Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. ~ G.K. Chesterton

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1 Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another. ~ G.K. Chesterton My daughter, Natalie; my wife, Kali; and me at Boo at the Zoo this Halloween! I graduated from Ohio State in 2003 with a Psychology degree, and a little unsure of what I was going to do in life. After taking a year to figure that out, I went to work for a wonderful non-profit organization called Young Life. I had been heavily involved with Young Life in high school and college, and working full time for Young Life was a perfect fit. I spent six years working with high school students through this organization, loving every minute of it. It was through this time that I realized that I really liked working with high school kids, regardless of the avenue I took to do it. So now, at thirty, I am back in school to become an English teacher. I can t think of anything more important than impacting the lives of kids. I m honored and excited to be a part of their lives. There are far too many kids today who have no adults in their life that actually care about them. My role as a teacher is to value each student, encourage them in who they are, and somewhere along that path teach them English. ~ Jeff Rogers

2 English 11 Mr. Rogers Spring 2012 Overview Rationale: Short stories are an excellent way to get disinterested kids involved in reading. They don t have to read a 200+ page novel, they don t have to talk endlessly about symbolism, and they (typically) don t have to write a long paper at the end of reading the story. Beyond that, there are some wonderful short stories out there, written by some of the greatest writers in history. This short story unit on There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury is a masterpiece. It s fun, futuristic, and easy to understand. The goal is that my students will walk away with a new outlook on reading in general, and hopefully for literature in their education as well. Summary: Over the course of one week, students will completely read There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury culminating in a fun writing to learn summative assessment where they have to write an advertisement for one of the features of the house. Students will learn literary terms via two column notes and participate in a timed write answering a specific prompt. The advertisement project will also incorporate an optional infomercial style presentation, which will allow students to really have fun with the project and think outside the box. Literacy Strategies: Think aloud, writing to learn, writing to learn advertisement, timed write Objectives: CA3 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 2.4, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 Students will engage in reading, perhaps for the first time. Length of Curriculum: 1 week. Materials and Resources: Provided by school: Literature books, laptops (optional) Provided by teacher: student handout, rubric, lit terms packet, timed write prompt Provided by students: pencil, creativity Means of Assessment: The timed write will be graded on a rubric established for all timed writes in my classroom. The advertisement will be graded on the rubric included on the student handout. The presentations will not be for points, but will be for fun and potentially prizes.

3 February Teacher Calendar 2012 Nam id velit non risus consequat iaculis. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Pass out lit books for TWCSR ½ student work ½ timed write have prompt ready TWCSR projects go out, have student handout ready Work day, make sure to mingle among them TWCSR Presentations! Have candy ready!

4 February Student Calendar 2012 Nam id velit non risus consequat iaculis. Student Calendar This is for your use to help you keep track of what is going on in LA 10. Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday TWCSR starts Read in class TWCSR read in class Timed write TWCSR project intro TWCSR work day TWCSR Presentations for bonus prizes! There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. ~Ray Bradbury

5 Lesson Plan 1 Heading English 10 Jeff Rogers Short Story Intro One class period Objective To introduce the main literary devices used in short stories and begin reading There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury Reading There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury Material Instructional Initiating Framework Lesson Plan Format Direct Instruction teacher will provide definitions and background knowledge for literary devices Grouping Individuals Materials & Resources Accommodation for Students with Special Needs Literacy Strategy Phase One School Literature books Teacher Literary Terms Packet to distribute Student Lit terms packet, pencil, lit book Think Aloud I will share my thought process regarding setting as the short story opens, stopping the CD at several points. Teacher will introduce short stories by engaging students with a personal short story. Phase Two Lit packet is distributed and students take notes on each term. Students will read along in their lit books while a CD of There Will Come Soft Rains begins our story. Phase Three Formative Assessment Homework Assignment With 5 minutes in class remaining, teacher will stop the CD and facilitate discussion of the story; ensuring students have comprehended the beginning of the story. Orally, student will be asked for definitions of literary terms. This is not for points, but candy will be given as correct answers. Reminder

6 Lesson Plan 2 Heading English 10 Jeff Rogers There Will Come Soft Rains 2 One class period Objective Students will finish reading TWCSR and apply knowledge of the literary device of setting in a one paragraph timed write. Reading There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury Material Instructional Constructing Framework Lesson Plan Cooperative Learning Format Grouping Pods (Groups of 5 that they sit in) Materials & Resources Accommodation for Students with Special Needs Literacy Strategy Phase One School Lit books Teacher Timed write prompt Student Lit terms packet, pencil, lit book, prompt Writing to Learn timed write prompt Teacher will recap briefly what happened in the short story, then students will be given 20 minutes to finish the story. Phase Two Phase Three Formative Assessment Homework Assignment In their groups, students will have 10 minutes to discuss different literary devices that are at work in the story. The last 20 minutes of class will be spent on a timed write, answering the prompt: Apply the statement With the benefits of technology come risks and costs to There Will Come Soft Rains. The assessment is the timed write in this lesson. Reminder

7 Lesson Plan 3 Heading English 10 Jeff Rogers There Will Come Soft Rains 3 One class period Objective Students will demonstrate comprehension of the story through a fun writing assignment. Reading There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury Material Instructional Utilizing Framework Lesson Plan Problem Solving Format Grouping Individuals Materials & Resources Accommodation for Students with Special Needs Literacy Strategy Phase One School Lit books Teacher Writing an Advertisement Assignment Student Pencil Writing to learn advertisement Teacher will explain the assignment. Students are to choose one of the automated devices of the house and write an advertisement that they want to promote. Phase Two Phase Three Formative Assessment Homework Assignment Students may choose to work in groups, to brainstorm with other students, or to work alone. Teacher will float from group to group, helping as needed. Time permitting - students can share their advertisements in cheesyinfomercial style with the class for fun, possibly candy, and my favor. The advertisements will be scored for points based on the scoring guide on the handout. Reminder

8 Writing an Advertisement Mr. Rogers 10 Language Arts Name The house in There Will Come Soft Rains is filled with automated devices. Choose one that you want to promote. Write an advertisement that describes the device and persuade your audience that they need it. There must be a graphic to go along with a written advertisement. This graphic could be a picture, drawing, or anything else you come up with. Technology: Mice that clean Weather Box Smell Producer Automated Oven Voice Recognition Door Personal Poetry Reader Automated Sink Scrap Rats Automatic Safety Doors/Windows Automated Dishwasher Automated Incinerator Firefighting Robots Automatic Chef Automated Pantry Room Talking House Living Walls (nursery) Prewriting: Brainstorm (by yourself or with your pod) to identify the characteristics of your target audience. Provide information about their age range, education level, specialized training, technology awareness, and buying habits. List the highlights and features of the product you want to emphasize. Drafting: Write directly to your target audience the people to whom you are trying to sell your product. Address them in terms and language they can understand. Requirements: A clever product name 100-word minimum Graphic or Image Scoring Guide Assignment Requirements Audience Awareness Descriptive Detail Awareness of Purpose Clarity of Message Executive Suite Corner Office Cubicle Mail Room

9 Graphic Organizer Mr. Rogers LA 10 Story: Author: Setting: Characters: Plot: Things I don t understand yet: