L6+Merrifield,+Jared

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND REHABILITATION LESSON PLAN FORMAT
 * UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FARMINGTON

Teacher’s Name:** Mr. Merrifield **Facet of Understanding:** Application
 * Grade Level:** 7-8 grade **Topic:** Literary Themes

__**Objectives**__

 * Student will understand that** every text has at least one central theme.
 * Student will know** the crucial elements of __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__, such as the origin of Harry's scar, the importance of Fluffy the guard dog, and the Sorcerer's Stone itself, and relate them to specific themes within the story.
 * Student will be able to** develop a Comic Life presentation, one that refers back to the first lesson about plot structure; only students will create a new story (or elaborate on their old ones, if they wish) and incorporate an essential theme within the story.

__**Maine Learning Results Alignment**__
English Language Arts - A. Reading A2 Literary Texts, Grades 7-8: __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__ Students will read fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, within a grade appropriate span of text complexity, and analyze the characteristics noting how structural features and common literary devices help shape the reader's response.


 * Rationale:** This lesson is quite similar to the last one, only it focuses more on themes, because of their advanced complexity. It will require deep analysis and adequate demonstration of understanding.

__**Assessment**__
This lesson ties in elements of almost every lesson that has been taught previously in class: plot structure, literary devices, and themes, but the focus will be themes. To demonstrate their mastery of the understanding of themes, including their nature and effect, students will create a Comic Life presentation that represents a theme through the telling of a short story. This story can be an elaboration of the short story the students wrote at the beginning of class, or an entirely original piece. Upon reading the comic strip, students not presenting should be able to identify the theme and its importance and contribution to the story, its characters, and the reader.
 * Formative (Assessment for Learning)**

Students will be graded with an analytic grading sheet that ranks them on the originality and creativity of the story, the appropriate use of Comic Life to make the story coherent and visually appealing, and the incorporation of at least one theme that is obvious and significant. The incorporation of any other complex devices may be awarded with extra points if used in a clever and compelling way.
 * Summative (Assessment of Learning)**

__**Integration**__

 * Technology:** Students will use Comic Life for this lesson. This means that they may want to use cameras to upload photos of themselves for the presentation, so a refresher tutorial of how to do this may be required. Students must also learn how to design a comic strip in an appealing format and use speech bubbles and text boxes in ways that make sense and help to progress the story.


 * Art:** Once again, this activity stresses creativity, and students have virtually unbridled freedom when constructing their comic strip, as long as it does not distract readers from the central focus. Also, students' stories can be about anything they wish, as long as a theme can be incorporated somehow.

__Groupings__
For this lesson, students will participate in a team-pair-solo activity. The groups will be chosen in a similar fashion as last time, except the names chosen will be characters from Harry Potter, and it is up to the students to team up in groups of three or four based on the groupings that make the most sense. For instance, McGonagall, Sprout, Snape, and Flitwick would make the most sense since they are all heads of house. I will present three themes to the class, one at a time. In teams, then in pairs, them on their own, students will identify the importance of the theme and how it relates to realistic situations. This will adequately measure their proficiency in themes.

__**Differentiated Instruction**__

 * Strategies**
 * Linguistic:** Some more in-depth reading is required, and a script is also required for the Comic Life
 * Bodily:** Students will be required to move around and pose for their Comic Life presentation
 * Interpersonal:** Students will share their ideas in groups
 * Intrapersonal:** Students will attempt to demonstrate their understanding of themes on their own
 * Spatial:** Students will produce a Comic Life using pictures, and they will also observe the climax of __Harry Potter__ in action
 * Naturalist:** Students may perceive themes in new and interesting ways

I will review student’s IEP, 504 or ELLIDEP and make appropriate modifications and accommodations.
 * Modifications/Accommodations**

Absent students MUST make up their work. The class will be provided with a contact sheet with all the student's phone numbers and email addresses. If a student does not show up for class, he or she is responsible to contact one of the other students to get the assignment they missed. Buddy systems or contact partnerships are encouraged.

Students will use Comic Life for this lesson. This means that they may want to use cameras to upload photos of themselves for the presentation, so a refresher tutorial of how to do this may be required. Students must also learn how to design a comic strip in an appealing format and use speech bubbles and text boxes in ways that make sense and help to progress the story.
 * Extensions**

__**Materials, Resources and Technology**__
__Harry Potter__ book Video clip of film Laptops Comic Life Comic Life Tutorial Cameras with USB cord Describing wheel

__Source for Lesson Plan and Research__
Video clip from [|YouTube] Describing wheel from [|Education Place]

__**Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale**__
Rationale:**
 * //Standard 3 - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development.//
 * Beach Ball:** The idea of using Comic Life can introduce many possibilities for fun, creativity, and discovery. Plus, the topic of their story can be one they had developed way back at the start of the unit or an entirely original piece.
 * Clipboard:** Clipboard learners should really appreciate this project, for it ties in to most everything else we have done in the class, and does so in a sequential, orderly fashion.
 * Microscope:** Analyzing themes may be difficult for some learners, but not microscopes! Surely their skills in exploration and focusing on the nitty-gritty details will aide them here.
 * Puppy:** Some students may want to work in pairs or groups, and that means showing respect and patience towards the ideas of others. The same attitude will be maintain when students present their Comic Life to the rest of the class.

Rationale:** Please refer to my content notes. English Language Arts - A. Reading A2 Literary Texts, Grades 7-8: __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__ Students will read fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, within a grade appropriate span of text complexity, and analyze the characteristics noting how structural features and common literary devices help shape the reader's response.
 * //Standard 4 - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory.//
 * Application:** Students will exhibit themes in real life situations through the telling of short stories.

Rationale:** Students will use Comic Life for this lesson. This means that they may want to use cameras to upload photos of themselves for the presentation, so a refresher tutorial of how to do this may be required. Students must also learn how to design a comic strip in an appealing format and use speech bubbles and text boxes in ways that make sense and help to progress the story.
 * //Standard 5 - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs.//
 * Linguistic:** Some more in-depth reading is required, and a script is also required for the Comic Life
 * Bodily:** Students will be required to move around and pose for their Comic Life presentation
 * Interpersonal:** Students will share their ideas in groups
 * Intrapersonal:** Students will attempt to demonstrate their understanding of themes on their own
 * Spatial:** Students will produce a Comic Life using pictures, and they will also observe the climax of __Harry Potter__ in action
 * Naturalist:** Students may perceive themes in new and interesting ways

Rationale:** This lesson ties in elements of almost every lesson that has been taught previously in class: plot structure, literary devices, and themes, but the focus will be themes. To demonstrate their mastery of the understanding of themes, including their nature and effect, students will create a Comic Life presentation that represents a theme through the telling of a short story. This story can be an elaboration of the short story the students wrote at the beginning of class, or an entirely original piece. Upon reading the comic strip, students not presenting should be able to identify the theme and its importance and contribution to the story, its characters, and the reader.
 * //Standard 8 - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.//
 * Formative (Assessment for Learning)**

Students will be graded with an analytic grading sheet that ranks them on the originality and creativity of the story, the appropriate use of Comic Life to make the story coherent and visually appealing, and the incorporation of at least one theme that is obvious and significant. The incorporation of any other complex devices may be awarded with extra points if used in a clever and compelling way.
 * Summative (Assessment of Learning)**

__Teaching and Learning Sequence__
To begin, the desks in my classroom will be in typical rows and columns, and they will be facing the projector screen for the hook and the project. Students will understand that every text has at least one central theme. //**Students will read fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, with a grade appropriate span of text complexity, and analyze the characteristics noting how structural features and literary devices help shape the reader's response.**// The theme of the text is where most of its depth and important lies, and most themes represent essential life lessons and/or advice.

__Day 1__

Time for a special treat! For the hook, I will play a clip of the __Harry Potter__ film, specifically the scene when Harry defeats Quirrel with the power of love. This hook is both informative and amusing, for it is a fan-made video that incorporates the Incubus song "Love Hurts." I will give students some time to comment on it, both critically (Haha, that was funny!) or constructively (That actually depicted Harry's victory quite well.). I will also have them discuss the possible themes behind the scene. (5-10 minutes)

A describing wheel would be a useful tool for student pre-assessment. Students can write an essential theme from __Harry Potter__ (or from one of the stories/books they found during the WebQuest) and relate that theme to realistic situations that could happen to them or almost anyone else. I will give each student three handouts, but they are not expected to complete them all. They are welcome to collaborate with a neighbor or fill these out solo. (10-15 minutes)

Students are welcome to share their findings with the class. (5 minutes)

The cooperative learning activity will now take place. Students will be sorted into teams of four (or three, if needed) by another "Sorting Hat" game. This time, characters from __Harry Potter__ are picked out of the hat, and corresponding characters will become a team. This will also be the team that will construct the Comic Life later. It is up to the students to decide the most logical relationships amongst the characters. (5-10 minutes)

Once the teams are formed, I will present a realistic theme one at a time, and the teams will come up with specific examples (at least one per team) that have happened to them personally, or from what they have heard from a friend or a relative. I will present the next theme, and the teams must divide themselves into pairs and work separately. (If there is a group of three, one student can be a "mediator" and work with one teammate at a time.) Finally, I will present the last theme, and now each individual student must come up with a personal example on their own. This will test students' adequacy in understanding themes. (25 minutes)

A very brief sharing session can take place at this time, in which students can share their personal experiences with each theme. (10 minutes)

At this time, I will tell students to go back to their original groups, and I will hand out the cameras and checklists needed for the Comic Life. I will give a brief tutorial on the essentials of Comic Life and also introduce the assignment. I will tell the students to start thinking of a theme they would like to develop as well as a story to go along with it. (15 minutes)

__Day 2__

Students will have the entire period to work on their Comic Life presentations, and as with their iMovies, they are free to leave the classroom as long as they are within a reasonable distance. I will check on students' progress by setting up brief appointments with each team, discussing their theme, story, and the relationship between the two. (80 minutes)

__Day 3__

By the third day, everyone should be just about done. I will give them a little extra time to perfect their presentations and print them off. (20 minutes)

I will set up groups of tables in each corner of the room and lay out copies of each Comic Life on the tables. Each team will observe their classmates' presentations together and formulate a collective response while taking notes for future discussion. (35-40 minutes)

Once all the presentations have been read, each team is responsible for responding to questions and criticism from classmates. (15 minutes)
 * Where, Why, What, Hook, Hook Tailors: Linguistic, Spatial, Bodily, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist**

Students will become familiar with the crucial elements of __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__, such as the origin of Harry's scar, the importance of Fluffy the guard dog, and the Sorcerer's Stone itself, and relate them to specific themes within the story. In this lesson, themes will be directly related to real life events. A describing wheel would be a useful tool. Students can write an essential theme from __Harry Potter__ (or from one of the stories they found during the WebQuest) and relate that theme to realistic situations that could happen to them or almost anyone else.
 * Equip, Explore, Tailor: Linguistic, Intrapersonal**

For this lesson, students will participate in a team-pair-solo activity. The groups will be chosen in a similar fashion as last time, except the names chosen will be characters from Harry Potter, and it is up to the students to team up in groups of three or four based on the groupings that make the most sense. For instance, McGonagall, Sprout, Snape, and Flitwick would make the most sense since they are all heads of house. I will present three themes to the class, one at a time. In teams, then in pairs, them on their own, students will identify the importance of the theme and how it relates to realistic situations. This will adequately measure their proficiency in themes. A class discussion will be held once all of the presentations have been observed. Students will present their notes to each team and ask any questions they might have. The students' knowledge of their specific theme should be sufficient enough to answer these questions; if not, it will provide them with an opportunity to learn more about this abstract device.
 * Experience, Rethink, Revise, Rehearse, Refine, Tailor:** **Linguistic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal,** **Naturalist**

The tool for assessment will be an analytic grading sheet scoring students on the visual appeal of the comic strip, the originality and flow of the story, its believability, and most importantly, the theme used and how well it is incorporated into the story. Themes are often overlooked and are under-appreciated, which is a shame because they can make literary texts much more enjoyable and "deep." This lesson ties in to practically everything we have covered in previous lessons: plot structure, essential devices, themes, and storytelling.
 * Evaluate, Tailor: Linguistic, Intrapersonal**


 * Content Notes**

Theme: the main idea in a literary text that reveals a concept about life, society, or human nature.

Leitworstil: the purposeful saying of words in a literary piece that usually expresses a motif or theme important to the story.

Thematic patterning: the distribution of recurrent thematic concepts and moralistic motifs among the various incidents and frames of a story.

Symbol: an object or idea that has a complex meaning and representation of an aspect of the text.

Describing wheel (see resources) Analytic grading sheet with above criteria
 * Handouts**