March 26th, 2021

Date: 3/26/2021 Teacher’s Name: Luigi Carolini and Miles Gencarelli

Subject: English Grade level: 8th Grade
Class Setting: Departmental Length of lesson: 45 minutes
Central Focus: To analyze a central text and demonstrate the learned information through
movement.
Lesson Title:
For Unit Plan/Learning Segment: 1 out of 3

Essential Question(s): What are some key components in the sport of rowing, the historical
context of the text, and the cultural background of the students? How do these three interact
with one another?

Learning Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.6: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts

and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or
appropriate.

Pre-Assessment: Do now: Students will be asked to write a brief summary of the summer
reading text (The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown) and describe their thoughts on the
book. As well as draw a picture of the climax of the story. (Informal Assessment)

Learning Objectives: Students will be able to Assessments: A Do Now will be assigned

Compare and Contrast important themes and
historical contexts from their summer reading
text, Boys in the Boat written by Daniel
James Brown with their own traditions and
cultural backgrounds.
in which students will be asked to write a
brief summary about their summer reading
and their thoughts on it. As well as draw a
small picture of the climax of the story. This
will be an informal assessment in order to
gauge their understanding of the material
and allow students to visually present their
interpretations of the text.

Differentiation: For the students of the class that struggled with the summer reading assignment,
a list of key rowing vocabulary terms with their definitions will be distributed. The Students will
be permitted to incorporate any personal cultural background information regarding rowing into
the Venn Diagram. To avoid any clashing of the different cultural backgrounds within the class,
students will be assigned pairs for the Venn Diagram activity.

Academic Language (Function): Compare, Contrast. Students will be given a list of key
vocabulary terms that were used throughout their summer reading text. These terms will be
applied within future lessons as the text is broken down and analyzed.

Vocabulary: Bow, Stern, Starboard, Port, Oars, Coxswain, Set, Rigger, Skulling, Sweeping, Erg,
Stroke, and Swing.
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Procedure:

Anticipatory Set: When students enter the room video clips of Olympic rowing races
will be playing on the board. This will get the students excited for the lesson.

Initial Phase
- Class will begin with students taking their seats and taking out their notebooks.
- The Do Now assignment will be written on the board asking students to “Write a
brief summary about your summer reading novel, Boys in the Boat by Daniel
James Brown (5-7 sentences). Once you are finished writing, draw a picture on
the back of your sheet of paper describing the climax of the story.”
- After students finish their Do Now, the teacher will collect the assignment as an
informal assessment.
- Next the powerpoint presentation labeled Day 1 will be opened and pulled up for
the students and the Direct Instruction will begin.
- Begin instruction by introducing students to the book once again (as this is a
summer reading text they should have already read it)
- Start on the first slide by asking students, “So what do we know about this time
period?” This will allow the teacher to get an understanding about what students
remember from the book and what they knew before reading.
- Starting on Slide 2, Begin by describing the historical context of the text. The
basic information is on the slide. The teacher can use specific examples that the
students had discussed. Begin first by briefly discussing the 1930s within the
United States. Next, move into Germany and describe the rise of the Nazism and
Hitler.
- Next move to Slide 3 and 4, this is when Rowing comes into play. The essential
principles of rowing are as follows, Teamwork, sportsmanship, and Motivation.
- Begin this section of the slides by describing how the key principles are
important in regards to the text. Provide examples when these principles appear
in the book.
- In order to introduce students to similarities and differences, the class will work
together to fill in two venn diagrams based on images on slides 6 and 7. These
Venn diagrams will only have 2 circles each.
- Next move onto the Venn Diagram activity. The instructions for this activity will
be on the slide. Due to the adding of a circle to the Venn diagram, the teacher
will model how to use each circle for the students. Therefore providing examples
for each category of the Venn Diagram to help students understand what they
are assigned to do. In this activity students will be comparing and contrasting
their own cultural backgrounds with the historical context, and important
March 26th, 2021

themes found in their summer reading (Discourse). E.g. from Venn Diagram: In
my culture, rowing is taken very seriously, just like Boys in the Boat (Syntax).

Middle Phase
● Students will fill out a Venn Diagram in which they will distinguish the principles
of rowing (Text) and the historical context (text), and will then relate their own
cultural traditions and background (Personal) to the principles and historical
context. This will take place over the course of 10-15 minutes. What is not
finished in class will be assigned as homework.

Concluding Phase
● In the last few minutes of class, bring the students’ attention to the homework
for the night (Finishing the Venn Diagram) and asking the students for any final
questions before the class period ends.

Follow up: What is not finished in class on the Venn Diagram will be finished as a homework
and reviewed on the next day of class.

Materials:
Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Venn Diagram Worksheet
Day 1 Google Slides Presentation
Key terms sheet

References and Resources:

James, D, B. (2013). Boys in The Boat. Penguin Books.