Melissa McClain-- LLT 307 Portfolio
Diversity Lesson Plan
Population: 4th grade, ELL and native English speakers
Class: Social Studies
Activity Type: Writing and Speaking, Brainstorming
Language Objective: Students will learn how to write and perform speeches in front of an audience.
Content Objective: Students will learn about different cultures in the world and how they differ from their own.
Lesson Context: The students in this class are approximately equally ELL and native English speakers; there are a variety of backgrounds and heritages in the class. The children have just finished a section in their Social Studies books on diversity and heritage in the United States of America. This lesson would span the course of two days.
I. Pre-Writing (DAY ONE)
a. The teacher will break the class up into groups. She will write the key vocabulary/concept words on the board for the class: diversity and heritage. Each group will be given a sheet of paper on which they will be asked to write what comes to mind when they think of these words.
b. After each group has finished brainstorming, the teacher will draw a “mind map” on the board. She will ask each group to contribute some of their ideas to the map.
c. When the map is finished, the teacher will write the two words up on the “word wall” with their respective definitions next to them.
d. Next, the teacher will put a map of the world up on the board. She will give the students pushpins and ask them to come up to the board and put the pushpin where their family is originally from. This will demonstrate the diversity that is present within their own classroom.
e. The language and content objectives will be written on the board at the beginning of the lesson, and the teacher will review and explain as well before moving on to the main focus of the lesson (here, the writing section).
II. Writing
a. The teacher will ask each student to give a speech to the class about a country that is not their own. The students must first brainstorm ideas for the speech they will give so they can organize their thoughts. The teacher will create a sample graphic organizer on the board in which she outlines her family's country, so the students can model their brainstorming map off of hers. She will ask the students what they think is important to discuss when talking about the country in question (ie—food, culture). There will be access to encyclopedias and the Internet in the classroom for students to do research (the students have used these resources previously and know how to use them). The speeches will last approximately two minutes each. The students will be given a short explanation on how to perform speeches in class before they begin writing.
b. Next, the students will work individually on their own graphic organizers. The teacher will walk around and ask students if they have any questions. She will especially focus on the ELLs to see if they understand all the directions. If they do not, she will ask a native English-speaking student to explain the lesson to the student.
c. When the students have finished brainstorming, the teacher will instruct the students to begin writing what they want to include in their speeches based on what they wrote in their brainstorms.
d. This would be the end of Day 1’s lesson. For part of Day 2’s lesson, the class is going to have a “Diversity Potluck” so the teacher will ask students to volunteer to bring in food from the countries that they wrote about. The teacher will also bring in food from different countries so there will be enough for everyone if not everyone volunteers. The teacher also tells the students that they can bring in anything that they want to show the class (such as clothing) that is representative of the country they will be speaking about.
III. Post-Writing (DAY TWO)
a. The teacher would first review the vocabulary words from the previous lesson (diversity and heritage) by asking the students to give her the definitions.
b. The speeches would start after this introduction. The teacher would first ask for volunteers. If there were no volunteers, the teacher would take out her can of Popsicle sticks that have each student’s name written on them and randomly choose a student to go. Each student will present their country to the class and point it out on the map that the students had put their pushpins in the day before.
c. After each speech, the rest of the class will be allowed to ask questions to the student giving the speech.
d. After all the speeches have been given, the class would then start the Diversity Potluck.
e. For homework this night, the teacher will have the students write in their class journals about what they learned from their speeches. The prompt question will be: "What did you learn about the country you spoke about? How is the food and culture of this country different or similar to that of your own country?"
Materials Used in this Lesson:
Class: Social Studies
Activity Type: Writing and Speaking, Brainstorming
Language Objective: Students will learn how to write and perform speeches in front of an audience.
Content Objective: Students will learn about different cultures in the world and how they differ from their own.
Lesson Context: The students in this class are approximately equally ELL and native English speakers; there are a variety of backgrounds and heritages in the class. The children have just finished a section in their Social Studies books on diversity and heritage in the United States of America. This lesson would span the course of two days.
I. Pre-Writing (DAY ONE)
a. The teacher will break the class up into groups. She will write the key vocabulary/concept words on the board for the class: diversity and heritage. Each group will be given a sheet of paper on which they will be asked to write what comes to mind when they think of these words.
b. After each group has finished brainstorming, the teacher will draw a “mind map” on the board. She will ask each group to contribute some of their ideas to the map.
c. When the map is finished, the teacher will write the two words up on the “word wall” with their respective definitions next to them.
d. Next, the teacher will put a map of the world up on the board. She will give the students pushpins and ask them to come up to the board and put the pushpin where their family is originally from. This will demonstrate the diversity that is present within their own classroom.
e. The language and content objectives will be written on the board at the beginning of the lesson, and the teacher will review and explain as well before moving on to the main focus of the lesson (here, the writing section).
II. Writing
a. The teacher will ask each student to give a speech to the class about a country that is not their own. The students must first brainstorm ideas for the speech they will give so they can organize their thoughts. The teacher will create a sample graphic organizer on the board in which she outlines her family's country, so the students can model their brainstorming map off of hers. She will ask the students what they think is important to discuss when talking about the country in question (ie—food, culture). There will be access to encyclopedias and the Internet in the classroom for students to do research (the students have used these resources previously and know how to use them). The speeches will last approximately two minutes each. The students will be given a short explanation on how to perform speeches in class before they begin writing.
b. Next, the students will work individually on their own graphic organizers. The teacher will walk around and ask students if they have any questions. She will especially focus on the ELLs to see if they understand all the directions. If they do not, she will ask a native English-speaking student to explain the lesson to the student.
c. When the students have finished brainstorming, the teacher will instruct the students to begin writing what they want to include in their speeches based on what they wrote in their brainstorms.
d. This would be the end of Day 1’s lesson. For part of Day 2’s lesson, the class is going to have a “Diversity Potluck” so the teacher will ask students to volunteer to bring in food from the countries that they wrote about. The teacher will also bring in food from different countries so there will be enough for everyone if not everyone volunteers. The teacher also tells the students that they can bring in anything that they want to show the class (such as clothing) that is representative of the country they will be speaking about.
III. Post-Writing (DAY TWO)
a. The teacher would first review the vocabulary words from the previous lesson (diversity and heritage) by asking the students to give her the definitions.
b. The speeches would start after this introduction. The teacher would first ask for volunteers. If there were no volunteers, the teacher would take out her can of Popsicle sticks that have each student’s name written on them and randomly choose a student to go. Each student will present their country to the class and point it out on the map that the students had put their pushpins in the day before.
c. After each speech, the rest of the class will be allowed to ask questions to the student giving the speech.
d. After all the speeches have been given, the class would then start the Diversity Potluck.
e. For homework this night, the teacher will have the students write in their class journals about what they learned from their speeches. The prompt question will be: "What did you learn about the country you spoke about? How is the food and culture of this country different or similar to that of your own country?"
Materials Used in this Lesson:
| modelheritageorganizer.doc |
| world-map.gif |
| heritagemindmap.doc |
| diversitymindmap.doc |
