Teacher: B.

Brown
Subject (s): ELA 7 (Resource)
Date(s): 12/5/2016-12/7/2016, 12/9/2016
Essential Question:
Should we make a home in space?
NVACS/ Standard(s):
RI 7.10 - By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently,
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
L 7.4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and
content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
SL 7.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly
Language Objective (student-friendly):
I will read and analyze informational text; I will follow group norms to complete an assignment
Standard 1-New Learning is Connected to Prior Learning and Experience
Warm-Up Question:
M: Explain what you think is the difference between a fact and opinion. Create one fact and opinion about yourself. Provide
students with an example: Fact: I am a new mom. Opinion: I am a silly and funny parent.
T: Describe the difference between fact and opinion. Provide one fact and one opinion from the article to support your answer.
W: Work with your group to review the group norms and expectations. Share the top five group norms and expectations that
must occur to be successful on an assigned task as a group.
Th: Work with your group to brainstorm a list of strategies to remember when presenting a project to the class.
Collect the editorial essays from the students.
Mini Lesson for assessing prior knowledge: Assess students' knowledge on what a verb is and brainstorm a list of action
words, both in the past and present tense. Complete this in notebooks in a T-Chart with the verb in its present tense on the left
side and past tense on the right side.
Indicator 1. Teacher activates all students' initial understandings of new concepts and skills. This is completed through the
mini lesson and the warm-up question from Monday.
Review the chart on page 170 with students and have small groups create small-group learning strategies. Review the boxes

as a class by placing the answers on a master box on the board. Students will then create a list of group learning strategies
norms that will be followed for each class.
Jump Start: On page 174, have students engage in a conversation about the importance of space exploration by asking if
they have seen TV shows or movies that depict the colonization of other planets. Point out that some say that the future of the
human race depends upon space exploration. Ask students if they agree. Why or why not? Have students identify specific
reasons for their opinions.

Place the vocabulary words: colonize, planetary and interstellar on the vocabulary word wall (QHT chart based on prior
knowledge of the words.
Indicator 2 students will use knowledge and experience from past classes to determine how group work should be carried
out in the classroom
Standard 2-Learning Tasks have High Cognitive Demand for Diverse Learners
Ask groups to look closely at the three types of context clues and discuss how these types of clues can clarify meaning on
page 174. Encourage students to think of one other type of context clue they might encounter as they read the article on page
175-176.
In groups, students will read the article on pg 175 and 176, Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien
Planets. As students read they will annotate by marking evidence that support space exploration in the article. Students will
connect the article to their own lives by considering explorations they have taken, such as visiting a new place or meeting new
people.
Students will answer the following comprehension questions in a brochure in a small group setting, 1. What is the goal of the
100-Year Starship project? 2. What does Jemison mean when she says that the project must be inclusive? 3. What is one of
the challenges faced by the project? 4. To confirm your understanding of the article, summarize its main ideas.
Indicator 3 students have moved from whole class to group learning, which is less guided and requires more active
cognition and participation from students to generate answers.
Standard 3- Students Engage in Meaning-Making through Discourse and Other Strategies (Including 3+ high level questions)
High Level QuestionsWhat skills and talents would benefit the space program? Justify your response.
Why do you think Jemison believes it is important for the public to be enthusiastic about space travel?
What other goals does Jemison have, in addition to building a spaceship?

Students will work in a group to revisit sections of the text they marked during the first read. They will need to justify what they
noticed and formulate questions they have. This will be done in a close read, which is the second time reading the text.
Students will review and clarify with their group by discussing Jemisons goals.
Groups will share ideas from the article that they found particularly important. Students will take turns presenting the ideas
and answering the questions asked and the conclusions reached.
Monday: Groups will engage by answering the essential question on the board: Should we make a home in space? Students
will work together to examine the article to answer the question. Past articles can also be used to help support the students'
position. This activity will also help students become familiar with the facts and opinions in the text prior to the chart that will
be created. The groups will place their answers on white boards (one set per group) and use textual evidence to support their
answers. Once students have gotten the okay, the answers will be placed on the board and share with the rest of the class.
Monday: Mini Lesson: Have students go to "Leaving Main Street" and identify two facts with their small group. Students will
create a T-Chart in which they place the paragraph number on the left side and copy the quote down on the right side. I will
create a master T-Chart on the board and have groups share an answer to assess understanding. Discuss as a s class the
idea that they have been finding facts in the past articles for weeks. Explain that they will use the same concept when they
find facts in this next activity.
Students will work together to determine the authors purpose. Fact vs. Opinion activity: Place the facts vs. opinions chart on
chart paper for each group. Each portion of the chart will be completed to show knowledge on why an author would include
facts instead of opinions in a selection. Below the chart, students will answer the following questions: Infer: Based on the
kinds of details included in the selection, what is the writers main purpose for writing the article? Connect: Review the
quotations that the writer chose to include.
An illustration of a fact and opinion in the article will be created to show a visual understanding of the text and the differences
between the two.
Tuesday-Thursday: Visual Presentation: Students will work together to create a digital presentation in which they incorporate
text and images to explain a topic. Option for topic includes: An illustrated presentation about Mae Jamison that includes
highlights of her career and her interest in the 100-Year Starship project and an illustrated exploration of what would be
involved in achieving the 100-Year Starship project. Each group will gather information from multiple print and multimedia
sources to create a short research-based visual presentation. Students should prepare and use notes and visual aids to
present the information. http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/jemison-mc.html

Students will work in their small groups to research 15 important facts about Mae Jemison. Five personal facts and
five professional facts will be chosen. Students can use the NASA website to locate information on Mae as well as the

article, "Future of Space Exploration Could See Humans on Mars, Alien Planets." These notes will be put on a piece
of lined paper that will need to be submitted.

Students will create a Google Slide Presentation highlighting information learned about Mae Jemison. The slide are
as follows: Title slide, Personal Life, Professional Life, and Role in 100-Year Starship Project. Each slide will need to
have 3-4 pieces of information in bullet points.

Each slide needs to have two images representing the personal life and career of Mae Jemison.

Prior to the start of Thursday's lesson, give the Aimsweb assessment for progress monitoring.
Thursday: Students will present their visual presentations to the class. They will make sure that all equipment is working
properly before they begin the presentations, speak clearly and with enough volume so that everyone in the audience can
hear, and students will need to cite sources.
Indicator 4 students will work together in an environment that enables collaboration, participation and is an effective
experience.
Indicator 2 students will work together to create a digital presentation that incorporates text and images to show knowledge
on topics presented in the My Perspectives text.
Standard 4-Students Engage in Metacognitive Activity to Increase Understanding of and Responsibility for Their Own
Learning
DOK 1: Recall: What is the goal of the 100-year starship program? What does Jemison mean when she says that the project
must be inclusive? What is one of the challenges faced by the project? Write a brief summary of the main points of the
article. (pg 177)
DOK 2: Concept/Skill: use context clues to define the selection vocabulary, apply the four principal parts of verbs (pg 180)
DOK 3: Strategic Thinking: analyze text, Should we spend money to send a spaceship to another planetary system, or should
we use that money to solve problems closer to home? Write a paragraph in which you persuade readers either to fund or not
to fund the 100-Year Starship project.
DOK 4: Extended Thinking: create a multimedia presentation either an illustrated biography of Mae Jemison or an
informational brochure explaining the requirements necessary to achieve the goals of the 100-Year Starship project
Homework: Collect chapters 22-25 in "James and the Giant Peach" on Tuesday.
Closure: Explain how the day's lesson met the objective. Be sure to use specific examples to support your answer.

Indicator 2 groups will each be responsible for completing tasks within the given time frame on their own.
Standard 5- Assessment is Integrated into Instruction
Multimedia presentation will assess students understanding of the article
Connection to small group learning performance task - Jemison argues that the main obstacle to space exploration is not
developing the technology, but rather creating public interest. This raises the question, should people in our country be more
interested in space exploration than other issues?
Connection to unit performance based assessment - Jemison's project is called the "100 Year Starship", indicating that space
exploration is no short-term project. Colonizing another solar system would take abundant resources, and those resources
would never return home. Is it worth investing the time and resources in a project such as this when there are so many more
pressing needs here on Earth?
Indicator 2 all activities lead up to the Performance Task at the end of the group learning section of the unit
Supplementary Materials: My Perspectives books, iPads, notebooks, paper, color pencils, color crayons and markers.
Potential Modifications to Lesson: groups who are falling behind may be given an adjusted assignment through modifications
and accommodations found in IEPs.