UTL 640E Lesson Plan

UTL 640E
Meredith Lawrence/Round Rock High School

Lauren Gonzaba
English IVSeniors

Date: 10/7/14
8th period (2:38-4:08)

Lesson #1
Teach #1

Lesson Objectives:

After students read the court case and 18 jury profiles presented, they will independently
choose 12 jurors for their jury, as though they were the nineteen-year-old boy on trial, while
explaining in their journals which traits from the jurors they primarily looked for and why
some people were not chosen, in order to demonstrate understanding of how significant
character traits are essential to story development in Twelve Angry Men.
Students will read the opening lines of Twelve Angry Men, then work with their group to
define the underlined words and explain their importance to the justice system using their
prior knowledge and context clues, in order to draw conclusions about word meanings from
textual analysis.

Resources/Materials:

To Do

Re-read play
Make copies of the 18 juror profiles for groups and cut strips
Make copies of the Opening Lines worksheet

For the Lesson

Ask students to have their writing journals out

Project the court case summary onto the board before lesson begins
Have the envelopes with juror profiles ready to be handed out to each group
Have Opening Lines worksheet ready to be handed out after first activity

TEKS and Student Expectations:

English IV
(1) Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing. Students are expected to:
(B) analyze textual context (within a sentence and in larger sections of text) to
draw conclusions about the nuance in word meanings
(5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make
inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and
provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(B) analyze the moral dilemmas and quandaries presented in works of fiction as
revealed by the underlying motivations and behaviors of the characters

Steps in Lesson:

Engagement Students will notice the case summary displayed on the board as they walk into
the classroom. Students will begin to read the board on their own and start becoming curious

about how this is applicable to what they will be doing for the day. Once all the students have
taken their seats, I will ask them to take out their writers notebook and turn to the next clean
notes page. I will then begin to read the case summary to the entire class. After I have finished
reading, I will then start handing out the envelopes of juror profiles (1 envelope per table of 3
students). As I hand out the envelopes I will explain that each strip of paper has a profile of a
potential juror on it. I will direct the students to work individually on choosing which 12 jurors
they would prefer on their jury if they were the young man being tried in the case. I will instruct
the students to write their 12 chosen jurors in their writers notebook. The students will also
write a few sentences explaining what particular traits they were looking for when choosing
their jury, and why they did not choose the remaining 6 jurors (students only have to write a few
traits about each juror they chooseas long as they can differentiate between their choices, they
do not need to copy the entire profile down). I will write the directions on the board as well for
reference. I will allow the students about 10-15 minutes for this task. I will walk around the class
and offer assistance as needed while the students work. Once the students are finished
choosing their jurors and explaining their choices, I will then begin asking the class which of the
jurors they decided on. This will lead to a class discussion about what particular traits stood out
to the students and why these traits were important to have when deciding the fate of the boy
on trial. I will then transition the students into introducing the play, Twelve Angry Men, by
explaining that this is the plot to the play and that the jurors in the play are not as diverse as the
ones they were just able to choose. This will lead to the Opening Lines worksheet where the
students can receive the knowledge required to understand the legal jargon used in the play.
This will all take a total of about 25-30 minutes.
Stated Objective In your groups, you will read the excerpt from Twelve Angry Men and then,
using context clues and prior knowledge, you will write down the definitions you come up with
as well as how they pertain to the justice systemfor the underlined words in the passage.
Active Learning Students will read the opening lines of Twelve Angry Men provided on the
worksheet with certain words underlined, indicating these are the words that need to be
defined. In groups, students will discuss and determine what each word means and how it is
important to the justice system while using context clues and prior knowledge. Students may
not use dictionaries for this part of the lesson. I will walk around the class and monitor the
students as they discuss their ideas with their groups, offering some assistance, if needed.
Students will have about 20 minutes to complete this activity. With about 10 minutes remaining
in class, I will redirect the students attention to me as I ask the class to tell me what definitions
they came up with. After we discuss the words and explain their importance, I will ensure all
students have the correct definitions by revealing the words meanings on the board. The
students will keep these worksheets in their writers notebooks for future reference during the
unit.

Closure

(Closing the Engagement portion of lesson): At the end of the jury selection activity, I
will redirect the class so we may discuss which jurors they chose and why. We will also
discuss why particular jurors traits would be more preferable for this case and how this
relates to Twelve Angry Men. We will then transition into a brief summary of the plays
main plot and the Opening Lines worksheet.
I will address the entire class towards the last 10 minutes to explain why the selected
words in the Opening Lines worksheet are significant to the play. We will also review
the definitions of the words to ensure the students have the correct meanings for future
reference. I will inform the students that they will begin reading the play on their next
class day, so they should bring back their worksheet in order to reference it as they read.

Modifications/Differentiation Strategies:

Following the IEPs

Evaluation Strategies:

The students will record their answers for the Engagement activity in the notes
section of their writers notebooks, while writing the definitions from the Opening
Lines activity on their individual worksheet. I will also be observing the students as they
discuss the activities in their groups.

Notes/Recommendations for next time:

I had to repeat my instructions multiple times, so next time demand moments where
students have to stop and look at me so they can all get the instructions. Writing the
instructions on the board can also help with this. Raise my voice a little more next time.
Perhaps ask students to summarize each other so I can see that everyone is engaged
and participating.

Choose Your Jury 12 Angry Men Anticipation Activity

Display on overhead the following description of a criminal trial. Do not tell students this is the plot to
the play they will be reading until after the activity is complete.
Slide 1 of Overhead

You are a 19 year old Caucasian male. You have been raised in low income housing your whole
life. Your mother passed away when you were very young and you were raised by your father.
After the death of your mother, your father became a violent alcoholic. His violent outbursts
were frequently directed to you. As you grew into a teen, you had many run-ins with the law
nothing that culminated in adult jail time, but you do have a juvenile rap sheet that includes
knife fighting, robbery, and stealing cars. You are a decent student when you are present in
school, but you are frequently truant.

Your crime: 1st degree (premeditated) murder of your father

What the prosecution says: you and your father got into a heated argument. You left the
apartment, came back several hours later after purchasing a knife, and stabbed your father.

Your Plea: Not Guilty

Slide 2 of Overhead
Directions: you have been provided with an envelope with several strips of paper. On each paper is a
profile of a potential jury member. Imagine yourself as the young man charged of the crime. Choose 12
people who, based on their profiles, you would like to see on your jury. After your selection, write a few
sentences explaining what traits you were primarily looking for to include on your jury and why some
people were not chosen.

Juror Profiles (cut out and put in separate envelopes to distribute to groups of students)

35 year old Hispanic man, works construction, has never been married, has two
children

60 year old African American female, recently retired from teaching, likes to
travel, lives in an apartment near the police station, has 10 grandchildren

19 year old African American college student, works part-time at Starbucks, his
mother is a police officer

28 year old stay at home mom who is supported by her wealthy hardworking
husband, she has never been employed. Although she doesnt work, maids and
nannies take care of the housework and children.

25 year old Chinese man, was just fired from his job at Pizza Hut, has a sister who
was recently arrested for armed robbery.

54 year old Caucasian man with one arm. He lost his arm as a result of being a
victim of a crime.

32 year old Caucasian woman, has five children, her husband is a minister of a
church in Middletown. She likes to bowl and volunteer at her church in her spare
time.

21 year old African American computer software clerk, goes to college full time,
his father is the owner of a local funeral parlor

75 year old Caucasian male, lost his youngest son to a drunk driver ten years ago,
is retired and likes to watch American Idol

23 year old Hispanic female, has a 3-year-old son, doesnt have reliable daycare
and has hinted that her sons father is shady. She has tattoos on her neck, but
you cant read what they say.

41 African American male, was a police officer wounded in the line of duty, he
now works as a substitute teacher.

38 year old African American male, his wife works at a daycare center, he works
at a substance abuse center with teenagers.

18 year old Caucasian female, dropped out of high school when she was 16 to
care for two children. She is currently taking GED classes during the day and
works at McDonalds at night.

25 year old Caucasian unemployed man, still lives at home with his parents, likes
to read comic books and going to the movies by himself. He spent time in a
juvenile facility when he was younger.

22 year old African American male, who just finished his undergraduate degree in
Physics, is traveling to Japan in a week. Lives in an upscale neighborhood and
went to private school

45 year old recovering alcoholic, until recently hasnt been able to keep a job or
residence. After getting help through his church, has been able to begin to get his
life together.
23 year old female, college graduate, originally from Mexico. Works for a local car
dealership.

58 year old Native American man, owns a restaurant, likes to watch Law and
Order in his spare time.

12 Angry Men Activity: Understanding the first lines

Directions: Read the opening lines of the play, in which the Judge speaks to the members of the
jury. Using your prior knowledge and context clues, work with your group members to decide
what each of the following words means and its importance to the justice system.

JUDGES VOICE: and that concludes the courts explanation of the legal aspects
of this case. And now, gentlemen of the jury, I come to my final instruction to
you. Murder in the first degree premeditated homicide is the most serious
charge tried in our criminal courts. Youve listened to the testimony and youve
had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies to this case. It now
becomes your duty to try and separate the facts from the fancy. One man is
dead. The life of another is at stake. I urge you to deliberate honestly and
thoughtfully. If this is a reasonable doubt then you must bring me a verdict of
not guilty. If, however, there is no reasonable doubt then you must, in good
conscience, find the defendant guilty. However you decide, your verdict must be
unanimous. In the event you find the accused guilty, the bench will not
entertain a recommendation for mercy. The death sentence is mandatory in this
case. I dont envy your job. You are faced with a grave responsibility. Thank you,
gentlemen.
1. Pre-meditated homicide
2. Testimony
3. Deliberate
4. Reasonable doubt
5. Verdict
6. Defendant
7. Unanimous