Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 1

Instructional Planning Guide -- Lesson 1

Term 4, 2008-2009 School Year
Unit Title: Sentenced! Recognizing and Correcting Crimes Against Grammar!
Grade Level: Seventh Grade

Students: This unit has been prepared for mainstream classes of seventh grade English. The students have been working on writing skills all year, doing various writing assignments in class and on the MYAccess program. We have briefly studied some aspects of sentence structure and variety, including review of parts of speech, but we are still seeing many errors and weaknesses in sentence composition.

Goals

Cognitive:
1) Students will be able to identify and create complete sentences with a subject and a predicate.

Social/Affective:
1) Students will work together as partners, small groups, and as a class to learn about sentences.
2) Students will come to understand the importance of creating complete, correct, understandable sentences.

Linguistic:
1) Terms will be clarified for students, including terms for parts of speech and other terms used when discussing sentences.

Assessment

Cognitive: Students will self-report/assess on their individual understanding of what a sentence is and how to use it. Physical Response -- moving to area descriptive of the student's amount of knowledge.
Students will participate in a game to show their understanding of subjects and verbs: Slap game.
A quiz will be given at the beginning of the next class period on subjects and predicates, to see if students understood and retained what we discussed today.

Social/Affective: While and after lining up according to self-perceived understanding of sentences, students will discuss their understanding of sentences, and more knowledgeable students will teach those who feel they understand less. Students will participate as teams in the Slap Game.

Linguistic: Students will view a PowerPoint presentation about sentences and fill in blanks on prepared notes.

Sequence of Tasks

Student Work
Students self-assess their knowledge about sentences.
Students share what they know about sentences with other students.
Students watch and listen to a PowerPoint presentation by the teacher, watching for the needed words and filling in the blanks on prepared notes.
Students participate as members of a team trying to identify subjects and verbs in sentences.


Teacher Work
1) To establish the metaphor/silliness of a "chain gang," the teacher prepares and presents a brief excerpt from the video O, Brother, Where Art Thou. (The clip I used was from the very beginning of the movie up until the George Clooney character is pulled from the freight car when the companions he's chained to fail to jump on. Stop the video quickly then, since a swear word is used after he had fallen. )
2) The teacher dresses up in a judge's robe (borrowed black graduation robe) and uses a gavel to call the class to order. She then "sentences" the students to work on a "chain gang," chaining words together properly to form correct sentences.
3) Teacher has students rise and swears them in to "Tell the truth, ,the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to yourself about sentences."
4) The teacher then directs the students to go out into the hall where she has posted four signs spaced down the hall that read as follows:

-- I could teach this class about sentences!
-- I pretty well understand sentences.
-- I make some mistakes when I write sentence.
-- What's a sentence?

5) After student have lined up down the hall, the line is "folded" so the students who understand the most are facing those who understand the least. The students are directed to tell each other what they think a teacher wants them to know about sentences, and/or their best hints for working with sentences.

6) The teacher has prepared and presents a PowerPoint teaching about the basics of subject and predicate (verb). The teacher has also prepared notes on the PowerPoint that have words and phrases left out for the students to fill in. Students keep their notes in their binders or in a basket provided in the classroom, and are told they may use them on some of the quizzes they will take.

7) The teacher has prepared a set of sentences to be projected on the white board. She has also provided two (unused for their original purpose) fly-swatters. She divides the students into two teams. Each team sends a scorekeeper to the back of the room, and a "player" to the front to a seat positioned near the seat for the other team representative. The representatives prepare themselves to slap the sentence part specified by the teacher when the sentence is projected on the white board. The first one to slap the correct word earns a point for his or her team. The "players" then switch with others from their teams until everyone has a chance to play. Even the scorekeepers trade off and have a turn. This is an opportunity for the teacher to observe informally who understands subjects and verbs (predicates), and who doesn't.

Ongoing: Teacher observes and takes notes on who is "getting it," and who isn't.
Response to activities and observations: The teacher rearranges student seating to pair students who understand with those who don't.

Materials
video clip from "O Brother, Where Art Thou
video player and TV
black robe for teacher
gavel or toy gavel
signs for degrees of understanding about sentences (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/
Game/Activity Materials, Files, Sentences Corners.)
Computer, projector, and screen
Teacher-prepared PowerPoint (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ PowerPoints, Files.)
Teacher-prepared notes on the PowerPoint with blanks for the students to fill in. PowerPoint, Part 1
overhead projector (See http://caveassessment.pbwiki.com/ Notes on PowerPoints, Files.)
overhead with sentences
two fly swatters