Brett M.

Dodrill (Winfield Middle School)

Think Aloud Assignment
November 16, 2015
Instructional Objectives / Student Outcomes
Students will analyze the impact of cultural diffusion on a variety of regions.
Students will identify the leaders and distinguish the basic principles and philosophies of the
major religions as they emerged and expanded; (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam).

WV CSOs
SS.7.G.3 Students will analyze the impact of cultural diffusion on a variety of regions.
SS.7.H.CL1.1 - Students will identify the leaders and distinguish the basic principles and
philosophies of the major religions as they emerged and expanded; (e.g., Judaism, Christianity,
Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Taoism).

Management Framework
Overall Time: 90 Minutes
Time Frame: CNN Student News (10 Minutes) Think Aloud Assignment (50 Minutes)
Birth of the Israelites Activity (30 Minutes)

Strategies
Think Aloud Assignment
Teacher and Student-led discussions
Group Work

Differentiated Instruction / Adaptations / Interventions

I will give students ample time to complete their assignments, as well as assist them in reading
when needed. By doing group readings, this ensures that they will get full comprehension of the
terms and not get hung up.

Procedures
CNN Student News (10 Minutes) Students will view the daily episode of CNN Student
News so as to gain a better understanding of what is going on in the world around them.

Reading and Discussion of CNN Editorial Article (50 Minutes) We will be reading and
discussion a CNN editorial article regarding the recent terrorist attacks in France, as well as
homegrown and domestic terrorism. The big thing that the students should take away from this
assignment is the fact that not all terrorists are naturalized citizens of where they hail from. They
need to be able to understand that many of these terrorists are born, raised, and influenced in
various other countries. This will be the Think Aloud activity that I will be using.

Birth of the Israelites Activity (30 Minutes) This activity will tie in with Chapter 6 of the
book, which is where we are currently at in the reading of it. This activity included the Exodus,
the Promised Land, and various other subjects related. The goal of the activity was to read
through it as a group, and then work on formulating questions that they would be using in an
attempt to stump their fellow students when they all came back together tomorrow.
As an incentive for the group that stumps the most groups, they would be getting 10 extra bonus
points added on to the Chapter 6 exam when it came around.

Assessment
Diagnostic: The formative assessment would be made during initial discussion of the CNN
editorial article that we would be reading. We will discuss information about homegrown
terrorism and terrorism in general, asking probing questions and using scaffolding to see where
they need a little bit of help and supplementation.
Formative: The Think Aloud assignment will indicate the knowledge that they have learned, and
would be learning over the course of the assignment. This assessment would be made with
discussion and participation within the assignment.
Summative: Students will work with their groups to complete the Birth of the Israelites activity
and be ready to use this assignment to stump their classmates with questions that they formulate
amongst their group.

Materials
Computer and Projector for CNN Student News
Mobile Computer Lab with Access to Internet
Birth of the Israelites Activity