Submitted by: Julie Marsh & Kristina Nero
School: L. Douglas Wilder & Short Pump Middle School
Summary
This lesson plan is a model for integrating close reading, writing, research, grammar, and communication. The essential questions that drive successful classroom instruction inspire this lesson in which students engage in the real-world tasks of acquiring information, developing and delivering oral presentations (individually and in groups) while analyzing media messages. Students apply skills used by professionals each day as they face challenges that require them to understand others’ perspectives and synthesize information to convincingly and concisely debate various topics. Many jobs in the real world require people to see both sides of any argument. In this lesson, students experience this process by becoming diplomatic thinkers and real-world problem solvers while understanding both sides of a current issue or event. Today’s learners need to be cognizant of both sides of any issue because they never know which side they will need to support. Students learn that personal opinions cannot be the sole driving force; they need to base their arguments on logic, emotion, and ethical appeals. This lesson encompasses the essential understandings in the Communication, Speaking, Listening, and Media Literacy strand, and teachers can use this lesson to concisely lead effective oral presentations that accomplish the standards within the strand. Additionally, this lesson provides a functional demonstration that can inspire school leaders to unite their school communities in an academic debate.
TIPC Ratings
Ideal:Students select appropriate digital tools, evaluate, and utilize information; apply varied research skills to find and evaluate resources; use information and resources to accomplish real-world tasks. The real-world tasks include: research, synthesizing information, deciphering which source is credible and reliable. The resources were print (magazines, journals, books, newspapers) and non-print resources (eBooks, YouTube, TeacherTube, SchoolTube, Google, Wikipedia, and various websites).
Ideal: Students initiate communication in real and non-real time; communicate and collaborate with learners of diverse cultural backgrounds; form collaborative teams to solve real-world problems {(digital literacy, collaboration in real time (ie. Elluminate) and non-real time (ie. Discussion Boards, Community Group)} , and create both extemporaneous and scripted speech for presentation to an audience.
Ideal: Students are required to apply critical thinking skills as they make decisions about the reliability of sources, the myriad of sources to choose from, and effectiveness of the sources. Students are able to choose the research methods and the communication tools to create an original extemporaneous and scripted speech. In addition, the students will collaborate effectively beyond the regular classroom using such tools as Elluminate, Discussion Boards, Google Docs, and TypeWith.me among others.
Ideal:Students researched and prepared their extemporaneous and scripted speeches both individually and as groups. Groups used Googledocs to communicate in real and non-real time with off-site partners. Groups practiced their speeches in the classroom, as well as the process of a debate, and evaluated each group member using various methods (whole class discussion, Googledocs, edmodo, and SchoolSpace discussion boards). On the day of the debate, students from the Three Chopt district took a field trip to come together with their off-site group members located in the Fairfield district. The students in the Fairfield district acted as host on the day of the debate. All of the students presented their research in the auditorium of the host school, and faculty members of the host school participated in evaluating the outcome of each debate. Students in the audience evaluated each group’s arguments and rebuttals and then used a rubric to score the group’s outcome, ultimately determining the strongest argument of the debate.
