P-4, Beginning Proficiency, 9th Grade, Public Speaking
Observation Follow-Up
Evaluator: When I observed in your classroom, I was really interested in the attention I saw you giving to individual students. It made me wonder about the connection between your actions and your student performance. Can you speak to what you were doing and why?
Teacher: Sure. As you might know, this is an elective class for the 9th grade – they have to fulfill a fine arts requirement, and public speaking counts – but it’s not as popular as, say, art or music, so it’s pretty small, which I like. My class only has those twelve students who you saw yesterday, and three of them have IEPs for various reasons.
Evaluator: I see. What have you done with their IEPs? I think this probably has a lot to do with your lesson.
P-4(1): This teacher has given careful thought to planning for students who require specific IEP-based accommodations and modifications. (BP)
Teacher: Yeah, it definitely does. I made sure to go to the kids’ case managers in the beginning of the year and get copies of their accommodations and modifications. When I lesson plan, I keep those next to me so that I can make absolutely sure I’m planning activities that meet their needs. (I remember that CS session from Institute about the legal requirements of an IEP!) Two of my kids have diagnosed learning disabilities, and one is diagnosed with ADHD, so their accommodations are somewhat different, but they’re not too hard to plan for. I have a copy of yesterday’s lesson plan with me – would you like to see it again?
Evaluator: I would, thanks. (See below.) Ah, OK.
P-4(1): This teacher has given careful thought to planning for students who require specific IEP-based accommodations and modifications. (BP)
Teacher: So you can see that I have accommodations for the kids I’ve called A and C that are related to their learning disabilities – mostly cutting down on the amount of writing they’re required to do – and some behavioral guidelines for Student B. I’ve checked with the special ed department head for feedback on whether I’m meeting all of the accommodations.
Evaluator: How did you decide which objectives you would be focusing on here?
P-4(2): The teacher used the beginning diagnostic results from reading and writing tests to inform instruction. (BP)
P-4(1): The teacher created plans that are meant to reach the entire class. (BP)
Teacher: Well, I have the course curriculum, which told me which standards I should be teaching. At the beginning of the year, I gave my kids a reading and writing diagnostic, because public speaking really is a language arts class, and most of the standards are related to reading and writing in some way. Because they started pretty significantly below grade level, I’m working on improving their writing skills while we focus on those speaking objectives. I’m also trying really hard to make my examples relate to real-life situations they can understand.
9th GRADE PUBLIC SPEAKING/DEBATE LESSON PLAN
PRE-PLANNING: KNOW, SO, SHOW
OBJECTIVE.What will your students be able to do? / CONNECTION TO THE BIG GOAL.
How does the objective connect to the big goal?
SWBAT analyze and defend unrestricted free speech. / My big goal in this class is for students to meet 80% mastery of all standards (even though it’s an elective, they still need to meet high expectations!). Not only is this one of the main standards of the class, I think that it’s an interesting topic to consider, and will help them realize the power of words and become invested in what we’re doing.
ASSESSMENT.
How will you know whether your students have made progress toward the objective? How and when will you assess mastery?
· Students will complete an in-class analysis of free speech issues.
· Students will be presenting individual, two-minute speeches at the end of the week in which they will present their opinion, supported by research, on the issue.
LESSON CYLCE: GO
P-4(1): This teacher gave careful thought to planning for students who require specific IEP-based accommodations and modifications. (BP)
P-4(3): The teacher noted places where individual students are helped when the entire class is working. Here, students are asked questions to check for understanding. (BP)
How will you communicate what is about to happen? How will you communicate how it will happen? How will you communicate its importance? How will you communicate connections to previous lessons? How will you engage students and capture their interest? / Materials
· Daily Do Now question (students answer freely and individually in their journals): In your opinion, should we be allowed to say anything we want? Why or why not?
· Students will write quietly for five minutes. Invite students to share their responses. Tell them that there is no right or wrong answer to this question; this is something that people have been considering for hundreds of years, and the topic that we’re going to be thinking about today.
· In a class that focuses on public speaking, it’s important for us to think critically about how we got to where we are today.
Student A: Only required to write five sentences (IEP modifications).
Student B: DON’T FORGET to move seat to the front of the room – need to follow preferential seating accommodation. / Do Now question on board
Students: Do Now journals
INTRODUCTION OF NEW MATERIAL. (_10_ min.)
How will you ensure that students actively take in information? Which potential misunderstandings will you anticipate?
· Hand out 1st Amendment, Churchill quote (“The United States is a land of free speech. Nowhere is speech freer”).
· Read quote and text with students; ask for students to interpret what the 1st Amendment means in their own words.
· Tell students that, during my brief lecture on the history of the 1st Amendment, they are required to take notes in the Cornell Notes format we’ve been practicing.
· Deliver SHORT history of the 1st Amendment.
· Checks for understanding: What are all the rights that the Amendment guarantees? What do these mean? What body does the 1st Amendment restrict? (Pull random name cards)
· As segue into GP, ask students to do a quick TPS for their responses to the Churchill quote – do they think America is truly a land of free speech?
· Take three volunteers’ answers.
Students A and C: provide guided notes outline during lecture. Students A, B, and C: while students are taking notes, cue them that I will be asking questions to check for understanding – allow them to think through answers before being randomly called on. Student B: provide clear verbal instructions; privately ask him to repeat those instructions back before moving on. Give clear verbal praise for on-task behavior. / Churchill quote, 1st Amendment text on board, handouts
GUIDED PRACTICE. (_15_ min.)
How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations? How will you structure the guided practice? How will all students have multiple opportunities to practice? How will you scaffold practice exercises from easy to hard? How will you monitor and correct student performance?
· We’re now going to discuss what the 1st Amendment actually means in a real-world context. As a class, we’re going to brainstorm if, in a particular situation, speech should be protected.
· I’m going to give you a scenario – that is, a situation – and ask you for your opinion about this issue.
· Scenario: yelling “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater.
· Make t-chart on the board; ask students to create similar chart in their notes.
· Brainstorm with the class reasons for and against protecting that speech.
· Guide students through writing a short paragraph to support their assertions.
Student A: shorter written output. Student B: give clear verbal praise, extra scholar dollar for consistently raising hand to give answers.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE. (_18_ min.)
How will you clearly state and model behavioral expectations? How will you structure the independent practice?
· You’re now going to go ahead and work in your table groups to do a similar exercise. You’ve done a lot of excellent, critical thinking about this issue; remember, there are no right or wrong answers. I’m looking for your ability to THINK about what we’ve discussed, and present your ideas clearly.
· Ask recorders and reporters in each group to identify themselves.
· Great. Each group has another scenario at its table. In your group, I’m going to ask you to spend five minutes brainstorming about your scenario and five minutes writing a response, just like we did as a whole group. Your reporter will then have two minutes to share the scenario and your group’s response with the entire class. Please remember our audience norms when listening to your classmates’ ideas.
· Circulate while students are working on their group responses.
· (Scenarios: a speaker advocating government overthrow; publishing a story in the school newspaper that might be untrue and hurt someone’s feelings; slander; racist and sexist language)
· Bring students back together with ten minutes remaining in period for them to do their individual presentations.
· Remind class that, even though they may not be presenting today, they will be writing a short speech about this issue later this week, and should take notes on their classmates’ ideas to help their own thinking.
Students can use whatever note-taking format they prefer. Students A and C: provide note-taking sheet for presentations. Students A and C: be sure to sit with groups and provide additional support. / Scenario sheets – already taped down on each table
CLOSING. (_2_ min.)
How will students summarize what they learned? How will students be asked to state the significance of what they learned? How will you provide all students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of or progress toward the objective?
· Ask students to complete exit slip with review questions about the 1st Amendment (what does it protect? Do you agree/disagree? Why?)
Student A: can provide oral responses to exit slip questions instead of written (comes to my desk while students are completing exit slip on paper). / Exit slips – typed and cut
P-4(3): The teacher has noted places where individual students are helped when the entire class is working. Here, a student is given the opportunity to answer the exit slip questions orally. (BP)