Professional Documents
Culture Documents
cooperative learning
Objective:
This lesson is the opening lesson of a two week long unit of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet.
To open class the learners will write half a page about their previous knowledge of
Shakespeare. In this lesson the students will learn the importance of individual words to a text
by filling out a probable passage (intrapersonal smart/ interpersonal) Students work with a
partner to fill out the probable passage (A probable passage takes complicated or important
words from a factual text and puts them in a word bank. From this word bank students
categorize the words into categories: things, people, places, and ideas (verbal linguistic smart.)
After categorizing students write a prediction about what they think the reading will be about.
Then the students read the passage with the teacher. The teacher points out the words that
they already categorized, clarifying their meaning and showing why they are important. As the
teacher reads about The Globe Theatre, she passes around a realistic model (visual/ spatial
smart.) Next, the learners will complete a prologue activity in groups of four, where the
opening lines of the prologue of Romeo and Juliet are scattered and the students need to put
it back together using their knowledge of the play and rhyme scheme knowledge (Logical
mathematical smart.) This gives the students a good summary of the play, even before they
read it.
Anticipatory Set:
Teacher briefly introduces Romeo and Juliet as a play about people their age, dealing
with problems that modern teens can relate to.
The students write a paragraph about what they already know about Shakespeare or
Romeo and Juliet.
Writing the paragraph gives the students a chance to showcase information that they
already knew.
The students complete a paragraph, which accesses prior knowledge, practices writing
skills, and orients the students towards the new topic. (Formative assessment.)
The students complete a probable passage in pairs to show students the importance of
vocabulary in meaning making and to get the students interested in the reading.
(Formative assessment.)
The students complete a prologue activity in a group of four to get an overall view of
the play as well as to practice their skills deciphering rhyme schemes. (Formative
assessment.)
By the end of the lesson students will be able to display background knowledge about
William Shakespeare at a proficient level 4 out of 5 times on a post quiz the following
day. (Formative assessment.)
V: Input:
Task Analysis:
The learners need the readings from their literature textbooks, the probable passage
worksheet, a basic knowledge of vocabulary, and how words function, knowledge of
rhyme scheme.
15 minutes: Probable passage; split into pairs and categorize words into
thing, people, places, or ideas.
10 minutes: write a prediction about what you think the reading will be
about.
Students with inadequate background knowledge are identified early on in the lesson
through the previous knowledge paragraph, allowing time for re-teaching if necessary.
Students with IEPs can have materials read to them upon request. Students are paired
with learners of different abilities to allow the students to support one another.
Students work with reading, writing, discussing in pairs and groups, and problem solving
skills.
In this lesson materials will be presented through lecture, discussion, and through print
and models.
Materials needed are paper, pencil, probable passage worksheet, textbook, and
prologue activity kit.
VI: Modeling:
Teacher shows how to fill out a probable passage worksheet on the overhead.
See above.
Teacher passes around a model of the Globe Theatre while she reads background
information to the students based on the probable passage assignment.
Students are involved in the lesson by using visual, kinesthetic (model,) and auditory
modalities.
The teacher stops periodically to check to make sure the students have time to
complete tasks, answer questions, and get directions.
The teacher models how to properly use a probably passage worksheet as well as orally
shows how a previous knowledge paragraph might read.
The teacher is available to answer any questions and circulates regularly to be sure the
students are on task.
Over the course of the lesson student complete a probable passage, write a paragraph,
and complete the prologue activity independently.
No homework is assigned.
X: Closure:
Once the students leave the teacher looks over the paragraph, probable passage and
the prologue results and uses these indicators to gauge what the students learned and
what they still need work with. She will use this information as a point on reference for
beginning the lesson the next day.