DIXIE STATE COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

LESSON PLAN -SECONDARY

Teacher Candidate: Jordan Loo
Grade Level: 12 Subject/Content: English Lit.
Title: Edgar Allen Poes The Sphinx
CONTEXTUAL FACTORS (e.g. ethnicity, gender, exceptionalities, ELL, GATE, etc.) which need
differentiation in instruction and assessment.

My class has 22 students in it and 18 of them are Caucasian. Of the remaining 4 students, I
have 2 Native American students, and 2 Hispanic students.
There are 12 females and 9 males in the class.
There are no ESL or exceptionality students in this particular class.

WALK-AWAY (what do I want students to know, understand, and be able to do?)

Common Core Standard: Reading: Literature Standard 2

Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the
course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Content, Reading/Language Walk-Away:
Walk-Away:

Students will be able to identify simple and complex themes from the popular story The Sphinx
to show them what elements are required to write an interesting yet formal piece of literature.

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE (formative/summative checks for

learning) (Match the Content Walk-Away)

Formative: we will have small group discussions where the

students will summarize the important moments of the story then
we will have a whole class discussion about themes and
analyzing why certain writers may consistently write about the
same them in different pieces of literature.
Summative: have the students write in their journals ideas and

Modifications/Accommodations

(ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.)

-Instead allowing students to

choose their own groups I will
look at the class and group the
reluctant readers with those who
participate. I could take aside
students who need extra help and

thoughts that came to them during the group discussions.

have a mini discussion to find out

what they know about the story.

ACTIVE LEARNING PLAN

Modifications/
Accommodations
(ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.)

Activate Prior Knowledge/Experiences

This novel will be used to show how many things are not how
they seem and that many times in life we think we know
something, and even fear those things, when all the while they
are nothing at all. Stories show us that emotions are good,
however if we let our emotions take over our lives we no longer
have the freedom to enjoy and learn from our emotions.
Focus Lesson (I do it)
-I will present to the class a PowerPoint presentation about
identifying themes and show examples of what to look for in
particular short stories. I will show a YouTube video on

Guided Instruction (We do it)

-In a whole class setting we discuss why it is important to be
able to identify themes and what the difference is between
themes and genres.
Collaborative/Cooperative (You do it together)
-The class will break into groups of two and write in their
journals the beginning of a fictional story based on a specific
theme that I assign to them.
Independent (You do it alone)
-Each student will then finish their stories their own way after
having collaborated with a classmate to create an introductory
paragraph.

Summarization/Closure
- Class discussion on The Sphinx and how stories can have a
twist at the end all the while being set up earlier in the story.
We will discuss the similarities and differences between Poes
The Sphinx and Jacksons The Lottery. These two stories

-I will insert myself into

as many small groups
as I can but focus on
those students who
may need a jump start
to get going.
-Depending on the
severity of the
students needs I can
have them draw or help
them write a story.

work well with each other because they both have a twist at
the end, one for the better and the other for the worst. I will
ask the questions What was the difference in emotion/feeling
when the climax occurred during The Sphinx vs The
Lottery? Were they different? Why? Was one more shocking
than the other?
NOTES TO TEACHER
What do I need to remember to do?
- Gather worksheets and materials.
- Review Power Point slides.
- Prepare modifications for possible ELL and IEP students in class.
Materials to have ready?
- Worksheets
- PowerPoint/ You Tube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbhZr_--YRc)
Approximate time needed for lesson?
- 1 class period
Reflection:
I think that this lesson was a good reemphasis of the importance of understanding the
elements of writing literature rather than just reading a story and liking it or not. I used
the analogy of music with the students when they asked why it is important to
understand these elements. Many people can hear a song and like it, however, those that
understand the process and know each note are the ones who can fully appreciate the
songs worth.