Lesson Synopsis
1. Opening
A. Engage the Learner - SL.8.5 (5 minutes)
2. Work Time
A. End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Desktop Teaching Activity: Access to Healthy Food - RI.8.1 (20 minutes)
B. Presentation: Prepare Visual Aids - SL.8.5 (15 minutes)
3. Closing and Assessment
A. Peer Feedback: Practice Presentation - SL.8.4 (5 minutes)
4. Homework
A. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.
B. Practice Desktop Teaching: Students practice presenting their research findings in preparation for the second part of the end of unit assessment in Lesson 14.
Daily Learning Targets
I can organize my research findings, ideas, and learned vocabulary to present to an audience. (RI.8.1, SL.8.4)
I can clearly integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to add interest in my presentation. (SL.8.5)
I can use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation when presenting my claims and findings. (SL.8.4)
Lesson Prep
Prepare
End of Unit 2 Assessment: Part 1: Desktop Teaching Activity Lesson Plan and Rubric (for teacher reference) (see Assessment download on this page)
Refer to the End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part II: Desktop Teaching Activity: Access to Healthy Food (see Assessment download) in advance to see what students are working toward in this lesson.
Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 12 at each student's workspace.
Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).
Lesson Plan
Opening
A. Engage the Learner - SL.8.5 (5 minutes)
Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 12.
Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as previous lessons.
Work Time
A. End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Desktop Teaching Activity Lesson Plan - RI.8.1 (20 minutes)
Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:
"I can organize my research findings, ideas, and learned vocabulary to present to an audience."
Tell students that the End of Unit Assessment is called the desktop teaching activity. Display the Desktop Teaching Activity directions and explain that students will pretend to be teachers and use a lesson plan and visuals to teach their classmates, who will pretend to be their students, about their case study.
Explain to students that there are two parts to this assessment, and students will take Part I of the assessment in this lesson, and Part II of the assessment in Lesson 14. In Part I, students will create their lesson plan; in Part II, students will present their research findings by using their lesson plan to teach their classmates about their topic.
Display and distribute the Model Desktop Teaching Activity Lesson Plan.
Explain to students that they will independently complete this lesson plan graphic organizer using the information in their informative essay to teach their "students" about their case study. This plan will be collected as part of their assessment. After they complete their lesson plan, they will create visuals for their presentation. In the next lesson, they will be introduced to the details of the desktop teaching activity and practice their speaking and listening skills in-depth before their presentation for the second part of their end of unit assessment.
Draw students' attention to the research question on the model. Read aloud: "How do GMOs influence our access to healthy food?" Explain that when students create their lesson plan, they will complete this section using their central research question from their independent research case study.
Draw students' attention to the learning goal on the model: "Students will be able to identify how GMOs influence our access to healthy food." Explain that when teachers prepare lessons, they have a goal in mind. They want students to be able to know or do something by the end of the lesson, and they should put their learning goal in this section to identify what they want their "students" to know by the end of their lesson.
Have students further analyze the model in pairs. Think-Pair-Share:
"What information does the author include in the Case Study Overview?" (Responses will vary, but may include: the name of their case study, the background on what their case study is about.)
"How does the author organize their evidence?" (Responses will vary, but may include: there's one general sentence under each point the author will highlight, then bullets of cited evidence to support their two points about their case study.)
"What is included in the I Notice/I Wonder columns?" (Responses will vary, but may include: facts and ideas they noticed during their research, questions they still have about their case study.)
"What is the purpose of the exit ticket box at the end of the lesson plan?" (Responses will vary, but may include: to check for understanding, to make sure the audience was listening.)
Draw students' attention to the vocabulary and terms from the GMOs case study included in this model: biotechnology, splice, agribusiness, genetic engineering. Explain to students that they will include the vocabulary from their case study in their lesson plan.
Display and distribute the End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Desktop Teaching Activity Lesson Plan. Instruct students to retrieve the Informative Writing Plan graphic organizer and their essay drafts from Lessons 10-11.
Instruct students to begin the assessment.
Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.
MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS
In Work Time A, before students begin transferring the information from their essays in to the Desktop Teaching Activity Lesson Plan, invite them to fill in the Desktop Teaching Lesson Plan using information from the Model Essay: "CSAs."
B. Presentation: Prepare Visual Aids - SL.8.5 (15 minutes)
Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:
"I can clearly integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to add interest in my presentation."
Tell students that as they teach their "students" about their topic in the desktop teaching activity, they will display a visual that focuses on a key aspect, fact, or idea about their topic and helps their audience better understand the topic and/or further engages them in the presentation.
Explain to students that they will either create a visual to display during the presentation using colored pencils, crayons, markers, etc., or search the internet for images or video to display during their presentation. Students' "teaching" time during the desktop teaching activity is limited, so students should choose one or more visuals that will clarify information in their presentation, strengthen their claims and evidence, and add interest in their presentation, without having to use their presentation time to explain their visuals. Visuals should be labeled and help their "students" better understand their case study.
Distribute devices to students who are searching for visuals online.
As students create or search for their visuals, circulate and review student work. Support students as they work, and ensure they are finding visuals that effectively represent their case study.
Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.
Closing
A. Peer Feedback: Practice Presentation - SL.8.4 (5 minutes)
Review the learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:
"I can use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation when presenting my claims and findings."
Organize students into pairs.
Explain to students that they will briefly practice presenting just the context from their lesson plan to their partner in preparation for the Desktop Teaching protocol for the end of unit assessment. Explain to students that when they present their lesson plan and visuals, they should make eye contact with their partner, refrain from reading aloud directly from their lesson plan, project their voice so their partner can hear them, and clearly pronounce their words. Today they will practice doing this with a small part of their presentation.
Model by presenting the context from the GMOs case study in the Model Desktop Teaching Activity Lesson Plan. Emphasize eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation to help students understand how to effectively present their information. Answer any clarifying questions.
Instruct students to present just the context of their case study to their partner, focusing on eye contact, volume, and clear pronunciation.
Circulate as students present to one another to ensure they are meeting the criteria. If students are struggling, support them by identifying how they can better make eye contact, project their voice, and pronounce their words so their listener can understand what they are saying.
Refocus the whole class.
Turn and Talk:
"How did your partner use eye contact, volume, and pronunciation in the practice? What are they doing well? What can they improve?" (Responses will vary.)
Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.
Explain to students that their End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part I: Desktop Teaching Activity Lesson Plan will be collected after their presentation in Lesson 14, so they may continue to edit it for homework. Remind students that they will have more time to practice "teaching" their lesson for the desktop teaching activity in the next lesson.
MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS
Invite students to share what their partners said to promote attentive listening, retelling, paraphrasing, and peer language modeling. Since students are accustomed to sharing out their own answer, explain why this is helpful, and provide them with frames and a model first: "My partner (or name of student) said __________."