SED 481: Methods of Teaching English

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

Arizona State University
Dr. David Lee Carlson
Developmental Lesson Plan #1
Allyson Crooks
February 9, 2015
Course: 10th Grade ELA
Period: 2
Organizational Structure: Lecture, Whole Group, Individual
Bell-work: Students will obey entrance policies as they enter the classroom. On the whiteboard
will be the following questions, which the students will answer using complete sentences:
1. Why does the way you choose to say something matter?
2. Give an example of a situation when your word choice is important.
Aim: How do students interpret the way sentences, paragraphs, and texts as a whole are put
together?
Instructional Objectives:

Students will be able to summarize what syntax is in their own words.

Students will be able to comprehend different sentence types, such as simple, compound,
complex, and compound complex.
Students will be able to differentiate between independent and dependent clauses
Students will be able to identify different sentence types used.
Students will be able to explain the effect of syntax on the meaning of a passage.
Students will be able to analyze Chinua Achebes use of syntax and its effect on the
meaning of the passage from Things Fall Apart.

Literacy Skills:

Note-taking (Writing)
Summarizing (Speaking)
Recognizing clauses (Reading)
Close reading (Reading)
Annotation (Writing)
Analysis (Reading)
Explanation (Writing)

Motivation:

Dilemma: Yodas speech inverts the typical syntax of a sentence making it sound odd or
ungrammatical but if we changed his syntax would it be as effective in motivating the other
characters?
Video: Yodas Dialog Corrected
http://boingboing.net/2012/04/02/yodas-dialog-corrected-for-g.html
Directions:
I will give a lecture on syntax, including sentences types (simple, compound, complex, and
compound complex), and independent and dependent clauses.

During the lecture, you are to remain sitting quietly and are expected to take notes. You
may use the guided note sheet provided or freehand notes as you choose.

This lecture will aid students in their close reading because they will be able to use their notes as
reference when they begin reading.
After the lecture, students will be given a passage from Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart to
annotate.

While reading, annotate the passage by bracketing or underlining clauses and writing the
sentence type in the margins (I will use the document camera to model how to bracket the
first sentence of the text). By bracketing or underlining, it will be much easier for you to
recognize which sentences are simple, which are complex, and which are compound
complex.
After you have bracketed or underlined each sentence and stated the type of sentence,
please make a note in the margin commenting on how you think the syntax affects the
meaning of the sentence (I will also model this step). Please note: You DO NOT need to
do this for every sentence. Choose at least 3 sentences you think are important to the
passage and comment on their meaning.

Pivotal Questions:
1. Did you notice any anomalies in Achebes writing that were similar to Yodas speech?
(Text-to-text)
2. Which sentences were the most meaningful or impactful to you? (Text-to-self)
3. Can you distinguish any patterns in syntax that repeat throughout the passage? (Text-toitself)
4. How do you think Achebes syntax is perceived by others? Formal or informal? Or does
it depend on who is reading it and where? (Text-to-world)
5. What did you notice or like about Achebes syntax? What did you dislike? (Text-to-self)
Medial Summary:
In the lecture, we discussed two different types of clauses: independent and dependent clauses.
An independent clause is a group of words that contains both a subject and a verb and is
expressed in a complete thought. This type of clause can stand on its own, as a complete
grammatical unit; whereas, a dependent clause cannot stand on its own as a complete
grammatical unit. This is because a dependent clause contains a subject and a verb but does not
express a complete thought.
These types of clauses are the building blocks of different types of sentences: simple, compound,
and compound complex. A simple sentence consists of one independent clause. A compound
sentence consists of two coordinated independent clauses. A complex sentence consists of an
independent clause and a dependent clause. Thus, a compound complex sentence consists of two
or more coordinated independent clauses as well as one or more dependent clauses.
From reading the passage of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, we have been able to
determine that the writer uses a combination of simple sentences, compound sentences, and
complex sentences, with only one compound complex sentence. Due to this mixture of primarily
long sentences, when Achebe uses a short sentence such as In the end Okwanko threw the cat
it is used for impact; whereas, if Achebes writing was primarily short, simple sentences then it
would not have made such an impact. Remember, short sentences can be used to create many
effects, including staccato, or abruptness. They can also be spare or dry, terse, or punchy. Longer
sentences can create a mellifluous, flowing nature to the writing; however, they can also be
sprawling, disorganized, or academic.
Application:
One way to compliment or complicate a text is to give the students another text to compare it to.
This approach of comparing texts would be beneficial to a student who is high in linguistic
intelligence. The text I would choose to complicate Achebes text would be Joseph Conrads
Heart of Darkness. This would be a good choice because both texts deal with the idea of
colonialism; however, they were written in different time periods by two very different writers.
Analyzing a passage by Conrad would be a good opportunity for students to compare how
different two texts can be syntactically.

Another way to compliment or complicate a text is to show a movie or a clip from a movie for
the students to compare. This would be beneficial to a student who is high in spatial intelligence.
The film I would choose to complicate Achebes text is Zulu. This would be a good choice
because both the text and the movie deal with similar topics. As we watch, I would make sure
that the film has subtitles/closed-captioning on. Even so, this may pose a challenge to students
because hearing syntax versus seeing syntax is very different. In addition, a reader can move as
slowly as they need to over text, but a movie cannot be slowed down. For this reason, I may need
to stop the clip frequently.
There are also many African fables/folklores that have been set to modern music, such as the
story of Anansi, the spider. For students who are high in musical intelligence, this would be a
good option to complicate Achebes text. Similarly to a movie, this may be harder to analyze
syntactically due to their being different rhythms to songs than in written texts.
For each option, I would ask students to write at least 1 paragraph (8 sentences) comparing and
contrasting the syntax of Chinua Achebes text and the text I choose to compliment/complicate it
with. In their answer, I would be looking for whether students explain the primary type of syntax
in each text and their respective effects. I would also want the students to give their opinion as to
which texts syntax was more effective.
Final Summary:
This is when I would have students summarize to me what they have learned from the lesson. I
would expect that students to be able to state the definition of independent and dependent
clauses; simple, compound, complex, and compound complex sentences in their own words. I
would also expect for students to summarize the key differences in the texts they encountered,
and which was more effective.
Metacognitive on Pedagogy:
This is when I would ask students how what we did for the day fits into my AIM. I would ask
them why they think I chose the questions I did for the bell-work. I would expect them to say
that how you say something matters because it can affect whether you sound formal or informal,
as well as how persuasive or effective your writing is. I would hope that the students link this
back to their own lives, and explain how using careful syntax can affect their future lives (ex.
when they write a cover letter for a job, or a letter to a college).
Metacognitive on Learning:
This is when I will ask 1 or 2 students to relate how they learned the material for today (what
intelligences were engaged).
Review Homework:

Scraps of paper with topics will be placed in a hat. I will walk around and allow students to
choose one topic from the hat. Topics cannot be swapped, and should not be discussed with other
students.
Directions: 1) Please find a one page text such as an article or a story (or the equivalent
such as a film script, song, poem, etc.) that represents your topic 2) Print your text 3)
Start by bracketing or underlining the clauses of your text 4) Then determine the sentence
type 5) Annotate sentences for meaning 6) Make a brief list (3-5 bullet points) discussing
whether you think your text is effective and why 7) Be prepared to discuss your topic and
text in class tomorrow
Homework:
For homework, students will be given a specific topic and asked to locate/choose a one page text
(or the equivalent, such as a film script, song, poem, etc.) that represents that topic. Students
need to print their chosen text, and annotate it the same way as was modelled and practiced in
class. Students will be asked to think about the effectiveness of the syntax of their chosen text,
and to come up with a brief list (3-5 bullet points) to support their opinion. Annotated texts will
be collected the following day after an in-class activity. When topics are assigned, there will be
3-4 students with the same topic. Students will then discuss which of their texts is the most
effective, using their bullet points to guide their discussion.