Michelle Moss
CRD 412
Dr. Spector
Clinical Experience Assignment
A. Rich Description
My clinical experience is based in Tuscaloosa County High School in Tuscaloosa,
Alabama. The 1,847 students at TCHS consist of 63% Caucasian, 34% African American, and
4% Hispanic and Asian. My cooperating teacher, Mrs. Prater, teaches 9th and 11th grade English.
Three out of the four classes are inclusion. Therefore, it is necessary to have a special needs
teacher in the room for assistance. The classroom is set up with all student desks facing the front
of the room with the teacher’s desk to the side. The front of the classroom contains marker
boards, a projection screen, and a podium. The back of the classroom has a small desk set aside
for the inclusion teacher. This layout creates dynamic in which students are focused on the
teacher rather than their peers. Therefore, the majority of the lessons are lecture-based with little
group discussion.
The 11th grade students are very bright and eager to learn. They often participate in
answering questions and giving their opinions. Sometimes they get quite chatty, but I think these
classes would be great with group work and class discussions. The 9th grade students are less
willing to participate. Many students are often seen with their heads on their desks and/or their
notebooks empty. However, there are a few students who thrive to learn and these sit at the front
of the room. The inclusion teacher usually does a good job of keeping students alert, but there
are many who refuse to take part in the lesson.
The teacher, Mrs. Prater, starts each class with a warm-up activity consisting of a
grammar mini-lesson. Students have a journal in which they keep up with the daily warm-ups
that get taken up every couple of weeks for a grade. The teacher transitions the class into a
discussion, usually with the use of PowerPoint, about the literature they are currently reading.
When they read a new literary work, the teacher either plays an audio tape while students follow
along or she reads it herself. As far as assessments go, students are usually given a study guide
before every test. Tests are multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer. If possible, Mrs.
Prater also enjoys showing the movie versions of the texts they read so that they are provided
with a visual account of the literature. All in all, Mrs. Prater has a structured routine that students
seem to be adapted to.
B. Lesson Plan
Writing to Learn: Parts of Speech and Poetry
Subject Area: English
Grade Level: 9 (Inclusion)
Time Frame 45 minutes
Introduction
Lesson Overview
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Objective
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Rationale
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Prior Knowledge
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ALCOS & Content Area
Standards
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Essential Questions
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Students will develop an understanding of nouns,
verbs, and adjectives through writing diamante
poems consisting of all three elements.
To develop an understanding of the following parts
of speech: noun, verb, adjective.
To use these parts of speech correctly in writing.
To create a diamante poem and illustration both
exhibiting an understanding of nouns, verbs, and
adjectives.
Students will need to know how to use parts of
speech correctly in their writing.
Students will need little prior knowledge in the use
of nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
ALCOS
23.) Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. [W. 910.4]
36.) Demonstrate command of the conventions of
Standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking [L. 9-10.1]
NCTE
5.) Students employ a wide range of strategies as
they write and use different writing process
elements appropriately to communicate with
different audiences for a variety of purposes.
12.) Students use spoken, written, and visual
language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g.,
for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the
exchange of information).
How can nouns, verbs, and adjectives be used in
writing creative poetry?
Assessment/Accommodation
Formative Assessment
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Summative Assessment
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Accommodations
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After reviewing the certain parts of speech, students
will have the opportunity to create a diamante
poem using nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The poem
will demonstrate their understanding of the use of
these parts of speech. They will also be allowed to
include an illustration to accompany the poem they
have written.
If this were a unit in my own classroom, I would
continue the study of the rest of the parts of speech
by having students complete several writing
activities for each lesson. At the end, students
would organize their writing into portfolios which
would be turned in for a grade.
Because these 9th grade classes are Inclusion, I will
provide extra attention and help to the students
who are struggling with the activity.
Lesson Plan
Materials
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Bell Ringer
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Activities
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Closure
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References
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PowerPoint presentation explaining the following
parts of speech: nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Examples and template of diamante poems.
Construction paper, crayons, markers, scissors,
glue, etc. to complete the final product (poem and
illustration).
Mad-lib which will introduce nouns, verbs, and
adjectives, test their prior knowledge, and create a
transition into the lesson.
Review of nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
Introduction of diamante poems and examples.
Diamante poems: Students will individually write
their own diamante poems and create illustrations
to accompany them.
The class will close with volunteers to come up to
the front and share their poems. This will also be a
time for students to ask questions or present
problems they are having with the subject material.
Readwritethink.org
C. Enacting in the Classroom
i. Supervising Teacher Feedback
ii. (a) Personal Critique
Teaching the parts of speech can be a difficult task no matter what the age group.
For my 9th grade Inclusion class, I wanted to give a new spin on nouns, verbs, and
adjectives by integrating them into their writing. In the beginning of the lesson, I
provided a brief review of the functions of these parts of speech. Then, students had the
opportunity to create a diamante poem using nouns, verbs, and adjectives. I thought the
writing activity went very well because the students were excited about doing an
activity outside of the norm.
Taking into consideration my supervising teacher’s and my observer’s
comments, I would change a few things about my lesson if I had a chance to teach it
again. I would definitely take a few minutes to write a diamante poem as a class in
order to model the process of writing. Overall, the students understood the concept of
the poem, but they had many questions regarding the definitions of nouns, verbs, and
adjectives. I would have spent more time teaching and explaining instead of more time
on the activity.
After teaching this lesson, I also learned that I must be more authoritative and
louder with my voice. This particular class has many behavior issues, therefore, I
certainly needed to take more control. However, the class never got out of hand, just a
little talkative at times. All in all, the students’ poems turned out better than expected.
They were creative, thoughtful, and interesting. The majority of students used the parts
of speech in the correct forms.
ii. (b) Copies of Student Work