UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan Template

Name: Rebecca Long Program: SMED Course: EDU 460

Lesson Topic / Title: Essay Conferences

Lesson Date: 1/20/22 Lesson Length: 80 minutes Grade/Age: 10

Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment - Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum
goals based on content standards.

Learning Objective(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

1. Students will craft paragraphs that have topic 1. Students have been given
sentences, cited evidence, analysis, and specific outlines to follow as
transitions. they write their introduction
and body paragraphs. These
2. Students will analyze poetry by examining the outlines include the elements
effects of specific poetic devices on the theme. (If listed in the goal. The purpose
relevant students will also connect information of providing the outline is to
about their poet to the theme as well.) model essay craft and illustrate
how analysis is contextualized.
3. Students will develop and strengthen their writing
through revision, editing, and rewriting. 2. One focus of the larger poetry
unit is to identify themes in
poetry. As such, students were
asked to base their essay
around proving how a poem
creates a theme. Another major
focus of the unit was learning
poetic devices and their effect.
This goal focuses on the
thematic and figurative aspects
of this assignment and the
larger unit.

3. Students will be reviving

constant feedback and advice
on their writing during
conferencing. They will be
expected to reflect and revise
based on the information they
are given during this time.

Content Standard(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

ELA.912.R.CS - Demonstrates the ability to comprehend, Mt. Blue High School uses modified
interpret, and analyze appropriately complex literary standards to address learning goals
texts. held as important to the institution.

ELA.912.W.CS - Demonstrates the ability to write and
revise writing as well as the ability to complete short and
sustained research.
ELA.912.L.CS - Demonstrates the ability to use content
specific language and more generalized vocabulary as
well as capitalization and punctuation rules.
The first standard targets
comprehension and analysis which
fits this assignment because students
were writing an essay about poetic
themes where they analyzed poetic
devices. They needed to both
understand their poems and be able
 to construct an argument surrounding
them.

The second standard pertains to

writing ability which is addressed in
this lesson via conferencing about
students’ essays. Students practice
writing, revision, and research the
background of the poets they choose
to study.

The third standard asks students to

demonstrate language skills. They do
this in their essay by using poetry
specific content language, academic
vocabulary such as transition phrases,
and by showcasing correct grammar.
The conferencing process that is a
part of the lesson acts as a way to
address any problems in this area.

Assessment - Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner

performance and determines best supports for continued learner growth.

Assessment Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

These essays are the summative assessment for a small
poetry unit. As such, they will be turned in and assessed
over their analysis and craft.
Students have been working up to
writing a poetry analysis essay for the
past few weeks. They learned
common poetic devices, analyzed a
poem as a class, chose three poems to
analyze by themselves, and then
picked one of those poems to write
about further. They have been
working on essay craft throughout
this process as well. Therefore this
final assessment integrates all of the
skills they’ve been working on
throughout the unit.

Instructional Materials and Resources - Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise
in reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual
learner needs.

Materials, Resources, and / or Technology Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

Students’ Laptops Students are writing their essays on

Teacher’s Laptop google docs. They will also be turning
Students notes on poetic devices them in on Google classroom. They
ENG 10 CP’s Google classroom have the option of reviewing the
Workbooks assignment parameters in the
Writing utensil classroom too. All of which makes
Whiteboard + marker their laptops and their Google
classroom necessary.

The teacher’s laptop is necessary to

view the google classroom. It is also a

Instructional Methods: Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance
tasks by using a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make
learning accessible to all learners and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.
Teaching and Learning Sequence
Describing the structure of a concluding paragraph (10
minutes)
Conferencing with students over their essays (60 minutes)
Meeting students’ needs (differentiation,
extensions, modifications, accommodations)
- Having electronic copies of notes and
directions available on Google classroom.
- Rewording directions and using simplified
language when necessary.
resource to help students research the
background of their poem/poet which
they are supposed to integrate into
their essay.
Students have their notes on poetic
devices in their workbooks. The
notebooks are also available if they
need to take notes or write something
down to work out their analysis.
The whiteboard and marker are
necessary to write down the outline
of a concluding paragraph for
students to copy as notes.
Revised 07/19/2018
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
Students had been instructed on how
to write an introductory paragraph
and body paragraph for their essay,
but still needed instruction on how to
form a concluding paragraph and
finish their essays. Specifically, they
needed to know how to connect their
final paragraph back to their narrative
hook and properly summarize their
argument.
Students were working on their final
essays; conferencing allowed for one
on one feedback and advice to be
given as students were writing. Any
misconceptions and confusions could
be cleared up immediately. Also, any
advice in relation to form or craft
could be addressed right away.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
Having electronic copies of
instructions allows absent students to
receive instruction. It also assists
students who struggle to concentrate,
have auditory or visual processing
issues, or any other factor that makes
taking in person notes difficult. It is
 - Absent students will get concentrated
attention during conferencing to catch
them up.
available at all times for students if
their notes are unavailable.
Being able to reword or simplify
directions or explanations is key for
comprehension. If students are
struggling to comprehend a poem,
poetic device, or instruction then
breaking down the explanation will
encourage student comprehension to
be as high as possible.

Because of various reasons many

students are absent frequently and
miss instruction and work time. To
ensure these students don’t fall
behind, express attention is given to
them during conferencing time.
Including directing them to Google
classroom to see assignments they
missed and giving quick recaps of
lessons.

Field Courses Only – Post lesson

Reflection

I think this lesson went pretty well. It wasn't much of a traditional lecture type
lesson, but each student got individual help with their essays. It’s nice being able to
give concentrated attention to each student. I feel like providing immediate
feedback is an extremely useful use of time. I was happy with how I was able to get
students moving again almost as soon as they were stuck most of the time. I do
think that I need to consider how much time each student gets a bit more. There
are a few students who tried to monopolize my time, but I managed to limit my
time with them to reasonable levels. However, I am really happy with how this
illustrates how comfortable the students are with asking me for help.

I also discovered during conferencing how hard it is when you only have so much
time before the end of the semester to have assignments turned in. It makes it so
you have to focus on the most egregious errors in students’ writing instead of
making a completely well rounded essay. I wish I was able to spend an entire class
period with some of the students. Overall, though, I don't think there were any
extreme lows or highs.

Teaching Standards and Rational

Standard 3: Learning Environments
The teacher works with learners to create environments that support individual and collaborative
learning, encouraging positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.

Rationale: Conferencing is an act of social interaction where students are expected to actively engage
in their own learning. Students receive feedback whilst writing so that they can immediately
workshop their essays and ask any questions they may have which is a process that includes both
active engagement and positive collaboration. I also worked with each individual student to create
conditions where they would feel safe interacting with me to better their writing and understanding
about poetry during this lesson.

Standard 4: Content Knowledge

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he
or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible
and meaningful for learners.

Rationale: This lesson involved information about how to craft a concluding paragraph, but also how
to use poetic devices and other elements of essay craft because every student was at different points
in their essay. I would have to quickly analyze each student's poems for the poetic devices they have
been introduced to and help them find and understand them too. I would also have to help students
with their capitalization, quotation, grammar, etc. while reading through their essays. The students
would also need help arranging their essays and understanding how to structure their paragraphs.