Laura Talley
November 14, 2013
EDSL 633
Communities Lesson Plan: High School Student Extracurricular Communities
High School ESL Learners, Low Intermediate Proficiency
Planning for Instruction
1.1)
1.2)
1.3)
1.4)
1.5)
1.6)
Content Objectives
Students will demonstrate familiarity with school and local communities that they,
as high school students can or do participate through a chart and essay.
Language Objectives
Learners will present a school community, if possible interviewing a member of the
community. Students will write a short essay describing organizations they are
members of and one they would like to be a member of using conditional; with few
grammatical errors and using complete sentences.
Standards
1.1 Conversation about school communities
1.2 Students will read an article about extracurricular activities
1.3 Presentation about a school community
2.1/2.2 Discussion about the types of communities and how they reflect on
American culture
5.1 Learners will use the language in class and then outside of class (in interview or
to participate in a school club/team)
Five Dimensions of Cultures
Communication: Learners will participate in a conversation about local
communities and present one.
Cultures: Students will learn about high school clubs and organizations specific to
American high schools, about them and who participates in them.
Connections: Students will expand their knowledge of school and local
organizations they could participate in and about each.
Comparisons: Using the chart of communities students will create they will be able
to compare clubs and organizations. Students will compare American views of
extracurricular activities with their native culture.
Communities: Students will build their knowledge of communities (school clubs,
teams and organizations) within the school and local community.
Cultural Products
For the setting the stage part or as props to suggest activities/communities during
comprehensible input (a ball, uniform piece, symbol…)
Extralinguistic Features of Communication
Context: role of extracurricular activities in high school society
Chronemics: When extracurricular activities take place
EIS
2.1) Setting the Stage
Using posters set up at the front of the classroom or a whiteboard labeled with different
communities (extracurricular activities) that learners belong to. As students enter they will
write or place a sticky note (with or without their names) on each poster or under each
heading stating the name of the community for them, for example under Sports or
Volunteer Organization.
Students will brainstorm ideas about school communities
2.2) Comprehensible Input
1. Using the information from the warm up activity, create a list of local/school
communities that learners belong to or interact with.
a. Learners will discuss what makes them a community, how members are
identifiable or whether they are, whether there is a formal or informal organization.
*Example/ School Soccer Team: Is made up of students with uniforms, is organized
and scheduled formally through the school by the teacher/coach. Students try out to
be part of the team and must maintain a certain GPA.
2. Learners will then fill in the list with more information about each community to create a
chart with the basic information of each.
3. Attached vocabulary list to be introduced as relevant, write on the board or have
students write words/phrases down
4. A guided discussion about American values reflected by school communities (teams,
clubs, extracurricular activities). Students will read the attached article about
extracurricular activities to help prepare for discussion.
- Many American clubs and organizations are dedicated to or encourage volunteer work,
what values does this show?
- Sports are often emphasized from a young age for Americans, for what they teach and as a
possible profession, why is that?
- High school students applying to universities are expected to have not only good grades
and test scores but also extracurricular activities, is this similar to your native country?
- What sort of extracurricular activities do universities look for in applications?
5. Gridiron Gang Movie: Depending on time and students’ ages
A) Using clips from movie: Have students watch the clip and then discuss
“Gridiron Gang trailer” 2.33 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm8vVSUnUWs
“Gridiron Gang last speech” 1.50 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34697EtIr-8
(.02 seconds and .34 seconds there is mild cursing in clip)
B) Watching entire movie: movie is PG-13 and may require editing or parental
permission. 125 minutes long, broken into roughly 25 minutes segments with breaks for
comprehension checks and short discussions between segments. Have students take notes
during break between segments but not during the film.
2.3) Guided Practice
1. Learners will complete a crossword activity.
2. Learners will reorganize the Communities list into which academic, athletic or
community organizations. While organizing they will think about how each organization
would be perceived by universities and employers on an application, the skills each would
develop.
3. Notes on the “Gridiron Gang” movie and discussion or movie clips and discussion
4. Quick write: Each student will write a short paragraph about how extracurricular
activities are beneficial or not based on the previous discussions and their personal
experiences. It should be a least half a page, written with complete sentences and few
errors. It should include reasons and supporting examples to support their reasons.
2.4) Application and Extension
1. Learners will pick a community from the class list that they do not belong to and create a
presentation about it. The presentation should include a description of the community,
how it is organized, how members join/are picked/become members. If possible students
(with the teachers aid) should schedule interviews with a leader/coordinator/supervisor/
member of the organization
Example Interview Questions:
What is your organization? What activities, projects or competitions is your
organization involved in?
When was your organization founded?
Is it a school or community organization?
2. Short essay: Students will write a 1-2 page paper describing organizations (3 minimum)
they are a member of or would like to be a member of (at least 1) using the conditional (I
would like…) and giving reasons why.
2.5) Assessment and Evaluation
1. Students’ list and/or chart of clubs and organizations
2. Crossword activity
3. Presentation (with interview notes)
4. Short essay
Rubrics attached
Notes: This lesson is intended for high school ESL learners with a low intermediate
proficiency, with the essay and presentation to be completed on a different day (about a
week time frame for presentation, depending on ability to schedule prompt interviews,
about two days for the essay).
Reflection
3.1) Identify the specific knowledge, skills and insights that you have developed as
the result of writing this lesson.
I found incorporating communities into a lesson particularly difficult, whether to explicitly
explain things as a community or more subtly, which communities or grouping of
communities to teach. Whether to teach cultural communities as an idea and identity or
teach about certain organizations or groupings of people with the students implying they
are cultural communities and what that means. Incorporating communities into lessons
seems to encourage learners to think of target language use outside the classroom, both for
social or more professional purposes by drawing their attention to different places and
purposes for the target language.
While working on the suggestions for improving this lesson plan I came across “Gridiron
Gang” and thought it would work well, dealing with an extracurricular activity (football)
and how it affected the participants’ lives. With the mild cursing I was not sure about using
the entire movie so created two options. Judging what is appropriate, without a specific
class or school standards, is challenging, what one school would allow, another wouldn’t.
Even with cursing I liked the movie as a good example of the positive affect of
extracurricular activities that most Americans hold, while also reflecting the challenging
background some students face and showing non-mainstream culture in the form of
juvenile delinquents.
3.2) In what ways has your appreciation and understanding of the culture teaching
and culture learning changed?
Once more it was difficult to incorporate cultural knowledge smoothly though it does
enrich the material by creating real world scenarios for target language use. I chose high
school students and the extracurricular communities that are common in American schools
as it is relatively easy to distinguish the different clubs and teams that are common. It is
also not as common in other cultures while there is a strong focus on extracurricular
activities for American students.
It is sometimes strange to view what I grew up with as something that needs explanation. It
is then difficult to come up with the explanation and fully explain. There is an inherent bias
that creates blind spots in what you know, as you have always known and what others
need to know as newcomers to the language and culture.
3.3) How has this assignment contributed to your professional growth in relation to
culture teaching and learning?
Lesson planning is good practical experience. Thinking of communities to incorporate into
lessons, how to do so and what topics or ages are appropriate to each. Trying to decide the
material relevant and how to explain or use it n class is complicated but necessary which
makes practice doing so important to my professional growth and practical as material
ready to use in the future.
This is the first plan where I used a movie as material, especially for younger learners who
are no longer children easy to get excited but will lose interest without material they find
interesting. Practice incorporating a variety of materials into lesson plans, often prompted
by readings and class discussions, helps build the necessary skills to use them and inspire
new ideas for activities to use to instruct in a contextualized manner.
Club or Organization
Durham 4-H Club
High School Cross Country
Team
Membership
6yrs and under Jr. Members
6-18 years old members
Co-ed
Durham High School
Students
Jr. Varsity
Varsity
Activities
An agricultural organization
with projects about farm
animals, crafts and
volunteer activities. Year
round
A sports team, running long
distance (generally a 3 mile
race) outside on either a
track or through a park.
Typically a fall activity
Vocabulary
Extracurricular: Outside the regular academic/school curriculum
Recreation: An activity that is fun or amuses
Community: a group of people with common interests
Club: a formal association of people with similar interests
Athletic/Sports Club
Organization
Non-profit
Volunteer: do unpaid work
Professional
Social: relating to human society and its members
Society
Team: a cooperative unit (typically sports)
Association
Coordinator
Member
Participant: someone who takes part in an activity
Leader
Coach
Counsel
Counsel Member
Associated Student Body
Join: to become part of
Qualify
Requirements
Try-Outs: perform in order to get a role
Extracurriculars Matter — To You and To Colleges
Do colleges want quality or a quantity of activities?
Jeff Brenzel, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Yale University
An admission officer
talks about the role of high school activities in an application. Video Transcript
Getting involved in clubs, sports, work or other pursuits outside the classroom can give
you new skills and help you learn about yourself — and can be fun.
Here’s something else you should know: Extracurriculars also play a part when you
apply to colleges. Most college applications ask about your activities. That’s because
the things you do in your free time reveal a lot about you — in ways that grades and test
scores can’t. Your accomplishments outside the classroom show what you’re
passionate about and that you have qualities valued by colleges. Here are a few
examples:
Serving in student government shows that you have leadership skills. Being on the track
team through high school shows that you’re able to make a long-term commitment.
Doing volunteer work at a hospital shows that you are dedicated to helping others.
Working a part-time job while keeping your grades up shows that you are responsible
and can manage your time.
Colleges want to know who you are and what you can do. Your activities help you show
them. So put down the books and get out there!
Kinds of activities
here are the most common kinds of extracurricular activities.
School Activities
These might include sports teams, special-interest clubs, a school newspaper, music
groups and student government.
Community Activities
Examples are community theater, music, and art groups as well as local clubs and
sports teams.
Work
Internships, summer jobs, part-time work, babysitting, delivering newspapers — it all
counts.
Volunteering
This might mean tutoring elementary school kids, helping out at the animal shelter or
raising funds for a charity.
How to Get Started
Whether you want to learn more about politics, public speaking or cooking, you can find
an activity that will help you explore that interest. Here are some ideas for starting your
search:
Ask your friends what groups they belong to. Check your school’s bulletin boards or
website.
Talk to your school counselor or your teachers about activities.
If you have a
place of worship, find out if it organizes activities.
Look into national organizations,
such as Junior Achievement, Girl or Boy Scouts, and the YMCA or YWCA. Think about
starting your own club or group.
Student Stories
As these students found, an extracurricular activity can introduce you to a lifelong
passion, give you new perspectives or show you that you can achieve amazing things.
Katie Found a Major
Katie, a high school senior, says that after joining her school’s drama club, she finally
found something she loves. She’s heading to college to earn a degree in technical
theater, where she’ll learn to work behind the scenes to bring plays to life.
Kelsey Expanded Her Horizons
Kelsey, a college junior, says that her activity shaped her into the person she is today.
In high school, Kelsey joined a community-based club that focuses on empowering girls.
Spending time with the group’s members — who came from diverse backgrounds —
helped Kelsey become more open-minded toward people who are different from her.
And taking on leadership roles in the organization built Kelsey’s confidence. “The
program gave me the opportunity to learn about myself in a positive environment,” she
says.
Ben Learned He Could Make Things Happen
Ben, a college freshman, says that his experience made him “realize that the world is
full of possibilities.”
Ben started a charity golf tournament when he was 10 years old to raise money for a
local hospital. By the time he graduated from high school, the tournament had raised
more than one million dollars.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/outside-the-classroom/extracurricularsmatter-to-you-and-to-colleges
October 30, 2013
Teenagers at a juvenile detention center, under the leadership of their counselor, gain selfesteem by playing football together
Between 25 minute segments stop for discussion:
What happened? What will happen next?
What communities did you see: gangs, friends, family, school, juvenile detention
center, and sports teams?
How are the characters developing/growing? What examples/actions show
demonstrate this?
“Questioning the Story” reading: If viewing is split between class viewings provide reading
for learners to read between classes, if a single viewing then have them read it after
viewing the film.
After movie:
What communities did you observe? What was/were the main
community/communities in the film?
What type of community were they?
What were the young men like at the beginning, the end? How did they
grow/change?
How did participating on the football team affect the young men? Positively,
negatively regarding their futures (school, jobs and family).
What could you generalize about sports programs as extracurricular activities based
on what you saw in the movie, the reading and your own experience?
Questioning the Story: http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/gridirongang.php
Was Sean Porter really responsible for starting the sports program at Camp
Kilpatrick, as the film implies?
Not entirely. The sports program at Camp Kilpatrick was actually started in 1986 with the
formation of a basketball squad. In 1988, the camp added an eight-man football team,
which Sean Porter was influential in developing. In 1990, while under Porter, the program
went into full swing with an eleven-man football team and a full season's worth of games. LA Daily News
When did the actual events in the movie Gridiron Gang take place?
The Emmy Award winning documentary Gridiron Gang was aired on television in 1993.
However, the film chronicled the Mustang's 1990 Cinderella season, which was the
inaugural season for the team. As stated above, an eight-man squad had been formed
earlier in 1988, but it did not play with a full schedule against other schools.
-seattlepi.com
Did the kids on the Camp Kilpatrick team really cry after losing their first football
game?
Yes. As depicted in the film, the Camp Kilpatrick players really did cry after losing their first
football game. "They didn't know how to handle that type of loss," Dwayne 'The Rock'
Johnson said in an interview. After viewing the film, test audiences found this part of the
movie hard to believe, that gang members would cry like that. This prompted the
filmmakers, including director Phil Joanou, to include during the credits the same real life
scene from the documentary. Other documentary clips were also added, such as the part
from the film where Kenny Bates confesses, "I just want my mom to love me."
-Hollywood.com
Did the real Sean Porter expect his team to lose the first game?
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson asked this question to his real life Gridiron Gang counterpart.
In an interview, Dwayne recalled Sean's answer, "I expected to lose all the games. These
kids never, ever played. Eventually I knew that I was going to have to explain to them that
it's not about winning and losing, it's about accepting this challenge." -philly.com
Did the movie Gridiron Gang carry over a lot of the same speeches and lines from the
documentary?
Yes. The speeches were real. When asked about the speeches, the real Sean Porter explains,
"I've had people who have seen the screenings with me go, 'That's my favorite one of
yours.' You know, so, they were real speeches, and yeah, I've been accused of preaching a
little bit at times
Does Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson have any football experience?
Yes. By Dwayne's senior year in high school, he was considered one of the top 10 defensive tackles
in the country. Dwayne (pictured left) received a five-year scholarship to the University of Miami,
where he began his college football career. In 1991, during Dwayne's first season as a Miami
Hurricane, his team won a national championship. As he neared his college graduation, he was
considered one of the top prospects for the NFL, until a severe back injury hampered his dream.
Dwayne graduated from Miami in 1995. He moved on from college football to play for the Calgary
Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He left the CFL after only one season to pursue the
family profession of his father and grandfather, professional wrestling. For the movie Gridiron
Gang, Dwayne put the football gear back on for a scene where his character teaches a player how
to knock down a larger defensive player. "It was awesome," Dwayne says. "I had a chance to put
the pads on. Kick ass all over the field. I had a great time."
Is the character of Willie Weathers based on a real person?
Yes. Willie Weathers, whose cousin Roger is killed early in the film, is in fact based on a real
person. However, the real individual's name is Michael Black, not Willie Weathers. After leaving
Camp Kilpatrick, Michael Black went on to play for Washington State, and then to the NFL where
he played for both the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks. -AICN.com
Did the 1990 Kilpatrick team really have cheerleaders at their games?
No. The real Camp Kilpatrick Mustangs did not and do not have cheerleaders at their games,
especially not cheerleaders bused in from a local girls correctional facility. Obviously, these
"cheerleaders" were added to the script to be an element of humor.
-LA Daily News
Did the kids really give Sean Porter flowers when his mother was sick?
Yes. This scene from the film did happen. Malcolm Moore brought Sean Porter into the gymnasium
(not a dorm as shown in the film). There, the kids gave Sean flowers for his mom, and he began to
cry. Actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson had only learned that this flower scene was true three
weeks before the film's release, when he sat down to dinner with the real Sean Porter. Dwayne
claims that Sean didn't tell him earlier, because Sean expressed that he just doesn't like to talk
about his mom that much. -AICN.com
Did the Camp Kilpatrick Mustangs really make it to the championship game?
Yes. As shown in the film, the Mustangs struggled early, but by the end of the season had made it
to the region's championship game against Montclair Prep High School (not the fictitious
Barrington High School seen in the film). At the time, Montclair Prep had lost only three games in
the previous four years. Camp Kilpatrick played hard, but lost 13-7. Many feel that they would
have won if it wasn't for fourth quarter mistakes and unfortunate penalties. -seattlepi.com
Did the football program at Camp Kilpatrick really help to change the lives of the players
(inmates)?
Yes. Although the corrections department has no recorded statistics on the effects of the Kilpatrick
football program on the inmates, a lot of them, such as Jason Lamb, claim that it helped them to
eventually straighten out their lives. In 1990, Jason Lamb (the real "Kenny Bates") was a 17-yearold car thief who played wide receiver on Sean Porter's team. Lamb's story was part of the 1993
Gridiron Gang documentary. "It was definitely life-changing for me," says Lamb. "I'd been in
trouble a lot, but once I got in the program, I never tried to get out [escape from camp] again."
Today, at age 33, Jason Lamb works as a salesman and from time to time still comes out to cheer
on his old team (LA Daily News). Jason is seen in the photo above (on the left in his 1990 Mustangs'
gear and on the right watching a Mustangs game against Grace Brethren High School in Westlake,
California, on September 8, 2006).
Do any of the original Mustang players appear in the movie Gridiron Gang?
Yes. Several former Camp Kilpatrick Mustang players appear as extras in the film. This includes
former inmate Joseph Lucero, who even had a speaking part. Today, Lucero works closely with
gang members from Los Angeles neighborhoods, as he tries to lead them to a better future.
How can I get my hands on the original Gridiron Gang documentary?
Unfortunately, the original 1993 TV documentary (also titled Gridiron Gang) is not currently for
sale, nor is it available for viewing anywhere online. Although there is no official word yet, more
than likely Sony will include the documentary with the Gridiron Gang DVD release. Sony probably
didn't want to release the documentary on DVD at the same time as the film, for fear that people
would opt for the more true to life documentary instead.
Essay Grading Rubric
A – Exceeds minimum requirements of assignment (at least a one page, handwritten is okay.
Describing 2 or more communities of which they are a participant, one or more that they would
like to join). Shows much effort, is grammatically correct with few to no errors. Is neatly
organized and presented, turned in on time or early.
B – Meets minimum requirements of assignment and shows effort, has few grammatical errors
and is organized and cleanly presented.
C – Meets minimum requirements of the assignment, has some errors but is easily understood,
average organization and presentation.
D – Does not meet requirements, is incomplete and/or is late. Is sloppily written and has
multiple errors that interfere with comprehension.
F – Is incomplete, late or not done at all, has many errors that make comprehension difficult or
make it incomprehensible. Is dirty or sloppily organized and written.
Communities Chart/Crossword Grading Rubric
Complete: Includes all the communities discussed in class with the chart completely filled out
Incomplete: Missing information but at least 50% filled out
No Credit: Less than 50% filled out, no information or not turned in
Presentation Grading Rubric
A – Student presents with enthusiasm, they are understandable and can be heard by the entire
class, making few errors that don’t interfere with comprehensibility. They present fluidly with
only minor pauses and without reading from script. 1-3 minutes long [If interviews possible:
Interview notes are attached to presentation notes, with who interviewed, when and their
signature as proof of participation. If interviews possible 3-5 minutes long presentation]
B – Students present with enthusiasm, they are comprehensible, make some speaking errors or
occasionally reading from script without greatly impairing fluidity. [Interview information
included]
C – Students present comprehensibly, often reads from script without greatly impairing fluidity.
[Interview information included]
D – Students present poorly, incomplete, late or incomprehensible due to errors or
articulation/volume. [Interview not done]
F – Students make no attempt to present work, excessively late, sloppy and with many errors.