Contents

Content Lesson Artifact Components:

·       Description of School/Classroom Context

·       Pre-Assessment of 3 Focus Students

·       Detailed Lesson Plan

·       Copies of 3 Focus Students’ Work

·       Supervisor/Mentor Teacher Evaluations

·       Reflection on Student Learning:Class/3 Focus Students

·       Reflection on Teaching

·       Analysis of Teaching Standards

Teaching Context:

You cannot teach to all students in the same way. Many variables account for how students will learn. The teaching environment is a great place to start when you are deciding how to plan, teach, and assess a lesson.

O’Fallon Township High School is where I will conduct my Content Lesson Artifact. With the assistance of my cooperating teacher, I have collected information about the teaching context of the school and the classroom.

School Information:

O’Fallon High school is located in the city of O’Fallon, Illinois and it is a large, suburban school. O’Fallon District #203 was once made up of one school, but as of this year, O’Fallon constructed a separate building for the freshmen class. The Superintendent of District #203 is Dr. Darcy G. Benway. The principal of the Smiley Campus (grades 10-12) is Mr. Rich Bickel. The principal of the Milburn Campus (grade 9) is Mr. Michael Guthrie. The O’Fallon district has a student body of approximately 2,500 students and a faculty and staff of over 200 employees (OTHS website).

The student body of O’Fallon High School is not as diverse when compared to some of the other area high schools. Demographically, the high school is made up of 73% Caucasian students, 16.7% Black students, 2.8% Hispanic, 3.6% Asian/Pacific Islander students, 0.5% Native American, and 3.4% Multi-racial/Ethnic students. O’Fallon High School is made up of predominately white students. The percentage of minority students is low. The low-income rate 12.6%.The Limited English Proficiency rate is also low and is only 0.1%. The drop-out rate and truancy rate are low compared with the state’s rates. While the state of Illinois has a drop-out rate of 4.1%, O’Fallon High School’s rate is only 2.5%. The truancy rate of O’Fallon High School is 0.3% while the state’s rate is 2.5%. O’Fallon’s mobility rate, however, is somewhat high at 10.3%. The mobility rate describes the rate at which students enroll in or leave a school during the school year. The high mobility rate may be explained due to the enormous amount of military parents in the O’Fallon area. Scott Air Force Base is located near the high school; many students come from the military base to go to school. Many students have been relocated to and from the high school over the years due to military relocations. (Data collected from School Report Card).

Class Information:

I will be conducting the Content Lesson Artifact in my cooperating teacher’s third hour Honors British Literature class. This class reads and analyzes a variety of English authors as well as studies critical literary theories such as Gender Theory, Cultural Theory, and Biographical and Historical Theory.

Honors British Literature is an advanced course offered to 12^th graders only. The class is offered for only one semester, and the prerequisite requires that all students entering the class must have received a grade of B- or above in English classes taken prior to this class. This class is designed for advanced college-bound students who excel in the English content. The course requires an in-depth study of well-known English authors beginning with Anglo-Saxon writers and ending with writers of the 20^th Century. The class involves intense reading assignments outside of class, class discussions, journals, interactive activities, individual and group projects, quizzes, and tests. This Honors British Literature class is relatively small. There are 19 students, 10 of which are male and 9 are female. Out of 19 pupils, there are 15 Caucasian students, 3 Black students, and 2 Asian/Pacific Islander students. All students are seniors, except for one student and are 16 to 18 years in age. The students are academically advanced, for example, the average ACT score of the class is a 27 with 32 being the highest achieved score. Most of the students are on equal footing when it comes to academic success. There are no students that have learning disabilities or who are English language learners. No students have IEPs or require specific modifications in the classroom.

Pre-Assessment:

The students are in the process of reading Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. They have already learned biographical information about Bronte, taken daily quizzes over the chapters, and discussed main themes and ideas in the novel so far. My lesson will cover chapters 16-18 of the novel, and I will introduce the concepts of Romantic and Gothic elements in literature. My cooperating teacher wants the students to be able to identify these literary elements in the novel. My lesson will define these elements, give examples of these elements, and will require the students to apply this knowledge in an activity.

At the end of class (day before my lesson), I will ask an open-ended question to the class: “When you think of Romantic or Gothic elements in literature, what comes to mind?” I will pass out two index cards to each student and explain the directions. On the index card, the students are to write everything they know about Romantic and Gothic elements. The students can write sentences, words, phrases, and even draw pictures to tell me what they already know about Romantic and Gothic elements.

·        One 3x5 Index card is given to each student.

·        On one side of the card, the students will write what they know about Romantic elements.

·        On other side, they will write what they know about Gothic elements.

·        On each side, students must describe the two genres with words, phrases, or pictures. This will activate any prior knowledge of what they know about the two traditions. The teacher can assess how much they already know about Romanticism and the Gothic tradition.

(See next page for copies of the 3 Focus Students’ Pre-Assessment Index Cards)

Plan and Teach the Lesson:

Lesson Plan

Lesson Title:  Introducing Romantic and Gothic Elements in Literature

Teacher Candidate: Danielle Lanxon

Date: October 20, 2009

Subject Area: Honors British Literature

Grade Level: 11-12

Rationale: Students are introduced to a variety of literature in Honors British Lit. class. When Jane Eyre is studied, students are subjected to Romantic and Gothic traditions in literature. Learning about these traditions will open the students’ minds to different interpretations of the text. The students are already on chapter 16, so now is a good time to explain the Romantic and Gothic elements that are seen in the novel.

Objective: Students will be able to define elements of Romantic and Gothic literature and apply this knowledge to Jane Eyre.

Pre-Assessment: Index card activity (Completed on the Monday before the lesson)

Assessment: Worksheet to be done in pairs. The pairs must find 6 examples in the text that display elements of Romantic and Gothic literature. (2 for each chapter, one Romantic and one Gothic)        (*Find 4 if there is a time limit!)

Instructional Materials: Index cards, PowerPoint slides, assessment worksheets

Modifications: I designed a PowerPoint presentation to accompany the lecture for both visual and audio learners. A PowerPoint Presentation will be available because the classroom is equipped with a Smart Board. The font on the PowerPoint slides must be clear and large enough so each student to can view the slides clearly. If time runs out, the assessment worksheet can be completed at home for homework. Normally, if I had lower-level learner or English language learners, I would provide pre-made notes for those students. However, for this particular class, these modifications do not apply.

Preparation of the Learning Environment

The student’s desks will remain in rows and in a box-shape around the room while they listen to and watch the PowerPoint lecture. The teacher will read aloud the main components of the presentation. The students are required to take notes. Questions are welcome. Discussion about the elements with relevance to the book should be discussed AFTER the lecture and AFTER the worksheet activity.

During the paired worksheet activity, students will pair up with the student next to them. The teacher must prepare for an odd number of students. With a group of 19 students, there will be a group of 3. Students will have approximately 15 minutes to find examples of Romantic and Gothic elements in Jane Eyre. They must provide the page number and a description of why the passage reflects one or both traditions.

For discussion time, the students will form a circle with their desks.

Lesson Development: Introduction to Romantic and Gothic Elements in Literature as well as how these concepts apply to Chapters 16-18 of Jane Eyre.

·        Motivation and Prior Knowledge

Pre-Assessment: One Index card are given to each student-one side for Romantic elements and the other side for Gothic elements. On each side, they must describe the two genres with words, phrases, or pictures. This will activate any prior knowledge of what they know about the two traditions. The teacher can assess how much they already knew about Romanticism and the Gothic tradition.

o                   Students have already read the first half of Jane Eyre. They have discussed details of the book, and now they must learn to organize their ideas about the novel. Learning about Romantic and Gothic traditions in literature will enable them to identify examples of both traditions in the chapters they read. The PowerPoint lecture and the assessment worksheet the students complete with partners will improve understanding of the novel.

·        Demonstration, Explanation and/or Practice

The PowerPoint slides explain basic information about Romantic and Gothic elements in literature. The students should take notes during the lecture. Also, the last 2 slides will make connections with the notes and the text. This will activate their knowledge for the assessment worksheet that requires them to find their own examples in the text. In pairs, the students will l find 4-6 examples, 2 of each tradition throughout chapters 16, 17, and 18. After they finish, they will explain their answers to the class. This helps the students apply the notes in the lecture to the novel.

·        Closure

After discussing answers to the worksheet, the class will begin discussing chapters 16-18. The Socratic Method will be used so that each student will get a chance to voice and question or comment to the class. The teacher will act as a facilitator to the discussion; for example, the teacher will get the students back on topic if they stray from discussing the novel.

·        Extension Activities

Homework: Read the next assigned chapters of Jane Eyre, and refer back to today’s lesson to identify Romantic and Gothic elements throughout the remainder of the novel.

OR

Creative activity: In chapters 16-18, choose one Romantic scene or Gothic scene. On a separate lined piece of paper, write the passage, page number and what makes it an example of the Romantic or tradition. and On a piece of white computer paper or construction paper, illustrate your example by drawing a picture.

Analysis of Student Learning:

Class as a Whole

o       What were the students supposed to learn?

§         The students were supposed to learn how to define Romantic and Gothic elements in literature as well as be able to identify examples in the novel, Jane Eyre.

o       What did students learn?

§         From the PowerPoint presentation, students learned the definitions of Romantic and Gothic elements. The PowerPoint lecture included many examples of each element as well as examples that apply to Jane Eyre. The students were to take notes during the PowerPoint lecture.

o       How did teaching help or not help the students?

§         The PowerPoint was helpful because the students learned the definition of the two types of literary traditions as well as important examples. In the pre-assessment, many students indicated that they were not familiar with the terms Romantic elements or Gothic elements. Some students left the cards blank. Other students seemed to have a grasp on the meaning of these new concepts. For example, some students wrote entire paragraphs describing these elements and others drew pictures such as hearts for Romantic elements and bats and castles to depict Gothic elements. The PowerPoint could have been shortened because the students were very eager to write down EVERYTHING on the Smart Board. Vigorous note-taking took away from the students’ listening abilities.

o    How could teaching more effectively help students learn?

§         The PowerPoint could have been structured differently so as I spoke, the students could fill in a note sheet rather than starting notes from scratch with a blank piece of paper. This would have saved time and also allowed students to listen carefully to my lecture.

Focus Students

Focus Student 1 (High)

·        What did this student learn?

o       This student listened intently during the lecture. Student 1 commented during the lecture as well as answered questions. The student engaged with another student during the activity. When student 1 turned in the worksheet, I noticed she had given an extra example. Her work went above and beyond what I had asked the class to do. Her examples of Romantic and Gothic elements in Jane Eyre were relevant and her reasoning she gave coincided with the lecture points I had provided for the class. Overall, this particular student benefited well from the lesson. She actively participated during lecture, she completed the worksheet activity, and she expressed that she understood the knowledge gained from my PowerPoint presentation and lecture.

·        How did teaching help or not help this student to learn?

o       The lecture was helpful for this student because she is able to take notes as well as actively listen and comment during the lecture.

o       The activity may have been too easy for this student. She and her partner finished early and had even done extra work. I could have planned an extended activity for learners like student 1.

·        How could teaching more effectively help this student to learn?

o       Student 1 is a high-level learner. Some activities come very easy to her, so the teacher should plan for an extended activity. High level learners should be paired with lower-level learners so they can help each other grasp the ideas better.

Focus Student 2 (Medium)

·        What did this student learn?

o       Upon observation, this student seemed very active in listening during the lecture, but did not vocally express her understanding. She took many notes, but did not comment or question during discussion. During the activity, she worked well with her partner, but did not finish the worksheet completely. I asked for a thorough explanation as to why the examples the students chose were either Romantic or Gothic elements, but she only gave two-word answers. She grasped the material, but did not excel in the activity as well as some of the other students.

·        How did teaching help or not help this student to learn?

o       The lecture was hard to follow for this student because of all the material on the Power Point presentation. This student would have benefitted from a pre-made notes sheet. A pre-made notes sheet would have helped this student listen as well as take notes during the lecture. The sheet may have allowed her to comment or ask questions during class.

·        How could teaching more effectively help this student learn?

o       A shortened version of the PowerPoint points or a pre-made note-taking worksheet would have helped this student pay attention to the teacher during the lecture. The student was too focused on writing all of the notes down, and she was not able to actively listen or participate in questions or comments.

Focus Student 3 (Low)

·        What did this student learn?

o       I observed during the lecture that this student was not paying much attention to the PowerPoint. Student 3 did seem to be listening because he was taking notes as the teacher spoke. During the activity worksheet, student 3 worked with student 2. Student 2 had the novel out and was finding the examples for both students. Student 3 helped develop the rationalization behind the examples. Student 3 did not have detailed examples or detailed reasons as to why certain passages were either examples of Romantic or Gothic literature. The examples that were given illustrate to me that the student did understand the lecture, but did not thoroughly apply the knowledge.

·        How did teaching help or not help the student to learn?

o       The lecture technique was not very helpful with this student. Student 3 seemed to have trouble concentrating on the PowerPoint presentation, but he did take notes. A more active learning lecture might be more appropriate for this learner. Also, student 3 should have redone some of his answers on the worksheet. The answers were not thorough, so he should have been asked to add more depth to his answers.

·        How could teaching more effectively help this student learn?

o       The teacher should walk around the room during lecture to keep students alert and on task. The teacher should put emphasis on notes or words in the PowerPoint that are important for the student to know.

o       The teacher should recognize that group or shared work may not mean that all students are actively participating. The teacher should ask that each student find the same amount of examples as the other student

o       The teacher should preview work before the students turn in the work so they know what the teacher is expecting as far as through answers.

Reflection on Teaching:

Most successful elements:

 This lesson plan was relevant to this class because Romantic and Gothic traditions are very popular in British literature and are noticeably used in Jane Eyre. Learning about these elements was important because it helps the class understand different events and elements in the story. This particular lesson could be implemented in any classroom, not just honor level courses.

The PowerPoint was a great tool to use because it helps visual learners grasp the material. Lecturing and reading things aloud from the PowerPoint helped audio learners grasp the material. The PowerPoint illustrated important examples of Romantic and Gothic literature. Pacing and volume during the lecture was stable and easy for the students to follow.

The worksheet accurately assessed the content of the lecture. The worksheet activity allowed the students to move around and work with a partner to apply the knowledge they had just gained during the lecture.

Elements to Revise/Change:

To keep students alert and on task, it would be better if I walked around the room during the lecture and as I present my PowerPoint presentation. I tended to stay to the right of the Smart Board and I unintentionally had my back to the student on the right side of the classroom.

I could have also condensed the PowerPoint presentation so the students would not have been so focused on copying the notes down word for word. I also could have included a pre-made notes sheet or a fill in the blank sheet for students to follow as I showed the PowerPoint slides.

Instead of having the students choose partners, I could have chose the groups myself-that way, I could have tried to pair stronger performing students with weaker performing students.

What I learned about Myself:

I learned that I am very knowledgeable about Jane Eyre. I learned that if you enjoy the content, it is much easier to design a lesson plan. I also learned that I am very good at time management. The fire drill at the beginning of class worried me, but I was able to get the students on task right away when we arrived back to the classroom. I also learned that I am not as bad at designing PowerPoint lessons as I thought I would be. Both my supervisor and my cooperating teacher enjoyed the presentation. I learned that I must be more mobile in the classroom. I need to get over my fear of moving around during lecture and activities. Also, I need to learn to explain exactly what I want as far as the assessments go, and if I am not getting what I want, I need to address this in class. Overall, I learned I can design a decent lesson plan, but I need to work on how I execute the lesson.

Demonstration of Illinois Professional Teaching Standards: