Concept Unit: Lesson Plan #9

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 #__9__ of 9; [90 mins.]
Plan type: _____Full-Detail ____Summary
Content Requirement Satisfied: N/A
Unit Learning Objectives:
SWBAT:
Cognitive: None in this lesson.
Affective and/or Non-Cognitive:
3. Students will understand that other peoples values have validity through
their experiences in a
community of diverse learners.
c. Students will understand that sharing a finished work with other allows for the
contribution and
expansion of new ideas. (Lauren Struzik shared this objective with me)
7. Students will be able to explore and develop their own belief systems.
e. Students will value the importance of articulating what they believe through
writing and sharing
with others.
Performance:
7. Students will be able to explore and develop their own belief systems.
d. Students will be able to publish and reflect on their multimedia, This I Believe
projects.
8. Students will be able to express the significance of diverse perspectives in
various communities.
c. Students will be able to thoughtfully reflect on ideas taken from their partners
blog posts and
presentation.
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present
the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact
and collaborate with others.
Methods of Assessment:
Diagnostic

Throughout the unit,

students have
completed blog posts
and blog comments with
their blog partners.
Completion of these
activities allows me to
see how they have
interacted with each
other throughout the
unit, leading up to
presentations and
reflection. (3c, 8b, 8c)
Students have reflected
and explored on their
own ideas through blog
posts and drafts of their
This I Believe
statements, letting me
know how they have
progressed throughout
the unit. (3c, 7d, 7e)

Formative

After each presentation,

the presenters blog
partner will briefly share
one thing they learned
or didnt know about
their blog partner before
this project. This will
scaffold students prior to
writing their reflections.
(3c, 7e, 8b)

Summative

Students will turn in the

final drafts of their TIB
statements. (7d, 7e)
Students will present
their multimedia This I
Believe statements with
the class. (3c, 7d, 7e)
Students will complete a
unit reflection to turn in
at the beginning of next
class. (3c, 7d, 7e, 8b)

Beginning Room Arrangement:

[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
Students will be seated 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. [__1o__ mins] Opening to lesson:
As students come in to class, the Do-Now will be projected on the board. I will provide
snacks. Students will be instructed to grab a snack and get out anything they need to turn
in their multimedia project and their written This I Believe statement. They will need to
submit both through the schools online turn in capabilities. Once students begin to settle,

I will welcome them and congratulate them on finishing their projects. I will briefly review
the procedure for the day before getting started.

2. [__75__ mins] Presentations!

Each student will have approximately 5 minutes total for presenting. Sharing their product
should take roughly 2-3 minutes. Then, the person who commented on their blog posts
throughout the unit will share one thing in the presentation that really struck them, or was
something they learned. Then we will quickly move on to the next students. The process
will have to move quickly in order to get through everyone. During the presentations, I will
complete a preliminary rubric in the moment. After class, I will review each persons
project again to verify my rubric score for the final grade.
3. [__5__ mins] Wrap Up // Closure:
I will again congratulate and affirm students for their hard work. I will distribute the unit
reflection questions and instruct them to answer these in one final blog post, due NEXT
CLASS. I will remind them that the reflection is included on the rubric for the project
overall. I will distribute a short handout with the questions on it for students to reference.
The questions for reflection include:
What new ideas have you taken away from your partners blog posts? Identify and
explain at least TWO ideas.
What new ideas have you taken away from your partners This I Believe project?
Identify and explain at least ONE idea.
What is the most important thing you have learned about YOURSELF through your
own This I Believe project?
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:
For Grace, Sam, Cody, and Bethany, all of them require a sense of interest and motivation
specifically to combat their various issues. This entire class period is spent sharing student
work in digital form. Hopefully, this will suit all of them, and they will find satisfaction and
pride in sharing their own work with the class.
Materials Needed:

Projector
Computer
Snacks
Reflection Questions Handout