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Lesson Plan
Freedom in the Classroom
Objective(s):
Students will be able to identify the importance of freedom in the classroom.
Evidence: 3-2-1 Note Cards -- Students will provide 3 things they learned, 2
questions they still have, and 1 aspect they enjoyed or did not enjoy.
Students will be able to demonstrate freedom in the classroom.
Evidence: Students will be leading the discussion with minimal guidelines.
Students will also be able to choose their own seating.
Introduction:
The class will participate in a game called the human knot. There will be approximately
9 students in the class, not including absences. Assuming that all are in attendance, the teachers
will allow the students to split themselves into two groups. It is not important how the students
split the groups as long as there are at least 4 people in each group.
Here are step-by-step directions on how to set up and play the game:
1. Get each group to form a circle allowing them a good amount of space
surrounding them.
2. The teachers instruct the students to put their right hand up in the air, and
then grab the hand of someone across the circle from them.
3. Then repeat this with the left hand, ensuring the students grab a different
person's hand.
4. The teachers will check to make sure that everyone is holding the hands of
two different people and they are not holding hands with someone either side of
them.
5. Now, the students must try to untangle themselves to form a circle
without breaking the chain of hands. The students will be given 3 minutes to
complete this challenge.
6. The teachers will instruct the students not to tug or pull on each other and
spot participants as they pass over other participants. The teachers will monitor
throughout the challenge and stop the students if necessary.
7. If the chain of hands is broken at any point, the teacher will pick a student
from the group to be mute the rest of the game.
Note: If a student is uncomfortable playing the game, he or she can still be a part of one
group by helping the group communicate how to untangle. This will not require any touching if
the student is uncomfortable with that specifically. He or she will be an extra pair of eyes,
collaborating and communicating with the group to set them free from each other.
The classroom strategy demonstrated in the introduction of this lesson is UDLs
checkpoint 8.3, foster collaboration and communication. A goal for all students is to be able
to collaborate and communicate. This activity requires an extensive amount of each skill. The

students are going to be in a bit of an uncomfortable situation because they will be so close to
other students and having to maneuver through each other to untangle the knot. The teachers
have made the groups small enough so that the uncomfortableness should not be overbearing.
The students will not be the only ones communicating though, the teachers will be providing
positive, constructive, supportive feedback as well as encouragement for the students. This reiterates that communication should be positive and involve everyone.
Procedure:
The abstract symbol used in this lesson to symbolize freedom is three black birds flying
together against a sunlit background. This symbol is used because birds are free to move and
venture towards whatever destination they desire. They do not need permission to fly. However,
they do require the bravery and motivation to leave behind their parents and venture out on their
own. This symbol relates to the freedom of students in the classroom because if teachers set too
many rules and restrictions, students may feel as trapped as a bird in a cage. If teachers give
students a bit of freedom, but also responsibility, then students are able to free themselves and
their minds from the cage. This allows for students to become truly engaged in learning.
In this activity, students will be given the freedom of designing the mind map. To begin,
the teachers will pass out colorful, different shaped pieces of paper to the students. Students will
then be instructed to write a word or idea, or to draw a picture of what freedom in the classroom
means to them. Then, a teacher will stand in the center of the room holding a large piece of paper
that has the word, Freedom, in large letters, and has the abstract image the teachers created to
represent freedom. The freedom sign is the central point of the mind map. Once students have
completed their thoughts, they will begin respectfully sharing their ideas one at a time. The
students will not need to raise their hand, further showing the freedom they have in the
classroom. However, an expectation that the teachers have set in the beginning of the year is that
only one student speaks at a time and students show respect for all other students as they are
speaking.
Students will begin forming the mind map as they share their ideas. The students will
decide if they feel that their idea is a connection to the main idea of freedom, or if it better fits as
an idea off of another students. Students will be given yarn to attach their ideas as they see fit.
Students will also be sharing scissors and tape so that they can physically connect their papers.
The second teacher, that is not holding the sign, will help students to if needed by walking
around the room and answering questions. The teachers will guide the students through the
activity as needed, however, they truly want the students to conduct the lesson. Some students
may have very similar, if not, the same ideas, the teachers will be sure that every students is
heard and gives their reason why they feel it represents freedom in the classroom.
The classroom strategy demonstrated in the procedure part of this lesson is
nonlinguistic representation. The lesson incorporates students using words, images, and
symbols to represent relationships among the theme freedom. The students will also be creating
a physical model representation of how freedom can be implemented in the classroom. Both
linguistic and visual representations are used to form knowledge.

Closure:
For a quick and valuable closing activity, the teachers will pass our note cards for
students to answer the 3-2-1 prompt. Todays 3-2-1 prompt includes: 3 things they learned from
this lesson, 2 questions they still have, and 1 aspect that they either enjoyed or did not enjoy
about the lesson. This note card will serve as a slip for the students to leave the classroom.
Students will not be required to write their name on the note card, however, if they choose to,
they may do so. This allows them the privacy to speak freely and honestly about the lesson.
Assessment of the lesson will be conducted as a whole group based on the note cards. The
teachers will review the note cards prior to the next class. The teachers may need to review some
concepts during the next class if there are any misconceptions. The teachers will also use the
questions as a tool to conduct the next days lesson. This may entail a number of things
depending on what the students have to say. The teachers will also note what students liked and
disliked about the lesson as an assessment of the teachers. Feedback from the students is just as
important as supplying feedback to the students.
The classroom strategy demonstrated in the closure of this lesson is UDLs checkpoint
9.3, develop self-assessment and reflection. A 3-2-1 prompt is a beginning step for students to
self-assess. They are asked to recall things they have learned from the lesson, and they will have
to create questions by reflecting on the lesson, which is a deeper level or assessing what they
may not have learned from the lesson but want to know. It will already be established in the
classroom that questions need to be thoughtful, open-ended, and constructive. This will allow
students to practice skills that are needed to question on a higher level. The teachers have added
a more relaxed prompt at the end to allow the students freedom to express opinions. It is
important that the students feel they can be heard, which brings together the point of the lesson
about freedom.