http://tinyurl.com/Dow-lesson
Subject & Grade Level: English 9C
Dow
Teacher Name: Jim
Length of Class Periods: 90 minutes (This is spread out over two to three class periods).
Stage of writing process: Writing a draft/Evaluation and Revision
Standards of Learning:
SOL #: 9.1b; 9.4e; 9.4l; 9.6a; 9.6b
Applicable NCTE National Standard(s):
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
appreciate texts.
4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions,
style, and vocabulary)
To communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
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.
11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a
variety of literacy communities.
Lesson Plan Overview
This lesson begins after reading part I of The Odyssey, allowing the students to
incorporate earlier writings about the character of Odysseus into a defendable character
profile. By defendable, I don’t mean “correct” as the profile will/should vary by student
based on his/her interpretation of Odysseus’ actions. The students will have chosen a
person to whom they will be “secretly” reporting the actions of Odysseus. Some
possibilities:
--Penelope (his wife)
--Agamemnon (his king)
--Telemachus (his son)
-- The suitors (men courting his wife, plotting to kill his son and take his land)
--or as Hermes the messenger god (to inform the gods)
Prior to this assignment, the students have created five different multi-genre
“communications” to the person waiting in Ithaca. They may suspend reality and use
digital, audio, video types of genres. They will use these five shorter assignments as a
jumping off point for this assignment.
General Objectives: Students will be able to create a character profile based on
observed actions by interpreting these actions and assigning a defendable
character trait to them. They will be able to share these in a digital group to share
and comment in order to produce a writing product that accurately reflects their
position.
Specific Learning Objectives
The student will be able to. . . [Use Bloom’s taxonomy
verbs.]
Instructional Procedures
The teacher will. . .
Introduction [anticipatory set, focus, relate to previous
learning; < 5 minutes]:
Discuss previous character actions from the reading.
Categorize actions.
Monitor group discussions.
Define/model
categorization.
Provide group/individual
feedback.
Main Lesson
Illustrate motivations with relevant actions.
Question actions as heroic.
Construct a character profile.
Argue and defend characterization of Odysseus beyond
heroic or non-heroic deeds.
Peer evaluate.
Review the list of genres
and model samples of
each.
Provide students with
samples of character
actions and possible
motivations.
Review previous definition
of a hero.
Monitor group discussion
and offer feedback.
Conference with individual
groups.
Closure [sum up and reflect on the day’s learning;
prepare for homework or future work; < 5 minutes]:
Write in reflective journal commenting on the
assignment: Likes/dislikes; strengths/weaknesses.
Show a short video clip
illustrating a strong or
controversial character and
have the class discuss
actions and motivations.
Extension/assignment: View a short movie or television clip that emphasizes
characterization. Summarize and list three character actions, the motivation behind the
actions, and what type of person you see.
Accommodations/provisions for individual differences: Having already chosen their
audience and multi-genre communications, students will now select a genre for the final
product. Students may use any technology available to them to include: Audio, video,
presentation software, cloud-based delivery etc. Students will also have several
opportunities for revision to improve the writing, including a chance to resubmit after the
summative grade.
Self- and/or peer evaluation: Each student will reflect in his/her writing journal at the end
of each writing session. Each student will update a strength/weakness document. Peers
will comment on other’s writing in a Google doc.
Products students will create: Product will vary by genre, but each product needs to be a
detailed, defendable character profile of the character Odysseus. This is a part of a
continuous writing project/portfolio for the epic, but is a culminating activity for the end
of part I (just before he returns to Ithaca). This product’s purpose is based on the
audience the student selected. Products could include: dossier, job application review,
psych profile, and may be created in text, audio, video etc.
Texts students will read: The Odyssey; Selections from Writing about Literature (section
on characterization).
Materials/resources: school issued laptops and various technologies. Three Google
docs
1. Prior Multi-Genre
https://docs.google.com/a/henrico.k12.va.us/document/d/1oUDl9y6kLLonWffSGP5uSEdD
ZoCk9XG0a-xWFaSQ5MI/edit
2. Actions and Traits
https://docs.google.com/a/henrico.k12.va.us/document/d/1OeXGOvwFPTP25o8ZNlGtFQ3
UPdqL5T9LDF_10SQ1gLI/edit
3. Peer Evaluation
https://docs.google.com/a/henrico.k12.va.us/document/d/17gVqzUoS3o2GoHfjsqvuNPYR
cr2LQtkswzNv-tQYPck/edit
Formative Assessment:
The students will have the rubric as a guideline, and they will have at least three students
do a peer evaluation. Students will also record strengths and weaknesses in their
reflective journals. Prior to final submission, each student must conference with me to
discuss the assignment and ask any questions and get my feedback and/or suggestions.
Summative Assessment: The five mini-genre pieces have been turned in and reviewed
and graded by me. Any improvements may be made and resubmitted for reevaluation.
Summative grades will be assigned with the caveat: If you turned this in today, the grade
would be... This gives them the option to keep improving.
Each mini-genre communication is worth five points.
4-5
2-3
0-1
Contains specific,
defendable actions;
directly references action
to a character trait; genre
and language is
appropriate for chosen
audience.
Action/s may be listed,
but are vague and not the
best example; vague
reference to character
trait or reference is offbase; language for
audience is not clear.
No real action mentioned,
or action is too minor to be
effective; no connection to
a character trait; no real
language/audience
connection.
Prior Multi-Genre List and Audience: 5 points (one point for each one listed) Google doc
Actions and Traits Google doc: 20 points
20-17
16-13
12-8
7-4
3-0
Clear action
examples;
clear
connections to
trait;
defendable
explanation;
strong
episode
choices.
Some clear
examples;
some clear
connections;
some
defendable
explanation; a
strong episode
choice.
Action
examples were
weaker or not
the most
evident; some
connection to
a character
trait;
explanation
not as clear as
it could be; not
the strongest
episodes
represented.
Weak action
examples;
connections to
a character
trait not
obvious; weak
explanation;
weaker
episodes
represented.
Action
examples nonexistent or too
weak to
consider; little
or no
connection to
a character
trait; lacks
clarity of
explanation;
weak episode
choices.
Peer Evaluation Comments Google doc: 10 points
10-8
Three papers evaluated;
7-4
Three papers evaluated;
3-0
Less than three
all three comments were
insightful and clear;
showed evidence of
connecting with the
reading.
most comments showed
some insight and clarity;
average demonstration of
reading connections.
evaluations; comments
lacked insight or effort;
little or no reading
connections.
Rationale [Why is this content/skill important for students? How will this specific
instruction be effective in helping students learn? Connect to course readings and
experiences.]:
Students are often content to have the teacher tell them what kind of a person a
character is, and then they read to support the teacher’s explanation. Being able to
independently make judgments about a character (positive and negative) allows a
student to trust his/her judgment in the future. This assignment allows students to
incorporate prior knowledge and experiences and to see how they impact their
visualization of a particular character, which may or may not be the profile the author
intended.