EDIS 5882

Characterization and Character Traits

Unit Title or Big Idea/Concept/Skill: Introduction to Formal Writing/The Hero Essay
Lesson Title or focusing skill and/or concept: Brainstorming
Critical Learning Objectives being taught in this lesson:
Please number each of the objectives.
Cognitive (know/understand):
1 Students will understand

that generating ideas helps writers develop

interesting and creative topics.
2 Students will understand that there are many people in life they feel
thankful for/look up to
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
3Students will feel confident about brainstorming for an essay topic
4Students will feel grateful for the heroes in my life
Performance (do):
5 Students will be

able to generate different topics (heroes) for their hero

essay.
SOLs: [List with numbers portrayed in the SOL document]
6.7 b) Use a variety of prewriting strategies including graphic organizers to generate
and organize ideas.
CCSs: [List with numbers portrayed in the CCS document]
N/A
Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] List all methods of assessment used in
this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson. After each assessment,
indicate in brackets the number(s) of the related lesson objectives that the assessment is
evaluating.
Diagnostic Assessment Students will demonstrate what they already know by

participating in the opening discussion about the writing process and

brainstorming. I will be able to tell how much the students know about the
writing process from their participation in the discussion. From this
information, I can determine how much explaining and modeling I would

need to do in the rest of the lesson.

Objectives met: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & SOL6.7b
Formative Assessment Using

graphic organizers to brainstorm about the heroes

in their lives and sharing with the class. Based on the students progress
during the class activities, I can give them immediate feedback and provide
more scaffolding in the process of brainstorming if they need it.
Objectives met: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & SOL6.7b
Summative Assessment For homework, students will finish graphic organizer and also choose
one of their heroes as their topic for the essay and also explain why they chose the person.
Objectives met: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & SOL6.7b (assessed in a later class/time)
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]
Beginning Room Arrangement:
[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
1 Introduction to formal writing
Hi class, today we are going to learn about the writing process and the different stages of
writing. Can I see a show of hands of people who have learned about the writing process in
elementary school? (Students that have will raise hands) Does anyone know what the different
stages of writing are? (Teacher will ask students to share what they think the different stages are)
Okay, now lets do see what the five stages are (teacher goes over writing process powerpoint
with the students and answers students if they have any questions)

2 The Hero Circle Activity 7-8 mins

Now, everyone stand up and circle up, we are going to do a mini activity. (Wait for students to
get into a circle) I will read some names out loud. If you think that person is a hero, you will step
into the circle and then step out (teacher models for students).
List:
Abraham Lincoln
Albert Einstein
Charles Darwin
Dalai Lama
MLK Jr.
Gandhi
Your dad
Justin Beiber
Your Mom
Your grandparents
Walt Disney
People in the military

Now get back to your seats please.

3- Students fill in the graphic organizer page that says, What does it mean to be a hero? 10 mins
I want you to now look at the graphic organizer that I passed out. On the page that says, What
does it mean to be a hero? I want you to fill in the bubbles around it (point to them) what you
think it means to be a hero. What does a person have to have or do in order to be considered a

hero? Think about the activity we just did. Why did you say those people were heroes? What
characteristics do they have?
4 Students will Watch two handpicked clips 10 mins
Kevin Durant MVP Speech - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmRJgKbibB8
Thai Royal Anthem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV5s19ISOYU (Ms. Chees personal example
for the students)

Teacher plays clips for the students and talk about the videos a bit.

For the Thai Royal Anthem, Ms. Chee will tell the students that this is her example for them
This is my example for you guys. My King is my hero because he does a lot for our country. He
gives land to the poor people and teaches them the way of living. Instead of just giving them
money every month, he teaches them to support themselves. He also teaches the citizens of our
country to be content with what we have and make the most out of what we have.

5 Teacher tells students to fill out graphic organizer for people they think are heroes in
their lives (10 mins)
Now I want you to flip the page to the graphic organizer that says, A hero in my life is
In the bubbles around that, I want you to put in the names of the heroes in your life. These will
be people that you might want to write your essay on. It has to be a person you have grown up
knowing all your life. You have to know them personally or knowledgeable enough about them to
write an essay about them.
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my students:
A power point will be used for the introduction to formal writing and introduction to the hero
essay. The technology piece used here are videos with audio and visuals that will be used to
jumpstart the students. Graphic organizers are provided so that it is easy to use for all students.
Materials Needed:

List all the materials you will need to conduct this lesson. Please indicate how many of each you
will need if it is more than one.
- Powerpoints
- Videos
- Graphic organizers
Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers,
handouts, etc.)
Include all materials or links to those materials here.