EDS 543 UDL Lesson

EDS 543
HoUDL Lesson Plan
Lesson Title: Understanding Main Ideas in Poertry Grade Level: 8; Class of 20 students; 5 students with IEPs Subject: English Developed By: Ruth Merceron Standards: Reading Standards for Literature Grade 8 Key Ideas and Details 1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text. Comprehension and Collaboration 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions [one on-one, in groups, and teacher-led] with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly. e. Seek to understand other perspectives and cultures and communicate effectively with audiences or individuals from varied backgrounds. Unit: Understanding Race Relations in the United States through Poetry Abstract:
Last lesson students were exposed to figurative language in poetry written by authors who are racially oppressed in the U.S. This lesson, students will be looking at the poems and analyzing the main ideas of poems. Students will be able to read from authors who share similar racial experiences as they themselves do, and discuss and analyze the purpose of the poem by learning how to identify the main idea of the poems.

Length of lesson: 90 minutes

Pre Planning
Big Idea (s)
Concepts Central to Lesson Understanding the term "main idea" in literary text. Being able to understand how to determine the main idea of a poem. Understanding what racial oppression means. Understanding how dense topics such as race are explored through poetry.

Essential Questions:
Adapted from: Planning Effective Instruction (Price, Nelson 2007)

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EDS 543 UDL Lesson Questions Regarding Poetry: How can you determine the main idea of a poem? How can the title of the poem help in determining the main idea of the poem? How can identifying the author help in discovering the main idea of the poem? Questions Regarding Race and Race Relations in the U.S:. What does it mean to be racially oppressed in the U.S.? What groups of people are racially oppressed in the U.S.? Questions Tying the Two Sets of Questions Together: What are some forms of expression that those who are racially oppressed have used to detail their experiences to white audiences? How can poetry allow for those who are never heard to be listened to, regarding their marginalization?

Objectives: Learning Targets for Students

Understanding what a main idea is. Understanding how to identify a main idea in a poem. Understanding how titles and background information of authors can help identify main ideas in their works. Understanding how those who are racially oppressed use resources like poetry to detail their experiences.

Brief Description of Summative Assessment Students will show their understanding of the lesson by practicing the skills they have been taught. At the end of the class, students will choose from a list of poems and identify the main idea of the poem using techniques learned in class. The List of Poems: I, Too by Langston A Woman Speaks by Audre Lorde Evolution by Sherman Alexi Be Nobodys Darling by Alice Walker Brown and Agile Child by Pablo Neruda Students will have to identify the main idea of one of these poems, by first looking at the title, the writer, and the audience of the poem. (Students will be able to access information about these writers in class.) Students can describe the main idea of the poems in whichever way they choose, meaning, students can write it down, students can use a word processor, students can draw images with a brief description, and students can use props such as blocks along with a brief description. Students will also have the opportunity to share their work with their classmates in small groups and those who are the most comfortable will be able to share with the entire class.

Lesson Opening:
(As soon as class starts, students will, depending on the weather, take come outside and stretch for about 5 minutes while practicing helpful breathing techniques.) The opening lesson will ask students to take out last nights homework assignment (which can be found on the first lesson.) Students will talk about the difficulties they had with the homework assignment, the successes they had with identifying figurative language and how they thought it help deliver a particular message in regards to race and race relations in the U.S. I will answer questions posed by students. However, I willbefore I give any responsesallow for students to answer each others questions and concerns. Students who feel more comfortable writing their questions and concerns will be able to do so. The questions will be viewed by other students and will be answered out loud and on paper, depending on what the students opt for. I will be introducing todays topic by drawing from points made in last class:
Adapted from: Planning Effective Instruction (Price, Nelson 2007)

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EDS 543 UDL Lesson Last class, we examined how figurative language helps portray a particular message. In this class, well be learning how to identify what the main idea of a poem is. I will list the learning objectives for the students explicitly Students will be able to

Define the term main idea. Identify the main idea of a poem. Use things like the title and background information to help understand the main idea of a poem. Understand how the main idea of a poem relates to race and race relations in the U.S. After the objectives are covered, I will ask student to repeat what the goal of todays lesson is and what they should be able to do by the end of the lesson. I will allow time for questions and exploration of areas that may not be understood by the students. I will define the term main idea for students. I will ask students to, using the poem they worked with for homework, identify what they think the main idea of the poem is and why. I will explain why understanding an authors background information can help understand the main idea of a poem. I will explain why paying attention to the title of the poem can give a better understanding of what the main idea of the poem is. Exploration: Activities: 1. Talking Titles In this activity, students will be given a list of poem titles and be asked to make educated guesses on what they think the poem is about. (Titles: We Wear the Mask, If I Was President, Who Said It Was Simple, and We Real Cool.) 2. Learning About the Author In this activity, students will learn a little bit of information about the authors of the poems: Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, and Gwendolyn Brooks. Based on the title of the poems and the information about the authors, students will have to analyze what they believe the poems will be about. Check for Understanding In order to check for understanding, students will work in groups of two and do the following: Before reading the poem, students will analyze the title of the poem and information about the author (provided by the teacher) to provide educated guesses of what they feel the poem will be about. After reading the poem, students will decide what they think the main idea of the poem is and why they think that is the case. Students will also highlight how these poems address the topic of race relations in the U.S. Explanation:
I plan on delivering the content to students through directly. I will address what my goal is for them in the lesson and what they should be able to do at the end of the lesson. I will define the terms that will be necessary for this lesson: Main idea Background information Audience I will define terms in different ways. First Ill give an oral explanation of what the terms mean, then I will write them on the
Adapted from: Planning Effective Instruction (Price, Nelson 2007)

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EDS 543 UDL Lesson board, then I will use class participation and myself to help demonstrate the meanings of the terms. (For example, I will tell students about where I grew up, my family life, my school life, how I was raised, and I will let them know that those things are considered background information. I will ask students to share one detail of their own lives that would be considered background information.) Students will be able to ask questions and challenge each others thinking as well as my own.

Check for Understanding:

I will determine the students level of understanding through group/guided practice and independent practice. Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge by identifying the main idea of the poems they choose based on the list provided.

Adapted from: Planning Effective Instruction (Price, Nelson 2007)

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