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Classroom
Lesson Plan: Whole-Class Literature Discussion
Teacher:
Ana Hernandez, Howard Doolin Middle School, Miami, Florida
Ms.
Hernandez’s lesson plan is also available as a PDF
file. See Materials Needed, below, for links to student
activity sheets related to the lesson.
Grade
Level: Seventh
Topic:
Using student-generated questions for whole-class, critical
literature discussions
Materials
Needed:
- Novel,
Tears of a Tiger, by Sharon Draper
- Student
questions about text
Before this lesson, students should prepare questions as
a homework assignment or in pairs as a prior classroom activity,
using the Question Guide
student activity sheet.
- Selected
passages of text for student read-alouds (consider passages
that focus on characters’ dilemmas)
- Student
Activity Sheets
Background
Information:
The students involved in this lesson are considered Gifted
and Talented (GT) in their school. They are able to evaluate
and synthesize information at a critical level. The students’
reading of the novel Tears of a Tiger is in progress,
and they have already generated their own questions about
the text for this lesson’s activities. Students have previously
read the novel The Chocolate War, which deals with
similar conflicts and themes as Tears of a Tiger.
Lesson
Objectives:
Students will:
- participate
in critical literature discussions, focusing on conflict
and characters’ actions in the novel.
- pose
thought-provoking questions about the literature.
- expand
their own understanding of the literature by raising questions,
challenging classmates and themselves, and by listening
to multiple perspectives in the classroom community.
Expected
Products From Lesson:
Expanded understanding of the text Tears of a Tiger
through written answers to student-generated discussion questions
Instructional
Strategies Implemented:
- Teacher-facilitated
discussion
- Students
generating and posing their own questions about the literature
 Collaborative
Structure of Class:
Prior to this lesson, students worked in pairs to formulate
thought-provoking, open-ended questions about the text. For
the class discussion in this lesson, students participated
individually, offering their interpretations, questions, and
thoughts.
Lesson
Procedures/Activities:
Prior to this Lesson:
- Distribute
Question Guide to help
students form their own questions as they read the text.
- Assign
students to work in pairs to read the text, gathering their
own questions about what they encounter there. Direct them
to write down the questions and think about possible answers.
Lesson:
- Students
will read aloud significant passages from the novel. Passages
should be pre-selected by the teacher, focusing on particular
themes, conflicts, or characters’ actions.
- Teacher
will facilitate discussion about conflicts presented in
the novel, in order to solicit students’ opinions and to
help them make personal connections to the text. In particular,
teachers will encourage students to analyze the characters’
actions, choices, and consequences and to consider various
changes across time in character, actions, and mood. Students’
questions should drive the discussion.
- Initial
Assessment: If you have time to allow students to write
in the same class period as the discussion, ask them to
start these initial assessment activities:
- Post
the questions asked throughout the discussion. Ask students
to respond in writing to the questions they posed in
the discussion as well as two additional ones posed
by classmates.
- Ask
students to reflect upon their understanding of the
novel, how it has changed and expanded, and how the
class discussion influenced their current interpretations
of Tears of a Tiger. Students can respond in
class journals, write a letter to their teacher or classmates,
or turn in an individual answer and reflection sheet.
Follow-Up
Activities or Culminating Activities:
- Students
will select a teen issue or conflict presented in the novel
and create an informative brochure about Tears of a Tiger.
Each brochure will include facts, interviews, and suggestions
for dealing with problems.
- Students
will create a Venn diagram
to compare and contrast the conflicts and themes presented
in the books Tears of a Tiger and The Chocolate
War.
Assessment:
Teacher will assess student participation in the class discussion
and expected student reflection on the experience.
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