Sammi Salter

Learning Artifact

Helpful Materials for First Time UTA’s:

Hi All! This lesson plan will hopefully give you an insight as to what you are
expected to submit when creating a lesson plan as a first time UTA! I want to guide you
through my thinking and creative process when crafting this lesson plan and give you
some tips and tricks as to how to succeed in the game of lesson planning.

Classroom Environment
First and foremost: Will this lesson plan be in person or online because different
planning will be required accordingly. I wanted to play it safe and keep this lesson plan
altered to an online version (I adapted it from a semester when I first submitted an in-
person version of this lesson plan). Obviously, online lesson plans are more restrictive
in interactive nature, so I wanted to keep the “harder” of the two as an example for you
all because who knows when we will be 100% back in the classroom setting. One big tip
for giving online lesson plans as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant is to add in as
much interactive activities as possible for the students. I know this is hard!! It is hard
because you have to allot yourself enough time for a lecture and getting through all of
the material you need to for the class, so a straight through lecture might seem as it is
the best way to get the material across to your students. However, from personal
experience this is not the answer. I recommend, if a lecture style is needed, to lecture,
then allow for discussion in small breakout rooms, then lecture again, then allow for
discussion again. The breaking up of the lecture allows for students to chat over the
information with their peers, ask questions, and remain tuned in to the lecture.
As an online student myself, these past two semesters have not been the easiest
for me and I am an experienced second semester junior, so my heart goes out to the
first and second semester freshman trying to adapt to their circumstances. I am a
Government and Politics Major and a Professional Writing Minor. I have found over the
years that my Government and Politics classes are always more centrally based around
lecture and my minor classes are much more interactive. What do I think I learn from
better in an online environment? Interaction, it is the only thing that keeps me focused
with my camera on instead of in outer space with my camera off scrolling on my phone
during an hour and fifteen-minute online lecture.

Time Management
Secondly, always allot time for questions from students when planning a lesson
plan, especially in an online environment. I have found it much harder to answer simple
questions as an online teacher versus an in-person one. When I usually would just go
up to the student and show them how to complete something on their computer or see
what they were doing wrong first-hand, now you must be able to screenshare, allow for
the students to screenshare if they have to, and allow for enough time to answer
students that ask questions via the chat versus students who use the “raise hand”
feature on zoom. It is much more time consuming to answer a question in the online
environment.

Cameras
Finally, I recommend when giving an online lesson plan over zoom to have your
students turn their cameras on so you can ensure as much as possible, they are paying
attention which will facilitate better participation. Think about it: If the students have their
cameras on there is a much better chance, they will be looking at the screen and paying
attention, thus more willing to answer questions they will now the answers too. I know it
may seem annoying or tedious to ask students to have their cameras on. My professor
and I wrestled over whether or not we should make it mandatory for the students;
however, after teaching one semester without making it mandatory and another with
cameras on mandatory, it makes a world of difference for the better having them on.
Therefore, here in lies an adapted online version of an online lesson plans
including some games, “interactive” activities, and peer review I have given in past
semesters.

Before Class:
Complete Assigned reading for class today in Fearless Writing that teaches us about
Hyperlinks

Learning Objective:
1. For the students to understand how to incorporate hyperlinks into their Digital
Forum
2. For the students to understand why one should use hyperlinks while writing for
digital audiences
3. For the students to understand when one should use hyperlinks in their Digital
Forum
4. For students to get any last questions answered about the Digital Forum

Materials
- An open mind! We are going to be running things a little bit differently to spice
things up and give our instructor Sabrina a well-deserved break! Please have an
open mind when I introduce something that strays a bit from what we normally do
(We will be incorporating some breakout rooms and games in today’s lesson
plan!)
- Your Digital Forum
 - A computer
- Cameras on! (I want to see your shinning faces! It is gloomy enough around here
let’s show up for each other today )

Time estimate: 50 Minutes

Outline:
Part 1: Small Group Readings Discussion (5 Minutes)
- We will break into 5 Breakout Rooms of 4 people. Go over the following
questions in your small groups:
1. How does one hyperlink using Weebly? How does one hyperlink using
Wix? (If you are using a different platform, how do you hyperlink using that
platform?)

2. What purpose does hyperlinking serve for a digital platform?

3. How often should one hyperlink?

4. What is the difference between popular and scholarly sources when

hyperlinking?

Part 2: Discussion of Small Group Conversation (5 minutes)

Part 3: Demonstrate how to Hyperlink through Screensharing (5 minutes)

Part 3: True or False Game (5 Minutes)

- The purpose of this game is to clarify any questions or confusions you may have
about hyperlinking. If you think the statement is true, type T in the chat box. If you
think the statement is false, type F in the chat box.
1. I must hyperlink every single source in my Digital Forum (Agree or
Disagree)

2. My Digital Forum must look like a professional website and be absolutely

perfect (Agree or Disagree)

3. A “Required Reading” Page is required at the end of my Digital Forum,

including 5 annotations (approx. 100 words each) of scholarly sources
pertaining to your issue (Agree or Disagree)

4. A stakeholder is someone who has no interest in my topic (Agree or

Disagree)
5. My Digital Forum should be submitted on Dec 1 (Agree or Disagree)
Part 4: Peer Review (20 minutes)
1. This is the final peer review we will have before final drafts are due. Before
looking at the project as a whole, look at your partner’s use of hyperlinks and in-
text citations. Are they formatted correctly? Do the hyperlinks lead to the actual
source and not a page that is blocked off because it is restricted (this will happen
with scholarly sources)

2. Then, once looking through the fine details, zoom out and look at the project as w
whole. What advice can you give to your partner to help fine tune their project?
What did they do well, what do they need to clean up? (15 minutes)

3. Give your partner your feedback. Did they do an efficient job citing their sources?
Should they add anything else? Do they have enough sources? This is your last
chance to receive feedback on your projects before they are due so give your
partner honest helpful advice. (10 minutes)

Part 5: Final Questions and Assessing your Understanding of Objective (5

minutes)
1. Ask any final questions you may have!

2. Your understanding of this class objective will be measured in your submission of

the Digital Forum. Please make sure you understand everything we talked about
today, and if you do not, that is what both your instructor and I are here for!

Sources:
When devising this lesson plan, I turned to some outside research to remind
myself the importance of effective and efficient lesson planning and how to do so. I
turned to writings provided to us as first semester UTA’s in English 388V, specifically
Billie Hara’s “Lesson Planning for the University Classroom” and Algonquin College’s
Lesson Planning Recourses.

Reflection:
This lesson plan is an adapted version of an in-person designed lesson plan and
a revised version of my learning artifact last semester. I wanted to have another go
around with this specific lesson plan because last semester I missed the mark. I totally
missed the point where these learning artifacts are supposed to be helpful to an outside
audience- such as a first-time English UTA, therefore, this semester, I really
transformed it and centered the focus around helping first-time UTA’s understand the
purpose of creating lesson plans. This project is also an extremely helpful exercise for
myself because I am creating a teaching manual for first time English UTA’s for another
professional writing class of mine, and I plan to incorporate this to demonstrate some
expectations and responsibilities first-time UTA’s will hold. Additionally, I wanted to have
another go-around with this specific lesson plan to prove to myself I can do a better job
than the work I submitted last semester. I am a better student than the work I submitted
and need to demonstrate that!
Therefore, this lesson plan relied heavily on interactive material as well as some
peer reviewing and games to get the students talking and “moving” as much as
possible. I just had a chat with my Professor yesterday about how a lot of our students
are checked out. The students in this specific section have always been interactive, high
on participation, and excited to be in class. It was refreshing coming to each class and
teaching them. However, these past couple of weeks, my professor and I have noticed
attendance is down and participation is extremely down. The students do not really want
to participate or talk in the main classroom. When I hop in and out of breakrooms, I
have found these past two weeks the students are often muted not talking to one
another. I try to change that as soon as I hop in the breakout room and bring some
smiles/ excitement just by talking to the students and trying to relate to them. I myself as
a second semester junior have even had an extremely tough time with online school. I
find myself stuck in my apartment all day not really leaving and having a hard time
focusing on my classes. I took all this information and used it to create a lesson plan
that is as interactive as possible. I did not want to keep the students in a long lecture
because I know right now that is not what they need. I wanted to keep the activities
short and moving from one to another to keep engagement high.
The main takeaway I took from this lesson plan is that no matter the topic, it is
always possible to try and increase engagement and activity. Every lesson does not
need to be a lecture style class to get information across to the students. Often times as
a Government and Politics Major in classes of 100 or more students, I have found
myself falling back on the idea that classes are supposed to be power point lecture
driven to get through the material necessary for that day. I have had multiple professors
say that there are no raising hands for questions during lecture because that will deter
them from getting through what is stated on the syllabus for that day. That does not
seem right to me and seems counterintuitive in the world of education. I have also had
professors that rid me of this notion, such as one of my Government and Politics
professors that was able to lead a 100-person class in a discussion-styled seminar
every day. The ways to teach students in today’s world are evolving and I believe at the
very center of this evolution should be the well-being and happiness of the students
balanced with making sure the students walk away with the proper knowledge to
succeed in whatever proceeds their time with you.