Secondary English Language Arts: Revised ed:TPA Lesson Plan Template

Name: Jett Levin

Lesson Title: Oral History Mini-Project
Grade Level: 10
Lesson Goals
Central Focus: Describe the central focus (of the unit) and explain how this lesson reflects the central focus.
Central Focus: to explore what we carry with us, synthesizing narrative strategies from mentor texts and creating personal narratives
with thematic elements that reflect individual growth experiences.
This lesson reflects the central focus by providing scaffolding for narrative storytelling and an opportunity to mimic elements of the
mentor text (Orphan Train) in a way that is relevant to students lives and the stories they are a part of. Molly chooses Vivian for her
oral history project and synthesizes what she knows about Vivians life through artifacts into a chronological story. Students will do a
miniature version of the same process over the next couple of days.
List the title, author, and write a short description of the text(s) used in this lesson.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. Orphan Train is a novel about the intersection of two womens stories: Vivian Daly and Molly
Ayer. In and out of foster homes, Molly steals a book and is threatened with juvenile prison and being kicked out of her uncomfortable
home if she does not find a way to do community service hours elsewhere. Vivian, an elderly woman whose childhood as an Irish
immigrant on the orphan train determined the progression of her life homes lives nearby, and needs help working through the
memories and objects from those years that have been lying abandoned in her attic. When Mollys boyfriend tells her of an
opportunity to get hours helping Vivian clear out her attic, a unique friendship is born.

Conceptual/Theoretical Framework (draw from research and readings in CI and English coursework:
The conceptual/theoretical framework for this lesson comes from Heather Lattimers Real-World Literacies Disciplinary
Teaching in the High School Classroom. Lattimer argues that literacy education needs to be authentic, realistic, and a
disciplinerather than a subject in school. Writing for school has predominately been about the product. This framework
instead focuses on the process of writing inside and outside of the classroom. Lattimer encourages the use of instructional
strategies that support realistic learning and follow realistic, natural (rather than purely task-based) processes.
Writing that is real (and not just created by a teacher for the sake of having a task to do) is discipline based: engage[s]
students in writing that reflects the norms of the discipline, authentic in its purpose and audience responds to a real
problem or seeks to answer an authentic question, involves collaboration and communication, allows students to
demonstrate writing as thinking with flexible structures and the use of mentor texts with students so they can recognize
the structures and strategies authors used and then adapt them to their own writing (Lattimer 60).

Standard(s) Addressed (use examples from both the Common Core State Standards and the Illinois Professional Teaching
Standards):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured
event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of
technology's capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
IPTS Standard 6 - Reading, Writing, and Oral Communication The competent teacher has foundational knowledge of reading,
writing, and oral communication within the content area and recognizes and addresses student reading, writing, and oral
communication needs to facilitate the acquisition of content knowledge.
Recall your central focus and explain how the standards (above) and learning objectives (below), that you have identified, support
students learning:
This lesson will be an initial experience in exploring what we carry with us, synthesizing narrative strategies from mentor texts and
creating personal narratives with thematic elements that reflect individual growth experiences. It will be the first draft of the holistic
realization of our aims in this learning segment/unit. Students will write narratives (CCSS 9-10.3) detailing the experiences and events
of an adult family member, guardian, or community member. They will be expected to use what they learned in studying aspects of
Orphan Train including structure, plot sequencing, and characterization to create condensed, chronological narratives of their
interviewees story.
Materials/ Instructional Resources:
Video Recorders (or video-capable smartphones)
Computer lab
Paper/notebooks
Writing utensil

*Learning Objectives (Add additional objective boxes as

needed):

*Assessment (both formal and informal)- Evidence of Student

Understanding:

Objective 1:

Related Assessment:

Students will develop appropriate interview questions.

Formative: finalized list of questions.

Explain the Assessments Alignment with the Objective:

This assignment asks students to prepare for the summative
assessment that will take place the following day: the oral history
project.
Describe the form of Student feedback that accompanies
the assessment:
In completing this assessment, students will have a list of questions
to ask the interviewee for their oral history
narrative.
Objective 2:
Students will practice using recording equipment to prepare for
their oral history interviews.

Related Assessment:

Formative: participation (instructor observation will determine if

students are engaging with the technologies appropriately)
Explain the Assessments Alignment with the Objective:
The objective is to get students familiar with recording devices before
they sit down to interview their interviewee.
This way they will know how to plan for best audio, visual, and
other information capture as they conduct their interview.

Describe the form of Student feedback that accompanies

the assessment:
No student output is collected at this time.
Lesson Considerations
Pre-Assessment:
Understanding of oral histories as we have encountered them in Orphan Train. Activities related to structure and sequencing will alert
the instructor to comprehension issues of these concepts before the oral history mini-project.
Prior Academic Learning and Prerequisite Skills: (Cite evidence that describes what students know, what they can

do, and what they are still learning to do.)

Students know what oral histories are, and how stories are sequences of events with transitions that follow a narrative arc or shape
of some kind. They are still learning to apply these concepts to their own writing.

Personal, cultural, and community assets related to the central focusExplain what you know about your students
everyday experiences, cultural and language backgrounds and practices, and interests.
My students have access to adults who have incredible stories to share, from parents and guardians to grandparents and friends or
community leaders. They may need to do the work of translation for their oral histories, as some of the students may choose adults
who are not proficient English speakers. Students will uncover more about their families and friends through this assignment, which
will hopefully spark their interest further and connect them more deeply to history and their families/friends/community. Many students
will already have practice with recording devices thanks to the prevalence of smartphones in the community. They make vines,
snapchats, videos, etc. but may not be used to using phones to conduct professional interviews.
Misconceptions:
Misconceptions may be about what appropriate interview conduct is (preparedness, respect, professionalism).

Language Objectives and Demands

Identify a Language Function:
Formulate
Language Function. Using information about your students language assets and needs, identify one language function essential
for students within your central focus. Listed below are some sample language functions. You may choose one of these or another
more appropriate language function for this lesson.
Analyze

Argue

Describe

Evaluate

Explain

Interpret

Justify

Synthesize

Vocabulary:
N/A

Learning and Linguistic Accommodations: Describe the instructional accommodations that you must make, as the classroom
teacher, in order to address the learning needs of students with special needs and students who are not English proficient or
students who use varieties of English.
Accommodations for students with Special Needs:

For the student on the autism spectrum, I will refer to the IEP and consult with the special education teacher on how to
best meet their goals and needs with this lesson. If needed, modifications can be made to differentiate goals/objectives
and student output for the day. As an instructor, I can provide assistive technologies if the recording devices are difficult to
use or manage and additional supports.
Accommodations for students who are not proficient uses of Standard English:

Students who are not proficient users of Standard English can learn how to use the devices through physical
demonstrations (not just verbal or written) given by the instructor and peers. They can ask and write their interview
questions in the language they are most comfortable in, but will need to work with the instructor or aide for translation of

the finished summative assignment.

Explain your instructional decision-making and the way you plan to support student learning when using whole class,
small groups, and individualized assignments. In addition, explain accommodations for students who have
special needs and students who are not proficient users of Standard English as part of whole class and small
group arrangements
I plan for students to work at tables (groups of about 6) practicing with the technology and formulating questions for interviewees
together as well as pairing up to perform mock interviews. I will be circulating around the tables if students need assistance and to
provide additional supports. The student who is French dominant can use translation software on an ipad or other device to make the
interview process in class easier. The student who is on the Autism spectrum can also use assistive technologies for writing and can
work with others to help generate a list of questions if that is still his recommended output for the day according to the IEP.
Time

*Lesson Plan Details

Lesson Introduction

15 min
Introduce the oral history mini-project requirements
Model how to use a recording device (video cameras or students can use their phones)
Model how to write interview questions to get narrative answers (asking open-ended questions and clarification questions)
Learning Activities 10
minute
s
10
minute
s
20

Group work: compiling interview questions

Pairs/partners: practicing recording and asking questions/follow up questions

Individual: Reading Orphan Train

minute
s

Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments, including a written product, will provide direct evidence of
students abilities to construct meaning from, interpret, OR respond to a complex text throughout the learning segment.
Students will not be responding directly to a text during this segment, but their project is based upon a project they have
read about in Orphan Train and will be expanding upon later in the unit.

Closure
Reflect on how your interview went and refine your questions. Whole class Q+A: what worked well, what didnt? What
areas of the interview did you struggle with or felt unprepared for?
Extension
Option 1: Refine and add on to your interview questions
Option 2: Continue reading

Resources and References (use APA or MLA listing the information from the conceptual framework above as
well as from any other categories where cited a source):
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (2013). Illinois State Board of Education. ISBE, 2013. Web. 2 November 2015.
Lattimer, Heather. Real-world Literacies: Disciplinary Teaching in the High School Classroom. Urbana: NCTE, 2014. Print.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers. Common Core State
Standards English Language Arts. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State
School Officers, Washington D.C., 2010. Web. 2 November 2015.
Attachments: handouts, assessments, etc.

Oral History Mini-Project

In Orphan Train, Molly interviews Vivian about her childhood experiences riding the orphan
train and living in various foster homes. Now, it is your turn to conduct an oral history
project. You will be interviewing an adult and synthesizing their responses into a
chronological narrative just as Molly does. Heres how you do it:
Step 1: Choose an adult to interview. They can be a parent or guardian, grandparent,
uncle, aunt, coach, religious leader, community leader, family friend etc.
Step 2: Ask questions. You will be making a list of interview questions in class today.
Refine that list and think about your interviewee as you write the questions. What do you
want to know about their childhood? What historical events or significant moments did they
witness? Your questions can be based on these and others, but should always be polite and
respectful of your interviewee.
Step 3: Record. You will practice working with recording devices and mock interviews in
class today. Be sure you are comfortable with the process, your recording of your final
interview will be extremely important for the next step. Your final interview should be at
least 15 minutes long.
Step 4: Put things in order. You will need to listen to your interview and put the things
you heard about in chronological order, be sure to provide relative dates if you can. Once
you have a clear sense of what happened and when, you will be ready for the final step.
Step 5: Write. Write a narrative of your interviewees experiences. Use what you learned
about sequencing, plot shapes, and characterization to flesh out the story you tell. Be sure

to include as much detail as possible. Your narrative should be at least 2 double-spaced

pages long in12 pt. Times New Roman font.