Submitted by: Laurie Kaplan
Collaborators: Joe Harrell (Deep Run HS) for lesson plans
School: Freeman High School
Summary
The students will collaborate within their groups to save John Proctor’s reputation. They will research the scandals of past politicians and their recoveries through videos, news articles, and other media to get ideas about how to help Proctor rebound. Students will analyze the persuasive techniques used to save the politician’s reputation and create a script to persuade the audience that Proctor deserves exoneration too. Then students will create a completely original 45-60 second commercial using a media of their choosing that convinces the audience that Proctor is a man that made a mistake and deserves exoneration.
TIPC Ratings
Approaching Teacher, Target Students: Although research was not the main focus of this assignment, the students had to research persuasive techniques and modern examples of people who have had success recovering from poor decision-making. The teacher was in the approaching stage because she gave them models to investigate, and supported their research, but did not assess the process they used. The students reached their target because they connected their research to their campaign. They also used different forms of electronic tools that they found on their own.
Target: The teacher guided the students by giving norms their group should follow to create a conducive environment. The student groups were normed, roles assigned, and techniques were discussed. This was done to persuade their audience. I also gave them a list of dates so that they could plan deadlines. The students also reached their target. The students selected a variety of digital tools. Some of them used the ones I suggested, but others used tools with which I was unfamiliar. After their presentation to the class, they filled out a post-production sheet in which they reflected on how well the group worked together.
Target: The main objective of this assignment was for the students to save John Proctor’s reputation. They had to consider the best persuasive techniques to use in addressing the audience. They also had to create sympathy for Proctor. They can use this problem-solving in the future if they have to stand up to a group of people who are judging other people’s actions.
Target: This lesson is target because the teacher had the students creating original commercials to save an innocent person’s reputation. They used what they had seen in modern media and applied this knowledge to save a Puritan who lived in the 1600’s. They exceeded the parameters of the assignment and went beyond my expectations. Scripts for the commercials captured persuasive techniques, and then they were used to create a commercial that brought the script to life. To create the commercials, some students chose media that most in the class had never heard of or used. Students altered their voices, created characters for the commercials, and even dressed up as if they were John Proctor. Some students wanted to redo their assignment after watching their classmates’ presentations.
