Running head: RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 1

RWT Lesson Plan Proposal

Jackie Boismenue
University of New England


RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 2

Title: To Kill A Mockingbird Pre-Reading Articles Summary Ball & Poster
Brief Description/Abstract
According to authors Nell Duke, P. David Pearson, Stephanie Strachan, and Alison
Bilman in the book What Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction, when we read, we use
knowledge along with our perceptions of what we think the text says to literally build, or
construct, mental representations of what the text means. (Duke et al., 2010, p. 53). Students
must learn to pull main or key ideas from a text; an easy, fun way to do so is to use a summary
ball (Ellery, 2009, p. 205). The use of a summary ball appeals to many different learning styles.
Overview
Students will be divided into groups and assigned a topic related to the themes and time
period of Harper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird. This activity will be done prior to students
reading the novel.
Each group will receive one inflated beach ball, markers, and large piece of construction
paper.
Students in the group will toss around the ball in their small group. Each student will
catch the ball and take note of which word is closest to their right thumb. This will be the role
that particular student takes one when creating the groups summary poster.
Once all roles are assigned, students will work together to complete a summary poster for
their article.
Grade Band = 9
th
Grade
RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 3

Lesson Plan Type = Standard Lesson
Estimated Lesson Time = Two 50-minute sessions. One session to create product; one session to
present.
Featured Resources
Copies of each pre-selected topic article: (below are suggested websites to receive article
information, but any informational websites may be used)
o http://tvhs.k12.vt.us/WMHS/Faculty/Kurucz/html/eng9/TKAM/Bird1.htm
This is a site used to allow students to participate in a webquest. There are
several topic options listed that would work very well for this lesson plan.
The cybrary at the bottom may also be very useful for article
information.
o http://trackstar.4teachers.org/trackstar/ts/viewTrackMembersFrames.do;jsessionid
=1851CD3AA25C4D5EF0F645B17EB85EBA?number=265465&password=
This is another site used to allow students to participate in a webquest. The
topics are listed on the side of the screen and all go to separate websites on
each individual topic.
Note taking handout
Printouts
Topic Articles
Who, What, Where, When, Why, How Note Taking Sheet

RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 4

Materials & Technology
Boxes of markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc.
Large construction paper (one per group)
5-8 inflated, labeled beach balls
From Theory to Practice
Students must learn how to appropriately pull key information from a text and be able to
share that information with other people. This summary ball activity gives them a chance
to do both while also allowing students to build relationships with one another and
practice working in a cooperative environment.
NCTE Standards:
1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts,
of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new
information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for
personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and
contemporary works.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers
and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification
strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., soundletter correspondence,
sentence structure, context, graphics).
11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a
variety of literacy communities.
RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 5

12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g.,
for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
Preparation:
1. Using various websites, print off informational articles or sites concerning topics that serve as pre-
reading topics for the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by author Harper Lee. Topics should include, but
are not limited to, the following topics:

The Scottsboro Boys
The 14
th
Amendment
Plessey vs. Ferguson
The Little Rock Nine
The Murder of Emmett Till
Jim Crow Laws
The Great Depression
Brown v. Board of Education

Consider selecting an article that is not too long and mostly covers the basics of each topic.

2. Review the article that you have selected. Be sure that it is appropriate for 9
th
grade students and that
is provides the information you desire your students to learn.

3. Once you have selected your articles, make at least 4 copies of each.

4. Make copies of the Who, What, Where, When, Why, How Note Taking Sheet for each group.
5. Label several small inflated beach balls with the questions Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How
written in permanent marker.

6. Gather a set of colored pencils and/ or markers for each group along with one large sheet of
construction paper.

Instructional Plan
Student Objectives

Students will:

Collaborate with classmates to practice summarizing strategies with a shared reading piece.

Select & read an article addressing themes, ideas, and events present in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Complete a piece of a summarizing role that will add to a whole group effort.

As a team member, create a summarization poster to be presented to the rest of the class.
RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 6

Session Introduction and Activities

Session One:

1. Review the previously learned rules of summarization with students and the importance of
focusing on only the key information.

2. Hold up the summarization ball for students to see; explain that they will be divided into
cooperative groups and will each be assigned a selected role to take on when reading an article
related to the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

3. Divide students into groups of at least 3. Larger groups will work if they are possible in your
class.

4. Ask students to toss the ball back and forth. Students will take note of where their left thumb
lands when they catch the ball. This is the role they will take one.

5. Have students continue tossing the ball until all roles are assigned; depending on group sizes,
some students may take on more than one role.

6. Once all roles are assigned, pass out materials to each group: (do not pass out the materials
needed to create the poster yet)

a. Copies of selected articles- you may pre-assign topics to groups, choose at random, or
allow students to choose based on when they finish assigning roles.

b. Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How worksheet

7. Tell students they will first read their article as a group, then they will complete their assigned
section of the worksheet.

8. Ask that students come show you their summarization sheets when they have all finished and
checked each others work.

9. Once you have approved their summary sheets and have checked to see that they have included
all desired/ appropriate information, give them the materials needed to complete their summary
poster.

10. Explain to groups that each role must be represented on their poster.

Session Two:

1. If needed, allow students time to complete summary posters.

2. Once all groups are finished, groups will present their summary posters to the rest of the class.

3. Ideally, the audience of students will take quick notes in their journal or on a separate worksheet
during group presentations.



RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 7

Extension Activities

After this initial introduction, students may select a topic from all the presentations to study further.
Students will complete an independent study project such as an essay, poster, presentation, etc. This
project will go more in-depth over the selected topic, as well as explore how the topic relates to the novel.

Student Assessment/Reflections

By selecting an article, reading, and then creating a cooperative summary, students are providing
evidence that they can identify the main idea and supporting details of a nonfiction text and write
an accurate summary. They are also providing evidence that they are able to work together with
others.

A rubric will be provided to students. They will self-assess their contribution to the group
summary, as well as the contributions of their group members.

A rubric will be provided for the teacher to use to evaluation group presentations and content of
the summary.

Related Resources:

Student Interactive Bio Cube, grades 3-12

Scaling Back to Essentials: Scaffolding Summarization With Fishbone Mapping, grade 3-8

Suggested Image



Keywords

Nonfiction
Reading
Summarizing
Main Idea
Cooperative Learning
Summary Ball







RWT Lesson Plan Proposal 8

References
Ellery, V. (2009). Creating strategic readers: Techniques for developing competency in
phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. (2nd ed.).
Newark, DE: International Reading Association, Inc.
Samuels, S.J., & Fastrup, A.E. (2011) What research has to say about reading instruction (4
th

ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.