Lesson Plan

Subject: American Literature Grade: 11 Lesson Topic: Theme & Character Development in The
Crucible
Candidate’s Name: Kaley A. Morlock ID # 041413687
Site Supervisor: Mary Richardson-Davidson NU Supervisor: Angela Croce
Date: March 26, 2021

Lesson Overview

Title of Lesson [The Crucible: Act IV Close Reading & Discussion]

Subject [ American Literature/Film Arts ]

Grade Level [ 11th ] Time Frame [ 1 Day ]

California Content Standard(s) [

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.6

 California ELD Standard(s) [SL.11–12.1, 6; L.11–12.3, 6 Exchanging information and ideas with
others through oral collaborative discussions on a range of social and academic topics

W.11-12.6; WHST.11–12.6; SL.11–12.2; L.11–12.3, 6 Interacting with others in written English

in various communicative forms (print, communicative technology and multimedia)

SL.11–12.1, 3, 6; L.11–12.1, 3, 6 Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and

academic contexts

RL.11–12.1–7, 9–10; RI.11–12.110; – RH.11–12.1–10; RST.11–12.1–10; SL.11–12.2; L.11–12.1,

3, 6 Reading closely literary and informational texts and viewing multimedia to determine
how meaning is conveyed explicitly and implicitly through language

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Learning Goal(s) [Students will demonstrate Speaking and Listening skills through script reading &
whole class discussion. Students compose a reflection journal, making connections to the themes of
fear, manipulation, slander, and justice featured in The Crucible and their own lives. Students
formulate a written response to the exit ticket prompt, postulating the meaning behind The Crucible.
(TPE 1.3, TPE 1.4, TPE 1.5, TPE 1.7).].

Measurable Learning Objective(s) [When students arrive to class, they will complete a 1 Question
Quiz, indicating how thoroughly they read the remainder of Act III. As their warmup activity, students
will independently compose and submit a reflection journal, drawing a connection between the
themes of The Crucible and their own lives. Students will participate in the whole class reading of The
Crucible by acting out various parts and contributing to the ongoing discussion. Finally, students will
formulate a written exit ticket, evaluating the choices of John Proctor (TPE 1.8, TPE 2.5, TPE 3.3, TPE
4.7)]

Within each section below, identify each TPE subcategory. For example: During the warm-up activity,
I will model (TPE1.4) the water cycle by showing the students a video (TPE4.8) illustrating the
concept.

Content of Lesson

What do you expect students to deeply understand about the lesson? What do you expect students
to retain after the lesson and use in future learning?
[Act IV is the final act in The Crucible; therefore, I expect students to have accumulated a deep
understanding of the plays’ themes of reputation, justice, fear, manipulation, and truth. I expect them
to transfer these ideas to real life application and find instances of these themes in their individual
experiences (TPE 1.1, TPE 1.3) Additionally, I expect students to have an elevated understanding of
character development, as represented by the characters in The Crucible. Students should be able to
apply their observations of character development and recognize this evolution in other literary texts
and in real life (TPE 1.5, TPE 1.7) Finally, I expect students to retain what differentiates a play from
other literary genres; that art is often a vessel for political and social commentary; and that fear and
hysteria can be wielded as a manipulative tactic to control the masses (TPE 3.1, TPE 3.3, TPE 4.7).]

What misunderstandings or misconceptions do you expect students might have from the lesson?
[I expect not all students to have read the remainder of Act III and therefore not pass the 1 Question
Quiz. If this is the case, I will have to provide a summary and discussion of Act III, so students can
successfully move onto Act IV.

I expect my students will have difficulty interpreting Arthur Miller’s archaic syntax and diction,
therefore rendering the themes and larger message of The Crucible incomprehensible.

Additionally, students may have a difficult time transferring themes to their individual lives. If
students can not relate to the themes, or if I don’t present them in an understandable way, they will
have a difficult time composing their reflections.

Students may also have a challenging time identifying with John Proctor’s ultimate decision in The
Crucible. His character development and choices, in addition to Reverend Hale’s, will need to be
sufficiently discussed to ensure understanding. (TPE 1.1, TPE 1.3, TPE 1.4, TPE 1.6, TPE 1.7, TPE 1.8,
TPE 3.2, TPE 3.6, TPE 4.1, TPE 4.2).]

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What knowledge, skills, and abilities (higher-order thinking and academic language development) do
you expect students to have after engaging in the lesson?
[After engaging in the lesson, students will be able to analyze and evaluate character motivation,
actions, and development; compare and contrast the Salem Witch Trials and The Red Scare;
differentiate between scripts and other written texts; and compose a written reflection using
transference of themes. (TPE 1.3, TPE 1.5, TPE 2.2, TPE 2.5, TPE 4.7).]

Instruction to Support Learning

What resources, materials, and/or educational technology will you or your students use during the
lesson?
[I will use a YouTube video for the Mindfulness Practice (TPE 2.1, TPE 2.2); Canvas modules for
students to compose their written reflection and take the 1 Question Quiz; the assistive technology
app, Kami, for the whole class reading of Act IV, The Crucible (TPE 3.6, TPE 3.6); and students will
privately message me in Zoom to conduct their exit ticket response (TPE 4.7).].

What instructional strategies will you use to support student learning through multiple modalities?
[I will base my instruction on Universal Design for Learning guidelines to support student learning. To
support auditory learners, I will read aloud the agenda for the day and written reflection prompt. As a
class we will also read aloud Act IV of The Crucible, providing discussion questions and reflection after
certain passages. To support visual learners, I will be screen sharing the script and highlighting who
will be speaking. I also will be providing a visual component (A Mindfulness YouTube video) to the
breathing exercise. Finally, to support kinesthetic and tactile learners, students will be independently
composing a reflection and exit ticket response, in addition to participating as “actors” in the reading.
(TPE 4.1, TPE 4.4, TPE 4.7, TPE 4.8).]

What adaptations and accommodations, including, as appropriate, assistive technologies, will support
focus students and other individual student learning needs beyond the UDL supports built into the
lesson?
[Kami, an assistive technology, will aid learners in text comprehension, as it has annotation features
and a dictionary. Closed Captioning will be provided on the mindfulness video to support language
acquisition. Finally, students who require additional time to compose the reflection journal will be
provided an extension to complete the assignment. (TPE 3.2, TPE 3.6, TPE 4.1, TPE 4.2, TPE 4.5, TPE
4.8).]

Structured Student Learning Activities

What activities will the students be involved in during the lesson to support, engage, and challenge
their achievement of the learning objective(s)?
[The start of class begins with music: playing Fleetwood Mac’s witch themed “Rhiannon” to engage
students in the content of The Crucible (TPE 1.3, TPE 1.7). While the song plays, a Google Slide
instructs students to go to Canvas and begin their warmup activity: A Reflection Journal connecting
The Crucible themes and their own lives (TPE 1.1, TPE 1.5). After 15 minutes, students will be
redirected to the class for their daily Mindfulness Practice. We will watch a 3-minute YouTube video
guiding us through Body Scan Breathing (TPE 1.2, TPE 2.2, TPE 2.3). Next, students will take the 1

Revised August 2020

Question Quiz in Canvas (TPE 5.1, TPE 5.2, TPE 5.3, TPE 5.4). Following the quiz, students will open up
The Crucible Act IV in Kami. I will provide students with their character roles for the day and we will
continue our reading as a whole class. Periodically, I will engage the class in whole group discussion,
giving students an opportunity to summarize, analyze, and evaluate what is happening in the text.
Lastly, students will compose a direct message to me, providing their evaluation of John Proctor’s
fate. (TPE 1.4, TPE 1.5, TPE 1.7, TPE 2.5).]

How will you group students and manage group work to support student learning?
[Students are participating in whole-group activities to accumulate a shared understanding of the
themes in The Crucible. They will demonstrate individual knowledge of the advanced themes and the
significance of character development in The Crucible by providing two written responses in this
lesson. Independent student writing helps determine individual learning outcomes. Additionally,
students work together by ‘acting out’ The Crucible, which in turn, fosters positive peer support, social
skills, and relationship building which are vital in distance learning. (TPE 2.2, TPE 2.5, TPE 2.6, TPE
4.7).]

How will you engage all students in higher-order thinking (i.e., analysis, synthesis, evaluation,
interpretation, and transfer) activities?
[I will engage students in high-order thinking by assigning them an individual reflection journal, where
they will formulate connections between the themes featured in The Crucible and their own lives (TPE
1.1, TPE 1.3). While reading Act IV together as a class, students will be prompted by my questions,
specifically asking them to summarize, analyze, and evaluate what transpires in the text (TPE 1.5, TPE
2.5). Students will be prompted to compare and contrast character motivations and development in
whole class discussion. Finally, students will compose an exit ticket direct message, evaluating John
Proctor’s final decision.]

Checking for Understanding/ Assessment

What evidence will all students provide to demonstrate steps toward the learning objective during
the instruction and student learning activities?
[ Students will complete the 1 Question Quiz (TPE 5.2, TPE 5.4), demonstrating how sufficiently they
read the remainder of Act III. Students will submit their reflection journal, allowing me to assess their
individual transference of theme to real world application. In addition, I will be surveying student
understanding and participation in the group discussion that occurs during the whole class reading.
Finally, students will send me a private message, evaluating John Proctor’s final decision. (TPE 5.1,
TPE 5.3).]

What essential questions will you ask to determine if students are not meeting, meeting, or exceeding
the objective(s) of the lesson?
[ Does history repeat itself?

Can a work of art change the world?

What can we learn from history?

How can fear be used as a tactic of manipulation?

Revised August 2020
Which is more important—one’s values or one’s life? Why?

These questions will be used in the reflection journal prompt, as well as, to stimulate whole class
group discussion and participation. (TPE 1.3, TPE 1.5, TPE 2.2, TPE 2.5).

What evidence will students provide at the end of the lesson that reflects the learning objective?
[Students will submit a private message exit ticket illustrating their evaluation of John Proctor’s
decision based on textual evidence. In addition, students will be turning in the 1 Question Quiz and
their reflection journal (TPE 5.1, TPE 5.2, TPE 6.1).].

Independent Practice

What activity will students perform independently that reflects the learning objective?
[Student will independently complete the 1 Question Quiz (TPE 5.1, TPE 5.2) and their reflection
journal (TPE 5.3). Students will also individually fill out a private message exit ticket evaluating John
Proctor’s timely fate (TPE 5.2)].

Revised August 2020