Hinsdale Area Cohort Pre-conference/Lesson Plan Form

1 Learning Context (Relationship to the unit, topic of study, curriculum targets) Tell me about the unit of study. How does it fit into the course Where are you in it? How does this lesson reflect the course learning targets? Since we will be starting Jurassic Park soon, it will be helpful to discuss vocabulary that students are likely unfamiliar with, such as, DNA, genes, genetic engineering etc. Introducing these terms will be done with a powerpoint as the body of the lesson. The introduction will involve a Write, Pair, Share in which the students will watch a video clip regarding the positives and negatives of genetic engineering. The point of this discussion is to introduce the theme of the novel. The students seem to expect the novel to be solely about dinosaurs. One of mine and Walters goals is to encourage the students to pay attention to the text at an analysis level rather than just surface level plot summary. By introducing this theme, students will be familiar with key terms and know what to look out for throughout the novel. Also, after the novel, the students will be required to write a research paper; the topic will be related to advancements in technology--specifically genetic engineeringand how they benefit or harm society. 2 Learner Characteristics (What are the students like? Are there any special characteristics or needs?) Tell me about your students. Describe any special needs or learning styles. What do you know about your students as learners? Since this is my first actual lesson, its too early to determine what specific learning style each student has. There are some specific medical needs that cant be as easily addressed in the classroom. The overall culture of the class seems to be light-hearted and ready to learn. I introduced an ice-breaker activity last week in which I asked students to tell me what their expectations of me are. Most students replied that they expected me to be the best that I can be as well as not too strict, but not a push-overI think these are good indications that the class is receptive to my presence in the classroom. 3 Learner Objectives Content (What knowledge and skills are to be learned?) What learning targets do expect your students to know and do at the end of todays class or the multiple day lesson? Students should be able to know and define the necessary vocabulary words needed to fully comprehend the introduction to Jurassic Park. The intro is a crucial part to understanding the novel since it discussing the change in science from organic to inorganic. Discussing these issues and debating the topic as a class will also help the students to develop their critical thinking skills. Im sure genetic engineering is a thought that hasnt crossed many of the students minds.

Process and Reasoning (What will students be doing and what learning skills, reasoning, etc are required?) What activities will the students be engaged in? What learning/thinking skills will be required? First, the students will watch a video clip explaining the advantages and disadvantages of genetic engineer. After the clip, the students will be involved in a Write, Pair, Share activity which requires them to thoughtfully answer the questions I provide such as: what are the benefits of genetic engineering; what are the dangers; is modifying genes in human beings ethical; predict what the future will be like if genetic engineering becomes reality. The write part of the activity requires the students to answer the writing prompt in their notes. The pair part of the activity is their chance to discuss and develop their ideas with their neighbor. The share part of the activity is when students will share their ideas with the class which will fuel the discussion portion of the lesson. Next, I will present a powerpoint with the necessary vocab words which students will jot down in their notes. At the end of class time or for homework, students will complete a keyword activity. The students will either choose a vocab word (or I will assign them one) for which they will draw a picture that will help themselves and their classmates to better remember the term. The students will present these words later in the week and the drawings will be posted on the wall to create a word wall for student reference while we read. Application (How will students apply their new knowledge?) How will students develop understanding? Students will develop understanding by first writing their ideas down, then sharing with their classmate. After this, we will discuss their thoughts. At first, the idea of genetic engineering and gene manipulation might seem unfathomable to students; however, the more we discuss the topic, the better they will understand. Students will develop their understanding of the vocabulary by completing the keyword activity and presenting it to the class later in the week. This will give the class even more practice with these words. Since the lesson is inter-disciplinary in a way, students will be able to use their knowledge from their science classes to guide their understanding. 4 Assessment Pre-assessment (Processes used to determine student readiness.) Are all of your students ready for this lesson? If so, how do you Know? If not, how do you plan to assist them? Mr. Downing and myself have been preparing the students by reminding them that they will have to look at the text on a deeper analysis level. As I said before, I asked the students to predict what the underlying theme might be. Im sure that none of them predicted the book to be able genetic engineering, however, the video clip and writing activity will prepare them for the novel. Formative (Processes used to monitor student learning) During this lesson, how will you check for understanding? How will you know if the students will have accomplished

the learning targets for the day? I will use the discussion as a sort of formative assessment. If students are on track, then I will know that they understand the material. Each pair of students will have to share their ideas with the class, so each student will have a chance to talk. This way, I will be able to pinpoint the students who are struggling with the concept. The key word activity will also serve as a formative assessment. If the students are able to use the word in a sentence correctly beneath their drawing and explain the word to the class, then I will know that they understand. If not, then I will go over the material again at a slower pace.
Summative (Assessments beyond this lesson.) do you plan to use beyond this lesson? In general, what assessments

5 Instructional Strategies, Materials and Technology (Teaching techniques, materials and technology based tools) Strategies Describe the teaching strategies you will employ to have students attain the learning targets for the lesson? Briefly, how do the strategies reflect effective instruction research/best practices? I will use the scaffolding technique by continuing to build on the information presented in class and their prior knowledge. The Write, Pair, Share has always been an effective technique in my C & I class as well. Materials and Technology What materials will you need? How are they both content and student needs appropriate? Aside from technological materials, I will need markers and computer paper so that students will be able to complete their key word activities. These materials are necessary for the student to create a visual of the word. What technology tools do you plan to use. How is you choice driven by Effective instruction? I will use the overhead projector to present the video and powerpoint. The video will provide the students will a visual and hopefully make a more effective impact than simply reading the definition of genetic engineering. In addition, use of technology is one way to differentiate instruction. The powerpoint will help to deliver vocabulary words and their definitions since the words will have a picture next to them. It will also save class time so that I dont have to write the words on the board. Finally, writing notes is an excellent learning/study tool as opposed to simply handing out a document with words and definitions.

6 Possible Student Learning Challenges What difficulties will students typically encounter in this lesson and how will you pre-address/address any? The class will easily drift off topic during the discussion of genetic engineering. -Its okay if the class connects ideas from class to other topics but I will keep be sure to monitor discussion so that the discussion doesnt deviate too far from the subject. Students will be disinterested in the topic and therefore the discussion will reach a stand still. -I will probe the class with questions that will interest such as, if you could choose to be a superhero through genetic engineering, would you invest your money? Keep in mind that if you can be a superhero then so can anyone else and there are no guarantees that it will work. I anticipate that students will struggle with the vocabulary words since they have probably never encountered them. Many of the terms are scientific. -I will orally test and re-test students on the meaning of the words after weve gone over the powerpoint and while they complete their key word activities. At first, students may not understand how genetic engineering relates to Jurassic Park since we havent started the novel. The relation will become much more clear after we begin the novel Wednesday. This is difficult to address since telling them how the subject relates to the book will be a huge spoiler. Students will struggle with finding ways to remember some of the more difficult words such as Mesozoic and amphibian. - I will encourage students to use mnemonic devices for remembering the words. I will also point out parts of the word that give the meaning away. For instance, vertebrate obviously has to do with a spine since it looks and sounds like vertebrae. Students who are confused or disengaged from the lesson will have difficulty with the text. -I will pay close attention to those students who seem to be spacing out. I will remind the class at the beginning of the period that they need to be paying attention since I will be cold calling on them.