Students have read and continue to read The Hobbit in the first to second week of the Unit: as they prepare for their arguments and defense for the Cultural Fair and the Challenge for Gold, students will begin their artifact construction and evidential support for Clan aims. In the current lesson, students will assemble in their seven-person, heterogeneous, preselected cultural groups of hobbits, dwarfs, elves, and humans to compile a list of categorized group characteristics as they pertain to Clan culture and in support of their artifact presentation and defense at the challenge for the gold. Specific evidence from the novel should be gathered using descriptive passages, dialogue, poems/ songs, and/ or displays from Thror’s or the Wilderland Map. As a part of the visual display portion and to help establish a sense of cultural identity, the students will also be given a brief introduction to heraldry and the significance of a coat of arms as an identifier of Clan culture and will decide and construct a communal coat-of-arms symbol (to be later used in their presentation or on their shields). As they continue into the next day, they will begin investigating the complex and multitudinous theme of greed as a vehicle for character motivation, obsession, and evil. They will further on in the unit learn epic conventions in conjunction with a hero’s journey. Curriculum Standards Addressed
MCPS 8th Grade ELA Honors Inclusion
Standard 4.0 Writing
INDICATOR
Compose oral, written and visual presentations that express personal ideas, inform, and persuade.
OBJECTIVES
1. Compose to express personal ideas by experimenting with a variety of forms and techniques suited to topic, audience, and purpose in order to develop a personal style, a distinctive voice, and a deliberate tone
2. Describe in prose and/or poetic forms to clarify, extend, or elaborate on ideas by using evocative language and appropriate organizational structure to create a dominant impression
5. Use writing-to-learn strategies such as reflective journals, metacognitive writings, and projections based on reflections to analyze and synthesize thinking and learning
6. Manage time and process when writing for a given purpose
INDICATOR
Locate, retrieve, and use information from various sources to accomplish a purpose
OBJECTIVES
1. Identify, evaluate, and use appropriate sources of information on a self-selected and/or given topic
2. Use various information retrieval sources (traditional and/or electronic) to obtain information on a self-selected and/or given topic
3. Use a systematic process for recording, documenting, and organizing this information
Appropriate strategies for taking notes
Appropriate strategies for organizing source information or notes
Information to include or exclude when using a note taking method
Advantages, disadvantages, or limitations of a given strategy or procedure for recording or organizing information
Advantages, disadvantages, or limitations of a sources of information such as bias, accuracy, availability, variety currency
Use a recognized format for documentation such as MLA
4. Synthesize information from two or more sources to fulfill a self-selected or given purpose
5. Use a recognized format to credit sources when paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting to avoid plagiarism
NETS-S
2. COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students:
a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
c. develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures.
d. contribute to project Clans to produce original works or solve problems.
NCTE Standards
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
8. Students use a variety of technological and informational resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.
Objectives
The student will respond and listen to a PowerPoint Slide presentation regarding the group project and daily activities.
The students will establish a sense of rapport with other students in establishing cultural identity with the fellow members of their Clan peers, as a means to present artifacts at the Cultural Fair summative activity.
The student will be able to analyze and select text to compile a list of cultural characteristics using the “Cultural Analysis” Chart as evidence towards the Challenge for Gold summative activity.
Materials
The Hobbit Text
Highlighters
Student Reflective Journals
Writing Utensils
PowerPoint Slides
Promethean Board
Project Packet
Patterns for Shields and Symbol Shapes
Construction Paper
Scissors
Scotch Tape
Glue Sticks
Proactive Behavior Management
Please refer to Unit Plan Header under “Proactive Behavior Management.”
Provisions for Student Grouping
Please refer to Unit Plan Header under “Provisions for Student Grouping.”
Procedure
Warm-Up/Opening (5-10 minutes)
The students will enter the classroom and begin writing in their journals. The warm-up prompt slide will be on the Promethean Board:
Please write a 4-5 sentence response to the following questions in your reflective journals.
“Do you predict that the different Clans will have motivation or goals that are in conflict with each other? Based on what you have read so far, can you infer what this might mean for your Clan’s “end game” in the Challenge for Gold?”
The students will have 5 minutes to reflectively write in their journals. Such write-up prompts are used to either assimilate the previous lesson’s familiarity, or to bridge into the current day’s lesson. As these are more to gauge the student’s feelings and experiences, their reflective journals are formatively assessed.
Motivator/Bridge (10-15 minutes)
a) Review prior learning.
I will briefly reiterate the Clan structure of the summative activities, and discuss the necessity of compiling information together and discussing the group collaborative parameters. The final selection of group roles is due at the end of the class period. The students will be asked to respond with questions or issues regarding the group project.
b) Tie new learning into students’ prior knowledge.
I will lecture briefly on the history of Heraldry, and the significance of the coat of arms to the Clans and individuals. A brief video (See video above) demonstration will enable the students to construct and decide upon one shield per Clan, which they can expand for the Cultural Fair artifact presentation. During the presentation of the instruction slides, the students will be asked if they have seen examples of shield and shield-work in person at a Festival or in the class presentation of the previous day. I will also monitor during the construction of the shield and coat of arms activity.
c) State the goal(s) and objective(s) for the lesson.
Objectives for the day are discussed verbally and included on a slide on the Promethean Board stipulating to the following:
The student will be able to respond and listen to an introductory presentation on Heraldry.
The student will be able to work productively in a group setting.
The student will be able to work in a group to construct a shield and symbol as their coat-of-arms for the Cultural Fair.
The student will be able to analyze and select text to fill-out the cultural analysis chart to contribute to the Clan’s evidence for the Challenge for Gold.
Extension: The student will be able to embellish a poem using focused cloze to describe their Clan.
Procedural Activities
Model of Teaching
Lesson Topic: Cementing Identity: Cultural Analysis of Clan CharacteristicsType of Lesson: Developmental
Context for Learning
Once the Warm-up activity is concluded, the students will listen to a brief lecture on Heraldry as it applies to their Clan’s identity status. They will work in groups to further cement Clan identity through a manipulative activity, leading into a textual discussion of category culturally-relevant signifiers. This lesson follows the Direct Instruction model typified via the presentation for Heraldry, the demonstration of the coat-of-arms activity, and as well as the provided organizational chart to stipulate cultural, Clan characteristics. While some guidance is provided using the aforementioned procedures and handouts, the students will use group discussion as an analysis to help define parameters as it pertains to their own Clan, allowing for application of inquiry into culture.
Collaborative Work (25-30 minutes)
After the students have completed the coat-of-arms manipulative activity, the students will remain in their groups to fill out the “Cultural Analysis” chart of group characteristics. The handout on pages 13-15 of the project packet delineates questions related to each category that the students in the Clan must answer and support with evidence, text, passages, dialogue, or visuals from the novel. They include:
1. Belief System- What does your Clan hold as ideals or behaviors that represent them? Are they guided by highly moral principles or are they guided by what suits their interests at the moment? Do they practice the “Golden Rule”- do unto others as you would have them do unto you- or are they more self-centered?
2. Physical Characteristics- What does your Clan look like? Are they tall/ short or stout/ thin? Are they bearded or hairless? What do you imagine their clothing to be like?
3. Motivation/ Goals- What is the immediate motivation of your Clan? Do they prefer to stay comfortable and content, or are they happy or determined to work hard to accomplish tasks? What are the long-range goals of your Clan?
4. Attitudes towards “others”- Do they work well with or trust other Clans? Or are they suspicious and keep to themselves?
As the students work together to fill-out the chart, I will circulate around the class to ensure the students understand the questions as related to the categories, clear up any misconceptions the students may have, and further expand on the necessity to search for textual evidence as it relates to the final Challenge summative activity.
In addition, final group selections are due to the teacher today. The students will let the teacher know during the group activity which students are fulfilling which roles, which the teacher will note in her notebook. If the students cannot decide, I will give them until the end of the class period to write down the group role assignments on a sheet of paper: if this still proves difficult, I will determine if more time is needed or granted to solidify group roles.
Adaptations
Each group is comprised of different roles that can be decided on by the Clans to capitalize on each student’s strength. In addition, more time is provided for formative assessments of class members who may require it, such as the student with ADHD and the student who has a developmental delay. Along with the project packet and class website, the teacher verbally and visually addresses all areas of class instruction often using the Promethean Board and PowerPoint slides. The class website also provides links to audio and other-text versions of the novel.
Assessment
Assessment for this lesson will be formative in nature, although all activities and methods ultimately were constructed to provide understanding and support of the culmination activities. The coat of arms activity product will be used towards the final aim of the Cultural Fair as a guideline for the herald/ armorer to distinguish the Clan, and to help all to form a group identity. The teacher will continually monitor and guide groups as they work on cultural list; at the summation of class, the teacher will collect the “Cultural Analysis” chart to gauge students’ understanding of researching as a means textual support, and hand back in timely manner so students are able to use it for final Challenge.
Summary/Closure (5 minutes)
This is the last time group leaders may turn in the list of jobs students prefer. Any student who has not chosen a job will be assigned one based on his/her known abilities or be given extra time if they feel the Clan can provide justifiable reasons.
At the conclusion of the group cultural activity, students have 3-4 minutes to answer the following question and jot down bullets or ideas in their reflective journals:
“Is your family or group culture motivated or dictated by Greed? Please state your opinion as to why this is and provide one specific example from the text.”
Generalization/Extension Activity
Students who finish early will read focused cloze version of “I Dream a World” by Langston Hughes on page 16 of the project packet. They will supply the missing words as they pertain to the culture of their Clan and use opportunities to embellish as well (such as making references to Earth as “Middle Earth” or man as “Hobbit”).
I will supply complete Hughes poem, if students need to additional reinforcement. Once completed, the new poem can be used in the Cultural Fair or Challenge presentation. Although this is an extension activity, if students are interested in using the poem as a part of their presentation, they can see the teacher at any time to receive a copy to apply for the summative activities.
Review/Reinforcement (Homework)
The students will continue their reading assignments for The Hobbit, as well as work on solidifying their group projects. As the summary question addresses the next day’s lesson, the students will be encouraged to continually search for textual evidence as it relates to Greed for the next day.