Katherine Freeman Concept Unit Lesson Plan 9 Unit Working Title: Who Am I? Who Are We?

Identity & Community Unit Big Idea: Identity & Community Unit Primary Skill focus: Personal Writing Week 3 of 4; Plan #9 of 12; [90 min.] Plan type: Full-Detail Content Requirement Satisfied: mentor text, model text, syntax or language concept Critical Learning Objectives

SWBAT: Cognitive: 3. Students will understand that individuals can shape the identity of a community, and a community can shape the identity of an individual. c. Students will know that a community can influence the way we see our own identity. Performance: 7. Students will write to explore and reflect on their personal identities and the factors that shape them. e. Students will use several texts as models for writing. 9. Students will discuss and analyze the relationship between identity and community in a variety of texts. c. Students will discuss and reflect on texts to improve their comprehension. SOLs: 11.2d Determine the authors purpose and intended effect on the audience for media messages. 11.4h Explain how an authors specific word choices, syntax, tone, and voice support the authors purpose. CCSs: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W11-12.2C Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3D Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of experiences, events, settings, and/or characters.

Katherine Freeman Procedures/Instructional Strategies Beginning Room Arrangement: The desks will be arranged in a circle. As usual, students will pick up their journals as they enter the classroom. 1. [5 min.] Watch Identity Film: Good morning class! Today were going to begin by watching a short film. Theres no dialogue in this movie, so Id like you to pay close attention to the action of the film and think about how this relates to our concepts of identity and community.

I will then dim the lights and show the film to the students. During the film, I will place a playing card face down on each students desk. 2. [10 min.] Musical Cards Discussion of Identity Now were going to do an activity to discuss the film we just watched. I put a playing card on each of your desksdoes everyone have one? Take your cards, and everyone come stand inside the circle. Im going to put on some music, and while the music is playing, walk around and exchange playing cards with others. Youll just keep going until the music stops, and Ill tell you what to do next. I will play a short clip of music, about 20-30 seconds, and then shut it off. Now, find a partner who has the same color card as you! Allow a few seconds for students to find a partner. Project question 1 from power point on the board: Why was everyone wearing masks? Now discuss the question on the board with your partner. Why was everyone wearing masks? Keep talking until the music starts up again, and then start walking around and trading cards with each other again. Allow a minute or two for students to talk, and then start the music again. Switch to the next question, Why did the girl take off her mask? Turn off the music after about 30 seconds. Now find a partner who has the same number as you. Then discuss the next question. Why did the girl take off her mask? Allow a minute or two for students to talk, and then start the music again. Switch to the next question, What happened when the girl looked in the mirror? Turn off the music after about 30 seconds.

Katherine Freeman Now find a partner who has the same suit as you. Then discuss the next question. What happened when the girl looked in the mirror? Allow a minute or two for students to talk, and then start the music again. Switch to the final question, How is the school in the film like our school? How is it different? Turn off the music after about 30 seconds. Now find a partner with the opposite color as you. This is the last question to discuss. How is the school in the film like our school? How is it different? Allow students a minute or two to discuss.

3. [10 min.] Whole Class Discussion of Identity: Everyone please take a seat, and pass your cards back to me. I want to hear your thoughts about the film and what you discussed with your partner. Who has some insights they would like to share? Allow students to share ideas. If necessary, prompt with questions such as: What did the masks represent? How do you think the students felt about wearing the masks? What happened when the girl took the mask off? Why did she do it? How did others react? Do you think others will follow her example and take off their mask?

4. [10 min.] Journal Entry: Mask & Mirror: Its time for our journal entry of the day. Everyone, please open your journals to a new page and write the date at the top. Id like you to make two lists: the first list should be titled Mask. Id like you to write down some ideas about the mask you wear. As we discussed, the mask in the film represented what others see in you, or the face you feel you must put on to the world. Title the second list Mirror. We talked about how in the film, the girl recognized what she saw in herself when she looked in the mirror, and I would like you to do the same. In this second list, write down some aspects of who you really are. Youll have about 7 minutes to work on this, and Ill walk around if anyone needs some assistance or ideas. Students will spend 7 minutes working on their lists. Ill walk around and monitor progress and provide suggestions if necessary.

5. [10 min.] Reverse Poem: I will begin passing out copies of Lost Generation as students are finishing up their lists. When Im almost finished, I will say:

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Now were going to shift gears and look at a poem called Lost Generation. So far in this unit, we have discussed identity specifically for individuals, but this poem is about the identity of a group of peoplea community. A generation is a group of people who are all around the same age at the same time. For example, you and your classmates are all members of the same generation. Now please take a moment to read the poem to yourself silently. (Pause for a moment.) Could I have a volunteer to read this aloud for the class? I will select a student who raises their hand and ask them to read. Thank you. How would you describe the tone of this poem? Remember, tone is the attitude the speaker expresses in the poem. Is this a positive poem? Take student responses, and ask follow up questions if appropriate (Which words make you think that? What is the overall message?) So we agree that this poem has a very negative, or pessimistic, view of the future. Now, were going to look at this poem in a different way. Were going to read it backwards, starting with the last line and reading them in reverse. To make this easier, Ive printed the poem in reverse on the back of your handout. Take a moment to read it to yourself. (Pause a moment.) Could someone please read it aloud? Allow a volunteer to read the poem aloud. Thank you, _________. This is quite a different poem, isnt it? How would you describe the tone of the poem now? Allow student responses, and ask appropriate follow-up questions. I think a poem like this is very impressive because uses language in a very clever way to express two opposite perspectives in the same poem. When we read it one way, we get the perspective of others looking at the generation and viewing it as uncaring, lost, and lazy. But when you read it in reverse, you see the positive perspective of the generation, which shows that it is passionate and motivated. Does anyone have any other thoughts to share about this poem?

6. [10 min] Reverse Poem as Mentor Text: Today, youre going to write your own reverse poem! The lists you just made in your journal will come in handy. But first, we need to figure out how the writer composed a poem like this, and well also write one together as a class. Lets look at this line-by-line and figure out how this is constructed. I will mark-up the poem projected on the board as I say the following:

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As I look at this poem, I notice that there are three lines that start sentences and end in that, and theyre followed by the completion of the sentence in the following line. I think this is key to how the poem works; you can read it in both directions because the lines alternate between starting a sentence and finishing a sentence. Now lets look a little closer. In the first line, the author makes a negative statement. It is able to stand alone as the first line, but when the poem is reversed, it is able to complete the sentence. What about the second line? (Allow student response.) Thats right, this starts a sentence. Is it a positive or negative start? (Allow student response.) Yes, its negative. What about the third line? (Allow student response.) This is a completion of the sentence. Is it positive or negative? (Allow student response.) Right, its a positive statement when it stands on its own. But when paired with the negative sentence starter in the line before, it makes a whole negative sentence. What about the fourth line? (Allow student response.) Right, this is another positive statement. The word evident means obvious. What about the fifth line following it? (Allow student response.) Right, this is a negative statement that completes the sentence. And the sixth line? (Allow student response.) Yes, this is a sentence starter, and it is negative. And the seventh? (Allow student response.) Right, this is a positive end, but it can also stand on its own. So after we broke it down, it looks like we have this structure: (Will project on board) 1. Negative end 2. Negative start 3. Positive end 4. Positive start 5. Negative end 6. Negative start 7. Positive end Does anyone notice any patterns? Allow student responses. Scaffold students to recognize that there is a pattern of two negatives, two positives, etc. So when you read the poem forwards and you have a negative start with a positive end, it makes the whole sentence negative. But when you read it in reverse and have a negative start with a negative end, the negatives cancel each other out and the statement is positive!

7. [15 min.] Step 4: Model Reverse Poem: Now lets try to write one of these together as a class. Lets write our poem about Jackson Jackson from What You Pawn I Will Redeem, which we read last week. Lets start out by brainstorming two lists: a mask list about how others may see

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Jackson, and a mirror list about how Jackson sees himself. Turn to a partner and discuss this for about a minute. Allow students to discuss, then bring group back together and ask students to share ideas. Write lists on board, and prompt with examples from text if necessary. I will also point out any similarities between items on the two lists and suggest we might want to use these in our poem. This is a nice list. Now lets try to make a poem using the template we created based on Lost Generation. So it looks like we alternate between negative and positive statements. Whats a negative idea from this list we can start with? Since this is the beginning of the poem, we want something bold to attract the readers attention! Take student responses. Fill in rest of the poem in the same manner, referencing Lost Generation as necessary. Write poem on the board as we go along. Now would someone like to read the poem for us? (Allow student to read.) Thank you. And could someone read it in reverse? (Allow student to read.) Thank you. So you see, it wasnt too complicated to construct a poem like this once we broke down how to do it. 8. [15 min.] Step 5: Writing Reverse Poems: Now its your turn! Use the lists in your journal to help you start off your poem. As we did with our class poem, you might want to think about items from your two lists that correspond. Ill keep the template we created posted on the board. You can write your poem in your journal, right after your lists. Ill walk around as your writing, so just raise your hand if you need any help or want me to look over what you have. Students will write, and I will walk around and provide support. If students finish early, Ill encourage them to revise or lengthen their poem. For additional challenge, I may encourage some to try to find a different structure they could use to write a reverse poem. 9. [5 min.] Closing: We just have a few minutes left in class, so Id like to give you a preview for whats ahead. Next class, we will begin revisions and conferences of your work. Before your conference, Id like you to fill out one of these conference prep sheets, which I am passing out. I will pass out the papers while talking. Please fill this out at home. Also, think about which pieces you are most interested in revising and including in your project. Brainstorm project ideas as well. I look forward to hearing your ideas next class!

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Be sure to turn in your poem and put your journal in the bin as you leave. Have a great afternoon!

Methods of Assessment: Partner discussions about masks and mirrors [3c, 9c] Journal entry with lists [7e] Reverse poems [7e] Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students: Holly often needs encouragement during her writing, and she appreciates feedback during the process. She also tends to struggle at the beginning of her writing, but can get a good flow going once she starts. I will try to check-in with her early on during the reverse poem writing to make sure she understands and knows how to begin. Ill also check in with her towards the end of the writing time to read over what she wrote and offer some suggestions. Tommy tends to get bored in class, especially when he feels he isnt challenged. When I talk to him individually during writing time, I should try to motivate him by presenting this exercise as a challenge or a puzzle he must try to work out. Sometimes he acts like he has nothing to say, so I might want to offer some suggestions for things to help him get started. The student interest survey could be a helpful tool here. I could even pull his out if he needs some ideas, and I could do this for other students as well, if necessary. Materials Needed: Google presentation: https://docs.google.com/a/virginia.edu/presentation/d/1CgLc0UqbDe0ZGJbxQK D-ueOZxMO9mgrDX_h9L87EiSg/edit#slide=id.g12ef6c16d_051 Copies of Lost Generation (from Gallaghers Write Like This) Journals Paper for writing Conference preparation sheet for each student Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers, handouts, etc.) I. Google presentation slides II. Lost Generation III. Conference Preparation Sheet

Katherine Freeman Appendix I: Google Presentation Slides Slide 1

Slide 2

Katherine Freeman Slide 3

Slide 4

Katherine Freeman Slide 5

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Slide 6

Katherine Freeman Appendix II: Lost Generation

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from Lost Generation by Jonathan Reed

Environmental destruction will be the norm No longer can it be said that My peers and I care about this earth It will be evident that My generation is apathetic and lethargic It is foolish to presume that There is hope

Reverse of Lost Generation

There is hope It is foolish to presume that My generation is apathetic and lethargic It will be evident that My peers and I care about this earth No longer can it be said that Environmental destruction will be the norm

Katherine Freeman Appendix III: Conference Preparation Sheet

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Name: _________________________

Date: ____________________

Conference Preparation Sheet

1. Which piece of writing do you think is your strongest? Why?

2. Which piece of writing do you think could use the most improvement?

3. What is one way you could strengthen this piece during revision?

4. What is one question you have for me about your writing?