Jessica MarovichCI 403Lesson Plan AOctober 3, 2012

My students just finished reading the novel The Cats Table. For my lesson, I am going to have the students write a journal entry from the viewpoint of one of the characters. The directions are as stated: You are to create a story from the viewpoint of one of the characters from The Cats Table. Write the story as if you are the character writing a journal entry. The entry can explain the characters emotions after the voyage, what that character plans on doing in London, what the character plans on doing with the rest of their life, the character can reflect on their time on the Oransay, etc.. Get creative and think outside the box! The entry needs to be two pages long. The possibilities are endless for what you can write about! The students in my class are predominately white with 4 African American speakers and 2 Chinese speakers. 2 of my students suffer from anxiety, while one student suffers from depression. There are 22 students, with 13 girls and 9 boys. My class is a 9th grade English class.

Special Education Accommodations

Depression and Anxiety are similar diseases in that a lot of the treatments are the same. Students with these emotional disabilities do not have trouble with comprehending the instruction, unless they are not listening because their mind is elsewhere. Therefore, when it comes to the instruction of these students, the only thing that I will do differently is ask them if they understand the directions.

To assess the student with depression, I will walk around and make sure that they are doing the work since sometimes kids with depression seem to slack and refuse to do the work. I will also make sure that I give them extra time to complete the work (I’ll tell the class that the journal entry/story will be due the next day) so that if the student feels depressed and cannot think straight, they will be able to have an extra day to complete the work.

To assess the student with anxiety, I will walk around and make sure that they are completing the assignment and not talking. As I stated previously with the student with depression, I will give them an extra day to finish the work (turned in the next day), so that they do not feel rushed and get worried that they will not receive a good grade. This will relax the student and allow them to focus more accurately.

Assessment

My assessment is below in rubric form.

Extension Ideas The students can read their story aloud to the class The students can get into groups of two, read their stories to one another, and

respond on a sheet of paper to their partners stories (what they liked, what they would have changed if they wrote the story, etc.)

The students can draw a book cover that represents the journal entry that they just wrote. The book cover needs to coincide with their story.

The students can get into pairs according to the characters that they wrote about (all of the Michael stories get together, all of the Emily stories get together) and they can compare and contrast their stories.

Source of ActivityI got the idea for this activity from my cohort teacher last year, Hilarie Welsh. Professor Dressman also touched on this activity, but did not go into depth about it the way that Hilarie did. I was referenced this novel from Professor Willis.

Illinois State English Language Arts GoalsPerformance Indicator 2P: adjusts practice to meet the needs of each student in the content

areas; and2Q: applies and adapts an array of content area literacy strategies to make all subject matter

accessible to each student.-Both of these performance indicators are reflected in my lesson plan because I had to make accommodations for my students with emotional disabilities and my students that speak other languages. I had to change my content instruction and my form of assessment in order to meet the needs of these students.

Knowledge Indicator 6D: understands writing processes and their importance to content learning.-This knowledge indicator is reflected in my lesson plan because I am having them write a journal entry from the perspective of one of the characters. By doing this I am checking their comprehension of the novel. By having the students write, I believe that this is a beneficial way for the students to become engaged with the novel and to express their creativity.

Common Core English Language Arts StandardsWriting Standard 3 (students 9-10): Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

-This common core standard is reflected in my lesson because my students have to create an imagined extension to the novel we read. They need to be creative, therefore they need to use detail and they need to make sure that they have accurate knowledge of the novel in order to create the story.

Language Standard 2 (students 6-12): Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.-This common core standard is reflected in my lesson because I am grading the student’s assessment on whether or not they use proper/correct grammar. They will get points deducted for spelling errors and incorrect grammar.

Exceeds Expectations: 5

Meets Expectations: 3

Does Not Meet Expectations: 1

Comments:

Creativity The student uses their creativity to create an interesting and engaging story

The story was creative, but there was room for more creativity.

The student was not creative. Facts were just stated and the story had no creative aspects.

Grammar Errors 0 to 5 Grammar Errors

5 to 10 Grammar Errors

10 or more Grammar Errors

Knowledge of the Character

The student has a full understanding of the character (personality, looks, actions, etc.)

The student understands the character, but stated a few wrong facts about the character

The student had no idea who the character was and did not have an accurate account of that character

Understanding of directions

The student meets the requirements stated in the directions.

The student met some but not all of the requirements in the directions

The student did not follow the directions.

Directions: You are to create a story from the viewpoint of one of the characters from The Cats Table. Write the story as if you are the character writing a journal entry. The entry can explain the characters emotions after the voyage, what that character plans on doing in London, what the character plans on doing with the rest of their life, the character can reflect on their time on the Oransay, etc.. Get creative and think outside the box! The entry needs to be two pages long. The possibilities are endless for what you can write about! I will grade you on the following:

A: 20-17 B: 13- 16 C: 9-12 D: 6-8 F: 0-5