Lesson Plan Template: EDIS 5400 & 4882

Context:
Course name: Dual Enrollment English
Grade level: 12th
Length of lesson: 60 minutes
Students: 17 students. 5 students which are English Language Learners (academic proficiency
level unspecified by mentor teacher, but all at a good conversational proficiency level), one of
whom is Maria, who reads at a 10th grade reading level. 4 students who are identified as gifted,
one of whom is Nilofar, who is also racially non-dominant. 1 gender-nonconforming student,
Alex, with a reading IEP so they receive audio support for texts. 1 low SES student, Kamal, who
is repeating 12th grade.
Current unit: Students are in between writing assignments as they work on compiling a
portfolio for their first semester work (a PVCC writing course expectation). Their Beowulf essays
will be returned to them with feedback from Turnitin.com, the PVCC writing rubric, and written
feedback on the hard copies of their papers. They must revise their Beowulf essays for their
portfolios to show growth in writing skills while preparing to draft an essay on John Gardners
Grendel.

Strategy Requirement Satisfied:

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

Objectives (KUD format)

SWBAT: Commented [n1]: One thing I would like to

Know: complement you on is the way you created
boundariues around this lesson. These objectives are
K1. Students will know what that a well-developed thesis statement clearly and succinctly builds really appropriate for your students and the time you
the framework for an effective argument looks like. have with them.
K2. Students will know that every topic sentence functions as an argumentative extension of the
thesis.

Understand:
U3. Students will understand that strong argumentative writing stems from a well-constructed
and specific claim that can then be built upon by logical, focused evidence.

Do:
D4. Students will be able to develop an effective thesis statement
D5. Students will be able to create topic sentences that relate directly to the thesis statement

SOLs:
12.6 The student will develop expository and informational, analyses, and
persuasive/argumentative writings
 b. Produce arguments in writing that develop a thesis to demonstrate knowledgeable
judgments, address counterclaims, and provide effective conclusions. Formatted: Strikethrough

CCSs:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.A
Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s),
distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an Formatted: Strikethrough
organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and
evidence.

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

FORMAL: Title of FORMAL: Title of Title of assessment tool:

assessment tool: Beowulf
essays (already revised by
us)
Students will demonstrate
what they already know
about effectively organizing
writing effectivewriting
effective theses and topic
sentences by crafting an
argumentative essay about
how Beowulf gives insight
into Anglo-Saxon culture
Criteria: PVCC writing
rubric criteria, There is a
clear and effective thesis
and The topic of each
paragraph is explicit and
clear.
How data will be used: We
will gauged students
proficiency in developing
assessment tool: Graphic
organizer
Students will show their
progress toward developing
effective thesis statements
and supporting them with
subsequent topic sentences
by filling in a graphic
organizer designed around
the components of clear
writing.
Criteria: We will be
assessing using the same
criteria from PVCC. This
serves as a way for them to
rework their thinking about
how to adapt their writing to
fit consistent criteria.
How data will be used: We
will use this data to gauge
Grendel Artistic Expression
Project -- Artistic Statement
Students will ultimately be
assessed on developing an
arguable claim about the
significance of a quote from
the text of Grendel and
supporting it with relevant
and focused topic sentences
by writing a 500-word
statement detailing the
relevance of their choice of
quote to the deeper
meaning(s) of the novel as a
whole.
Criteria: The same criteria
from PVCC. Students will
adhere to the same criteria Commented [n2]: Excellent!
over the course of their work
towards honing this particular
skill. Commented [n3]: Shouldnt this be written in the past
tense because you did this before this lesson? Isnt this
the reason you created this lesson?
 effective thesis statements how well students grasped
and consistently producing the content of the lesson.
clear topic sentences in This will help us know which
order to inform the elements they continue to
approach of our instruction struggle with and which
of this lesson. areas would benefit from
further review and practice in
How students will receive later lessons.
feedback: Students will
receive their essays with How students will receive
attached PVCC writing feedback: Following the
rubrics and supplementary class period, we will use the
written feedback from us. planning period to go
through and markup
[Objectives: students assessments with
K1, K2, U3, D4, D5 specific feedback about
Standards: moments of clarity, focus,
VSOL 12.6b and consistency.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-
12.1.A]
[Objectives:
D4, D5
Standards:
VSOL 12.6b
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.A]
How data will be used:
Students written statements
about their projects will serve
as a benchmark for their
continued development of
these skills in later writing
assignments.
How students will receive
feedback: Students will
receive rubrics with focused
commentary about their
written statements.
[Objectives:
D4, D5 Commented [n4]: This is not showing their knowledge,
Standards: really it is only showing their abilioty to DO. If you were
to have them identify an effective thesis statement and
VSOL 12.6b explain what makes it an effectrie thesis statement, and
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.A] tell you or show you in some way how the topic
senteneces are extensions of the thesis statement,
then you would be assessing their knowledge of these
things.
Commented [n5]: I dont see how this assessment tool
gets at their understanding. Usually to get at thgejir
understanding of something you have to get them to
explain it or reflect on it in some way.

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:

[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
Chairs will be positioned in 5 rows of 6 chairs each. This is the usual setup for their classroom.

1. [2 mins.] Welcome/greeting/announcements
Kate: Good morning, everyone. Were going to get started in just a minutes but we know
that its Friday and were all a little antsy, so take a minute to turn to the person next to
you and share one thing youre looking forwards to this weekend [Wait for one minute,
maybe jump into a conversation with one or two students] Alright, lets bring it back now.
Weve looked at your Beowulf essays from last week and have seen you all present a lot
of interesting ideas about Anglo-Saxon life. However, we noticed that there seems to be
 some disconnect between what you all said you were going to talk about in your thesis
statements, and the actual progression of ideas in the body of your papers. Thats why
today, we want to emphasize the importance of creating clear theses and connecting
your ideas logically and consistently with thesis statements and topic sentences that
explicitly indicate the structure of your argument. Otherwise, your reader is going to get
lost and your argument wont be built effectively and your paper will not be doing what
you want it to be doing. Commented [n6]: Excellent purpose explanation

2. [2 mins.] Narrative Advance Organizer - Hook to lesson

Madeline: These connections are really important, and its so great that you all are
getting the opportunity to break these elements down and practice crafting strong
arguments. During my first semester of college I had a professor meet with me and
literally tell me that the way I was structuring my paragraphs did not aid at all in the
effectiveness of my argument. I had been opening my paragraphs with sentences that I
thought flowed well and connected the ideas I was addressing. What I didnt realize, and
had never been taught, was that every single element of a thesis statement has to be
explicitly addressed, and that topic sentences have to link the body paragraphs to the
thesis through explicit repetition. This means that whichever specific piece of the thesis
is being talked about in a particular paragraph is stated clearly in the first sentence.

3. [2 mins.] Bridge to lesson

Madeline: So today, were going to start by formulating a thesis statement based around
the quotes youve chosen for this project. Then, were going to break down the process
of connecting your thesis statements to your topic sentences. Youve all come to class
with a quote from Grendel picked out, right? Good![If they do not have one, they will use Commented [n7]: What if someone did not come
the following time to pick on for the time being] Well be practicing developing thesis prepared? What if someone was absent and missed
the assignment?
statements with the quotes you chose so that you can get a jump start on your Artistic
Expression Projects. I bet we all have some super cool quotes picked out, so lets take a
couple of minutes before we get started to share those. Turn to your elbow partner and
talk a little bit about what your quote is and why you picked the quote you did.If you have Commented [n8]: Nice! This will get them active and
not yet chosen a quote, please take these few minutes to scan through your lists of hopefully interested

powerful quotes from last week and choose one to work with for today. If it ends up
changing before you turn in the final product thats fine, but we all need to have one to
work with today as we go through this process.

[While they are talking, pass out Topic Blast Worksheet (Appendix C)] Commented [n9]: Good use of time

4. [16 mins.] Mini Lesson: Topic Blast

Introduce Topic Blast [31 min]
Kate: Okay, so now that you have your quotes fresh in your minds, were going to do an
activity called a topic blast to help us generate the ideas that will ultimately form our
theses. The way this works is that we start with our quote and we blast out all the
reasons why we chose it why we think its relevant, why we think its a good fit to help
us answer the question at hand. You want to answer the question, How does your
quotation connect to the deeper meaning(s) of the novel as a whole? So think about
those deeper meanings, and go ahead and write your ideas under the Themes this
Quote Represents section of the worksheet.Take about a two minutes right now to write Commented [n10]: Are they doing this now, or after
those down. you give them an example?

Model Topic Blast [5 min]

Kate: We picked this quote [write quote on blank Google Doc using teacher computer Commented [n11]: What quote are you using?
and read it aloudSee Appendix D: Lesson Slides], which we think exemplifies the theme
of identity in Grendel. So we would put this quote at the top of our worksheet
[Appendix C] where it says Quote. The purpose of this activity is for us to brainstorm a
whole bunch of reasons why this quote exemplifies the big themes and meanings that
our art pieces are based on, so thats exactly what were going to do on this sheet.
[Think aloud as we write examples of thematic connections and ideas on the board.
These will likely include:
1. Grendel is prepared to accept his identity based on something that someone with
more power told him
2. The shaper has more power to shape Grendels identity than Grendel himself
does Commented [n12]: Good example of modeling
3. By choosing to believe that he is dark, Grendel eliminates the possibility for him
to cross over to the light, leading to his death. He sees himself as unable to
change his identity form dark to light.
4. Does he have real ability to change his destiny/prescribed identity? Can he be
more than Darkness? [shows them they can also include questions]
5. Stuck in a role he doesnt really want/as someone he doesnt want to identify with
6. Leads to him dying because he took on the role that someone else assigned to
himinability to define his own identity leads to his death Commented [n13]: How do these relate rto identity?
You may want to be explicit?

Madeline: This is what our blast ended up looking like, but it could have all kinds of In your example, I am confused if they can have
different things for whichever themes your quotes go with. What questions do you have multiple themes represented.
about this process before we all try it out? [Pause for students questions, allowing think
time for slower responders. Possible student questions include:
Do we have to know the answers to everything starting out? [response: No]
What if we want to focus on more than one theme? [response: You can]
How many things should we have? [response: At least 3, but as many as you can
think of--its a blast!]
Should it all be analysis? [response: the connections you make will come from
close reading of your quotes, so yes]]

Topic Blast [7-10 min]

Madeline: So now were going to take about 5 minutes to brainstorm your ideas [Tell
them five minutes, with the anticipation that it will actually take 7-10 so that they get
working right away] We will be floating around the room, so feel free to raise your hand if
you have a question or would like us to look over your ideas. Go ahead and start
 blasting out ideas on the side of your worksheet with the fun shape on it. [Students will
work individually at their desks, we will walk around the room checking progress on
blasts and answering any questions that arise.]
5. [18 min] Thesis Workshop
Intro to Thesis Workshop [.5 min]
Kate: Now that you have several ideas about how your quotes relate to the themes from
Grendel that youre focusing on, were going to write thesis statements that demonstrate
the relationship of the quotes to the deeper meanings of the novel as a whole.

Model Thesis Construction [5.5 min]

Kate: To do this, were going to start by returning to our example and picking out three of
our favorite ideas from our blast. I think I like number 1 because it suggests that identity
is not just what we think of ourselves, but also how other people perceive us--it isnt
always a choice.

Madeline: I also really like this one [points to #3] because it talks about identity in
extremes, showing us that Grendel conceptualized identity as either one or another
without any middle ground for him to find himself.

Kate: And finally, I think I also like number 4. Its a question up here right now, but I think
we can pull the idea out of it and relate it back to the deeper meaning. If Grendel truly
sees the world in black and white, can he ever move past what he sees as his destiny? Commented [n14]: What do you mean by move past
Can he break out of the evil confines that others have put him in? This seems to me like his destiny?

a major thematic issue we can address. Then maybe as we dig into the evidence were
using, well arrive at an answer.

Madeline: Okay, so now to turn all of these ideas into a coherent thesis, we need to knit
them together in a way that makes it really clear to the reader what were talking about
and why it matters for How does [our] quotation connect to the deeper meaning(s) of
the novel as a whole?

Kate: As were writing our thesis, it might seem that our statement seems really
disconnected or out of context in some way, but remember that you guys will have
written an entire introductory paragraph that helps contextualize your argument. The
thesis will be the last sentence of your intro paragraph, so it will have a lead-up to it.
Now were going to create our thesis.

Madeline: With what weve brainstormed over here [gesture to blast on board], a thesis
we might come up with could be something like this:
Grendel grapples with how to define himself throughout the story, struggling to
find where he fits in society. Our quote [insert quote] shows that Grendel
understands and defines himself through how others define him, is unable to find
an area for himself outside the confines of good and evil, and ultimately
remains trapped within a predetermined identity.
 Who can identify the instances where we pulled directly from the blast to construct this
thesis? [Pause, listen to student responses to check their understanding about the
relationship between the ideas and the thesis statement.] Look here atGreat, so we can
see how each component of our thesis relates back to one of the pieces we picked out
of our blast, and pretty much just incorporates them with language that helps them flow
together in one sentence. What questions do you have about this process before you try
it out with your own quotes? [Pause for student questions, providing adequate wait Commented [n15]: I think I would ask for volunteers to
times, as the class is often slow to raise their hands. Possible student questions include: see if they can relate each piece of your theseis
statement back to the quote.This would double check
How did you come up with that so fast? [response: we worked through each their understanding
element of our ideas and picked out ones that worked well together. [walk
through modeling again if need be]]
How do we make sure that it doesnt sound clunky and stupid? [response: think
about where it might break up naturally and knit it together in a way that flows.
See how we have a separate sentence thats kind of a lead-up to our actual
argument? Had we not broken it up where we did, it would have been way too
long of a sentence.]]
Remember, we are happy to look at your specific ideas as youre working.

Thesis Construction [10 min]

Kate: Go ahead and take about 10 minutes to pick out the three points youd like to work
with and start formulating them into a thesis on the opposite side of your handout. It
probably wont feel quite right the first time through, this is the first draft were doing of
these theses--if theyre perfect the first time, the idea isnt going far enough. Well be
walking around and checking in with you as you work. [Students will work quietly, but are
welcome to confer briefly/quietly with a neighbor about an idea. We will be monitoring
progress, checking in on ideas, and giving pointers on the fluency of their statements.]

[10 2 min] Thesis share-out as lead up to topic sentence formation

Kate: You guys worked really well just now, and we saw some really interesting thesis
statements coming from your ideas that we think will become great artistic statements
for your projects. We hope this work will help you deepen your understanding of your
quotes as well so that your projects reflect your ideas! Does anyone have a thesis
statement they feel really awesome about and that they want to share with us?[Take Commented [n16]: I think more than 2 minutes would
time to have students share their statements, possibly having them put their sheets be useful herethey should share them aloud and get
checked by their peersto make sure they are clear.
under the document camera so that others can see their idea blasts at the same time. It could be done again with elbow partners
Following each thesis (we will do 2-3 as a whole class), students will then quickly check
clarity with elbow partners.]

6. [6 mins.] Topic Sentences

Model Topic Sentence Formation [3 min]
Kate: Before we set you free to start gathering your thoughts and evidence to support
these fabulous thesis statements, we want to quickly go over how to frame your paper
with topic sentences that relate directly to your thesis. This is something we noticed was
 sometimes an issue in the Beowulf papers, and we want to make sure that the clarity Commented [n17]: Good job again referencing the
and impact of these papers is not lost in confusing transitions. purpose of the days lesson

Madeline: So, we have to keep in mind that every topic sentence is an argumentative
extension of the thesis that moves the paper forward and lets the reader know exactly
what is coming up in the paragraph. The way we would break down our topic sentences
with our thesis would be like this: Commented [n18]: When you model this, I suggest
Topic sentence 1: Grendel understands and defines himself through others having a student or two suggest a topic sentence for
your paper. Maybe do the first one, show them its
perceptions of him. The following sentences would then present your evidence connection to the thesis, then have them offer
as to how your quote shows this. [After modeling this first one, ask students to suggestions for the 2nd and 3rd
suggest the following to as a way of checking their understanding of how the
sentences stem directly from the thesis. Exemplary responses are:
Topic sentence 2: Grendel is unable to establish an identity for himself Formatted
outside the confines of good and evil.
Topic sentence 3: Grendel ultimately remains trapped within a
predetermined identity.
If you look back at our thesis statement, each one of our topic sentences comes directly
from it so that the frame of our paper remains focused on what we actually want to talk
about. This will help with clarity, as well as conciseness in this short artistic statement.
What questions do you have about writing topic sentences?

Student Topic Sentence Work/Graphic Organizer Completion [3 min]

Kate: Now were going to give you 3 minutes to write topic sentences based on your own
thesis statements. As youre writing, you might realize that you need to rework your
thesis statement to make your paper flow, and thats okay. Just make a note of that so
you dont forget to go back and revise it later on.

Madeline: [After 3 minutes] Go ahead and move on, if you havent already, to developing
your ideas and starting to draft your paper around the frame weve just created. You can
use this time to rework your thesis some more, tweak your topic sentences, or start filling
in the evidence and analysis youll be using looking for the evidence youd like to Commented [n19]: Wont they need to use the text to
toanalyze to show the readers how your quotations connects to the deeper meanings of find the evidence first? You could ask them to tell you
what they think the next step would be
the novel as a whole.

7. [15 mins.] Writing Work Time

[Spend the rest of class conferencing with students, answering questions and providing
feedback on thesis statements, frameworks, and ideas. Students will work
independently, but may run their ideas past their neighbors if theyd like. If they finish
their outline frameworks early they may begin their first drafts of the paper. We will make
sure to conference with our ELL sudents to make sure that the language of the
instructions is not impeding their understanding and that they are finding ways to
articulate their ideas. We will also check in with our lower SES, less motivated students
who are often distracted by thing happening at home to make sure that they had
adequate time to choose their quote and work on the process. These students may
 require more time, as it sometimes takes them longer to fully grasp the reasoning behind
processes like these.]

8. [5 mins.] Closure Formatted: Numbered + Level: 1 + Numbering Style:

Before we finish up for the day Id like us to take a few minutes to reflect a little bit on 1, 2, 3, + Start at: 8 + Alignment: Left + Aligned at:
0" + Indent at: 0.25"
how this process went for us today. What things became more clear to you throughout
this process? [Pause for responses and facilitate a small discussions about things we
learned from breaking down the process and working through piece by piece] How does
everyone feel about the quality of the theses you came up with today? Show me thumbs
up, sideways, or down [a technique they are already familiar with]. Who would like to
share their thoughts about why they feel the way they do about what they have come up
with so far? Formatted: Font: 10 pt

98. [1 min] Closingure:

Great little discussion guys, thank you for working so hard today. The bells going to ring
in just a minute, so take this time to make sure you have your name on your graphic
organizers. We want to collect them when you leave so that we can give you feedback
on what you accomplished today so that you can incorporate it into your work. Youll get
them back on Monday. Have a good weekend! Commented [n20]: Thisisnt closure (it is a closing):
remembert that closure should be a means for the
students to reflect on, ask questions about, summarize,
or expression emotions on the lesson or so e aspecty
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students: of the lesson.
(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 studentsidentify them by name)
Because the majority of the students in the class began at a lower level in terms of
proficiency with constructing thesis statements and corresponding topic sentences, we
structured our worksheet in such a way that not only gives them the explicit structuring they will
need, but it will also allow students who either grasp the skill already or work quickly to work
ahead. Nilofar in particular will benefit from this structure since she typically works at a faster
pace than her peers and has demonstrated her ability to craft related thesis statements and
topic sentences in her Beowulf essay.
To accommodate Alexs reading IEP, we will present a slideshow with our quote, topic
blast ideas, thesis statement, and topic sentences, and we will read all of our own writing aloud
for their benefit. Our verbal commentary on the justification for what we chose to write will also
aid the understanding of the whole class since we will treat it as an after-the-fact think-aloud.
Finally, we will conference with individual students at specific points in the lesson to
ensure that every student is following along and developing their ideas as we go. We will
individualize our instruction to help answer specific questions as they arise and meet the unique
needs of each student. Commented [n21]: Go back into your lesson and
identify places where you might visit with specific
people to conferenec or provide support
Inspiration from reading:
We adapted the idea for our lesson from Gallaghers Topic Blast activity (98). Instead
of using a writing territory, we had them use the quotes they had chosen from Grendel and blast
them into their ideas about how they connected to the deeper meanings in the novel. This will
help them to create more interesting and in depth thesis statements that will lead to more
engaging papers. The framework for the topic sentences was a slightly adapted version of
Gibbons scaffolded essay framework that we broke down to a bare bones outline. We have
them do all of this with pencil and paper rather than typing it all out on their laptops because
they are more likely to write multiple ideas without the ease of backspace--this way they will be
able to see all their ideas in one place and draw connections they may not have been able to
see elsewhere.

Materials Needed (list):

Grendel (John Gardner, 1971) [Appendix A] - 1 copy per student
Grendel Artistic Expression Project guidelines [Appendix B] - 1 per student
Topic Blast/Topic Sentence Graphic Organizer [Appendix C] - 1 per student
Teacher computer
LCD projector

Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers,

handouts, etc.)
Appendix A: Grendel by John Gardner
Appendix B: Grendel Artistic Expression Project Guidelines
Appendix C: Topic Blast/Topic Sentence Graphic Organizer
Appendix D: Topic Blast PowerPoint

Appendix A:
Links to Chapters - Chapters 1-6, Chapters 7-12
Appendix B:
English 12 Dual Enrollment NAME: _________________________
PVCC / Charlottesville High School
Showalter 2017-18

Grendel Artistic Expression Project

Assignment: Select a quotation from John Gardners novel Grendel that you find
interesting, compelling, meaningful, and/or powerful. Then, construct an artistic creation
that illuminates the meaning of the quote. Write an explanatory paper to connect the
project to the text.

Part 1: Artistic Creation: Artistically represent a character, scene, symbol, or idea from
Grendel. Your project must illustrate your in-depth understanding of major concepts or
themes that run throughout the novel. Include your chosen quotation from the text as
part of your project. Feel free to use one of the choices listed below or to come up with
your own idea with your teachers approval. This part of the project will be graded using
the rubric copied on the back of this sheet. (25 points)

Part 2: Artistic Statement: Write a short (500 word) informative piece detailing the
relevance of your artistic creation. The written piece must respond to the following:

1. What is the context of your quotation?

2. How does your quotation connect to the deeper meaning(s) of the novel as a
whole?
3. Describe your artwork. Why did you choose this particular medium?
4. Describe the process of creating your artwork. What artistic decisions did you
make and why?
5. How does your artwork relate to your quotation and the novel as a whole?

The written portion of your project will be assessed using the PVCC Writing rubric. (25
points)

DUE DATES:
Quotation and explication: Monday / Tuesday, 11/20-11/21
FINAL (Part I & II): Friday, December 1
Appendix C: Topic Blast/Topic Sentence Graphic Organizer
Print double sided [attached as .pdf]

Appendix D: Topic Blast PowerPoint