Janine Sherman

3 May 2016
Dr. Rybakova
Demographic: You have a classroom of 19 students. 5 are on reduced-lunch (low SES families).
You have 2 ELL students, both who have been in the country for several years and have had
intensive ELL instruction in elementary school.

Flipped Lesson Plan Draft 1:

Mapping Your Own Heros Journey

*Lesson Plan based on a 50 minute class period

YouTube videos for homework:

Learning about the heros journey archetype
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8XUVqjX_IAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGV1BvnyvGo-

Purpose/Rationale:
This lesson is for students who are in tenth grade honors and are in their fourth quarter of the
year. To take a break from the argumentative writing and more gloomy canonical literature the
students have been dealing with this year, the class has read the novel The Alchemist and will be
studying the quest narrative. The Alchemist is an optimistic and multicultural novel; it has been
translated into 41 different languages. In this flipped classroom students will learn for homework
about the Heros Journey from educational YouTube Videos. Flipped classrooms are excellent
because it allows the student to learn direct static instruction at home at their own pace. Students
then apply and practice what they have learned in the classroom with the guidance of a
facilitator. This is structure really allows for student growth and allows the teacher to be more
than a lecturer, but a facilitator. The videos for this specific lesson describe the eight specified
plot development steps of the Heros Journey, as well as relating it to pop culture and real life
examples to make it more relevant to students lives. The purpose of this is to learn more about a
specific structure and genre of writing. This lesson plan sets them up for an important academic
skill which is to be able to apply what they have learned into their own writing. After applying
what they have learned about the Heros Journey to The Alchemist, students will incorporate this
structure into their own writing with a personal narrative assignment. Learning about genre in

turn makes students more diversified in their writing abilities. Since The Alchemist deals with the
protagonist, Santiago, following his personal legend and fulfilling his dreams, it can inspire
students to share experiences of their own personal path through expressive writing. Students
will use the Heros Journey plot development to structure their own quest narratives.
Standards:
LAFS.910.RL.2.5 Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure a text, order
events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such
effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. Cognitive Complexity: Level 3: Strategic Thinking &
Complex Reasoning
LAFS.910.RL.1.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting
motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the
plot or develop the theme. Cognitive Complexity: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex
Reasoning
Objectives:
Students will be able to

Identify the Heros Journey plot structure in literature and pop culture.
Work in groups to chart the Heros Journey plot development in the novel, The Alchemist.
Apply the Heros Journey plot structure in writing for personal narratives.

Materials:

Computer/Projector
Bellwork Journal
Writing Utensil
Graphic Organizer handout

Anticipatory Set: 5 minutes

Students will sit down in desks and read the active board. A Willa Cather quote is displayed on
the projector: There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves,
and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before
Student will write in Bellwork Journal in response to the prompt on the board: Write down 1
story that prescribes to the Heros Journey archetype- this can be anything from pop culture or
from literature
Teaching Strategy:
Time
2 minutes

What student is doing

Students are listening to
instruction.

What teacher is doing

Teacher is giving instruction
for class activity. Class will
be working in groups of three
to apply the heros journey

5 minutes

20 minutes

5 minutes

Students are picking up the

graphic organizer worksheet
at the desk in the front of the
room and then are getting
into their groups which are
displayed on the active board.
Students fill out graphic
organizer in groups. They
will be applying what they
learned about the Heros
Journey to the book, The
Alchemist.
Student will volunteer
answers to the graphic
organizer activity.

3 minutes

Students are listening to

instruction.

5 minutes

Students will brainstorm

ideas for their personal
narrative which must use at
least 2 steps from the Heros
Journey

archetype to the book they

are reading in class, The
Alchemist. They will be given
a graphic organizer to map
out the plot according to the
Heros Journey.
Teacher displays names of
group members on board and
asks students to take 5
minutes to pick up handouts
in the front of the room and
to get into their groups.
Teacher will monitor group
work to make sure students
are on task and will ask any
questions students may have.

Teacher will wrap up activity

and ask for student volunteers
to share some of their
answers.
Teacher will introduce next
assignment which will be
writing a personal narrative
that uses the plot
development students have
learned from the Heros
Journey.
Teacher will answer any
questions students may have.

Summary/Closure: 5 minutes
Teacher will read an example personal narrative that she has written, during the group work
activity, using three of the heros journey steps. This will be a mentor text to serve as inspiration
for students to develop their own personal narratives.
Assessment:

Formal assessment: Students will hand in completed graphic organizer for The Heros
Journey in The Alchemist. (See Checklist in Appendix B) Students will complete a peer
evaluation of group work which is worth 5 points for full participation (See Appendix
Informal assessment: Students will be informally assessed on their participation in
discussion.

Homework/follow-up assignment:
Students will continue to brainstorm ideas for their upcoming personal narrative writing
assignment for the Heros Journey.
Accommodations/adaptations:
Herbert Millner, the student with ADHD will be placed with a group of students that are hard
working and on task to prevent distractions. Herbert will be allowed to take breaks in
concentration if needed. Herbert will be allowed extra time to complete the graphic organizer for
homework. The student is given preferential seating during class, somewhere away from
distractors like windows.
Paten Vander, the student with the speech impairment will be placed in a group with peers he
feels comfortable speaking in front. The student will be allowed to use a journal or an aid to
communicate their thoughts with peers.
The teacher will check in individually with Lya Gross, the student with dyslexia, to make sure
she understands the instructions fully. Lya will be allowed extra time to complete the graphic
organizer for homework.
Oliver Fore, the student with mild autism, will be placed in a group that he feels comfortable
with or can work individually if he wishes to do so. The student will be given preferential seating
during class, somewhere he feels comfortable. The student will be allowed extra time to
complete the graphic organizer for homework.
The two English Language Learners will be placed in a group together to help each other. They
have both been spoken to individually and they agree that being in a group together helps them
communicate and translate their ideas; their other group member is someone who is advanced
and has agreed to help his peers during group work. The ELLs will be provided with dictionaries
and the teacher will make sure that that the students fully understand the directions. The ELLs
will be given extra time to complete the graphic organizer for homework.

Attachments/Appendices:

Appendix A:
Graphic Organizer for the Heros Journey in the Alchemist

Steps
The Ordinary World

Call to Adventure

Refusal of the Call

Meeting with a Mentor

Trials- Allies and Enemies

The Ordeal

Examples from The

Alchemist

The Reward

The Return

Appendix B:

Checklist for Graphic Organizer Grade

____ Student has participated equally in group work by contributing ideas
____ Student has thoughtfully completed all 8 boxes of plot development relating to The
Alchemist
Worth 5 points each for a total of 10 points

Appendix C:
Peer Evaluation Form
For this activity how helpful and participatory were your partners?
Partner name _______________ 1

Partner name _______________ 1

Citation:
The Heros Journey- Pop Culture Examples
Theherocc. (2011, February 15). The Heros Journey. [Video File] Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGV1BvnyvGoTed Talk Video: Making the Journey relevant to students
TedxTalks. (2013, May 11). What is the Hero's Journey?: Pat Soloman at TEDxRockCreekPark.
[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8XUVqjX_IA-

Plan B:
If students do not seem to fully understand the Heros Journey the teacher will go through the
graphic organizer together as a class. If the students finish the graphic organizer early, the
students will begin their personal narrative drafts and will be able to go over their ideas with the
teacher. If graphic organizer handouts are unavailable, teacher will write the Heros Journey steps
on the board and the students will write in their Bellwork journals.