Appendix C Monmouth University Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate’s Name: Morgan DeWinne

Date: Monday, March 18th
Lesson Title: The Crucible Act IV Lit Circle
Class / Grade: 11th grade R-track American Literature
Central Focus: This lesson plan will help students to become more proficient readers through critical
thinking towards the text and close-reading of selected passages.
Student Learning Goals / Objective(s):

1. Students will be able to apply student-generated ideas to cited evidence from Act IV of The
Crucible.
2. Students will be able to compare and contrast ideas and events from Act IV of The Crucible to
relevant topics and ideas.
3. Students will be able to discuss their opinions of Act IV of The Crucible with textual evidence for
support.
4. Students will be able to analyze characterization, theme, and literary devices in Act IV of The
Crucible to answer their guided reading questions.
Academic Standards:
NJSLSRL.11-12.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence and make relevant connections to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
NJSLSSL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on- one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with peers on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas
and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Assessments: Lit Circle discussion (Formative)
Academic Language:

Identified Language Demands Planned Language Supports

Language Function Apply, compare and contrast,
Vocabulary Excommunication: the action of officially
excluding someone from participation in the
sacraments and services of the Christian Church
Hysteria: exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion
or excitement, especially among a group of people
Lechery: excessive or offensive sexual desire;
lustfulness.
Discourse Note-taking (guided reading questions)
Interpreting and analyzing text
Class-wide discussion
 Syntax Sentences, quotes, excerpts

Instruction Strategies and Learning Tasks:

Duration Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks

7:50-8:00 • Students will open their textbooks to Act
IV of The Crucible and open their
Chromebooks to Google Classroom,
where they will find an uploaded version
of guided notes for Act IV.
• Students will read Act IV out loud with
character parts and pause to ask questions
and fill out their guided notes.
• Instructor will facilitate lit circle by
keeping students on track with their
reading and by prompting discussion.

Support for Accommodations and/or Modifications:

PDF version of Act IV of The Crucible can be used on the Chromebooks for support for
accommodations.
Specific support strategies outlined for students in the class:

• Support for Students with IEPs – Students will receive extra time completing guided notes.
Students will also receive preferential seating near the instructor where the instructor will check
for understanding as needed.
Materials / Use of Instructional Technology:

• Chromebooks
Teacher Materials

• Chromebook
• Guided notes
• Textbook
Student Materials

• Chromebook
• Guided notes
• Textbook
Homework / Assignment for Next Class:
Complete the guided reading questions for Act IV of The Crucible and upload the document onto Google
Classroom. If Act IV is not completed in class, Lit Circle will continue tomorrow (Tuesday, March 19 th).
Analysis of Teaching / Reflection:
• The main learning outcomes of my lesson revolved around analysis, where students drew
connections to previous acts in The Crucible and to the modern-day world. Students were able to
remember information and plot points from Acts 1-3 of The Crucible apply them to questions
from Act IV’s guided notes. Another main learning outcomes of my lesson was a demonstration
of understanding where students proved their understanding of the text and explained their
thoughts throughout the plot.
• What I have learned of my students as learners is that they require some prompting for
discussion. Although the lit circle was supposed to be a student-led discussion, I still served as the
facilitator, along with my cooperating teacher, to progress the dialogue. I also learned that my
students tend to over-analyze the guided notes provided for them, as they sometimes interpreted
the text too thoroughly, when the answer to a question was right in front of them.
• If I were to teach this lesson again, I would change the instruction before the lit circle. To
encourage more students to participate and jump in with conversation, I would ask that students
create the pauses in dialogue and prompt questions for discussion, so that I can prevent
misjudging pausing within the readings. Also, I would give students more time to answer my
facilitated questions, as I made the mistake of moving from one student to another before giving
the first student adequate time to answer.
• Why would changes improve the learning of your students? (Cite a learning theory to support
your rationale.) Changes would improve the learning of my students by requiring them to
collaborate more, and therefore learn more from each other within Cognitive Development; also,
changes would allow for Piaget’s accommodation of textual schemas of students like the one
called on for an answer but did not wait, to access their prior knowledge and apply it to the
discussion.
 The Crucible Act IV Guided Reading Questions Answer Key (Responses will vary)

• How much time has passed since Act III? How do readers know?
• Three months – the beginning of Act IV states that the setting is in the fall, but
later readers discover that Proctor has not seen Elizabeth in three months and
that Elizabeth is three months pregnant.
• Hathorne says Parris looks mad these days. What does he mean? What is Parris really
upset about?
• Parris is upset because he is broke – Abigail robbed his “strong box.”
• What is going on in Andover, and how does it relate to Salem?
• Parris says, “Andover have thrown out the court, they say, and will have no part
of witchcraft,” which Hathorne later confirms is rioting (Miller 127).
• What object did Parris see as an intentional threat to his life? Why do you think it
happened?
• Parris thinks a dagger clattering to the ground is a threat upon his life, because a
dagger symbolizes violence and terror. This most likely happened to show
Parris’s guilt in the lives lost because of false accusations made by him.
• What is Hale’s motivation for visiting the prisoners? What is he advising them to do?
• Hale feels guilty for not realizing that the accusations of witchcraft were false
sooner; he has returned to help the prisoners and to advise them to confess so
that their lives will be saved.
• What does Parris mean when he says to Danforth, “It were another sort that hanged till
now” (Miller 127).
• Parris means that individuals such as Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Proctor, were
known as good and innocent people by everyone. Now that popular innocent
people are being hanged, the townspeople will question everything.
• What is Parris’ suggestion regarding the hangings? How does Danforth respond? Why?
• Parris suggests pardoning the prisoners and postpone the hangings, but
Danforth refuses. He refuses because he says he has already hanged 12 people
and it would not be fair to the dead to pardon those still awaiting to be hanged.
Danforth is another example of someone worrying about his reputation.
• What does Hale mean when he says, “There is blood on my head!”? (Miller 131).
• He feels guilty for not realizing the truth sooner, and feels personally responsible
for Proctor’s (soon-to-be) death.
• Rev. Hale offers four signs that the town is being ruined. What are they? What
do they symbolize?
• 1. Orphans wandering – symbolizes parents being hanged because of false
accusations of witchcraft and now no one to take care of children
• 2. Abandoned cattle wandering the roads – owners also hanged
• 3. Rotting crops – owners hanged, no one to care for crops
• 4. Harlot’s cry being a possibility to end a man’s life – any girl (or anyone)
accusing someone can lead to their death by being hanged
• What does the court want Elizabeth Proctor to do?
• The court wants Elizbeth to convince John to confess.
• What is the internal conflict John Proctor faces with confessing? How does John see
himself? Why would he admit but not sign a confession of his guilt?
• Proctors conflict involves man vs. self. He must decide what is more important-
his reputation or his life. He sees himself as a good man now but will not sign a
confession of guilt because he does not want it hanged on the church’s door for
all of the townspeople to see. He tells Danforth, “I gave given you my soul; leave
me my name!” (Miller 143).
• How does Elizabeth feel about herself?
• Now that Elizabeth has spent four months in jail and has been doing a lot of
reading (as she tells John), she blames herself for John’s affair with Abigail. She
says that she kept “a cold house,” which means that she feels she prompted his
affair.
• What happened to Giles Corey? How did he die?
• Giles did not confess and did not deny being involved in witchcraft. He did not
hang; instead, he “stood mute, under the Christian law,” and he was pressed with
stones (Miller 135). When he was asked if he would plead or confess, he said
“More weight,” which symbolizes how good of a man he was who died with pride
and honor (Miller 135).
• How does Proctor stand up to Danforth when he is questioned? Why does he do this?
• Proctor does not name any other names besides himself; Proctor is looking out
for all his friends and the good people he knows because he truly is a good man.
• What is John's final decision? Why does he do this? Why does Elizabeth not run to stop
him?
• John’s final decision is to tear up the confession he’s signed, because he doesn’t
want his confession publicly displayed on the church door. Elizabeth does not run
to stop him, because she knows how John feels about his reputation and about
himself.
• What part does Rebecca play in Act IV? Does she convince Proctor of anything?
• Rebecca symbolizes true devotion to the Puritan faith, as she remains loyal to
God and refuses to confess something she truly did not commit. She is more of a
witness in Proctor’s case, and is baffled when she witnesses John confessing,
but then also stands witness to John recanting his confession. She goes out to
hang with John, which represents two good people that the court in Salem falsely
accused and murdered.