Learning Letter Assignment

Reflect on the work you’ve completed in the course (book talks, mini-lessons, unit plans):

I have to admit that this class was harder than I imagined it would be.  In hind sight I wish that I would have done my book talk on the same book that I used for my unit plan; I think that would have made the work load a little easier.  Overall, I can truly say that I felt that I learned from all of these assignments and they have lead me down the road to becoming a better teacher.  It’s hard to describe what assignment I found most useful, because I know that I have learned from them all.

The book talk assignment was amazing.  I love having a small collection of books that are appropriate from Secondary readers without actually having to read every book.  I was the most scared of the mini-lesson assignment.  I’ve never enjoyed teaching in front of my peers, I’ve always felt more comfortable teaching in front of a group of students; I cannot explain why.  But, I really had a lot of fun teaching my lesson and I think that the rest of the class had fun with it too.  Then there was the dreaded unit plan.  As much as I hate writing TPA’s and developing assessment strategies, I really cannot say anything bad about this as an assessment for future teachers.  Each time I complete a TPA I feel that I learn a little more about what it truly means to be a teacher, and I feel that I am more prepared for when it comes to creating meaningful lessons for my students.

Reflect on the theories and concepts we explored in readings and discussions:

There were several difficult texts that we were asked to decode this semester.  Without the group discussion, I’m sure that I’d still be in the dark with some of them.  I think overall, that I really learned from Cris Tovani’s book I Read It, But I Don’t Get It I and the information that was addressed in the Assessment Strategies Hand out.  I have always thought of myself as a strong reader, and for the most part reading and comprehension come hand in hand for me.  So when I encounter students who do not share the same learning style as me, sometimes I become confused and frustrated with myself with not being able to relate/ help my students to understand.  I really liked the Assessment Article because of all the ideas it gave me for different ways of assessing student learning.  I appears that the days of using objective multiple choice tests are slowly beginning to fade away.  I’m not complaining because I hated those myself in school.  This article as explored the use of Double Entry Journals as an assessment strategy that Cris Tovani mentions in the Appendix of her book.

Reflect on how you think your participation in this course has influenced your thinking about yourself as a teacher:

I think that anyone who is considering becoming a teacher should take this course.  Yes it seems to focus primarily on reading and English Language Arts, but really what subject these days doesn’t include reading.  With all the articles and books that we have been exposed to during the course, it has given me a lot to think on in my future classroom.  Participating in the class discussions has also opened my eyes to the many different learning strategies that everyone encompasses.  It’s also taught me that teaching is ever evolving and to be the best teachers we can be for our students we need to keep up on learning these new strategies as they are presented.

Night - Elie Wiesel

As a future teacher I am not looking forward to teaching such dark events and materials to my students.  But, since I am a Social Studies Major with an English Minor I’m sure to come across it in my curriculum.  After reading Night by Elie Wiesel, I have to admit that I am glad I did not pick it for my Mini-Lesson.  I’m not going to say that I liked this book, but I found it to be highly interesting and very upsetting that such horrendous acts were taken out on people.  The author has a wonderful way with words; describing his experience with the justice it deserves but leaves out enough that it’s appropriate for younger audiences to read.  

Out of all of the experiences that Wiesel wrote about, there is one that I think will haunt me for the rest of my life.  About halfway through the book, he describes how he had to have surgery on his foot and was allowed to stay in the hospital while it healed.  While he was recovering the camp he was in was given orders to evacuate because of an impending attack.  Because he was scared that if he remained in the hospital that he would be killed.  So, he and his father opt to evacuate with the other prisoners instead of staying.  He found out later that those who stayed, “…were quite simply liberated by the Russians two days after the evacuation".  This absolutely broke my heart, and I put the book down for several days before I would finish it.

A theme from the book that I found heartbreaking to follow was his falling out of his faith with God.  I will never be able to identify with what any of the Holocaust survivors have gone through, but I have to admit I’m not surprised if many of them lost their faith; walking away from God never to return to praising Him.  I myself can never imagine a time where I would turn from my faith, but reading Wiesel’s words showed me that he did not make the decision lightly.  However, reading his Nobel Peace Prize exception speech led me to believe that since his experience, he had come to accept his faith again.

"The Raven" TPA Lesson Plan

Marisa Tramp – Mini Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate:  Marisa Tramp

Subject:  English Language Arts

Lesson Title/ Central Focus:  “The Raven” and Plot Diagrams

Grade Level:  7^th Grade

Length of Lesson:  20 Minutes

Academic and Content Standards (Common Core/ National):

CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.RI.7.2:  Determine two or more central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students will demonstrate their prior knowledge of Plot Diagrams to track central ideas and major events from the poem “The Raven.”  Using their Plot Diagram worksheets, students will create their own summary of the poem.  Students will demonstrate their understanding of the Learning Target by rewriting it in their own words on their worksheets and by filling out their Daily Participation Rubrics at the end of class.

Academic Language:

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify and define the vocabulary needed to create a Plot Diagram.  Those include: Introduction, Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Conclusion.  For each of these vocabulary words, students will find textual evidence, found within the poem, and rewrite them in their own words to fill out their Plot Diagram Worksheets for the teacher to evaluate (See Assessment Rubric in the next section).

Assessment:

Formative Assessment:

Students will be assessed during the lesson on their ability to restate the Learning Targets in their own words on both their worksheet and when the teacher calls on them at the beginning of the lesson to share their restated Learning Target.  The teacher will also monitor students while they work in pairs (elbow partners) to complete their Plot Diagram Worksheets to ensure that students are on task.  Their “Ticket out the Door” will be the completion of their worksheet and their Daily Participation Worksheet, which will be reviewed by the teacher for a grade.

Rubric:

___/ 6 One point for each of the Plot Diagram boxes that are filled out.

___/ 2 For filling out the Learning Target in my own words on the worksheet.

___/ 2 For filling out both sections of the Daily Participation Rubric on the back of the worksheet.

 Lesson Connections:

This lesson activates student’s prior knowledge on their ability to construct Plot Diagrams, which we covered the day before, to help reinforce and develop their understanding of creating detailed summaries.  According to StoryboardThat.com, Plot Diagrams help students to identify major events (central ideas), thoughts, and interactions between the main character and the raven within the poem.   ("Dive into the Macabre of Poe's "The Raven" Using This Teacher Guide!" Storyboard That.. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. http://www.storyboardthat.com/teacher-guide/the-raven-by-edgar-allan-poe).  The Plot Diagram can also be used in future lessons in order to achieve Learning Targets that align with students identifying central ideas and creating summaries for a variety of texts.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks to Support Student Learning:

Teacher Role	Student Role
The Teacher explains to students to begin writing the Learning Target in their own words on the worksheet being handed out to the students.  The Teacher walks around to observe that students are on task and completing their work.  The Teacher will ask a random sampling of students to share their answer to demonstrate their understanding of the Learning Target. The Teacher will remind students of yesterday’s lesson and homework assignment; the introduction of Plot Diagrams and to have the poem “The Raven,” as homework, for today’s lesson.  Explain that with elbow partners (each student will fill out their own worksheets) their task is to fill out the Plot Diagram cartoon using textual evidence found from the poem.  Provide students a handout with a summary of Plot Diagrams and their elements descriptions.  The teacher will walk around and help groups that are struggling and to make sure that groups are on task.  **Allow students to look at the poem as needed for guidance. The Teacher will bring the class back together to participate in a class discussion of what each group decided to write for each of the plot diagram boxes.  If not all groups agree on the answers, have the students explain why they chose to place certain events where they did.  It’s important that the Teacher allow all voices to be heard, but making sure that students are on task with the discussion. The Teacher will take the remainder of the class period to have students finish up their worksheets.  Also, have students to fill out the Participation Rubric that is on the back of the plot diagram worksheet.  Have students close their eyes and then ask them to rate themselves on a scale of 1-4 on their understanding of the material.	The students will begin writing down today’s Learning Target in their own words: ·         Using plot diagrams, determine two or more central ideas that are found within a text to create an objective summary of the poem “The Raven.” Select students will share their responses with the class in order to demonstrate their understanding of the Learning Target. (3 Minutes) Students will recall yesterday’s lesson on the introduction to using plot diagrams and that they were to read the poem “The Raven” as homework.  Students will work with their elbow partners to find textual evidence from the poem “The Raven” to fill out their own Plot Diagram Worksheets.  Students will also be provided with a handout summarizing what we learned yesterday about the different elements of a Plot Diagram. **Students are allowed to look at the poem as needed. (8-10 Minutes) Students will participate in a class discussion and contribute details they chose from the text to use to fill out the plot diagram.  Students will be reminded that just because their answers are not all the same does not mean they were wrong, but students will need to justify why they chose the details they did.  Students will also be respectful while their peers are talking by paying attention to what the speaker is saying and not interrupting them or whispering with their neighbors. (5-7 Minutes) With the remaining time in class, students will finish filing out their plot diagrams, as well as the Participation Rubric that is located on the back of their worksheets.  Have students rate themselves on a scale of 1-4 on how they feel they mastered the material, have students close their eyes to help keep answers confidential. (2 Minutes)
Student Voice to Gather:  At the beginning of the lesson, students are asked to share the Learning Target written down in their own words in order to demonstrate their understanding.  During the lesson students demonstrate their knowledge of Plot Diagrams by providing textual evidence (from the poem) to fill out their worksheets through the use of a classroom discussion.  Students will also fill out their Daily Participation Rubrics, so the teacher may track their understanding of today’s Learning Target, which asks students to describe what they learned today and to rate their understanding of the how to use plot diagrams.

Differentiated Instruction:

This lesson addresses the needs of auditory and visual learners through the use of a worksheet, as well as tactile learners through the use of written summaries.  Allowing students to converse in small groups to complete the assignment further aids those who are auditory learners; providing all students with an opportunity to share their answers as well as create stronger answers for themselves.

Resources and Materials:

●       Storyboard That: Poe's "The Raven" Narrative Arc

Dive into the Macabre of Poe's "The Raven" Using This Teacher Guide!" Storyboard That.. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. http://www.storyboardthat.com/teacher-guide/the-raven-by-edgar-allan-poe

●       "The Raven" Plot Diagram Worksheet/ Daily Participation Rubric on the back

●       Copies of "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe

●       Copies of a Plot Diagram with vocabulary definitions

Management and Safety Issues:

At the beginning of the lesson when students are writing down the Learning Target, the teacher will be walking around the classroom making sure that the students are filling this out on their worksheet.  Since the students will be working with elbow partners to complete the assignment, the teacher will monitor classroom activity and productivity by walking around the classroom and verifying that the students are on task.  It will also be up to the teachers to make sure the class discussion stays on track; students are being respectful while their peers are talking bu paying attention and not talking out of turn.

Parent and Community Connections:

Students will be encouraged to go home and talk with their parents about “The Raven” since it happens to be one of Edgar Allen Poe’s most popular pieces of work.  Students and parents also have the opportunity of logging on to the schools website to view grades and the syllabus/ schedule for the class, should they wish to monitor their students’ progress.