School: Fort Collins High School

Grade: 10th
Title of Lesson: Dawn background
Content Area: English Language Arts
Lesson number: 1 out of 2
____________________________________________________________________________
Content Standards addressed by this lesson:

Learning Target(s):

Students will understand the context of Dawn, they will begin to understand how plot
elements span a longer novel, and they will continue to relate the novels they read to a larger
human experience.
Step-by-step minute procedure: (50 min class):
*include materials needed
Laptops, headphones, writing utensil, class novel,
1. Quick overview of where we are going (10 minutes)
i. briefly describe what Dawn is about and who Elie Wiesel is
-Elie Wiesel wrote Night about his time in Auschwitz
- Dawn is a fictional novel about the conflicts that arose from Jewish persecution
in Europe and the idea that the only place they could escape this persecution
was in their own holy land which was Palestine. (well learn more about that in a
minute)
ii.. explain to students that throughout this novel we will be exploring how plot features
function in a larger novel.
- setting, internal conflict, plot points that move us toward what happens
(narrative structure), etc.
iii. explain that we will also be focusing on internal conflict, characterization, and the
shared human experience
-even though we probably have never been ordered to execute someone, we
have had to deal with internally struggling with a decision.
2. Watch Zaption video detailing conflict in Palestine (20 minutes)
http://zapt.io/t28qd2ma
-So, people in Palestine are pissed at what the British caused, which is where this story
picks up.
3. Before we start reading Im going to go over the procedures we are going to utilize for
reading. When we read A Place Where the Sea Remembers we created reading logs and
character charts. When we read Dawn we are going to create a Googledoc that explores how
internal conflict develops for the character, how flashbacks and plot points propel the plot
forward and how setting affects the plot. Were going to set up a template for you that will follow
the basic pattern of finding a quote from the text, quoting it correctly, and responding to it based
on the above objectives.

Rationale, why this lesson matters to teach:

This lesson matters to teach because it gives students much needed context into the world of the
novel. It also sets up the theme of the unit which is understanding how plot features function in
longer novels, and it covers the overarching theme of the shared human experience throughout
the world.
Assessment(s):
I will know students have been successful by reading their Zaption responses.
Homework:
None!

School: Fort Collins High School

Grade: 10th
Title of Lesson: Dawn background
Content Area: English Language Arts
Lesson number: 2 out of 2
____________________________________________________________________________
Content Standards addressed by this lesson:
Learning Target(s):

Students will practice grammar, they will continue to explore how the problems that the main
character of Dawn faces are similar, in a larger context, to problems they face, they will continue
to read the novel and take note of plot features, and they will participate in a silent debate on
moral dilemmas.
Step-by-step minute procedure: (90 min class):
*include materials needed
Laptops, writing utensil, class novel
1. Grammar practice (20 minutes)
2. Silent debate (30 minutes)
-Were going to do a silent debate now: http://padlet.com/wall/9kv6t03oi0wf

-The winning side will get a prize

-Elisha is debating about whether or not he should kill a man that he does not know just
to serve the rebellion.
-Ask students if they have any school appropriate moral dilemmas we could debate
about
-If they dont, they can vote on debating the following conflicts:
-Is it ever okay to break the law?
-Should you always listen to authority figures?
-Are you a bad person if you refuse to do something your parents tell you to do?
-Should you have to go to school if you dont want to?
-Is it ever okay to get into a physical fight with somebody?
-Is it ever okay to cheat on your girlfriend or boyfriend?
-Is it ever okay to ditch your classes?
-Is it ever okay to lie to your friends?
-Is it ever okay to spread gossip?
Remind students that they are allowed to choose whatever side they want as long as
they can explain why they chose it
Debate Rules
1. You must participate
2. Your answers must be appropriate
3. Your answers must be relevant
4. You must be respectful toward others opinions
5. If any of these rules are broken we will end the debate early and start reading.
Debate Procedure
1. Choose a side and create a sticky note and put either a yes or a no on the
appropriate side. (1 minute)
2. On a new sticky note come up with 1-3 reasons that defend your opinion (5 minutes)
3. As a class read some of the responses (3 minutes)
4. Choose 1-3 opposing defenses and come up with reasons that they are wrong (5
minutes)
5. As a class share some of these responses (3 minutes)
6. Finally, decide which side of the argument wins (1 minute)

3. Examine Dawn as an artifact: See, Think, Wonder (done on sticky notes)

i. examine the book: look at the cover, look inside the pages, what do you see? What do
you notice?
ii. What does this make you think about?
iii. What does this make you wonder or question?
4. Read chapter 1 of Dawn (20 minutes) (remind them of objectives) (read and model
procedure)
5. Google doc work (20 minutes) (model this firstdo a couple together)
Rationale, why this lesson matters to teach:

This lesson matters to teach because it immerses students in the conflict of the novel while
supporting the idea that the problems we face in everyday life are problems that everyone faces.
It also teaches basic debate procedures and argumentation and evaluation skills.
Assessment(s):
I will know students have been successful by collecting their grammar worksheets, their
participation in the debate, continuing to read Dawn, and beginning work on their Google docs
surrounding plot features and characterization.
Homework:
None!

Lesson Reflection

1. I think that the lesson objectives were achieved beyond what I expected. Not only did students
participate actively and obviously in the see, think, wonder activity, they engaged with the
zaption video I displayed. Even students who were reluctant to participate in class or were
defiant about participation had really engaging answers to the questions the zaption posed. Not
only were the answers well thought out, they were answered in complete sentences without
having to be prompted to do so. I was really pleased with the work that the students created and
put into engaging with the material.
2. If I were to teach this lesson again I would consider using a different video that slowed the
down the content more. I would also write less questions to answer so that the flow of the video
wouldn't be interrupted as much and students could absorb the material more. I might also
consider doing the see, think, wonder first so that students have questions and are more engaged
with finding the answers possibly through the video. I might also scaffold the cold call more so
that students wouldn't pretend not to have an answer (the student who did this actually had really
well articulated answers).
3. I'm teaching the next lesson so that I could have the experience of lessons that build off of
each other. In the next lesson, I am going to have students continue to think about internal
conflict by participating in a silent debate. After the silent debate we will begin to read the novel
together and work on our after reading procedures.