Undergraduate Lesson Plan with Accommodations for SPED Student

While obtaining my Undergraduate Degree at DePaul University, I was asked to create a lesson plan using a course text, and to modify it for a specific case study.

This is a working lesson plan. I have all mentioned highlighted texts and worksheets. If you are an educator who is interested in this lesson plan, please send me an email at Chrissy.Marie.Monaco@gmail.com and I would gladly send them to you.

Here was the prompt:

Denise

Denise is a student with a learning disability. She has received special education services since 3rd grade and was recently assessed as reading 5 years below grade level. Specifically, Denise has an executive functioning disorder that includes difficulty with organization, initiating tasks, memory, and recalling information. She recently confided that she was fired from her babysitting job because of time management issues. She is feeling overwhelmed with her schoolwork and stressed because her family relied on the money from Denise’s job.

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DePaul University Secondary Lesson Plan Format

Part II. Lesson Plan (components required by EdTPA are noted below with a *. Your instructor may ask you to incorporate additional elements that are tailored to the course—these will be designated with a ***.)

GOALS/ DESIRED RESULTS

In the spaces below, articulate your specific learning goals for your lesson. Through each section, you should be addressing the question: what do you want students to KNOW and BE ABLE TO DO as a result of this lesson?

1. Philosophy/ Broader Aims

Link your broader philosophy/ rationale for teaching this content area to the learning plan in this specific lesson.

Students will understand that interpretations of text vary from reader to reader, and be able to produce their own interpretation of a text in a performance assessment.

1. Standards *

Common Core State Standards that are the target of student learning (List the number AND text of each standard that is being addressed. If only a portion of a standard is being addressed, then only list or bold the part or parts that are relevant.).

RL.11-12.7 Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist).

3. Learning Objectives *

Learning Objectives associated with the content standards. These should be clear, specific, and measurable.

Students will be able to create a Venn Diagram to differentiate the two separate interpretations of the same text from two different actors in order to analyze how the text can be interpreted differently by readers after reading Jitney.

Students will be able to interpret a piece of text from Jitney in order to perform a short scene, either alone or with a partner, using their interpretation of the text to show how mood changes when interpretations vary.

4. Essential Questions

What provocative, central question will foster inquiry and understanding—and serve as the focus for this lesson? What big ideas do you want students to understand from this lesson? Lessons within the same unit will typically have the same Essential Question(s).

Why is it important to look at different interpretations of the same text? How can interpretations change the text? What can we learn from different point of views and different interpretations? Through interpretations different than your own, what were you able to learn about the text?

5. Central focus and language demands *

Identify the lessons’ central focus, or how the content will be used to develop the identified skills and dispositions that students should learn during the lessons. Identify the language skills students will need to have in order to successfully complete the lessons and meet the standards and learning objectives and the vocabulary terms students will need to know.

Students will analyze interpretations of texts to understand differences and similarities in the interpretations.

Students will interpret a scene from the text through a performance in a way that changes the tone of the text.

Language Demands: Analyze, interpret, compare, contrast, similarities, point-of-view, mood.

ASSESSMENT

In this section, articulate the task or evidence through which students will demonstrate the desired understandings. In other words, how will you know students “got it” by the end of the lesson?

6. Assessments *

Informal and formal assessments used to monitor student learning, including type(s) of assessment, both formative and summative, and what is being assessed

(Day 1) Formative Assessment will consist of asking students to fill in a Venn diagram while they watch the two YouTube videos of James Earl Jones and Denzel Washington playing the role of Troy in Fences. The students will compare and contrast the two interpretations of the character, Troy.

A brief discussion of what the students found different and similar will be led by the teacher, followed by another Formative assessment asking the students to create an exit slip describing in a paragraph how these differences changed the mood of the performance.

(Day 2) Formative Assessment will be an exit slip providing the scene the student(s) have selected, which student will play which role, and in which mood they interpret the text in and act out for the rest of the class, and why they see this mood working for their scene.

(Day 3-4) Summative Assessment will be a performance assessment of a scene from Jitney. The students will be paired together if they choose a scene, or perform alone if they choose the monologue. A verbal explanation will be asked for after the performance assessment so that the students can explain their decisions and interpretations for reenacting the scene.

Extra credit will be rewarded if the students choose to memorize their scenes. However, no points will be deducted if they choose to have their script in hand.

LEARNING PLAN

In this section, articulate the materials/ resources necessary to implement the lesson and the step-by-step sequence of the lesson.

7. Instructional Resources and Materials *

Instructional resources and materials (including technology) used to engage students in learning. If technology is used, be sure to indicate how it enhances the lesson.

Classroom projector, computer, and internet will be necessary to show the YouTube videos from Fences. This will allow the students to view the different interpretations of the same text in a way that is visually engaging. It will also allow the students to listen to the changes in tone and how that changes the text.

Venn Diagram handouts will be necessary.

Each student should have a copy of the text Jitney with them in class.

8. Instructional Strategies/ Learning Tasks *

Instructional strategies and learning tasks (including what you and the students will be doing) that support diverse student needs. This step-by-step process should indicate how much time you intend each segment to take and should be detailed enough that a substitute teacher could teach your lesson as you intended.

(There are particular lesson models that might guide your thinking further here, such as the 5E model; POE; etc.)

What teacher and students will be doing

Points of evaluation

DAY 1:

Introduction: How will you introduce the lesson and engage students (how will you get them interested, help them see the relevance and purpose of the lesson)?

Teacher-Led Discussion (5-10 Minutes):

Class will begin with the teacher handing out Venn Diagram worksheets. One side of the Venn Diagram will be labeled “James Earl Jones” and the other side of the Venn Diagram will be labeled “Denzel Washington”. The middle will be labeled “similarities” and some examples of similarities will already be provided by the teacher including, “same script is being read” and “same character is being portrayed”.

Denise will receive an alternative assignment. She will still be asked to watch the videos quietly with the class, however, instead of completing a Venn Diagram, Denise will complete a worksheet that asks her to respond to the video personally.

The teacher will orally remind the students that they have just completed reading Jitney, by August Wilson, and today they are going to look at another text by the same author titled Fences. The teacher will inform the students that, instead of reading a specific scene, they will be watching two famous actors act the scene out on Broadway via YouTube uploads of the clips.

Before getting started, the teacher will ask the students in an open discussion “What does the word INTERPRETATION mean?” and write the word as well as the responses on the board after the students have responded.

The teacher will write down the following questions on the board:

“What is the tone of the scene?”

“How is the actor portraying the character- are they nice? Tough? Aggressive?”

“How is this scene making you feel? Scared? Happy?”

The teacher will ask the students to keep these questions in mind while they are watching the YouTube clips and to answer them using their Venn Diagram that has been provided to them, as well as to jot down any other ideas the students have about the clips when they are watching them.

On the side, the teacher will quietly walk to Denise’s desk and ask her to watch the videos and answer the questions provided to her on her worksheet. The questions ask the student to note how the videos make them feel, and why. The teacher will encourage Denise to try her hardest, and to write down any feelings that she has after watching the videos. The teacher will remind Denise that the assignment is not a spelling test, and so she should just reflect on her thoughts rather than get stuck on how to spell things.

Lesson: What are the specific steps and sequence of the lesson? How long do you anticipate each lesson segment taking?

Whole-Group Activity (10-15 Minutes)

The teacher will pull up the first clip, featuring Denzel Washington playing the role of Troy in Fences and remind the students which side of the Venn Diagram they should be writing their notes in (just in case the students are unfamiliar with the actor).

The teacher will play the first clip featuring Denzel Washington.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBTXS42dj40

After the first clip has ended, the teacher will inform the class that they have 2 minutes to jot down any notes or ideas about the clip they had just observed.

While the students are working on their reflections, the teacher will walk to Denise’s desk and provide her one-on-one help. The teacher will ask Denise, “So how did this video make you feel? Did you laugh when the audience laugh? Did the performance make you giggle or smile?” When the student responds, the teacher should encourage the student with positive reinforcement and ask Denise to write down her thoughts.

After the two minutes is up, the teacher will transition the class to the second clip featuring James Earl Jones, Jr., and once again remind the class to write the notes on the opposite side of the Venn Diagram in order to compare the two actors and how they interpreted the role of Troy.

Before beginning the second clip, the teacher will remind the students that the two actors are playing the same character in the same play and have memorized the same lines. The teacher will ask the students to keep that in mind as they watch the second clip and to jot down any other similarities they see in the two clips, as well as what differences they see in this interpretation.

The teacher will play the second clip featuring James Earl Jones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_kGtQmvrVI

Once again, after the clip has finished, the teacher will allow the students an extra two minutes to jot down any notes about the clips they have just seen.

Once again, the teacher should provide Denise additional help while she is completing her individual assignment. If Denise needs help, the teacher should once again ask her inviting questions such as “Was this actor angrier than the first actor? How did his anger make you feel?” and provide positive criticism towards Denise’s responses and encourage her to write them down.

After the two minutes is up, the teacher will ask if the students need any extra time, and encourage them to wrap up any last minute thoughts.

Group Discussion (15-20 Minutes):

Once the students feel their Venn Diagrams are completed, the teacher will ask the students to share their responses out loud with the rest of the class.

The teacher will remind the students about the three questions by pointing to them on the board and repeating them out loud:

“What is the tone of the scene?”

“How is the actor portraying the character- are they nice? Tough? Aggressive?”

“How is this scene making you feel? Scared? Happy?”

The teacher will ask the students to start by sharing what they wrote down for Denzel Washington’s interpretation of Troy.

The students will share their responses with the class out loud in a group discussion format.

After the students have shared their notes about Denzel Washington’s interpretation of Troy, the teacher will transition and ask the students to share their notes on James Earl Jones’ interpretation of Troy while keeping the same three questions in mind.

The students will share their responses with the class out loud in a group discussion.

Finally, the teacher will ask the students what kind of similarities, if any, the students found while comparing the two interpretations.

The students will share what similarities they found out loud with the class.

If Denise feels comfortable sharing her responses out loud, the teacher should encourage Denise to share her opinions of the videos out loud. The teacher should do this by encouraging Denise and reminding her that her ideas were “really smart” or “relatable” and telling her that the class would benefit from her responses.

Closure: How will you conclude the lesson? How will you bring the lesson together for students to help them return to the bigger purpose and big ideas of the lesson?

The teacher will conclude the group discussion by asking the students for any final thoughts or comments they would like to share with the group. When there are none, the teacher will ask the students to pull out a slip of paper to use as an exit slip.

Exit Slip (5 minutes- remainder of class):

Teacher will ask students to answer the following question in no less than 5 strong sentences, which will also be written on the board: “How can different interpretations change the mood of the same piece of text?” The teacher should also ask the students to drop off the exit slip as well as the Venn Diagram on the front desk before the students leave for the day.

While the students are completing their exit slips, the teacher should help Denise pack up for the day. The teacher should collect Denise’s worksheet she has completed for the day so that she can read her responses, as well as help Denise stay organized for her class. The teacher will remind Denise that she will hold on to her worksheet so that she doesn’t have to worry about remembering it for the following day.

DAY 2:

Introduction: How will you introduce the lesson and engage students (how will you get them interested, help them see the relevance and purpose of the lesson)?

Teacher-Led Recap/Assignment Description (15 minutes):

The teacher should hand Denise her assignment sheet from yesterday’s class right when Denise sits down and before recapping and explaining the assignment to the class. The teacher should remind Denise to “hold on to this until the end of class” and encourage her with positive feedback such as “you did a really good job responding to these questions, Denise”. The teacher should remind Denise not to throw out the assignment so that she can use it as a reference for what they will be working on today.

Teacher will start out the class recapping what the students did the day before and transition into what they will be doing today by saying: “Remember yesterday when we looked at the two video clips of Denzel Washington and James Earl Jones playing the role of Troy from Fences? Well today I want to continue with you guys thinking about interpretations of texts, but by looking at Jitney again.”

The teacher will then explain the Summative Assessment to the students. The teacher will inform students that they will be allowed to either work in pairs or work alone, and can pick from the following scenes which will also be written on the board:

Becker & Booster p. 39-46 (with cuts)

Doub Monologue p. 53-54 (entire monologue)

Rena & Youngblood p. 57-61 (with cuts)

DENISE: Rena (p. 23) – see highlighted print-out

The teacher will explain that the two scenes (Becker and Booster scene and Rena and Youngblood scene) are way too long and that the students can decide where to start and stop, but the performance should be at least four minutes long (provided each student is reciting their lines for two minutes each).

The teacher will explain that the point of the assignment is to analyze the scene or monologue, and then interpret it in their own way, as Denzel Washington and James Earl Jones did in their productions of Fences.

The teacher should remind the students that interpretations are from the student’s own point of view, and there will be no right or wrong interpretations so long as the students can JUSTIFY why the mood they chose for their character works for the specific scene.

The teacher will then explain that the scenes do NOT need to be memorized, but that extra credit will be rewarded for the students who want to memorize their scenes or monologues. The teacher will also explain that there will be no penalty for the students who decide they do not want to memorize their scenes or monologues.

The teacher will ask if the students have any questions, and when there are none, the teacher will allow students to pick a partner and sit by each other to get started on their assignments.

Lesson: What are the specific steps and sequence of the lesson? How long do you anticipate each lesson segment taking?

Individual Group Work (20 minutes):

Students will work in pairs or individually and begin to choose their scenes and characters.

The teacher should remind the students that re-reading the scene or monologue once or twice over would be a good idea before deciding how to interpret the text. The teacher should provide examples such as: “Maybe read the scene out loud as if the character is laughing, or scared, or really angry, and see what works for your group”.

The teacher will walk around from group to group and listen in on what how the students are deciding to interpret the texts out loud. The teacher should ask questions to the students when they pop-in to listen to further motivate their choices and performances such as “Interesting choices! Why do you think that mood could work for this scene?” etc.

While the students are breaking off and working on their assignments, the teacher will transition over to Denise, and provide her a copy of page 23 in Jitney, where Rena’s mini-monologue will be highlighted for her. The teacher should also provide Denise with her alternative assignment worksheet where Denise can once again reflect on her thoughts of the text. The teacher should remind Denise about the assignment she completed yesterday, while physically referencing the worksheet Denise completed the day before, while describing the new assignment in front of her. The teacher should read the sentence starters out loud for Denise to hear before she begins reading. The teacher should sit down with Denise and read the paragraph out loud for Denise to hear it.

After reading the paragraph in Jitney, the teacher should prompt Denise to begin reflecting and writing down her answers on her worksheet. She should ask Denise questions about Rena such as “After hearing this, do you think Rena is happy, or stressed? Does it seem like she has a lot of stuff on her plate and a lot of things to do?” and encourage Denise to write down her answers on the worksheet. The teacher should then ask Denise to reflect on her own life in response to what the text was saying by asking her “So, Denise, you recently said that you were kind of angry and stressed at home. How would you feel if you were working all day and found all of your savings gone? Can you relate to Rena at all?” and encourage Denise to personally respond to the text on her alternative assignment worksheet. Finally, provided Denise has responded that Rena feels stressed and mad, the teacher should encourage Denise to write down a word of advice for the character Rena so that she could feel happier.

Closure: How will you conclude the lesson? How will you bring the lesson together for students to help them return to the bigger purpose and big ideas of the lesson?

Exit Slip (5 minutes- remainder of class)

Teacher will command the attention of the room to the front where the teacher is standing, ask for their cooperation and attention, and point out the bullet points written on the board that read “Scene selected”, “starting and stopping point”, “appointed student roles”, “mood, and why?”

The teacher will ask the pairs or individual students to write a quick exit slip that will inform the teacher about what students made which decisions and why.

The teacher should conclude by reminding the students that they will have the beginning of class tomorrow to continue working on their scenes and will start performing at the end of class tomorrow and all day the following class.

The teacher should approach Denise and ask her for both yesterdays and todays assignment worksheets so that she can hold on to them for Denise and so that Denise will not have to worry about bringing them to class for the following day.

Formative Assessment:

Students will raise their hands and offer examples or definitions for the word “INTERPRETATION"

The students will jot down notes while they watch the video clips, as well as after the video clips are done. The students will actively fill out a Venn Diagram in order to organize their ideas and compare and contrast two interpretations of the same text.

Formative Assessment: Teacher will be able to assess student learning is taking place by observing the note taking during videos and afterwards. If a student looks to not be writing anything down, the teacher should approach the student and offer assistance. Teacher will be able to further analyze the students have learned by collecting the Venn Diagrams and giving students checks and check minuses for completing the in-class assignment.

Formative Assessment:

Students will raise their hands and share their notes with the class. They will answer the three questions that are written on the board and any other ideas they had while watching the video clips. Teacher will be able to assess student learning by listening to the student’s responses to the questions on the board. By doing so, the teacher should be able to tell if the students understand how the text changed from one actor’s interpretation to the others, and how interpretation of a text can change the mood of the text. The teacher should lead the class in the correct direction by shifting their thought processes back to the videos so that students better understand how interpretation changed the mood.

Formative Assessment:

Students will formulate a paragraph explaining how interpretations can change the mood of a text and turn it in before leaving. The teacher will be able to read each student’s response to make sure that each individual student understands how interpretations can change a text.

Students will work in pairs or individually on a performance assessment and begin to read their scenes out loud in different moods. Students should begin to understand that the way in which they interpret the text could change the entire mood of the piece they’re reading.

Formative Assessment:

Students will provide a short exit slip that will inform the teacher of the choices they made throughout the class period including which scene they chose, which role they will play, which mood they’ve interpreted the scene in, and why.

Formative Assessment: The teacher will walk around the class and assess student learning by listening in on the student’s small group work. Through over-hearing these interactions, the teacher should be able to keep the students on the right track if they seem to be confused or off-topic. The teacher will assist the students if they have questions about the assignment, or provide opinions on how the text could be interpreted (laughing, aggravated, scared, etc.)

Formative assessment:

Teacher will be able to tell if the students utilized their class time appropriately by reading these exit slips. The teacher will also be able to tell if the students have chosen an appropriate mood for their interpretation, and a response to why the students chose that mood.

9. Adaptations and Extensions

Describe accommodations for students with disabilities, adaptations for ELLs, extensions for gifted learners, or other modifications to support learning for all students.

Specifics: See highlights in italics. (above)

“Denise

Denise is a student with a learning disability. She has received special education services since 3rd grade and was recently assessed as reading 5 years below grade level. Specifically, Denise has an executive functioning disorder that includes difficulty with organization, initiating tasks, memory, and recalling information. She recently confided that she was fired from her babysitting job because of time management issues. She is feeling overwhelmed with her schoolwork and stressed because her family relied on the money from Denise’s job.” – This case study was provided by Dr. Anne Butler, a Professor at DePaul University who teaches Strategies Mainstreaming and Inclusion (LSI 346). I decided to use this case study to address the assessment strategies I would use for a specific student rather than use my imagination.

Overview: Denise should be given alternative assignments due to her reading comprehension skills. A print out of the scene she should be working with on Day 2 should be provided to her, highlighted, and read to her in a private one-on-one conversation. All of Denise’s questions should be read to her if she cannot comprehend them by herself. Denise’s materials should be collected by the end of the day to avoid misplacing materials.

10. References *

List citations for materials used.

Fences Clip: "How Come You Ain't Never Liked Me?" By August Wilson. Perf. Denzel Washington. 2010. YouTube. 3 May 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

Fences "You Ain't Never Liked Me" By August Wilson. Perf. James Earl Jones. 46th Street Theater, 1987. YouTube. 8 July 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

Wilson, August. Jitney. Woodstock, NY: Overlook, 2001. Print.

11. Alignment

Reflect on how the lesson goals, assessment, and learning plan are aligned. How does the learning plan provide students with opportunities to meet the lesson goals? How do assessments enable students to demonstrate that they have met the lesson goals?

The lesson provides students the opportunity to take what they learned by watching Denzel Washington and James Earl Jones, and use it to create their own interpretations of a text. The lesson plan has students working hands-on to interpret text in their own unique way, and the performance assessment will allow the students to see the scenes interpreted in different ways by their classmates. The teacher will ultimately be able to assess the student’s learning by watching their scenes being performed as well as through a mini Q&A after the performances about why they chose to interpret the text in the way that they did.

***12. IB Integration (LP 2 only)

Reflect on how the lesson plan incorporates the IB Standards and Practices, Subsection C2 and C3 by identifying and discussing at least one practice from C2 and one practice from C3 that you believe your lesson plans addresses particularly well. Also identify at least one practice from C2 and one practice from C3 that you believe your lesson plan fails to address fully and consider how you might revise or extend on your lesson to address these practices.

C2 Written Curriculum: “The written curriculum provides opportunities for reflection on human commonality, diversity and multiple perspectives.” I think my lesson plan incorporates this IB Standard by addressing the different perspectives James Earl Jones and Denzel Washington had on their characters. They were both reciting the same text, but their perspective on the character of Troy was on opposite sides of a spectrum.

C2 Written Curriculum: “The written curriculum promotes students’ awareness of individual, local, national and world issues.” I don’t think my lesson plan fully hits on this IB Standard. I think I could ask more “Big Idea” questions at the end of Day 1 when the students first learn about interpretation and ask them how different points of views and different ways of interpreting the same piece of text could also work in the context of how we view the news, or how we should keep these differences in mind when assimilating, etc.

C3 Teaching and Learning: “Teaching and learning engages students in reflecting on how, what and why they are learning.” My lesson plan incorporates this IB Standard through the exit slip that my students will be asked to complete on day 1. The exit slip asks my students to reflect on how interpretations can change the mood of the text, which is directly asking them to reflect on what they had learned earlier in class.

C3 Teaching and Learning: “Teaching and learning demonstrates that all teachers are responsible for language development of students.” I don’t think my lesson plan addresses this IB Standard as fully as it should. I think incorporating more academic language demands from my students would be one way to acquire this standard.