Lesson Plan by Jonathan Tomick Template by Alene Harris, Ph. D.

American Other Lesson Plan page 1

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN LESSON BUILDER AND RUBRIC

LESSON IDENTIFICATION:

Lesson Title: American Other Lesson Length: The primary parts of the lesson should take no more than two days given a block schedule, meaning the periods should be between 70 and 90 minutes in length. If all possible learning activities (below) are used, the lesson could extend to a third day. Grade Level & Performance Level: 9th grade and above. Measurable Behavioral Objective: At the culmination of this lesson, students will be able to identify the speaker in a poem and describe the speakers interaction with the other elements within the world of the poem. Students will recognize the dynamic ways in which they influence their classmates and their teachers and how they are influenced by their classmates and their teachers. Standard(s) addressed: Standards below are the Secondary Standards from the National Council of Teachers of English, taken from http://www.ncte.org/standards 1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics). 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts. 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. 8. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

Lesson Plan by Jonathan Tomick Template by Alene Harris, Ph. D.

American Other Lesson Plan page 2

11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities. 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). STEP 1: Identify the Desired Results

A. Prioritizing the Content (1) Enduring Understanding/Key Concepts What is/are key ideas your students should retain as a result of the weeks lesson?

1. Students should remember that the Harlem Renaissance was an artistic movement in which African American artists and other American artists of African descent achieved notoriety on a national level. 2. Students should develop an understanding literature as an exploration of the dynamic interactions among individuals and their society. 3. Students should learn that they have a choice in how they interact with the world around them. 4. Students should be cognizant of black ethnicities. (2) Important to Know and Do What prerequisite knowledge and/or skills should student already have? At the end of the lessons, what knowledge and skills should your students have mastered and what value(s) should they hold?

a. KNOWLEDGE:

Prerequisite: Students do not need much prerequisite knowledge other than being proficient in reading the English language and having a general knowledge of figurative language. Knowledge of Walt Whitman and the development of American poetry from the Antebellum through the turn of the 20th century would give students greater familiarity with the poetic voice Hughes employs in America. Gained: Students should know Langston Hughes and Claude McKay were important poets during the Harlem Renaissance, and they should know Claude McKay was a Jamaican immigrant. b. SKILLS:

Prerequisite: Students should be proficient in writing with the English language and should be able to construct paragraphs. Students should be able to articulate their interpretations, especially of poetry. In other words, they should be able to read a line of poetry, tell what they think it means, and provide evidence for that meaning. They

Lesson Plan by Jonathan Tomick Template by Alene Harris, Ph. D.

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should be able to do all of this in writing, although adaptations could be made using audio recorders. Gained: Students will learn how to locate the speaker of a poem and describe how the speaker interacts with other elements of the poem. Students will also gain skill in writing poetry of their own. They will learn how to better connect with poetry on a personal level and see the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance as relevant to their own lives and experiences.

c. VALUES:

Students should learn to value how they identify and treat others and appreciate the fact that they too are being identified and treated in certain ways based on those identifications. Students should learn to appreciate their ability to help and hinder each other, and in turn, to value their potential to be accepting and supporting of their classmates and friends. Students should value poetry as a means of expressing ones identity.

(3) Worth Being Familiar With What broad-brush knowledge do you want your students to encounter within the lessons?

Students should gain an awareness of the Other as a philosophical idea and as a literary technique employed by authors across genres, cultures, and times.

B. Developing a Possible Learner-centered Lesson Introduction What interesting question(s) related to a main idea might initially interest and engage students in the lesson topic? (Think learner-centered and real-world linkage.)

(as the teacher speaking) Class, please take out a sheet of paper and a writing utensil. Individually, think about a time when someone else did something that was hurtful to you, that made you really upset, and that possibly made you try to get back at that person. This doesnt have to be recent, although your response will be stronger if you pick an incident you remember clearly. Once you think of something, take ten minutes and write me, your teacher, a letter that tells me how I should feel about what that person did. I have not witnessed this event, but I have heard about it and I dont know how to react. You need to tell me how I should feel. We have 10 minutes, starting now!

STEP 2: Determining Acceptable Evidence

A. Developing Formative Assessment (no grade) (1) For the Student What ideas do you have to let students see what they do and do not understand and have opportunity to improve?

Lesson Plan by Jonathan Tomick Template by Alene Harris, Ph. D.

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Students will have their short responses to the learner-centered introduction, given above. Students will then have another written response to the following question: Which Claude McKay poem, America or The Citys Love, better represents the sentiments of African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance? Please provide an explanation for your choice. As the second response is based on a class discussion on how America and the speaker are represented as Others in the two poems, having students do a comparison of their introduction response and this second response would reveal to students any disparities or parallels in how they view their own experience and how they view the speakers experience in McKays poetry. At the end of the lesson, students will write a poem that explores themselves through the eyes of another. Students will then have three written responses, one analytical, one evaluative, and one creative, over which to reflect on their evolution in thinking about their place in their classroom, their city (Nashville), and America. (2) For the Teacher What ideas do you have to let you see how well you are getting the ideas across and know where to make changes to improve your teaching? Include ideas of Informal Checks for Understanding and/or Observation/Dialogue that you might use to determine how well students have learned?

The teacher will collect students written responses. These responses will provide the teacher with a baseline of students current thoughts and feelings. They will also provide information regarding the level to which students are engaging with the poetry and the ideas of the Harlem Renaissance. The teacher will also collect students poems at the end of the lesson, in which a synthesis of personal values and the ideals of the Harlem Renaissance should be viewable.

B. Developing Summative Assessment (grade)

(2) Test/quiz Questions and/or Academic Prompts What ideas do you have regarding tests/quizzes and/or academic prompts you might use to determine how well stud