L1+Hall,+Catherine

=**UMF LESSON PLAN FORMAT**=

**Grade Level: 9-12 Topic: English, Current Events**

 * =**Objectives**:= ||
 * Student will understand that finding the answer to a research question requires the use of a variety of primary and secondary sources. ||
 * Student will know the difference between opinions and facts. ||
 * Student will be able to synthesize information from a variety of sources. ||

C 1 Research Grade 9 - Diploma** Current Events This lesson will teach students to develop a research question, and how to bring information together into one place. They will learn different ways to organize research, which will make doing the final product easier.
 * =**Maine Learning Results Alignment**= ||
 * **//Maine Learning Results: English Language Arts -// C Research
 * Students develop research questions and modify them as necessary to elicit, present, and critique evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources following the conventions of documentation.** ||
 * Rationale**


 * =Assessment= ||
 * **Formative** (Assessment for Learning)
 * Walk around and listen to group conversations, talk one on one with students about their topic and initial research question. Look at the notes students post to the wiki to see their thinking process. If there are major problems, address them at the end of class, or at the beginning of the next class. If only one or two students are having problems, have an individual conference with them. ||
 * **Summative** (Assessment of Learning)
 * The research question and any notes from the class on a wiki. I will be checking to see that they have at least picked a topic and formed a research question. ||

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 * =**Integration**= ||
 * **Social Science:** Students are going to choose a current event or a highly debated topic in the news to research.
 * Technology:** Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=750Ka3PIKds (Glenn Beck's History of Illegal Immigration), students are using a wiki to organize their thoughts and their notes. A WebQuest will be created for students to use throughout the assignment. ||


 * =**Groupings**= ||
 * Students will be put into groups of three or four. The groups will be selected using different objects. The objects will be beanie babies, squeeze balls, geometric shapes, and musical notes. There will be four possible roles for students to take, observer, leader, reporter, and recorder. Every student in the group should be a recorder since they will all be developing their own research questions and most of them will pick different topics. The time students spend in their groups is supposed to be used to brainstorm ideas for their topics and research questions. By the end of the class, each student should have chosen a topic and an initial research question. The group work will take place toward the end of class. ||

There will be music playing in the background as students work for **musical** learners.
 * =Differentiated Instruction= ||
 * **Strategies**
 * Verbal** learners will be taking notes and talking about what they want to do for their topic and how they want to phrase their research question.
 * Interpersonal** learners will be working in groups to come up with a topic and research question.
 * Intrapersonal** learners will be thinking about what topic they are most interested in.
 * Visual** learners will have watched the hook, which is a video.
 * Kinesthetic** learners can use laptops to take notes while they are working. ||
 * **Modifications/Accommodations**
 * I will incorporate as many intelligences as I can into the lesson. I will consult students' IEP's, 504's, and ELLIDEP's if there are any, and make adjustments accordingly. Students will be warned that there are some very contraversial topics, but remind them that they are free to choose their own topic. Absent students will miss out on the group work, but will be able come in before or after school if they would like help choosing their topic or forming their research questions, or would simply like access to the resources in the classroom. ||
 * **Extensions**
 * Students will use a wiki to organize their thoughts. The discussion portion of the wiki will be used to give students feedback. ||

This will be a one day lesson. Resources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=750Ka3PIKds http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php || ||
 * =Materials, Resources and Technology= ||
 * * LCD Projector
 * Computer (for me to show the video)
 * Laptops (for students to do research, make outlines, brainstorm)
 * Pencils
 * Pens
 * Paper
 * Erasers
 * Rubrics (to hand out to the class)
 * [[file:Blog Rubric.xls]]

Youtube video from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=750Ka3PIKds http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php -- The rubric template came from this Website. http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/f87fd7182f0ff21c852569c2005a47b7 -- The information about research questions came from this Website. ||
 * =Source for Lesson Plan and Research= ||
 * This lesson comes from Catherine Hall. She created this lesson because students need to know how to form a research question in order to successfully complete this project.

This lesson addresses this standard by helping students to connect writing with their own lives and with the world around them. They are encouraged to take risks, examine the information they gather, and share their findings with others in the safe environment of the class. Students are given a specific order in which to do the project, but there is some flexibility for those who think and learn better with less order. Students will be able to relate to this lesson because most of them have seen talk show hosts on television, even if they do not watch the news regularly. This lesson will be a way for students who do not know much about current events to learn about what is happening in the world, and it will allow students to closely examine one current event more closely. || The unit has been planned based on the Maine Learning Results, the Multiple Intelligences have been incorporated, and any IEP's, 504's, and ELLDEP's will be reviewed before the lesson is taught to ensure those students have ample opportunity to learn. Formative assessment in the form of student questions and work will be taken into account as the lesson and unit progress. If more or less explanation is necessary, it will be given. Individual help will be given to students who need it. || This lesson meets this standard because technology is used in a variety of ways. Students will see a short video as a hook, they will use a WebQuest to begin their research, and they will organize their thoughts and research on a wiki that will be used for the teacher and other students to give feedback. Clear speech and student participation will be used to explain research questions, and group work will be used to help students develop their own research questions. || This lesson meets this standard because students will be assessed based on the questions and work they do in class, as well as the research question they develop. The formal assessment comes at the end of the unit when students present their final projects. All lessons can be adjusted to meet student needs as seen in the informal assessments that take place throughout this lesson. ||
 * =Maine Standards for Initial Teacher Certification and Rationale= ||
 * __Standard 3__ - Demonstrates a knowledge of the diverse ways in which students learn and develop by providing learning opportunities that support their intellectual, physical, emotional, social, and cultural development.
 * Rationale:**
 * __Standard 4__ - Plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, curriculum goals, and learning and development theory.
 * Rationale:**
 * __Standard 5__ - Understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies and appropriate technology to meet students’ needs.
 * Rationale:**
 * __Standard 8__ - Understands and uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and support the development of the learner.
 * Rationale:**

Agenda: Assign groups as students walk in Go over the day’s agenda (5 minutes) Explain the project (5 minutes) Show the video (5 minutes) Pass out the rubrics and allow students to ask questions (5-10 minutes) Teach students about research questions (15-20 minutes) Group work (20 minutes) Students will understand that finding the answer to a research question requires the use of a variety of sources. They will also understand how to form a research question. This is important to know because in life students will be presented with questions that require research to find the answer. Knowing how to form a research question will make finding the answer easier, and using a variety of sources will prevent them from learning incorrect or biased information. The MLR that addresses this is //Maine Learning Results: English Language Arts -// C Research C 1 Research Grade 9 - Diploma Current Events Students develop research questions and modify them as necessary to elicit, present, and critique evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources following the conventions of documentation. After the students have been assigned to their groups, the teacher will show a short video, Glenn Beck’s History of Illegal Immigration, to get them interested and give them some ideas of what they might include in their final projects. **Where, Why, What, Hook, Tailor: Visual** After the hook, the teacher will explain the project and hand out the rubrics. She will then explain what a research question is and how one forms a research question. She will ask students what they think a good research question would look like and make corrections as necessary. The students will help her come up with a formula fro a good research question. The teacher will check for understanding by asking students questions about research questions, listening to the questions students have, and by checking in with them while they are developing their own research questions. Teacher content notes are attached. **Equip, Explore, Rethink, Tailor: Verbal, Logical/Mathematical** Once research questions have been explained, students will work in their groups to pick a topic and develop a research question. They will be directed to the WebQuest where they will find a list of resources to help them get started. They will be working together to help each other develop an initial research question. The groups are determined based on an object each student received at the beginning of each class. Each student received a beanie baby, a geometric shape, a musical note, or a squeeze ball. Students with similar objects are in the same group. In each group there will be an observer, a reporter, a leader, and a recorder. All students should take on the role of recorder since they will all be developing different research questions for different topics. Students will post their initial research question and their topic to a wiki page. The teacher will walk around during class to make sure the students understand, and she will look at what the students have posted on the wiki to make sure they have the right idea. Suggestions and comments can be made through the discussion feature of the wiki. Students will always have the opportunity to revise and refine their research question to make it stronger, which will make their final product stronger. **Explore, Experience, Rethink, Revise, Refine, Tailor: Natural, Musical, Interpersonal, Logical/Mathematical, Bodily-Kinesthetic** The students will self assess by looking at how their research question relates to their topic and how much information they are able to find with their research question the way it is. The teacher will look at the students’ research question on their wikis and give them feedback through the discussion feature. Before beginning their research, students need to have a direction in which to begin, and the research question will give that direction to them. **Evaluate, Tailor: Intrapersonal**
 * =Teaching and Learning Sequence:= ||
 * The classroom will be set up with desks in groups of four. Each group of desks will contain an object that determine the students’ groups. The students should begin class facing the front of the room so they can see the video, but may move around as necessary while they are working in their groups.

** Teacher Content Notes ** Topic: Current Events Narrower Topic: 2008 Presidential Race Even Narrower Topic: Hilary Clinton vs. Barak Obama Questions About this Topic: Question that is Strongest: What are Hilary Clinton’s and Barak Obama’s policies? You may end up answering more than one research question for this project, but this will give you a place to start. All of the questions above relate to the topic except the last one. ||
 * Research Question: ** A research question is a question about a topic that is not too broad or too narrow, which will focus the research rather than allow it to be random.
 * Steps to Developing a Research Question: **
 * 1) Pick a topic that can be researched.
 * 2) If the topic is too broad, pick one part of that topic you are interested in.
 * 3) Write down all the questions about that topic that you would like to have answered.
 * 4) Pick the question that seems to be the strongest.
 * Example: **
 * What are Hilary Clinton’s policies?
 * What are Barak Obama’s policies?
 * How are the two candidates similar in their beliefs?
 * How are the two candidates different in their beliefs?
 * Which candidate would be better for the Democratic party?
 * What role do race and gender play in the election this year?
 * What life experiences led each candidate to run for the Presidency?

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