UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan
Template
Name: Program: SMED ENG
Maggie Pomerleau
Lesson Topic / Title: Conspiracy Theory: Essay
Lesson Date: Lesson Length: 80 minutes
3/3/20
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.
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.
Content Standard(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Writing: Students will be completing the rough drafts of

their essays, which will hit all of these
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and standards. The paper requires them to use all of
digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the research they gathered for their outline and
the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote write it in a cohesive essay with proper in-text
or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while citations. Having in-text citations and using
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for evidence will hit both writing 8 and 9 targets.
citation. Their counterclaim, and the sources that they
use, will be able to hit reading informational 8.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to The language target will be hit by requiring the
support analysis, reflection, and research. students to use jargon according to their topic
in their essays. At the beginning of the unit, I
Reading Informational: created vocabulary lists for each of the four
topics that students would be writing about.
8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific The students will be required to have at least
claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is three of these in their papers, or to use other
sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; topic specific vocabulary.
recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

Language:

6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general

academic and domain-specific words and phrases;
gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word
or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Assessment​ ​- Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance and
determines best supports for continued learner growth.

Assessment Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Formative: I will check in regularly with students to check

Conferences their progress and understanding. Many
Essay rough draft students have questions about writing their
essays and citing information correctly, so I
will be floating around the room to answer
them. For homework, they will be completing
their essays and any past due work.

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.
Materials, Resources, and / or Technology
● Laptop
● Laptop charger
● Access to Google Classroom
● Projector
● Whiteboard & markers
● Writing prompt bucket
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
● Writing Prompt (10 minutes)
● Essay expectations (8 minutes)
● In-text citation lesson (10 minutes)
● Work time for paper (50 minutes)
○ Check-ins throughout
● Wrap-up/homework reminder (2 mins)
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
The daily agenda will be written on the white
board, as well as the writing prompt of the day,
which is chosen from the writing prompt
bucket. Students need laptops & chargers to
access Google Classroom, since that is where
they will write and post their writing prompts
daily. They will also write their essays on
Google Classroom.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
● 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.
● I will go over the essay assignment
sheet with the class by projecting it on
the SmartBoard. I have provided a
checklist that students can use to
self-evaluate and ensure that they have
all the required elements. I also
attached the rubric that I will be using
to grade the essays.
● I will have a mini lesson on how to
incorporate in-text citations into an
essay. I created a poster, which is hung
in the back of the classroom. It gives
examples of how to seamlessly
incorporate quotes into writing, some
 sentence starters to help use and frame
quotes, and different forms of
punctuation that should be used with
different ways of framing quotes. I
took pictures of the poster to project on
the SmartBoard, but I also typed it out
so the text would be clear and legible
for students. I will go over this with
them, and also tell them that either the
author’s last name ​or​ the first two
words of the article title with an
ellipses should go in the parentheses.
● Students will have the rest of class to
complete their papers. While they only
have one class period for their essay,
they had multiple periods to complete
their outlines, which contain most of
the information they will need to
complete their essays.
● At the end of each class, I will gather
everyone’s attention and sum up the
class in a couple sentences. I remind
students of what they will need to do
in preparation for the next class:
complete a rough draft of their essay.

Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

modifications, accommodations)
Student 1:
● The school will
1. Allow access to nurse's bathroom
2. Allow student to call home/go home if Since I allow this for all of my students, there
he feels he needs to
3. Provide social skills group
4. Be aware of the need to accommodate
for sensory needs (foods, sound, bugs)
In this class, there are two students on the
autism spectrum. Their accommodations are
minimal and the only accommodation that
affects our class is the need to leave class
whenever the students feel it is necessary.
are no modifications needed for the
curriculum.

Student 2:

● The school will

 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

I think that most of this lesson went very well. The expectations for the paper were clear and students
seemed to understand them. The in-text citations mini lesson could’ve gone better, though. I spent too
much time on how to incorporate the quotes into the essays, and not enough time on how to ​properly
write an in-text citation. In the final paper, many students either did not write anything next to their
evidence, or they put a URL in parentheses—which is technically plagiarism, even though they did not
do it intentionally. I truly believe that this happened because I did not teach it properly. I went over it
more in-depth with individual students, but not closely enough with the entire class, which is my fault.
If I could teach this again, I would definitely switch the focus of my mini lesson to the in-text citation
aspect, rather than incorporating quotes. Because of this, I made sure to give students extra chances to
edit their essays and bump their grade up. This is my biggest mistake with this lesson, but I really do
believe that the rest of it went well.

Standard 5: Innovative Applications of Content

The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in
critical/creative thinking and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.
5(d) ​Engages learners in questioning and challenging assumptions and approaches in order to foster
innovation and problem solving in local and global contexts.

In creating their essays, students were encouraged to question assumptions. They were researching
various conspiracy theories and either trying to prove them right or wrong. Some of these were national
issues, like the moon landing, and others were global, like global warming. The whole point of the
assignment was to get them to question a conspiracy theory, and in writing essays, they were being
creative while also questioning a topic. The assignment fostered their creativity.