Lesson 1: It’s a Whole Mood: Exploring Mood in Literature Date: Feb. 14th, 2022 & Feb.

15th, 2022

Context
Purpose/Rationale It’s so important for students to learn and mood,
as it is a vital literary element that helps students
determine the main idea or theme of a story.
Being able to determine the mood of a story also
helps us feel more connected to the writing, and
in return will inspire students to get creative with
their writing as well.
Standard(s): CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3
Analyze how particular elements of a story or
drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the
characters or plot).

Objectives: Students will analyze how the mood can affect or

change the story and its atmosphere.

Given a variety of options, students will identify

the mood of either a song, Pixar short, or
passage from a story.

Students will use tone and mood in their own

writing to create tension and suspense.

Assessment: After learning more about the different ways

mood can affect a work of literature, students will
be given a choice board to work on. They will
have the option to analyze the mood of either a
popular song, a Pixar short, or a passage from a
story. I will have handouts ready for them to
complete for whatever activity they choose. I will
have the Pixar shorts, songs, passages, and
pictures pre-chosen, so they do not have to
worry about picking them out themselves. After
completing the handout, I will have a better idea
as to where the students are at with the idea of
“mood” and what I need to do as the teacher to
help them get to where they need to be.

Lesson 1
Engage Plan Rationale

In this section, students are
introduced to a concept, skill,
content, idea, or process.
Through individual or
collaborative activities, students
are prompted to wonder about
the topic, demonstrate baseline
skill or understanding, or create
For this portion of the lesson, we
will be meeting live on Google
Meets. I will have a Google
Slides presentation up and ready
for the students as they enter the
call with a bell ringer question. I
like to start class with an SEL bell
ringer, so for this call, I will be
Especially during the pandemic, I
think it’s so important to start
with a check-in to see where the
students’ heads are at. I want to
make sure they are doing okay
and see if they need anything
from me. We are all human at
the end of the day, and I believe
an essential question to explore.
You may consider:
Brainstorm
What do you think?
Ask questions
What do you wonder? What are
you curious about?
Access prior knowledge
What do you know? How did you
learn it?
asking them to write down in their
journals something they are
looking forward to that week. I
will give them about 3 minutes
and then we will share out as a
class.
After the bellringer, we will jump
into the mood mini lesson. This
will also be on the Google Slides
presentation, which they will
have a copy of in Google
Classroom, so they are able to
interact with it as well. We will be
going through it together, filling in
definitions, and listing examples.
we all need a little SEL
throughout the day.
I thought the images activity was
a fun way to introduce mood to
them while also giving them the
sense that mood affects the
atmosphere of a story. I have
actually done an activity similar
to this with a clinical group in the
past and they really seemed to
enjoy it.

I will start by introducing mood to

them through images. I will have
2 images displayed for them to
look at, one of a pretty beach,
and one of a haunted house.
They will be tasked with
independently describing the
mood of the images before we
learn more about mood in depth.
This will help me see where they
are at initially how much I will
need to scaffold the lesson for
them.

Explore Plan Rationale

Describe what students will do to
engage more deeply in the topic.
Individually, small groups, or
whole class activities can be
used. Consider:
 Offline Task & Activities
 Research
 Watch Videos
 Read Articles
 Digital Gallery Walk
 Interactives, Simulations
To help them further understand
the idea of mood, we are going to
be doing a “Mad Libs” activity. I
am going to give each student a
passage that has random blanks
in it. They will be tasked with
filling in those blanks with words
that reflect what they think the
mood of the story will be. I will
give them 7 minutes to fill in the
blanks and then they will share
I thought this activity would be a
fun way for them to dive deeper
into the idea of mood. My goal
with this activity wasn’t for it to
be a stressful one. I want it to be
a fun way for them to explore
more in depth about how mood
can affect the atmosphere of a
story, and I believe this activity
does exactly that.
 or Virtual Labs
Explain
In this section, teacher
interaction, perspective, or
collaboration with students is
encouraged. The essential
question to be answered in this
section is: “Through what
process do students engage in
the content/concepts/skills?”
Consider:
 Short, Live Synchronous
Sessions
 Video Lessons
 Instruction
 Modeling
 Scaffolding
Elaborate
How are students encouraged to
articulate questions, insights,
examples, or applications of the
skill? Consider:
Making connections
● Connect concepts to
concepts, to life beyond the
classroom, to art, literature,
music
Applying learning to new or novel
situations
● Document your process as a
group
Explaining how
● Model thinking as you solve a
problem
Evaluate
How will students demonstrate
their accomplishment or struggle
with your learning objectives?
What specific questions or
prompts will be provided that
demonstrate connection between
the assessment, the activities,
and the learning objectives?
their passages in a breakout
room.
Plan
After the images, we will dive
more deeply into the Google
Slides presentation. This
presentation will have a variety of
fill-in-the-blank definitions,
discussion questions, and
example videos for the students
to watch. For this section of the
lesson, we will still be on the call,
however, it will be less of me
talking, and more of the students
working together in groups to
learn more about mood and
explore the topic themselves.
Plan
Throughout the entirety of this
lesson, students will be
encouraged to make connections
outside of the classroom. They
will be doing that through the
music they like, movies, and
literature they also identify with. I
will also encourage students to
think about how mood affects
them daily. They will elaborate
their findings through the
assessments throughout these
lessons (choice board and Mad
Libs activity).
Plan
I will assess students’ learning
through the completion of their
choice board activities. They will
have the option of analyzing the
mood in either a popular song,
Pixar short, or a passage in a
story. I will have digital handouts
for them to complete as they
Rationale
I always found that lectures were
super boring when I was in
middle school, so I try to shy
away from that when it comes to
me teaching a lesson. I find
interactive lessons to be a more
fun way to teach the content that
they need to learn. That way, we
are able to have discussions with
the students and get their input,
while also being reassured in the
fact that they are learning.
Rationale
I think it’s so important for
students to see how the content
we learn about in school can
relate to their lives outside of the
classroom. A lot of the time we
hear, “When am I ever going to
use this?” or “What is the point of
even learning this?”.
Encouraging them to make
connections and actually giving
them the opportunity to do so can
prevent that from happening.
Rationale
I am a firm believer that giving
students a choice in their
learning will give them a sense of
autonomy, which will in return
make them take more pride in
their work. I want my students to
be creative with their learning,
and if giving them options is the
 work on the activity. I will also
have the songs, Pixar shorts, and
passages pre-chosen for them.
On the second day of this mini
unit, they will have a workday to
complete this activity. Whatever
they don’t finish, will be
homework for the next day.
Modifications/Accommodations
- I will have a modified version
of the Google Slides
presentation available to
anyone who needs it (no fill-
in-the-blanks).
- I will also have a modified
version of all worksheets.
For my ESL students, I will
have sentence starters and
word banks readily available
for those worksheets as well.
key to doing that, then I am all for
it. I have had experience with
choice boards before and have
had a lot of success with it and
seen the students take so much
pride in their work!
Rationale
- Having a modified version of
the presentation will have
these students less worried
and stressed about the note-
taking portion of the lesson,
so they will be more likely to
absorb and learn the content.
- Having a modified version of
all worksheets and handouts
for students will also make
things less stressful for both
the students and the teacher.
ESL students who struggle
with English are more likely
to succeed in an activity that
has accommodations in
place for them as well.
Lesson 2: Celebrating Black History Month

Context
Purpose/Rationale: Black History Month, celebrated every February,
is something everyone has heard about. It is
important for students to know and learn about
people outside of their own culture and the Black
and Brown leaders in our society. This activity
will also guide them through the researching
process, which is a process they will go through
multiple times throughout the rest of their lives.
Standard(s): CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.3
Analyze the interactions between individuals,
events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas
influence individuals or events, or how
individuals influence ideas or events).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to
support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection, organization,
and analysis of relevant content.

Objectives: Given a mini lesson on Black history and

different leaders, students will create a one
pager or infographic highlighting the
achievements of a Black leader in our society.

Students will identify the Black leaders in our

society.
Assessment: I will know that students have met the objective
through the assessment I have created for them.
They will create either a one pager (on paper) or
an infographic (on Canva) highlighting the
achievements of a Black leader of their
choosing. I will have specific guidelines for them
as to what needs to be included in their projects.
Lesson 2
Engage
In this section, students are
introduced to a concept, skill,
content, idea, or process.
Through individual or
collaborative activities, students
are prompted to wonder about
the topic, demonstrate baseline
skill or understanding, or create
an essential question to explore.
You may consider:
Brainstorm
What do you think?
Ask questions
What do you wonder? What are
you curious about?
Access prior knowledge
What do you know? How did you
learn it?
Explore
Describe what students will do to
engage more deeply in the topic.
Individually, small groups, or
whole class activities can be
used. Consider:
 Offline Task & Activities
 Research
 Watch Videos
 Read Articles
 Digital Gallery Walk
 Interactives, Simulations
or Virtual Labs
Plan
I will start off the class period
(Monday) by having this
bellringer question displayed in
our Google Meets call:
Why do you think we celebrate
Black History Month?
This will get students engaged in
the idea of the lesson and
brainstorming ideas about Black
History Month. I want to ignite
their curiosity and passion about
the topic, and I’m hoping a
bellringer question like this will do
exactly that.
Plan
For this portion of the lesson,
they will be conducting their
research. They will be offline for
this section of the lesson, but I
will stay on the Google Meets call
in case anyone needs to hop on
if they have any questions.
Students will be conducting
research about their chosen
historical POC leader. I will give
them examples as to who their
chosen person could be, but they
can choose outside of my listed
examples as well. Their person
needs to be approved by me
before they begin their research.
I will have a document available
to them that they will answer
questions in as they are
conducting their research. They
will be answering questions
about their person’s contributions
to society, childhood, interests,
and where they are at in life now.
Rationale
Like I stated before, I want to get
students engaged in the idea of
the lesson. Brainstorming ideas
about Black History Month will
ignite their curiosity and passion
about the topic. Having
questions like this one or similar
to the one that I have will do
exactly that. I plan on having
questions like that displayed
throughout the week.
Rationale
I believe that it is important to
give students choice in who they
research so they can take
ownership of their work, take
pride in it, and feel passion for it.
Allowing them to pick their
Historical POC will do exactly
that.
As for the guided research
document, I want them to have as
much support in the research
process as possible. Since they are
in middle school, they don’t have a
ton of experience with researching. I
want to be able to give them that
support while also allowing them to
run free and work on their own. The
guided research document will do
just that.
 Explain
In this section, teacher
interaction, perspective, or
collaboration with students is
encouraged. The essential
question to be answered in this
section is: “Through what
process do students engage in
the content/concepts/skills?”
Consider:
 Short, Live Synchronous
Sessions
 Video Lessons
 Instruction
 Modeling
 Scaffolding
Elaborate
How are students encouraged to
articulate questions, insights,
examples, or applications of the
skill? Consider:
Making connections
● Connect concepts to
concepts, to life beyond the
classroom, to art, literature,
music
Applying learning to new or novel
Plan
Before they begin working on
their projects, we will have a mini
lesson on Black History Month
and POC Historical Figures. I
want to give as much
background information as I can
to my students, so they are able
to provide quality research, but
also have an understanding as to
what Black History Month is
before they begin researching.
This will be done in our Google
Meets call.
I will also be conferencing one-
on-one with each student
throughout the week to check
their progress on the project. I
will have a time sheet posted on
Google Classroom where they
students are allowed to pick a
time where they can jump on the
call to meet with me and discuss
their projects in more detail. That
way, I can guide them in the right
direction if needed and also see
where they are at.
Plan
The students are strongly
encouraged to make connections
to life outside of the classroom
with this lesson. I believe that
with this lesson, they are going to
see other viewpoints and cultures
outside of their own. I think this
will also help students realize
how the classroom connects with
the real world. They will be
Rationale
I think it’s very important for
students to have as much
background information as
possible before starting a project
such as this one. Like I stated, I
want them to be able to provide
quality research, so doing a mini
lesson such as this is going to
provide that research. I also want
them to understand just how
important this month is and how
everyone can celebrate it, no
matter what race you are.
I chose to do individual
conferences because I want to
be able to build connections with
students, even in an online
environment. Being able to have
one-on-one conversations with
them to see where they are at,
whether that is with the project or
just in general, is going to do
that. I also want to guide them in
the right direction and provide
support if needed.
Rationale
I believe that it is so important for
students to learn about cultures
that differ from their own. School
is a great and non-biased
environment for them to be able
to learn about these cultures and
see how they affect the world
around us.
situations encouraged to ask questions and
● Document your process as a make insights through our daily
group bellringer questions and through
Explaining how our exit slips.
● Model thinking as you solve a
problem

Evaluate Plan Rationale

How will students demonstrate
their accomplishment or struggle
with your learning objectives?
What specific questions or
prompts will be provided that
demonstrate connection between
the assessment, the activities,
and the learning objectives?
I will know that students have
met the learning objectives
through the completion of their
one pagers or infographics. They
will have all the required
elements, a completed research
guide, and a cohesive looking
product that informs others of
their historical figure. I will have a
rubric to help me grade their
projects that I will provide
feedback to them on.
I think that infographics and one
pagers are great and modern
ways for students to demonstrate
their learning. They can be
creative and deepen their
thinking. I also think that this
project holistically sums up this
lesson and is a great way for
them to show what they learned.

Modifications/Accommodations Rationale

I will modify the assessment for anyone who needs
it by providing more of a guided research page that
will have sentence starters and helpful hints for
researching. I will also require less vigorous
elements for anyone who needs it and allow an
extended due date.
I believe that providing these modifications and
accommodations will ease all of the students’
minds and make this less of a stressful project and
more of a fun learning experience for them. I want
this to be an opportunity for them to learn about a
historical POC, and if modifications help them do
that, then I will absolutely provide those!

Adapted from Catlin Tucker (@Catlin_Tucker) at https://catlintucker.com/2020/03/designing-an-online-lesson/

 Remote Learning Guide for Families
Lesson: Celebrating Black History Month
Engage Your Task
Lesson Objectives Make sure your student is logged onto
Given a mini lesson on Black history the Google Meets call at the
and different leaders, students will designated time.
create a one pager or infographic
highlighting the achievements of a
Black leader in our society.

Students will identify the Black leaders

in our society.

Bell Ringer
I will start off the class period (Monday)
by having this bellringer question
displayed in our Google Meets call:

Why do you think we celebrate Black

History Month?

Explore Your Task

They will be researching more about
their chosen Historical POC. They will
be completing their Guided Research
Document (in Google Classroom) Here
are some helpful links:
https://www.archives.gov/research/
alic/reference/black-history.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/01/23-
black-leaders-who-are-shaping-history-
today.html
Your student can be logged off the call
during this portion of the lesson.
Ensure that your student is staying on
task and completing their Guided
Research Document. You may help
guide them through this if you wish
(maybe give them helpful hints as to
what reliable sources look like!).

https://www.blackpast.org/research-
guides-websites/
The students should know that
Wikipedia is not a good resource!
Explain
Before we begin researching, I will be
giving the students a mini lesson on
Historical POC and Black History
Month. I want them to have as much
background information as possible.
I will also be holding individual
conferences with students about their
projects. There will be a sign-up sheet
posted in Google Classroom with time
slots for them to pick from.
Elaborate
The students will be encouraged to ask
questions and elaborate on their
learning through the daily bellringer
questions and through the exit slips.
The exit slips will be posted in Google
Classroom at the end of the class
period and will be due by the start of
the next class period. This way, they
can show me what they have learned
throughout the week, and I am able to
see how they are doing with the
content.
Evaluate
Offline Assessment:
The students will be creating either a
one pager (on paper) or an infographic
(on Canva) about their chosen
Historical POC. There will be a rubric
posted in Google Classroom that will
Your Task
Make sure your student is logged onto
the Google Meets call at the
designated time.
Make sure your student signs up for an
individual conference (sign up posted in
Google Classroom) and attends their
meeting.
Your Task
Make sure your student is completing
the bellringer questions and the exit
slips daily and turning them in on
Google Classroom.
Your Task
Go over the rubric with your student
and ensure that they know all the
elements that are required for the
project. Make sure that they have
completed their Guided Research
Document and have taken the time to
outline my expectations for the project create a nice-looking infographic or one
and what all should be included. They pager. Ensure that your student has
will also be turning in their completed turned in the assignment to Google
Guided Research Document. There will Classroom or put it in their “Return to
be instructions posted in Google School” folder for me to look at.
Classroom, along with examples from
past students, and a YouTube video of
me explaining through the project. This
will be due by the start of class next
Monday.