Integrated Lesson Plan: The Crucible

For my integrated lesson plan, aimed towards 10^th grade American Literature English students, I will be focusing on The Crucible. This lesson is an introduction to the play and the historic events that take place within the play, the Salem Witch Trials. This classroom activity is a combination of individual and group work which includes a pre-reading plan to introduce the Salem Witch Trials, a group Internet project to research the facts and events surrounding the trials, and a journal entry for homework.

The purpose of this learning activity is to introduce the Salem Witch Trials, explore students pre-existing knowledge about the Salem Witch Trials, and correct any misconceptions students may have about this time in history. This learning activity will support a student’s ability to change their attitude or disposition towards a specific event and develop their own educated opinion. This learning activity is the first class period on a unit of study of The Crucible. This learning activity supports The Crucible unit of study by introducing the play and the themes within it. With this lesson students are to gain a foundation of knowledge about the time period, the characters, and the plot.

Objectives:

a. Students will participate in a pre-reading plan that aims to uncover students pre-existing knowledge surrounding the Salem Witch Trials. Students will share words that they associate with the words “Salem Witch Trials” with the class.

b. Students will utilize the internet using credited web cites to research questions regarding the Salem Witch Trials.

c. Students will re-evaluate the words “Salem Witch Trials” based on what they learned in class.

Specific curriculum objectives:

Language Arts:

RL.9-10.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail 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.

SL.9-10.4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task

Technology:

8.1 Educational Technology: All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaboratively and to create and communicate knowledge.

8.1.8.A.5 Select and use appropriate tools and digital resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and to solve problems

Substance of the Lesson:

Technology will be an important part of this lesson. The technology used in this lesson will be the internet.

Students will be assigned a list of questions that they must answer using specific web cites, which can be found on the teacher’s web page. It is important to make sure students are using credible web cites because it provides the students with facts and information regarding an event in history and the main theme in The Crucible. In addition, this lesson also demonstrates the student’s ability to navigate the teacher’s web page and find the information they are looking for. It is important for students to build up their knowledge before reading the text because it will enhance their reading of The Crucible.

Students will be utilizing their technology skills of extracting important information from a web page and the ability to navigate the school and teacher web page.

This lesson will take one day to complete. It is a part of a two-week unit on The Crucible.

a.     The lesson will begin with a pre-reading plan.

a.     I will write the words “Salem Witch Trials on the board. I will then ask the students what comes to mind when they heard the words “Salem Witch Trials.”

b.     Students will write the responses in their journals

c.     After 5 minutes students will share their responses with the class

d.     I will ask how students came up with certain responses, and continue with a class discussion about student responses. At the end of the class discussion I will ask if students have any new ideas about the Salem Witch Trials based on our class discussion.

b.     Next, I will break the class into four groups. Each group will be assigned a list of questions that they will answer using the internet. Students must go to my teacher web page to find the web cites they will use to answer the questions. The questions and web cites are as follows:

a.    Group 1: http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/

                                    i.         Where did the Salem Witch Trials occur?

                                  ii.         What year did the Salem Witch Trials start?

                                 iii.         How were Puritan children expected to behave?

b.     Group 2: http://www.salemweb.com/memorial/chronology.shtml

                                       i.      How long were the Salem Witch Trials?

                                      ii.      How old was Abigail Williams when she began to exhibit strange behavior that was believed to be caused by witchcraft? What was this behavior?

                                    iii.       In Mid- February 1692, why did the physicians conclude that the girls were under the influence of witchcraft?

c.    Group 3: http://school.discovery.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/

                                       i.      What were the cornerstones of Puritan religion?

                                      ii.      Who is Tituba? Where was she born?

                                    iii.      Who is John Proctor? What did he believe about witchcraft?

d.     Group 4: http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/faq.shtml

                                       i.      Who was the Chief Justice during the trials?

                                      ii.      What was the difference between the “afflicted” and the “accused”?

                                    iii.      Where only women accused of witchcraft?

c.     After students have completed the group activity the class will participate in a discussion where each group will share the answers to their questions. 

d.     After the class discussion students will separate from their groups and form back into rows. Again, I will write the words “Salem Witch Trials” on the board and ask the class if their views have changed. Why have changed? How?

e.     At the end of class students will be asked to write down their homework:

a.     Homework: Respond to the following question in your journal, Is it better to die for what you believe in or lie to save your life? Responses must be one-page, hand-written.

b.     READ: pages 1-20 in The Crucible

c.     Homework will also be listed on the teacher web page

Assessment

Throughout the lesson I will assess student achievement. I will assess how well the learning objectives have been met through the participation of each student in both the individual and group activities. I will assess how well each group found the answers to their questions and followed directions while using the internet. I will remind students that participation is key to their final grade, so participation in this activity will be encouraged.

My criteria of success is based on student participation, how efficient students were in using the internet, and students ability to follow directions.

I will know that this learning experience accomplished the learning goals I set out for at the end of the class when I ask my students if their beliefs have changed towards the Salem Witch Trials. This will demonstrate that the students got something out of the lesson and learned something new about a time in history.

Sexting

Sexting is a term used to describe the sending and receiving of inexplicit messages, pictures, and/or videos. These messages can range from partially clothed pictures, to videos of undressing, or sexual behavior.

This week we viewed two videos which showed the repercussions of sexting. The first was the story of Hope Witsell, an 8^th grade girl who sexted a topless picture of herself to a boy in her class. The boy then proceeded to send the picture to his friends and the picture was circulated around the school. Hope was crushed and humiliated, a humiliation that eventually led to her suicide.

The second video told a similar story. It discussed multiple stories of sexting and its influence on young teens. One girl swallowed a bottle of pills after an ex-boyfriend circulated naked photos that she had sent to him while they were dating.

Sexting is a serious issue. These videos show the impact sexting has on adolescent’s lives and the aftermath of pressing send. A surprising statistic brought up in both videos is that one in five teenage girls have sent or received a sext. Students need to be educated on the impact sexting can have on their lives and what its means to send and receive a sext.

It is the schools responsibility to educate their students on the safe texting. While I was in high school I attended many assemblies that addressed the issue of drinking. The affects of drinking, the repercussions of it, and how it can ruin your life. Sexting is another issue that adolescents need to be made aware of. Similar to drinking, teens don’t see the repercussion of their actions. They don’t understand how undressing and sending a naked picture to another person can eventually ruin their lives. They need to be made aware of how their actions in the present can affect them in the future.

With technology at the fingertips of many adolescents it is important to teach them how to navigate the web safely. This is something thirteen-year-old Megan Meier became a victim of on the social networking cite MySpace. The article, Parents: Cyber Bullying Leds to Teens Suicide, discusses how a mother of Megan’s peer made a MySpace page and befriended Megan, leading her to believe she was a boy her age.  The article continues to discuss how Megan and the “boy” Josh became close friends until one day Josh told Megan he no longer wanted to be her friend. Megan, crushed by what Josh had told her, later killed herself.

Cell phones are used by a vast majority of students. They are a method of communication, information, and social networking. But are cell phones appropriate in a learning environment? This is the question the article, Schools, States Review Cell Phone Ban, raised. Cell phones can be a distraction to students but after 9/11 parents want to be in contact with their children if a disaster should occur. This is why many states are considering allowing cell phones in the schools but turned off.

What these videos and articles illustrate is the responsibility of having a cell phone. It’s something small such as having it turned off during school hours, to something big such as using it to circulate something that can be considered child pornography. Students need to be educated on these responsibilities and the repercussions of their actions.   

Plagiarism, Smagiarism

Plagiarism. It is a term that children hear from an early age. But, in this day and age children are familiar with plagiarizing and use it in their daily lives. Downloading a new album and putting it on a CD for a friend, copy and pasting a picture from the internet, even downloading a new unreleased movie that they wanted to see. But what happens when they cross the line? What happens when they download a paper from the internet and hand it in to a teacher? Or copy and paste information into a paper and don’t cite their sources? How is a child to learn what is right and what is wrong? What is fair use? It is important to clearly state to students what plagiarism is and how you can get in trouble (even suspended) for plagiarizing. Students need to understand why plagiarism is wrong and the importance of sharing your own views and ideas in a paper rather than taking someone else’s. Citing your sources may seem like a chore, but it is an important step in the paper-writing process.

Fair use is a way in which students and teachers protect themselves from plagiarizing. It is the knowledge of knowing the proper citation and the proper use of public domain such as music, movies, and pictures. It is important for students to understand the wrong behind taking someone else’s ideas and making them your own. They need to understand the meaning behind the word plagiarism and it is the schools responsibility to educate students on this term. As defined in the article Copyright 101: Learning and Leading with Technology, fair use is defined as a “copyrighted work can be used or copied for educational purposes as long as the use is not solely a substitute for purchasing the work.” This means that teachers cannot copy a whole book and hand it out to the class instead of purchasing the book for the class. Fair use is important in education because there are many fair use policies that are unknown to teachers and students. The article mentions that there should be someone on staff, for example a librarian, who is educated on the policies of plagiarism and fair use. This would aide the school in adhering to the rules of fair use, and would help the students to see the school modeling fair use behavior. 

 Fair use applies to education in several different ways. As mentioned above it is the schools responsibility to not only educate students on plagiarism and fair use, but also model that behavior as well. A school is a place where people share ideas and it is important for the school and the students to do this responsibly and fairly. A school is also a place where students learn behavior, from both their peers and their teachers so it is important to model fair use behavior.

The Matrix

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) is a resource where teachers illustrate ways in which they use technology in their classrooms. TIM measures technology lessons using five characteristics of meaningful learning environments (active, constructive, goal-oriented, authentic, and collaborative) and five levels of technology integration (entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation). In TIM I chose the cross between constructive and adoptive at the 1-1 access level.

This example addresses specific NETS for Teachers standards in regards to the teacher’s skills. Under Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity this example addresses part b which states that teachers engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. In this example the teacher created a concept map using a current event. The students researched facts regarding the current event and looked at possible problems and solutions surrounding the current event.  This example also addresses part d under Modern Digital Age Work and Learning, which states that teachers model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning. This lesson facilitates digital tools by locating information and withdrawing facts from a current event to create a digital concept map.

The examples on the TIM website explore five levels of technology integration. In this course, Technology Integration in the Classroom, we have also delved into these five levels of technology integration. Based on what I have learned from this course I am at the level inbetween Infusion and Transformation. This course has introduced me to new technologies and how to use them in and out of the classroom. One of the most important aspects of this course is that I can see myself using the technology I have learned in this course in my future classroom. For example, posting a Back to School Night PowerPoint presentation for parents is a great way to get parents involved and stay connected with them. I believe that I am inbetween infusion and transformation because there is still so much I can learn about technology and how to teach students using technology.

Podcast: Symbolism in Of Mice and Men

       

   
   
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This podcast discusses symbolism in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. I chose the reoccurring theme of the farm, a place where Lennie and George live out their lives as free men living off the land, and what it symbolizes throughout the book.  In the podcast I read a passage and asked my students to think about a few topics while I was reading. This served as a means to get them thinking about why I chose this passage, what this passage symbolizes, and how to develop their own interpretation of the passage. After I read the passage I left my students with questions that should be answered and brought into class for discussion. Having my students prepare for class discussion ahead of time allows more in-class time for them to illustrate their views about the novel and ask any questions they may have. It also allows them more time to think about the novel and develop their ideas. This podcast allowed students to think about a small part of the novel and how it applied to the overall theme of the book.

I chose Of Mice and Men because it is a common book read in middle and high school English classes. It also possesses many themes and symbols that allow students to really delve into the text without being overwhelmed by big words or an abundance of pages.

Is There Room for Creativity in Our Schools?

In the video Do Schools Kill Creativity? Sir Ken Robinson presents some interesting viewpoints regarding creativity in education. Some points that I found interesting were when he made the remark that the foundation of our education system was the industrial revolution and what skills were required for the job market. Math was ranked one of the highest skills, which is why it is taught every day in school, while other realms of education such as drama, dance, and art are ranked amongst the lowest. In my opinion, creativity is an important part of education, equal to math. What educators must understand, and what Ken Robinson pointed out in his presentation, is that people have different skills and different methods of learning. Some people excel in math while others excel in dance. In my high school creative writing, theater, and art were taken as electives while math was a required subject. In all four years of high school I never excelled in math as I did in creative writing, but I was taught that math was more valid in the real world. Today, I hardly remember or use the math skills that I learned in high school, while I use my writing skills frequently. Furthermore, the state of our economy proves that skills in the arts are less valuable because they are classes that will be cut. The economy raises the question, can we afford to be creative?

As an English teacher I know I know I will make an effort to support creativity in my classroom and I hope that the education system will see the positive effects of creativity as well.

21st Century Skills: A Fad or the Key to Reform?

Are 21st century skills a fad or the key to educational reform? I cannot go as far to say that they are the key, but I do support the use of critical thinking, collaboration, and teamwork in the classroom. The integration of 21^st century skills in the classroom cannot happen overnight, there must be adequate preparation by educators to learn how to incorporate these skills into their classrooms. As the article The Latest Doomed Petagological Fad stated. “It takes hard work to teach this stuff, even harder work, by poorly motivated adolescents to learn it.” Teachers must be taught how to accurately use these skills in their classrooms. They must be given examples of projects and lesson plans that incorporate 21^st century skills. In addition, I do not believe that all lessons should revolve around 21^st century skills, start with one or two a week, this way teachers are able to evaluate the lessons and compare them with their traditional lessons. As the article Flawed Assumptions Undergird the Program at the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills stated “Start small and see if it works—and note that ‘see if it works’ means that you need to have a meaningful assessment plan in place before you start.” 21^st century skills have a place in the classroom, but there are steps to getting them there, and they aren’t giant leaps, but baby steps.

Teachers that have used 21^st century skills in their classrooms say that the results are positive. They even raise test scores as the article 21^st Century Skills: Will Our Students be Prepared noted, “According to a number of researchers 21^st century learning experiences commonly do translate to higher test scores.” 21^st century skills allow students to tap into a new way of learning and expand their mind to reach new arenas. “Our role now as policy makers, educators, business leaders, and parents” The article The Value of Teaching 21^st Century Skills noted, “…is to provide students with the best of both worlds: a strong and challenging academic curriculum, and a full infusion of the 21st-century skills students will need to succeed outside of high school.” 21^st century skills can be important tools in the classroom if they are used correctly. Teachers must learn how to teach them and students must learn how to learn from them. Another important element for students is to see how these skills will help them later in life. According to the article Work Force Readiness Crisis, “…employers place much greater value on the applied skills of leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving than on more traditional basic skills such as reading comprehension or mathematics.” If students are able to see that acquiring these skills will not only help them in high school and college, but also in the real world they will hopefully be much more open to them.

But as I said earlier, baby steps. As the article Schools Tap ‘21^st Century Skills’ noted, “The challenge for schools is to find ways to shift from traditional rote learning and teach these skills.” Schools must find a way to make the shift in a way that is comfortable for both the teachers and the students. It is not only how you teach 21^st century skills but also how you go about it.