Lesson #24
RATIONALE Students have been analyzing and discussing COW in their lit circle groups for the last few class periods. They will continue to work on the essay assignment in this lesson so that they can refine their thoughts into a structured piece of textual analysis. I will also do a mini lesson on thesis writing in order to help students construct these statements. They will be asked to submit their thesis statements to me so that I can ensure that they are sufficiently articulating their claims and developing their argument across their essays.
PROCEDURES
OPENER Students will take the vocab test on the review unit for the first fifteen minutes of class--I will set the box timer to help them adhere to this limit. If a student needs more time and did not come late to class, they may return to class later in the day to finish their test.
BODY OF THE LESSON I will show students the thesis template on the Promethean Board as well as the three model topic sentences I gave them on the original assignment. I will ask them how we might construct a thesis from these statements and record their answers on the PB. I will then show them two model thesis statements: the first is a straightforward connect of the three claims with conjunctions, as the template asks for, and the second is a more sophisticated adaptation of the template. We will discuss both together as a class. I will then ask students to open their outlines and take the "Thesis Quiz" on Edmodo, which simply provides the template (THESIS: TS1 + conjunction + TS2 + conjunction + TS3) and asks them to write their thesis using their claims in the box provided. If they do not have computers, they may do this on paper. They will submit this work to me for feedback. I will set the box timer for 8 minutes to encourage students to finish this work quickly. I will then review the templates for intros and conclusions using the PowerPoint, where I have copied the instructions from Step #5 and #6. I will explain each part in straightforward terms and provide examples aloud of each part.
CLOSURE I will remind students to finish their essays by Monday and to come after school for extra help.
ACCOMODATIONS Students will work as a full class and individually. All information presented will be given to them in the handouts as well as on the PB. Information is organized on a graphic organizer for clarity and ease of use.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION Student participation points will be marked this period. The vocab quiz will be graded. The thesis quiz will be graded to provide students with numerical and written feedback before they finalize their essays.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS / NOTES
PROCEDURES
OPENER Students will take the vocab test on the review unit for the first fifteen minutes of class--I will set the box timer to help them adhere to this limit. If a student needs more time and did not come late to class, they may return to class later in the day to finish their test.
BODY OF THE LESSON I will show students the thesis template on the Promethean Board as well as the three model topic sentences I gave them on the original assignment. I will ask them how we might construct a thesis from these statements and record their answers on the PB. I will then show them two model thesis statements: the first is a straightforward connect of the three claims with conjunctions, as the template asks for, and the second is a more sophisticated adaptation of the template. We will discuss both together as a class. I will then ask students to open their outlines and take the "Thesis Quiz" on Edmodo, which simply provides the template (THESIS: TS1 + conjunction + TS2 + conjunction + TS3) and asks them to write their thesis using their claims in the box provided. If they do not have computers, they may do this on paper. They will submit this work to me for feedback. I will set the box timer for 8 minutes to encourage students to finish this work quickly. I will then review the templates for intros and conclusions using the PowerPoint, where I have copied the instructions from Step #5 and #6. I will explain each part in straightforward terms and provide examples aloud of each part.
CLOSURE I will remind students to finish their essays by Monday and to come after school for extra help.
ACCOMODATIONS Students will work as a full class and individually. All information presented will be given to them in the handouts as well as on the PB. Information is organized on a graphic organizer for clarity and ease of use.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION Student participation points will be marked this period. The vocab quiz will be graded. The thesis quiz will be graded to provide students with numerical and written feedback before they finalize their essays.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS / NOTES