Concept Unit: Lesson Plan #7

Unit Working Title: This I Believe

Unit Big Idea (Concept/Theme): Status Quo
Unit Primary Skill focus: Questioning, personal essay
Week __3__ of 3; Plan #__7__ of 9; [90 mins.]
Plan type: _____Full-Detail ____Summary
Content Requirement Satisfied: Mentor texts
Unit Learning Objectives:
SWBAT:
Cognitive:
Affective and/or Non-Cognitive:
4. Students will feel optimistic about the possibilities of questioning the status
quo.
c. Students will be able to identify multimedia resources to enhance their written
This I Believe
statements.
Performance:
7. Students will be able to explore and develop their own belief systems.
f. Students will know steps, tips, and programs to use for their multimedia projects
based on their
written This I Believe statements.
SOLs:

8.3 The student will analyze, develop, and produce creative or

informational media messages.
c. Use media and visual literacy skills to create products that express new
understandings.
CCSs:

CCS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.5
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information,
strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

Methods of Assessment:
Diagnostic

Students will
demonstrate their initial
ideas about the
multimedia project by
completing an Exit
Ticket in a previous class
and reviewing the
project assignment
handout and asking
questions. (7f)

Formative

Summative

Students will
demonstrate their
progress in collecting
multimedia resources by
sharing a GoogleDoc
listing links for resources
and completing an Exit
Card stating what they
accomplished in class
today and what their
next steps will be in the
following class. (4c, 7f)
Students will
demonstrate their
optimism by choosing
their own multimedia
platform to use in
conjunction with their
This I Believe
statements and by
taking ownership of their
projects by thinking
through their current
progress and next steps.
(4)

Beginning Room Arrangement:

[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
The class is set up in base groups of 3-4 students.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]
1. [__5__ mins] Welcome:
I will greet students at the door as they come into class. Students will come in and
reference the board to get started on their Do-Now. The Do-Now asks students to review
the recent draft of their This I Believe statements that the students drafted and revised
last week in class. I will remind them that they submitted GoogleDoc drafts to me for
feedback, which is now posted on those GoogleDocs. They need to take out the computer
or device they will be using to complete the multi-media component of the project. They
also need to take out their project assignment sheet (I will have a basket at the front with
extra copies for students who may have lost or forgotten it). Once they have taken out all

of their materials, the rest of the Do-Now requires students to read over the project
assignment sheet and then their own TIB statements if they finish re-reading the
assignment before their peers.

2. [__10__ mins] Reviewing This I Believe Assignment & Introduce

Multimedia portion:
I will explain that students should have all of their materials out, and they should have
read over the project assignment handout. I will remind them that last class they all filled
out Exit Cards brainstorming what kind of multimedia project they might be interested in
for their projects. The class will read over the multi-media portion of the handout. I will
explain that the most important aspect of this part of the assignment is to utilize sounds,
music and/or visuals to enhance their written This I Believe statements. I will remind
them that these are due at the end of the week and will be shared with the entire class.
I will allow a few minutes for initial questions. While students are asking questions, I will
return their Exit Cards. This will help them remember what they were thinking at the end
of the previous week, and guide them into the workshop time later in class today.
3. [__15__ mins] Share Examples of Suggested Multimedia Projects:
Before students begin working on their own projects, I will share an example of EACH of
the THREE suggested multimedia projects Ive included on the project handout. I will show
a digital story, a slideshow (explaining that students will need to read their TIB out loud
and consider timing and changing of slides while they are presenting), and allow them to
listen to a podcast version. I will distinguish between the podcast and the example TIB
from NPR that we have previously listened to in class. While they are similar, I want
students to include sound effects or music clips to enhance their TIB, not simply record
themselves reading it aloud.
For each example, we will discuss the key features and how they enhance the TIB
statement. I will also explain that for these options, I have Helpful Hints packets that
explain the steps to follow, programs to use, and how to finalize/save the project. These
will be available for students to keep once they have decided which multimedia option
they are going to complete.
*I have given students the option to do something different, but they will need to get their
ideas approved first, explaining to me exactly what they plan to do. I can work with these
students individually or in small groups (for students will similar ideas) to create a list of
steps to follow.
4. [__45__ mins] Multimedia Workshop Time:
Preparing for Workshop Time (10 minutes): I will direct students attention to their Exit
Cards from last class that I handed back earlier in class. I will ask them to re-read what
they wrote and think about what kind of project they would like to do. I will explain that the

main purpose of todays multimedia workshop is to gather the digital materials they will
need to create their final products. This means that today they need to focus on finding
images, sounds, and music that they will use in their projects. I would have them
brainstorm a list of possible images, materials, that they would like to includejust so that
when they start out on their search, they are purposeful about it.
Creating Folders (7 minutes): I will guide students in creating a folder on the desktop of
their devices to save these resources as they find them. This will help them stay organized
when they are importing these resources into the programs they will use for the final
products. For students recording their TIB statements, this workshop will be the time to do
that and to save it in their resource folders. I am not asking students for a formal
bibliography for this project, however I do want them to keep a running list of links in a
GoogleDoc shared with me. After creating desktop folders, we will create the GoogleDoc
for source links. I will verify that each student has shared this with me.
Gathering images (25 minutes): After we have created folders and answered any lingering
questions, students will have the rest of class time to begin collecting resources. If time
permits, they will begin importing their media into the program they are using for the final
product. They will then start formatting and creating the product.
At this time, I will work with students who are proposing other ideas to generate a list of
steps to follow. If there are many students who choose to do this, I will try to pair them up
or work with them in small groups based on similar ideas. While I meet with some, I will
ask them to at least start brainstorming what kinds of resources they can look for as the
first step. Then, I will switch groups and complete the steps to follow with the other
students. This will ensure that all students are at least able to begin working during the
workshop time.
5. [__10-15__ mins] Exit Card & Wrap Up:
Before the last ten minutes of class, I will instruct students to save and close any
resources they currently have open. I will give them a few minutes to do this and to put
their devices away. As they are closing and saving, I will distribute index cards for an Exit
Card.
I will regain students attention and go over the questions they need to answer on their
Exit Cards. I will have these projected on the board. Students will tell me what they
accomplished today, what their next steps will be for the next workshop, and any
questions they have remaining. This will help me gauge student success from todays
class and address any questions that come up at the start of the next workshop.
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:
Sam Because there is a lot of choice in how to approach the multimedia project, Sam will
be able to choose a task that will better meet him at his level. Based on his response to
the Exit Card last class, I can work with him to make a recommendation for something that
would work well for his This I Believe statement and skills.

Bethany Choice should also appeal to Bethany because she tends to be more invested
in tasks that allow her to choose based on interest.
Materials Needed:

Sample Digital Story

Sample Podcast
Sample Slides
Information Packets for each
multimedia option (steps to follow,
programs to use, resources, etc.)

Index Cards
Laptops or tablets
Project assignment sheet