Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETS•S—Template I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name Wendy Bass

Position ELA Teacher

School/District Woodstock High School/ Cherokee County

E-mail Wendy.bass@cherokee.k12.ga.us

Phone 470-774-8690

Grade Level(s) 12th

Content Area Advanced Composition

Time line Four Weeks

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks? ) Please
put a summary of the standards you will be addressing rather than abbreviations and numbers that indicate which
standards were addressed.

Content Standards

NETS*S Standards:

Reading Standards

RI7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually,
quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

RI1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence 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.

·RI4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative,
and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the
course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

Writing Standards

W2a: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

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 a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on
that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings),graphics (e.g., figures,
tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

W2b: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and
information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content

. b. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions,
concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge
of the topic.

W7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated
question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the
subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly
and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

W2c: 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.

·W2d: Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy
to manage the complexity of the topic.

W2e: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the
discipline in which they are writing.

W2f: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation
presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

W5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach,
focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions
should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11-12.)

W6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products
in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. · W8: Gather relevant information from
multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and
limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text
selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a
standard format for citation.

NET Standards for Students

Technology Communications Tools Students: a. use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with
peers, experts, and other audiences. b. uses a variety of media and formats to communicate information and
ideas effectively to multiple audiences.

Technology Research Tools Students: a. use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety
of sources. b. use technology tools to process data and report results. c. evaluates and select new information
resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.

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Technology Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Tools Students: a. use technology resources for solving
problems and making informed decisions. b. employ technology in the development of strategies for solving
problems in the real world.

Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)

This unit focuses on researching and evaluating sources in order to solve a problem and creating a persuasive
argument using this research.

Students will integrate multiple sources of information presented in different media/formats to address a question
or solve a problem - Visually - Quantitatively - Qualitatively (in words).
Students will evaluate Multiple sources of information presented in different media/formats to address a question
or solve a problem - Visually - Quantitatively - Qualitatively (in words).

The unit culminates with students completing the following problem-based task:
Real-World Problem/Challenge/Issue: You have been hired by an advocacy group as a marketing
consultant to promote change and to posit solutions to a global issue. You are now an integral part of this
organization and your job is to research a global issue and create a visual campaign for concerned citizens to
enact change. Students will create a podcast for a PSA about their issue.

In preparation for completing the Real-World Problem the students complete the following tasks over the course of
the unit:

Task 1: Conduct preliminary research in order to develop a research question concerning a relevant social issue.
Students will use Mercury Reader for this task.

Task 2: Evaluate and compile relevant sources of information about the chosen social issue and compose a brief
rhetorical analysis paragraph for each source. Students will use Google Scholar and Mercury Reader for this task.

Task 3: Construct a research brief (i.e. annotated bibliography) for the advocacy group about the importance and
solution for your chosen social issue.

Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? Additionally, what questions can you ask students to help them focus on important
aspects of the topic? (Guiding questions) What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring
to this topic and build on?) Remember, essential questions are meant to guide the lesson by provoking inquiry.
They should not be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” and should have many acceptable answers.

How can I develop a research question based on research about a relevant social issue?
How can use relevant sources of information to write a rhetorical analysis?
How can I construct a research brief (i.e. annotated bibliography) positing a solution to a social issue?
How can I develop a visual text (poster, infographic, Adobe Spark project, etc.) for a specific audience to
promote change concerning a relevant social issue and posit a practical solution to the problem.?
How can I create a PSA using a podcast tool?
How can I build an effective persuasive argument?

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Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess
what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?) You must attach copies of your assessment and/or
rubrics. Include these in your presentation as well.

Students illustrate their learning by successfully producing each task in the unit (these will be formative
assessments) as well as the final assignment for the unit which will be the summative assessment. Rubrics for
each task are provided to students (see attached.)

Students will gain new knowledge through two workshops I do in conjunction with our Media Specialist to teach
them how to use the Web Tools needed for each assignment as well as teaching them how to evaluate whether a
source is credible.
As students work through each task, I informally check students’ progress and make sure that students
understand how to use the web tools needed for each task.

Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resources—online student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etc—help elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)

Each task for this unit utilizes technology/web tools. Students should have previous knowledge in searching the
internet for research, word and the Canvas Learning Platform.

Students are given tutorials on and expected to use the following tools: Mercury Reader, Adobe Spark and
Podomatic. Since students will be researching individual topics of their choice, they will be exploring various
research sites depending on what they are searching for but will be guided on how to find reliable sites and
articles.

Students will be provided exemplar models for each of the tasks required as well as rubrics.

Instructional Plan
Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How can
you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)

Students take a pre-assessment prior to the beginning of this unit to assess their ability to research and analyze
and create persuasive arguments. Based on the results of the pre-assessment I am able to determine where
students might need remediation or support.
Students are asked to find a social issue of their choice that they are passionate about so each student is
allowed to pursue something that interests them. Students might have difficulty differentiating between reporting
on a topic and arguing for an issue.

Management Describe the classroom management strategies will you use to manage your students and the use
of digital tools and resources. How and where will your students work? (Small groups, whole group, individuals,
classroom, lab, etc.) What strategies will you use to achieve equitable access to the Internet while completing this
lesson? Describe what technical issues might arise during the Internet lesson and explain how you will resolve or
trouble-shoot them? Please note: Trouble-shooting should occur prior to implementing the lesson as well as
throughout the process. Be sure to indicate how you prepared for problems and work through the issues that
occurred as you implemented and even after the lesson was completed.

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 I have two lap-top carts in my classroom which gives each student access to a lap-top during class every day.
Students were assigned a laptop at the beginning of the school year and are responsible for keeping their laptop
clean, in working order and charged. Having laptop carts allows my students to work in my room, but we do go to
the media center some days where students can work on ipads or desktop computers if preferable.
While students are not allowed to check out laptops from me – our media center does allow students to check out
laptops for home use if needed.
I am working in conjunction with the Media Specialist to create screencasts of the tutorials for each of the web tools
that we will be utilizing in this lesson and these will be uploaded to Canvas so that students can access these when
and wherever needed.
Students were given the choice to work alone or with a partner for the final assessment. All prior tasks had to be
completed individually.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities – Describe the research-based instructional strategies you will
use with this lesson. How will your learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the
students' roles in the lesson? How can you ensure higher order thinking at the analysis, evaluation, or
creativity levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy? How can the technology support your teaching? What authentic,
relevant, and meaningful learning activities and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge
and skills? How will students use digital tools and resources to communicate and collaborate with each other
and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?

For each task there will be a “task-opener” to activate students’ prior knowledge and introduce the task.
Each task will also provide direct instruction from me that includes modeling, note-taking and setting goals.
Following the direct instruction from students will then get a chance for guided instruction with their peers using
strategies such as collaborative learning, guided practice, feedback, jigsaw and group discussions. Finally,
students will move to independent practice which will include individual instruction and transfer strategies.
As student progress through each of the tasks in the unit they will be moving up the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
beginning with understanding (2) in Task One to evaluate (5) in the research brief in Task 3 to creating (6) the
final project.
The technology actually is what allows the students to participate in authentic and meaningful activities. Students
will be learning to research and evaluate information and determine what is biased and what is credible. Students
will be using Adobe Spark and Podomatic to communicate and collaborate with each other. Students have the
opportunity to work together using these tools, but they will also be evaluating one another’s presentations.

Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles and
abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide extensions and
opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)

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 When considering special learners for this unit – and I do have inclusion students – I first and foremost referred to and
followed IEP and 504 guidelines. I re-taught in a different way when necessary and provided small group and
individual instruction with my team-teacher as needed. Inclusion students were given shortened assignments in some
cases. For example, on the research brief, these students were asked to only evaluate three sources rather than five.

The unit itself allows a lot of choice for students. They given the choice to work alone or in a group for their final
assessment. They are given the choice of topic to research and they are given choices about how to create their
Adobe Spark.

Students were provided the opportunity to enrich this assignment by creating a longer version of the PSA in Canvas
Studio if they wished to audition for the Senior Symposium at the county level.

Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work? Will students be
asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for answering the following
questions?
• Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
• In what ways was this lesson effective?
• What went well and why?
• What did not go well and why?
• How would you teach this lesson differently?)

Once students completed the final assessment (The Adobe Spark Infographic and PSA Podcast) they presented
these to the class and the class acted as the advocacy group. Students voted on the top three presentations. We
then had a class discussion in which students gave me feedback about the process of the assignment and the
overall unit.

I was honestly thrilled with the results of the final products. I have always had students present argumentative
speeches in class and always had to deal with students who hated standing up and presenting in front of their
classmates. Allowing students to record their speeches via a podcast took away all the nerves and allowed students
to more calmly and effectively present their arguments. Some students did not like to hear their own voice but
overall, the podcasts sounded very professional and polished.

I was equally as pleased with the production of the infographics on Adobe Spark. The content was beautiful, and
the students found the tool very user friendly and fun to work with.

The area the students struggled the most with was finding credible, unbiased research and creating a solid
argument using their sources. If I were to teach this unit again, I would show the students more examples of
effective arguments throughout the course of the unit.

Closure: Anything else you would like to reflect upon regarding lessons learned and/or your experience with
implementing this lesson. What advice would you give others if they were to implement the lesson? Please
provide a quality reflection on your experience with this lesson and its implementation.

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Since some of the web tools were new to me as well, I think that the next time I will be better able to provide
support and troubleshoot for my students. The web tools were key to the successful implementation of the lesson
and I feel truly gave the students a sense of meaning and authenticities to this lesson.
I truly had to step out of my own comfort zone to teach this lesson, but I learned that its okay if you do not know
everything about technology. Oftentimes there will be a student or two who knows more than you and are more
than willing to help me or any other students. Trying new strategies and tools should be embraced because you
can always learn something even if the lesson fails.
I would advise anyone else teaching this unit to be aware of students lack of being able to determine credible and
unbiased sources. I was surprised that my seniors simply google and the first few results they just assume are
the best and most truthful sources.
Overall, I thought this unit was a great success and I believe that the students enjoyed it as well.

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Task One Assignment and Rubric

Task Two Assignment and Rubric

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Task 3 Assignment and Rubric

Final Task and Rubric

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