Lesson Plans - Emily Maclaren

Emily A.
MacLaren
Lesson 1
Subject: English Language Arts
Topic: Dialogue
Grade/Level: 8/Honors
Learning Context: Students have had a lot of exposure to the historical events surrounding the
time-period during which To Kill a Mockingbird takes place as well as during the time of
publication. For example, students have read texts that outline Jim Crow laws, the prevalence
of lynching, influence of the KuKluxKlan, and an excerpt from a womans conduct manual. In
addition, students have seen excerpts from the documentary, Hey, Boo, which tells about the
circumstances surrounding the publishing of the novel. Thus, students are aware of the cultural
events that have shaped the discourse and perception of racism and of colored people during
the 1930s-1960s. At this point in the unit, students have read half of the novel. They have
begun to investigate how characters relate to each other within the text as well as some of the
purposes Harper Lee may have had in constructing certain aspects of the text. They have been
given and practiced language to describe power relations among characters within the text, and
how HL has portrayed power within the text. However, they are unable to effectively use that
language to analyze aspects of the text. This was determined after students completed a short
analysis into how power is at play among the townspeople of Maycomb. However, before doing
so, students identified and discussed several instances of prejudice in the text, whether based
on gender, race, or class. In doing so they have discovered that often times prejudice and
discrimination are means to control people. This lesson is designed to help students deeply
examine the ways in which language plays a role in the culture, perception, and influence of
characters within the text as well as in their own lives so that they may better be able to
articulate and write analysis of character development throughout the text. Code switching has
been defined for them.
Long Term Objectives:
Students will be able to define and apply critical questions in order to closely read the text.
Students will be able to make thematic connections throughout reading To Kill a Mockingbird.
Students will be able to differentiate between prejudice and discrimination.
Students will be able to interpret various authors purposes in order to establish Harper Lees
purpose in writing To Kill a Mockingbird.
Students will be able to outline character traits for various characters based on the text.
Students will be able to explain the role of socioeconomic status, gender, prejudice, and social
norms on character development.
Students will be able to explore and investigate how characters relate to each other within the
town of Maycomb.
Students will be able to interpret which characters have the most power or influence within the
town of Maycomb and on readers.
Emily A. MacLaren
Students will be able to infer how Harper Lee may have wanted readers to view characters
within TKM.
Students will be able to conclude what Harper Lees purpose may be in developing characters.
Students will be able to determine how characters are effected by racism through examining
dialogue, word choice, and point of view.
Students will be able to define: systematized racism, ingrained racism, cultural racism, and
personal racism.
Students will be able to analyze what Harper Lee says about ingrained racism through closely
reading an excerpt where a character demonstrates the effects of ingrained racism on
speech/dialogue.
Students will be able to interpret the impact of Harper Lees culture specific word choice
in describing characters and demonstrating racism or class differences.
Students will be able to point out examples of prejudice in dialogue and explain the significance
of it within context.
Students will be able to engage in a critical commentary about the issues surround the N word
within our society and within the society of Maycomb.
Students will be able to determine the message about the nature of racism Harper Lee is
sending to readers.
Students will be able to examine the way in which code switching demonstrates ones
ability to manipulate language in order to alter others perception of them.
Students will be able to define and explain first person point of view and how Scouts telling of
the story as an adult through the lens of a child influences our reading of the text.
Students will be able to apply their knowledge of character traits and point of view by creating
hypothetical situations between characters based on a shift in which character tells the story.
Students will be able to determine the message of racism that is perceivable through
examination of point of view.
Students will be able to compare and contrast character traits of the Finches, Ewells, and
townspeople of Maycomb.
Students will be able to synthesize their knowledge of character development, point of view, and
dialogue in order to analyze how Harper Lee wants readers to perceive the nature of prejudice
and racism and what purpose she could have in doing so.
Students will be able to establish the structure of a strong analytical paragraph: topic sentence,
introduction of evidence, evidence, paraphrase of evidence, why it is important, how it
accomplishes a certain idea, the implications of that idea on the central idea of the text, potential
authors purpose for presenting this idea to readers.
Students will be able to outline and list aspects of a character to analyze by creating a character
profile.
Emily A. MacLaren
Short Term Objectives:
Students will be able to develop an idea as to how ones ability to speak will influences others
perception of him/her.
Students will be able to identify important words and phrases within the text.
Students will be able to note why certain words or phrases within the text have an impact on
character development.
Students will be able to infer the implications of a characters word choice on readers
perception of the thematic topic of racism within the text.
Students will be able to explain their thoughts about each others writing.
Standards:
NY- New York State Common Core Standards (2011)
Subject: English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects
Grade: Grade 8 students:
Content Area: English Language Arts
Strand: Reading Standards for Literature
Domain: Key Ideas and Details
Standard:
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Standard:
Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel
the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
Domain: Craft and Structure
Standard:
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other
texts.
Domain: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Standard:
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 68 text complexity band
independently and proficiently
Domain: Responding to Literature
Standard:
11. Interpret, analyze, and evaluate narratives, poetry, and drama, artistically
and ethically by making connections to: other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives,
eras, personal events, and situations.
Indicator:
b. Establish and use criteria to classify, select, and evaluate texts to make
informed judgments about the quality of the pieces.
Emily A. MacLaren
Summary:
Students complete entrance task of free writing for 5 minutes to the question: How does
ones skill level or ability to speak well influence the way others see them?
Close reading activity: Students read passage individually after the focus is explained.
Group discussion led by teacher on close reading passage selected from chapter 12 that
presents the effect of code switching and thus the impact of word choice.
Students will individually answer how they believe the author is presenting racism
through this excerpt. Afterwards they will swap with a partner, read and give feedback
about what they did well and what they could elaborate on.
Teacher will present an exemplar and explain what works well about it, while also asking
students to point out ways it could be improved.
Procedures:
Anticipatory Set: Students complete entrance task. Prior knowledge of code switching
is activated through teacher showing a video of code switching performed by comedians,
Key & Peele.
Close Reading: Students will read passage on their own while underlining and circling
noteworthy phrases.
Direct Teach: Teacher will guide close reading, asking students what they noted, as well
as explaining additional words/phrases to note and why.
Individual/Pair Work: Students will answer an analytical question about how racism is
being presented in the text, then swap with a partner to discuss and comment on each
others writing.
Closure: Teacher presents an exemplar response in order to show why it works well.
Extension:
Polish responses based on classmates feedback and teachers pointers from exemplar. Read
next chapter.
Emily A. MacLaren
Lesson 2
Subject: ELA
Topic: Point of View
Learning Context: Students have briefly discussed the effect of the narrator on readers
perception of the text. As an extension to a lesson about how power operates in the text
through characters, students were to categorize a list of characters in order from most powerful
to least powerful. In doing so, most students had difficulty deciding whether they thought Scout
as the narrator or Scout as the current character aged 6-9 had more power than the other.
However, students had never considered the effect that Scouts unique perception plays on how
readers view the story. This lesson is designed to bridge the gap between our previous
discussion and a new understanding and ultimately enable students to deepen their analysis of
character development throughout TKM and gain insight into how characters have been
affected by racism.
Objectives:
town of Maycomb.
within TKM.
personal racism.
Emily A. MacLaren
speech/dialogue.
Students will be able to interpret the impact of Harper Lees culture specific word choice in
describing characters and demonstrating racism or class differences.
sending to readers.
Students will be able to examine the way in which code switching demonstrates ones ability to
manipulate language in order to alter others perception of them.
Students will be able to infer how Scouts telling of the story as an adult through the eyes
of a child indicates the authors purpose in framing the central topic of racism through
an innocent perspective.
Students will be able to apply their knowledge of character traits and point of view by
creating hypothetical situations between characters based on a shift in which character
tells the story.
Students will be able to synthesize their knowledge of character development, point of view, and
dialogue in order to analyze how Harper Lee wants readers to perceive the nature of prejudice
and racism and what purpose she could have in doing so.
Students will be able to outline and list aspects of a character to analyze by creating a character
profile.
Students will be able to recall a time when their own unique perception of an injustice influenced
their idea of what happened.
Emily A. MacLaren
Students will be able to discuss the ways in which their own unique perception influences their
daily life.
Students will be able to summarize a list of character traits for both Scout and Atticus.
Students will be able to identify differences in character traits between Scout and Atticus.
Students will be able to rewrite the lynch mob scene through Atticuss eyes.
Students will be able to infer how the narrators innocent perception of events influences the
message of racism being sent to readers.
Students will be able to determine that the Scouts innocence frames readers perception of
discrimination to be nonsensical and pointless.
Standards:
Subjects
Standard:
Standard:
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other
texts.
Standard:
Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the
audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such
effects as suspense or humor.
Indicator:
a. Analyze full-length novels, short stories, poems, and other genres by
authors who represent diverse world cultures.
Standard:
Standard:
Emily A. MacLaren
Indicator:
Summary:
Students will complete entrance task of telling a brief story to their partners of a time
when they witnessed an injustice happen.
We will gather as a class and discuss how point of view effects the way we see things
i.e. events, people, etc.
Students will jot down a summary of character traits for Scout and Atticus.
Students will compare and contrast those lists.
Students will rewrite the lynch mob scene from TKM and some may perform it from
Atticus point of view, providing feedback to each other afterwards.
Students will infer how our reading of TKM through Scouts first person narration effects
our understanding of racism.
Procedure:
Anticipatory Set: Students will tell a story to a partner about a time they saw an injustice
happen.
Direct Teach: Students will be able to identify the definition of first person point of view as
well as the point of view of TKM.
Group Work: Students will make a list of all the ways they can describe Scout and
Atticus, citing textual evidence. They will compare and contrast the lists.
Drama: Students will rewrite a scene from the novel (lynch mob scene) through the eyes
of Atticus. Then, a few will perform.
Response: Students will provide oral feedback about how their perception of the scene
changed based on who was narrating it.
Closure: Students will make inferences as to how the point of view of TKM sheds light on
its topical theme of racism.
Extension:
Homework: Choose a character to later analyze. Pick 4 pieces of salient dialogue by that
character.
Emily A. MacLaren
Lesson 3
Subject: English Language Arts
Topic: Character Analysis
Context for Learning: Students have been investigating how Harper Lee, the author of, To Kill
a Mockingbird, manipulates dialogue as well as point of view to influence the way readers see
racism. They are able to determine how particular lines of the text show what a character is like
as well as how the narrative point of view contributes to readers understanding of the
underlying themes of racism. This lesson serves as a way for students to synthesize their
knowledge as well as assess the degree to which students can apply the knowledge they
learned in the last two lessons.
Objectives:
town of Maycomb.
within TKM.
personal racism.
speech/dialogue.
Students will be able to interpret the impact of Harper Lees culture specific word choice in
describing characters and demonstrating racism or class differences.
Emily A. MacLaren
sending to readers.
Students will be able to examine the way in which code switching demonstrates ones ability to
manipulate language in order to alter others perception of them.
Students will be able to infer how Scouts telling of the story as an adult through the eyes of a
child indicates the authors purpose in framing the central topic of racism through an innocent
perspective.
Students will be able to apply their knowledge of character traits and point of view by creating
hypothetical situations between characters based on a shift in which character tells the story.
Students will be able to outline and list aspects of a character to analyze by creating a
character profile.
Students will be able to synthesize their knowledge of character development, point of
view, and dialogue in order to analyze how Harper Lee wants readers to perceive the
nature of prejudice and racism and what purpose she could have in doing so.

Students will be able to identify of how their character implicitly reveals something about racism.
Students will be able to gather information (4 noteworthy quotes, how their character has been
developed, has their character has been effected by racism) about their character in order to
create a character profile.
Students will be able to create a character profile which represents aspects of their character as
well as serves as a frame for the formal analysis they will write.
Emily A. MacLaren
Students will be able to explain how their character has been effected or impacted by racism
and what the larger implication for that is.
Standards:
Subjects
Standard:
Standard:
Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the
audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such
effects as suspense or humor.
Indicator:
a. Analyze full-length novels, short stories, poems, and other genres by
authors who represent diverse world cultures.
Standard:
Standard:
Indicator:
Strand: Writing Standards
Domain: Text Types and Purposes
Standard:
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
Indicator:
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas,
concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
Indicator:
Emily A. MacLaren
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete
details, quotations, or other information and examples.
Standard:
11. Create a presentation, art work, or text in response to a literary work with a
commentary that identifies connections and explains divergences from the
original.
Summary:
Students will complete entrance task of taking out notes about the character of their
choosing and answering the question: What does your character implicitly reveal to
readers about racism?
Students will be introduced to culminating writing assignment, and I will explain to them
how their character profiles will help them, and that they should approach their character
profiles through the lens of analysis.
Students will create character profiles (a visual and textual representation of a character)
of a character of their choosing.
Students will use profiles to help them brainstorm how their characters development has
impacted the message of racism being told throughout the text.
Procedure:
Anticipatory Set: Answering the question: What does your character implicitly reveal to
readers about racism?
Direct Teach: I will explain to students the culminating assessment, careful not to assign
it yet. I will also explain what a character profile will include (an image or drawing
representing their character, 4 quotes by or about that character with 2 from Part 1 and 2
from Part 2, a mini concept map of ways their character has been developed through
either dialogue or point of view, and a few sentences about how their character has been
effected by racism), and how they can approach this task, given our focus of decoded
the message of racism told by Harper Lee.
Individual Work: Students will create character profiles. Then, students will begin to
infer how their character has been effected by racism and the larger implication of that.
Closure: I will reiterate the connection between character profiles and the culminating
assessment; the structure of the profiles is similar to the structure their analysis should
be in.
Extension: Students will begin to work on their formal analysis, creating a first draft.

Lesson Plans - Emily Maclaren

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Lesson Plans - Emily Maclaren

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Emily A.

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