Tom+Carney,+7th+Grade+ELA

For my lesson plan, I intend on using my existing literary circles unit and make the online blog a part of the required discussion assignments. This is actually going to fit in quite well with next year’s upcoming schedule changes. We are going to a six-day schedule, so my classes will be meeting for ninety minutes every other day. With the use of my blog I will be able to “keep in touch” with the students on the days that we don’t meet, and have them post comments as well as ask and answer questions. It will also allow for out of class research and extension exercises that the students can do online, such as researching the author of the novel and real people/events that may have influenced the writing of the novel.
 * __Introduction__**

The students will read the novel that they have chosen for their literature circle assignment over the course of four weeks. In addition to the in-class activities, students will log on to the blog page three times per week and access the post for their literature circle group. The students will read the prompt for that session’s reading, post a response to the prompt, respond to comments made by other students, and add additional comments and at least one question for the other students in their group to consider for the next in-class session. The culminating assignment will be to post a formal book review after the reading has been completed.
 * __Goals__**

After each student has chosen one of the four novel options, they will form groups based on the novel they are reading. Before the students begin reading the novel, we will have an in-class session in the school computer lab to review researching an author online. We will also use this session to access the blog page that the students will be using for the literature circles. The blog page will contain four links, one for each book, and each group will access the link for their book three times per week to post responses and comments. The students may access at any time the other links to see what their peers in other groups are posting. However, the students may only post comments on the link for their own book. As an initial blog activity, each student will post a few facts that they find about the author of their novel during this first in-class session. This will ensure that each student understands the process. During this session I will announce that any student who is unable to access the blog page outside of school for whatever reason should see me privately so we can make other arrangements. This may mean utilizing the school lab during study time and/or receiving hard copies of the prompts from me and producing handwritten responses.
 * __Pre-Activities__**

The prompts will vary from book to book and from session to session, but the following are some examples: The final writing assignment posted to the blog will be a book review once we have finished reading the novel.
 * __Writing Assignments__**
 * What facts about the author’s reason(s) for writing the novel were you able to discover? Does the novel connect to a particular time period or actual people/events?
 * How does the setting of the novel “set the stage” for the events that follow?
 * What motives influence (a particular character’s) actions in this chapter?
 * What predictions can you make about future events in the novel based on this chapter?
 * How does (a particular character) resemble the historical person the author is writing about? (When appropriate)
 * How do the events of this chapter resemble historical events? (When appropriate)
 * Based on the reading to date, what would you say a major theme of the novel is?

The adaptations of this assignment will be based on the particular needs of each year’s group of students. It should be fairly easy to adapt each posting and assignment to fit the needs of all students. As mentioned before, those who do not have internet access at home will be able to complete the assignments in the school lab or by turning in hard copies (to be posted later). Students that struggle with reading comprehension will have the benefit of reading the posts of their group members before having to post their own thoughts. Students may also post questions to be answered if they are stuck or confused. Those students that are high-level readers will be challenged not only to post deeper insights, but also to raise questions that will help other group members to better understand the book.
 * __Extension and Adaptation__**

The individual posts will receive a regular homework grade (check plus, check, check minus, zero) per post. The posts will go hand-in-hand with in-class assignments and quizzes, so the students will be motivated to keep up with the reading and the on-line prompts. The discussion generated from the online posts will help to further each student’s understanding of the novel. The culminating book review will be assessed as a writing assignment for which the students will receive a rubric. Since we are a standards-based school, the grades for the book review will be 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1. This will be a formal writing assignment, and the students will receive in-class help with format and revisions before posting their final copy.
 * __Assessments__**