UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan
Template
Name: Program: SMED ENG
Maggie Pomerleau
Lesson Topic / Title: Conspiracy Theory: Outline
Lesson Date: Lesson Length: 80 minutes
2/24/20
Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment​ - ​Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals based on content
standards.
Learning Objective(s)
● Students can differentiate between
evidence-based claims and false claims.
● Students will know the following terms: hook,
background information, thesis, topic sentence,
body paragraph, claim, counterclaim,
call-to-action.
● Students can complete a properly formatted
MLA works cited page.
● Students can use proper in-text citations to
avoid plagiarism.
● Students will create evidence based arguments
using all the elements of an argumentative
essay, which include, but are not limited to:
hook, background information, thesis, claims,
evidence, in-text citations, counterclaim, and a
call-to-action or other final sentiment.
● Students will use reliable sources when crafting
their essays.
● Students can create properly formatted outline
Course: Student
Teaching
Grade/Age: 8th
Grade
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
● Students will be able to use arguing as
a life skill outside of the classroom, so
it is important that they learn how to
argue in a controlled and academic
setting.
● In a world filled with false
news—specifically online—it is
important for students to become
responsible digital citizens.
● In order to understand the format,
students need to know these terms.
● To avoid plagiarism, students need to
know how to properly cite their
sources.
● In middle school standardized testing
and in high school, students will need
to know how to use the format of an
argumentative essay and how to use
information in their favor.
● Planning writing ahead of time is an
essential skill for high school and

Content Standard(s)
Writing:
5. With some guidance and support from peers and
adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed from
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience
have been addressed.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and
digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess
the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote
or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for
citation.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
Assessment​ ​- Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance and
determines best supports for continued learner growth.
Assessment
Formative:
Outline
Works cited page
Conferences
Instructional Materials and Resources​ ​- Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in
reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner needs.
college writing. It also helps students
to develop organizational skills.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
While students will not be meeting each of
these standards this lesson, they will be in the
process of completing their outlines, which
will hit all of these standards. The outline
shows planning, which meets the target for
writing 5. They will be required to pass in a
works cited page along with their outline,
which will allow them to meet the writing
standards 8 and 9, since they will be using
evidence to support their claims.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
I will check in regularly with students to check
their progress and understanding. Many
students have questions about hooks, thesis
statements, and how to find evidence, so I will
be floating around the room to answer them. I
will be helping them complete their outlines
and works cited pages as I go around. These
will not be collected in this class, but since
they are being created on Google Classroom, I
will be able to see all their documents as they
make progress.
Materials, Resources, and / or Technology Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

● Laptop The daily agenda will be written on the white

● Laptop charger board, as well as the writing prompt of the day,
● Access to Google Classroom which is chosen from the writing prompt
● Whiteboard & markers bucket. Students need laptops & chargers to
● Writing prompt bucket access Google Classroom, since that is where
they will write and post their writing prompts
daily. They will also post their works cited
pages and outlines onto Google Classroom.

Instructional Methods -​ ​Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks by using
a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning accessible to all learners
and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.

Teaching and Learning Sequence Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

● Agenda and writing prompt (15 minutes)
● Explain works cited (5 minutes)
○ 8 pieces of evidence
■ These will come from at least 4
websites, one of which needs
to be a reliable source such as
an article
● Allow research time to complete outline (60
minutes)
○ Check-ins throughout
● At the beginning of each class, we will
go over the plan for the day. We will
also complete a writing prompt. Three
students will draw words out of a
bucket and write them on the board.
The whole class will complete an
individual writing assignment. This
will only be graded for participation.
The goal is to use all three of the
words in a story. This gets the
students’ creativity going and gets
them settled into class.
● Since I am requiring that students pass
their works cited page in with their
outline, I will explain the requirements
for it. I will also write the format of the
outline on the board again for them to
reference while they work.
● Students will have time to work on
their outlines. During their work time,
I will be going around to each of the
groups and having conferences with
individuals to check for understanding
and answer any questions that come
up.
Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
modifications, accommodations)
In this class, there are two students on the
Student 1: autism spectrum. Their accommodations are
minimal and the only accommodation that
● The school will affects our class is the need to leave class
1. Allow access to nurse's bathroom whenever the students feel it is necessary.
2. Allow student to call home/go home if Since I allow this for all of my students, there
he feels he needs to are no modifications needed for the
3. Provide social skills group curriculum.
4. Be aware of the need to accommodate
for sensory needs (foods, sound, bugs) A specific extension that I have made for this
class is the use of outlines instead of graphic
organizers. Since this class is slightly more
Student 2:
advanced than the other three classes, I taught
them a new way to plan for their papers, which
● The school will
allows me to challenge them more.
1. Prep student for any transition or
change
2. Provide pre-learning and a positive
behavior plan that he helps design
(including reward)
3. If he needs to leave the classroom for a
break, allow student to visit guidance
counselor or call his mom
4. Provide opportunity for “space” in the
classroom
5. Provide supplemental work or allowed
to read or doodle after all work is
completed

Field Courses Only – Post lesson

Reflection

Originally, I had planned to start this lesson off with a mini lesson about works cited pages. However,
as it got closer to class time, I realized two things: students already know how to create works cited
pages, since they have done it multiple times this year with my mentor teacher, and that I hadn’t created
a works cited worksheet to go over with them. These two factors caused me to take it out of my lesson
plan, and just talk about the expectations for the works cited page instead of reteaching it to them.
Instead, I will do a mini lesson on in-text citations at a later point. The students seemed to appreciate
the work time in class. At first, they had a hard time focusing, but after a while, they seemed to settle in
and get to work. I told the students that this is a very rough draft, and that their thesis and reasons do
not have to be perfect. The only thing I would do differently if I were teaching this lesson again would
be to include something to break up the class time. 80 minutes is a long time for students to sit and
focus.

Standard 6: Assessment
The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own
growth, to document learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s on-going planning and instruction.
6(s) ​Is committed to providing timely and effective descriptive feedback to learners on their progress.

Throughout this lesson, I was walking around helping students. I was available to answer questions,
give feedback on their progress, redirect students who were off-task, and check in to conference with
each student. Timely feedback is extremely important, as it can help student understanding and give me
a sense of where students are. By having conferences throughout the student’s work time, I was able to
give every single student some feedback on their progress. This form of formative assessment is crucial
to classroom engagement, and allows me to have informed and properly scaffolded instruction. Student
data is important because each class (and student) is unique and may be in different places within their
learning. By acknowledging and using that data, I can plan better lessons that help students learn more
than if I taught the same lesson to every class.