Context:

Focus of Observation: Behavior Management

Course name: Advanced Academic English
Grade level: 9th
Length of lesson: 80 minutes
Description of setting, students, and curriculum and any other important contextual
characteristics:
This lesson will be taught in a ninth grade Academic Advanced (standard) level
Collaborative English classroom. The class is comprised of 20 students, each of whom is
seated in assigned groups of four or five. Eight of the students are girls, and twelve of the
students are boys. The class is predominantly (two thirds) white, but there are two African
American students, two Latino students, and two white and African American mixed
students. Every student in the class speaks English fluently, though a few students speak
other languages, such as Spanish. Seven of the students in this class have an IEP, and two of
these students have case managers for behavioral issues and severe emotional baggage.
Accommodations must be made for one of our students, who has Autism; four of our
students, who have learning disabilities; and our two students who, due to emotional issues,
have trouble focusing in class. There is a collaborative teacher in the block, and various TAs
come into the room to support our students with IEPs.
This lesson will be taught in the fifteenth week of school (!). This class has a lot of
personality, and so the students often bring a lot of energy and fun. It is especially important
to hook this class early on, so that they remain on task and engaged throughout the period.
The students are for the most part comfortable in their groups, but they are still exhibiting
trouble with small and pair group work.
This lesson is the penultimate lesson in a four-week unit on the Patterns of Humanity. In
the last class, students had a discussion about Book IX of The Odyssey in which they focused
on the purpose for laws and rules in our society (building from the functioning of the Law of
Xenia in Ancient Greece). Students have been interacting with the understandings that all
humans are connected by common experience and everyone has different perspectives based
on their personal experiences and identity.
Objectives:
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
1. Students will understand that humans are united by shared experiences and shared
traits.
2. Students will understand that identity is formed through imitation of others whom we
admire and look up to.
3. Students will understand that it is important to understand people as they truly are,
instead of labeling them.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
N/A
Performance (do):
4. Students will analyze the effect of self-expression in art.

5. Students will make interpretations and conclusions about identity based on themes of
authentic self-creation, imitation, and challenging expectations.
SOLs:
9.2 The student will produce, analyze, and evaluate auditory, visual, and written media messages.
a) Analyze and interpret special effects used in media messages including television, film,
and Internet.
b) Determine the purpose of the media message and its effect on the audience.
CCSs:
CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.1
Initiateandparticipateeffectivelyinarangeofcollaborativediscussions(oneonone,ingroups,
andteacherled)withdiversepartnersongrades910topics,texts,andissues,buildingonothers'
ideasandexpressingtheirownclearlyandpersuasively.
CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.3
Evaluateaspeaker'spointofview,reasoning,anduseofevidenceandrhetoric,identifyingany
fallaciousreasoningorexaggeratedordistortedevidence.
CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.910.4
Presentinformation,findings,andsupportingevidenceclearly,concisely,andlogicallysuchthat
listenerscanfollowthelineofreasoningandtheorganization,development,substance,andstyle
areappropriatetopurpose,audience,andtask.
Assessments: Methods for evaluating each of the specific objectives listed above.
Diagnostic: Students will demonstrate what they already know about by
Pre-video discussion about labels placed on individuals will give the teacher an idea
of students concept of the pervasiveness of labels in our understanding of other
people. (Objective 3)
Formative: Students will show their progress towards by
Stopping the video for the first time (to ask which assumptions about Hetain have
been challenged by the performance) will indicate to the teacher if the students are
engaging with the idea that you must look past labels to get to know who someone
really is. (Objective 3)
Students will make connections to the performance throughout watching the video.
The teacher will take note of the connections students write down, and prompt
students to reflect on how their perspective of Hetain changes based on the things
they have in common with him. (Objectives 1 and 3)
Post-video discussions will give the teacher insight into students grasping of Hetains
idea of identity being formed by imitation and shared human traits. The students will
also demonstrate their analytical skills in discussion: they will draw conclusions
about identity, how it is formed, and how it is expressed/delivered vs. how others
receive it. (Objectives 2, 4, and 5)
Exit Ticket: students will draw final conclusions about the effect of imitation on
identity and shared human experience, as well as demonstrate their analysis of
Hetains performance in discussion. They will also reflect on the effect of labels.

Summative:Studentswillultimatelybeassessed(todayorinafuturelesson)onby...
Philosophical Chairs Discussion: next class, students will make an argument for the
most important way to treat others (either by finding commonalities with others or
learning about and engaging with different perspectives). Students will demonstrate
their analysis skills by making conclusions about how to treat others based on their
engagement with texts and personal experiences. (Objectives 1, 3, 4, and 5).
Materials Needed:
Slides with questions
Who Am I? Think Again
Students will need: SSR books, ABCDs of thesis writing notes, loose leaf paper,
pencils/pens
Technology: computer, projector, internet, Google slides
BeginningRoomArrangement:

Students will arrive to class and sit in their usual assigned seats in small groups.
Instructional Steps (Procedures): Detail student and teacher actions, discourse, and
behaviors.
1. [17 min.] Greeting and SSR
[Beforeclass]
Studentscomeintotheclassroomandsitinsmallgroups.Theteachergreetsstudentsatthe
door,makingconversation.Projectedontheboardistheannouncementthatwewillstart
classwithSSR.Studentsareexpectedtogettheirbooksout.
[1min.]
Afterthebellrings,theteachergreetstheclass.Theteachertheninstructsstudentstoreadfor
fifteenminutes,tellingthestudentswhattimetheclasswillcomebacktogether.
[15min.]
Individually,studentsengageinSilentSustainedReading.Asthestudentsread,theteacher
takesrole,scanstheclasstoensurethatstudentsseemokayandreadyfortheday,andthen
participatesinSSR.
[1min.]
Afterstudentshavereadforfifteenminutes,theyturntotheirtablesandsummarizewhat
theyhaveread.
2. [10 min.] Activator
Individually,studentsconstructathesisstatementinresponsetothefollowingprompt:

Pleasetakeoutapieceoflooseleafpaper.InsertanMLAheaderintheupperlefthand
corner,andwriteWritingAThesisStatementatthetop.Then,pleasereadtheprompt
belowandconstructathesisstatementusingtheABCDsofwritingathesis:
Philosopher,physician,andhumanitarianAlbertSchweitzersaid,Exampleisnotthe
mainthingininfluencingothers;itistheonlything.Issettingagoodexamplebyyour
ownbehaviorthebestwaytoinfluenceotherpeople,oraretherebetterwaystoinfluence
others?
WhiletheActivatorsongplays,studentswilldecideiftheyagreewithSchweitzerornot,
thentheywillbrainstormreasonstheyagreeordisagree,theywillchoosethreeofthe
reasons,andthencreateastatementthatunitestheirclaimandreasons.
Asstudentswork,theteachercirculates,givingpointersandcallingouttothewholeclass
whentheynoticesomethinggoodastudenthasdone.Bytheendofthetimeforwriting
theses,theteacherwillask23studentstosharetheirthesesasexamples.
3. [1 min.] Multigenre Announcement
Theteachercommunicatestostudentsthattheduedateforthefirstwrittenmultigenrepiece
hasbeenmovedto12/6.Thewholeclassreadoutwillbeonthesixth,andthefinaldraftof
thisfirstpiecewillalsobedue.
4. [6 min.] Quick Write
AsabridgefromlastclassdiscussiononBookIXfromTheOdyssey,whereintheclass
focusedheavilyonthepurposeoflawsinsociety,thestudentswillrespondwiththeir
individualthoughtstothefollowingprompt:
Pleasewriteaparagraphresponsetothefollowingquestion:Isitpossibletohavea
uniqueidentitywhenlawsandsocialnormsinfluencehowyouareallowedtolook,act,
andthink?Whyorwhynot?
[1min.]
Theteacherwillintroducethepromptasawaytobuildfromlastclassdiscussion.Theclass
willreviewsocialnorms.
[5min.]
Ontheirguidednoteshandout,studentswillwriteaparagraphresponsetotheprompt
(directionsonthehandout).
5. [8 min.] Pre-Video Hook
[2min.]
Teacherintroducestothestudentsthedaystopicofcreatingpersonalidentity.Theteacher
willmentionfactorstheclasshasidentifiedwhichinfluenceidentitycreation(upbringing,
socialpressures,culture,geographicarea,etc.).Theteacherwillthenexplainthattodays

text,anartperformance,introducestheideaofhumancommonalitiesandconnections
influencingidentity.Theteachermustalsoexplainthattheartistwewillwatchfocusedon
howassumptionswemake,orlabelsweforceontootherpeople,stopusfromtruly
understandingsomeoneelsesidentity.Beforestartingthevideoandtryingtofigureoutthe
identityoftheartist,andhowthatidentitymaybedifferentthantheonewemightforceonto
himbasedontheassumptionswecouldmakeabouthim,thestudentswilllookattheir
personalidentityandlabelstheyfeelhavebeenplacedonthem.
[2min.]
First,ontheirguidednoteshandout,studentswilllist5thingstheyfeelarecentraltotheir
identity.Iftheyfinishdoingthisbeforethetwominutesisup,theywillwriteuptoten
things.
[2min.]
Second,ontheirguidednoteshandout,studentswillwritealistofthreelabels(positiveor
negative)theyfeelothershaveassociatedwiththem.Whentheyfinishcomingupwiththe
labels,theywillrespondtothefollowingquestions:
Howdiditmakeyoufeelwhenotherslabeled/madeassumptionsaboutyou?Didyoufeel
likethelabels/assumptionswereatruerepresentationofwhoyouare?
[2min.]Discuss
Asktheclass:Whatistheeffectoflabelingotherpeople?
Inyourexperience,dopeoplemoreoftenseektounderstandothers,ordothey
tendtodependonlabelstodefineothers?
6. [20 min.] Who Am I? Think Again
[3min.]
Explainthevideo:itsaTEDTalk(TEDisanorganizationthatputsoutvideosofspeakers,
artists,researchers,andmanyotherpeoplewhohaveinterestingideas,solutionstoproblems,
orquestionsthatchallengethewayweoftenthink),itscalledWhoAmI?ThinkAgain,
anditsaperformanceaboutidentityandchallengingassumptionspeoplemakeabout
identity.
Asaclass,lookatthefirstframeofthevideo(0:12seconds);pointoutHetain,andwork
withthestudentstogeneratealistofassumptionsthatcouldbemadeabouthimbasedon
howhelooks.Studentswriteontheirguidednotestheexamplesgeneratedbytheclass.For
thefirstfewexamples,askstudentstoexplainwhytheymightmakethatassumption.
[1min.]
Explainthat,asstudentswatch,theyshouldwriteontheirguidednotesconnectionsthey
maketoHetain.Theseconnectionscanbepersonalmemorieshisperformanceremindshim
of,personalintereststheythinkof,experiencestheyvehadthataresimilartoHetain,etc.
[2min.]

Watchto1:08inthevideo,thenpause.Askthestudentswhichoftheassumptionswemade
aboutHetainhavealreadybeenproved/disproved.(Hislanguage,wherehewasborn,his
culture,etc.)Beforepressingplayagain,remindstudentstobewritingtheirconnections.
[Pauseat1:52]
Sharepersonalconnectionwiththestudents(bywayofmodeling)that,whenIwasinsecond
grade,IusedtopretendtospeakIrishGaelic.ItoldmyclassmatesthatIcouldspeakIrish
becausemyfamilyisfromIreland,andImadeupsoundsthatIthoughtsoundedauthentic,
andpeoplebelievedIcouldactuallyspeakGaelic.
[Pauseat2:19]
Shareanotherconnection:whenIwasgrowingup,mymomusedtomakemeweardresses
tochurch,andIhatedtoweardresses.Ididntlikeitbecausesheneverworedresses,solike
Hetain,IdidnotunderstandwhyIhadtowearsomethingmymomdidnot.
[Pauseat3:35]
SharethatIlovethemovieCrouchingTigerHiddenDragonbecauseIlovethestoryandthe
martialartsinit.
Iftheyhaventalready,askstudentstowritedownsomeconnectionstheyhavemadesofar.
[Pauseat6:25]
Askstudentstowritedownmoreconnectionstheyhavemade.Specifically,havethemwrite
downsomepeopletheyhaveimitatedthroughouttheirlife.
[2min.]
Afterthevideohasfinished,askstudentswritedownfourthingstheylearnedaboutHetain.
7. [12 min.] Discussion
[2min.]
Students get into 2:00 partners to discuss the following questions: How did your view of
Hetain and his identity change throughout the performance? How did your feelings toward
him change throughout the performance?

[2 min.]
Teacher calls on pairings to share answers to this question.

[2min.]

In 1:00 partners, students discuss the following question: Why is it important to our
understanding of Hetain that we watched his whole performance, and not just the first couple
of seconds?

[2 min.]
Teacher calls on pairings to share answers to this question.

[2min.]
In 3:00 partners, students discuss the following question: Why does Hetian include Yuyu, his
translator, in his performance?

[2 min.]
Teacher calls on pairings to share answers to this question.
8. [5 min.] Exit Ticket
Atthebottomoftheirguidednotes,studentswillanswerthefollowingtwoquestions:
1) How does imitation unify humans? (Hint: think about the shared human experience)
2) Is it possible to truly understand someone based on assumptions we make about them?
Why or why not?
Attention to Individual Student Needs: (Differentiation):
Printing out the Activator for students with disabilities in the class provides them with a
visual reinforcement as they work.
Hooking students to the video by having them consider their own identity and the labels
that have been placed on them helps them to personally connect with the material.
o Providing students with examples of ways to identify, and further, some specific
categories to which they might relate, meets the needs of students who have
trouble self-identifying.
Providing guided notes for students not only gives the students with disabilities a visual
reinforcement of what I am asking them to do, it also helps keep the students organized
and up to date with what I want them to complete as the class goes on.
Having students get into appointment clock partners is effective because it takes
advantage of high and low pairings, but it also gets the kids moving throughout class.

There are multiple modes of learning in this lesson: independent writing/reflection, small
group discussion, and whole class review. These multiple modes appeal to most students
respective learning preferences, and it keeps them engaged throughout the lesson.

Technology Use:
Detail specific technology being used in the lesson with explanation for why it is being used.
Multimedia video clip
Projector, laptop, internet
**The technology used in this lesson is fairly rudimentary, and all of it is used to
reinforce directions that are given and provide visual cues to students.
Materials Appendix:
Name: ________________________________
Teachers: _____________________________
9th Grade Advanced Academic
Date: ____________________

Guided Notes 11.29

Use this packet to help you move through our activities for today.
1. Quick Write
In order to bring some closure to our discussion from last class, please
use the space below to write one paragraph in response to the
following question:
Is it possible to have a unique identity when laws and social
norms influence how you are allowed to look, act, and think?
Why or why not?

2. Personal Identity and Labels

In the space below, come up with a list of at least five things that you
consider central to who you are:

Examples: book lover, lacrosse player, Arabic speaker, cupcake

enthusiast

In the space below, write down a list of at least three labels you
feel others have (correctly or incorrectly) imposed upon you:

Examples: fat, bossy, math and science wiz, hater

3. Who Am I? Think Again with Hetain Patel

Based on our first look at Hetain, what are some assumptions

that might be made about his race, culture, language, interests,
accent, etc.? List them below:


4. Connecting with Hetain

As you watch Who Am I? Think Again, use the space below to write
connections you make to the video and Hetains performances. These
connections can include: personal memories Hetains performance reminds
you of, interests of yours the performance makes you think of, experiences
theyve had that are similar to Hetains, etc.

5. Who is Hetain?

In the space below, write down four things you learned about Hetain:

1.

2.

3.

4.

6. Discussion Questions
1. How did your view of Hetain and his identity change throughout the
performance? How did your feelings toward him change throughout the
performance?
2. Why is it important to our understanding of Hetain that we watched his
whole performance, and not just the first couple of seconds?
3. Why does Hetain include Yuyu, his translator, in his performance?

7. Exit Ticket

In the space below, please write a thoughtful response (at least a

paragraph) to the questions below:


1) How does imitation unify humans? (Hint: think about the
shared human experience)

2) Is it possible to truly understand someone based on

assumptions we make about them? Why or why not?