Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

Lesson Topic: Making Inferences in The Hangman / 90

Name: Ashley Townsend
minutes
Content Area: English language arts Grade Level(s): 7th grade (advanced)

Lesson Content
Background Information/ Relevance/ Context/ Rationale (Purpose) – Please be clear about how this particular lesson is situated within
the current instructional sequence (i.e., unit), why this content is important for students to learn, and how you will convey the relevance and significance of
this lesson to students.

This lesson is occurring within a unit on the Holocaust and empathy. The target text is The Diary of Anne Frank. Students
have previously watched the Khan academy video and read the Newsela article in order to build background knowledge
about the Holocaust. During this unit, students will also be learning about strategies to enhance their reading
comprehension. In this lesson, students will be learning about making inferences and predictions while utilizing the
annotation strategy. This content is important for students to learn because students can carry these reading skills into
their reading lives as adults. Further, the Holocaust is a very important historical event that all students should be aware
of. This relevance will be conveyed throughout the lesson and unit.

What specific background knowledge do you expect students will need in order to understand the texts and content of the lesson?

Students will need to be familiar with reading poems, which students have previously done in this class. Students will also
need to know some information about the Holocaust. Students will have received this information from the video and
article that were read prior to this lesson, as well as from the activities that accompanied those readings.

Relevant VSOLs/CCSSs – Include only the standards addressed by this particular lesson

VSOLs:
7.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, literary nonfiction,
poetry, and drama.
i) Make inferences and draw conclusions based on the text.
j) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.

Learning Targets -- Please reference these learning targets throughout your lesson plan.
As a result of this lesson, students will…

Understand:

1. Students will understand that making inferences and drawing conclusions is a way to aid reading
comprehension.
2. Students will understand that the annotation strategy can be used to enhance reading comprehension.
3. Students will understand that the bystander effect is when individuals are less likely to offer help to someone if
other people are around to witness.

Know:

4. Students will know how to make inferences and draw conclusions from a text using the annotation strategy.

Do:

5. Students will be able to make inferences and draw conclusions about a text using the annotation strategy.

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 Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

Include the titles and a short description of all four texts in your Quad Text Set. Highlight the text(s) that this
lesson will address.

Text 1: Khan Academy video on the Holocaust

This non-fiction historical analysis video starts all the way from WWI and works its way into how the Holocaust
began. It also mentions the Nazi Party, Nuremberg Laws, Hitler’s Mein Kampf, and genocide. It discusses the
fact that Hitler blamed Germany’s loss in WWI on Jewish people. This video talks about Nuremberg Laws and
how taking away citizenship of German Jews really started this huge divide in the people who lived there
about who belonged and who did not. He talks about how propaganda and Hitler’s mindset spread, and that
had others not been involved and persuaded, there is no way something this tragically large-scale could have
come to fruition. Overall, this video will support comprehension of the target text by providing historical
analysis.

Text 2: Newsela Article

This article is about a former guard (Reinhold Hanning) at the Auschwitz death camp. He is 94 years old and
was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in the Hungary Operation. This trial was very
emotional for many Holocaust survivors. There is also some controversy regarding placing Mr. Hanning in
prison due to his old age. This text will support the target text because it provides some background
information regarding the Holocaust and Nazi concentration camps. It is also a very recent article, and it will
show the long-lasting effects of the Holocaust.

Text 3: Poem (The Hangman)

“The Hangman” is a poem written by Maurice Ogden. The poem is about a Hangman who comes to town and
sets up a scaffold to start hanging the townspeople. The townspeople are hung one by one, but they do not
stand up to the Hangman. Eventually, the narrator of the poem is the only person left in the town. The
narrator believes that he is being asked to help the Hangman take down the tree and the rope. However, the
scaffold was intentionally built for the narrator the entire time. In a powerful line, the Hangman tells the
narrator that he didn’t do anything more than the narrator allowed him to do. Finally, the narrator dies alone
in the town square, with no one to save him. The poem is powerful, and it connects to the Holocaust and
present-day society. Students can explore the options the narrator may or may not have had with regards to
standing up to the Hangman while the townspeople were being killed. This poem was selected because it
allows students to have a conversation about the bystander effect and how passivity gave the Hangman
power. This poem will prepare students to have a larger conversation about the bystander effect during the
Holocaust. It will also get students thinking about these difficult things that occurred and provide background
information in preparation for the target text. Both the Raygor and Fry methods place this poem between 4th
and 5th grade reading levels. However, due to the difficult content and advanced use of figurative language,
we argue that this poem is actually on the 7th grade reading level.

Text 4: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The target text is a primary source from WWII/Nazi Germany. It is a non-fiction diary written by Anne Frank, a
girl who journaled about her experience as a Jew in Nazi Germany. It starts off describing normal teenager
happenings and quickly changes to fear and oppression. She is hiding from the SS for years to avoid being
taken to a concentration camp and being killed, because Hitler has risen to power and is trying to kill all of the
Jews. Anne and her family hide for two years. She writes about her struggles with her mother, her love for her
father and sister, and what it was like to be an adolescent finding her identity through being trapped and
growing from that experience.

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Assessments: – How will you know if students have met/made progress towards the learning targets? Be sure these assessments are integrated
throughout the procedures and steps in the lesson outlined below.
Diagnostic
Method of assessment: Anticipation Guide
Students will be completing an
anticipation guide that gets students
thinking about the issues and challenges
that surround the bystander effect during
the Holocaust.
Aligned with which Learning Target(s):
3 Criteria for assessment:
Criteria for assessment:
• Are students able to answer the
questions on the anticipation
guide sheet?
• Are students able to have
conversations with their peers
about the statements on the
sheet?
How data will be used:
This data will be used to help me
understand where my students currently
stand on issues surrounding the bystander
effect as the anticipation guide mainly
centers on these issues. I will be able to
use this information to guide the
conversations that follow about the
bystander effect.
Formative
Method of assessment: Annotation Notes
Students will be marking up their poem
with their annotations as they read. I will
be collecting students’ marked-up poems
as a form of formative assessment.
Aligned with which Learning Target(s):
1, 2, 4, 5
• Are students able to annotate
their poems?
o Are students able to
underline or circle the
key points?
o Are students able to
write questions in the
margins?
o Are students able to
make inferences and
predictions by writing
these in the margins?
How data will be used:
This data will be used to assess how
students are doing with annotations. I will
be providing written feedback on
students’ annotations. If there are
misconceptions about making
annotations, I will be addressing these as I
see them (if possible) or during the next
class.
Method of assessment: Exit Slip
Students will complete an exit ticket at the
end of the class that asks students to
explain what they learned from the poem
and a question that they have about what
they read today.
Aligned with which Learning Target(s):
5
Criteria for assessment:
• Are students able to summarize
their main take-away from the
poem?
• Are students able to determine a
remaining question that they still
have about the poem?
How data will be used:
This data will be used to ensure that
students understand the poem. If I find
that students do not understand the
poem, I will address any misconceptions at
the beginning of the next class. I will also
use the data to assess what students do
not understand from the poem. I will also
address these questions at the beginning
of the next class.
Summative
Method of assessment: Response Writing
(Essay)
Students will be completing a responsive
writing prompt for a summative
assessment. Students will answer the
question “What might have happened if
the narrator had acted differently?” in
order to imagine an alternate ending.
Students will have to include support in
their essay from the poem and include
conversation about the bystander effect.
Aligned with which Learning Target(s):
3, 5
Criteria for assessment:
• Are students able to answer the
prompt “What could have
happened if the narrator had
acted differently?”
o Students’ responses
should include
conversation about the
bystander effect and
support from the poem
to answer the question.
How data will be used:
This data will be used to assess how well
students understand what the bystander
effect is. This summative assessment will
take place after reading the poem, but
before the target text, so any
misconceptions will be addressed prior to
beginning the target text.
Citation: 50 Instructional Routines to
Develop Content Literacy, Chapter 31, p.
89
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Proactive Planning for Learning Differences: – What planned supports have you included to make the content accessible for all learners (i.e.,
groups of students and/or specific students) and to build upon learners’ diversity? Be sure any modifications are explicitly explained in the procedures/steps
outlined below.

All of the strategies included in this lesson will help all students better understand the content by scaffolding the learning
process. For example, the anticipation guide strategy is designed to help students start thinking about the content and
concepts before reading. This will help students when they get to the actual reading of the poem. I will also be modeling
the annotation strategy again so that students have a quick review before trying it on their own. This will help to activate
the prior knowledge of all students.

What key vocabulary will students need in order to understand the lesson and the texts?
1. Scaffold
2. Gallows
3. Hemp
4. Buckshot
5. Stark
6. Usurer
7. Infidel

Procedures/Steps in the Lesson: -- May follow a specific model (i.e., Direct Instruction, Jigsaw) or be more open-ended. Be sure to think about
what students will be doing during each step, in addition to what you are doing. Scripting and/or estimated time frames may or may not be included, but the
plan should be clear and explicit enough that another person would be able to teach from it.

Highlight the instructional strategies included from this course, and provide a citation and page number for which
source the strategy comes from.

NOTE: The students participated in a word scavenger hunt the class prior. Students were placed into groups and had to
find pictures from the in-class magazines that represent the 7 vocabulary words listed above (these words are used in
the poem to be read during this lesson). Students also had to write a definition for each of the words on an index card.
At the end of the period, students were given time to arrange the definition cards and the pictures into poster-sized
displays. These displays will be hung in the classroom for the rest of the unit for quick reference.

Citation: 50 Instructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy, Chapter 47, p. 136

I. Getting Started/Welcome Back/Announcements (5 minutes)

As students enter the classroom, I will greet them at the door.

Hi everyone! It is so good to see you all today. Thank you so much for coming into the room and getting settled quietly. I
really appreciate that. So, how are we feeling today? [students may shout out responses, allow for a few responses,
address responses & then continue] Awesome, I am so glad to hear that you all are hanging in there! We are going to
continue our discussion about the Holocaust today, so let’s get started!

II. Pre-Reading Strategy: Anticipation Guide (15 minutes)

Today, we are going to complete an anticipation guide. We’ve completed these for many of the things we’ve read so far this
year. I am going to pass out the sheet with 6 different statements on it. Your job is to take about 5 minutes to silently read
the statements and circle whether you agree or disagree with the statement in the before reading column. When the five
minutes are up, I will let you know. Then, you will have a few minutes to discuss your responses with your shoulder partner.
Are there any questions about the anticipation guide? [Pause for student questions. While you answer questions, pass out
the anticipation guide sheets.] Okay, go ahead and get started! [While students are working, circulate amongst the
students and make sure that students are on-task. When the five minutes are up, call time.] Okay, great job everyone!
Let’s transition now to talking with your partner. I’m going to give you about 6-7 minutes to talk with your shoulder partner
about why you agreed or disagreed with each statement. Be sure that you use your time wisely so that you can talk about
each of the statements! Okay, start talking! [As students are talking, circulate around the room and make sure that
students are on-task and talking about the statements.]

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Okay, we are going to take a few minutes to talk about the statements as a whole-class. Here’s what we are going to do. I am
going to call on a volunteer pair to read the first statement and then to tell the class what you and your shoulder partner
talked about for that statement. We will do that for all 6 statements. Okay, do I have a volunteer pair for the first statement?
[Call on volunteer pairs to read each of the statements and to discuss what they talked about in their pairs. Repeat for all
6 statements.]

Citation: 50 Instructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy, Chapter 3, p. 12

III. Review of During-Reading Strategy (Annotation) (6 minutes)

Those were some awesome discussions. Now, we are going to read a poem. Tomorrow, after we’ve finished reading the
poem, you will have the opportunity to complete the after-reading column on your anticipation guide. Please take a minute
now and place your anticipation guide sheet in your bookbag, but be sure to bring it back tomorrow! [Pause to allow
students to put up their anticipation guide sheets. Pass out copies of The Hangman as students are doing this.]

Alright, so today we are going to continue our study of the Holocaust by reading the poem The Hangman. I’ve placed a copy
on each of your desks. In our previous discussions, we’ve talked a little about the bystander effect. Does anyone remember
what the bystander effect is? [Pose question to the entire class. Call on student volunteer to answer. Ideal answer: The
bystander effect is when people are less likely to offer help to someone in need if there are others around to witness.]
That’s right. So today, we are going to focus on this poem which has a lot to do with the bystander effect.

Yesterday, we spent some time working with the vocabulary words that will appear in this poem. Remember that the posters
created yesterday are hanging in the room for your reference while you read today. So, we are going to practice annotating
as we read the poem today. This is a strategy that we frequently use when we read poems in this class. Can anyone remind us
what annotating is? [Pose question to the entire class. Call on a student volunteer. Ideal answer: annotating is taking
notes while reading.] That’s right. Annotating is the process of taking notes directly on the text while we read. So, I want to
do a quick review of what we are doing while we annotate. First, we are focusing on underlining any key words or phrases as
we read. The other thing we are doing is writing questions and comments in the margins of the poem as we read. This might
mean that we are asking a question and then writing our answer to the question further down the page. Are there any
questions about this? [Pause for questions.] Okay, I am going to get you all started by annotating the first few stanzas under
the document camera. Then, you will continue to annotate the rest of the poem on your own. [Make sure the document
camera is on with the poem underneath.]

Citation: 50 Instructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy, Chapter 2, p. 9

IV. During-Reading Strategy (Annotation) (55 minutes)

a. Modeling of the Strategy (15 minutes)

Alright, let’s get started annotating! I’m going to read the first stanza and then go back to make any annotations. Be sure to
follow along on your paper as I read and then annotate your text while I annotate mine.

[Begin reading the poem. Read the first stanza.]

Into our town the Hangman came,

Smelling of gold and blood and flame.
And he paced our bricks with a diffident air,
And built his frame in the courthouse square.

[Stop to annotate the poem.]

Okay, so here I might underline the Hangman [underline “the Hangman”] because this person seems to be very important to
the story. I also know this because the title of the poem mentions the Hangman. I also am wondering what gold smells like, so

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I am going to write this question in the margin and draw a little arrow pointing to the line in the text. [Write “What does
blood smell like?” in the margins.] But, I know that blood and flames doesn’t smell very good, so I am also going to infer that
the Hangman probably doesn’t smell good. [Write “The Hangman doesn’t smell very good” in the margins.]

Okay, let’s move on to the next stanza.

[Read the second stanza.]

The scaffold stood by the courthouse side,

Only as wide as the door was wide;
A frame as tall, or little more,
Than the capping sill of the courthouse door.

[Stop to annotate the poem.]

Okay, so I know that a scaffold is a platform used to hang criminals from the vocabulary activity yesterday. So, I am going to
write that definition down in the margins. [Write “platform used to hang criminals” in the margins.] Okay, so I also can
infer the size of the scaffold from the description I just read. So, here I might summarize the size of the scaffold in the
margins. [Write “Scaffold wide as the courthouse door. A little bit taller than the courthouse door.] Are there any
questions before we move on to the third stanza? [Pause for questions.]

Okay, let’s look at the third stanza.

[Read the third stanza.]

And we wondered, whenever we had the time,

Who the criminal, what the crime
That the Hangman judged with the yellow twist
of knotted hemp in his busy fist.

[Stop to annotate the poem.]

Okay, so first, I am wondering who the “we” is referring to? So, I’m going to write this question on the side by circling we.
[Circle “we” and write “Who is the “we”? in the margin.] Okay, regardless of who the “we” is referring to, I know that
these people are wondering who is being hanged and what crime they committed, which means that these people are
watching this happen in the courthouse square. So, I’m going to write a note about this in the margin. [Write “People are
watching criminals being hung in the courthouse square.”]

Okay, so I also recognize the word hemp from our vocabulary. I know hemp is used to make a strong rope, so I can conclude
that the Hangman is using this hemp rope to hang the criminals. I’m going to write this inference down in the margins now.
[Write “Hangman using hemp rope to hang criminals.”]

Okay, I am going to pause my annotating here and let you try it.

b. Students Annotate (40 minutes)

Alright! You will pick up with the fourth stanza and write your own annotations in the margins. This part will be individual so
please be sure to stay silent during this activity. If you have any questions while you are reading and annotating, please be
sure to put up your help card. [Note: The help cards are index cards folded in half that students put up on their desk if they
have a question.] I will let you know when you have about 5 minutes left to finish up your annotations. When you are
finished, make sure your name is on your paper and place your annotated poem in the basket against the wall. You may read
or work on other language arts homework until we transition to the next activity. Are there any questions before you get
started? [Pause for questions.] Okay, good luck!

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 Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

[Circulate the room as students are reading and annotating. Ensure that students are staying focused and on-task. Check-
in first with any students who appear to be having trouble getting started. Check-in with any students who put their help
card up. When there is about 5 minutes remaining, alert students that there are 5 minutes remaining and that they should
wrap up their annotations.]

Great job, everyone! I am so proud of the progress I saw today. Please remember that I know this is very challenging work.
Please be sure that if you are just finishing up that your paper makes it to the basket.

V. Exit Slip (6 minutes)

To wrap up today’s lesson, I am going to pass out an exit slip. This exit slip has 2 questions on it. Please read the questions
carefully and write your response in the space below each question. Remember to please use complete sentences and the
proper punctuation. [Start passing out the exit slips.] This is designed to be an individual activity, so please work silently. I’m
going to give you about 5 minutes to complete the exit slip. When you have completed it, please place it in the basket for
your block against the wall. Then, you may silently work on any other work for this class or read until the bell rings. You may
begin! [Circulate to ensure that students are working are on the exit slip. As students work, answer any questions that
may arise.]

Citation: 50 Instructional Routines to Develop Content Literacy, Chapter 9, p. 28 & Content-Area Writing, Chapter 3, p.
35

VI. Closing (3 minutes)

Alright! Thank you for the hard work on the exit slips. I really appreciate it. I know this can be really hard work, so we will
continue to practice this strategy as we read this year! However, this strategy is really important because you will be able to
use it for any texts that you read in the future. I also know that the Holocaust is a very emotionally heavy and important
subject, so I thank you all for your seriousness and respect during this time. Great work today, and I will see you tomorrow!

NOTES:
1. Anticipation Guide (After Reading portion): Students will have the opportunity to complete the after reading
portion of the anticipation guide during the following lesson. They will also have the opportunity to reflect on
why their thinking stayed the same or changed (if it did).
2. Summative Assessment: The summative assessment will not be occurring during this lesson, but will occur after
we are fully done discussing the poem (approximately 1 or 2 days after this lesson).

Materials/ Supplies/ Sources/ Digital and Interactive Instructional Technology (if appropriate): – Please list all necessary
instructional supplies, materials, and sources. Make sure that these are clearly labeled and referenced throughout the lesson plan to enhance clarity.

• Appendix A: The Hangman

• Appendix B: Anticipation Guide
• Appendix C: Exit Slip

Answer the following questions:

1. In your lesson, how do you assess and build background knowledge necessary for
understanding texts?
a. I build background knowledge by completing a word scavenger hunt the class prior to
this lesson. This will help students understand the vocabulary words that they will
need to know in order to read this poem. I assess background knowledge by including
an anticipation guide about the bystander effect. This will help me understand what
students already know and what misconceptions they might have about the bystander
effect.

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2. How do you teach key vocabulary during the lesson?

a. The vocabulary will be taught the class prior using the word scavenger hunt strategy.
Students will be placed into groups and tasked to find pictures from the in-class
magazines that represent the 7 vocabulary words for this poem. Students also have to
write a definition for each of the words on an index card. At the end of the period,
students will be given time to arrange the definition cards and the pictures into poster-
sized displays. These displays will be hung in the classroom for the rest of the unit for
quick reference.
3. What before, during, and after reading strategies from this course did you implement in this
lesson? Why? How do each of these promote comprehension?
a. Before-reading strategy: I’ve chosen the anticipation guide strategy because it will
help to engage the students in the content for the lesson. I’ve crafted very
controversial statements that will quickly interest the students. This strategy promotes
comprehension because students start to think about the content of the poem prior to
reading it. Then, they have the opportunity to see if their answers to the statements
changed after they read. This allows them to check their own
understanding/comprehension.
b. During-reading strategy: I’ve chosen the annotation strategy because it teaches
students how to read a text. I’ve specifically chosen it for this reading because poems
can be very challenging to understand. This strategy will really help the students to
comprehend what they are reading. This strategy promotes comprehension as
students will be writing their thoughts, predictions, and questions directly on the text.
c. After-reading strategy: I’ve chosen the exit slip strategy because it helps students
reflect on what they learned during the lesson. This promotes comprehension because
students will be taking the time to write and reflect on what they’ve learned and what
questions they still have about the poem.
4. How will you know if students understood the reading during this lesson?
a. I will know if students understood the reading during the lesson by analyzing my
formative assessment data. For my first formative assessment, I will be collecting
students’ annotated poems. These notes will help me understand what inferences the
students are making and what questions they have about what they are reading. This
data will truly allow me to get inside the students’ heads regarding their
comprehension of this poem. I will also know if students understood the reading by
assessing the exit slip data. The exit slip prompts specifically ask students to write
about their main-take away from the poem. This will help me understand if the
students understood the poem. The exit slip also asks students to write about a
question they still have about the reading. This will also help me understand what
students did not understand about the reading so that I can address it the next day.
5. What ideas do you have for how to use writing to teach this content, either in this lesson or in
previous or subsequent lessons? Describe in detail at least one strategy/activity that you
would use in the classroom, involving writing.
a. Exit Slip: I’ve included the exit slip strategy as the after-reading strategy for this lesson.
After annotating the poem, students will complete a two question exit slip. The exit
slip asks students to write about their main-take away from the poem. The exit slip
also asks the students to write about a question that they still have about the poem.

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b. Response Writing: Students will be writing an essay in response to the poem for their
summative assessment. Students will have to answer the question “What might have
happened if the narrator had acted differently?” in order to imagine an alternate
ending to the poem. Students will include discussion about the bystander effect and
use evidence from the text to support their response to the prompt.