Introductory Week

Lesson Plan 1
Week 1; Plan #1 of 3; [90 min.]
Plan type: Summary
Learning Objectives (KUD):
Students will know expectations for interacting with peers in the classroom context.
Students will understand that different social contexts will require different rules for
interacting with peers.
Students will be able to introduce themselves to their peers and teacher.
Students will understand that while there will be differences in opinion and
background between people, there is value in that range of perspectives.
Methods of Assessment
During the class discussion, I will be able to assess students ideas about variety of
perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Beginning Room Arrangement: The desks will be arranged in 4 rows of 5
desks with assigned seats for the first day based on alphabetical order.
Students will be able to find their names on name tents I will print.
1. [5 min] Opening to the lesson: Teacher Intro (as model)
Start by modeling how to introduce ourselves. I will give a few fun facts, tell
about where I got my degree, talk about how I like to learn, and my school
and outside of school interests. I will then model the name game that were
about to play as a class.
2. [20 min] Name Games
Students will introduce themselves through a name game where they will say
their name and something they like to do (a hobby), as well as make a motion
that represents that hobby. Everyone, myself included, will stand in a circle so
they can see each others faces and make eye contact when sharing their
names. Someone will volunteer to begin saying their name, their hobby, and
performing their motion, and then the person to their right will speak, saying
Thats [name of student], this person likes to [hobby], and Im [name of
student], and I like to [hobby] with the motions. I will stand at the end of the
line or circle so that the burden of remembering everyones names is on
me.
3. [20 min] Class Rules and Norms - and Home Court
Together, we will have small group discussions about the classroom
environment that students wish to create for themselves this year. Students
will be numbered off into five groups of four students each, and they will be
assigned a piece of butcher paper and some markers and asked to
brainstorm different rules that they would like to see. Students will be
reminded to phrase their rules positively: Write what you would like to see

4.

5.

6.

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happening rather than what you do not want to see. After about ten minutes
of discussion, the group will come back together as a whole class, and a full
class set of rules will be negotiated during the discussion. Before the full class
discussion, the teacher will introduce the home court rule as a means of
modeling the proper presentation of a rule to the class. By the end of this
discussion, there should be at least a working list of rules for the year, and
students will have the night to ponder them and think of revisions.
[15 minutes] Human Continuum
I will draw students attention to the side walls of the room. On one side is a
piece of paper labeled Strongly Agree and on the opposite side is a piece of
paper labeled Strongly Disagree. I will say a few phrases aloud (i.e. I like
broccoli.) and students will move around the room to position themselves in
line with their view (somewhere on the continuum between strongly agree
and strongly disagree). This will help me and other students get to know each
other and find commonalities. After each phrase, I will ask students to turn to
someone next to them and explain their chosen room positioning. At the end
of the activity, I will ask students as a whole class questions to prompt them
to think about the value of different perspectives: How do we deal with
differences of opinion, especially when they are more meaningful than if you
prefer the beach or the mountains? Is there value in the other side of the
continuum?
[10 minutes] Classroom tour
I will take the students on a tour of classroom to see where everything is. We
will explore the classroom library as well learn where the homework bins are.
We will point out where to pick up missed work, the announcement bulletin
board, the free speech wall, as well as go over entering/exiting procedure.
[10 minutes] Class tour
I will give a brief overview of our curriculum so they know what were going to
cover this year. I will also briefly introduce the first concept we are covering
with a hook.
[10 minutes] Survey (homework if not finished)
Students will be given a fun survey created in order to gauge both their
interests and readiness/reading/writing lives outside of the classroom to
complete for their first homework assignment. After students turn these in on
the next day of class, I will look at them and make notes. The information on
these surveys will also be used as the basis for creating the base groups. On
the survey, there will be a place for students to write 2 songs for the creation
of a class playlist.
Materials:
Name tents
Butcher paper and markers
Signs and prompts for the human continuum game
Course syllabus
Survey

Lesson Plan 2
Week 1; Plan #2 of 3; [90 min.]
Plan type: Summary
Learning Objectives (KUD):
Students will know know where and how to seek support.
Students will understand that the classroom is a safe space where everyone is able
to freely express themselves and make mistakes without judgment.
Students will be able to seek and give support to and from each other as well as
other sources.
Methods of Assessment
Students will write a journal entry in response to the prompt: How would you seek
support in this classroom if you needed it? On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable do
you feel seeking support in this classroom?
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Beginning Room Arrangement: Students will find their name tents on their
desks, arranged in their base groups, which I will have formed based on their
responses to the survey given on the first day. Rather than in rows, the class
will be in five tables of four students each.
1. [15 minutes] Base group introductions and team building
Students will find their names arranged in their base groups, and I will explain
to students that I read their surveys carefully and that I put them in these
groups based on their responses. I will not tell them exactly why each group
was put together specifically, but I will encourage them to get to know each
other more and see what they have in common. Students will then have
some time to get to know their base groups. A couple of fun questions will be
posted on the board as an icebreaker (such as: what is your favorite movie?).
Then students will be asked to name their base groups and announce the
names to the class.
2. [15 minutes] Review of class rules, home court.
After students have introduced themselves to their base groups and created
team names, we will engage in a more in-depth discussion of class rules and
home court. We will revisit the class rules that we created the previous day
and will address any questions or concerns. We will then find a place to
permanently hang our class rules. After this, we will talk about the idea of
home court more in depth. With their base groups, they will talk about the
benefits of holding each other accountable with the home court system. We
will then talk about how each base group is a community within the larger
classroom community within the larger school community, so these larger
communities are held up by support from smaller communities.
3. [10 minutes] Discussion norms creation
In a similar style that we created class rules and norms, we will create
discussion norms. I will explain to students that our class will include a lot of

discussion because I want to hear students voices, opinions, and ideas. But,
to do this, we have to establish some norms in addition to home court
specifically about how to engage in class discussions, both in small groups
and as a whole class.
4. [20 minutes] Fishbowl discussion
To practice our discussion norms and introduce students to one of the
discussion styles that we will use in our classroom, I will explain how a
fishbowl discussion works. Then, we will practice engaging in a fishbowl
discussion. I will have a few prompts projected on the board ranging from silly
(Taylor Swift) to more serious and curricular (Why is reading important?).
5. [15 minutes] Explicit discussion of sources of support - teachers
In order to help students connect with their new base group members,
students will brainstorm ways they will get support in their base groups and
then share out in a class-wide discussion. I will supplement discussion by
recording down what students write and also suggesting sources of support
that I specifically want students to take note of (base groups, myself, other
teachers, school counselors, etc.). We will finalize the list as a class.
6. [15 minutes] SSR
I will introduce the routine of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), which students
will partake in on a frequent basis. The time allotted for SSR will vary based
on the day and agenda. We will also point out areas in the room for students
to read during SSR as well as places where that they can get books (i.e. class
library, school library). After we have introduced SSR, students will spend the
remaining class time selecting and reading a book.

Materials:
Name tents
Markers
Class rules materials from last class
Butcher paper and markers
Prompts for fishbowl discussion in PPT

Lesson Plan 3
Week 1; Plan #3 of 3; [90 min.]
Plan type: Summary
Learning Objectives (KUD):
Students will understand that its important to be able to adapt when confronted
with differences of opinion and perspective.
Students will understand that they have the power to create text.
Methods of Assessment
Students will problem-solve situations in which they are theoretically confronted
with differences, which will give me insight as to how they are able to adapt
appropriately.
Writing territories will give me more information about the ideas that students when
given the opportunity to brainstorm creating text.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Beginning Room Arrangement: Students will be sitting in their base
groups.
1. [7 minutes] Unveil Class Playlist
I will introduce the class playlist, generated by the songs listed by students
on the surveys that they completed on the first day of class. Each day, as
students enter the room, a new song from the playlist will be playing during
the transition time at the beginning of the class period. These will proceed in
random order, and the student will have a chance to acknowledge that it was
his or her song.
2. [10 minutes] Brief review of class rules and home court.
This will be a very brief overview, as they have been covered during the last
two class periods, but this is just to keep these norms fresh in students
minds.
3. [5 minutes] Give me five routine
I will go over the routine that I will be using to get students attention in class,
especially after working or discussing in small groups. I will give a brief
explanation of why this routine being quick and efficient is important to
maximizing our learning and showing respect for each other, then I will give
students some practice time.
4. [20 minutes] Talk about how to respond to varying perspective
appropriately
Students will suggest other situations where they need to know how to
respond appropriately to difficulties in the classroom, especially as
differences arise. I will provide some scenarios that I predict may occur (I will
target these at situations I feel might occur based on the personal nature of
our coming unit, memoir). Students will be responsible with coming up with
solutions to each scenario as a base group team.
5. [20 minutes] Writing territories
I will introduce students to the idea of writing territories and will inform them
that we will do a lot of writing and creative composition in a variety of forms

in this class, so it will be important to start brainstorming and getting familiar

with the process of trying to create or some up with something our of our own
brains. I will model the process of writing territories with students, then will
give them time to try them on their own in a Google Classroom word
document (this will be private between me and students). Working on my
laptop, I will be able to clandestinely monitor students progress through
Google classroom, model creating writing territories, and give students space
to independently work.
6. [8 minutes] The Divine Book Recommendation Binder
I will introduce the Anchor Activity, for which students will fill out the book
recommendation form to recommend books to their peers. As a class, we will
compile a binder of book recommendations. Students may do this when they
have finished their other work in the class.
7. [20 minutes] SSR
To practice the routine that I introduced yesterday and will continue to use in
the coming weeks, I will give students an opportunity for SSR.
Materials:
Class playlist
Class rules
Difficult scenarios (prepared for me to read aloud and project on the board)
Divine Book Recommendation Binder and form