Sample Lesson Plan
Lesson Logistics
Unit Title: Journalism
Lesson Title: Reading Current Events
Grade Level: 9th grade
Course: Introduction to Literature
Content Integration: Social Studies
Allotted Time: 1-2 class periods
Target Quarter: 1st quarter
Lesson Foundation
Standards:
CC.1.2.9-10.A: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
* L.N.1.3.1: Identify and/or explain stated or implied main ideas and relevant supporting details from a text.
* L.N.1.3.2: Summarize the key details and events of a nonfictional text, in part or as a whole.
Objectives:
Given an article of a current event, students will identify the main idea of the article by marking key phrases in the text.
Students will then defend their selection by marking at least three supporting details in the article.
Finally, students will use the main idea and details to create a summary of the article in a medium of their choice.
Essential Questions:
How do journalists decide what to write about?
Why is journalism important in our society?
In what ways can a person become a journalist?
Formative Assessments:
Observe student participation in each activity. If a student has not participated, ask the student to share an interest that can help guide their use of the lesson.
When students find main points in Activity #2, check to see if students marked the main point and at least three supporting details. If a student does not mark anything, guide the student through the process of finding details.
Summative Assessments:
The products of the lesson will be the first installment in each student’s unit portfolio.
Classroom Set Up:
Flexible seating to allow for multiple groups of various sizes working with various materials. Possibly leave the center of the room open for collaboration with seating around the edges for group work.
Lesson Body
Introduction:
– Using the Essential Questions, guide students through a short discussion about journalism. Students should grapple with the concepts of journalism along the topics of medium, intention, structure, reliability, bias, and power.
– Communicate that in order to engage with journalism as a consumer or as a writer, people must first know how to read the genre of journalism.
– The first step in this process is to find the main idea.
Direct Teaching:
– Using the projector, navigate to a website like Newsela.com.
– Select an article and demonstrate by thinking aloud how to read the article while looking for a main point.
– After marking the main point, demonstrate by thinking aloud how to find at least three supporting details that lead to the discovery of the main point.
– Finally, use a display medium (e.g. the chalkboard) to demonstrate a visual representation of the findings. To do this, draw a graphic organizer (e.g. a web) to connect the details to the main point.
Activity #1:
– Students, alone or in a group, will find an article of interest from a medium of their choice (see Differentiated Activities).
– Students will read the article at their reading level (see Differentiated Activities).
Activity #2:
– Students will mark the main point and at least three supporting details for the main point.
– Students must individually show the teacher their findings (see Formative Assessment).
Activity #3:
– For each article used, students will create a visual, written, or any other representation of their findings.
– The representations must include all of the main ideas and supporting details from each student who worked on the article.
– Students will record their representations (take a picture if necessary) to be included in their unit portfolio (see Summative Assessment) under the first section.
Conclusion:
– Take time for students who wish to show off their works to the class. Depending on class dynamics, have students present or conduct a gallery walk.
– Revisit the discussion held at the beginning of the class, highlighting some of the Essential Questions.
– Discuss some questions students have about the field of journalism, specifically focusing on application of the unit’s lessons to the real world.
– Assign homework.
– Tell students what to expect for the next class period.
Lesson Essentials
Differentiated Learning Activities:
Grouped by interest and readiness through content.
– Activity #1 allows for students to choose whether to work alone or in a group.
– Activity #1 allows for students to choose an article in a preferred medium and on a preferred topic.
– Activity #1 allows students to use Newsela.com which can modify the reading level to match student reading levels.
Homework:
Listen to a story from a friend or from the media. Be prepared to give a short report of what you heard at the beginning of next class.
Instructional Materials:
Laptops, Projector, Current Newspapers, Newsela.com, Tolerance.org, Highlighters
Analysis of Student Learning:
– Were all students able to meet the objectives?
– Were all students able to find materials for the activities?
Analysis of Teaching:
– What can be modified within the introduction to reduce the amount of questions during the activities?
– Was wait time used during class discussions?
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