PLANNING
Class: 9th Grade English
Date: November 30, 2009
Lesson Title: Author Reports
Objectives: Students will study an author or poet and two of their major works. Students will create a Mindmeister for their report on a chosen author or poet.
State Core Curriculum Standards:
[Standard 1.2] Comprehend and evaluate informational text.
[Standard 3] Students will understand the process of seeking and giving information in conversations, group discussions, written reports, and oral presentations.
Concepts to be Taught: biographies, literary analysis, presenting information
Materials Needed: Computers, internet, Mindmeister
Strategies to be Used: mapping, images, web links
PERFORMING
Announcements: None
Continuation from Previous Lesson: Last class we had an overview of England’s history because we are going to be studying British literature from different time periods.
Lesson Presentation:
Getting Started—Anticipatory Set: I will show you on the screen an example of what we are going to be doing for the next few classes. We are going to start a project today to help us learn a little more about British literature. Show example of Mindmeister on Percy Shelley.
Directing the Learning—Activity: Each of you will make a Mindmeister about an author, and 2 of their major works.
1. Pick a British author or poet to study. The author/poet can be from any time period.
2. Research the author/poet using internet sources such as Wikipedia, online-literature.com, or poets.org. Take notes on their biographical information. I am looking for things like birth date, where they grew up, where they went to college (if any), marriages if any, when they died, and other interesting facts.
3. Choose 2 major works by the author/poet and take notes on the basic plot or message of those works. You can find this information at the sites listed above or at sparknotes.com.
4. Put your notes into a Mindmeister. Start with the author’s name in the middle and their picture. Add a famous quote by them in the subtext.
5. Create a Biography box that includes another picture or sketch of the author. Type the biographical information from your notes into the subtext.
6. Create 2 more boxes, one for each work you are doing. Include a picture that is relevant to the work. Type the basic plot or message from your notes into the subtext of each.
Lesson Conclusion: We will continue working on this next class period.
Evaluation: Teacher will review Mindmeister projects to check for completion. Students will turn in worksheet after reviewing 3 peer Mindmeister projects.
