C.T.

s Signature: _______________________
Name: Carolyn Conlon Cooperating Teacher: Lauren Gilmore
Date: 4/19/17 Time: 12:15 PM Subject/Class/Period: ELA 9, 6th and 7th Period

EXPANDING PERSPECTIVES THROUGH READING AND WRITING

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES TO MEET GOALS:

The students will be able to consider the events Walter Dean Myers Monster from
multiple perspectives.
The students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the different
perspectives by writing a mock-journal entry.
The students will be able to write from a first person perspective with creativity and
accuracy according to the characterization in the novel.
The students will be able to demonstrate a deep understanding of the complex
characters of the novel.

OHIO LEARNING STANDARDS (General Objectives) - Grade Nine:

RL.9-10.3 (Reading: Key Ideas and Details) - Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those
with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other
characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme
W.9-10.3 (Writing: Text Types and Purposes) - Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective techniques, well-chosen details, and well-structured event
sequences.
W.9-10.4 (Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing) - Produce clear and coherent
writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
SL.9-10.1 (Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration) - Initiate and
participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others
ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
L.9-10.3 (Language: Knowledge of Language) - Apply knowledge of language to understand
how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style and
to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

MOTIVATIONAL TECHNIQUES:
I will present the form of journal writing using examples that they are familiar with in
order to activate their prior knowledge.
I will share a personal anecdote about keeping a journal.
Students will brainstorm what they know about journal writing, and I will write their
responses on the board.

MATERIALS NEEDED:
Whiteboard, dry erase markers, notebooks, writing utensils, Monster by Walter Dean Myers,
Google Slides, projector

PROCEDURE FOR THE LESSON:

Students will enter the classroom and sit in their normal configuration
I will introduce the topic of journal writing using examples that they are familiar with,
including Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Diary of Anne Frank
Students will brainstorm what they know about journal writing, and I will record their
responses on the whiteboard.
I will lead a discussion about the various technical aspects of journal writing, connecting
it to the book that they are reading in class, Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Students will do a think-pair-share about the characteristics of Steve Harmons journal
entries in the book.
A few pairs will share with the class.
After hearing their responses, I will add any necessary information, including the fact that
journal writing is written from the first person perspective using an informal voice, and it
is typically stream-of-consciousness writing driven by emotion.
The instructions for their in-class activity will be displayed on a Google Slide using the
overhead projector.
Students will participate in a RAFT activity, which stands for Role, Audience, Form, and
Topic. Each student will have the same audience (themselves), form (journal entry), and
topic (the trial in the book), but their role will vary.
The main characters of the book will be displayed on the board, each with a number on
it. Students will draw a numbered card to determine which characters perspective they
will be writing from. This character is their role in the RAFT activity.
Students will then write a brief, creative journal entry from the perspective of their
selected character. Journal entries must be between around one page long.
I will provide prompting questions that they can discuss with a partner to help motivate
their creativity. These questions will include: What is this characters purpose in the
story? How does he or she feel about the trial? How would someone express that in a
journal? What do we know about his or her personal life? What are his or her speech
patterns?
The remainder of the class, students will work on their journal entries, which must be
finished by the end of the period. I will roam around the classroom observing their work
and helping them when they need it.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE:
Perspective, role, audience, form, topic, first-person, tone, voice, formal, informal,
characteristics, stream-of-consciousness

ASSESSMENT METHODS:
I will informally assess the students by observing their participation in class discussion
and group work.
I will observe students effort and focus while they write their journals.
 I will use their journal entries to evaluate their grasp of their character's perspective, the
conventions of journal writing, and the content of the novel.

EVALUATION OF FIELD EXPERIENCE STUDENTS PERFORMANCE

My teaching of this lesson was very successful. I was able to grab the students
attention, and fortunately the motivational techniques that I had planned worked. I taught this
lesson to two periods, and that was a very valuable experience, for I was able to adjust the
instruction based on the individual needs of each class. One thing that I did not anticipate was
how challenging the task of creative writing would be for some students. They were so used to
writing formal argumentative or expository essays that this assignment was totally new territory
for them. Some students accepted the challenge more than others; some came up with creative,
fun, and engaging journal entries, while others barely got anything down on the page, either
because they could not think of anything or did not want to participate. During the first class
period in which I taught the lesson, the students asked many questions that I had not
anticipated. The questions that they asked allowed me to adjust my instruction for the next
class. In sixth period, knowing that they were rowdier than fifth period, I took out the think-pair-
share activity so as not to disrupt the momentum of the whole class discussion, which was a
very effective adjustment. I also modeled an example with another character so that students
would have a better idea of how to complete the activity, and I explained various confusions that
had come to light in fifth period. I appreciated the opportunity to teach the lesson twice. One
issue that I ran into was the level of emotional maturity that was needed for the assignment,
which one student found very challenging. This student perhaps needed more scaffolding, so I
provided more individual assistance to him as he was completing the activity. While other
students just needed prompting questions to spark their creativity, he needed more thorough
guidance due to his struggles relating to the character on an emotional level. If I were to change
anything, I would probably incorporate an accommodation through providing more options for
channeling creativity. Perhaps students could have the option of writing a poem instead of a
journal entry. One thing that I was really happy with, however, was the individuality that I saw
come out of the students. Two students who were writing from the perspective of the same
character would have vastly different journal entries, and it was truly remarkable to witness the
different interpretations of the students. It allowed me to better understand the students as
individuals. Overall, I feel that the students were able to express their creativity, and they truly
learned the implicit lesson contained within the activity: that we have to put ourselves in others
shoes to expand our own perspectives on a situation.