Learning Skills II and Preparing for Midterms | 1

Lesson Plan For Week 6

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Demonstrate effective study skills and strategies for success in the classroom
Utilize instructor feedback
You will need:
LAS 101 textbook
Attendance record sheet and sign-in sheet
Homework record sheet
Classroom technology
Identity Pyramid Worksheet (enough copies for all students)
You will check:
You will assign:
Weekly Timetable Reality
HW: Read pp. 3-4 in the LAS 101 textbook
worksheet for Credit / No Credit on p.
Diversity Prewrite is due Monday 10/5 at
20.
midnight, submitted on Moodle
Identity Pyramid Worksheet due in class
You will collect: Any paper copies of
Week 7.
Group/Individual Evaluation. Turn in to your
TA at next 399 meeting. No grading.
You will remind students to:
Schedule a time for one-on-one meetings with you. These need to be completed by the end
of this week.
2 minutes

Check Attendance

Mark present students (P), absent students (A), and after 10 minutes anyone who
is late (L) on your attendance record sheet.
Collect sign-in attendance sheet.
Weekly Timetable Reality Worksheet Assignment (Starter Activity)

8-10 minutes

Starter Activity: Have students pair with a partner to discuss and reflect on the
following questions together. Have these questions projected on the board so that
all students are able to see them.
Homework Check: As the students discuss these questions, check the homework
and mark the assignment as Full Credit/Half Credit/No Credit on your homework
record sheet. Remember to input these grades into Moodle after your class.
Questions
1. Compare your proposed timetable to the timetable that reflects the reality of your
week. What factors altered your proposed schedule? (pp. 19-20).
2. Turn to the Priority Management--Fail page in your textbook (p. 21). Identify your top
three biggest distractors. Consider the action steps listed. Have you tried these action
steps to eliminate the distractors? What other action steps have you tried that have been
particularly useful in helping you eliminate distractions?
3. Midterms are upon us: they are either fast approaching or they have already begun for
some students. How will this/did this impact your schedule?
4. What midterms are you taking/have you taken, and how will you/did you prepare?
SPECIAL NOTE: Use questions 3 and 4 to segue into your own lesson plan for the week.
Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Learning Skills II and Preparing for Midterms | 2

Lesson Plan For Week 6

2 minutes

Pop Quiz

I will start the class with a pop quiz review on things they should know about LAS 101
already.
1. What is your interns name? Dara
2. Who is your TA? Chauntee Thrill
3. What are some topics we have covered it class? Time management, campus safety, etc.
4. True or False. This is a 8 week course? False
5. What is moodle? Where I can check what is going on in the class, where I can check
my grade, and turn in assignments

Maximizing Your Learning

13 minutes

I will introduce the topic of Maximize Your Learning by showing them the first

tip, understanding your professors teaching style. This will begin with a
discussion on the different teaching styles they have experienced.
I will play four YouTube Clips of popular movies with different teaching styles.
After each clip we will discuss what the teachers tactics are and how to earn an A
on that teachers exam and why.
o "Anyone, anyone" teacher from Ferris Bueller's Day Off 1:15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA
o Dan Dunne from Half Nelson 3:59
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nooFAX0V-o
o Professor Snape from Harry Potter https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=NcnWqz8kafo
o Dewey Finn from School of Rock 2:26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37oJqWp4rJM
We will discuss the patterns in the instructors delivery in each clip and how
we can relate this to our professors in our actual classes. What are things they
do? Dont do?
A. The goal is to tie in all four tips of maximizing your learning: Understand
your professors teaching style, be proactive and prepare before the lecture, be
an active participant in class, and following. Based on our discussion, it will
allow students to realize what they need to prioritize and what needs to be
done to do well on the exams and get the most out of their learning experience
in the classrooms. This activity connects to the outcomes because we will talk
about all the different strategies in correlation to the type of professor. Based
on the teaching style, we can map out how to effectively study and engage in
class.
B. I chose to show YouTube videos because I notice my students really get
their minds moving when they are inspired from a video. The video gives
them ideas on how to answer my discussion questions. I want my students to
discuss in groups before discussing in front of the class as a whole so they can
get even more ideas from each other. When I choose funny video clips they
are entertained as well.
Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Learning Skills II and Preparing for Midterms | 3

Lesson Plan For Week 6

C. Based on this video what is this teachers teaching style? If we were in this
class how could we get an A on the exam? What things could we do before
class? During class? After class? In your real lectures at U of I, what are some
strategies you use? Why?
o These questions match my instructional approach because we will
answer these questions based on how they react to the videos. Their
perception on the videos will demonstrate what skills are needed to do
well in class.
D. I will only be using the Internet for this activity. Sometimes keeping an
activity simple can be just as effective.

Learning From Feedback

10 minutes

First, I will play a video of successful people who have become successful because
they learned from their mistakes. This will be the intro to the Learning form
Feedback lesson.
I will divide the class into groups of 3. (6 groups total)
Referring to page 39 in the LAS 101 course book, I will say a situation from each of
these categories: Knowledge/preparation, Time management, Study strategies,
Memory, Exam performance, Application. From the situation I state, each group has
to think as many ways to prevent that situation from happening again. For example
for Exam performance, I will say, I got an F on my final. I went out the night before
because it was my best friends birthday and got home 30 minutes before my final.
From there, the students need to think about what should have been done. I assume
they will say dont go out and study. I want the students to realize what is actually
realistic. For this example, it would be ideal to stay in and study for the final, but we
all have social lives as well. Its important to find the balance. There will be six
rounds of situations, one for each category.
A. This activity will teach my students to make clear decisions and to learn from
mistakes rather than move on from past mistakes and make them again. I hope this
activity will help prevent the same mistakes from happening. They will utilize the
instructors feedback.
B. I chose I group activity because this really works for my class. They are more
engaged when they have partners and are more likely to speak out. This is important
for creating a good discussion.
C. Why do you think your strategy is the best solution to prevent myself from making
this mistake? Is it a realistic strategy? Are their common mistakes you make in
classes? How do you overcome them? Why do you think its important to prevent
future mistakes?
o These questions relate to my approach because it allows my students to really
think about how they go about their mistakes in school and if they are being
effective.
D. Each student will only need a piece of paper to write their strategies down with
their groups. Other than that, the activity does not need much.

Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Learning Skills II and Preparing for Midterms | 4

Lesson Plan For Week 6

Preview Next Weeks Inclusivity Assignment

10 minutes

(5 minutes) Begin by introducing the topic of diversity, salient identity, and

inclusivity by reminding students of the following:
Diversity and inclusivity does not just mean differences in races, even
though race attracts a lot of attention.
Our varied characteristics (e.g. nationality, gender, economic status,
political background, native language, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability,
and age) as well as our special skills and talents (e.g. the kinds of
knowledge, experience, and characteristics an individual can gain from
military experience, or from being the oldest (or the youngest) child in a
family) all contribute to our diversity.
Inclusion allows us to value the differences in characteristics and special
skills and talents others bring to the table.
Hand out the Identity Pyramid Worksheet sheet to students and preview the
handout with students.
Define the concept of salient identity. Remind students that salient
identity is simply the dominant characteristic with which one sees
him/herself in light of various personal characteristics. These salient
identities may vary depending on the context of the situation. For
example, when people identify themselves as a strong athlete when they
are in a sports game, they may identify themselves as a reserved scholar in
the classroom.
Tell students to complete both sides of the Identity Pyramid Worksheet as
homework. Side one asks students to list their personal factors that
contribute to their uniqueness, personalities, and dispositions, while side
two asks students to describe their salient identities in terms of
location/situation.
Remind students that this handout will be play an intricate part in next
weeks lesson and that students must come to class with the handout
completed.
(5 minutes) End class with a diversity conversation based on a current diversity
related event or based on the Tacos and Tequila scenario provided for you in the
intern extra. Briefly explain the scenario and have students discuss the following
questions:
Discuss the facts of the case. What stands out to you about this case?
How does such a situation impact the culture and climate of U of I
campus?
Intern generated question: ___What does diversity even mean?__
If time permits, students may begin to work on the Identity Pyramid Worksheet
for next week.
Wrap-Up
Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1 minute

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Lesson Plan For Week 6

Remind students they must have the Diversity/Inclusivity Pre-write completed on

Moodle by 10/5 at midnight, and to bring the completed Identity Pyramid
Worksheet to class next week.

Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Learning Skills II and Preparing for Midterms | 6

Lesson Plan For Week 6

INTERN EXTRA
Tacos and Tequila (2006)
Gladys, M. (2007). Discrimination of another color. Retrieved from:
http://www.imprintmagazine.org/life_style/discrimination_another_color. Retrieval date: 3.3.2015.
Nunez, D. The blurred lines between racism and innocent depictions. Retrieved from:
https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ideals.illinois.edu%2Fbitstream
%2Fhandle%2F2142%2F3658%2FEthnography_on_Tacos_and_Tequila%255b1%255d.doc%3Fsequence%3D2.
Retrieval date: 3.3.2015.

On October 5, 2006, members of two fraternities and sororities at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign threw a party with a fiesta theme. The party was dubbed the Tacos and
Tequila party and portrayed Latinos using derogatory stereotypes, with students dressing up as
janitors, pregnant welfare moms, and wearing gardening gear. Soon, however, pictures of the
party ended up on Facebook and sparked a firestorm of criticism on campus. It also brought a
controversial issue to the forefront of the public eye: racism against minorities other than
African-Americans.
Nunez argues that members of the sorority and fraternity claim their intentions were not to be
offensive to any particular population, but to simply have fun, while critics of the event say the
event was based on malicious, racist notions about Mexican Americans. He further adds that the
white students who portrayed Mexican Americans in such light likely grew up in socially
economically privileged communities and likely had little to no contact with Mexican
Americans. Rather, they relied on media depictions and stereotypical of this population.

Fall 2015 LAS 101 College Success

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign