Lesson Plans -> English Language Arts -> Specific Lesson Plans
The aim of this lesson plan is to introduce students to the idea of audience in writing, and how one writes differently for different audiences. Students in many urban schools understand that people might view their community, school, or themselves in a negative light, and this activity is meant to help them respond to those conceptions. The short lesson takes two classes to complete, and can be easily adapted to any 7th-11th grade classroom, perhaps with alternate news stories. The main point of the text is that it is an online news story about their community or school with commentary the students can respond to. As I constructed this lesson, I took into account English language learning (ELL) students and how they might struggle with not only the concepts, but with discussions. Therefore, I formulated this lesson to help students engage with other senses besides talking, namely their visual senses.
*in collaboration with Tyler Soule
Sometimes teachers have to teach certain texts, but students aren't always excited to read or learn from such texts. Romeo & Juliet is a common text required by school districts, so Mr. Soule and I wished to create a series of activities that would help students connect with the text and critically analyze what the text says about social and cultural interactions. Through our planning of this unit, I have learned how difficult it can be to plan around weekends, days off, and sick students. I also learned that students learn concepts better when they’re engaging multiple senses and have a purpose for reading and analyzing. Throughout this lesson, Mr. Soule and I attempt to craft activities for students to nuance the text and analyze how the language Shakespeare uses challenges or reinforces social and cultural inequities.
See Handouts for associated texts.