Lesson Plan 8: Symbolism

UTL 640E Jessica Zavala

Caleb Phillips / Westlake High School English II / 10th Grade
Date: Friday - November 17, 2017 Teach(es) # 8
Class Period / Time: 1st Period - 8:50 9:40

Enduring Understanding(s) & Essential Question(s):

o EU: Effective readers identify symbols in texts and consider the given context to assign those
symbols the correct significance in order to understand how an author intends certain
moments to be interpreted.
o EQs:
What is a symbol? [f]
How can the context in which a symbol is presented change the meaning of that symbol?
[c]

Lesson Objective(s):
o After learning how to identify symbols and their significance within their context as a class
by watching a video, students will practice identifying the symbols in The Rose that Grew
from Concrete by Tupac Shakur and their significance before applying this skill to their lit
circle books individually in order to demonstrate their ability to recognize not only symbols
in a text, but also their relevance and importance given the context.

Resources/Materials:
A. TO DO before the day of the lesson:
o Complete symbolism chart for The Rose the Grew from Concrete

B. For the lesson itself:

o Projector and whiteboard to display poem, Genius page, symbolism chart
o Students will need iPads to access poem, Genius page, symbolism chart
o Symbolism video link (first 2:28 only) - https://ed.ted.com/on/eetfzkFD
o The Rose the Grew from the Concrete Genius page - https://genius.com/1703477
o Students will need their lit circle book

TEKS/SEs Addressed in the Lesson:

110.32.EnglishLanguageArtsandReading,EnglishII
(3) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Poetry. Students understand, make inferences and
draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry and provide evidence from text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to analyze the structure or prosody (e.g.,
meter, rhyme scheme) and graphic elements (e.g., line length, punctuation, word position) in
poetry.
(5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and
draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to:
(A) analyze isolated scenes and their contribution to the success of the plot as a whole in a
variety of works of fiction;

Steps in Lesson:
ENGAGEMENT 10 Minutes
What the TEACHER will do / say What the STUDENTS will do
o To begin the lesson, I will show students the o Students will watch the video silently,
first 2:28 minutes of the symbols and learning about symbolism and the
symbolism video from TEDEd. importance of context in order to determine
https://ed.ted.com/on/eetfzkFD the significance of a symbol.
o (5 Minutes) Next, with what they just o Students will think personally and choose a
learned about symbols and context, students symbol that represents them or their life in
will write in their writers notebooks some way. They should write what the
identifying a symbol in their own lives, symbol is, the context around this symbol,
including the context in which the symbol and what it represents.
emerges, and what this symbol represents.
Before they begin, I will offer this personal
example: Friday afternoon (after this lesson),
I will receive my class ring from the
university. My class ring represents all of the
time and effort I have put in towards earning
my degree and the context that creates its
significance is that Ill receive it towards the
end of my time as an undergrad as a
celebration of my accomplishments.
o (2 Minutes) I will randomly select 2-3 o If a student is called on, he/she will share
students by drawing their names from a what symbol they wrote about, its context,
stack of cards and ask them to share their and what it represents.
life symbol, its context, and what it
represents.

STATED OBJECTIVE
Today, were going to read a short poem to practice identifying symbols and their significance.
Then, you guys will have time to read your lit circle books and apply what you learned by identifying
symbols and their significance in your books.

ACTIVE LEARNING36 Minutes Introduce / explore / explain / apply / elaborate / evaluate

What the TEACHER will do / say What the STUDENTS will do / may ask
o INTRODUCE (2 Minutes) I will read the o INTRODUCE Students will listen and read
poem The Rose that Grew from Concrete along as I read the poem out loud.
by Tupac Shakur out loud to the class.
 o EXPLORE (4 Minutes) I will then give
students about 4 minutes to talk within their
groups about the symbols in this poem.
Before doing so, I will instruct students to
take out their iPads and find the symbolism
chart in Google Classroom. Students should
consider what the rose and the concrete in
the poem represent and fill out the
symbolism chart for the poem. I will let
students know they should be prepared to
share their thoughts with the class.
o EXPLAIN (4 Minutes) I will ask each group
to share their thoughts on what they think
the rose and concrete represent. One
member of each group should act as the
spokesperson for that group.
o ELABORATE (3 Minutes) After each group
has shared their thoughts on what the rose
and concrete represent, as a class, we will
look at the Genius page for the poem to
either reinforce students interpretations or
clarify any confusions. I will read the
explanations out loud and at this time,
students should add any pertinent
information to their symbolism charts.
https://genius.com/1703477
o APPLY (23 Minutes) After going over the
Genius explanation of the Tupac Shakur
poem, I will give students about 23 minutes
to read their lit circle book silently and
independently. I will also instruct students to
identify at least one symbol in their book as
they read, what they think it means, and
textual support for their claim, though Ive
given them space for two symbols. After a
few minutes of silent reading, I will begin
circulating and conferring with different
groups about the symbols theyve identified
and what they contribute to the text.
CLOSURE 4 Minutes
What the TEACHER will do / say
o For the last four minutes of class, I will ask
students to discuss the symbols theyve
identified with one another in their groups.
o EXPLORE In their groups, students should
discuss what they think the rose and the
concrete represent. Students should write
their thoughts on what the rose and
concrete represent in the symbolism chart.
Students should be prepared to share their
thoughts with the class.
o EXPLAIN - One member from each group
should share with the class what was
discussed in their groups. If everyone was
able to determine what the rose and
concrete symbolized, all of their answers
should be similar.
o ELABORATE Students should read along as I
read the explanations of the poem from the
Genius website. Students should add any
information or explanation of the symbols
they may have missed before.
o APPLY Students will take about 23 minutes
to read their lit circle book independently. As
they read, they should identify at least one
symbol, what they think it means, and
textual support for their claim. This
information should be written in their
symbolism chart. If time allows it, students
should identify a second symbol to complete
the chart. Students should also be ready to
confer with me as a lit circle about what
symbols theyve identified thus far and how
they contribute to the text.
What the STUDENTS will do
o Students will share and discuss the symbols
theyve identified in their books with their lit
circle. Students should either find that
theyve identified the same symbols or help
 each other identify symbols they hadnt seen
before.

Modifications/Differentiation Strategies:
o This lesson will incorporate methods that cater to linguistic learners (analyzing texts to
identify symbols), interpersonal learners (working in groups to discuss at various times),
intrapersonal learners (working independently identifying symbols both in the poem and
their lit circle books), and visual learners (watching a video explaining symbolism).
o Mr. Phillips did not mention any particular modifications I had to make for students receiving
504 or SpEd services. Because this activity does not involve taking extensive notes, because
its completed with online resources, and because all students will already have the
symbolism chart with which we will be working with on Google Classroom, any necessary
modifications have already been made.

Evaluation Strategies:
o I will informally evaluate students by asking one member of each group to share what the
group interpreted the rose and the concrete to represent in the poem. I will also informally
evaluate students when I confer with each lit circle about the symbols they identify in their
books. Mr. Phillips will formally evaluate students when they turn in their completed
symbolism chart.

Notes/Recommendations for next time:

o