Adjectives

Explanation: This lesson is for a ninth grade class called Rhetoric, a one-semester grammar class. “Adjectives” is a part of a unit on parts of speech. The students have already studied nouns, pronouns, and verbs. They have some understanding of adjectives from previous English classes, so this lesson is designed to build on that knowledge.

Objectives: The students will:

· Know and understand the definition of an adjective

· Be able to identify an adjective

· Understand the difference between positive, comparative, and superlative adjectives

· Use more descriptive adjectives in their writing

Materials:

Textbook – Writer’s Choice: Grammar and Composition
Television, laptop computer and connection to show PowerPoint
Poster on adjectives

Time: 45-60 minutes

Procedures:

Begin with PowerPoint on adjectives (see below). The first slide shows a turtle. Ask students to describe the turtle using adjectives. Students will have several responses. Accept all responses that are adjectives. Continue with the PowerPoint carefully explaining each slide.

Do exercise 41 on page 463, “Using Forms of Adjectives”, out loud with the class. Have each student take turns answering a question.

Display the poster on adjectives (see below). Have the students give examples of adjectives that tell what kind, which one, how many, and how much. Then have them explain the degrees of comparison using the graphics on the poster.

Independent Practice: Have students write a descriptive paragraph on a favorite place. Have them use several adjectives and underline each adjective.

Evaluation:

Adjectives are certainly not the most exciting topic, but my students responded well to this lesson. The PowerPoint was very effective. Students find it easier to pay attention and to take notes with the PowerPoint. The visual learners really benefit from having the definitions and examples on the screen.

Doing the grammar exercises out loud was also effective. I was able to see very quickly which students understood the concepts and which needed more instruction. I will not do this too often, however, because students only concentrate on the questions that they have to answer out loud. When they write they must do every question. It is an effective tool as a quick check in the middle of a lesson.

The poster was a very effective tool as well. It served to reinforce the concepts taught in the PowerPoint. The students were able to identify several adjectives and explain the degrees of comparison. They understood the lesson well and had no problem with the independent practice.

Technology was used as a presentation and display tool in this lesson. It was very effective. Students take little notice of what is written on the board or an overhead, but they tend to pay attention to PowerPoint presentations. The different colors and graphics make it very appealing. Students were also impressed with the poster, and the poster is still displayed in our classroom reminding students of what they have learned.

Tina Robison

February 18, 2002

EDAD 518

Lesson Plan

Extra, Extra: The Death of Julius Caesar

Explanation: This lesson comes about half way through a unit on Julius Caesar in English II. The students should have read through the end of Act III, where Caesar is killed and Antony and Brutus give speeches.

Objectives: Students will:

Show an understanding of the plot of Julius Caesar by writing a newspaper article on it.
Learn and demonstrate skills in newspaper writing
Demonstrate an ability to use technology to create a product

Materials:

Textbook – Literature: Course 5
Television, laptop computer, and connection to show PowerPoint
Computer lab with access to the internet

Time: 90 minutes

Procedures:

Hand out assignment pages (included below). The students will create newspapers for the date of March 15, 44B.C., the day Julius Caesar was killed. Students are to write one article, and one editorial and make their product look like a newspaper.

Have students take notes on how to write articles and editorials from the PowerPoint. The PowerPoint gives a quick synopsis of newspaper writing.

Have students go to the computer lab and work on their projects. They can use either Print Shop or Microsoft Publisher. Students may work in partners or individually.

Students may surf the internet to look for pictures and graphics to use in their papers.

Students should have a chance to present and display their work.

Evaluation:

This was a very successful lesson. The students were excited to be doing something different and creative. Most of my students had basic computer skills, so they had little trouble completing the assignment.

The PowerPoint was an effective tool, but next time I do this lesson I will do the PowerPoint on the day before and let the students practice writing an article with pen and paper before I allow them to use the computers. As soon as I told the students what their assignment was, their attention wandered and they did not concentrate well on the PowerPoint.

I would also spend more time on instruction on how to use Microsoft Publisher. Some students were familiar with it and understood it better than I did, while others really struggled. I allowed them to use Print Shop, which is a much easier program to understand, but does not produce such a professional looking result.

My rationale for allowing the students to work in partners was that if one student did not understand how to use the computers well, the other would help him or her. However, most the partnerships were very lopsided, with one partner doing the majority of the work. In one of the English II classes, I did not allow partnerships and I think it was much more effective.

Technology was used in this lesson both as a presentation tool and as a writing tool for my students. I think that the students’ learning was greatly increased by technology. I was able to use it to help them understand certain concepts, and then they in turn used technology to show that they understood.