English Lesson Plan #4
Ms. D. Martell
Unit Topic:
“How War Affects Us”
Unit Rationale:
To give students an opportunity to take a mature look at how conflict, war and peace are portrayed in literature and the media. At the grade nine level students are able to make connections between war and conflicts and events in their own daily lives.
Grade Level:
9
Lesson Topic:
“Children of War-Part 2”
Length of Lesson Period:
50 minutes
Lesson Rationale:
To continue to explore the unit theme and get students interested in what is yet to come.
Students are able to look at an event more objectively when they put themselves in someone else's shoes.
Students are given the opportunity to relatehistory to events that occurtoday.
Students will learn how to make a connection between literature and the world around them.
Students increase their understanding of their how war affects children.
Learning Objectives:
Students will write journal/diary entries to further develop writing skills.
Involving students in responding to text todemonstrate how literature can be connected to their lives.
Develop critical thinking skills.
Using technology can further student’s understanding of children in war.
Students will develop listening skills and public speaking skills.
Learning Outcomes from English Language Arts Curriculum Guide:
Speaking and Listening
GCO #1 p. 20
“Speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas feelings, and experiences.”
SCO #1 p .26
“Examine others’ ideas in discussion to extend their own understanding.”
GCO #2 p. 20
“Communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally and critically”
SCO #1 p. 27
“Participate constructively in conversation, small-group and whole-group discussion, and debate, using a range of strategies that contribute to effective talk”
Reading and Viewing
GCO #1 p. 21
“Select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature, information, media, and visual texts”
SCO # 5 p. 29
“Articulate their own processes and strategies for reading and viewing texts of increasing complexity.”
Writing and Representing
GCO #1 p. 21
“Use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feeling, experiences, and learnings; and to use their imaginations.
SCO #1 p. 33
“Use a range of strategies in writing and other ways of representing
*to extend ideas and experiences
*explore and reflect on their feelings, values, and attitudes
*consider others’ perspectives
*reflect on problems and responses to problems
*describe and evaluate their learning processes and strategies
*reflect on their growth as language learners and language users.”
Materials/Resources Needed for Lesson:
-Diary of Anne Frank excerpt, one copy per student
-Sample of a diary entry
-Individual student folders
-Instructions for in-class writing assignment, one copy per student
-Rubric
-computer
-projector
Organizational Approach:
whole class, group, individual
Step-by-Step Lesson Activities and Estimated Times:
Before class prep
Have Diary of Anne Frank excerpts in folders at each table.
Have copies of in-class assignment and rubricready to be handed out.
Put each student’s individual folder at his/her seat.
Have bookmarked and ready to be viewed on computer projector.
The Class
Introduction
2-3 minutes
-Small talk, as how many students thought about the computer activity after leaving class.
Viewing Activity
12minutes
-Ask if anyone has heard of a girl named Anne Frank.
-Display parts of the Anne Frank web site. Pull up some photos of her while briefly explaining who she was and what she is famous for.
-Have students pull out their excerpts (it will be on the overhead as well) and within their group have them take turns reading the quotes.
-As a group they will discuss their thoughts about Anne Frank.
Students are familiar with working in groups and know their expected behavior in activities such as this.
Independent writing activity – Diary entries
25 minutes
-Allow students to retrieve their printed child biographies from yesterday. Have them take 1-2 minutes to reflect on what their child may have been like.
-Go over instructions with students for the writing activity. Make sure everyone understands what is expected of them (see attached instruction sheet)
-Students will put themselves in the shoes of the child they have printed off. They are to write a diary entry that would be seen by millions one day. What would they say? What main points do they want to get across? How do they want to be remembered? Be sure to use emotion in the entry, whether it be sad, happy, anxious, frightened, etc.
Follow-up
10 minutes
This time is allotted for students who need a few extra minutes to complete their writing assignment. Students who are finished are asked to remain quiet and are able to read through some of the magazines on the bookshelf. For the last few minutes of class let students discuss how they felt when writing in someone else’s role.
Assessment
Students will be assessed on their in-class writing assignment.
Post Class
Plans for Reflection:
-How did the group react to the website on Anne Frank?
-Were the excerpts appropriate for their reading level? Did students often ask the meaning of a word?
-How did the group work go? Did the groups work well together? Should I have read the excerpts aloud and let them read it by themselves?
-Did the students have any trouble with the writing assignment? Were they asking a lot of questions about the instructions? Did they understand the purpose of the assignment?
-How did I manage my time? Could I have eliminated parts of the lessons without ignoring the main points?
-Did I pay special attention to how my students were learning as individuals? Did everyone have a chance to speak?
-What unexpected positive thing and negative thing that happened?
-What can I do better the next time?
-Did students enjoy the lesson?
On the Deportations/ "Our many Jewish friends and acquaintances are being taken away in droves. The Gestapo is treating them very roughly and transporting them in cattle cars to Westerbork, the big camp in Drenthe to which they're sending all the Jews....If it's that bad in Holland, what must it be like in those faraway and uncivilized places where the Germans are sending them? We assume that most of them are being murdered. The English radio says they're being gassed." - October 9, 1942
On Nazi Punishment of Resisters
/ "Have you ever heard the term 'hostages'? That's the latest punishment for saboteurs. It's the most horrible thing you can imagine. Leading citizens--innocent people--are taken prisoner to await their execution. If the Gestapo can't find the saboteur, they simply grab five hostages and line them up against the wall. You read the announcements of their death in the paper, where they're referred to as 'fatal accidents." - October 9, 1942
/ "All college students are being asked to sign an official statement to the effect that they 'sympathize with the Germans and approve of the New Order." Eighty percent have decided to obey the dictates of their conscience, but the penalty will be severe. Any student refusing to sign will be sent to a German labor camp." - May 18, 1943
On Writing and Her Diary
/ "Mr. Bolkestein, the Cabinet Minister, speaking on the Dutch broadcast from London, said that after the war a collection would be made of diaries and letters dealing with the war. Of course, everyone pounced on my diary." - March 29, 1944
/ "When I write, I can shake off all my cares." - April 5, 1944
Describing her Despair
/ "I've reached the point where I hardly care whether I live or die. The world will keep on turning without me, and I can't do anything to change events anyway. I'll just let matters take their course and concentrate on studying and hope that everything will be all right in the end." - February 3, 1944
/ "...but the minute I was alone I knew I was going to cry my eyes out. I slid to the floor in my nightgown and began by saying my prayers, very fervently. Then I drew my knees to my chest, lay my head on my arms and cried, all huddled up on the bare floor. A loud sob brought me back down to earth..." - April 5, 1944
On Her Old Country, Germany
/ "Fine specimens of humanity, those Germans, and to think I'm actually one of them! No, that's not true, Hitler took away our nationality long ago. And besides, there are no greater enemies on earth than the Germans and Jews." - October 9, 1942
On Still Believing
/ "It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.
It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more" - July 15, 1944
Diary of Anne Frank-Excerpts
Ms. Martell English 009
Thursday – In Class Assignment
Instructions:
-Consider what you have learned from both the internet activity and the excerpts from Anne Frank’s diary. Place yourself in the shoes of the child whose biography you printed off.
-Take on the role of your selected child and write a diary entry based on what you know about the child, what you think the child may have been like, and how you believe they felt during the war. Put yourself in their shoes!
-Try and make your diary entry as detailed as possible and write with emotion.
-The entry should be approximately one page in length.
-Put your completed entry in your individual folders.
DIARY ENTRY SCORING RUBRIC
Students will be scored out of ten in each category below and an average score will be calculated out of ten.
Your entry displays emotion and you express ideas well. The entry is well developed and includes is consistent with the biography presented.
5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1Superior job / Significant work / Satisfactory work / Limitedunderstanding / Little or no understanding
Over all presentation of your diary entry is creative and neat. The layout was carefully planned.
5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1Superior job / Significant work / Satisfactory work / Limited understanding / Little or no understanding
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct.
5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1Superior job / Significant work / Satisfactory work / Limitedunderstanding / Little or no understanding