Lesson Plan Template: EDIS 5400 & 4882

Context:
Course name: EDIS 5400
Grade level: 7th grade Language Arts
Length of lesson: 60 minutes
Description of setting, students, and curriculum—and any other important contextual
characteristics: 7th grade, Language Arts classroom. 23 students. Arranged in two columns in
rows of threes.
2 of the students have specific learning disabilities in reading, specifically in reading
comprehension. 1 student is on a behavior improvement plan, the student struggles to pay
attention in class, and as a result is disruptive and distracting to others. 1 student has an IEP due
to parental disagreement with the curriculum. 1 student is an ELL, he has been in the United
States for 5 years now and speaks very proficient English, but still needs a lot of support with
reading and writing. 2 students come from a non-English speaking household, and although
completely fluent, they sometimes struggle with sentence structure or vocabulary.
The students will be starting a new Unit on Memoir writing, with this lesson being a particular
focus on being introduced to memoirs, and beginning to brainstorm what makes for a good
memoir, and what are some topics students can start thinking about.

Strategy Requirement Satisfied:

(Note: Refer to the list in the syllabus or the document called “Lesson Plan Overview”)

Objectives:

Understand:

1. Students will understand that good writing includes elaboration.

2. Students will understand that good writing comes from using pre-writing strategies, like
brainstorming.

Know:

1. Students will know how to proofread and edit drafts with teacher assistance, peer
collaboration, and independently.

2. Students will understand that good writing has been improved through revision.

Do:

1. Students will be able to use a variety of prewriting strategies including brainstorming and
webbing.

SOL’s:
7.7 The student will write in a variety of forms with an emphasis on exposition, narration, and
persuasion.
a) Identify intended audience.
b) Use a variety of prewriting strategies including graphic organizers to generate and organize
ideas.
c) Organize writing structure to fit mode or topic.
g) Select vocabulary and information to enhance the central idea, tone, and voice.
CCS’s:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences.

Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] Describe all methods of assessment used
in this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson (use the sentence
stems provided). After each assessment, indicate in brackets the number(s) of the related lesson
objectives that the assessment is evaluating.

Diagnostic Formative Summative

Title of assessment tool: Title of assessment tool: Title of assessment tool:
Writing Territories/Personal Exit Slip Student Memoir
conferences
Students will show their Students will ultimately be
Students will demonstrate progress toward being able to assessed (today or in a future
what they already know write their personal memoirs lesson) on their ability to write
about personal writing by by being able to think about a cohesive and well written
having done writing different situations, and write memoir by turning in a final
territories in previous classes about what they personally draft of their memoir, at the
to get them thinking about would have done. This allows end of the unit. They will also
what they could write about them to activate prior be turning in their two previous
in their memoirs, and how to knowledge, where they drafts, that I will have given
think deeper and in more compare what they have lived them feedback on, as well as
detail about specific to the new situation presented. have help writing workshops,
memories. The students will It will also allow them to write and allowed for plenty of time
also have had personal in detail about themselves, for peer editing and
conferences where I will have which will be good practice independent revisions.
gone over some of the writing for when they will need to
territories they were write their own memoirs. Criteria: I will be expecting to
comfortable sharing with me. see.
Criteria: Students will not be
Criteria: Students will not graded on this, but I will be How data will be used: I will
receive a grade for this, but I looking for them to have be using the students’ memoirs
will be looking to see that answered the prompt as a way to assess whether or
they completed their writing thoroughly, answering every not they met this unit’s
territories with diligence and question posed and giving as objectives. This will also allow
took the exercise seriously. I much detail as possible. me to see how their writing is
will be looking for topics will progressing throughout the
allow them to write an How data will be used: I will year, and allow me to have a
effective memoir. use this as a way to see if the better idea of what to work on
students are easily able to with them as a whole class, and
How data will be used: This write from their own individually in the following
will allow me to gauge how perspectives, and able to write lessons. It will also allow me to
they feel about their own about what they would’ve personalize the support
writing and if they were able done personally. I will also be students will get from me in
to brainstorm some initial looking to see if they are order to help them reach the
ideas for a memoir. writing coherently, able to objectives they may not have
answer a prompt, and able to met.
 How students will receive use previous experiences to
feedback: Students will answer the question. How students will receive
receive in-person feedback feedback: Students will be
during the conferences where How students will receive receiving feedback in the form
I discuss with them some of feedback: Students will be of a grade and a completed
their previous writing and getting their exit slips back, rubric. They will also each be
talk about how they feel with feedback on whether or meeting with me when their
about their writing in not they gave enough detail, memoirs are returned, and I
general. They will also wrote cohesively, and tips on will be holding individual
receive feedback on their how they can apply this kind conferences to go over their
writing territories, and of exercise to the writing of work, and set specific goals on
whether or not they are their own memoirs. how to improve their writing,
detailed or provide good and what they should be
writing topics or not. focusing on next.

Materials Needed:
Appendix A: Do Now
Appendix B: Memoir Passage
Appendix C: Exit Slip

Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Each step should have bolded heading that identifies the activity, and then is followed by the
teacher scripting, student and teacher actions, and a description of the activity.
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]

Beginning Room Arrangement:

Students will be expected to come in and sit at their assigned seats, there will be no changes in
the seating today or throughout the lesson. The seats are arranged in two columns with four rows
of three seats. The classroom is arranged in this manner, so that the students always have an
elbow-partner to work with, and can easily turn around to talk to the person behind them, without
disrupting the class’ seating arrangement, or getting up.

1. [_5_mins.] Welcome/ “Do Now”

Good morning y’all, it’s good to see everyone today. As you are coming in and get started, you
should be taking out your writing journals, like every Monday morning, and spending the next 5
answering the prompt that I put up on the board. (See Appendix A)

2. [_10_mins.] Bridge and/or Hook to lesson

Alright y’all, please put your pencils down. Would anyone like to share what they wrote in the
writing journal? (I will call on about 3 students to share what they wrote about, there are
typically quite a few volunteers, but I want to keep this part of the lesson short, to make sure we
have plenty of time for the rest.)
Thanks for sharing, those were really interesting. Alright, so last time we talked a little bit about
what a memoir was, and we looked at an example by reading an excerpt of “I am Malala”.
Today, I want us to start thinking about different things we can start writing about for our
memoirs. First, we are going to do a little brainstorming exercise and then we are going to move
into reading another short example of a memoir. Everyone ready? Great. I know that everyone
here has practiced brainstorming in a lot of different classes, and we’ve done it together as well.
Today I want us to brainstorm independently for five minutes, in our writing journals. I want
each of you, in the middle of your page to write the word “Prejudice”. I am going to set the time,
and I want everyone to write as much as they can in 5 minutes on this topic. This can be anything
you want from a definition, to a time you were prejudiced against someone, or you were on the
receiving end of prejudice, or anything else that you can think of. Does anyone have any
questions? Alright, I’m setting the timer, you may begin.
(While the students write in their journals, I will be walking around the classroom making sure
that the students are staying on task, and writing as much as they can during the allotted 5
minutes. I will equally be providing extra support to my ELL students, and those who need a
little extra help brainstorming ideas.)
That’s the time. Please finish off that thought and then let’s all come back together and share
what we came up with. I am going to erase the Do Now that was written on the board and write
our brainstorming word “Prejudice” in its place. Now let’s go ahead and make this a class
brainstorm. I want everyone to take turns raising their hands, and sharing something they came
up with during the 5 minutes, as you share, I will write everything on the board. If, as you are all
sharing, you think of something new to add, please feel free to raise your hand and share.
(During this part of our exercise I will be at the board writing everything the students came up
with during their brainstorm.)
Great job, y’all. There are some many good ideas related to the topic of prejudice. I see a lot of
definitions, personal experiences and just general times when we notice prejudice around us.
Thank you to everyone who shared. We are now going to move into the next part of our lesson,
so I want everyone to clear their desks of everything except for a pencil.

3. [_15_mins.] Read-Aloud & Discussion

For this next part, I will be reading another memoir excerpt aloud to y’all. I am passing out a
copy of the passage for y’all to follow along with. I don’t want to see anything on your desks
except for a pencil right now, because I want y’all to focus on listening to the passage I am going
to read to you. Does everyone have a copy of the memoir? Great, now listen closely and pay
attention to how the author talks about his experience. Think about how he describes himself, his
surroundings, think about the tone the author is using. Let’s get started.
(I will read the passage aloud, and go over any vocabulary words the students don’t understand,
and explain the passage.)
What did everyone think of this passage? I thought it was really interesting and I had to think for
a while about what I would’ve done in the same situation. First, I’d like to hear some
impressions y’all got from this passage. What did you think about it, what did you learn? As y’all
raise your hands to answer the questions I will be writing down everything we come up with on
the board. Those are some great insights on the passage. Now, I would like y’all to look at the
passage and tell me where the author gives us specific details about himself, where he is from,
where he is now, tell me everything you can find about him.
(Here I will let the students take 5 minutes to go through the passage and look at all the details
they can find about the author. I will be writing all of the student responses on the board, for
them to be able to keep track of what is being said.)
Great, now if we look at the text, we can see just like the other memoir we read, the author is
writing in first person. That’s because it is a personal narrative. The memoir is much more
powerful if as narrators you write in the first person. One of you correctly mentioned how the
narrator describes his feelings, specifically by asking himself questions about the woman’s
reaction. Notice how by asking himself those questions, the narrator lets the reader in to what he
is thinking, we get a little bit of insight on his feelings of nervousness, maybe anxiety too. This is
really import when y’all are writing your memoirs. I don’t want to just see a laundry list of
events that happened to you, I really want y’all to take the time to describe in minute detail what
happened, how you felt, everything. That’s what a memoir is all about. Now, we are going to
move into the last part of our lesson, which is brainstorming for your own memoirs. Y’all will be
doing some writing, so I want everyone to take out their laptops out and their writing-territories
from last lesson, and get ready to write.
 4. [_35_mins] Writing/Question Flood
Alright, now that y’all are ready, I am going to briefly explain what y’all are going to be doing
and then we will get started writing. I would like y’all to take a look at the writing territories you
worked on last lesson, and I would like y’all to also consider a time that perhaps you regret
when you look back on it. Now, which writing territory or territories, but make sure you don’t
write about too many, because you want as much specific detail as possible, you want to write
about. I am going to set the timer for 10 minutes, and for those 10 minutes I would like y’all to
just write, silently, as much as you can about a time you regretted something or felt like you had
missed an opportunity to help some, using one or two of your writing territories. Does anyone
have any questions?
(Here I will give the students the opportunity to ask questions, it is very straightforward and I’m
not anticipating this being a difficult task for them to do. They have also had practice all year
with independent writing using different prompts and working independently.)
I’m setting the time for 10 minutes, please get started.
(As the students write, I will be walking around the room, checking in with the students that need
more support, especially my ELLs. I will also be making sure that my student that has some
behavioral issues is focused and on task. I will equally be walking around to answer questions
and provide support to any student if needed.)
Finish up that thought and please look up at me. Now for this next part we are going to do a
question flood. We’ve already done this a few times before for other writing assignments, but I’m
going to remind y’all of what it entails. You are going to switch laptops with a partner, and then
for 10 minutes, you are going to read their work and add questions everywhere you think they
could or should elaborate. You should be writing as many questions as possible in the next 10
minutes. There will be no talking to your partner to ask questions, if there is anything you want
to know, write it as a question or comment on their writing. Is everyone ready? Alright, I’m
setting the timer for 10 minutes, please get started.
(Again, as the students are writing I will be walking around the room, keeping the students on
task and providing help whenever needed.)
Alright y’all, finish up what you are writing, wherever you are. It doesn’t matter if you didn’t get
through everything, that’s totally fine. Now, I want y’all to give the computer back to your
partner. We are going to write one last time for 10 more minutes. For this final time, I want y’all
to revise what you have already written using the questions your partner posed. You don’t have
to answer all of them, some of them might be answered later in your work, and maybe some
answers you don’t want to provide right now.
(Again, as the students are writing I will be walking around the room, keeping the students on
task and providing help whenever needed.)
That’s time y’all. How did everyone feel about this exercise? I know for myself that it is really
helpful when someone gives me feedback, both positive and negative.
(I will give students a few minutes to debrief on the activity and how they feel about it.)

5. [_5_mins] Exit Slip/Closure

Great work everyone! It looks like we have just enough time to do one last closing activity. I am
going to pass out an exit slip to each of you with a prompt at the top of the page (See Appendix
C). Please put your names on it so that I can collect it when y’all are done. Does anyone have
any questions about the prompt?
(Here I will take any questions students might have about the prompt.)
Alright, please answer the question as thoroughly as you can in the remaining time. I will be
walking around the class if you have any questions.
(I will circulate the room while students are working to make sure they are answering the
prompt. I will be providing support to the students who may have trouble comprehending the
prompt. We did talk about the passage and those themes, so I am expecting the students to be
able to understand and be able to answer the question.)

Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:

(This is where you identify specific aspects of this lesson which have been differentiated in order
to address the needs of one or more of your profiled students—identify them by name)

One of the ways I made sure to accommodate my students is by picking a text that was slightly
below grade level. The focus of the class was not to read, but to look at the text and be able to
identify what the author of the memoir was doing right, and if this is effective for writing a
memoir. I purposely picked this text so that it was easily understandable for all students, and
would allow even the students that need more help to be able to understand it with ease. I wanted
all of the students to be able to understand as much as possible what was being asked of them. I
equally made sure the text was short and readable to all students, and appropriate for the students
with IEPs. The bulk of the differentiation will also take place when I circulate the room, as
students work individually this will give me an opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with
the students that are having difficulty working through the prompt or comprehending the text. I
will be able to conduct mini-conferences with those students to touch base with where they are
and how much more additional scaffolding I will need to provide them after this lesson is done,
before they are able to implement this reading strategy on their own. For the student that is
identified as having behavioral issues, Tommy, he is seated at the front of the class, with his desk
closest to mine. I will be keeping a close on Tommy as I teach and monitoring his behavior. We
have had many discussions during which I told him he could walk around the class silently,
without disrupting the students if need be, and he could fidget, as long as it doesn’t impede on
his learning or his peer’s learning. It various points during the lesson, I will be stopping by his
desk to make sure he is focused and on task, and if he acts up, I will make sure to have a
discussion with him, after having given the other students directions on what to do next.

Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers, handouts,
etc.)
Appendix A: Do Now

“Write about something noteworthy you did this weekend. Please write as detailed as
possible, some of these details should include: when did this happen, with whom, what were
you doing leading up to this”
Appendix B: Memoir Passage

LITTLE THINGS ARE BIG

by Jesús Colón, 1961

I’ve been thinking; you know, sometimes one thing happens to change your life, how you look at
things, how you look at yourself. I remember one particular event. It was when? 1955 or '56... a
long time ago. Anyway, I had been working at night. I wrote for the newspaper and, you know,
we had deadlines. It was late after midnight on the night before Memorial Day. I had to catch the
train back to Brooklyn; the West Side IRT. This lady got on to the subway at 34th and Penn
Station, a nice looking white lady in her early twenties. Somehow, she managed to push herself
in with a baby on her right arm and a big suitcase in her left hand. Two children, a boy and a girl
about three and five years old trailed after her.

Anyway, at Nevins Street I saw her preparing to get off at the next station, Atlantic
Avenue. That’s where I was getting off too. It was going to be a problem for her to get off; two
small children, a baby in her arm, and a suitcase in her hand. And there I was also preparing to
get off at Atlantic Avenue. I couldn’t help but imagine the steep, long concrete stairs going down
to the Long Island Railroad and up to the street. Should I offer my help? Should I take care of the
girl and the boy, take them by their hands until they reach the end of that steep long concrete
stairs?

Courtesy is important to us Puerto Ricans. And here I was, hours past midnight, and the white
lady with the baby in her arm, a suitcase and two white children badly needing someone to help
her.

I remember thinking; I’m a Negro and a Puerto Rican. Suppose I approach this white lady in this
deserted subway station late at night? What would she say? What would be the first reaction of
this white American woman? Would she say: 'Yes, of course you may help me,' or would she
think I was trying to get too familiar or would she think worse? What do I do if she screamed
when I went to offer my help? I hesitated. And then I pushed by her like I saw nothing as if I
were insensitive to her needs. I was like a rude animal walking on two legs just moving on, half
running along the long the subway platform, leaving the children and the suitcase and the woman
with the baby in her arms. I ran up the steps of that long concrete stairs in twos and when I
reached the street, the cold air slapped my warm face

Perhaps the lady was not prejudiced after all. If you were not that prejudiced, I failed you, dear
lady. If you were not that prejudiced I failed you; I failed you too, children. I failed myself. I
buried my courtesy early on Memorial Day morning.

So, here is the promise I made to myself back then: if I am ever faced with an occasion like that
again, I am going to offer my help regardless of how the offer is going to be received. Then I will
have my courtesy with me again
Appendix C: Exit Slip

“If you had been in the same position as the narrator of the memoir, would you have
helped the mother and her children? Why, or why not?”