Nicole Smith~TIE 535~Gange's Instruction Plan~6/28/2011
Topic: Writing informative/persuasive letters to gain support for the DREAM Act for undocumented students
Gain Attention: Participants will watch a short youtube clip of an undocumented college student discussing his/her dire need for the DREAM act to pass. After watching a short discussion will take place where the instructor will question why participants think the video was watched, and also ask how they would feel if they were in a similar situation (having their life/dreams on hold waiting for legislation to pass).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4oI7cA3Jik&feature=related (Play first 1:15)
Establish Purpose: Instructor will tell students, "Every year, approximately 80,000 undocumented students graduate from high school with no real options in terms of starting a job or getting a degree. In a large urban area like Chicago, we will likely have students who are undocumented. Undocumented students face exceptional challenges like constant fear of deportation and limited access to resources-in addition to the challenges that come with living in a poor urban environment. As CPS teachers we need to understand their situation, and if possible act as an advocate for immigration change-otherwise, the education we are giving these children will essentially go to waste. The DREAM Act is a bill created by IL Senator Dick Durbin to enact change. For this lesson you will learn about and research the DREAM Act and write a persuasive/informative letter encouraging its support that you can send to friends, families or politicians".
Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning: With an "elbow partner" the group will do a think-pair-share to discuss what learners already know about the Dream Act and what it means to be an undocumented student. Tell learners that after the think-pair-share they will research with their elbow partner before writing their own letter. For the think-pair-share the instructor will first give the group one minute of think time to silently process the new information and recall their own background knowledge. Then, in pairs learners will share what they know about undocumented students. Finally, everyone will take turns sharing with the large group.
Present Content: Instructor will present a short powerpoint about the Dream Act and undocumented students that includes basic information and data. The final slide will have a list of web resources to gain additional information. Instructor will read learners a sample letter persuasive/informative letter regarding another topic so that learners will have a general idea of the format and requirements.
Guided Learning: With their elbow partner, pairs of learners will research additional information to include in their persuasive/informative letters and discuss new relevant information as it is discovered. Learners will take notes of pertinent facts and information they want to include in their letters.
Elicit Performance: Instructor will give students five minutes to process the new information and to brainstorm for their letter and create a web/outline/rough draft (whatever the learner prefers). Next, the instructor will hand out the rubric and review the specificities/requirements of the letter. Then the instructor will have students spend about 15 minutes composing their persuasive/informative letters.
Provide Feedback: Learners will share their letter with their elbow partner for peer revision/feedback. Learners will use their rubric as a guide during the peer revision process. Then learners will have one more opportunity to revise their letter before turning it in to the instructor.
Assess Performance: The instructor will assess the performance of the lesson and learner by scoring the letters with the analytic rubric created.
Enhance Retention: To enhance retention and remind participants of what they have learned, one or two volunteers can share their letters by reading them aloud to the group. For a real-life future application, learners can send their letters to local and state politicians and even their friends/family to spread the message of support.
Analytic Rubric for the Persuasive/Informative Letter
| Below Standards (3 points) | Meets Standards (4 points) | Exceeds Standards (5 points)
|
Criteria 1 (Informative) | Letter included 2 or less facts about purpose/logistics of the DREAM Act AND/OR had false information | Letter included 3-4 accurate facts that informed the audience of the purpose/logistics of the DREAM Act | Letter included 5+ accurate facts that informed the audience of the purpose/logistics of the DREAM Act
|
Criteria 3 (Persuasive) | Letter was not persuasive or supportive of the DREAM Act | Letter had a persuasive/supportive tone, calling the audience to action | Letter had a persuasive/supportive tone, calling the audience to action AND included ways to support/get involved
|
Criteria 4 (Mechanics) | Letter had poor mechanics and multiple errors | Letter was written at a college level with no more then 2 minor errors. | Letter was written at a graduate level free of any errors or mechanic problems |
A+ 15 points, A 14 points, B 12-13 points, C 11 points, F 10 points or less