Digital Product

Introduction
The central focus of this learning segment is to enhance writing skills of students, while
introducing non-fiction writing in a way that draws on material that students are familiar with.
This helps fulfill two Common Core Standards in a short project that will be enjoyable and
memorable for students. By incorporating technology into this lesson, students can have a
more professional looking final product, that will create in them a greater sense of pride. The
three technologies could also be used with other projects later in the year and allow students an
introduction to using them. The access to the internet allows students to discover more myths
beyond the ones covered in class. This lesson would occur after a unit on mythology and fables,
and at the beginning of a unit on nonfiction writing. Technology-wise, students only need a basic
knowledge of computers, Google Docs, and the ability to learn technology based off of the
demonstration that we would do in class. These strategies are appropriate for the whole class
because group work allows for facilitation, and tasks can be divided amongst the group so that
each students can do tasks that they will excel at. Because there is class time devoted to this
project, students may ask for help from their teacher and their peers. There is a large language
demand in this lesson, that could be a challenge for some students. For those who struggle with
grammar and writing clearly and concisely, the teacher will be there to facilitate the process. For
those students who may be ELL, I may encourage them to read translations of the Greek myths
in their first language if they are a particularly new to English. I would encourage them to author
a single article, and write using words from their first language as need be. Then, using Google
translate, the ELL student and the teacher (or another group member) could work together to
make sure the article makes sense.

LANGUAGE-FOCUSED MINILESSON:
Laura Sheldon, 6th Grade English Language Arts, November 17, 2016

Unit and/or Lesson Title: The Olympic Herald: A Lesson in Reporting

Context: This lesson plan would fall towards the beginning of the school year and would be a
fun introduction to the writing process and a chance to evaluating students writing skills up until
this point. Because it uses fictional sources as an introduction to nonfiction writing, this is a good
introduction that will help students be interested and engaged. Previously, we had looked at
mythology and fables of other cultures, so this lesson will tie our previous unit to the new unit,
meaning that students feel comfortable with the background material and can use it towards this
new unit.

*Primary Instructional Objective and Common Core State Standard for MG ELA:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

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.

*Materials/Technology Resources Required:

Laptops for each student OR iPads for each student
Access to the internet
Tables at which students can work in groups of three or four

Time: This lesson will be completed within three 50 minute block periods, but may require some
students to take home the assignment to ensure that it is finished by the time that it is due.
However, the assignment can be completed if students stay focused on their group work.

Instructional Procedures/Steps:
I. Day One
II. Open class with normal warm-up (vocabulary or grammar) [4-5 min]
1. Students will copy the vocabulary word into their notebooks along with its definition
and part of speech. Then, students will write a sentence that demonstrates
knowledge of the definition. For example, if the vocabulary word was pertinent, then
a good example would be After I was in a car wreck, the police officer recorded my
name, phone number, and other pertinent information
2. The vocabulary terms for this day will be libel, subjective, objective, edition, and
credible.
III. Introduce newspapers as a non-fiction text. Discuss jobs within the newspaper/reporting
business (reporters, editors, graphics, columnists) as well as various components of a
newspaper (classifieds, articles, columns, headline, editorial, sports, comic strip, community,
weather, obituaries) and their purpose. [~15 min]
IV. Now students are going to try it on their own. Have them get into groups of three or four (or
assign groups depending on the class). [~2 min]
V. Without the computers, have the groups divide parts of the assignment among themselves,
and start to brainstorm ideas for the newspaper. Students need to have two articles, two
classifieds, one column, and two from the following list (letter to the editor, comic, sports,
community, weather, obituaries, etc.). [8-10 min]
VI. Allow students to access the technology (laptops or iPad) to start writing and find myths to
base their news article on. [15 min]
VII. Wrap up Day One by encouraging students to work more on the assignment at home if they
have time. [3 min]

Day Two
I. Warm-up activity [4-5 min]
1. see Day One for more detail
2. Vocabulary words are slander, anecdote, cutline, deadline, and lead

II. Offer a brief tutorial for each Padlet to introduce students to the different programs and how
to use them most effectively [~5 min]
III. Allow students to begin working in their groups again with computers, and walk around as
the teacher to offer help and assistance as needed. [37 min]
IV. Wrap up class by encouraging students to make sure things will be done by the due date [3
min]

Day Three
I. Warm-up activity [4-5 min]
II. Allow students to continue working in their groups. Offer help as needed. [42 min]
III. Wrap up the class by having students submit the assignment online, or by telling them to
turn it in by a specific time. [3 min]

Evaluation: I will evaluate the newspaper based off of final appearance, as well as the
grammar of the article and the use of the myth in writing the article. The grammar will be
expected to be on grade level for students, as well as few, if any, misspelled words. They will
have to paraphrase and summarize information, as well as use citations. Students will prove
that they were able to fulfill the first Standard by having strong newspaper articles in which the
myth is retold in a newsworthy way. By being able to clearly see the connection between the
myth and the newspaper, without simply summarizing, but also adding narrative and dimension
to the article, students will have demonstrated proficiency in the Standards.

Accommodations: As the teacher, I will strive to create equity in the assignment by

accommodating any special needs that my students may have.

In Retrospect / In Reflection: This component of the plan is included to prepare for the actually
teaching of the plan in the future. It is intended to encourage reflective practice on your part and
would be filled out after you taught a plan. For now, it is only included as a reminder of this
intent.

Appendix of Materials Needed: See Materials Required above.

Student Examples
https://padlet.com/lasheldo/3mw1in7vqcjc