Grade: 11

Subject: AP Language
NCSCOS Standard: Language 11-12 Standard 3
Date: Day One
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different
contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more
fully when reading or listening
Materials needed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NriDTxseog (stop at 5:10)
Daybooks
Pens/Pencil
https://prezi.com/a1bpnvgx7kyg/edit/#2_30863873
http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/ (Inserted
into Prezi)
Objectives of the day:
I can define and discuss dialect.
I can relate the idea of dialect to the language used in the South.

Show Amy Walker video on American accents. (5 minutes)

-

As students are watching the video, have them write in their daybooks what
they are thinking as she covers each accent.
I.E. Students may think about how weird each accent sounds if they have
never heard it, or they could write if they know anyone that talks a certain
way.
The purpose behind this is it will get students thinking about the varieties of
Standard American English that exist all around us. As To Kill a Mockingbird
will be read, we will be focusing on the Southern American regional dialect
and how it plays a role in the culture of the novel. The language of the novel
helps set up the overall action and setting of the novel, so this activity will
get students to thinking about dialect/accents, and how different they may
be.

Think-Pair-Share on video. (5-10 minutes)

-

After the video is over, have students pair up and share their findings with
each other.
During this time, students should be thinking about:
Differences and similarities between the accents
Relationships to anyone who speaks using these accents

Awareness of differences in speaking in this area alone or in travels across

the country
Awareness of ones own accent/how a students may speak
Teacher should be walking around and monitoring during this time.
Participate as needed.
The purpose of this is a chance to allow students to think about how they
speak and how those that they are related with speak. By partnering up with
a fellow student, they can help each other discover the differences that exist
in Standard American English.

Brief Prezi/lecture of dialect. (5-10 minutes)

-

Teacher will give lecture based on Prezi (attached).

As teacher is lecturing, students should be writing and taking notes in their
daybooks for future reference.
This will be a chance for the teacher to give a name to what they have been
talking about up until this point. The teacher can give their knowledge on the
subject, and this will give a foundation for learning for eventual
understanding of Southern American regional dialect. This will eventually lead
into the novel.
This will be the beginning of the scaffolding process of talking about dialect.
Students will be made aware of the term dialect, what that means, and how
they can apply this to a piece of literature.

Independent Work: Dialect Quiz (attached and inserted on Prezi on

class website). (10-15 minutes)
-Prior to this activity, the Prezi should be on the class website and should be
made easily accessible to student.
-Have students either pull out their devices for this activity. If they do not have
appropriate devices, the laptop cart can be made available for students.
-Have students go to class website and access the quiz. Allow students to have
time to take quiz.
-Students can apply what has been learned home and have time to reflect on
this as they take the quiz.
Group discussion on results from quiz. (10-15 minutes)
-Upon completion of quiz, have whole class come together and allow some
discussion on results from quiz.
-During this time, the teacher should serve as more of a facilitator and only
intervene when needed.
-Potential questions for discussion could include:
* What were your results?
*Why do you think you got these results?

*Do you agree with your results?

*Were your results shocking, or did you get what you expect?
A formative assessment will be observing students responses to the
quiz.
Exit ticket: Have students write briefly in their daybooks about their
results. This will be collected at the end of the day and graded based
on completion. (5 minutes)

Grade: 11
Subject: AP Language
NCSCOS Standard: Language 11-12 Standard 3
Date: Day Two
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different
contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more
fully when reading or listening
Materials:
Video on Southern Linguistics http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/the-true-reasonbehind-the-hillbilly-accent/84222753/
Prezi (will be made and attached later)
Sticky notes
Pencils/Pens
Daybooks
Notecards
Objectives of the day:
I can define and discuss linguistics.
I can discuss my relationship to being Southern in reference with the setting of the
next novel.

WID: Show video on Southern Linguistics (attached). As video is showing,

students should be writing in daybooks their thoughts and key points of
video. Following completion of the video, allow a minute or two for
reflection after video is over. (5-7 minutes)
Brief introduction to linguistics (10-15 minutes)
-Show Prezi for linguistics.
-Students should be taking notes of key concepts and terms listed in Prezi.
*Students should be listing key idea, concepts, and anything that they find
interesting and defining as needed.
*These notes will not be graded or checked, but students should be made aware of
the importance of understanding these concepts and that this will help their final
assignment go more smoothly as they craft it.
*Notes can be taken at students discretion using a variety of colors/styles, or they
can choose a more basic note-taking method.
-This is an opportunity for direct instruction and for the teacher to lay the foundation
of the concept of linguistics before taking on this unit.
Break off into small groups to talk about video (5-10 minutes)
-After lecture, students should get into groups of 3 or 4 to have a brief discussion on
video and the concept of linguistics.
(Put guide questions on Prezi)
-Guide questions include:
*What do you think of the concept of linguistics?
*Have you ever been made aware of the study of language?
*How do you think this relates to the work done with dialect yesterday?
*Why would studying language be important?
Bring class back together to have whole-class discussion based on the
small groups (5-10 minutes).
-Allow students to lead this discussion.
-The teacher should use the guiding questions on the Prezi as a guide for the
discussion.
-The teacher should be using this time to assess student understanding by
observing the class and the layout of the discussion.
Independent writing time in daybooks: What does being Southern mean
to you? (5-10 minutes)

-The prompt will be on the Prezi.

-Have students write in their daybooks based on the prompts.
-This should reflect the students individual experiences-whether this means being
from the South or moving to the South later on in life.
Have students summarize writing into 3 key statements (5-10 minutes)
-Have students take their overall thoughts and condense this into 3 pointed,
descriptive statements.
-They will first write these statements in their daybooks.
-Following writing in daybooks, pass out 3 sticky notes to each student and have
them write their statements, 1 for each note.
-Students should then place the stickys on their desk to where their classmates may
see them. (Everything should be cleared off desks for this).
Mini-crawl around the room (5-10 minutes)
-Pass out 5 more sticky notes to each student.
-Students are to now walk around the room and read everyones thoughts.
-Students are to comment on 5 peoples statements by writing on the sticky notes
and sticking them to the desk.
-These comments may be comments such as I have noticed this, too! or they may
be poised as questions such as Why do you think this here?.
-Following completion, students should return to their own desks.
Exit ticket: Students should read their comments and questions and briefly
write a paragraph on a notecards that addresses their thoughts on the
activity and the comments/questions they received. Make sure students
put their names on it. This will be collected and graded for completion.
Teacher may choose to respond on back of notecard. Formative
assessment. (10-15 minutes)

Grade: 11
Subject: AP Language
NCSCOS Standard: Language 11-12 Standard 3
Date: Day Three
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different
contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more
fully when reading or listening
Reading 11 Standard 10
By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas,
and poems, in the grades 11CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding
as needed at the high end of the range.
Materials:
Copy of To Kill a Mockingbird
Daybooks

Prezi (will be made later)

Pens/pencils
Objectives of the day:
I can understand the basic information for To Kill a Mockingbird.
I can relate to southern dialect and culture used in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
I can begin to form a complex piece of writing and presentation based on personal
experiences and the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

WID: Why do you think Southern dialect is so distinguishable? Do you

enjoy Southern dialect? Why/why not? (5-7 minutes)
Brief review of linguistics/dialect (5-10 minutes)
-Teacher should ask questions to assess for student learning from the past two
lessons.
-Questions should include:
*What is dialect?
*What are some key features of Southern dialect?
*What is linguistics?
*Why should we study linguistics?
*What does all of this have to do with our next novel, To Kill a Mockingbird?
-Students will ask this and randomly call on students to answer.
-If for any reason a student struggles with a question, the teacher may ask the class
to help that student out.
This will be a formative assessment of the unit in checking for learning
required for the unit.
Brief introduction on To Kill a Mockingbird and Harper Lee. (5-10 minutes)
-Teacher will use Prezi to give brief introduction on the novel and the author.
-This lecture will provide basic background information on the novel and the author
that will help the students as they begin to read the novel.
-As teacher is lecturing, students should write down key points and terms in
daybooks.
Teacher will pass out copies of novel to students (2-3 minutes)
Popcorn reading of chapter 1 (15-20 minutes)

-Teacher will begin by reading first paragraph.

-Upon completion of first paragraph, teacher will call on a student to read next
paragraph.
-That student will then call on another student upon completion of their paragraph.
-This will continue until entire chapter is read.
Brief reflective writing on reading (5-10 minutes)
-Have students write in daybooks based on the reading of chapter 1.
-Questions will be on Prezi, and will include:
*What are you thinking now?
*What elements of Southern dialect/linguistics are you seeing?
*What do you expect to read next?
*What elements of Southern culture are you seeing present in the reading?
Introduce students to unit summative assessment (5-10 minutes)
-Teacher will pass out to students handout on memory box project/southern
memoire writing project (will be made later).
(Groups of 3 for each major character. Present at least 5 items in a box that you
think relates to that character. Be prepared to justify your items as a group. Each
person must present for an equal amount of time (1-2 minutes per item).)
Introduce My Southern memory box memoire
(Students will write at least 5 pages on their memory box of items that relate to
their Southern experience. Reference at least 3 characters in the novel. This is a
personal narrative, but should show understanding of self and the text.)
Allow students to sign up for groups based on characters here.
Homework: Read chapter 2. As you are reading, take notes based on the
character for which you are planning on doing a memory box. If your
character has not appeared yet, continue to take note of the use of
Southern dialect in the novel and reflect on how it is helping your
understanding.

Grade: 11
Subject: AP Language
NCSCOS Standard: Language 11-12 Standard 3
Date: Day Four
Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different
contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more
fully when reading or listening
Reading 11 Standard 10
By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas,
and poems, in the grades 11CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding
as needed at the high end of the range.
Materials:

Daybooks
Copies of To Kill a Mockingbird
Pens/Pencils
Objectives of the day:
I can synthesize major points in chapters 1-3 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
I can reflect on my own Southern experience to write a larger piece of writing to
relate to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
I can work with my fellow students to ensure learning of reading of a novel.

WID: What is in your Southern memory box? Name 3-5 items that you
would include and a brief explanation for each item (5-7 minutes)
Group work on chapter 2 of TKAM (10-20 minutes)
-Divide students into groups of 2.
-Students should try to isolate themselves as much as possible from the other
groups while still being in the classroom.
-During this time, the students will be playing Dumbo and Megaphone.
-This means that for 2 minutes, one student will be the Megaphone, meaning that
they will be doing all of the talking while the other student is Dumbo (who has big
ears) and will listen for two minutes with no talking.
-During the Megaphone portion, that student may summarize, ask questions, or
draw inferences based on the reading for homework of chapter 2.
-As Dumbo is listening, they should be writing in their daybooks to respond to
when their turn comes around.
-After two minutes, the roles will switch.
-After both people have gone, there should be a brief time for the students to
compare notes and discuss what was talked about during this time. Some questions
may be formed during this time.
Whole-class quick discussion on chapter 2 of TKAM (5-10 minutes)
-Teacher should pull the class together and allow the students to have discussion on
the activity.
-The major points here should be questions that were raised during the time,
comments on the reading, and maybe some inferences from what has been read
thus far.
Group reading of chapter 3 of TKAM (20-30 minutes)

-Have students divide into groups of four

-During this time, the teacher should keep time so that after 5 minutes, the
students swap and take turns reading.
-As the other 3 students are listening, they should be taking notes in their daybooks
on the reading. They may even have questions.
-Following completion, students should discuss the chapter and work toward
understanding the chapter as a whole group.
-Once the discussion is complete, students should organize into groups of 8 to
discuss findings between the two groups.
-This will eventually merge into the entire class having discussion.
-The teacher will walk around and assess by listening and engaging with
students during this time.
Independent work on memoire (10-15 minutes)
-Have students work independently on their memoir of Southern living by
elaborating on the WID.
-Students should spend this time writing in their daybooks and focusing on the
items that they might incorporate in their personal memoires for the writing piece of
the summative assessment.
-Students should be reminded that they are not bound to these items, but they will
have experience relating to the items that they feel make them Southern for the
eventual piece, which they will relate to characters in the novel.
Homework: Read chapter 4 of TKAM. As you are reading, continue tracking
the characters and the items you notice are being used in association with
the character that you chose. If you have yet to see your character,
continue to take notes on key plot points and elements of characterization
in the novel. Bring one question to class for discussion tomorrow on the
chapters that we have read thus far. (This will be used as assessment of
the reading on the next class day.)

Planning Commentary
1. Central Focus
a. Describe the central focus and purpose of the content you will
teach in the learning segment. The central focus and purpose of the
content that I will be teaching is to focus on Southern dialect and the
language around To Kill a Mockingbird. This will be used to enhance the
knowledge of the novel. In particular, this until will enhance learning and
knowledge of the language, characterization, plot, and all other elements

of literature present in the novel. Students will be able to use the

background and elements surrounding the novel to construct meaning
and a deeper interpretation of the novel than just reading the novel and
discussing it.
b. Provide the title, author (or, if a film, the director), and a short
description (about a paragraph in length) of salient features of
the text(s) that a reviewer of your evidence, who is unfamiliar
with the text(s), needs to know in order to understand your
instruction. If there is more than one text, indicate the lesson(s)
where each text will be the focus. The primary text of my unit will be
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This novel is based in the fictional
town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s, in which racism is rampant and
society seems to be quiet on the surface. Two children, Jem and Scout, are
the children of a lawyer, Atticus, who represents a black man in court who
is charged in the rape of a young white girl. Things go awry for the family
as criticism of the family heats up, leading to quite a bit twists and turns.
This novel is a beautiful representation of Southern living and paints a
picture of innocence that students will never forget.
c. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning
objectives within your learning segment address students
abilities to use the textual references to construct meaning from,
interpret, or respond to complex text and create a written
product, interpreting or responding to complex features of a text.
Students will be using historical and cultural context to apply new
knowledge to this novel. They will not just take the novel at face value.
Instead, they will understand the Southern culture at the time of the novel
based on the southern dialect and the racism that was present at the time
of the novel. History and language will be brought in that will show
students that a novel is a reflection of the time and place for which it was
written. In addition to this, students will be working toward working on
reflection of themselves as Southerners, whether this means they have
lived in the South their entire life or if they moved to the South later on in
life. Students will tie this reflection into the text, which will bring that
personal tie-in that will help students make a connection with the text.
Students will be able to walk away from the text with a deeper
understanding of both the text and themselves in relation to the text after
this unit.
d. Explain how your plans build on each other to help students make
connections between textual references, constructions of
meaning from, interpretations of, and responses to a text to
deepen their learning of English Language Arts. Each lesson will
deepen understanding of the text based on the culture and language used
in the novel. Students will be made aware of life in the South in the 1930s
and will be able to use this to relate to living in the South present-day. This
will allow students to use what is happening in the world today and in the
time of the novel to understand the setting, plot, theme, and the
characters in the novel.

2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching

a. Prior academic learning and prerequisite skills related to the
central focusCite evidence of what students know, what they
can do, and what they are still learning to do. Students have had
experience interpreting text before and using history and setting to relate
to text in novels such as Of Mice and Men. Students have focused on
language and their use of language in rhetoric in essays and Terrible
Tuesdays, in which students are required to use formal language in
essays that reflect rhetorical understanding. Students have used rhetoric
in various other essays prior to this novel. Students have been required to
produce college-level personal and textual analyses in various forms of inclass and out-of-class writing pieces.
b. Personal, cultural, and community assets related to the central
focusWhat do you know about your students everyday
experiences, cultural and language backgrounds and practices,
and interests? Students are currently living in Southern United States.
They currently reside in/around Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Students
more than likely live in a rural area. Students are at Crest High School,
which is located in a rural portion of Cleveland County. Students are in 11 th
grade, and should have understanding of themselves as Southerners by
this point in their lives. Some may have transplanted to the South,
which means they may have a different perspective to bring to the unit.
Some students are athletes, and others are involved in various other
extracurricular activities. All students are English speaker primarily.
3. Supporting Students English Language Arts Learning
a. Justify how your understanding of your students prior academic
learning and personal, cultural, and community assets (from
prompts 2ab above) guided your choice or adaptation of learning
tasks and materials. Be explicit about the connections between
the learning tasks and students prior academic learning, their
assets, and research/theory. Not all students may be from the South,
so there must be some sort of connection between a students former life
and the life they live currently as students in the South. Students from the
South will have to relate to all of their experiences and synthesize this into
complex thinking so that they might relate their experiences to the novel.
Students will ultimately be relating to the Southern experience to both
themselves and the novel. This will involve some higher-order thinking
and will force students to be involved and participate in the reading and
interpreting of the novel.
b. Describe and justify why your instructional strategies and
planned supports are appropriate for the whole class, individuals,
and/or groups of students with specific learning needs. This is a
class of academically gifted students. This is an AP class in a high school,
so that means that these students should be used to interpreting and
analyzing a text at a higher level than other students. In addition to this,
students should be able to form personal textual analyses based on
readings from a text at a more complex level that other students. That

means that this unit will be intensively paced and will delve deeper into
the novel than I might do with learners of other abilities.
c. Describe common student errors or misunderstandings within
your central focus and how you will address them. Some common
misunderstandings of this unit may include ideas such as, So, Southern
dialect is okay everywhere? and Is the novel only about racism?. This
will address these misunderstandings in the way that students will see
that Southern dialect may only be appropriate in certain situations such as
those that are more informal and that the novel is about the Southern
experience and how innocence may be lost easily.
4. Supporting English Language Arts Development Through Language
a. Language Function. Using information about your students
language assets and needs, identify one language function
essential for your students to construct meaning from, respond
to, or interpret text. Students will be able to use dialect to interpret the
text through the language of the text. Students will use the wording of the
novel to think about rhetoric and how it may vary from person to person.
Students will be made aware of the fact that not everyone speaks the
same version of English, and that is okay because we are unique as
speakers of English. Students will be made aware of formal vs informal
English and how to differentiate between when one may be appropriate
more so than the other.
b. Identify a key learning task from your plans that provides
students with opportunities to practice using the language
function identified above. Identify the lesson in which the
learning task occurs. (Give lesson day/number.) In lesson day 2,
students will take knowledge of Southern dialect and apply it to
themselves. This will help with the eventual memoire in which students
will be required to relate their experiences as Southerners to the
characters in the novel. Students will use this day to begin thinking of
themselves as Southerners and will begin at the base level of the
language they use every day. This will play a major role in their memoires
that they will write later on in the unit.
c. Additional Language Demands. Given the language function and
learning task identified above, describe the following associated
language demands (written or oral) students need to understand
and/or use: Vocabulary plus at least one of the following: Syntax
or Discourse. Students will be able to define linguistics as the study of
language and how it is spoken in society. Students will have a greater
understanding of this term and understand how it relates to them as
speakers of English. In addition to this, students will think about discourse
by thinking about the language of the novel and how this relates to them
as readers and learners of the English language.
d. Language Supports. Refer to your lesson plans and instructional
materials as needed in your response to the prompt. Identify and
describe the planned instructional supports (during and/or prior
to the learning task) to help students understand, develop, and

use the identified language demands (language function,

vocabulary, discourse, or syntax). Students will use videos to see and
demonstrate learning in action. Students will use sticky notes for
independent practice and will allow students to reflect on each others
thinking. Sticky notes will also be used for formative assessments along
the course of the unit so that the teacher might monitor learning and
ensure that students are understanding the various aspects of the overall
conceptual unit. Students will use daybooks for writing, thinking on paper,
and they will make written connections with characters in the novel and
the plot and themes of the novel. The teacher may use the daybooks as
assessment methods to monitor and evaluate student learning as the
conceptual unit progresses.
5. Monitoring Student Learning
a. 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. As
the unit progresses, students will keep a running journal of items
mentioned in the text in relation to a character of their choosing that will
ultimately form a group presentation of a memory box of 3-5 items and a
rationale on those items for the character that group chose. Students will
be required to cite from the text and show understanding of text through
presenting the memory box. Students will also develop presentation skills
from the presentation. Teacher will observe students through group
discussion on text and understanding of text. This will show the teacher
that students are comprehending the text which will make the memory
box and memoire assignment easier on the students as they can relate to
a good understanding of the text.
b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned
assessments allows students with specific needs to demonstrate
their learning. Students will develop higher order thinking skills, which is
something that many academically students already possess. Students
will be able to sharpen these skills and use them at a higher level than in
previous learning. Students will be using higher-order thinking to go
beyond interpreting novels and using various information to synthesize
and produce a deep understanding of the text. Students will also be
applying knowledge and understanding of rhetorical skills for the eventual
AP exam, which will have a great deal of rhetoric based on text and
interpretation of text.