Lesson Plan Format: Plot Mini-Lesson – (68 mins.

Teacher: Ersin Coban Grade Level: 12th Grade AP English

Content and Standards:

RL.11-12.10: By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
end of the range.

W.11-12.2: 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.

W.11-12.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

W.11-12.6: 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.

II. Prerequisites:

Students should be able to read with understanding and have completed prior lessons involving the
“Interpreter of Maladies”, Chapters 1 & 2 of their AP Textbook (Perrine) as well as participated in “The
Highest Justice” discussion.

III. Instructional Objective:

Using the second chapter of the Perrine textbook, students will demonstrate understanding of plot by
highlighting the plot elements within the short story “The Highest Justice”.

Following the highlighting exercise to demonstrate understanding of plot, students will apply their
knowledge of plot elements to determine if the plot in the short story “The Highest Justice” is being
manipulated (Deus Ex Machina).
IV. Instructional Procedures:

Part 1 (Before): Open the class discussion by briefly talking about the lesson for today (maybe have
students answer questions on Google Slide through the Peardeck add-on to activate prior knowledge).
Talk about the excellent responses I’ve received on their short story discussion and talk about one
aspect people seemed to bring up which was the plot. Briefly talk about the story and maybe the
characters. Ask to see if a volunteer will repeat the objective of the lesson.

Talk about what Plot is as well as its importance. - (share google slide on screen).

Slide 1 - What is Plot? According to your AP Textbook, Plot is “the sequence of incidents or events
through which an author constructs a story” (Perrine).

Slide 2 – “It’s not the action itself, but the way the author arranges the action toward a specific end”.

Mention manga or graphic novels and how they structure plot differently

Talk about seeing this in commercial fiction (maybe movies like The Avengers or Black Panther- maybe
have a graph that shows pictures that matches the chronology pyramid) and how it seems to follow the
conventional chronological structure of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
(Maybe talk about which parts about our short story seem to reflect this structure)

Slide 3 – However, just focusing on the chronology (the sequence of events) is not enough; there must
also be artistic unity in the way the story’s incidents and scenes are placed, which may not necessarily
be the chronological order. Scenes and events may be linked in a way that makes sense to the story by
following a chain of natural cause and effect. (Maybe provide a visual which shifts around the
chronological order i.e. maybe a story has the falling action occur before the rising climax) (Can we use
beloved as an example? They have previously read it). Postmodern structure. Maybe manga could be
used as well.

Slide 4 – In essence, plot should have a “quality of natural inevitability” (Brine) and not feel the plot is
being manipulated for the sake (also called deus ex machina).

Part 2 (During): “Alright let’s have a quick exercise to test out what we just saw…”

Using the instructions on the Google Slides (students have access to the slides on Google Classroom) let
students work on a highlighting exercise of the story (they can download pdf on Google Classroom)
where they highlight parts of the story that they feel can be moved around to better fit the plot
(Different colored highlights for different parts of plot (i.e. red marker for rising action, blue for climax,
etc.).
TPT: After, put students in breakout rooms for discussion about which parts of the story they highlighted
and whether or not they would move certain parts of the story around to see if the story made more
sense. (Students are to write down their answers on a Google Doc).

After the class finishes discussion in breakout rooms, have a class discussion on what they came up with
(did they move any parts of the story around? Did it make sense? Was there any parts of the original
story that needed clarification?)

After discussion, students then dive back into the short story to determine if there is any deus ex
machina. Students then write down their answers on the same Google Doc used for the highlighting
exercise and post to their Google Classroom assignment page.

Part 3: (After): For homework, assign a poll everywhere about what was covered in class/ elements of
plot.

Exit Slip: (Through Google Slides) How does plot help us to become better readers and writers?

V. Materials and Equipment: Laptop, Google Meet, Google Slides, Google Classroom, copy of “The
Highest Justice” by Garth Nix.

VI. Assessment/Evaluation:

Exit Slip, informal assessments (questions through google slide or even hand signals like a thumbs up to
gauge understanding), I may also use Poll Anywhere for students to finish by midnight (for homework)
to see what they thought about the class as well as getting feedback to see if they want more of these
types of lessons/mini-lesson, plot highlighting/restructuring.

See if the story appealed to them.

VII. Accommodations or Modifications needed for students with disabilities or ESOL:

There are no students who are currently receiving accommodations or modifications.

VIII. Technology:

Since the classroom operates on a hybrid model, students will meet not just in person but also through
Google Meet. Google slides as well as Google Meet will be used in conjunction to assist in instruction.

IX. Self-Assessment

Google Slide questions (through Peardeck) an informal assessments to gauge student understanding.
Kahoot is also an option. What other questions did they have about the lesson? Does the lesson make
sense to students within a hybrid format?