Color Key:

green: time
blue: my resources/planning material
red: handouts (to students)

Day 1
85 minutes
Goals:
Students will start to think about courage and how Tom Robinson showed courage, which
they will need to write the culminating text for the unit in the form of a compare/contrast
essay
Students will learn prepositional phrases, and how they can enhance writing
Students will be introduced to Frederick Douglass and the text for the unit, Narrative of the
Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, and hopefully be excited to read it after the
book talk
Students will be introduced to the Double Entry Journal
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.L.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.2.D
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.D
Plan:
1. Writers Journal (15 min) - Prompts will be put up on SMARTboard each day
Prompt 1: We just finished To Kill a Mockingbird. What were some of the ways that
Tom Robinson showed courage throughout the book?
Prompt 2: Who in your life would you consider courageous? Why? What are some
specific events or examples?
Prompt 3: What do you already know about slavery? What do you think about slavery,
knowing what you know?
2. Grammar Mini-Lesson on Prepositional Phrases (20 min)
Handouts for activity
3. Introduce Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave with a Frederick
Douglass Biographical video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su-4JBEIhXY) (5 min)
Frederick Douglass is a fascinating, motivating, and important figure in American
History in relation to slavery. He was extremely courageous and valued the importance
of an education, which is what ultimately allowed him to escape. Were going to watch
a quick biographical video on Douglass, and then Im going to introduce the book
were going to be reading this unit, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An
American Slave.
For the culminating text for this unit, you will be writing a compare/contrast essay
with Frederick Douglass and Tom Robinson. You will compare/contrast their character
qualities, how they showed courage, and the oppression and struggles each man went
through.

4.

5.

Word Splash on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (25 min)

We will do two or three of these, depending on discussion.
I will give the words from the text to the students, then give them 5 minutes to come up
with a prediction. We will then discuss for 3 minutes, with students giving their
predictions. I will also give my prediction.
Word Splash 1:
Words from text: masters family, two years, plantation, three to four hundred,
Colonel Lloyd, whipped, convicted, slaves, misdemeanor, and run away.
My Prediction: Frederick Douglass lived for two years at the plantation of
Colonel Lloyd. His masters family had three to four hundred slaves, who if
convicted of a misdemeanor, such as being a run away, were whipped.
Word Splash 2:
Words from text: between seven and eight years old, left Colonel Lloyds
plantation, Baltimore, Mr. Hugh Auld, son-in-law, Thomas Auld, three days,
happiest days, washing, departure.
My Prediction: When Douglass was between seven and eight years old, he left
Colonel Lloyds plantation to go to Baltimore to serve under Mr. Hugh Auld, who
was the son-in-law of Thomas Auld. Douglass was to leave in three days, which
were the happiest days of his life. To prepare for his departure, Douglass made
sure he was presentable by washing up.
Word
Splash 3:

Words from the text: learning to read and write, various stratagems, teacher,
ceased to instruct, mental darkness, white boys, bread, knowledge, succeeded,
learning to read
My Prediction: Douglass, while learning to read and write, had to try various
stratagems because he had no teacher. His teacher ceased to instruct him, placing
him in mental darkness. Douglass gave the white boys in his neighborhood bread
in exchange for knowledge, and thats how he succeeded in learning to read.
Introduce Double Entry Journal assignment for text (10 min)
Handout the Double Entry Journal Activity Sheet
Students will keep a double entry journal throughout the reading of the text.!

On the left side, students will write quotes or paraphrases from the text, and on the

right side, students will respond with their thoughts, questions, or reactions.!
Students will write something every time they read, focusing mostly on theme, but
also on important events!
For the right side, I want to see how youre making connections with the text, your
feelings and reactions to whats happening, and any themes youre seeing in the text!

6.

7.

Introduce Homework Assignment (5min)

Give copies of books
Read Preface and Introduction
Exit Slip (5 min) - Options will be put up on SMARTboard each day
Option 1: What does courage mean to you?
Option 2: Is there anything in particular youre struggling with, either in this class,
school in general, or personally?

 Option 3: Do you have an reservations about reading this book?

!
Note to Self:
!

Co-Planning: Due to the sensitive nature of slavery, talk to the guidance counselor and principal
and determine if a letter to parents/permission slip is needed for some students.

Professional Learning Community (PLC): In my 9th Grade PLC, Anton asked what I would
do if a student didnt/couldnt read To Kill A Mockingbird, and therefore couldnt do the default
compare/contrast essay (culminating text). I would have them do a compare/contrast essay on
two characters in this text. The assignment sheet would be different, and instead of focusing on
how multiple characters displayed courage or were oppressed/how they struggled, they would
focus on how Douglass showed courage and the struggles he went through, and what qualities
the other character displayed and the struggles they encountered. It would become much more of
a contrast essay, but the main elements and skills, such as identifying character qualities would
still be hit.

Day 2
85 minutes
Goals:
Students will think about prejudice, racism, and repression in their lives and/or the world
today
Students will form opinions based on statements/questions and defend their opinions to a
small group of their peers
Students will think about what to expect in the text based upon the questions on the
Anticipation Guide
Students will learn how to create and post on a blog
Students will listen actively to the reading of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.A
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.6
Plan:
1. Writers Journals (10 min)
Prompt 1: Write about an instance where you witnessed a person getting prejudiced
against. It doesnt have to be because of race, but thats the most common reason
Prompt 2: Why do you think prejudice, racism, and/or repression still happen in America
today?
2. Anticipation Guide (20 min)
Hand out Anticipation Guide Worksheet
Go over instructions on the handout

3.

4.

5.
6.

Take 3 minutes to answer the questions, answering yes or no on the before reading side
Take 12 minutes and discuss in your table groups your answers, and the reasoning behind
your answers. If you disagree with someone in your group, discuss why and defend your
opinion
Have a 5 minute class discussion
Which question was the most debated in your group?
Which question was the least debated?
Is there a question that you struggled to answer?
Which question do you feel most strongly about?
Read Chapters 1-3 in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. (25
min)
Everyone get somewhere comfortable in the room. This can be at your desk, on the floor,
wherever.
Play the audio book of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave
for Chapters 1-3
Introduce Blog Activity and walkthrough setup (25 min)
For this text, you will create a blog using google blogger. This can be as fancy or as
plain as youd like it, as the posts you do are what matters most. I encourage to play
around with it as much as possible though
All of you already have google accounts from writing your personal narratives and
sharing them. To create your blog, go to google, then click on blogger
Click on new blog, and select the template
Show them the all the templates, how to preview the blog, and how to name it
Create the blog and then walk them through how to create a new post
Create a post with a sentence, then post it
Bring up the blog I already created that has the first prompt already loaded
Tell the class that they will be responding to 2 prompts in class based on the reading, and
completing a 6 word summary of the text accompanied by a picture (like weve already
done before) on the last day before break
All the blog posts will be done in class, and you will have the prompts the class period
before you will work on them in order to think about what you want to write
Homework: Read Chapter 4 and Complete a Double Entry Journal Submission on Chapters
1-4 (1 min)
Exit Slip (4 min)
Option 1: How does this text being written in first person enhance the effectiveness of the
message?
Option 2: Is there anything in the first three chapters that made you rethink any of your
answers to the Anticipation Guide questions?
Option 3: Is there anything in particular youre struggling with, either in this class, school
in general, or personally?

!
Note to Self:
!

Co-Planning: As I introduced the blog assignment today, I need to be prepared in case a student
takes liberties with the blog and writes things they shouldnt, whether its inappropriate, hurtful,
sexual, etc. I will meet with the school counselor and come up with a plan to address it if it
happens, which will include the counselor coming to class and talking to all the students, in
addition to the one(s) that posted the content

Day 3
85 minutes

Goals:
Students will recognize plot in poetry, and how plot advances in each stanza
Students will finish setting up their blogs, in order to start posting next class
Students will learn about Participial Phrases, and how they can enhance their writing
Students will listen actively while I read, noticing how I respond to punctuation in writing
Students will relate themes or ideas in poetry to prose
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.9
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.B
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Plan:
1. Writers Journal (10 min)
Prompt 1: Work on your Double Entry Journal if needed
Prompt 2: Whats your reaction to what happened with Demby? How was that situation
handled? How could it have been handled differently? Was it wrong?
2. Read The Lotus-Eaters (5 min)
Have a different student read each stanza. Do this twice
3. Plot Structure Organizer for The Lotus-Eaters (15 min)
Something happens in each stanza that advances the plot
Each box represents a stanza
Students will pair up and reread the poem
Students will write down in each box, as specifically as they can, what happens in each
stanza
Students will take 10 minutes to do this, and we will have a class discussion, sharing
what students think happened in each stanza
4. Work on Blog Setup (15 min)
Students will have 15 minutes to work on their blog using their laptops
I will walk around, answer any questions, and help where needed
If a good number of students need help, I will hold a quick workshop, going back over
how to setup a blot, post on a blog, and anything else needed
5. Grammar Mini-Lesson on Participial Phrases (20 min)
Handouts for activities
6. Read Chapters 5-6 in Class (15 min)

7.
8.

I will read these chapters today, instead of the audio book. I want students to see how I
read in regards to punctuation and emphasis
Homework: Read Chapter 7 and Complete a Double Entry Journal Submission on Chapters
5-7 (1 min)
Exit Slip (4 min)
Option 1: How does the poem Lotus-Eaters relate to Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass, An American Slave
Option 2: Is there anything in particular youre struggling with, either in this class,
school in general, or personally?

Day 4
85 minutes
Goals:
Students will identify and share themes in the text
Students will use technology to respond to a prompt and also a peers response
Students will identify character qualities and use evidence to support their claim
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.A
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Plan:
1. Writers Journal (15 min)
Prompt 1: Can education be a ticket out of a bad situation, or into a good job?
Prompt 2: If you had to teach yourself to read, how would you go about it?
2. Double Entry Journal Share (10 min)
In your table groups, share your text selections and your responses with your group
Talk about the themes you noticed when selecting the passages and the themes in the
entire book
Note any similarities in responses, passages, and themes identified
3. Blog Post 1 Done in Class (20 min)
Everybody get your laptops out and go to your blog page
I will open my blog page and display it, along with the prompt on the page, on the
SMART board
The prompt is: We learn about how Douglass taught himself to read and why. Respond to
the quote from Mr. Auld, when he catches Mrs. Auld instructing Douglass but doesn't like
it. Mr Auld says, "If you give a negro an inch, he will take an ell. A negro should know
nothing but to obey his master - to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best
negro in the world. Now, if you teach that negro how to read, there would be no keeping
him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable,
and of no value to his master. As to himself, it could do him no good, but a great deal of
harm. It would make him discontented and unhappy" (Douglass 78). Why was it such a
big deal to keep a slave from becoming educated? What does this conversation do to

Douglass, his frame of mind, and his desire for learning to read and write? If you were in
Douglass' shoes, what would you have done, or thought, after hearing this conversation?
Why/How could learning to read and write make a slave even more discontent?
Take 15 minutes to respond to prompt 1 on your blog page
I will tell the class when 15 minutes is up. Finish your sentence, and then publish your
post
For the next 5 minutes, select another students blog, and respond to the post they just
published. Give them feedback. Do you agree with what they said? Disagree? What
could they add to improve it? Does it make sense? Basically, any suggestions you have to
make their post more complete.
4. ABCs of Character Qualities (20 min)
Give ABCs of Character Qualities handout to students
Go over instructions on handout
Talk to them about character qualities and how textual evidence is needed to show
motivations behind the qualities
The reasons a character displays qualities tells the reader the type of qualities the
character truly has
A lot of readers take information given at face value and run with it. By requiring
students to give textual evidence, Im trying to make the students dig a little deeper to
those motivations. They will then be able to make statements/claims about a character
and support their claims with evidence from the texts, which they will be required to do
in the compare/contrast essay
In your table groups, fill out the handout, writing the character qualities with the
corresponding letter. Be sure to give a textual example with each quality
For the purpose of the handout, you can just write page number, or however you want to
do it, in order to be able to reference it later
You can and should use this handout when writing your compare/contrast essay, which
we will start next class
5. Read Chapters 8-9 in Class (15 min)
I will read these chapters
6. Exit Slip (5 min)
Option 1: How big a part do motivations play in regards to true character, as opposed to
faking a character quality?
Option 2: What are any worries you have with the compare/contrast essay?
Option 3: Is there anything in particular youre struggling with, either in this class, school
in general, or personally?

!
Note to Self:
!

Co-Teaching: If I have a student that writes inappropriate content on their blog post, I will have
the guidance counselor come into class the next class (Day 5) and talk to the class about how the
things you say can hurt other people. The counselor will have free reign to discuss what they
feel necessary, and it will be done during the writers journal 10 minutes allotment.

Day 5

85 minutes
Goals:
Students will learn about Absolute Phrases and how they can enhance their writing
Students will listen actively while the text is read aloud
As a class, we will discuss the rubric and make any changes deemed necessary
Students will create a Venn Diagram, establishing similar and different character qualities
between Frederick Douglass and Tom Robinson
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.1.B
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.B
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.4
Plan:
1. Writers Journal (10 min)
Prompt 1: What are some character qualities that Tom Robinson displays the Frederick
Douglass also displays?
Prompt 2: What are some of the struggles that Tom Robinson goes through? How do
they differ from, or are similar to, struggles that Douglass goes through?
2. Grammar Mini-Lesson on Absolute Phrases (20 min)
Handouts for activities
3. Read Chapters 10-11 in Class (35 min)
Use audio book for these chapters, since they are longer
4. Complete Venn Diagram (10 min)
Give students the handout
This is going to really start you on your way toward establishing the character qualities,
struggles and situations, and ways courage is displayed by both Frederick Douglass and
Tom Robinson
If you havent used a Venn Diagram before, what youre going to do is label one circle
Frederick Douglass and the other circle Tom Robinson
For this assignment, youre going to focus solely on character qualities, struggles and
situations, and ways courage is displayed
In the outer circles, where the circles dont overlap, youre going to put the differences in
each idea. Ensure that you label what idea youre talking about in order to keep track
In the middle, where the circles overlap, youre going to put all the similarities with the
ideas
You can, and need, to use these in your compare/contrast essay
You have 10 min to complete these. You can pair up if youd like, or do them
independently
5. Introduce Compare/Contrast Essay (5 min)
Give out assignment sheet
Discuss the rubric
Are there any questions about what Im looking for?

6.

7.

Is there anything on the rubric you dont think is fair?

What do you want to change about the rubric?
Take the rubric discussions into account and make any changes that truly make sense
Tell students they will have workshop the next two class periods, and the essay is due
next Friday. We will discuss the choices students made in regards to the character
qualities, struggles, and ways each character portrayed courage in class the day the essay
is due.
Homework: Work on Compare/Contrast Essay and Read Appendix (1 min)
Ensure you at least come up with the character qualities, examples of struggles, and ways
the characters showed courage before next class period, when we will have 30 minutes to
workshop
Exit Slip (4 min)
Option 1: What are some of the struggles that Tom Robinson goes through? How do they
differ from, or are similar to, struggles that Douglass goes through?
Option 2: What are some character qualities that Tom Robinson displays the Frederick
Douglass also displays?
Option 3: How does Tom Robinson and Frederick Douglass display courage? How are
these displays similar and different?
Option 4: Is there anything in particular youre struggling with, either in this class, school
in general, or personally?

!
Note to Self:
!

PLC: In the groups after the student teacher panel, Chris Vanjonack suggested that I discuss the
rubric with the class and see if they have any suggestions or problems/concerns with what Im
asking them to do. This will help students thrive on the assignment and clear up any concerns or
questions they have.

Day 6
85 minutes
Goals:
Students will use technology to respond to a prompt and also a peers response
Students will identify different reasons for line breaks in a poem, and how those line breaks
shape the tone, message, and flow of the poem
Students will start to form and organize their essay, along with pairing examples with textual
evidence
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1
Plan:
1. Writers Journal (10 min)

2.

3.

4.

5.

Work on your compare/contrast essay, ensuring you have you examples of character
qualities, examples of struggles, and ways the characters showed courage
Blog Post 2 Done in Class (20 min)
Everybody get your laptops out and go to your blog page
I will open my blog page and display it, along with the prompt on the page, on the
SMART board
Prompt 2: There is a scene in which Douglass gets beat up by a bunch of white guys.
However, there is nothing he can do about it, because nobody will believe him over a
group of white people. As Douglass writes, "If I had been killed in the presence of a
thousand colored people, their testimony combined would have been insufficient to have
arrested one of the murderers" (Douglass 134). How does it feel to be so helpless and
looked down upon? If you were in a situation where no matter what, someone wouldn't
believe you, how would you feel? What would you do? Should Douglass have done
something different, or was he pretty much just stuck? How is this injustice similar to
what Tom Robinson goes through?
Take 15 minutes to respond to prompt 2 on your blog page
I will tell the class when 15 minutes is up. Finish your sentence, and then publish your
post
For the next 5 minutes, select another students blog, and respond to the post they just
published. Give them feedback. Do you agree with what they said? Disagree? What
could they add to improve it? Does it make sense? Basically, any suggestions you have to
make their post more complete.
Read Frederick Douglass (Poem) in Class (5 min)
Handout the poem Frederick Douglass
We will read this poem 3 times. I will read it the first time and then two students will read
it
Complete Line Breaks Activity for Frederick Douglass (15 min)
I will take this activity from Reading Poetry by Janeczko
I will give students the prose version of the poem Stories
None of the punctuation will be changed, it will just be in paragraph form
Students will pair up, read the passage, and draw a slash where they think line breaks
should happen
They can choose where the breaks happen based upon a variety of reasons, including
punctuation, words that go together, thoughts, events, or any reason they see fit
Students will have 5 minutes to complete this
Then, we will discuss as a class where different pairs decided to insert line breaks
For then next couple minutes, I will put the poem version of Stories up on the SMART
board and we will discuss how the poem was actually broken up, and the reasons the poet
decided to break it up the way they did
For 5 minutes, we will then look back at Frederick Douglass and discuss how/why the
line breaks are where they are
Workshop Compare/Contrast Essay (30 min)
In todays workshop, you need to focus on a specific purpose: (Put on SMART board)

 Group your qualities, struggles, and examples of courage together the way you
want them in your paper. You can group by quality/struggle/courage and how each
character showed this, or you can group by all of the characters attributes and
depictions, then talk about the other character. The choice is yours. Today, I want
you to organize your essay, and ensure you have the format and qualities with
textual evidence ready
If you happen to finish this before the 30 min is up, then work on your reasoning
behind why your chose these qualities and why you chose to compare/contrast them
the way you did. In other words, why did you see these qualities/situations as
similar or different?
6. Homework: Work on Compare/Contrast Essay (1 min)
Continue what we did in workshop today
7. Exit Slip (4 min)
What are some concerns/struggles youre having with the compare/contrast essay?
What are you focusing on in your compare/contrast essay?
What questions do you have about the compare/contrast essay?
Is there anything in particular youre struggling with, either in this class, school in
general, or personally?

Day 7
85 minutes
Goals:
Students will decide their interpretation and feelings toward the themes, conflicts, symbols,
or events that happened in the text
Students will do peer revision, and look for particular components of a peers writing
Students will workshop their essays and take peer feedback into consideration to edit and
revise their essays
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.C
Plan:
1. Writers Journal (15 min)
Work on Compare/Contrast essay
You can talk to a partner quietly if you want some advice or help
2. Likert Scale Large Group Activity (20 min)
Handout Likert Scale handout
Students will have 5 minutes to go through and circle where they stand on each statement
While theyre doing this, I will be putting up stations where students will go depending
on their opinion (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree)

 After the 5 minutes are up, I will read off one statement at a time. After reading a
particular statement, students will go to the station thats marked with the answer they
gave
We will spend 2 minutes on each statement, discussing the different opinions and why
students have those opinions
If the discussion is really taking off, I will either ask the class if they would rather spend
more time discussing or work on their essays, or, depending on the seriousness of the
discussions taking place, will let time bleed over into workshop time, but only for a few
minutes
3. Workshop Compare/Contrast Essay (45 min)
This workshop will be broken into two different parts
First 20 min: Students will have work time to continue working on their essay,
focusing on the qualities and evidence first, and then working on the introduction and
conclusion next. The goal is for students to be nearly done before these 20 minutes
are up
The next 20 min: Students will pair up with a partner and do peer revision. You are
looking for (I will put these on the board during the first 20 min): at least 1 character
quality for each character, how those qualities are displayed in a similar or different
fashion, and at least 1 piece of textual evidence to support this claim. You are also
looking for at least 1 struggle or way oppression happened for each character, the
similarities or differences in the situation, and at least 1 piece of textual evidence to
support this claim. You are also looking for at least 1 way in which each character
displayed courage, the similarities or differences in that display, and at least 1 piece
of textual evidence to support this claim.
For the last 5 min: Take 2 min or so, and tell you partner whats missing from the
areas you looked for. Give suggestions on ways to improve their essay. Tell them
what they did well, or the positives. Then switch.
4. Homework: Finish Compare/Contrast Essay (1 min)
Finish writing, revising, and editing your essay
Post and share your finished essay to google docs by class time Friday
Remember that you will be discussing your essay in class by talking about the character
qualities you used, the example(s) of struggle/oppression you talked about, and how each
character displayed courage, along with the textual evidence you used to support. These
presentations will be no longer than a minute, and you wont have to take questions. We
will discuss the similarities and differences in the choices made by the class, and what
that means about how each individual interprets a text
5. Exit Slip (4 min)
Option 1: What is still missing from your compare/contrast essay that you need to finish?
Option 2: Is there anything in particular youre struggling with, either in this class, school
in general, or personally?

!
Note to Self:
!

Co-Teaching: For the writing workshop today, I could have a teacher from the writing center
come to class to assist students with their writing. This would give me another professional in
the room, and ensure that more students get the help they need.

Day 8
85 minutes
Goals:
Students will revisit the Anticipation Guide and see if their opinions changed and why
We will discuss as a class the choices students made in their essay, and how that shows the
different ways individuals interpret text
Students will be able to identify a picture and summarize a text in a very direct manner,
using 6 words to summarize an entire novel
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.3
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4
Plan:
1. No Writers Journal today (0 min)
2. Turn in Double Entry Journal (2 min)
Have students put their Journals into the middle of their table group, and I will come
collect while they complete the Anticipation Guide
3. Anticipation Guide (20 min)
Students will pull out the Anticipation Guide that we completed the before reading
section on Day 2
We will complete the after reading section today
Take 3 minutes to answer the questions, answering yes or no on the after reading side
Take 12 minutes and discuss in your table groups your answers, and the reasoning behind
your answers. If you disagree with someone in your group, discuss why and defend your
opinion
Have a 5 minute class discussion
Did any of your opinions change after reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass, An American Slave?
Which questions did you still struggle to answer? Were they the same as before?
Which questions were the most hotly debated? Were they the same as before?
4. Discuss Compare/Contrast Essay (15 min)
Class discussion on character qualities selected, examples of how each character showed
courage, and examples of how each character was oppressed and their struggles
Which character qualities did you use for Frederick Douglass? How about Tom
Robinson?
What character qualities are similar? Which are different?
Whats similar about the struggles each character faced?

 Whats different?
How did each portray courage? What are the similarities and differences in that
portrayal?
5. Complete and Present Blog Post 3 (45 min)
Everybody get your laptops out and go to your blog page
I will open my blog page and display it, along with the prompt on the page, on the
SMART board
Prompt 3: For your last blog post, you will post one picture and have a six word
summary accompany that picture. This picture and six word summary will be about the
main idea, theme, or event that you found most interesting, important, and/or meaningful.
It could be about Douglass getting an education, slavery, Douglass' escape, the cruel
treatment of slaves, or anything else you found integral.
Take 25 minutes to respond to prompt 3 on your blog page. You know how to insert a
picture into the blog. Do that, and you can just write your 6 word summary directly under
the picture. Then publish your post
I will tell the class when 25 minutes is up. Finish your sentence, and then publish your
post
For the next 5 minutes, select another students blog, and respond to the post they just
published. Give them feedback. Do you agree with what they said? Disagree? Does it
make sense? Does the picture correlate to the summary and the text?
For the final 15 minutes, students will share their blog posts with the entire class. This
will be voluntary at first, but if no one is volunteering, I will randomly select students
blogs to show. I will turn the SMART board off, select the blog, have the picture
showing, without the name of the blog showing, so its somewhat anonymous, and then
we will discuss as a class the picture and 6 word summary
6. Verbal Exit Slips (3 min)
What are you going to do over Christmas Break?
What are you most looking forward to over Christmas Break?