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Maddie Silber PAS Lesson Plan

Literacy

Objectives/Goals: Students will develop an argument for or against creating a mall (with all the stores they wanted to add to West Philadelphia) on top of Clark. Alignment with Standards and Assessment Anchors: Pennsylvania Common Core State Standards: E03.C.1.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reason. E03.C.1.1.1 Introduce the topic or text for the intended audience, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons to support the writers purpose. Students will be able to write an introduction for opinion pieces that clearly state their preferences and supply the reasoning for their thinking. E03.C.1.1.2 Provide reasons that support the opinion. Students will be able to understand how their reasoning supports their opinion. E03.C.1.1.4 Provide a concluding statement or section. Materials: For and against worksheets Classroom arrangement and management issues: The classroom will be set up how it always is, with my 24 students in five groups. I will be addressing the class from the front of the room in front of the whiteboard. I will walk around the classroom as I speak with the class. My presence near a student will often increase their focus. I might also tap lightly on a students desk to remind them to pay attention, so that I do not have to stop my instruction. Before the lesson begins, I will go over my expectations for how students should be acting during the lesson. My Penn mentor has commented a few times that my students look tired with their heads on their desks, etc. and she is surprised when they are actually on task and paying attention. She said even though everyone actually is on task, it is still important to make sure they look like they are on task in case a principal or parent walks in. Therefore, I will tell my students that I know they are paying attention when they are sitting up and looking at whoever is talking. Plan: (45 mins) [We will have read and discussed argument pieces and created a class argument piece so students are familiar with the structure.] Introduction: Brainstorm what do you wish we had in West Philadelphia, or maybe it is something that already exists in WP but you want more of them o Discuss ideas with your table group for 5 minutes I walk around and hear everyones responses o create a web on board

Argument Paper Pre-Writing Activities: I am going to propose a change to West Philadelphia. You all brought up such great ideas for places that would make our area better, and I say lets do it. Lets make a big change to our neighborhood. There is going to be a mall built in WP with all the places we put on web in the mall. BUT, the mall is going to be built on Clark Park. Write an argument piece that argues either for the mall or against the mall. Start by creating reasons FOR or AGAINST the mall give worksheet to create the list For instance, I might be FOR the mall idea because we would now have _____, ________, and _______ located right near us (words from the map they create), but I would be against the idea because I love having Clark Park right in our neighborhood and a place to have our farmers market every week. Everyone write down 5 reasons FOR and 5 reasons AGAINST Share some ideas from both side Activity: DEBATE: Send half the room to one side of the room and half to the other. Coin toss for who gets to begin I will assign which team is heads and which is tails I will check off on a class list as people speak. One person says something then who has something on their list that relates to what that person just said, but helps your argument? Switch sides argue for the other side. If not enough to time to do with sides, ask students which side of the argument they are currently on and have them argue the other side in the debate. Which side of the argument are you going to take? show of hands. Write it on your list. Wrap-Up: Today I proposed an idea for how our neighborhood could change. We then came up with ideas for and against building a mall filled with all the stores we wanted on top of Clark Park. We should all have chosen which side of the argument we are on at this point so we are ready to begin thinking how to structure our paper next time. Assessment of the goals/objectives listed above: a. Management issues: Described in management issues above. b. Response to content of the lesson: I expect that students will be excited to give examples of what they would want to add to West Philadelphia. Once again, I want to write everything they say, right or wrong, unless it is too silly. I think students might a little torn over the idea of adding a mall with all the things they wanted, but putting it over a beloved park. I hope the class will be split on the issue, without everyone taking the same side. I think students might be frustrated to have to take a side of the debate they dont agree with, but I want them to see the argument from all sides.

Accommodations: a. Accommodations for students who may find the material too challenging: I have two ELL students in my classroom who struggle more with written activities. I will come over as students get started on drawing to make sure they understand what they are supposed to draw. On their primary source document, I will draw some pictures in the margins of the nature described so they can associate the word with a picture. In addition, if they are not raising their hands during the creation of the web, I will use some of the questions I have prepared to help students come up with ideas of what to say (listed in the Plan). b. Accommodations for students who may need greater challenge and/or finish early? If a student finishes early, they can begin to just start writing their argument piece. This will allow them to begin to get their ideas on paper, but also let me see what students already know about how to write an argument piece. I will ask my ESOL students to give me at least 3 reasons for or against.

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