Introductory Week

Lesson Plan 1
Week 1; Plan #1 of 3; [90 min.]
Plan type: Summary
Learning Objectives (KUD):
Students will know expectations for interacting with peers in the classroom context.
Students will understand that different social contexts will require different rules for interacting
with peers.
Students will be able to introduce themselves to their peers and teacher.
Methods of Assessment
On an Exit Card, students will discuss the home court rule and the benefits and what would be an
appropriate situation to use it.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Beginning Room Arrangement: The desks will be arranged in 4 rows of 5 desks with
assigned seats for the first day based on alphabetical order. Students will be able to find
their names on name tents I will print.
1. [5 mins] Opening to the lesson: Teacher Intro (as example)
Start by modeling how to introduce ourselves. I will give a few fun facts, tell about where
I got my degree, talk about how I like to learn, and my school and outside of school
interests. I will then model the name game that were about to play as a class.
2. [20 min] Name Games
Students will introduce themselves through a name game where they will say their name
and something they like to do (a hobby), as well as make a motion that represents that
hobby. Everyone, myself included, will stand in a circle so they can see each others faces
and make eye contact when sharing their names. Someone will volunteer to begin saying
their name, their hobby, and performing their motion, and then the person to their right
will speak, saying Thats [name of student], this person likes to [hobby], and Im [name
of student], and I like to [hobby] with the motions. I will stand at the end of the line or
circle so that the burden of remembering everyones names is on me.
3. [20 min] Class Rules and Norms - and Home Court
Together, we will have small group discussions about the classroom environment that
students wish to create for themselves this year. Students will be numbered off into five
groups of four students each, and they will be assigned a piece of butcher paper and some
markers and asked to brainstorm different rules that they would like to see. Students will
be reminded to phrase their rules positively: Write what you would like to see happening
rather than what you do not want to see. After about ten minutes of discussion, the group
will come back together as a whole class, and a full class set of rules will be negotiated
during the discussion. Before the full class discussion, the teacher will introduce the
home court rule as a means of modeling the proper presentation of a rule to the class. By

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the end of this discussion, there should be at least a working list of rules for the year, and
students will have the night to ponder them and think of revisions.
[15 minutes] Human Continuum
I will draw students attention to the side walls of the room. On one side is a piece of
paper labeled Strongly Agree and on the opposite side is a piece of paper labeled
Strongly Disagree. I will project on the board and say a few phrases (i.e. I like
broccoli.) and students will move around the room to position themselves in line with
their view (somewhere on the continuum between strongly agree and strongly disagree).
This will help me and other students get to know each other and find commonalities.
After each phrase, I will ask students to turn to someone next to them and explain their
chosen room positioning.
[10 minutes] Classroom tour
I will take the students on a tour of classroom to see where everything is. We will explore
the classroom library as well learn where the homework bins are. We will point out where
to pick up missed work, the announcement bulletin board, the free speech wall, as well as
go over entering/exiting procedure.
[10 minutes] Class tour
I will give a brief overview of our curriculum so they know what were going to cover
this year. I will also briefly introduce the first concept we are covering with a hook.
[10 minutes] Survey (homework if not finished)
Students will be given a fun survey created in order to gauge both their interests and
readiness/reading/writing lives outside of the classroom to complete for their first
homework assignment. After students turn these in on the next day of class, I will look at
them and make notes. The information on these surveys will also be used as the basis for
creating the base groups. On the survey, there will be a place for students to write 2 songs
for the creation of a class playlist.
Materials:
Name tents
Butcher paper and markers
Signs for the human continuum game
Course syllabus
Survey

Lesson Plan 2
Week 1; Plan #2 of 3; [90 min.]
Plan type: Summary
Learning Objectives (KUD):
Students will know know where and how to seek support.
Students will understand that the classroom is a safe space where everyone is able to freely
express themselves and make mistakes without judgement.
Students will be able to seek and give support to and from each other as well as other sources.
Methods of Assessment
Students will write a journal entry in response to the prompt: How would you seek support in
this classroom if you needed it? On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable do you feel seeking support
in this classroom?
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Beginning Room Arrangement: Students will find their name tents on their desks,
arranged in their base groups, which I will have formed based on their responses to the
survey given on the first day. Rather than in rows, the class will be in five tables of four
students each.
1. [20 minutes] Base group introductions and team building
Students will find their names arranged in their base groups, and I will explain to students
that I read their surveys carefully and that I put them in these groups based on their
responses. I will not tell them exactly why each group was put together specifically
(because there might not be a particular basis), but I will encourage them to get to know
each other more and see what they have in common. Students will then have some time
to get to know their base groups. A couple of fun questions will be posted on the board as
an icebreaker (such as: what is your favorite movie?). Then students will be asked to
name their base groups and announce the names to the class.
2. [20 minutes] Review of class rules, home court.
After students have introduced themselves to their base groups and created team names,
we will engage in a more in-depth discussion of class rules and home court. We will
revisit the class rules that we created the previous day and will address any questions or
concerns. We will then find a place to permanently hang our class rules. After this, we
will talk about the idea of home court more in depth. With their base groups, they will
talk about the benefits of holding each other accountable with the home court system.
We will then talk about how each base group is a community within the larger classroom
community within the larger school community, so these larger communities are held up
by support from smaller communities.
3. [5 minutes] Communication box (name optional)
I will introduce the communication box. This will provide an anonymous source of
support. They also have the option of putting their name on the slips of paper if its an

issue that they want feedback on, or they can leave it anonymous if they feel its a
classwide issue. I will tell them that the communication box will be out every day and
will be checked every afternoon after school. I will explain that the communication box is
for serious issues only, and it will be taken away if its abused.
4. [25 minutes (10 minute set up and 15 minute writing)] Set up writers notebook
I will explain the purpose of the writers notebook and how its a place to keep ideas and
drafts. I will explain it is a way to see your progress over the class and see your growth of
the writer. I will then model how to set it up with the table of contents and they will start
on their writing territories. I will write my writing territories along with them so they can
see my writing process as well.
5. [20 minutes] Explicit discussion of sources of support - teachers
In order to help students connect with their new base group members, students will
brainstorm ways they will get support in their base groups and then share out in a classwide discussion. I will supplement discussion by recording down what students write and
also suggesting sources of support that I specifically want students to take note of (base
groups, myself, other teachers, school counselors, etc.). We will finalize the list as a class.

Materials:
Name tents
Markers
Class rules materials from last class
Communication box
Writers notebook (model and student materials)

Lesson Plan 3
Week 1; Plan #3 of 3; [90 min.]
Plan type: Summary
Learning Objectives (KUD):
Students will know that situations dont always go to plan.
Students will understand that its important to be able to adapt when situations dont go
according to plan.
Students will be able to appropriately respond to changing routines and unexpected outcomes.
Methods of Assessment
Students will sketch out and perform a skit wherein they show how to respond appropriately to
an unexpected event. I will develop a rubric to record student participation.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
Beginning Room Arrangement: Students will be sitting in their base groups.
1. [5 minutes] Unveil Class Playlist
I will introduce the class playlist, generated by the songs listed by students on the surveys
that they completed on the first day of class. Each day, as students enter the room, a new
song from the playlist will be playing during the transition time at the beginning of the
class period. These will proceed in random order, and the student will have a chance to
acknowledge that it was his or her song.
2. [5 minutes] Brief review of class rules and home court.
This will be a very brief overview, as they have been covered during the last two class
periods, but this is just to keep these norms fresh in students minds.
3. [30 minutes total/15 minutes to prepare/15 minutes to perform] Skits about how to respond
to new situations in the classroom
In their base groups, students will work out a skit in response to different situations in
which they encounter unexpected outcomes. They will demonstrate ability to
appropriately respond things like getting a bad grade when they thought they did better.
They will then perform the skits and the class will discuss why thats an appropriate
response. The skits will have predetermined situations and it will be up to the base groups
to come up with roles and the solution to the situation.
4. [15 minutes] Talk about how to respond to change appropriately
Students will suggest other situations where they need to know how to respond
appropriately to change and/or unexpected events. As a class, we will compile a list of
these other scenarios.
5. [10 minutes] Concept framing
Depending on the unit being addressed, we will engage in a short activity framing the
concept in the context of students everyday lives and prior knowledge bases.
6. [20 minutes] SSR

I will introduce the routine of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR), which students will
partake in on a daily basis. The time allotted for SSR will vary based on the day and
agenda. We will also point out areas in the room for students to read during SSR as well
as places where that they can get books (i.e. class library, school library). After we have
introduced SSR, students will spend the remaining class time selecting and reading a
book.
7. [5 minutes] The Divine Book Recommendation Binder
I will introduce the Anchor Activity, for which students will fill out the book
recommendation form to recommend books to their peers. As a class, we will compile a
binder of book recommendations. Students may do this when they have finished their
other work in the class.
Materials:
Class playlist
Class rules
Skit planning worksheet
Divine Book Recommendation Binder and form