Kyle Mechlin
-Future High School English Teacher-
Who am I? I am a 22 year old student trying to break into the world. I want to change the lives of everyone and anyone who I come into contact with. This will one day mean changing the lives of students who enter my classroom in a positive manner. However, there is more to it than that. I want to make the people I surround myself with better. I want to make strangers who I talk to in passing conversation have a brighter day. In a sentence, I want to better people. Why? Its a selfish thought really but helping others makes me feel good, useful, and purposeful. So for now I am a student. I have had little real classroom teaching experience outside of hours and hours of observations and some highly set up teaching scenarios within the classroom but this is a situation I am rectifying. In a few short years I will be done with my teaching certificate and out their hopefully helping young people find inspiration, motivation, and a reason to learn that falls somewhere outside the boundaries of a grade book.
“Through legitimate effort and determination, things just work out”
-That one is mine
“The best portion of a mans' life, his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love”
-A slightly more significant figure, William Wordsworth
Kyle Mechlin
Writing for Teachers
April 29th, 2010
Holmes Short Story Assignment
Rationale:
This assignment will be done in cooperation with the history teachers of the school. The English classroom aspect will involve each student reading one of the fifty plus Sherlock Holmes short stories authored by Arthur Conan Doyle. The students will gain a better understanding of how to analyze literature via critical thinking and analysis. Furthermore students will increase their skills in drawing information from a piece of reading and composing a paper over that information. While some students may not particularly enjoy research writing they will still find comfort in this assignment. The creative aspects of the assignment will draw on a students imagination and creativity while still having their writing focused through historical constraints. This will teach students what life was like during the time period being discussed while increasing other academic skills.
Summary:
Students will begin this assignment by breaking into small groups, ideally groups of three or four. Afterward the groups will choose one of the fifty plus Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes short stories. While reading these short stories the groups will be looking for elements within them that are unique to that time period. Since these are mystery pieces there is a particularly large amount of interest in the details of the setting. Students will share their finding with their groups then break into different groups in a round robin type fashion until they have shared their information with everyone in the class. With everyone having a relative understanding of things that are unique to that time period they will begin composition of a five page paper. This paper will be composed using knowledge gained from the Holmes stories as well as that information gained from the history classes of the students. Research through the library or internet will also increase the accuracy of the paper. The paper will have the students choose a person and a profession for that person. The student will then write about what happens in their life over the course of a few day with particular importance placed on setting and emotional feeling. The key will be that the person they choose must life in the time period of the Holmes stories.
Objective:
Students will formulate a sense of community not only within their small groups but also as an entire class. Students will inspect literature more critically which will help them to analyze all forms of writing in the future. Students will learn to make inferences about a period or people based on the literary works of the time which will benefit them when they read anything in the future.
Material:
Pens/Pencils
Paper
Library
Computer Lab
Holmes Short Stories
Class Time
English 202Your Autograph:
Handout: 18th-19th Century Assignment
29 April, 2010
Holmes and You!
Introduction:
Class this is an exciting time for us. Over the next three weeks we will be discussing one of the most famed writers of all time, Arthur Conan Doyle. Our goal is to learn a good deal about the time period spanning from the middle of the 18th to the middle of the 19th century. At the same time we will be becoming better writers and literature analyzers through fun and creative use of the English language. During these three weeks we will work both in groups and individually as we read a short story and compose a five (5) page paper. Don't worry, five pages sound daunting, but it will be a fun assignment that you will enjoy being a part of!
Getting Started:
To start we are going to break into groups of four. Each student will be given a letter. All students in a group will have the same letter (A B C D etc.) assigned to them. Each group will choose one of the fifty plus Holmes short stories that I have brought into the classroom. The catch is that no groups will be able to pick the same piece. We will spend three days in class going over how you should read these short stores and what it is you will be looking for so do not worry about that.
Step Two:
The next step is relatively simple. As a homework assignment you will take home your Holmes short story and read it. Pay particular attention to details about people and setting as well as the feeling of the era (more on this in the class discussion so don't worry)
Step Three:
Now that you have read your short story we will discuss it in class. We will break into the group that we had assigned at the beginning and go over what we found in the stories. (Remember we will be going over what we are looking for in class so do not worry if you don't know what I am talking about here!) Next we will break into different groups where ever group will have one of every single letter in it. (There will be an A in ever group, a B, a C, and so on). This way ever student will hear every single groups findings for all the stories that we read.
And the Final Step Is!
Lastly we are going to write a 3-5 page creative piece based in the world of facts. What do I mean you ask? Well, each student is going to create a person (Their look, fashion, occupation, emotions/feelings) and have them live for a few days in the time period in which Sherlock Holmes takes place. It could be a piece where you talk about them waking up then going through their daily routine and going to sleep at night. It could also be a day where they go to some extravagant party or celebration. The possibilities are endless. You must however stay true to the time period. Use things that are seen in the Holmes stories and things we know existed during the time period. This well mean you will probably have to do a little research on the time period which works out perfectly since I am asking that you have 3 sources cited in your paper. You will get more information on the paper in the form of a handout given at a later date.
Arthur C. Doyle and History tell us? / English 2 The mid 18th to mid 19th CenturyDay 1 Mr. Mechlin
Objectives / Work in compilation with history classes to inform students on time period spanning the middle of the 18th to the 19th century.
Instructional Framework / Initiating Constructing Utilizing
Grouping / Individual Pairs Small Groups Whole Class
Materials/
Resources / Writing Instrument, Paper, Arthur C. Doyle Holmes short story, Teacher, Classroom
Opening 15 Minutes / Begin with brainstorming what students already know. Prior knowledge gained about Britain during the era from history class. Lists student ideas on the board for the class.
35 Minutes / Short lesson on A. C. Doyle bio. His writing style/tendencies will be examined as well as how they compare to those of other writers of the time.
10 Minutes / Students will break into per-arranged groups of 3. Each group will choose one Holmes short story to read.
Take Home Assignment for day 1 / Students are to read their short story their group has selected as homework for day one. This needs to be done by the start of class on day two of the lesson.
Homework Assignment / Ensure students are noting any elements in the story they are reading that are uniquely of the time period (fashion, dialogue, behavior, government, law enforcement, etc.)
Possible Prompts / Start of class Prompts: Cloths/foods/talking in Britain. Holmes and Watson; what were they like?
Lesson Page 1
Day 1
Arthur C. Doyle and History tell us? / English 2 The mid 18th to mid 19th CenturyDay 2 Mr. Mechlin
Objectives / Work in compilation with history classes to inform students on time period spanning the middle of the 18th to the 19th century.
Instructional Framework / Initiating Constructing Utilizing
Grouping / Individual Pairs Small Groups Whole Class
Materials/
Resources / Writing Instrument, Paper, Arthur C. Doyle Holmes short story, Teacher, Classroom
Opening 10 Minutes / Writing Prompt: If Holmes were to walk through our school today what are some things he would find odd during his super and instinctual deductions of setting and behavior?
20 Minutes / Students will break back into their groups of three, all of whom have read the same story. The groups will discuss what it was in their story that was unique to the time frame. (Architecture or whatever it may be) Holmes' stories are extremely detail oriented as are much of the mystery genre readings so this should be relatively simple to do. Each group should have a solid list of at least ten items
20 Minutes / Students will then break into different groups of three. Each group will have one member from each of the original groups. The students should now be in groups of three where each student has read a different Holmes short story. The students will then go over what each of their stories had in it in terms of uniqueness to that time period.
Homework Assignment / Start thinking about the various aspects of life in Britain during the mid 18th and 19th century.
Notes / Be sure to provide proper guidance during cooperative group centered work so as to keep students on track and task oriented.
10 Minutes / Go over instances where the literature portrays real life aspects of life in both modern day literature and in a Holmes short story that has not been assigned.
Lesson Page 2
Day 2
Arthur C. Doyle and History tell us? / English 2 The mid 18th to mid 19th CenturyDay 1 Mr. Mechlin
Objectives / Work in compilation with history classes to inform students on time period spanning the middle of the 18th to the 19th century.
Instructional Framework / Initiating Constructing Utilizing
Grouping / Individual Pairs Small Groups Whole Class
Materials/
Resources / Writing Instrument, Paper, Arthur C. Doyle Holmes short story, Teacher, Classroom
Opening 10 Minutes / Writing Prompt for free write: If I woke up in 1902 Britain what are some of the things I might just:
Next 15 Minutes / Assignment Explanation: 5 Page paper done in compilation with history classes on the time period that has been discussed. This will be a creative piece based on fact. The students will assume the role of some person from the period and write about a day or two in their life. Included will be the decisions they have to make and things they encounter on a day to day basis.
20 Minutes / Show examples of previously done or self created work that is exemplary of the assignment the students are being asked to create. Next, show a possible piece that will not be ideal or even acceptable.
5 Minutes / Brainstorm with students in a class discussion style setting the various ideas that the students could use in the creation of their piece.
10 Minutes / With the scope of the assignment this ten minute time period will be the first of a few periods of coming classes that will be dedicated to answering as many questions as possible about the assignment as well as addressing any concerns.
Homework / At home begin thinking about your topics and bring them in to be checked on.
Lesson Page 3
Day 3
Rubric for the Paper/Assignment
Holmes Assignment Rubric / 1-5 Points / 6- 10 Points / 11-15 Points / 16-20 PointsStory is accurate to the time period. / Very little to no evidence of the time period/highly inaccurate / Some evidence of the time period, some things are inaccurate / Evidence of time period throughout with small amounts of mistakes pertaining to era. / Almost completely free of era mistakes and uses evidence of the time period through.
Syntax/Grammar / Story is choppy and spelling/grammar make it hard to read. / Spelling/Grammar are very noticeable but do not make the story unrecognizable / Syntax/Grammar does not detract from the flow of the paper though some errors may be evident. / Syntax/Grammar is very well done and there is nothing that detracts from the flow of the paper.
Creativity / Story offers little to grab the attention / Story grabs the attention a little but offers very little that is new or original / Story is well thought out and creative, offers something new. / Story is extremely well thought out and offers not only something new but something unexpected.
Participation / Student is involved in group or class discussion on some level / Student is very involved in group or class discussion while not dominating it so other students have the ability to get involved. / Student is very involved in group or class discussion while not dominating it, also attended the teacher/student meeting.
Mr. MechlinYour Autograph:
English 202
Holmes Assignment
Handout #2
Student Time line:
30th April:
Project begins with us breaking into groups, Short stories chosen. Notes done in class.
Homework: Start reading your short story over the weekend
3rd May:
In class discussion of what you are looking for in your works.
Homework: Take home your short story and finish reading it
4th May:
Group discussions as to what you found in your books.
Homework: Start thinking about your topics for the paper. Due by Monday the 10th
10th May:
Papers will be started. Library day to do research/Work on computer
11th May:
Another library day.
12th May:
Computer Lab day.
24th May:
FINAL PAPER DUE TODAY.
NOTE:
Throughout the time period we are working on this paper I will have time set aside each class period to meet with students. A sign up sheet for those times will be on the back wall. You are more than welcome to sign up for any time slot that is available over the three weeks we are looking at this project. I am requiring that you sign up for at least one meeting as it will be part of your participation grade.
My created part of the rubric used to grade me.
Teaching of Content / Assignment doesn't actually teach anything useful pertaining to the master of language, literature, or writing (7 point max) / Assignment is founded on a good basis but the set up does little to promote the understanding it tries to achieve in students. (15 point max) / Assignment promotes mastery of the subject and really teaches students how useful literature is at learning about not only language, but also history. (23 point max) / Assignment promotes master of the subject fully and the way it is set up does not make it difficult to achieve. Information/skill gained will continue to be useful for student in years to come. (30 Point Max)How fun is the task assigned? / Assignment would be dreadful (5 point max) / Assignment seems tolerable but nothing more.
(10 Point max) / Students would probably enjoy something like this more so than a generic research paper. (15 point Max) / Students would not only be engaged by the assignment but also happy to do it. (20 point max)
Lesson organization / Lesson seems unprepared/ all over the place (5 point max) / Lesson is prepared but possibly too unorganized/ thorough (10 point max) / Lesson is organized in a useful manner. (15 point max) / Lesson is organized, thoroughly completed, set up in a useful/intuitive manner, ready for use. (20 point max)