range in reading comprehension levels of the myth excerpts given to students gives struggling learners and ESL students a greater chance of successfully participating in the activity.

·       Students are also working in small groups, so peers are available to contribute understanding of the task and material to students who may need it. “The teacher should organize lessons so that small groups of LEP [limited English proficiency] and native speakers work together on meaningful tasks” (p.90).

·       This activity taps into a broad array of learning styles and preferences, including working in groups, reading aloud, creative writing composition, organizing excerpts in rational order, visual and oral components, and is accessible to multi-levels of ability in the classroom.

·       Extroverted students are given the opportunity to discuss their ideas and work with their group members and the rest of the class. Students who may be more introverted, are given the opportunity to think about ideas before sharing them, and are given time to reflect on their work in a smaller group before sharing with the larger class.        

·       Students understanding and comprehension of myths in general, and these specific myths are deepened through comparing similarities and differences in the primary myths, and the myths constructed by the class discussion groups.

Theory behind the lesson

            This lesson was developed to allow students to use their imagination and creativity in engagement with creation myths from multiple cultures. Students are primed for the stories through previous class activities based on myths, even before they engage in the pre-reading creative writing activity. Also, in chapter five of our text, Maxwell and Meiser suggest that individual reflection and small group responses should precede large group discussions, which our lesson plan accomplishes.

Several of the of the IRP’s for 10^th grade English outline the following expectation for students:

·        Consistently consider more than one interpretation of the communications that they read, view, and listen to.

·        Demonstrate openness to divergent language, ideas, and opinions from a variety of cultural communities as expressed by mass media and in literature.

·        Demonstrate respect for cultural differences.

The lesson our group developed gives students an opportunity to meet these expectations. Students are exposed to different multicultural perspectives and interpretations on how the world came into existence.  

Value for Grade Level

            The value in using this lesson with students in grade 9 or 10 includes developing an appreciation and understanding of universal elements within cultural stories of how humans came to be created. Use of multicultural materials is a relevant springboard for discussion about a topic that impacts student’s daily lives. Perhaps students would be encouraged to share additional stories from their own cultural background. Additionally, juxtaposing multiple points of view on this topic will stimulate critical thinking and spur ideas for the following activity related to similarities and differences. Within a developmental framework, adolescence is the time when existential questions are first examined. By ninth or tenth grade, students have likely given thought to “where did we come from”, and this topic will meet a naturally occurring interest.  

And a Deep Thought from Jack Handey…I bet one legend that keeps recurring throughout history, in every culture, is the story of Popeye.

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(Worksheet #2 example A)

The Raven Steals The Light

Haida Myth

In the beginning,

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(Worksheet #3)

Mythology ~ In the Beginning…

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Group Four:   Jennifer, Vanessa, Cam & Deanna

STOCK CHARACTERS IN FICTION

(grade 9) 

Lesson Objectives  

Students will:

            -identify examples of the use of stock or stereotypical characters

            -interpret and report information from selections they have read, heard, or viewed

            -interact purposefully, confidently, and appropriately in group interaction.

Lesson Introduction (Jennifer) 

Stock Character study is important:

-to understand stereotypes

-ties in with media studies

-helps students to dig deeper and flesh out characters

-to compare the difference between one dimensional characters and fuller characters

The lesson today will focus on learning about and identifying stock characters.

You should also notice that Peter Smargorinsky’s technique of modeling how to question so that students learn by doing (from “How Ways of Talking affect Ways of Learning”) is used in the second half of our lesson. 

A teacher using this lesson plan should be familiar with stock characters from literature, film and other media and should use this knowledge to create interest for the students. The lesson can use those characters of most interest for the students to highlight concepts. 

Further preparation for this lesson would include having the game cards and literature handouts ready. These could be prepared with a particular work of fiction in mind. 

This is an introductory lesson.   We will hook our students with an ‘active’ activity.

The lesson starts by accessing students’ prior knowledge. Then, a drama activity follows to bring the concepts to life. Finally, it all leads into an analysis of literature and its use of stock characters. 

    Materials Required

            -stock character cue cards

            -handouts of sample literature illustrating stock characters (2 variations) 

First-half of lesson (Vanessa) 

        -Definition of stock or stereotypical character 

-Group brainstorm (give examples)

Second-half of lesson (Cam) 

    Activity 1: 

    Stock Characters:

-        Damsel in Distress

-        The Absent-minded professor

-        The Wise old Man (Yoda, Gandalf)

-        The Nerd (Steve Urkel, Neil Goldman)

-        The School Bully (mean, insecure, cruel)

-        The Honest Thief (Robin Hood, only steals to live or to help) 

After the 1^st half of the lesson in which stock characters are defined and rationale is discussed, we will ask for a volunteer to come up to the ‘hot seat’ where the volunteer will take on the persona of the character written on the card. As the volunteer is acting out the character, the rest of the class will be asking him/her questions to see who the stock character is. This could be modified for students with special needs by having them complete the activity in pairs (i.e. two students will go up to the front and act out the stock character from the card together) 

Demonstration: We will give one of our group members a stock character card and I will try and establish who she is through the following Yes/No questions:

            ‘The Wise Old Man’

-        Are you a woman?

-        Are you a man?

-        Are you old?

-        Are you cruel?

-        Are you smart?

-        Are you strong?

-        …

After the demonstration, I will ask for a volunteer to come forward and they will pick a card and take on the persona of the character. This will be done two or three times. 

    Activity #2: 

Reading Activity: Two handouts with three samples from literature on each.

-        Each student will receive one of the two handouts

-        Students will read the sample and try and identify the stock characters in it.

-        After 3-5 minutes or after the majority of the students have completed the activity, the students will then pair up with their neighbor with the same handout and compare to see if they agree.

-        Students can also share with a partner with a different handout.

Adaptations for special needs or ESL: Easier to harder samples, work in partners (higher ability to lower ability), giving them pre-reading activities 

Closure- sum up what we have covered during lesson. Possible extending activities include writing a short story, or creating a comic strip using one or more stock characters.

Lesson Wind-up (Deanna) 

            In discussing possible activities for a group of grade 9 students, we thought that it was crucial not to neglect the need for play and movement. Students of this age group generally require material to be presented in ways that are fun and engaging and they learn best when they can participate in ways that are hands-on. For these reasons our group made a conscious effort to introduce the topic of stock characters in literature through a game that would involve active participation. Further, the game is designed in such a way that students access what they already know to understand the concept of the lesson. This is important in making students feel that new concepts can be easy to grasp. A simple question-answer activity such as this one will remind students of ice-breaker games they may have played in the past, and will resemble popular television game shows that they may have come across, like “Who’s Line is it anyways?” Another reason we chose to include this type of activity is because of the backgrounds from which we ourselves have been educated. In one way or another, each member of our group has a high level of interest in movement and performing arts. From dancing, to music, to participation in sports, each of us has learned best through performance and presentation. The activity we came up with is more or less a drama activity and simple enough for everyone to get involved.

            One of the PLO’s for the English 9 curriculum is for students to be able to “identify examples of the use of stock or stereotypical characters”. Either as a stand-alone lesson or as part of a unit, a lesson based on this subject would be meaningful to students who come across the notion of stereotyping and stock characters on a daily basis through television, advertising, and other forms of media. Ideally we would place this lesson amidst the study of fiction, either focusing on a particular novel, or looking at short stories. In fiction, having the ability to identify stock characters builds an understanding of character as a whole, and allows students to analyze some of the deeper details of a text.

            After introducing the lesson with the game of 21 questions, our group thought it was important to give students samples of literature (that they may or may not have seen before), and to identify some of the qualities of particular stock characters within fiction. This portion is the real ‘meat’ of the lesson, and gives students a chance to apply some of their own knowledge to their learning. During this part of the lesson, we thought that it was important for students to work in partners or small groups. This would allow students a chance to share their ideas with one another, build community in the classroom, and offer a personal contribution to the learning taking place. In some of the PLO’s for grade 9 English, students are expected to:

-use language to prompt and support others

-use a variety of ways to express their opinions effectively

-evaluate and modify their own roles in group interactions in a variety of contexts.

By comparing their ideas or opinions about some of the literature, students are learning to work cooperatively with others.

            As teachers it is vitally important that we create lessons in the classrooms that are accessible to all types of learners. For our group this meant considering the multiple intelligences, ensuring content was multilevel, and also that the material was flexible in meeting the needs of struggling learners. Aware of these considerations, our group was very conscious in meeting these needs. This is evident, for example, in the selection of literature handed out to the class. Our group chose to include excerpts from literature that ranged from fairly obvious to more challenging. We also included the opportunity for students to compare and discuss their answers with a partner in the hopes that students could work together to fill any blanks they had in their knowledge. Another way that we demonstrate a consideration for the diverse needs of our students is by including a variety of different types of material throughout the lesson. For example, the lesson begins with a teacher directed approach to learning where definitions are given and a mind-map/web is drawn out on the chalkboard. This type of learning appeals to those students we are visual/spatial learners, and also appeals to those who are linguistic learners. The next portion of the lesson speaks to those students who tend to be more kinesthetic learners and absorb material more easily when activities are hands-on. The reading portion of the lesson allows intrapersonal learners to take a moment to read the excerpts silently and come to their own decisions about what they know. Following this, students are able to share their findings with one another and allow for the buzz in the classroom when interpersonal learning is taking place.

            Overall our group feels that this lesson can be a very valuable component in the study of fiction. For students, particularly at the junior high level, the introduction of any new concept should reflect their needs and interests. Rather than being explicitly told what characteristics are common to particular character types, we allow students to realize that they already have this knowledge as a result of their social surroundings. As teachers, our job is simply to build the bridge between what students already know from their own experiences to how this knowledge can be applied in the classroom, specifically to the study of literature. By allowing students the opportunity to be hands-on and active participants in the lesson, we feel that the material will make a greater impact, and will have a lasting impression on grade 9 students who are still laying the foundation for senior level literature study and are still learning basic skills in analyzing fiction.

STOCK CHARACTER HAND-OUTS :

It was so dreadfully cold. It was snowing, and the evening was beginning to darken. It was the last evening of the year, too - New Year’s Eve.  Through the cold and the dark, a poor little girl with bare head and naked feet was wandering along the road. She had, indeed, had a pair of slippers on when she left home; but what was the good of that? They were very big slippers - her mother had worn them last, they were so big – and the little child had lost them hurrying across the road as two carts rattled dangerously past. One slipper could not be found, and a boy ran off with the other – he said he could use it as a cradle when he had children of his own.[1]

Stock Character ________________________________

It would be rash to predict how Passepartout’s lively nature would agree with Mr. Fogg. It was impossible to tell whether the new servant would turn out as absolutely methodical as his master required; experience alone could solve the question.  Passepartout had been a sort of vagrant in his early years, and now yearned for repose; but so far he had failed to find it, though he had already served in ten English houses.   But he could not take root in any of these; with chagrin, he found his masters invariably whimsical and irregular, constantly running about the country, or on the lookout for adventure. His last master, young Lord Longferry, Member of Parliament, after passing his nights in the Haymarket taverns, was too often brought home in the morning on the policemen’s shoulders. Passepartout, desirous of respecting the gentleman he served, ventured a mild remonstrance on such conduct; which, being ill received, he took his leave. Hearing that Mr. Phileas Fogg was looking for a servant, and that his life was one of unbroken regularity, that he neither traveled nor stayed from home overnight, he felt sure that this would be the place he was after. He presented himself, and was accepted, as he had been seen.[2]   

Stock Character (Passepartout) ________________________________

Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develope. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.[3]

Stock Character (Mrs. Bennet) ________________________________ 

Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so uncommonly fond of gay new clothes that he spent all his money on finery. He cared nothing for his soldiers; nor did he care about going to the theatre or riding in the woods, except for one thing-it gave him a chance to show off his new clothes. He had a different suit for every hour of the day, and since he spent so much time changing, instead of saying as one does of a king, ‘He is in his council chamber,’ they said, ‘The Emperor is in his wardrobe.’[4]

Stock Character ________________________________

            Over from the sunken road came the sound of horn and hoof-beats. The little goose-girl hastened to drive her geese to one side and away from the bridge before the hunting party came galloping along. They rode at such a rate that she had to jump up smartly on to one of the tall stones that stood by the bridge to avoid being ridden down.   She was still little more than a child, delicately formed and slightly built, with a happy, contented face and fine clear eyes. But the lord of the manor saw nothing of that.  As he came flying past, he tossed up his hunting-crop, caught it the other way on, and with course merriment prodded her right in the chest with the handle so that she fell over backwards.

            ‘Everything in its right place!’ he cried. ‘Into the mire with you!’ And then he laughed at his own idea of fun, and the others laughed with him.[5]

Stock Character (lord of the manor)________________________________

Although I am not disposed to maintain that the being born in a workhouse, is in itself the most fortunate and enviable circumstance that can possibly befall a human being, I do mean to say that in this particular instance, it was the best thing for Oliver Twist that could by possibility have occurred. The fact is, that there was considerable difficulty in inducing Oliver to take upon himself the office of respiration,—a troublesome practice, but one which custom has rendered necessary to our easy existence; and for some time he lay gasping on a little flock mattress, rather unequally poised between this world and the next: the balance being decidedly in favour of the latter. Now, if, during this brief period, Oliver had been surrounded by careful grandmothers, anxious aunts, experienced nurses, and doctors of profound wisdom, he would most inevitably and indubitably have been killed in no time. There being nobody by, however, but a pauper old woman, who was rendered rather misty by an unwonted allowance of beer; and a parish surgeon who did such matters by contract; Oliver and Nature fought out the point between them. The result was, that, after a few struggles, Oliver breathed, sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of the workhouse the fact of a new burden having been imposed upon the parish, by setting up as loud a cry as could reasonably have been expected from a male infant who had not been possessed of that very useful appendage, a voice, for a much longer space of time than three minutes and a quarter.

As Oliver gave this first proof of the free and proper action of his lungs, the patchwork coverlet which was carelessly flung over the iron bedstead, rustled; the pale face of a young woman was raised feebly from the pillow; and a faint voice imperfectly articulated the words, 'Let me see the child, and die.' [6]

Stock Character (Oliver Twist)________________________________ 

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Group Five:   Iarenjeet, Bryan, Kiel & Jeff

CONFLICT IN SHORT STORIES

SUBJECT:       Language Arts                 

GRADE:           8                               

INTRODUCTION:  How will you start the lesson? How will you connect to the students’ prior knowledge?

This lesson takes place during a short story unit. Students will have been working on their stories, and will have had lessons in character, plot, and setting.

Begin by addressing the general idea of Conflict?

-         “What is conflict?”

o      How do you know what conflict looks like/sounds like?

o      Examples of conflict from movies, books, or even from own experience

-         Guiding student towards notion of Person VS Person Conflict

o      Most basic and easiest to understand

o      Does P VS P need to be physical?

§       Examples

-         Inform students that in literature, and in life, 3 general types of conflict; one being Person vs. Person

o      Set VCR up to show clip from movie with P Vs. P conflict

DEVELOPMENT: What will you do and what will the students do?  Remember to incorporate your     

Assessment FOR Learning within the development.

-        In this clip you are going to see an example of P Vs. P conflict

o      Watch to see what takes place that lets you know this is P Vs. P conflict

§       Discuss with students

o      Reaffirm to students that it does not need to be physical

-         Move onto next conflict, Person vs. Self

-         Ask class, would anyone like to guess at the second type of conflict?

o      Rather than give the answer, show video clip and challenge students to make a guess based on what they see

§       Think back to the certain details that let them know it was a Person Vs. Person conflict

o      Show clip

-         Based on what you saw, what do you think?

-         Lead students to Person Vs. Self

-         One more type of conflict, let students guess

-         Same task as before, watch the video and come up with the type of conflict based on what you see

o      Show clip for person vs. environment

o      Discuss for answers

o      Does person vs. environment need to be the physical environment? What else could environment mean?

§       Society, ideology, rules/laws, etc.

-         Now that we have a basic idea of the types of conflicts we’re going to develop it a little deeper.

-         Independently each student will come up with their own examples of each type of conflict.

o      They can use ideas and characters from their own short stories, or make up something entirely new.

-         After about 5-10 minutes, students will work with partners to develop one type of conflict into a storyboard

o      To ensure that at least one of each type of conflict is used groups will pull their type of conflict out of a hat, or any other method of randomly assigning their task could be used.

o      Students should try to use one of the partner’s examples of conflict. If neither partner wants to use them, it is okay to come up with something new as a group.

CLOSURE:  How will you end the lesson in a meaningful way?

-        Students will have the rest of the class to begin creating their storyboard/comic strip about conflict.

-        Go over with the students the criteria for their assignment:

o      Marks for Originality, appropriate content, that they cover their assigned conflict, minimum four panels in the storyboard, captions to describe the scene, and proper use of grammar.

-        Before class is over discuss with students why conflict is important in writing and how conflict is not just a negative thing in life.

o      Conflict represents a challenge, something to overcome.

o      For conflict to be believable, there must be value in the resolution

o      Change in our world happens as a result of conflict

§       Sometimes conflicts are large and disastrous (wars)

§       Sometimes conflicts are relatively small and positive (motivating yourself to work on an assignment of to study)

-        Remind students that they will have time to finish their storyboards in the next class, but it will be due then as well.

-         

ASSESSMENT: How will you know that the students met/learned/understood the SLO’s?

Assessment FOR Learning (What will you do throughout the lesson to check student understanding?)

-         The constant questioning in the first half of the lesson will ensure that students are paying attention and following along in the discussion

-         When students are working, circulating around the classroom will ensure that students are on task and productive

-         Where ever possible, take advantage of student questions to promote critical thinking

-          

Assessment OF Learning  (How students show you their understanding of the concept in order for you to make a final judgment of their learning?) 

-         Storyboard assignment will be due the next day

-         Students are required to work on their short stories and to look at the conflict thy have introduced and see if it is strong enough. Also work to add in some minor conflicts to increase excitement in the story.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Group Six:   Jordan, Meghan, Bhu & Kelly

SHORT STORY PLOT STRUCTURE

Stereotype definition:

(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stereotypes)

(http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=1861714946)

Strategies Used:

Materials Used:

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

English 8

Stereotype Assignment Sheet

Names: ____________________________________________

Date: ___________________________

Stereotype:                   GLUE YOUR GROUP’S STEREOTYPE SLIP HERE

Group’s definition:

Flip through the magazines and find pictures of people/images that represent your stereotype and glue it in the box.

Questions:

1. How has the photographer/ad makers controlled the image and its features to make you think of the above characteristics?

2. What do you think the harmful/negative effects of stereotyping could be?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Closing Discussion:

Rationale

v     Relevance

o      this lesson/hook is drawn directly from Grade 8 IRP (analyse stereotypes and other distortions of reality in music videos, song lyrics, prime-time TV serials, and other aspects of popular culture)

o      text is located in many districts/schools, so many of us will actually teach it

v     engagement

o      hands-on work draws students in;

o      using current material and media also work to interest students

v     multi-levelled abilities

o      addresses spectrum of abilities

o      tasks are varied (verbal; tactile; creative)

o      no one is singled out (good early-year activity to help develop comfort levels)

o       ESL-friendly (verbal paired with non-verbal)

o      non-written demonstration of understanding 

Theory 

v     personal response

o      students arrive at information (not teacher-lead) and are asked to examine own beliefs; they are therefore better able to relate to others’ situations;

v     stepping-off point

o      can lead into writing exercise “how did you feel when…”;

o      beliefs can be re-examined at end of unit

v     adaptable

o      structure can be used for other lessons; patterns may help with younger grades

Value (for grade 8 classroom)

 v    engagement:

o      gets students involved from the beginning and gives them something to look back at to see how their beliefs have changed

v     everyone can participate, regardless of abilities

v    relevant to life today

o      can take this lesson out of the classroom and it still applies