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Emily Driver
October 20, 2015
RE 3150
Ms. Wilson
Lesson Plans for Unit Plan
Introduction to Lesson Sequence
This set of lessons takes place in the midst of a unit on Perspectives. In order to deal
with the topic of perspectives, we have chosen to incorporate an interdisciplinary study of World
War II from the point of view of the literature written surrounding WWII. This unit will be taught
on a 7th grade level, and overall, will culminate in two primary summative assessments, with
one being a more facts-based research project, and the other being a more creative project
where students are asked to consider the perspective of a side of the war not their own.
This unit is the third of the year, so many of the techniques used within the classroom for
the purpose of this unit are things my students are already familiar with. The lessons presented
here, as I have mentioned previously, take place near the middle of the unit. Before these
lessons take place, in the context of this unit, students have already covered voice and style in
writing, as well as being introduced to a few different perspectives on World War II.
My first lesson is the beginning of a short research-based sequence, where small groups
and pairs of students will focus in on a single event of World War II and will consider both sides
of that event through the lens of language used, over the course of a three-day segment of the
unit. Students will also consider how our perspectives impact our approval or disapproval of
events in our lives, and how we can critically evaluate the perspectives of others, even those
with whom we may disagree.

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Emily Driver

7th ELA/SS

Day of Lesson: 1

Unit Name: Perspectives

Theme: Showing Perspective Through Propaganda
Essential Question(s): How do we learn from the perspectives of others, even when we do
not agree?
Topical Question (s): How can I understand others perspectives through the historical and
cultural context from which they come?
Standards (make sure that you represent at least 3 strands over 3 days):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.3
Delineate a speaker's argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the
relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7
Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively;
assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions
of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Objective(s)
Students will know how to evaluate evidence and summarize it.
Students will understand the cultural context of Europe during World War II.
Students will be able to conduct independent research on a specific topic and present those
findings in a creative fashion.
Assessment
How will students demonstrate that they have learned the skill or content?

Formative: Class Word Cloud via Todays Meet

Summative: Propaganda posters about WWII events
Hook (~5 minutes)
How will you engage students in todays lesson?

[Prior to class, I will have the link for our Todays Meet written on the board]
This morning, were beginning our study of how perspective impacts our interpretation of
events, and well be focusing on World War II as an example of that. So the first thing I would
like you to do is open your laptops and go into Todays Meet. Once you are there, type a
single word into the comment box and share that with the class.
[Give students a few minutes to complete this task, then pull up a word cloud generator and
enter their responses into that generator. Some words should come up larger than others,

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based on how often they have been entered into the program]
It seems that most of us think of a lot of the same things here, and part of that may be
because weve all mostly been taught the same things regarding World War II. Does anyone
want to explain why they typed what they did?
[Allow for responses]
Today, we will go through a short research project to help us better understand two primary
questions: What do we know about World War II, and how did propaganda play a part in the
war effort?
Rationale: Allowing students to demonstrate their prior knowledge will help you understand
where students are coming from, as well as piquing their curiosity and getting them to realize
that different people in the class may know different things about these events.
Teacher-driven Instruction (~10 minutes)
I do: What new information will the students learn today?

[On the overhead projector, go into a web search engine]

So when we research, we want to have a central research question in mind. For this, Im
specifically going to be looking at the role of propaganda in encouraging citizens toward
certain actions.
[type World War II Propaganda into the web search. Scroll through the results and allow
students to help choose a piece that looks interesting. For the purpose of this script, lets
assume its the one that says Loose Lips Sink Ships, which is the first image under that
search heading]
Once you have moved through a general idea of what topics there are available, you want to
narrow down your focus. Based on this piece of propaganda, what do you think was going on
in society? What is the purpose of this piece?
[Allow student responses - assume someone said something about information leaking and
ships being sunk because of it]
So we have the use a little bit of critical thinking here, right? If this piece of propaganda is
based on an actual event, then at some point, a ship was sunk due to someone sharing
information. Lets research ships that were sunk during World War II.
[Type ships sunk during World War II into the search engine. You should come across
something about the USS Yorktown or another ship sunk due to a torpedo]

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This looks pretty interesting! Why dont we look into it further?
[Perform a bit more research on that specific event, based on what seems to be most
interesting]
For our research project today, you will be researching a topic that is of interest to you, and
then creating a piece of propaganda based on that event. Your piece of propaganda might
relate to either side of that event, but you should perform research based around that event
and understand it well enough to make something, either encouraging or discouraging that
event from occurring.
Rationale: Because students may or may not have had exposure to this kind of research
before, modeling it for them is necessary. In addition, through this activity, I am introducing the
kind of critical thinking I want them to engage in through this activity.
Guided Practice
(Guided/Independent combined will be 25-30 minutes)
We do: Teacher guided work, group work, pair work, stations

Does anyone have any ideas for topics?

[Allow students to suggest possible topics dealing with World War II. Write these on the
board. Collect a few more topics than groups, so no group is stuck with the last topic]
Now that we have a few topics, Im going to group all of you into groups of 4.
[Count students off into groups of 4 - Im assuming 24 students, so 6 groups total]
Does any group have a preference as to topic? If so, one member of your group should raise
their hand and let me know.
[Allow groups to choose their topics]
I would like each group to go ahead, start with your topic, and narrow down your research to
one event or set of events. Youll have about 15 minutes to complete your research.
[Give students the 15 minutes to research. As they work, walk around the room. Help
students who need help, answer their questions, etc]
Rationale: Giving students the opportunity to do independent research as groups will let them
steer toward an event that most interests them, while still focusing on a specific skill set.
Grouping: Organizing groups by counting off will mean that students are put with students
with whom they dont normally work. It will also allow for somewhat random distribution of
abilities, so students of different ability levels will be able to work together.

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Independent Work
(Guided/Independent combined will be 25-30 minutes)
You do or You do collaborative: How will the students practice the new skill or work with the content?

Ive been walking around as you guys work, and some of you have found some really cool
events to think about! What Id like you to do now is to split your group of 4 into two pairs. One
pair is going to create a propaganda poster encouraging the event youve chosen, and the
other is going to create a poster discouraging it. Youll create your posters on this chart paper,
and there are markers up here as well.
Are there any questions about your assignment?
[Allow for one or two questions, clarifying the assignment as needed]
Alright, set to work!
[Circulate through the room, helping students when necessary. Give students a warning when
5 minutes, 3 minutes, and 1 minute remain]
Rationale: In most cases, students will be able to show their knowledge in a creative way
much more efficiently and critically than if they were just to write a paper. Having them create
something also requires that they think about the most important aspects of the events
theyve researched and focus on those bits.
Grouping: For this activity, students will be in pairs, broken down from the groups of 4 they
previously participated in. This will allow students to self-section themselves in whatever way
will work best for them, and having only two people in the group will allow both of them to
work together on a project like a poster much more easily. Any more than that many people
working on a poster normally means that one or two people arent doing anything.
Closure/Wrap Up (~10 minutes)
How will you wrap up todays lesson?

Alright, everyone, lets come back in. Has everyone had a chance to wrap up their final
thoughts? Id like to allow a few people to share the propaganda theyve created, as well as a
little bit about the events its based on. Is there anyone who wants to share?
[Allow students to share their work; give them ~1 minute each to explain a quick snippet of
the event and how their poster relates]
Those are really cool! Well be working more with these posters throughout the next few
days, but for now, Id like you all to hang them up on the walls next to your large group
partners poster. Ill see you all tomorrow.
Rationale: Allowing students to share their work gives them a sense of ownership for their
own learning and products thereof. In addition, other students can see what their classmates

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have been doing, thus improving our sense of classroom community.
Supplies

Notes about lesson

What materials do you need for this lesson?

What went well? What could be improved? Do you

need to follow up with any students?

Paper
Pencils
Markers
Chart paper/giant Post-It notes
whiteboard
Internet/Computer access

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Emily Driver

7th ELA/SS

Day of Lesson: 2

Unit Name: Perspectives

Theme: Determining Context Using Vocabulary
Essential Question(s): How do we learn from the perspectives of others, even when we do
not agree?
Topical Question (s): Can I use context clues to help understand the meaning of words and
phrases and how they represent another persons perspective?
Standards (make sure that you represent at least 3 strands over 3 days):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of
sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar
and usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.6: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how
the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.

Objective(s)
Students will know how to enrich the vocabulary they use in daily life.
Students will understand that the words an author or character chooses to use often betray
their true feelings regarding a given subject.
Students will be able to determine the meanings of vocabulary words based on the context in
which they occur.
Assessment
How will students demonstrate that they have learned the skill or content?

Formative: Todays Meet, Shades of Meaning Activity

Summative: Shades of Meaning Discussion
Bellringer/Entry Task (~5-7 minutes)
Review content/skill or preview todays content/skill

[As students enter the classroom, have the following written on the board:
Choose one of the posters made yesterday (that isnt your own)
What seems to be the most important word on that poster? Why?
Write a few sentences about that word as its used on this poster
Would that word mean anything different if you looked at it from
a different cultural context or understanding?]
Rationale: By asking students to consider how point of view might change your interpretation
of words, we are not only beginning to understand empathy and multiple perspectives, but
also preparing to read our primary text for today, A Days Wait, by Ernest Hemingway, in

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which the main point is that two characters have a different understanding of a central event.
Teacher-driven Instruction (~15 minutes)
I do: What new information will the students learn today?

Would anyone like to share the word they chose and why they chose it? What would be
different if that word were changed?
[Allow a few minutes for student responses]
Most words make more sense when put into a specific context, and these posters come from
a context and have meaning within that context. If you were viewing this poster in the country
it was produced in, it would mean something very different to you than if you were in a country
fighting against the first.
Today, well be looking at vocabulary and the way we use it. As you know, some words have
certain connotations within one context, but a different connotation within another context, and
some words may mean the same thing but have different contexts within society. A good
example is the words steal and borrow - both technically mean to take something that
doesnt belong to you, but one sounds nicer than the other.
To help illustrate the importance of language, Id like us to look at A Days Wait. Its a short
story by Ernest Hemingway.
[read A Days Wait aloud. Let students follow along on their own copies (a copy of the text is
attached at the end of this lesson)]
What is happening in this story? What causes the misunderstanding?
[Allow student responses]
During what part of the story did you first realize something was wrong?
[Allow student responses again]
Often, when we read through a story, we realize that most of the story hinges on one specific
word, and if that word were changed, the story as we know it would also change. For todays
activity, we will be examining what would happen if we changed words or phrases within our
text.
Rationale: Performing a read-aloud will incorporate multiple learning types, allowing students
to better understand our text. By relating our current study of perspectives to A Days Wait,
we are showing that perspectives and their implications pervade not only historical contexts,
but also literary contexts. When we relate this to the previous concept of how a word can
change the meaning of an entire text, we have a great setup for our next activity.

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Guided Practice (~13 minutes)
We do: Teacher guided work, group work, pair work, stations

Id like everyone to get into the same groups they were in for our research yesterday.
[Allow students to regroup]
Each of your groups will choose a portion of the story that seems significant to you, that
seems the most like a turning point in the story. What would happen if you changed an
integral word or phrase within that point?
[Pass out paint chips]
On these paint chips, write the word you plan to change in the top square. Define what it
means in the next square down, and in subsequent squares, write alternate words you could
use. Then, as a group, consider how changing that word or phrase might change the way we
view this story. Im going to give you all 10 minutes.
[Give groups about 10 minutes to work. Warn them at 5 minutes, 3 minutes, and 1 minute.]
Rationale: Allowing students to work independently to consider vocabulary and the impact it
can have on the story will let them think of more than I can, as the teacher, and will let them
muse as their mind allows.
Grouping: I am choosing to keep students with their previous groups so they can continue to
bounce ideas off each other and build community with their groups.
Closure/Wrap Up (~15 minutes)
How will you wrap up todays lesson?

Would any group like to share which words they changed? Pair up with another group and
explain what you changed, and why you changed it.
[Allow students to pair up with another group and spend about 5 minutes sharing their
Shades of Meaning Activities.]
Lets come together as a class. What was the best word change you saw from your
classmates, and what impact would that have on the way the story went?
Rationale: Students can discuss their own work, as well as others work, and see what
difference changing words can have on their own writing as well as the writing of writers such
as Hemingway.
Supplies

Notes about lesson

What materials do you need for this lesson?

What went well? What could be improved? Do you

need to follow up with any students?

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Paint chips
Pencils/pens/markers
Copies of A Days Wait for
each student

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7th ELA/SS

Emily Driver

Day of Lesson: 3

Unit Name: Perspectives

Theme: Thinking From Both Sides
Essential Question(s): How do we learn from the perspectives of others, even when we do
not agree?
Topical Question(s): How can I use textual evidence to support understanding and learning
from others?
Standards (make sure that you represent at least 3 strands over 3 days):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author
distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.9
Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of
key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of
facts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.8
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms
effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the
data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for
citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Objective(s)
Students will know that individual persons often see individual events through different
contexts.
Students will understand that we must look at all sides of an event, even if we do not agree
with the side opposite of our own.
Students will be able to think critically about the perspective of others in regards to historical
events.
Assessment
How will students demonstrate that they have learned the skill or content?

Formative: Research notes, Brainstorming sheet

Summative: Two-Voice Poem
Bellringer/Entry Task (~3 minutes)
Review content/skill or preview todays content/skill

On the Board:
Sit near your poster

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Brainstorm about the event you chose to base the poster on.
What would either side of the event you focused on feel about
this event? Do they approve? Disapprove?
Rationale: This activity will help students to begin thinking critically about both sides of the
event, and what impact it would have had on either side.
Teacher-driven Instruction (~5-7 minutes)
I do: What new information will the students learn today?

Today, well be dealing with how we would best consider this issue from two perspectives.
Weve worked with Two-Voice Poems before, but I want to look at how you would structure a
poem based on facts and first-person accounts.
[pull up a web browser, and go back to the research question of ships being sunk during
World War II]
As I look through the facts from both sides, Im going to note them on a chart with the fact on
one side, and the place I found it on the other. Note that, as I look through, I want to try to find
examples from both sides of the war. (an example chart is included below)
Fact

Source

1554
US
Mercha
nt
Marine
ships
were
sunk
during
World
War II

US
Mercha
nt
Marine
At War
(http://w
ww.usm
m.org)

Using these as a starting point, I could create a Two-Voice Poem from the point of view of the
Axis and the Allies during the war, couldnt I?
Id like each of you, individually, to go back to where you were doing your initial research, and
maybe delve a little deeper into both sides of the event youre working with. Once you have a
good amount of sources here, try to compile the information you have from both sides into a
poem depicting both sides and their points of view.
Rationale: Students are familiar with the format of a Two-Voice Poem, but havent yet dealt
with building this literary form from a factual basis. Bringing in facts in a gradual way will allow
students to build factually-based poems, but still retain a form we are familiar with.

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Independent Work (~35 minutes)
You do or You do collaborative: How will the students practice the new skill or work with the content?

Im going to give you all a total of 35 minutes to work on your own poem and then, once
youre finished, share it with one of your classmates with whom you began the original
research project two days ago. When youve swapped poems, I want you to look at the
language your partner is using. How do they convey the way that side of the war feels? What
would you change?
[Give students time to work on their Two-Voice Poems, and provide a warning at 10 minutes
that students should go ahead and trade poems]
Rationale: Students will be able to synthesize the information with which they are already
familiar into a form that forces them to consider both sides of the story.
Grouping: I am having students work individually, and then swap poems with a partner,
because I want them thinking independently about the language they are using. Then, I want
them to be able to think about how someone else worded the same event, with the same
research behind it.
Closure/Wrap Up (~5 minutes)
How will you wrap up todays lesson?

Did any of you think your partner used a really good phrase somewhere in their poem?
[Let students discuss their partners poems and what they liked about them]
Supplies

Notes about lesson

What materials do you need for this

lesson?

What went well? What could be improved? Do you need

to follow up with any students?

Paper
Pencils/Markers
Student Propaganda
Posters (should be up on the
walls)