UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan
Template
Name: Program: Course:
Maggie Pomerleau SED ENG Student Teaching
Lesson Topic / Title: Conspiracy Theory: Vocabulary
Lesson Date: Lesson Length: 80 minutes Grade/Age: Eighth Grade
2/11/20
Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment - Selects, creates, and sequences learning
experiences and performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals based on
content standards.
Learning Objective(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
● Students know and can use topic specific ● Students will be able to use this as a
vocabulary. life skill outside of the classroom, so it
● Students can communicate effectively with is important that they learn how to
their peers. acquire topic-specific vocabulary and
● Students will create evidence based arguments. use it properly.
● Students will create evidence based arguments ● In an increasingly collaborative world,
using all the elements of an argumentative students need to be able to collaborate
essay, which include, but are not limited to: with their peers (and eventually
hook, background information, thesis, claims, coworkers).
evidence, in-text citations, counterclaim, and a ● It is important for students to know
call-to-action or other final sentiment. how to argue, so this gives them an
opportunity to argue in a controlled
academic setting.
● In middle school standardized testing
and in high school, students will need
to know how to use the format of an
argumentative essay.
Content Standard(s) Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
During this unit, students will complete an
● Writing: argumentative writing assignment. Since they
● 8. Gather relevant information from are writing about topics that are slightly
multiple print and digital sources, using nontraditional, they will need to use jargon
search terms effectively; assess the specific to their topic. I created a vocabulary
credibility and accuracy of each source; lesson prior to their research so that they had a
and quote or paraphrase the data and chance to become familiar with some of the
conclusions of others while avoiding vocabulary they may run into.
plagiarism and following a standard
format for citation.
● 9. Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
● Reading:
● 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument
and specific claims in a text, assessing
whether the reasoning is sound and the
evidence is relevant and sufficient;
recognize when irrelevant evidence is
introduced.
● Language:
● 6. Acquire and use accurately
grade-appropriate general academic
and domain-specific words and
phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge
when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or
expression.
Assessment - Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance and
determines best supports for continued learner growth.
Assessment Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
● Pre: Students will put different aspects of an ● I created a list of all the different
argumentative essay into chronological order. aspects students will need to include in
● Formative: Vocabulary graphic organizers, their argumentative essays. The data
conferences collected will allow me to determine
how much I need to reinforce the
order.
● I created a vocabulary list for each
topic. These include words that
students may run into during their
research. This list will come back up
when they need to write their essays,
but for now, they will fill out two
graphic organizers (one for each of
their vocab words they choose). They
will communicate with their groups so
that no two people choose the same
words. The graphic organizers ask
them to define each word, write down
a synonym, draw a picture of it, and
use it correctly in a sentence. These
will be displayed on the wall after. I
will be going around during their work
time to ensure that everyone
understands the assignment.
● During their work time, I will be going
around to each of the groups and
having conferences. We will discuss
who chose what words, and I will
address any questions or concerns that
the students may have. This will be a
very informal way for me to assess
their preliminary understanding of the
vocabulary.
Instructional Materials and Resources - Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in
reviewing instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner
needs.
Materials, Resources, and / or Technology Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
● Laptop ● The daily agenda will be written on the
● Laptop charger white board, as well as the writing
● Access to Google Classroom prompt of the day, which is chosen
● Projector from the writing prompt bucket.
● Whiteboard & markers Students need laptops & chargers to
● Writing prompt bucket access Google Classroom, since that is
● Writing utensils where they will write and post their
● Graphic organizer handouts writing prompts daily. This is also
where the pre-assessment and
vocabulary lists are located.
● Students will need the graphic
organizer in order to complete the
assignment.
Instructional Methods: Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks by
using a variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning accessible to
all learners and support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.
Teaching and Learning Sequence Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
● Agenda & Writing Prompt (13 minutes) ● At the beginning of each class, we will
● Pre-assessment (10 minutes) go over the plan for the day. We will
● Introduce vocabulary lists and graphic also complete a writing prompt. Three
organizers (7 minutes) students will draw words out of a
● Work time for vocabulary worksheets (50 bucket and write them on the board.
minutes) The whole class will complete an
● Conferences with groups (ongoing) individual writing assignment. This
will only be graded for participation.
The goal is to use all three of the
words in a story. This gets the
students’ creativity going and gets
them settled into class.
● I created a list of all the different
aspects students will need to include in
their argumentative essays. The data
collected will allow me to determine
how much I need to reinforce the order
and formatting of the essay.
● I will introduce the worksheet, along
with why we are doing it. I will
explain the project: each student will
pick two vocabulary words and
complete a graphic organizer on each
word. There will be no overlap; each
student will have their own words.
This gives them an opportunity to hit
the habit of work learning target for
communication.
● Students will have class time to
complete their assignments so that they
can ask questions and collaborate with
their peers. During their work time, I
will be going around to each of the
groups and having conferences. We
will discuss who chose what words,
and I will address any questions or
concerns that the students may have.
This will be a very informal way for
me to assess their preliminary
understanding of the vocabulary.
Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
modifications, accommodations)
In this class, there are two students on the
Student 1: autism spectrum. Their accommodations are
minimal and the only accommodation that
● The school will affects our class is the need to leave class
1. Allow access to nurse's bathroom whenever the students feel it is necessary.
2. Allow student to call home/go home if
he feels he needs to There are other students in the class who don’t
3. Provide social skills group legally require modifications, but who can
4. Be aware of the need to accommodate benefit from differentiated instruction. For
for sensory needs (foods, sound, bugs) example, some students may ask to type up
their worksheet instead of handwriting it, so I
allow this to help them complete their work in
Student 2:
a timely manner.
● The School will
1. Prep student for any transition or
change
2. Provide pre-learning and a positive
behavior plan that he helps design
(including reward)
3. If he needs to leave the classroom for a
break, allow student to visit guidance
counselor or call his mom
4. Provide opportunity for “space” in the
classroom
5. Provide supplemental work or allowed
to read or doodle after all work is
completed
Field Courses Only – Post lesson
Reflection
I was very excited about this lesson, but it did not go as well as I had hoped. Students finished their
vocabulary GOs much earlier than expected, and I had to improvise since I did not have anything else
planned. I had students study the rest of the vocabulary terms and make Kahoots to study (which they
never used after that). If I had to do this again, I would definitely structure the lesson differently to
accommodate for this time discrepancy. I would have created a Kahoot or other study materials
beforehand so that students could study that instead of creating their own. I also would have explained
the directions better. Many students used the same vocabulary words as their peers, so they did not
score well on the communication HOW. In other classes, I explained this more clearly, and it was
obvious in their work. Aside from those two things, I think the lesson went well. The students enjoyed
filling out the worksheets and being creative. They also had fun with learning topic specific vocabulary,
since they enjoyed their topics for the most part.
Teaching Standard Alignment
Standard 4: Content Knowledge
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or
she teaches and creates learning experiences that make these aspects of the discipline accessible and
meaningful for learners.
4(h) Creates opportunities for students to learn, practice, and master academic language in their
content.
This lesson was focused on vocabulary, therefore, it perfectly aligns with standard 4h. The vocabulary
graphic organizer allowed students to learn two new vocabulary words in four different ways. They
learned through the dictionary definition, synonyms, visuals, and practical use by putting the words in
sentences. This direct focus on content—and topic—specific vocabulary gave students an entire lesson
to familiarize themselves with and practice using new vocabulary, which is the first step to mastering it.
