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English Language Arts Lesson Plan: Valentine’s Day Coursework
Introduction
Subject
English Language Arts
Lesson Title
Valentine’s Day
Grade Level
4th grade
Central Focus
The focus of this lesson will be the identification of similarities as well as differences in the way people of different cultures see love.
Content Standard(s)
CC.4.R.L.9 The standard covers similarities and differences in the way similar topics and themes are viewed in different cultures.
Learning Objectives
The students are able:
- to identify similarities in people’s views.
- to detect differences in people’s views concerning love.
- to support their viewpoints with evidence.
Materials
The teacher will use:
- Handouts containing short texts concerning the way love is perceived in different cultures. These texts will be the basic resources, as the students will gain most data from them.
- Worksheets with a table that includes the following columns (culture, similarities, differences/peculiarities, commentaries). These handouts will help students to organize their ideas.
- A video concerning different concepts associated with the theme of love. The video will facilitate the discussion of similarities and differences between different cultures.
- Laptop to play the video.
Classroom Arrangement/Grouping
Whole class
The whole class will read the texts and watch the video.
There will also be a discussion held in the class.
They will play the snowball game and generate ideas they will use to do their assignment.
Groups of students with similar needs
Students will have group discussions that will be held before the class discussion.
Individual students
Will ponder the information after reading the texts and watching the video (before the discussions).
Students with IEPs or 504 Plans
These students will be able to use the corresponding assistive technology. They will receive the corresponding services.
Instruction
- The teacher starts a discussion concerning Valentine’s Day and directs students’ attention to the concept of love. Students are encouraged to share peculiarities of the concept of love that exist in their cultures, or any cultures they know.
- Independent practice: Students receive texts concerning the concept of love as viewed in different cultures. The teacher notes that after reading the texts, students should spend some time thinking about the concept and trying to identify similarities and differences between the cultures. The students are encouraged to highlight keywords for similarities and differences in different colors.
- Students watch the video.
- Guided practice: Students are divided into groups of four. They discuss similarities and differences in groups and complete the tables provided. The teacher circulates the class and joins (guides) the discussions.
- A representative from each group goes to the whiteboard and writes down one similarity or difference until there are no new ideas to add.
- The class discusses the concept of love as seen in their cultures and the cultures studied in class. The students are encouraged to use examples from their lives, the lives of people they know (including celebrities and historical figures), tales, films, and so on.
- Closure: The teacher asks students to play the snowball game, saying words they associate with the concepts of love discussed. This can be just naming new words (without repeating all of the words mentioned).
Assessment
Formative assessment
The teacher asks students to think of songs, tales, or stories that are concerned with the concepts of love discussed in class.
Summative assessment
Students write a reflection paper on one of the concepts and the way it is revealed in a song, tale, or story (students will be encouraged to use ideas they discussed in class). This assessment aligns with the standards and focus of the lesson, as students will use acquired knowledge concerning different cultures.
