Mara Brandli

Lesson Plan #1: Bio-Poem about Literacy

Describe the context: (Students, grade level, geographic location, This semester I am completing my third observation at Notre community and school Dame Middle School which is located on Milwaukees south population, socio-economic side. I am observing a class of 19 female students who come profile, school culture, availability from a Hispanic background. of technology, content, learning styles, ethnic breakdown, special Milwaukees south side is known to be the home to the citys needs) Hispanic population, along with people of other backgrounds who also populate the area. Perhaps more noticeable than the ethnicity of the community is the socioeconomic status. The majority of the neighborhoods between National Avenue and Lincoln Avenue (from North to South) and 2nd Street to 43rd Street (from East to West) experience the effects of urban poverty. Working with this community as a youth retreat coordinator and as a high school teacher for five years, I knew coming into this observation site that children in this neighborhood face incredible challenges. The word incredible applies to this situation most accurately when it is understood as hard to give credit to the truth. The truth is that many of these students come from homes where parents work one, two, or maybe even three jobs at any hour of the day. The truth is that many of these students come from homes where depression has marred any sense of control, and alcoholism or drug abuse has entered in the place of values judged as idealistic or as some might think: the values of the white middle class. The truth is that violence permeates social interactions in words and action. As challenging as each of these truths is to internalize, perhaps the factor that leaves the greatest wake in this community, connecting its norms and values with those of almost all other communities that I have been a part of during my lifetime, is gender. The Hispanic culture is known for machismo, the domination of men over women. Recognizing all of these realities, Notre Dame Middle School seeks to empower its female students. The school culture is mission-driven; that is, the school is grounded by a vision that goes beyond rote mathematics or historical timelines. The schools leadership hopes that students and faculty alike enter this school with a desire to grow in knowledge as well as in character. The content follows state and national standards as well as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee; in addition to Math, Science, Literacy, and Social Studies, students also take a Religion class.

Mara Brandli

Lesson Plan #1: Bio-Poem about Literacy

Learning Goals/Objectives Content Standards (CCSS) Affective Objectives: (related to student attitudes and values; think dispositions) Cognitive: (related to the mastery of knowledge: think Bloom) For help please go to Blooms Taxonomy of Learning Domains

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1c Pose and respond to specic questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

Students Will Be Able To: Read a bio-poem to the class. Listen effectively to peers. Describe their opinions about reading and writing.

Mara Brandli

Lesson Plan #1: Bio-Poem about Literacy

- I have been observing students complete a writing activity (a topic is given, and they must write a topic sentence) during Pre-Assessment: (What will you my first two weeks of observation. My observations lead me do/what have you done to know to believe that students in this class are proficient to that the student(s) need to be advanced in their writing ability. Students write complex taught this information.) sentences with ease. - The purpose of this first lesson is to pre-assess student ideas/ current knowledge about reading and writing as well as begin to establish a rapport as the observing teacher. Assessment (Criteria / Look Fors; How will you assess learning? What will you do to know if the students have met the objectives?)

-For this lesson, the Bio Poem will be the formative assessment that will allow me to reflect on current knowledge and opinions regarding reading and writing. -Again, since this is the first activity and formative assessment, I will not expect a self-assessment.

What Rubrics or other scoring scales will be used?

-I will also look at how well students enjoy the activity as a Students Self-Assessment form of observational assessment. -How does an individual become a life-long writer and/or Enduring Understanding/ reader? Essential Question(s): (What are the big ideas? What thought provoking question(s) will guide the lesson?)

Mara Brandli

Lesson Plan #1: Bio-Poem about Literacy

Instructional Procedures 1. Introduction -Who I am and why I am here. Write essential Learning Strategies: (Be sure to question on the board: How does an individual become a include specific strategies to life-long reader and writer? (3-5 minutes) develop literacy of content) 2. Pre-assessment: Writing/Reading Bio Poem (method of assessing opinions about reading/writing as well as learning student names) - Teacher models. (5 minutes) Introduction 3. Students write their own bio poem. (10-15 minutes) Pre (How will you motivate, 4. Students stand up and share their bio poem with the class. I activate prior knowledge, what expect that students who are not sharing will be actively will be your hook? . . .) listening to their peers. To structure the lesson so that students are active listeners, students will write down the writers name and one piece of information that they found During to be the most interesting or one question for the writer Demonstration while each student presents. This approach to active listening also helps to build community among the students. (20-25 minutes) 5. Exit slip - Based on the sharing of our bio-poems, how do Participation you think that a person becomes a life-long reader or writer? (3-5 minutes)

Practice

Closure Post Extension Time (Total and Specific) 45-50 minutes

Student Accommodations Differentiation/Planning for Individual Needs (IEP goals if known; RtI; learning styles):

At this point, I do not know much about the different learning needs of the students. If I observe students who take longer to process the bio-poem questions, I will modify their assignment and ask them to list one or two items that describe their reading habits rather than three items.

Resources and Materials: Writing utensil, loose-leaf paper (Include technology where applicable/available/appropriate)

Mara Brandli

Lesson Plan #1: Bio-Poem about Literacy

Jerome Bruners theory of Constructivism informed this Reflection (What theory/ lesson. Since this is the first time that I am leading this theorists are you using to guide particular class, I wanted to begin by activating current/past your practice/planning of this knowledge about literacy with the bio-poem activity since the lesson?) only way to build lasting meaning (true comprehension) is by making connections to current/past schemas.