Grade 7 Sample Lesson

(Click here for downloadable MS Word version.)

Time Needed:

Eight 50-minute class periods

Materials/Resources Needed:

• Various pictures from history showing the treatment of slaves, the underground railroad, soldiers from the Civil War, Lincoln giving his second inaugural address, destruction from war, and actual war scenes (Each student will receive a set of pictures. To save time, cut pictures and have each set in a baggie.)
• Sentence strips - two per student
• 3x5 note cards (Students will need one note card per picture. If students have eight pictures, they will need eight note cards.)
• Glue sticks
• Pencil/paper
• Copies of Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address - one per student
• Inaugural Address Student Organizer - one per student
• Inaugural Address Essay Assessment - one per student
• Music that has various shifts in tone
• "The Last Lesson" Activity Sheet 1 - one per student
• "The Last Lesson" Activity Sheet 2 - one per student
• Scissors
• Copies of "The Last Lesson" by Alphonse Daudet - one per student
• Large white paper
• Colored pencils
• Chart paper
• Sticky notes - three per group
• Markers
• "The Last Lesson" Short Answer Assessment - one per student
• Copies of Armed Conflicts, 1999-2004
• Viewing and Representing Discussion Guide

Class Period 1—Picture scramble to build background knowledge for Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Students may work in groups; however, each student is responsible for the activity.
  • Instruct students to tape the two sentence strips together-end to end.
  • Using the photographs, have students create a cause/effect timeline. Although the teacher may have a preferred order, allow students time to discuss and pick out details that create a logical cause/effect timeline according to the details they see from the pictures.
  • Have students compare their sequence of events with their group members.
  • Once a logical cause/effect order has been established, have students glue their pictures onto the sentence strips. If the teacher has chosen pictures that reflect a specific progression through time, this is the appropriate point in the lesson to correct students and adjust knowledge.
  • Glue a note card above each picture. Have students write their cause or effect on each note card.
  • Using the timeline as a guide, allow students time to discuss their thoughts and ideas about the people and events that surrounded the Civil War. Discuss the tone portrayed in each picture.

Class Period 2—Discover Writing to understand point-of-view

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Students will use their timelines as a reference tool while listening to the instrumental music.
  • Instruct students to first listen to the music and then identify a specific person in one of the pictures that reflects the specific tone of the music. Once they have identified the person, they should begin writing from that person's point of view. (For example, if they hear repetitive drums in the music and that makes them think of the soldier on the horse marching to battle, they begin writing from the soldier’s point of view.) Students should write in first person. Instruct students to consider what they think the person is thinking or wondering. Is the person worrying, being confident, or finding hope in something?
  • Each time the music shifts, have students choose a different point of view from which to write. Students should change personas approximately every four to five minutes. Students will not write about every person in the pictures. It may be necessary to repeat the music.
  • When students are finished writing, have them underline their best sentence, phrase, or even word within each point of view. There is no minimum or maximum. If the student loves the entire entry, he or she may underline the entire entry. He or she may simply underline a phrase or one vivid verb.
  • Instruct students to do a read around. Do not require a specific path. Allow students to read their underlined parts as they fit in with the other readings. It is appropriate to have pauses between readings.
  • Record the reading and replay it for students. Students will want to create a second and third poem once they hear the beauty and power of their words.
  • Publish and post poems around the room with sample timelines or create a Civil War poetry book.
  • Discuss the variety of people represented within each picture. Discuss the difficulty Lincoln must have faced when writing a speech that had to relate to each of these audiences. What might each person want to hear about? What tone should Lincoln have in his speech? Should the tone change based on the audience? Consider the following organizer:

Audience	What question(s) might they want answered from their president?
Soldier wounded in war
Freed slave
Slave owner
Grieving mother

Class Period 3—Selective highlighting and graphic organizer to read closely

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address aloud. Do not make any marks on the text.
  • Read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address a second time. During this reading, instruct students to underline sentences, phrases, or words from the speech that create an image.
  • Instruct students to complete Inaugural Address Student Organizer.

Class Period 4—Timed writing to allow students to synthesize information from the text and graphic organizer into an essay

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Allow students to use their organizers and text to respond to Inaugural Address Essay Assessment.

Class Period 5—Word puzzle to make predictions and to establish purpose for reading Alphonse Daudet’s "The Last Lesson"

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Students may work in groups; however, each student is responsible for the activity.
  • Instruct students to read the group of words found on "The Last Lesson" Activity Sheet 1. Students should discuss what they think the text will be about based on the list of words. Have students make a list of statements they think will be true based on the words.
  • Categorize the words from activity 1 into the four categories on "The Last Lesson" Activity Sheet 2. Explain to students that there is no right answer.
  • What group of words do you think will be part of the conflict?
  • Which words do you think represent characters in the text?
  • Identify which words represent a possible setting for the story.
  • Which nouns do you think will become symbols?
  • Based on the categories, students should add to their lists of statements.
  • Analyze how each category relates to the other category. For example, how do the list of words under setting relate to the list of words under character? How would you connect the two lists of words? What inferences can you make about the characters? Is there a relationship between the list of symbols and the suggested conflict(s)?
  • Allow students to move words into different categories as they discover relationships and connections between the words. Once students have a preferred grouping, allow them to glue their words.

Class Period 6—Mind Map to help students creatively organize and connect details; encourage close reading of text

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Read "The Last Lesson" by Alphonse Daudet.
  • Have students create a Mind Map for the story.
    • Write the title in the center of the paper.
    • Add four branches to represent the four categories: conflict, characters, symbols, setting. Students should use a different color for each branch.
    • Use the text to add specific details to the branches. Students should use symbols, pictures, colors, and shapes to make a creative representation of the literature. If students use words from the text, print the words on curved lines using lower and UPPER case letters. If the word is very important make it LARGER than less important words. When students identify important connections, use arrows.
    • Be creative! Have fun!!
  • Allow time for students to return to "The Last Lesson" Activity Sheet 2 to confirm or correct the words in each category. Review the list of statements they made prior to reading. Based on the reading, are the statements true?

Class Period 7—Tour de knowledge to allow students an opportunity to clarify comprehension through discussion and to ask probing questions

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Have students work in groups of three to develop questions based on the text. Explain to students that they are not answering the questions. They are making a list of questions that they would like other class members to think about. These questions are often about connections. Students know a connection is being made, but they may not know how, why, or what.
  • While students are working, post the chart paper around the room. If you have 6 groups, you need 6 pieces of chart paper. Hang the paper where groups can move freely around them.
  • Each group should identify three of their best questions. Print one question on each sticky note.
  • Take up the sticky notes and group them. Often students have the same questions. If a question is asked more than once, it is a great question to use for this activity. Choose the 6 most thought provoking questions. Stick one question in the middle of each of the pieces of chart paper. Give each group a different colored marker so that you know how each group answered the question.
  • Allow students 3-4 minutes to rotate around to each question. Students should read the questions, discuss possible answers, decide on the best answer, and record it on the chart paper. Instruct students to stay at their station until you signal for the entire class to rotate. Students must offer a different answer from the prior groups. Each question should have several possible answers.
  • Once students have had the opportunity to answer each question, discuss insightful answers and realizations/discoveries about the text.

Class Period 8—Assessment

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Have students complete "The Last Lesson" Short Answer Assessment.

Class Period 9—Guided discussion of visual material to engage students in conversation to evaluate and analyze text

• Preparation and Instruction
  • Have students work in groups to analyze the visual, Armed Conflicts, 1999-2004. Instruct students to use the Viewing and Representing Discussion Guide to move the conversation forward. Students must manage time wisely in order to address each question.
  • Students must defend and challenge ideas expressed from peers.