lessonplan

Building a City of Words

Poetics of Life

Hunting for Louisa

Practical Magic

Preparing for the Final

Building a City of Words

by: Paula J. Hernandez

Introduction

In this assignment the students will learn how to use a digital camera and get practice in writing poetry. This will also help to make the students more observant to what is going on around them. This is an ongoing project that will take place throughout the month and a half of class.

Content Area(s): Art, History, and Social Skills

Grade Level: 10^th through 12^th

Standards for the English Language Arts

4.	Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, 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.
6.	Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
8.	Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
10.	Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.
12.	Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Integrated disciplines: technology, Language Arts and History

Objectives:

	Students will learn how to write poetry.
	Students will learn how to use the digital camera.
	Students will learn about the culture and history of their state.

Materials/Technologies

	Digital Camera
	Kodak Print Paper
	Computer
	Paper
	Glue
	Popsticle Sticks

Procedures

Springboard

Discuss possible topics for poem. Outing to take pictures with digital camera will be planned.

What teacher is to do

	Assign student to groups of six.
	Assign the city that each group will be writing about.
	Go over expectations and explain assignment to class
	Teach students how to use digital camera.
	Help students as they write poems
	Help to build the cities that the poems and pictures will be pasted to.

What student is to do

Pick a topic for their poems.

Take an appropriate picture to go with their poem.

Build their city with the help of their teammates and myself.

Type up poems and paste them to the frame of the city.

Closure

Students should be able to answer questions about the poetry formats they used and the city that their group covered as well as those formats and cities covered by other groups within the class.

Assessment

Students will be graded based on the quality of their poetry and the quality of the research that their poems are based on. Students will be given an individual grade as well as a group score.

Explanation

I chose this assignment because I believe that it allows the students a broad range of topics as well as teaching them poetry while they learn about something else. This assignment would also help the student to learn about poetry and how it can be used for expression.

Merryellen Towey Schulz, Ph.D. College of Saint Mary Spring, 2001

Poetics of Life

by: Paula J. Hernandez

Introduction

In this webquest the students will learn about 4 poets and present them to the class using powerpoint.

Content Area(s): Speech, History, Language Arts

Grade Level: 10^th through 12^th

Standards for the English Language Arts

2.	Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
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.
6.	Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
7.	Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8.	Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
10.	Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.
12.	Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Integrated disciplines: Technology, Language Arts and History and Speech

Objectives:

	Students will learn how to use Microsoft Powerpoint
	Students will use their writing skills.
	Students will develop their public speaking skills

Materials/Technologies

	Webquest: https://primitiva0.tripod.com/webquest.htm
	Computer
	Microsoft Powerpoint
	Microsoft Word
	Art supplies
	String
	Hole Punch

Procedures

Springboard

Use the city of words to discuss poetry and what is expected in this assignment.

What teacher is to do

	Assign student to groups of four.
	Go over expectations and explain assignment to class
	Go over word processing. Discuss in depth for those students that need it.
	Teach students how to use powerpoint.
	Help students as they write poems and research their poet.
	Help to put together the book of poems and the presentations.

What students are to do

	Choose their positions within the group.
	Choose their poet.
	Create a book of poems.
	Create a presentation with the research found on their poet.
	Type up poems and presentations
	Present to the class and turn in assignment.

Closure

Students should be able to answer questions about the poetry formats they used, the poets that were presented and the basic technologies used for this assignment.

Assessment

Students will be graded based on the quality of their poetry and the quality of the research that their poems are based on. Students will also be graded on the quality of their presentation and what they did with their presentations. Students will be given an individual grade as well as a group score.

Explanation

I chose this assignment because I believe that it allows the students a chance to learn about poetry and what it takes to be a poet. This assignment could also be used to develop a students public speaking skills.

Merryellen Towey Schulz, Ph.D. College of Saint Mary Spring, 2001

Hunting for Louisa

by: Paula J. Hernandez

Introduction:

This treasure hunt is designed to help students to think critically about literature and the authors that write literature.

Content Area(s): History, Technology, and Language Arts

Grade Level: 10th through 12th

Standards for the English Language Arts

1.	Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
3.	Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4.	Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, 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.
7.	Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8.	Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
10.	Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.

Integrated disciplines: technology and language arts

Objectives:

	To help students understand writers and why they write the way they do.
	To help students develop better research skills.
	To help students to think critically.

Materials/Technologies

	Filamentality: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/huntlouisampa.html
	World Wide Web
	Word Processing
	paper

Procedures

Springboard

Students will use the researching skills acquired during the webquest to complete the treasure hunt.

What teacher is to do

	Explain expectations and assignment to students.
	Teach students how to find the resources they need.
	Explain the function of this treasure hunt.

What students are to do

	Answer the questions about Louisa May Alcott using the resources provided.
	Answers must be typed.

Closure

Discussion about Louisa May Alcott and what the students learned will be held after activity has been completed.

Assessment

Students will be graded based on the quality of their answers and their participation in the discussion following the activity.

Explanation

I chose this activity because I thought that a student could learn a lot about Louisa May Alcott. I chose Louisa May Alcott because she is in the Woman's Hall of Fame as being the first woman to write novels for young women.

Merryellen Towey Schulz, Ph.D. College of Saint Mary Spring, 2001

Practical Magic

by: Paula J. Hernandez

Introduction:

In this assignment we will cover the book Practical Magic and compare it to the movie.

Content Area(s): Language Arts

Grade Level: 10th through 12th

Standards for the English Language Arts

3.	Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4.	Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, 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.
8.	Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
10.	Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.
12.	Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Integrated disciplines: technology and language arts

Objectives:

	To learn how to compare and contrast.
	To understand how to compare and contrast and learn what differs between the movie and the book and what is similar.

Materials/Technologies

	TV/VCR
	Word Processing
	Movie
	Paper

Procedures

Springboard

Use assignments that have been discussed in class. Also use writing skills to complete the assignment.

What teacher is to do

	Set up TV/VCR
	Explain assignment to students

What students are to do

	Read the book for Practical Magic
	Watch the movie "Practical Magic"
	Type up paper on similarities between the book and the movie.

Closure

Discussion on what comparison and contrast are and what they are used for in writing. Discussion about the book and the movie and what symbols are used in both the book and the movie.

Assessment

Students will be graded on participation in watching the movie (unless excused). Students will also be graded on the quality of the paper written over the book and the movie. Understanding of the book as well as the movie will be graded during the discussion.

Explanation

I would like to use this activity because it would help students to understand comparison and contrast better as well as helping them to understand that the book is not the same as the movie.

Merryellen Towey Schulz, Ph.D. College of Saint Mary Spring, 2001

Preparing for the Final

by: Paula J. Hernandez

Introduction:

In this assignment we will cover the terms that students need to know in order to study and pass the final exam.

Content Area(s): Language Arts

Grade Level: 10th through 12th

Standards for the English Language Arts

1.	Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
2.	Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
3.	Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
4.	Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, 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.
6.	Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
7.	Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8.	Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
9.	Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
10.	Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.
11.	Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
12.	Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Integrated disciplines: technology and language arts

Objectives:

	To have better speaking skills.
	To understand the terms used for analysis of books.
	To learn what will be expected on the final

Materials/Technologies

	Powerpoint
	Video Camera
	word processing
	World Wide Web
	paper
	projector

Procedures

Springboard

Students will use their public speaking skills to present the information that has been assigned to their group for the final review.

What teacher is to do

	Assign students to groups of five
	Explain the assignment and the expectations to the students.
	Review the technology equipment that must be used.
	Help students to collect information and with what should be included in their presentations.

What students are to do

	Create presentation over information for the final review.
	Read book assigned in order to complete assignment.

Closure

Students will use the information gathered through these presentations to study for the final exam.

Assessment

Students will be graded on quality and creativity as well as the amount of information given. Does the presentation have enough information to study from?

Explanation

I chose this assignment because if I had a class I would use presentations given by the students to cover information that has already been discussed in class. This would help the students to get a review for the test without having to fill out tedious forms.

Merryellen Towey Schulz, Ph.D. College of Saint Mary Spring, 2001