Lesson Plan - Freedom of Expression - Essay Example

Lesson Plan - Freedom of Expression Objective In my needs assessment paper, I evaluated a writing sample titled “Free Expression” written by a Saudi student at an American university named Fhad. He is 23 years old and he has already done advanced levels for English Academic Purposes at an ELS Language Center in Tennessee State. The students should be able to describe the rights of freedom of expression that has been outlined in the first amendment of the US Constitution. Further, they should be able to explain every word, including the symbolic and pure (written) words in this amendment. They should also be able to understand legal limits on the freedom of expression and define hate speech. They should be able to express their personal position on this matter and evaluate various arguments regarding this topic. Further, the students who are from countries where there are a lot of restrictions, be they religious, legal or social, should be able to comprehend the scope of freedom of expression in the USA and also the limitations of this freedom of expression. Background or Pre-assessment of the class Before starting to plan lessons, it is necessary to understand the background of the students. This information includes the number of the students, their age, and the ethnic mix of the students. If the group is mixed culture, the teacher should know about their native countries and the languages they speak. This information enables the teacher in gauging the level of their knowledge and plans the lesson accordingly (Linguistics.edu, 2013). Further, their teacher needs to know that his or her students are able to read, write, and comprehend the English very well. In addition to that, he or she needs to know about the level of their familiarity of the target culture as well as the culture of their peers. The teacher should also be familiar about the classroom teaching or learning style the students are familiar with. The teachers can gain the necessary knowledge from the person who appointed him or her for teaching the class (Ferris & Hedgcock, 2014). He or she can also talk with the previous teacher who taught the same class. He or she can get comprehensive information about the students during the introduction session by checking the screening or placement tests during the class. The teacher can also get the necessary information regarding various cultures from the members of the student’s native language or ethnic group. The resultant information enables the teacher to understand the proficiency level of the student as well as their background so he or she can incorporate suitable elements in the lesson plan. The incorporation of these elements enables him or her to teach any topic so that the students can understand it easily. For example, this lesson plan is for the grade 12 students, whose age 17 or 18. Their background differs according to the place in cities, they may be from white American, black, Asian, Hispanic community or East or West European background. The social level also differs with the areas. Time: 55 minutes Material required: Laptop with an internet connection, text books for checking the facts, PowerPoint presentation, white board or flip chart and handout cards. Warm up Warm-up can take the form of a review of the previous class session. He or she can also ask a question or make a statement related to the news and the current topic. The teacher needs to be creative such as showing a picture connected to the current topic and start a discussion. He or she can frame a statement on the topic of freedom of expression and ask the students to either agree or disagree with the statement. The students would be required to make physical movements to take sides in order to either show whether they agree or they disagree with the teacher’s statement. The main idea here is to draw the students gradually into the discussion of the topic, since physical movement keeps students engaged. Procedures Introduction and Presentation The introduction of the topic and the presentation of the lesson also play a vital role in the classroom as it enables the students to grasp the concept very easily. Time period Type of activities Reason 10 minutes Free discussion between students to determine the meaning of freedom of expression. Starting the PowerPoint presentation – Slide 1. The teacher needs to learn about the perception of the student regarding this topic 10 minutes Reading the first amendment and presenting slide 2. Give homework for the students to look up various authorities regarding this amendment. Introducing the first amendment of USA Constitution. 10 minutes Introducing students to five freedoms of expression granted in the first amendment. They are religion, speech, press, assembly and government petition. Co-relate this with PowerPoint Slide 4. The students should understand the basic structure of the first amendment. 10 minutes Defining the pure (written) and symbolic (behavioural) speech and encourage the students to give examples of the both. Co-relate this with PowerPoint slide 6. Enhance the thought-process of the students and encourage them to co-relate the theory and its examples in the real life. 5 minutes Introducing the concept of the hate speech and limitations on the freedom of expression and first amendment. Co-relate this with the PowerPoint slide 7. Giving homework for the elaboration of this concept and various examples in real life. Knowing the grasping power of the students regarding these theories and the capability to relate it with the current affairs. 10 minutes Revision of all points and Wrap- up. Remind the student about various concepts taught in the period. 5 minutes Ask the students to write about their perception about these freedoms of expression as their homework. Enhancing the student’s perception and his thoughts. Encourage students for independent thoughts. Various strategies of the teacher CCSS/CLGs/SC Assessment Limits/Standards: The teacher is teaching various skills such as group discussion and stating positions with strong textual evidence. 1) Cite strong and comprehensive textual evidence to support analysis of text on the explicit as well as the implicit basis. 2) Teach and reinforce various skills such as group discussion, stating positions with strong textual evidence CLG: (1.1.2) Students will use during reading strategies appropriate to both text and purpose for reading by reading, visualizing, making connections, and using fix-up-strategies such as re-reading, questioning, and summarizing. Agenda: (Snapshot of my class flow?) 1. Daily do-now question. 2. Motivation. 3. Discussion and introduction – Text Code and Annotation 4. Small Group Assignment- 5. Independent Practice—summary. 6. Wrap up activity. 7. Exit ticket. Lesson Learning Target: What will my students Know by the end of the lesson? What will they do to learn it? The student can analyze and summarize the text using text codes and two column notes. Homework The teacher should assign the students work after the lesson to enhance clear understanding of the topic. The students should pass through the topic as part of the assignment and answer the review questions that follow at the end of the topic in the text book provided. The students should as well write a one-page essay about their perception regarding freedom of expression. The homework will make students practice all that has been presented in class to facilitate mastery of the main ideas of the topic. Through the homework, the students will be able to relate the topic with the current issues to enhance better understanding of the topic on freedom of expression. Grading Like the quizzes and tests, grading is a vital part of any teaching. The grading enables the teacher to understand the development as well as the growth of the student and plan the sessions ahead accordingly. Self-Evaluation This is the vital part that is done by the teacher before planning the next lesson. Here, the teacher self-evaluates the performance in the previous class such as what went well and which action was not successful. He or she tries to learn from the failure and plan next lesson accordingly. References Linguistics.byu.edu, (2015). LESSON PLANNING: SELF EVALUATION. Retrieved December 4, 2015, from http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsenl/lessonplanning/lp_17.html. Ferris, D., & Hedgcock, J. (2014). Teaching L2 composition: Purpose, process, and practice (Third ed.). New York and London: Routledge. Read More