Miss Alexis Smith’s Lesson Plans for Monday, November 12th, 2018

Standards: ELAGSE7RL1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text; ELAGSE7RL2: Determine a
theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text;
provide an objective summary of the text; ELAGSE7RL3: Analyze how particular elements of a
story or drama interact (e.g., how settings shape the characters or plot); ELAGSE7RL6: Analyze
how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a
text.

Essential Questions (EQ): What do you associate with evil? Why do we feed into temptation?
What is something you really want, and how far are you willing to go to get it?

Learning Targets: Students can locate setting, theme, and characters in a short story. Students
can analyze a short story to reveal the theme. Students can support their claims about setting,
theme, and characters by using textual evidence from the short story.

Materials: The materials needed for this lesson plan are as follows:

o Chromebooks (ideally one per student)

o Google Slides presentation with instructions
o Paper and pencils for students who made need them
o Projector
o Schoology
o “The Devil and Daniel Webster” online
o Wheel Decide wheel with students’ names on it

Hook (≅ 5 mins.): Miss Smith will project the first slide of the Google Slides presentation on
the SmartBoard. Miss Smith will have students write down 3 things they associate with evil.
After students have recorded their answers, Miss Smith will have a few students share their
answers.

Activity #1, Application, and Assessment (≅ 25 mins.): Miss Smith will have students find the
reading of “The Devil and Daniel Webster” in Schoology via Chromebooks. To select which
students will read aloud, Miss Smith will use a Wheel Decide wheel to randomly generate
students’ names on the SmartBoard.

Miss Smith will preface the reading by telling students to pay close attention to the setting, a
reoccurring theme, and the characters in the short story.

Throughout the reading, Miss Smith will take small breaks to discuss what is going on in the
reading for comprehension checks. During these comprehension checks, Miss Smith will ask
students to share what the setting, theme, and who the characters are.

*Brain Break (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will allow students to take a break from reading
in order to redirect their focus on the story.
Activity #2 and Application (≅ 20 mins.): Miss Smith will have students form partner groups
based on the groups shown on the Google Slides presentation.

Once students form groups, Miss Smith will have students write down the setting, theme, and
characters from the short story onto a sheet of paper. Since students will be partnered, if there is
something another student is unsure about, their partner can assist them in better understanding
the short story.

*Brain Break (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will allow students to take a break from writing
in order to redirect their focus on the assignment.

Closing and Assessment (≅ 5 mins.): To ensure students understood the reading and the
assignment, Miss Smith will use the Wheel Decide wheel to randomly generate which students
will share their findings from the short story.
Miss Alexis Smith’s Lesson Plans for Tuesday, November 13th, 2018
Standards: ELAGSE7RL6: Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of
different characters or narrators in a text; ELAGSE7SL1: Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on
Seventh Grade topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own
clearly; ELAGSE7SL3: Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the
soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Essential Questions (EQ): Should police officers undergo mental health screenings? Should the
death penalty be illegal? Should gun control laws exist?

Learning Targets: Students can remember the events of the novel Monster. Students can use
textual evidence from Monster to support their claims. Students can argue their opinions on
controversial topics.

Materials: The materials needed for this lesson plan are as follows:

o Audio recording of Monster

o Monster novel (ideally one per student)
o Uno cards (two per student)

Activity #1 and Assessment (≅ 25 mins.): Miss Smith will ask students to take out their
Monster novels, and she will play the audio recording of the reading of Monster on the computer.
Students will follow along with the reading.

Miss Smith will pause the recording every so often to ensure students are comprehending the
story and are following along. Miss Smith will ask students to summarize the happenings of the
story. For students who have difficulty comprehending the reading, the students who summarize
will assist others in the information of the text.

*Brain Break (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will allow students to take a break from reading
in order to redirect their focus on the story.

Activity #2 and Application (≅ 25 mins.): Miss Smith will ask students to form a circle with
their desks, and she will ask a student to hand out two Uno cards per student. Miss Smith will
preface the activity by telling students to be respectful of others’ opinions/arguments. Students
will also know to speak one at a time.

Miss Smith will host a Socratic Seminar via asking thought-provoking controversial questions
pertaining to police brutality, the death penalty, and mental health screenings. Every student will
be asked to throw down one Uno card for the first round of contribution, then for students who
wish to share after the fact must throw down their second card. Occasionally, Miss Smith will tie
in references to the Monster novel.

*Brain Break (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will allow students to take a break from debating
in order to redirect their focus on the debate.
Closing and Assessment (≅ 5 mins.): Students will be prepared for a comprehension quiz that
will be administered on the next day. This comprehension quiz will be on the events in Monster.
Students will be advised to review their knowledge of the novel for the next class.
Miss Alexis Smith’s Lesson Plans for Wednesday, November 14th, 2018
Standards: ELAGSE7RL1: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what
the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text; ELAGSE7RL2: Determine a
theme and/or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text;
provide an objective summary of the text; ELAGSE7RL5: Analyze how a drama’s or poem’s
structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to its meaning; ELAGSE7RL10: By the end of the
year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Essential Questions (EQ): Is it or is it not justified for a person to be charged with a crime if
they were only the lookout? How would you define “monster?” How would you rate this novel?

Learning Targets: Students can demonstrate knowledge of the settings in the novel. Students
can argue their opinions on the legal system. Students can create their book review and rating of
the novel.

Materials: The materials needed for this lesson plan are as follows:

o Comprehension quizzes (printed, one per student; attached)

o Pencils/Pens for students who may need them

Activity #1 and Assessment (≅ 50 mins.): Miss Smith will have two students pass out
comprehension quizzes to their peers. Miss Smith will advise students to ask questions about any
vocabulary that may be confusing on the quiz. Every student is more than welcome to use the
entire class period to take the quiz. Those who finish before others are allowed to read a book or
work on other assignments while other students finish.

*Brain Break (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will allow students to take a break from the quiz
in order to redirect their focus on the quiz.

Closing and Assessment (≅ 3 mins.): Miss Smith will ask students to raise their fingers to
represent a rating out of ten about how they feel about the quiz. Miss Smith will then ask
students to show a thumbs-up if they remember cumulative and coordinate adjectives,
connotation, denotation, and misplaced and dangling modifiers; a thumbs-in-the-middle if they
somewhat remember cumulative and coordinate adjectives, connotation, denotation, and
misplaced and dangling modifiers; a thumbs-down if they do not remember cumulative and
coordinate adjectives, connotation, denotation, and misplaced and dangling modifiers. Miss
Smith will announce to students that the next day’s plans will be a review of those grammar
concepts.
Miss Alexis Smith’s Lesson Plans for Thursday, November 15th, 2018
Standards: ELAGSE7L1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking; c. Place phrases and clauses within a sentence,
recognizing and correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers; ELAGSE7L2: Demonstrate
command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when
writing; a. Use a comma to separate coordinate adjectives (e.g., “It was a fascinating, enjoyable
movie” but not “He wore an old green shirt”); ELAGSE7L5: Demonstrate understanding of
figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings; c. Distinguish among
the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions) (e.g., refined,
respectful, polite, diplomatic, condescending).

Essential Questions (EQ): Do you have a negative, positive, or neutral association with nature?

Learning Targets: Students can recall prior information on connotation and denotation,
coordinate and cumulative adjectives, and dangling and misplaced modifiers. Students can
explain the difference between connotation and denotation, coordinate and cumulative
adjectives, and dangling and misplaced modifiers. Students can create a brief skit to demonstrate
dangling and misplaced modifiers.

Materials: The materials needed for this lesson plan are as follows:

o An assortment of action-driven objects (enough for five groups)

o Chromebooks (ideally one per student)
o Paper and pencils for students who may need them

Hook (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will simply ask students, “Do you have a negative, positive, or
neutral association with nature?” Students will answer the question verbally, and Miss Smith will
hold a brief discussion on why they associate nature in those ways.

Activity #1, Application, and Assessment (≅ 20 mins.): Miss Smith will ask students to take
out a sheet of paper and a writing utensil. Miss Smith will lead students outside and around the
building. While they walk, students will be asked to record objects they see along the way.

Once they have returned inside, Miss Smith will ask students to use their Chromebooks to define
at least ten of the objects they wrote down. Afterwards, Miss Smith will have students sort the
words in a chart. Students must place the words in the negative, positive, and neutral categories
of the chart based on what connotation that object has.

Miss Smith will then ask students to determine which activity demonstrates denotation and
which demonstrates connotation. After students take a guess as to which one represented which,
Miss Smith will confirm which one was denotation and which one was connotation.

Activity #2, Application, and Assessment (≅ 15 mins.): Miss Smith will have students form
four groups of four and one group of five. In their groups, Miss Smith will ask one group
member per group to select at least two-to-three items from the assortment on the table. Students
will be asked to write a list of ten adjectives to describe the objects in front of them.
After students have described the objects in front of them, Miss Smith will ask them to choose
another adjective to describe half of their lists of adjectives. Students will then create a sentence
using those adjectives side-by-side. With the other five adjectives, Miss Smith will ask students
to use three of those adjectives in a sentence separated by commas.

Once students have finished, Miss Smith will ask students to distinguish which activity was
focused on cumulative adjectives and which was focused on coordinate adjectives. Once students
guess, Miss Smith will confirm which activity demonstrated which adjective.

Activity #3, Application, and Assessment (≅ 10 mins.): With the objects still on their desks,
Miss Smith will ask students to create a quick skit to demonstrate an action or two with the
objects. Students will be given two minutes to do so.

Students will then present their skits at the front of the class, and students who are observing will
be asked to describe what the students presenting are doing. This will prompt students to
generate participial phrases which are also modifiers. Students will be asked to record the
modifiers on a sheet of paper. Miss Smith will then prompt students to figure out who the
targets/subjects of the modifiers are during the skits. Students will be asked to write those
subjects down as well. Miss Smith will then ask students to generate a sentence without the
target/subject mentioned.

After all skits have been performed and the sentences have been recorded, Miss Smith will ask
students which modifier was represented through which sentences. Once students guess, Miss
Smith will confirm which modifier was represented.

*Brain Break (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will allow students to take a break from the
activities in order to redirect their focus on the assignments.

Closing and Assessment (≅ 2 mins.): Miss Smith will ask students to show a thumbs-up if they
understand the grammar concepts covered, a thumbs-in-the-middle if they somewhat understand
the grammar concepts, and a thumbs-down if they do not understand the grammar concepts.