umsl.eduumsl.edu/~wadsworthbrownd/leach.web.doc · Web viewAbout the Teacher:

About the Teacher: My name is Gwen Leach. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and moved to St. Louis where I attended Washington University. I majored in both Anthropology and American Culture Studies, and used both programs to study educational inequality both in America and abroad. I approached that issue through the lenses of education, political science, political economy and sociology. Educational inequity became my passion and consequently drew me to teaching. I am a do-er, meaning that rather than just talking about an issue, I would much rather do something about it. I am excited about both the challenges and rewards I have been offered by being in the classroom as a middle school communication arts teacher, and am eager to continue to devote my life to not merely talking about education and inequities in the educational system, but to doing something about it.

My Mission Statement: As a teacher, it is my job not only to teach the content to the best of my ability, and ensure that students learn the content to the best of their ability, but also to set a high bar for what the limits of those abilities actually are. I am continually learning and growing, as are my students. There is no limit to our individual and collective hopes and dreams.

My Inspiration: “Life is more than living - necessary as it is to earn a living, it is more necessary and important to earn a life: that is to do for the world - its thought, its aspiration, its human value - so much that the world will not always continue to ask if life is worth living.” ~ W.E.B. DuBois

My Work, Part 1 – A Reading Unit:Rationale: My students live in a world that is not right and is not fair. On a daily basis they live in, and see, examples of injustice. Yet many of them either do not realize that the injustices they see are wrong, or that there is anything that they can do about them. This combination of naïveté and fatalism counteracts the messages that they hear in school about how they can be anything they want to be and do anything they want to do as long as they work hard at it. I want my

students to take the initiative in their lives to do something about the wrong that they see, and to truly believe that their efforts are worthwhile. In this unit I plan to inspire students to that end by exposing them to examples of people who have done just that. This unit will take place after the MAP test and therefore many students will be tempted to mentally check out for summer, despite the fact that there are still six weeks of school. I hope that this unit will enable my students to see (and put into practice) the fact that education is not for the sake of passing some test, but rather to empower individuals to change their realities and to change the world.

Summary:The unit will be based on the following reading passages. These readings will happen as read-alouds, paired reading, and independent reading.

1) Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech2) President Barack Obama’s South Carolina primary victory speech3) President Barack Obama’s election night victory speech4) Excerpts from Yes We Can, the biography of Barack Obama.5) “Letter from a Concentration Camp,” by Yoshiko Uchida (pg. 518 in textbook)6) “Alabama, 1963” and “China, 1989” readings in Student Activism packet7) Selections from Number the Stars by Lois Lowry8) Passages about student led social justice movements from around the world, throughout

historyThese readings will serve as a foundation for a unit long discussion about activism, and combating injustice. Students will use the reading and writing skills developed all year (focusing most intensely on those noted below) to engage with these texts in a meaningful way. Students will be guided through the unit with graphic organizers and organized note taking about specific skills, which will allow them to readily see the thematic connections between these texts. To date, our reading has been focused on one text at a time, but this unit will encourage students to bring elements of various texts into conversations with each other. “Given what we know about Dr. Martin Luther King from his ‘I have a dream’ speech, what do you think he would say about the situation in China in 1989?” Students will be pushed to higher level thinking about issues and about texts. This unit will culminate in a writing project where they will share their own dreams about an issue of injustice that they care about, modeled after Martin Luther King’s speech. These speeches will be shared at a “Dream Day” event, where students will practice their public speaking skills.

Objectives: Read using active reading strategies (R1, R2) Analyze text features to clarify meaning (R3Ab) Identify and explain examples of sensory details, figurative language, and basic literacy

techniques in nonfiction text (R3B) Use details from the text to demonstrate comprehension skills (R3Ca) Use details from the text to paraphrase the author’s stated ideas (R3Cb) Use details from the text to make predictions (R3Cc) Use details from the text to make inferences (R3Cd) Use details from the text to evaluate the accuracy of the information (R3Ce) Use details from the text to identify point of view (R3Ch) Use details from the text to determine and/or compare author’s viewpoints (R3Cj)

Length:This unit will take place from April 19 through May 21, which is a total of five weeks, or 25 classes. Each class period is 76 minutes long.

Materials and Resources:School: Laptop computers and printer8.5x11 paper for final copies of speeches

Teacher:Classroom set of all readings for the unitVariety of graphic organizers throughout unit

Students:PencilsNotebook paper for notesNotebook paper for drafts of speech

Means of Assessment:Students will be asked to think of an example of injustice that they care deeply about, since we will be looking at the stories of individuals who have found issues that they care deeply about and then acted do so something about those issues throughout the unit. The final writing assignment will be to create their own “I have a dream...” speech, modeled after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech, in which they write about what the world would look like if the issue that they care deeply about were resolved, and no longer an example of injustice. This will be a persuasive writing assignment. Students will use a graphic organizer to help organize their thinking. This graphic organizer will guide them with questions such as What are some injustices that you see in your life that you think should change? If those injustices were fixed, what would be different about the world? Why is this an issue that you care deeply about? Why should everybody else care deeply about this injustice? Students will go through all stages of the writing process to create these speeches. At the end of the unit, we will have a “Dream Day” where students will all gather and give their speeches to the rest of the grade, practicing their public speaking skills. Parents and community members will be invited to this “Dream Day.”

Unit 9: Social Justice6th Grade Communication ArtsGwen LeachTeacher Calendar

April – June, 2010Focus of the Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayI Have A Dream Speech

19Introduction to the unit—purposes, things to be covered, brief intro to writing project at the end, discussion of what social justice is, why people do or should care about others (or maybe they don’t—why?)

20Become familiar with the text. - Read through it

once silently, noting moments or words of confusion.

- Watch video of speech delivered by MLK while following along. What parts became more/less confusing when you heard it actually presented?

- Use our reference resources to understand the text (dictionary, history textbook, other resources from library) TALK WITH MS. ACKERMAN TO

21Go back to the speech, looking this time at figurative language.- Similes- Metaphors- Allusions - IdiomsWhat do these figurative language things mean? Why were they used? What do we learn from them? What does figurative language offer us as readers?

22Go back to the speech, drawing conclusions from the text about MLK’s mood, theme and the mood and theme of the time, and of the speech itself. Watch speech as MLK delivers it again, this time noting mood of him and of the atmosphere.What feelings does this rise up in the reader? How do you think it made people feel when they were there listening to it? Is there a difference? Why? Order copies for Number the Stars week 2.

23Go back to the speech one last time, this time working on paraphrasing it. If this was a speech that you were giving, how would you say things differently? What would stay the same? Why would the things that change, change. Lead into discussion of voice in writing.

SEE IF SHE HAS IDEAS OF OTHER RESOURCES

- Discuss impressions from the speech.

Number the StarsFIND OR MAKE CLASS SETS OF NOVEL

26Introduction to the novel – model and practice pre-reading strategies. Create pre-reading stations that introduce students to the novel, the author, the time period, the historical context.

27Ch 1-3ConnectionsText to selfText to text (I Have a Dream speech)Text to world (how is this the same or different from things that you see in your life today)

28Ch 4-5Discussion Day*

29Ch 6-7Discussion Day*Order copies for apartheid week.

30Ch 8-9Active reading day—in pairs or individually students will read these chapters and complete the sentence leads from Burke, Ch 4 to facilitate active reading.

Number the Stars 3Ch 10-11Discussion Day*

4Ch 12-13Character development focus—as we near the end of the novel, what traits do we see in the main characters/ How did we learn those? Where did they come from in that person? Do you think they were born with that characteristic? For each time you

5Ch 14-15Discussion Day*

6Finish Number the Stars (Ch 16-17)Introduce and begin work on project about the book. Order independent work week packets.

7Mid-Unit project on Number the Stars Reserve Invictus at library.

answer no, what led to them becoming that trait?

Apartheid and South Africa

10Read selections from Nelson Mandela biography, getting an idea of what Apartheid actually was to inform discussion the rest of the week. While reading, work on context clues to determine the meanings of unknown words.

11Make inferences about the lives of South Africans based on information from texts. Practice making inferences in general. Jigsaw activity—students work with different texts and then end up teaching each other about the various situations they studied (black, mixed, Indian, white) to end with a discussion of how different people experienced different things in the same situation.

12Discussion with similarities and differences between apartheid and slavery. Compare and contrast the situations and the key figures of MLK and Mandela. What was the same about those situations? What was different? Work on creating solid comparing and contrasting paragraphs that pull details and evidence from both.

13Watch selections from InvictusOrder writing project packets.

14Watch selections from Invictus, discussion about the movie—what can we learn about /from their struggles?

Student led movements

17 18 19 20 21Students will work through an independent work packet, reading selections about student led social justice movements (focusing heavily on the Civil Rights movement in the United States). This packet will pull together a lot of review of the active reading strategies we have discussed all year: summarizing, predicting, inferring, visualizing, rereading, making connections. It will also ask students to use skills that we have discussed: finding main idea and details, drawing conclusions, evaluating the accuracy of information. When / if students finish the packet, I will have open ended active reading strategy practice sheets for them to apply to the books that they are reading on their own. Thursday they will have a review packet to work through in stations, and then Friday will be the unit test.

I Have A Dream writing project

24Work on writing

25Work on writing

26Work on writing

27Work on writing

28 NO STUDENTS

project packet: Introduction to assignment and prewritingRESERVE LAPTOPS for next week.Share information with parents and supporters about attending Dream Day.

project packet: Pre-writing and drafting

project packet: Revising and editing

project packet: Typing final draftMake sure students know that if they are interested in sharing during dream day they need to be ready to share on Tuesday.

Dream day and class wrap up

31 NO SCHOOL 1Finalize typing of rough draft. RESERVE LAPTOPS for todayIn class selections of speakers for tomorrow’s dream day. Have students who are interested in speaking give their speech to the entire class.

2DREAM DAY

3Class wrap up, tying up loose ends on the year

*The mastery levels on all of the objectives covered in 6th grade have been very high over the course of the year. Because of that, I think that it is appropriate to begin to show students how all of the various “discrete” objectives we’ve discussed all year are not really discrete at all. They are all interconnected, and after you are confident in enough of the skills, you can really being to get a lot out of the texts that you read. Basically I plan to teach this book differently than I’ve taught other novels before—it will be far more text driven (what comes up as we are reading? How are all of those things connected?) than objective driven (find all examples of cause and effect in this chapter).

Unit 9: Social Justice6th Grade Communication ArtsGwen LeachStudent Calendar

Unit Nine: Social Justice

Focus of the Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayI Have A Dream Speech

April 19Unit Introduction

20I Have a Dream: Become familiar with the text

21I Have a Dream: Figurative Language

22I Have a Dream: Mood and Theme

23I Have a Dream: Paraphrasing

Number the Stars 26Number the Stars: Pre-Reading Activities

27Number the Stars: Ch 1-3



30Number the Stars:

Ch 8-9

Number the Stars May 3Number the Stars: Ch 10-11



6Number the

Stars: Ch 16-17

7Number the Stars: Mid-Unit Project

Apartheid and South Africa

10Nelson Mandela and Apartheid Introduction

11Inferences about the lives of people of different races under Apartheid

12Compare and Contrast: Apartheid and Slavery

13Watch InvictusCongratulations! You finally got your much requested movie day!!!

14Watch Invictus

Student led movements

17 Begin work on student led social justice movement packet

18Continue work on student led social justice movement packet

19Finish work on student led social justice movement packet

20Unit Nine Review

21Unit Nine TestThis is your last test of the year! Can you believe that you’re almost a 7th grader?

I Have A Dream Writing Project

24Work on writing project packet: Introduction to assignment and prewriting

25Work on writing project packet: Pre-writing and drafting

26Work on writing project packet: Revising and editing

27Work on writing project packet: Typing final draftIf you want to share your speech in the Dream Day, please be prepared to share it in class on Tuesday.

28 NO SCHOOLEnjoy your long weekend!

Dream day and class wrap up

31 NO SCHOOLWahoo!

June 1Finalize typing of rough draft. In class selections of speakers for tomorrow’s Dream Day.

2DREAM DAY

Final papers due today if you did not finish yesterday.

3Class wrap up, tying up loose ends on the year

4 Class wrap up, tying up loose ends on the yearCongratulations 7th grader! You have finished your 6th grade year!

******Ms. Leach will be out of many days this week, meaning you will have a sub. I expect that****** **** you will get a lot of great work done, and will be respectful of the substitute in the classroom.****

****** If you have any questions before the test, please ask Mr. Cashman.******

I (_____________________)Have A Dream....

Assignment

Throughout this unit we have talked about issues of injustice that other people have cared deeply about, and then looked at the actions that they took to fix the problems that they saw in the world. Well, now it’s your turn!

Martin Luther King, Jr. saw a problem—not all people in America were treated as if they were equals. He had a dream that one day that problem would no longer exists, and he was excited to tell people about that dream. There are still problems in our world. What problem do YOU see? If that problem went away, how would the world be different?

You will write a persuasive paper sharing your dreams with the world. Because it is persuasive writing, about your dream, you will write to convince the people who are reading it that they should think the same way that you do.

But Martin Luther King, Jr. didn’t just write a paper! He gave a speech! At the end of the year there will be an opportunity for a few people from each class to share their “I have a dream” speech with the whole sixth grade. This is a REALLY cool opportunity to show off your writing!

This is your final writing project of the year, so you get to show off everything that you have learned this whole year, and to prove that you are ready for the seventh grade. I am really excited to see (and hear!) your dreams!

NAME: ___________________________________________________Writing Assessment Scoring Rubric – 6th grade Communication Arts – Ms. LeachIdeas and Content: What is the overall effect of the paper; does it include examples that develop the main points of purpose.5____Fluent, richly developed; clear awareness of task; original, insightful, or imaginative; details are relevant.4____Fluent, fully developed; clear awareness of task; solid; details are relevant.3____Moderately fluent; awareness of task; ideas developed but limited in depth; details are generally relevant.2____Thinly developed; some awareness of task; repetitive or too general; some details are relevant; important details are omitted.1____Poorly developed; poor awareness of task; lacks clarity; details are merely listed; repetitious details; too few details.Organization: Paper is focused and clearly and logically ordered.5____Carefully organized from beginning to end; clear focus; has topic sentence and closure.4____Well organized from beginning to end; clear focus; has topic sentence; may lack closure.3____Organized but may have minor lapses in order or structure; focus may wander; may lack a topic sentence or closure.2____Focus unclear; lacks organization such as good transitions, shift in point of view; lacks topic sentence; lacks closure.1____Unfocused; organization thought patterns are difficult to follow, continual shift in point of view, lacks topic sentence, lacks closure.Mechanics: The paper’s spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing5____No mechanical errors relative to length or complexity; title when appropriate; attempts at paragraphing throughout.4____Few mechanical errors relative to length or complexity.3____Some mechanical errors that do not interfere with communication.2____Some mechanical errors that do interfere with communication.1____Noticeable mechanical errors that do not interfere with communicationWord Choice and Structure: Paper’s vocabulary, word choice, usage; sentences are complete and correct5____Rich, effective vocabulary; accurate and vivid language; overall correct usage; no errors in sentence structure4____Generally successful in rich language; generally correct usage; few errors in sentence structure3____Acceptable vocabulary; attempts to use rich language; generally correct usage; some errors in structure2____Simplistic vocabulary with limited word choice; numerous usage errors; errors in structure interfere with meaning

1____Simplistic vocabulary; inappropriate/incorrect word choice; numerous usage errors; serious errors in structure

Total _____/20 Mastery shown (yes or no?) __________

Pre-Writing – Brainstorming

“There is a big Dream assignment sitting between me and summer break. I have no idea what I’m going to write about. Ahhh! What do I do?”

Calm down. If we take this one step at a time, it will be done in no time!

This unit, we talked about a lot of people who found a problem in the world, and worked to do something about it. What were some of the things that other people saw as problems?

This person: Saw this problem: And knew it was wrong because:

The problems that these individuals saw should get your brain working. There are all kinds of things in the world around us that are wrong. There are things that hurt us, or hurt our community. We know that the world would be a much better place if they were gone. What are some of those things? What are some injustices that you see in your life that you think should change?

Fill in the chart below with at least three examples. You don’t need a lot of detail yet. Just start getting some ideas down on paper.

Problem: I know it is wrong because: If this problem were fixed, this is how the world would be different:

Now, from that list, what do you care about the MOST? What one issue do you care SO much about that you would love to convince other people that it is important? Put a star

next to that issue. In the space below, explain why it is so important to you. Why should other people care about the issue as well?

With an idea of your Dream in mind, it’s time to start thinking about what this writing should really look like.

Pre-Writing – Defending Declarations

Which of the following is a better argument?

Argument A: I don’t like this book because it is boring.

Argument B: I don’t like this book because the characters are fake, the plot is

dull, and the jokes aren’t funny.

Which of the following is more persuasive or convincing?

Argument C: Everyone should watch Sponge Bob because I think it is so great.

Argument D: Sponge Bob is one of the best shows on TV because the jokes are

funny, the characters are unique, and people of any age can enjoy it.

Instead of making general, boring arguments that won’t convince anyone, make sure

that you give specific reasons for your opinion. Persuasive writing usually includes at

least three reasons that support the opinion.

PRACTICE

For each of the declarations below, come up with at least three reasons to support the

declaration.

Example

Declaration: It’s hard being the oldest brother or sister in a family.

1. It’s hard because you have to take care of younger siblings.

2. It’s hard because you get blamed for things that aren’t your fault.

3. It’s hard because parents are usually strict with the oldest child.

Declaration: Missouri should lower the driving age to 14.

1. It should lower it because…



Declaration: P.E. is an important part of school.

1. It is important because…



Declaration: Snoop Dogg should be elected President of the United States.

1. He should be elected because…



Declaration: Drinking fountains at Gateway Middle School should be filled with

Gatorade.

1. They should have Gatorade because…



Pre-Writing, Part One – Outlining

Before we get to writing a whole Dream speech, let’s practice writing a persuasive paragraph. In persuasive writing, you should start off by telling the reader what issue you are talking about (the main idea), and what you think about that issue. Then you should make defended declarations about the issue (your details).

Read the persuasive paragraph below, and find the issue and the reasons for thinking that way.

Homework is an important part of the learning process in middle school. One reason is that homework gives students additional practice of skills covered in class. Middle school classes are too short to teach a new concept and practice it enough for students to master. Students need both guided practice in class and independent practice at home. In addition, since all students do not work at the same speed, giving students time at home to finish work keeps them from falling behind. Finally, the most important reason for homework is that it makes sure there is review. New material and old material are practiced in daily assignments. Students who do their homework daily are prepared for tests and make better grades. In conclusion, not only is homework essential to mastering new skills and maintaining previously learned skills, but it also guarantees constant review and provides time for longer assignments, as well as additional time for students who need it. Students, do your daily homework, make better grades, and learn more!

Issue:

What the author thinks about the issue:

Declaration 1:

Defense for declaration 1:

Declaration 2:


Declaration 3:


Conclusion:

Practice using that outline to help you write a persuasive paragraph. Make sure you are making strong declarative statements! The issue has already been filled in for you.

Issue: Should students have to wear uniforms on Fridays?


Declaration 1:


Declaration 2:


Declaration 3:


Conclusion:

Turn that outline into a persuasive paragraph:

Use that same process to create an outline of your “I have a dream” speech. Since you are writing a whole Dream speech, rather than just a paragraph, think of each declaration as its own paragraph. That means your defense of the declaration should be more than just one sentence.

Issue:


Declaration 1:


Declaration 2:


Declaration 3:


Conclusion:

Drafting

Now that you have a solid outline for your speech, you are ready to start drafting! Write

your rough draft on a separate piece of paper. Don’t worry about spelling, grammar,

and perfect sentences – we can fix that in the revising and editing phases. When you

are writing a rough draft, you should make sure to get all of your ideas down on paper in

a way that’s organized and easy to understand.

Your rough draft should have five paragraphs:

1. Your Introduction: This is where you tell the reader what your issue is, and how

you feel about the issue. Ex: I have a dream that one day all children will receive

an excellent education.

2. Body Paragraph 1: The first body paragraph should have your first reason

(declaration) and its supporting details (defense).

3. Body Paragraph 2: The second body paragraph should have your second reason


4. Body Paragraph 3: The third body paragraph should have your third reason


5. Your Conclusion: This should include the following three things.

Step 1: your issue and how you feel about it

Step 2: your three declarations about that issue

Step 3: something to think about

RevisingRead through your Dream. Did you answer all of the following questions in your Dream?

What is an injustice that you see in your life that you think should change?

If that injustice were fixed, what would be different about the world?

Why is this an issue that you care deeply about?

Why should everybody else care deeply about this injustice?

If not, please find a place in your writing to include answers to each of those questions.

Now go back to your outline. Did you include everything from your outline in your draft?

If not, go back to add all of those details.

EditingTrade papers with somebody else in the classroom. You may write directly on their

paper. After you complete each of the following steps, check it off.

_____ 1. Read the paper backwards, one sentence at a time. Check for spelling errors.

Use a dictionary, a friend, or a spell checker to find the correct spelling.

_____ 2. Check to make sure you capitalized proper nouns, proper adjectives and the

first word of each sentence.

_____ 3. Indent each of your paragraphs.

_____ 4. Every sentence should have end punctuation.

_____ 5. Check your commas. Are they only used for compound sentences, a list of

items, an introductory word or phrase, direct address, setting off interruptions,

separating adjectives, or in dates? Do you need to add commas? Make sure you do not

have commas separating complete sentences (that creates a run-on sentence).

_____ 6. Apostrophes are used only for contractions and to show ownership.

_____ 7. Have you used commonly mixed pairs of words correctly? Check these:

they’re/their/there, your/you’re, it’s/its, a/an, to/too/two, are/our/hour, and others.

_____ 8. Read the paper backwards one sentence at a time. Check for sentence

fragments and run-ons and correct them.

_____ 9. Did you stay in present tense (such as is, am, do, take, know, etc.) or past tense (such as was, were, did, took, knew, etc.) throughout the entire paper?

_____ 10. Did you stay in first person (I, me, my, we, us, our) or third person (he,

him, she, her, they, them, their) throughout the entire paper?

Publishing

You are ready to type your final draft!

Remember to use _______________________________

Size ________________

The final copy is due ________________________________. That gives you

_________ days to finish your Dream. Focus so that you finish on time!

Date: 4/20ObjectiveStudents will be able to

Students will become familiar with the text of MLK’s I Have a Dream speech, using active reading strategies and reference books.

AssessmentBy the end of class, what should your students be able to do, know, or answer?

Students will complete an exit ticket, checking for comprehension of the speech, asking typical MAP style multiple choice comprehension questions.

Spiraled SkillsWhat other skills will be touched upon or reviewed during class? How will this be integrated? Please choose at least one other skill.

As this is the last unit of the year, there is no true new objective for the day. Everything that we will be doing in the day is spiraled, and has been touched on at least once during the course of the year, including basic active reading strategies and using reference books.

OpeningWhat is the purpose of this lesson?

Do Now: Think back to when we discussed Martin Luther King, Jr. way back during our Black History Month unit. What do you remember about him? What was he famous for?

Discussion of Do Now Guided ReadingHow will you and your students cover the reading (partners, whole group, independent, etc.)? How will students engage in during reading strategies during this time?

Students will work in small groups (3 students) to read the second half of the speech together, pausing to ask and answer questions and using reference books to define words, just as we will have done as a full class with the first half of the speech.

After that, we will read the speech together as a class, and I will stop and ask questions where I think students should have paused to ask and answer questions while working with a partner, and we will discuss the text, making sure that all students understand it.

Direct Instruction/Intro New MaterialWhat key points will the teacher convey to the students?

Introduction to the speech- explanation about how today will be spent figuring out what the

language in the speech means so that we will be in awesome shape for the rest of the week when we actually work with it

- make sure students have cloze copy of the text- play video of the speech, having students fill in missing words when

they hear them- read first half of speech together as a class, stopping along the way to

mark up our copies, asking and answering questions, using reference books to define words, etc

Independent Practice/ AssessmentHow will students practice this skill independently?How will the assessment be administered?

Students will complete an exit ticket where they will be asked comprehension questions to show off that they were paying attention and comprehending the text as we worked through it all day.

ClosingHow will students receive feedback on their performance? How will you determine evidence of mastery?

I will share with students what we will be doing with the speech the next few days.

Evidence of mastery will be determined and shared with students by grading exit tickets. Evidence of mastery will also be clear in the discussions of the text the next few days.


Students will review paraphrasing and then paraphrase sections of MLK’s I Have A Dream speech.


Students will work in partners to paraphrase a section of the speech (different students working on different selections). They will then take turns sharing their paraphrased speech, creating, as a class, a paraphrased version of the speech.


As this is the last unit of the year, there is no true new objective for the day. Everything that we will be doing in the day is spiraled, and has been touched on at least once during the course of the year, including paraphrasing.


Do Now: We have discussed paraphrasing multiple times. What are the three rules we have discussed that lead to a great paraphrase?


Read selection of the speech (about two paragraphs)Work together as a class to paraphrase that passage—discussing how we could put things into our own words, what that looks like, etcPractice using a thesaurus to paraphrase together


Review of what it means to paraphraseRead a selection of the speech (about two paragraphs) Share an example of that paraphrased Discuss why that was a good paraphrase—what changed, what stayed the same? Review of what synonyms and antonyms areReview of how to use a thesaurus


Students will work in partners to read a selection of the speech (about two paragraphs). This will be differentiated, with higher-level readers working with a more challenging selection of the speech, and lower level readers (including IEP students) will work with a more straightforward selection of the speech. As students are working on this, I will be moving around to ensure that they are on the right track, using a thesaurus well, and are on task.


Starting with the selections of the speech that we worked on paraphrasing together, students will, pair by pair, share the paraphrased version of their text. Because this will be fourth day working with the speech, students will be familiar with it enough to know generally speaking what changed and what stayed the same.

After sharing those texts, we will discuss the “I Have A Dream” writing project prompt. Even though the actually writing project will not happen for weeks, it will help students focus on the end product of their learning this unit.


Students will use pre-reading strategies (activating background knowledge, examining the context, making predictions, asking questions about things they hope to learn in the story) before beginning to read Number the Stars.


Students will complete activities at each of the stations to show that they have understood each aspect of the pre-reading activities discussed that day. By the end of class, students will have activated background knowledge, asked questions, examined the context, made predictions, etc, about Number the Stars.


As this is the last unit of the year, there is no true new objective for the day. Everything that we will be doing in the day is spiraled, and has been touched on at least once during the course of the year. The new element will be pulling all of the objectives together and utilizing more than one skill at once. The following skills will all be spiraled:

- Making connections- questioning the text- making predictions- identifying text features of fiction


Do Now: Have you ever felt oppressed? Describe a situation where you felt this way. What gave you hope that there was “a light at the end of the tunnel?”

Discussion of Do Now

Introduction of Book: Explain how we will be reading a book for the next two weeks, and how through reading that book we will be pulling together many discrete objectives and looking at how they all fit together. Also explain how this book fits into the larger context of the Social Justice Unit.

Introduction of daily objective: You will use pre-reading strategies to become familiar with Number the Stars before we begin reading it tomorrow.

Guided ReadingHow will you and your students cover the reading (partners, whole group, independent, etc.)? How will students engage in during reading strategies during this time?

Students will move through stations that will all require different reading strategies. I will move around the stations (sticking more closely with students who I know get off task easily), ensuring that the students truly are following directions and using the active reading strategies that each station directs.


What are pre-reading strategies? Pre-reading strategies are things that help us get familiar with a book before reading it. They help us have an idea of what the book will be about, and help us figure out how it fits into what we already know so that once we start reading the book, we can focus our mind on actually enjoying what we read.

Explain what is expected at each station:STATION ONE: About the Author

1. Read the information sheet that tells you all about the author. 2. Pretend that you are a news reporter and you have been

asked to interview Lois Lowry. You’ve never read anything that she’s written. In fact, the only things you know about her are what you just read in that information sheet. Write at least five

questions that you could ask her. Remember, you don’t want to look unprepared on TV in front of thousands of people so it is important that you have at least five questions to keep your interview moving.

STATION TWO: Connections1. The two main characters in this book are best friends. Practice writing an

excellent paragraph (remember to make it an excellent hamburger!!!) about your best friend. What do you like to do together? Why are you such good friends?

STATION THREE: Book Preview1. Read the paper that has a preview of the book. 2. Create a KWL chart like the one below. Fill in at least two things in each

section of the chart.

What I Know About the Book

What I Want to Know About the Book

What I LearnedToday

STATION FOUR: Predictions1. Look through the book at the station. Flip through the pages and maybe

begin reading a little bit. 2. Before we begin reading the book as a class, make 5 predictions about

what you think it will be about or about things that will happen in the book. Remember to use the correct format! (I predict that... because...)

STATION FIVE: Text Features1. Look through the book at the station. 2. Use the book to answer the questions below. Do not copy down the

question, just write down the number and the answer.

1. What is the title of this book?

2. Who is the author of this book?

3. What is one thing that you can learn about the author just by looking

at the cover of this book?

7. Many books have a page at the beginning that tells what page each

chapter begins on. What is that page called? Does this book have

one?

8. The back of the book tells us information about what the book will

be about. Based on that information, who are the main characters in

this book?

9. What are three other things that you can learn about the book from

reading the back?

STATION SIX: Historical Context

1. Read the information about the Holocaust at the station.

2. Answer the following questions about the time period.

a. What was the Holocaust?

b. Who was attacked in the Holocaust?

c. Why is this an issue of social justice that we should study?

d. Given this information about when the story takes place, what

mood do you think the story will have?

e. What do you already know about the Holocaust?


Students will complete each of the above activities as pre-reading for Number the Stars. At the end of the class, we will discuss the activities that students completed, sharing WHYs behind why solid pre-reading examples are so solid.


Evidence of mastery will be determined by looking through the work that students completed at each of the stations.

As a closing to the day we will discuss all that we learned about the book before we begin reading it the next day. I will point out how much we learned and how helpful that knowledge will be as we actually begin reading the novel.


Students will use active reading strategies to read chapters eight and nine of Number the Stars.


Students will answer comprehension questions about chapters eight and nine to show them how their active reading increased their comprehension.

Spiraled SkillsWhat other skills will be

As this is the last unit of the year, there is no true new objective for the day.

touched upon or reviewed during class? How will this be integrated? Please choose at least one other skill.

Everything that we will be doing in the day is spiraled, and has been touched on at least once during the course of the year. The new element will be pulling all of the objectives together and utilizing more than one skill at once. The following skills will all be spiraled:

making predictions questioning the text making connections evaluating information identifying the author’s purpose drawing conclusions (making inferences) evaluating characters and character development


Do Now: Questions requiring drawing conclusions from reading from the day before: Why was there no laughter in Uncle Henrik's house on this evening? Why didn't Mr. Johanson go with Mrs. Johanson and the girls?


Depending on their reading level and preference, students will read in a variety of ways. I will be working with a group of 3-4 of the lowest readers in the class who will struggle with the text because their independent reading levels are below the level of the text. Other students will choose to work and read either independently or do partner reading. In all three situations, students will be working to complete an active reading strategy worksheet that will require them to use pre-reading, during reading and post-reading active reading strategies.


Explanation of the active reading worksheet—we will discuss what each of the sentence leads means, making sure that students are clear about how each lead connects with each of the active reading strategies we have already discussed this year.

With the group that I will be reading with, the discussion of the active reading strategies will be far more explicit and guided.


Students will complete an active reading sheet (inspired by Burke, chapter four) in which they will have to complete the sentence leads for at least two sentences in pre-reading, during reading and post-reading sections. These strategies are all review, so nothing will be unfamiliar to the students.

Students will then complete an exit ticket where they will be asked multiple choice and constructed response comprehension questions about the text they will have read that day, to ensure comprehension. I will grade those exit tickets that night and the next day’s class will begin by clarifying any common misconceptions that appeared after grading the exit tickets.


Levels of mastery will be obtained by looking at and grading the exit tickets. At the end of the day we will all come back together to discuss the reading for the day, sharing insights from the active reading worksheet, including questions, leading to a general discussion of the text.

My Work, Part 2 – A Writing Unit:Rationale: My students have made significant progress in their writing this year. We have spent considerable time devoted to writing an excellent paragraph (beginning with why we should even use paragraphs in the first place). They know how to support their main ideas with supporting details. They stay on topic. They stick to using only one point of view in a paper. They are making progress with developing a voice. But it is very difficult to focus on all of this significant progress because their writing is so obscured by horrendous grammatical errors. The grammatical tools that they are expected to have mastered by the end of their sixth grade year are still frequently missing from their writing. I have introduced many of these ideas and rules to students as side notes as we have been working on other parts of the writing process in other writing projects, but they never take the rules seriously—since mastering them is not the main objective of the day, there is little engagement with actually learning them. I feel that by making those grammatical rules the objectives for about a week, students will realize that they are actually important things to learn, and worth their focus. With that focus, students’ writing will be much stronger as the surface errors will no longer distract from the solid foundation that they have already worked to develop over the course of this year.

Summary:The unit will follow a six-week long nonfiction through journalism unit. Throughout that unit I will have talked with students about how we will be creating our own class newspaper that we will publish for the school and to take home to their families. But before we can write that newspaper, I will tell them, it is important to me to make sure that they have all of the knowledge they need to make their writing shine. We will spend about a week and a half discussing the grammatical knowledge that they are expected to have by the end of the sixth grade year, and then spend about another week working on the writing process (something they are already very familiar with), and putting together excellent articles for the newspaper.

Objectives: Capitalize proper adjectives, appropriate words in dialogue with assistance (W2Ea) Use proper sentence structure (W2E) Use comma in compound sentences (W2Eb) Proper use of prepositional phrases and appositives (W2E) Use apostrophe in irregular and plural possessives (W2Ec) Use quotation marks in dialogue (W2Ec) Write a newspaper article in which students practice all of the things discussed this unit

in order to create a class newspaper (W2D)

Length:This unit will take place over 13 class periods. Each class period is 76 minutes long.

Materials and Resources:School: Laptop computers and printer8.5x11 paper for final copies of newspapers

Teacher:Variety of graphic organizers throughout unitPractice worksheets and strategies for learning the grammatical rulesWorkbook for creating a newspaper article

Students:PencilsNotebook paper for notesNotebook paper for drafts of newspaper article

Means of Assessment:Students will write a newspaper article for the class newspaper. They will be able to choose which type of article they would like to write, with the following options: a sports feature, an editorial, a news feature, and an interview. Regardless of the type of article they have chosen, students will all work through the writing process to create a rough draft and then a final draft of that newspaper article. These articles will all be compiled into a single newspaper which will be published (printed) and distributed to students, their families, and the school community.

TEACHER CALENDARJanuary / February 2010

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday28 Adjectives and NounsCopies of everything for next week Talk with Cashman to finalize testLesson plan for next week turned in

29 Sentence StructureGet whiteboards for Monday’s lesson

1 Compound sentencesFinalize newspaper writing project

2 Prepositional phrases and appositivesTalk with teachers, administrators to see if they are willing to be interviewed for newspaper

3 Proper use of apostropheCopies of everything for next week

4 Proper use of dialogueLesson plan for next week turned in

5 NO SCHOOL

8 Review 9 TestReserve laptops for next week

10 Newspaper writing 11 Newspaper writingLesson plan for next week turned in

12 Newspaper writingComments on everyone’s rough drafts

14 NO SCHOOL 15 Newspaper Writing 16 Newspaper writingPut together final newspaper and send to print shop for copies for everyone

January / February 2010Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

28 Adjectives and Nouns – We’ll get our unit started with a little bit of a review

29 Sentence Structure

1 Compound sentences – No IFs ANDs ORs or BUTs about it

2 Prepositional phrases and appositives

3 Proper use of apostrophe

4 Proper use of dialogue – I know how you love to talk! Today we will make sure we write about it correctly!

5 NO SCHOOL – Enjoy your day off! Here’s a thought: start reviewing for Tuesday’s test!

8 Review – Come with your questions today! Let’s work together to make sure you have all of the knowledge you need to rock tomorrow’s test!

9 Test – No need to be worried about this test! Have you been paying attention in class? Then you’re good to go! I’m excited to see mastery!

10 Newspaper writing – Now it’s time to start putting all that grammar knowledge to work!

11 Newspaper writing – Please use tonight to catch up if you will not be done with your rough draft by the end of class tomorrow

12 Newspaper writing – I should have your rough draft in my hands by the end of the day today

14 NO SCHOOL – Take a look at some newspapers this weekend so that you can come to class tomorrow with some great suggestions about what our newspaper should look like!

15 Newspaper Writing – Please use tonight to catch up if you will not be done with your final draft by the end of class tomorrow

16 Newspaper writing –The newspaper goes to press today! Make sure you have everything ready to go!

Newspaper Project!

Turn on those brain TVs and visualize a newspaper. What do you see? Probably lots of words. Many articles. A lot of pages. A TON of writing! Imagine if you had to write every word in a newspaper all by yourself. It would take forever! By the time you were finished the things you were writing about wouldn’t even be news anymore!

Newspapers take a lot of work to create. All of that work comes from a lot of different people who all have to work together to write different articles and share news on many different topics. All of the reporters rely on each other to write excellent articles, so that together they can create an excellent newspaper!

We will be doing exactly the same thing in our class! Now that you have excellent grammatical knowledge and your writing skills have been polished up, it is time to put those skills to work! Each person in the class will write one newspaper article, and we will put them all together for one class newspaper to take home and show off to the world! Ready to get started? Then turn the page!

Features of Newspaper Articles

As you know, we will be writing a newspaper as a class. Since we will all be working on this together, it is important that we all know the parts of a newspaper article. When we all know the right words to use, it will help us get our newspaper published!

____________________: The title of a story (“School Names Student Principal”)

____________________: The writer’s name (“by I.M. Kidding”)

____________________: The location from which a writer reported a story (“Fantasy,

Missouri”)

____________________: A picture of something related to the article

____________________: A description of a photo (“The new principal playing quarterback for

the school football team.”)

____________________: A quote pulled out of a story to attract more attention to an article

(“The school board is happy to name this student principal

of the school. We think it is a great decision.”)

____________________: A line telling the reader where to find the rest of the story (“continued

on page A3”).

Find an article in one of the newspapers in the classroom and label all of the parts with this new

vocabulary.

Pre-Writing, Part 1: Brainstorming and Gathering Information

In our class newspaper, we will have four types of articles.

News features: ________________________________________________________________What are important news items at school, in your neighborhood, or in St. Louis right now that somebody could write a newspaper article about?

Sports features: _______________________________________________________________What are important sports stories going on right now, at Gateway, or in the St. Louis community that somebody could write a newspaper article about?

Interviews: ___________________________________________________________________Who are some important people at Gateway or in the St. Louis community that somebody could interview for our newspaper?

Editorials: ____________________________________________________________________What are some issues that you, or other people in the community, have an opinion about?

Look through these lists. You may add items to them if you’d like. Now it is time to pick a type of article. What kind of story do you want to write for our newspaper? Remember, an excellent newspaper will have a wide variety of types of articles, and of topics.

When you have chosen a type of article and a topic, you are ready to move on to gathering information. Turn to the correct page for the type of article that you are writing to get started.

Pre-Writing, Part 2: Organize Your Thoughts into the Inverted Triangle

Newspaper articles are organized into an _______________________. That just means that the

___________________ is _____________________________. But that doesn’t mean that

newspaper articles are all written in the shape of triangle! The triangle idea is all about how the

information is ___________________.

At the beginning of the article, all of the important information is included in the first paragraph.

This is called the ___________________ (or sometimes the lead sentence). It includes the

____________, ____________, ____________, _______________, and _________________.

After the lead paragraph, the rest of the information is organized into paragraphs that

______________ in ______________________. That means that the next paragraph has the next

most __________________________ information, and the last paragraph has the least

_______________________ information.

Practice organizing your writing into an inverted triangle on the next page.

Now that you have had practice with the inverted triangle, organize the information that you gathered in Pre-Writing, Part 1 into an inverted triangle.

Who What When

Where Why How

Other Important Facts and Details

Less Important Facts and Details

Drafting

Now that you have gathered all of your information and have organized it, you are ready to begin

drafting! While drafting, it is important to focus on making sure that all of the ____________ are

great. It is okay to wait until __________________ to make sure all of the __________________

______________________________________ is correct.

Using your inverted triangle organizer, draft your newspaper article on a separate sheet of paper.

There should be at least three paragraphs. The first paragraph, called the _____________

____________________ should include the ______________, ______________,

______________, _________________, _______________, and ___________________.

The rest of the paragraphs should include all of the other _________________. Make sure they

are well-organized hamburger paragraphs! As a review, draw a hamburger below, labeling the

parts of the hamburger with the elements of a great paragraph.

Revising

Answer the questions below as we practice revising together. Does the lead paragraph/sentence answer the 5W and how questions? Circle the answers

those questions. Are details in the body given in order from most important to least important? Put a star

next to important details. Put a check next to details that could be cut. Does the body include details that explain the effects of the event and the people’s

reaction to it? Underline details that explain effects. Put a box around details that show people’s reactions.

If there are any quotations, do they support a detail in the article? Draw a line from the quotation to the detail that it supports.

Designed as a classroom in the woods, the 40-foot high, 3-level structure was completed this

fall. TreeTops will open this spring, along with science displays and a ramp and small bridge to

make entering the treehouse-like tower easy.

The senior class members of Ithaca High School in upstate New York developed the idea for

TreeTops two years ago. By the time the tower was finished, more than 1,000 volunteers,

including 160 seniors, had taken part in the construction project.

To raise money for constructing TreeTops, students appeared on TV and radio shows and at

public events and meetings. Their efforts paid off.

The seniors deserve credit for the unusual look and special features of the structure.

Answer the questions below as you revise your newspaper article draft. Does the lead paragraph/sentence answer the 5W and how questions? Circle the answers

those questions. Are details in the body given in order from most important to least important? Put a star

next to important details. Put a check next to details that could be cut. Does the body include details that explain the effects of the event and the people’s

reaction to it? Underline details that explain effects. Put a box around details that show people’s reactions.

If there are any quotations, do they support a detail in the article? Draw a line from the quotation to the detail that it supports.

Editing

Trade articles with a partner and follow this editing checklist to make sure that you each end up with excellent articles.

Publishing

______ I followed directions.

______ I read the paper to my partner for understanding.

______ I checked the paper for complete sentences.

______ I used correct grammar.

______ I have spelled all words correctly.

______ All sentences start with a capital letter.

______ Proper nouns are capitalized.

______ Each sentence ends with a proper end mark.

______ Commas and quotation marks are used correctly.

______ I indented the beginning of each paragraph.

______ My name is on the paper.

The paper goes to press on ______________________. That means your article must be completed by that date in order to be included in the newspaper.

So that our newspaper is all the same, please remember to write in ________________________ _______________ font, size __________.

You will save your article with your homeroom number, and your last name. For example, 306.leach or 304.cashman. Your article will be saved as ________________________________.

Your paper should look like this:

Titleby Ms. Leach

Now I will start writing my article. This paragraph is my lead paragraph. It includes all of the important details about who, what, when, where, why and how.

Next I have my body paragraph. This includes less important details. I remembered to indent the first line (and only the first line!) of the paragraph.

This is my last paragraph. It includes all of the least important details.

Name____________________________________________Grammar Review Notes Organizer

Grammar Rule What this means Which is correct? Own example of correct usage

Compound Sentences

a) Winter is the best time of year, but it can get very cold and snowy.

b) Winter is the best time of year. It can get very cold and it can get very snowy.

c) Winter is the best time of year. Or it can get very cold and very snowy.

d) Winter is the best time of year, or it can get very cold and snowy.

Proper Nouns and Adjectives

a) The New School is very clean.b) The School is New and Very Clean.c) The school is new and very clean.d) The School is new and very Clean.

Quotation Marks

a) “We don’t have school tomorrow,” yelled Greg. “Let’s make some plans.”

b) “We don’t have school tomorrow” yelled Greg, “let’s make some plans.”

c) “We don’t have school tomorrow, yelled Greg. “let’s make some plans.”

d) “We don’t have school tomorrow,” yelled Greg. “Let’s make some plans.

Possessive Apostrophe

a) People say that Avatar’s ticket sales will be higher than Titanics.

b) People say that Avatars’ ticket sales will be higher than Titanics’.

c) People say that Avatars ticket sales will be higher than Titanic’s.

d) People say that Avatar’s ticket sales will be higher than Titanic’s.

Prepositional Phrases

a) Before bed, I brushed my teeth. b) I parked my car beside your car. c) It is too loud in this classroom. d) My chair was in front of my desk.

Appositives

a) That car over there, the red one, is really nice looking.

b) The scientific name for humans, Homo sapiens, is kind of confusing.

c) My class, the class of 2016, is very smart.

d) None of the underlined portions are appositives.

ObjectiveStudents will be able to

Students will correctly use commas and conjunctions to create compound sentences


Students will complete an exit ticket, asking them to practice using the same strategies we used in class to create the same product created in class.


This lesson is part of a grammar unit. The day before we will have discussed proper nouns and adjectives. As we are working through sentences today, I will review those same skills.


Do Now: Answer the following questions (review of yesterday)1. “Gateway Middle School is on Jefferson.”

Which of the following changes should be made to the above sentence?

a) Gateway middle School is on Jefferson. b) Gateway middle school is on Jefferson.c) Gateway Middle School is on jefferson.d) No changes should be made.

2. “st. louis public schools is a big school district.”Which of the following changes should be made to the above sentence?

a) “st. louis” should be changed to “St. Louis”b) “st. louis public schools” should be changed to “St. Louis

Public Schools”c) “st. louis public schools” should be changed to “st. louis

Public Schools”d) No changes should be made


Introduction of daily objective: You will use a comma and conjunction to create compound sentences.


We will work through the attached notes packet, practicing creating compound sentences with commas and conjunctions, after reviewing compound and simple sentences.

Next we will play a game with dry erase boards, engaging students in correcting incorrect sentences, using the same skills discussed in the notes packet.

Independent Practice/ Assessment

Students will complete an exit ticket, asking them to use the same skills we used all day (creating compound sentences with a comma and conjunction).

How will students practice this skill independently?How will the assessment be administered?ClosingHow will students receive feedback on their performance? How will you determine evidence of mastery?

Evidence of mastery will be determined by looking through exit tickets.

Name: ________________________________ Date: ________________

Homeroom: ___________

COMPOUND SENTENCES, CONJUNCTIONS, & COMMAS

simple sentence = a sentence with one ____________ and one _______________.

_______________________________________ = a sentence made up of two or more simple sentences joined by a conjunction (and, or, but, so).

_____________________________ = an incorrect sentence which combines two or more simple sentences but does not use a conjunction between them.

Scholars are smart they must work hard to be the best.

Iraq is a dangerous place many people have left the country.

You can fix run-on sentences two ways:

(1) separate the run-on sentences into separate simple sentences.

Scholars are smart.subject predicate

They must work hard to be the best.

subject predicate

Iraq is a dangerous place.

subject predicate

Many people have left the country.

subject

predicate

Scholars are smart but they must work hard to be the best.

simple sentencesimple sentence

conjunction

Iraq is a dangerous place, and many people have left the country.

simple sentence

simple sentence

conjunction

Scholars are smart. They must work hard to be the best.

(2) add conjunctions between the simple sentences.

Scholars are smart, and they must work hard to be the best.*****When adding a conjunction between simple sentences, you often need a comma!

I. What is a comma?

a. A comma ______________________________________________________

b. When reading a sentence you should ________ at a comma

Directions for 5-7: Fix the following run-on sentences by rewriting them and separating them into separate simple sentences.

5. Trains have crossed the U.S. since the 1860s they have moved millions of people.

6. Today many people still love to ride the train many others think it is too slow.

7. Many people with babies choose to drive they can fly faster.

Directions for 8-10: Fix the following run-on sentences by rewriting them and inserting conjunctions (and, or, but, so) between the two simple sentences. Use commas where appropriate!!!

8. We drove all day in the car we played every game we knew.

9. The car was crowded we had a lot of fun.

10. I lost the map my dad couldn’t find the road.

For numbers 11 and 12, change the two simple sentences into compound sentences (using appropriate conjunctions and punctuation!)

11. My family wants to go on vacation in April. We are planning to go to Disney World.

12. The baseball player hit a homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning. His team won the game 4-3.

Unit Six – Compound Sentences and CommasDry erase board practice

Directions: On your dry erase boards, please re-write the following run-on sentences or pairs of simple sentences…using conjunctions (and, sometimes, commas).

1. Ms. Walter teaches math Ms. Tatum teaches science.

2. The Packers beat the Bears. They lost to the Cardinals.

3. Middle school students must decide where they will go to high school. They can be prepared.

4. Reading is important it should be active reading.

5. Baseball season will start soon. It is a sign of Spring time.

6. Marquette University is a great place to go to school it gets cold in Wisconsin.

7. Everyone should contribute. We can get done as soon as possible.

8. You can go to lunch you can stay in class to get your homework done.

Name: ______________________________________ Date: __________________

Compound Sentences, Conjunctions, and CommasEXIT TICKET

Part One

Directions: For each run-on sentence or pair of simple sentences below, change them into grammatically correct compound sentences.

1. I studied for the test. I earned a 98 percent.

2. Gateway has three floors it does not seem that big once you’re inside it.

3. I went to Japan to visit a relative who lives in Japan. The flight was one of the most grueling experiences of my life.

Part Two

Directions: Answer the multiple choice question below, circling the best answer.

4. “John Coltrane was one of the world’s finest saxophone players he once played in Miles Davis’s band.”

Which of the following best corrects the above sentence?

a) John Coltrane was one of the world’s finest saxophone players but he once played in Miles Davis’s band.

b) John Coltrane was one of the world’s finest saxophone players, and he once played in Miles Davis’s band.

c) John Coltrane was one of the world’s finest saxophone players and he once played in Miles Davis’s band.

d) John Coltrane was one of the world’s finest saxophone players, so he once played in Miles Davis’s band.


Students will correctly identify and use prepositional phrases and appositives.




This lesson is part of a grammar unit. The day before we will have discussed compound sentences. As we are discussing prepositional phrases and appositives, I will ask students to identify if each sentences is simple or compound and how they knew that, as a review of yesterday’s lesson.


Do Now: Answer the following questions (review of yesterday)3. Consider the following pair of simple sentences: Mrs. Gulizia

teaches math. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

Which of the following best combines these simple sentences into a compound sentence?

a) Mrs. Gulizia teaches math, however she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

b) Mrs. Guilizia teaches math but she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

c) Mrs. Guilizia teaches math, and she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

d) Mrs. Guilizia teaches math so she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis.

4. In an essay that a student wrote about his favorite class, he included these sentences: It is kind of hard. It takes a lot of work. I like it a lot.

The teacher told the student that the sentences in the section are too choppy and he should think about creating a compound sentence.

Which revision of the original sentences would correct the problem?

e) It is kind of hard, and it takes a lot of work. I like it a lot. f) It is kind of hard and takes a lot of work and I like it a lot. g) It is kind of hard, but it takes a lot of work, and I like it a lot. h) It is kind of hard and takes a lot of work, but I like it a lot.

5. Consider the following pair of simple sentences: Jack’s mom packed him a lunch. He left it at home.

Which of the following best combines these simple sentences into a compound sentence?

a) Jack’s mom packed him a lunch, therefore he left it at home. b) Jack’s mom packed him a lunch, but he left it at home.

c) Jack’s mom packed him a lunch, he left it at home. d) Jack’s mom packed him a lunch and he left it at home.


Introduction of daily objective: You will identify and correctly use both prepositional phrases and appositives.


We will work through the attached notes packet, practicing finding prepositional phrases and appositives, and creating prepositional phrases and appositives.

Next we will play a game with dry erase boards, engaging students in finding prepositional phrases and appositives, using the same skills discussed in the notes packet.


Students will complete an exit ticket, asking them to use the same skills we used all day (identify and creating prepositional phrases and appositives).



Name: ______________________________________________ Date: ________________________

Prepositional phrases and Appositives

Notes and Organizer

Term Definition Examples

Preposition

Appositive

We visited New York, the Empire State, and it was a lot of fun.

The teacher, Ms. Leach, explained the format of the test.

List of important prepositions: About, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, as, at

Before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, but, byConcerning, consideringDespite, down, duringExcept, followingFor, fromIn, inside, into, likeMinusNearOf, off, on, onto, opposite, outside, overRegardingSinceThan, through, to, toward, towards

Under, underneath, unlike, until, up, uponWith, within, without

What is a prepositional phrase? _____________________________________________

57

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

How do we know when the prepositional phrase has ended? ______________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Quick Practice # 1 – Prepositional Phrases

Directions: Circle the prepositional phrases in the following sentences (some sentences might have more than one!!!).

1. The puppies wandering around the fenced yard until their owner arrived.

2. Without a care in the world, Alex is relaxing.

3. Dean thinks that he is smarter than everyone in the class.

4. Will you put these cookies on the tray?

5. His idea will not work after sunrise.

Quick Practice # 2 – Appositives

Directions: Underline the appositive in the following sentences.

1. Our school, Gateway Middle, is located at 1200 N. Jefferson in St. Louis.2. The Assistant Principal, Mrs. Craig, has an office on the third floor.3. The plains bison has a simple scientific name: Bison bison.4. The bird, a hawk, flew high over the building.5. The Super Bowl 31 Championship team, the Green Bay Packers, met in Green Bay to

commemorate their victory.

Group Practice

Part One – Circle the prepositional phrases in the following sentences.

1. The champion will compete against other dogs from the club.

2. The increase in thefts this year should concern each of us.

3. At a minimum, you will spend three hours on each assignment.58

Part Two – Underline the appositives in the following sentences.

1. The student, Katie, aced her quiz in English class.2. The famous musician, D’Erica Harris, is going to perform this week in concert.3. A band competition, The State All-band Final, is held each year in Jefferson City

Part Three – Write three original sentences, each containing at least one prepositional phrase AND circle the prepositional phrases in your sentences.

1.

2.

3.

Part Four – Write three original sentences, each containing an appositive AND underline the appositive in your sentences.

1.

2.

3.

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Dry Erase Board Practice – prepositional phrasesFor the following sentences, write out each of the prepositional phrases on your dry erase boards.

1. During the debates, Michael was feeding his turtle in the yard.

2. Many cannot decide whom to support for president.

3. Wesley hopes to be named one of the best skaters on the tour.

4. Because of the decision presented by the jury, we will all be going to jail.

5. Put the dog inside the house and let's leave.

Dry Erase Board Practice – appositivesFor the following sentences, write out each of the appositives on your dry erase boards.

1. One-year old buffalo, the yearlings, practice survival skills by playing.

2. A related group, the European bison, is almost extinct.

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3. The great bird, the North American bald Eagle, is a threatened species.

4. The largest country in South America, Brazil, has a population of over 190 million people.

5. The President of the United States, Barack Obama, lives in the White House.

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Name: __________________________________________ Date: _______________

Exit Ticket – Prepositional Phrases and AppositivesPart OneDirections: For each sentence below, circle the prepositional phrases…

1. Before the concert, Reggie will be drinking coffee at the cafe.

2. If we go below the house and hide behind the furnace, maybe we will be unharmed.

3. Since Tuesday, New Yorkers have been cheering for their teams to win.

Part Two

Directions: For each sentence below, underline the appositives.

4. CJ was really excited to get his brand new car, a 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

5. My principal, Mr. Buchanan, graduated from the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Part Three

Directions: Write two original sentences, the first containing a prepositional phrase and the second containing an appositive. In the sentences, circle the prepositional phrases and underline the appositives.

6.

7.

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Students will correctly identify where it is necessary and consequently use the possessive apostrophe.




This lesson is part of a grammar unit. The day before we will have discussed appositives and prepositional phrases. Those are things that we will continue looking through as we work with new sentences today.


Do Now: Answer the following questions (review of yesterday)6. The following sentence does not punctuate the appositive

correctly: The basketball coach Mr. Cashman also teaches Communication Arts.

Which edit of the original sentence would correct this problem?

a) The basketball coach, Mr. Cashman, also teaches Communication Arts.

b) The basketball coach Mr. Cashman, also teaches Communication Arts.

c) The basketball coach, Mr. Cashman also teaches Communication Arts.

d) The basketball coach also teaches Communication Arts.

7. In a note about her plans for the weekend, Lucy accidentally left out a preposition in the following sentence: I am going Six Flags.

Which edit of the original sentence would correct this problem?

a) I am going in Six Flags.b) I am going to Six Flags.c) I am going from Six Flags. d) I am going with Six Flags.


Introduction of daily objective: You will identify and correctly use both prepositional phrases and appositives.

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We will work through the attached notes packet, practicing using the possessive apostrophe, after discussing what “possession” actually means. We will then practice correcting some incorrect sentences.

There will be images of real life places where the possessive apostrophe is used incorrectly posted around the wall. Students will do a gallery walk through the images, identifying why they are incorrect.


Students will complete an exit ticket, asking them to use the same skills we used all day (identifying the need for and then correctly using the possessive apostrophe).



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Name___________________________ Class ___________________________Apostrophe Notes

►For singular and plural nouns that do not end in -s, form the possessive by _____________________________.

the cat’s meow the men’s club________________________ __________________________

►For singular nouns that end in -s, (whether pronounced or unpronounced), form the possessive by ______________________________.

the class’s grades Ms. DuBois’s paycheck________________________ __________________________

►For plural nouns that end in –s, form the possessive by _________________________________.

the girls’ clothes the classes’ schedules________________________ __________________________

►For joint ownership, show possession _____________________________________.

You can get anything you want at Arlo and Alice’s restaurant.The Hatfields and the McCoys’ time-share condo is in Florida._____________________________________________________________.

►For individual possession, show possession ________________________________.

Dr. Jeckyl’s and Mr. Hyde’s futures were quite bleak.Mr. Sweeny’s and Mrs. Todd’s barber shops are both on Richmond Row._____________________________________________________________.

►Do not use the possessive apostrophe with possessive pronouns such as hers,theirs, yours, whose, and its. Note: it’s is a contraction of it is, not a possessive.

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Rewrite each phrase using the possessive apostrophe:

Example: the book that belongs to John John’s book_______

1. the friend of Mr. Cashman _________________

2. the house that belongs to Mr. Buchanan _________________

3. pies that belong to the clowns _________________

4. the book of Ms. Leach _________________

5. the breakfast of the dog _________________

Answer the questions below about each phrase.

6. Gateways basketball teama. What is the error?

__________________________________________________________b. Why is it wrong?

__________________________________________________________c. If it was right it would say

__________________________________________________________7. The girls cheerleading uniforms

a. What is the error? __________________________________________________________

b. Why is it wrong? __________________________________________________________

c. If it was right it would say __________________________________________________________

8. The classs grades were high on the last test.a. What is the error?

__________________________________________________________b. Why is it wrong?

__________________________________________________________c. If it was right it would say

__________________________________________________________9. The bells ring at the end of the day sent the students pouring into the hallway.

a. What is the error? __________________________________________________________

b. Why is it wrong? __________________________________________________________

c. If it was right it would say __________________________________________________________

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Name_________________________________Apostrophe Exit Ticket

Each space in the paragraph below is preceded by an "opportunity for error" in the formation of plurals or possessives. If the word is correct, write a C in the space; if it is incorrect, write an I.

THE FAMILY REUNIONMy friend's , the Rodriguez's , had a big family reunion last summer. They

hadn't been together since the late 1980's , according to Carmen, and there were

many cousins she hadn't seen since then and some new baby's she'd never

met before. "Aunt Flo and Uncle Silvio's family had really grown," she said. Flo,

who already had five kids of her own, had divorced and remarried and Flo's and

Silvio's kids -- like a bunch of elves -- filled a minivan and two taxis .

Fortunately, Flo and Silvio have PhD's in psychology with good incomes to match.

"We should've leased busses for everyone," Carmen added.

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Students will correctly identify and use proper nouns and adjectives.




This lesson is the first lesson in the grammar unit. It is building on the concepts that have already been discussed regarding grammar (what is noun, what is an adjective, what is a verb, etc) before delving into new material later on in the unit.


Do Now: Answer the following questions (review of previous knowledge)

Define and provide examples of nouns, verbs, and adjectives.


Introduction of daily objective: You will identify and correctly use proper nouns and adjectives.


We will work through the attached notes packet, identifying proper nouns and adjectives, and capitalizing them.

Next we will play a game with dry erase boards, engaging students in identifying proper nouns and adjectives, using the same skills discussed in the notes packet.


Students will complete an exit ticket, asking them to use the same skills we used all day (identify and capitalize proper nouns and adjectives).



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Name____________________________ Class ____________________Parts of Speech

There are lots of different parts of speech, but the three most common are:

Part of Speech Definition Examples

Quick Practice, Part 1For each word below, write a V if that word is a verb, an N if that word is a noun, and an A if that word is an adjective.

1. ______ run

2. ______ American

3. ______ house

4. ______ purple

5. ______ Ms. Leach

6. ______ sleep

7. ______ Gateway Middle School

8. ______ baseball

9. ______ best

10.______ read

Write three sentences containing at least two of the words in the list above in each sentence. Underline nouns, and circle adjectives. It is important to see these words in sentences as we are going to talk about them in more detail.

1.

2.

3.

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Let’s get more specific. There are two kinds of nouns and two kinds of adjectives: proper and common.

Part of Speech Proper – Capitalized Common – lower case

Quick Practice, Part 2For each word below, write a C if that word is a common noun or adjective, or a P if that word is a proper noun or adjective.

1. ______ St. Louis

2. ______ smart

3. ______ classroom

4. ______ English

5. ______ blue

6. ______ phone

7. ______ straight

8. ______ Russian

9. ______ America

10.______ American

Write three sentences containing at least two of the words in the list above in each sentence. Circle common nouns or adjectives and underline proper nouns or adjectives.

1.

2.

3.

Group PracticeIn the sentences below, identify the common and proper nouns and adjectives, if there are any.

1. President Obama is a very busy African American man. a. Common noun:b. Proper noun:

c. Common adjective:d. Proper adjective:

2. The United States is full of average American people. a. Common noun:b. Proper noun:


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3. Ohio State is an excellent school and has many Chinese students.a. Common noun:b. Proper noun:


Partner PracticeIn the passages below, identify the common and proper nouns and adjectives, if there are any.

1. Stidham Middle School is a school on the move. Its student population has consistently been increasing for the past five years. There is a noted increase in international students who are new to the country. Hispanic, Chinese, and Japanese student populations have all significantly grown.

a. Common nouns:b. Proper nouns:c. Common adjectives:d. Proper adjectives:

2. Mrs. Gasper, Hastings Middle School librarian, organized a reading contest to raise money for library books. Students talked with family from all over the United States to raise money for the books and were able to raise an average of $100 per student!


3. Coal is Kentucky’s most important natural resource, even more than wood products. The state has enormous coal resources—about ninety billion tons! Even so, Wyoming produces more coal on an annual basis than Kentucky. Most of the coal produced in Kentucky comes from the eastern portion of the state.


4. The precipitation levels in Owesboro, Uganda, do not vary much. Even so, March tends to be the most wet month in the city. October is usually the most dry month in Owesboro. For farmers, there’s nothing worse than a drought in March, because the crops need the rain to grow.

a. Common nouns:b. Proper nouns:

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c. Common adjectives:d. Proper adjectives:

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write a proper noun, write a common noun, write a proper adjective, write a common adjective

identify words as one of the aboveMr. EdmondKindCarpenterDogEnglishMaxBookSt. Louis Public LibraryJupiterHungryAfrican AmericanPlanetSleepyJewishLunchHaitiBlueOhioan Gateway Middle SchoolJapanese

Name_____________________________ Class _________________________Common and Proper Nouns and Adjectives Exit TicketWord Noun or Adjective? Proper or Common?Jewish

Water

American

Soldan High SchoolFriendly

For each sentence below, identify whether the underlined word is common or proper and a noun or an adjective by selecting the correct answer choice.

1. Gateway Middle School is the best middle school in St. Louis.

a. Common nounb. Proper noun

c. Common adjectived. Proper adjective

2. I spent some time with my Japanese friends last weekend.

a. Common nounb. Proper noun

c. Common adjectived. Proper adjective

3. Anna was a very nice person, one you got to know her.

a. Common nounb. Proper nounc. Common adjectived. Proper adjective

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