Lesson Plan

Grade: 7 Class: HR 7-7 Subject: Language

Strand: Reading Length: Four - 50 minute Periods

Title: Focus On Reading and Making Connections: Resisting Hitler

Overall Expectations Learning Expectations
 Oral - listen in order to understand and Students who understand will:
respond appropriately in a variety of  Make Connections in three ways
situations for a variety of purposes Text–to-text
 Reading - recognize a variety of text Text-to-self
forms, text features, and stylistic Text-to-world
elements and demonstrate
understanding of how they help  Use connections to support judgments
communicate meaning or opinions about the text
 Reading - reflect on and identify their
strengths as readers, areas for  Explain how making connections helps
improvement, and the strategies they the reader understand what is read
found most helpful before, during, and
after reading
 Writing - generate, gather, and organize
ideas and information to write for an
intended purpose and audience
 Media - demonstrate an understanding
of a variety of media texts
Specific Expectations
 Oral – 1.2 Active Listening Strategies
 Reading – 1.3 Comprehension Strategies
 Reading – 1.6 Extending Understanding
 Writing – 1.2 Developing Ideas
 Media – 1.5 Point of View

Success Criteria (Design with Students)

I can:
I can:
I can:
Assessment For, As, Of Learning
Achievement Chart Categories: Knowledge and understanding, thinking, communication, application
Assessment Type Assessment Mode: Assessment Strategy Assessment Tool
Written, Oral, Specific Task For student
Performance
Assessment For Oral Group Discussion Observation Sheet
Assessment As Written Self-Assessment Reflection Sheet
Assessment Of Performance Invented Dialogue Rubric
 Prior Learning
Students will have learned about and understand; text-to-text, text-to-self and text-to-world
connections and how to make them.
They will know how to develop character understanding for their role plays from the text
Cross Curricular Links
Drama
Vocabulary
Gestapo
Nazis
Resistance
Swastika
Teaching/ Learning Strategies Groupings
Reflection and Response Assigned seats
Think-Pair-Share Teachers decides on groups and pairs (Do not
Critical Thinking have students choose members or partners)
Directed Reading
Resources: Teacher Materials Resources: Student Materials
Nelson Literacy 7: Step up – text and resource Nelson Literacy 7: Step up
book Paper
Black board Pencil/pen
Chalk
Props for role plying
Development of Lesson
Activities in sequence
1. Have student hand out the Nelson Literacy text to class. Have class turn to page 12 - Resisting
Hitler Article.
2. Have students read and respond to the talk about it question “Why is it hard to stand up to
powerful people?”
Ask students to explain what would make it easier to stand up to powerful people? (If they were
supported by a large group)
3. Ask Students: “What do you know about Adolph Hitler and Germany during World War II?
(Hitler was a dictator; Nazi party was in power; the holocaust; the gestapo secret police) (20
minutes)
4. Have students read article independently, making connections as they read on a sheet of paper.
5. Once students have read the article ask them about the connections that they made: text-to-
text; text-to-self; text-to-world? How did making connections increase your understanding of the
magazine article? (Text-to-text connections can help me visualise events such as Gestapo arrests;
text-to-self help me identify with the characters’ traits such as Helmuth’s courage and Karl’s
loyalty; text-to-world connections give me the history about Germany during World War II) (20
minutes)
6. Place students into groups and have them think back to discussion earlier about standing up to
powerful people. In their groups have them explain the lessons they learned about standing up to
powerful people from the article.(Helmuth was stupid to take on such a power; Helmuth should
have gotten more support)
7. Ask groups to explain what was meant by the people’s courts “Intended to make an example
of” Helmuth. Ask students “Do you think Helmuth received a fair trial” (No, he was just a kid;
No, he didn’t have a good lawyer; Yes, he was a traitor.)
8. Have students reread last paragraph. Helmuth believed strongly that the cause he was fighting
for was right. “I haven’t committed any crime. All I’ve done is tell the truth” Ask: Was his
strong belief worth the loss of his life? (No, he’s only a kid; Yes, he believes in his cause) (20
minutes) Teacher makes observations on sheet as groups share their thoughts.
9. Put students into pairs. Have them imagine a meeting between Karl and Rudi from the article.
Rudi has been released from prison and the two haven’t spoken in ten years. What would they
talk about?
10. Have pairs take on the roles of either Rudi or Karl. Have them write a dialogue between the
two characters. The purpose is to have students express the thoughts and feelings of the
characters based off of the article. (e.g., both feel guilty that they couldn’t save Helmuth; both
think they were reckless; Karl feels guilty because he had the least punishment; Rudi blames
Helmuth for his imprisonment; They want to make a memorial for Helmuth; they want to forget
about the event.)
11. Have partners record their role play dialogue and to rehearse (50 minutes)
12. Have pairs perform their role play dialogue in front of the class
13. Have students back in assigned seats and look at the photos of Helmuth on pages 12 -14
14. Ask students series of questions to prompt them about how media and point of view.
Who are the people that would have taken the photos? (friends, family, the police)
What are the differences in the way Helmuth is represented in the photographs? (he looks young
and like kid in the first two; the hat in the third makes him look more adult)
How could the police photos have been taken to be fairer? (He shouldn’t have been made to
wear the hat in the photo)
15. Have students reflect on what they learned from the previous articles read; “The Nest”, “The
Universal Soldier” and “When They Came” and have them reflect on their ability to identify
making connections as a reading strategy using the Self-assessment Checklist and Goal setting
Student Evaluation
1. Observation sheets – As students present their ideas during group discussion the teacher will
makes notes on sheet of the points made by groups.
2. Student self-assessment – Student will fill out a sheet making them reflect on previous articles
including this one and think about the themes of making connections
3. Rubric: making connections – Teacher will fill out rubric for the role plying skits being
presented by students.
Modifications/ Adaptions
1. Working closely with IEP students; questions and prompts to spark thinking. (What do you
think the main idea of this article is?; Can you summarise the main points? Was Helmuth a
hero?; How can you relate to Helmuth?)
2. For group work, and partnering, put IEP students in groups with more advanced students
3. For students that do not want to perform role plays in front of class, have them perform
outside of class to just teacher during lunch.
4. IEP students will work on laptops
5. Extra time for IEP students
Reflection