Lesson Plan #1
—Value Clarification Response Form
Objective
: To guide the student to write a response to a “V.C.” exercise for a homework assignment.
Method:
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1. Setting—Mon. or Tues. social-problem-solving meeting; the class has just completed a values exercise (ex. choosing educational goals for the year).
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2. The teacher leads a brief summary discussion and stresses “key words” which have been discussed (ex. “testing,” “attendance,” ”discipline, effort).
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3. Using the last 5-10 minutes of class, the teacher distributes a form with the following fill-in sections for the student to complete for homework:
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V.C. Exercise # ___ Journal Entry # ___
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Name: ___ Date:
Per .: ___
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Source of Information (game, exercise, discussion, visitor, A-V) ___
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Valuing Process Highlighted ___
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Personal Reaction (begin with one of the following):
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a) Today, I learned that . . .
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b) Before today, I felt/thought . . .
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c) I agree/disagree with the class opinion on ___ because . . .
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d) I have a question about ___; I don’t understand . . .
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Tentative Plan for Written/Graphic/Oral Response on Friday:
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a) a paragraph or poem about ___ (include notes or a “cluster” of ideas
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below)
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b) a statement or short speech about ___ (include ideas or notes below) ___
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c) a drawing, collage, or poster about
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4. The form is due at the next class session for a credit check and feedback from the teacher.
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5. The form is then added to the student’s notebook as a journal entry. The student may use this response on Wednesday or Thursday to extend their initial thoughts during a composing session or to read more information and others’ thoughts on before beginning the writing process.
Lesson Plan #2
—Paragraph Patterns for Journal Writings
Objective
: To guide students to compose a paragraph-style journal entry.
Method
:
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1. Setting—Wed. or Thurs. educational-diagnostic meeting; students are working on expanding their initial journal entries into paragraph form.
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2. Using their “response form” entries, students will organize the structure of their paragraphs using one of the following patterns:
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a) Open your paragraph with a statement that until a few years (months, weeks, or days) ago, you had a certain problem. Next, write an example of how this problem no longer exists. Continue with how you got the idea to deal with the problem, how you struggled with it, and how you overcame it. End with a statement about your confidence in dealing with similar problems in the future.
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b) Open with a statement about a value topic that you would like to discuss. Describe a person who exemplifies that value to you. Continue by explaining how that person displays this value by his or her specific words or actions. End your paragraph with a statement of appreciation for this person in your life or with a commitment to following his or her example.
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c) Open by describing your own (or someone else’s) present happy (or sad) state of mind or situation in life. Next, explain if this is something new or if it is the way life always has been for you (or the other person). Continue by giving reasons why life is so happy (or sad). End with a wish for continued success (or a change for the better).
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3. The student takes this writing through the peer group and teacher evaluation processes.
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4. The student revises the paragraph and completes a final copy for Thursday night’s homework.
Lesson Plan #3
—Behavior Contract from a Cluster Meeting
Objective:
To focus a student’s attention on a specific discipline or behavior problem through discussion, planning, and writing techniques in a private or small-group session.
Method
:
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1. Setting—Cluster meeting period; the student has been asked to attend by a teacher for an incident which happened earlier that day.
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2. The teacher asks the student to describe what he did to be asked to attend. The student is given time to think and respond to the question.
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3. The teacher initiates a conversation with the student in which solutions to the problem are suggested and elicited from the student.
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4. Based on this discussion, the teacher asks the student to fill-in a form with answers to these questions:
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Behavior Contract # ___ Journal Entry # ___
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Name: ___ Date: ___ Per.: ___
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Nature of the incident ___
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a) Who was involved? ___
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b) What words were said or actions done to instigate or begin the incident? ___
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c) How did you react and why?
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d) How do you plan to avoid this problem in the future? How are you going to act differently?
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e) How can the teacher or other students assist you? ___
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f) Do you understand that you can solve this problem by following through on the plan mentioned in d) and e)? ___
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g) Do you understand that if this behavior becomes chronic your parent or guardian will be contacted for a visit to a Cluster meeting or you will be referred to an administrator? ___
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5. The student is asked to sign this form. One copy of it becomes a journal entry in his notebook and one copy is filed by the teacher in his Cluster meeting log.
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6. A follow-up meeting date is scheduled by the teacher with this student to assess his progress with the plan.
Lesson Plan #4
—Academic Progress Report
Objective
: To focus the student’s attention on a specific academic (oral, reading, or writing) problem; To schedule a one-to-one remediation session.
Method:
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1. Setting—Cluster meeting period; the teacher and student have arranged private meeting time for remediation.
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2. The teacher asks the student to explain the specific problem which he would like to work on.
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3. The teacher and student fill in the following sections of a form together, and they work through a mini-remediation session.
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Academic Progress Report # ___ Journal Entry # ___
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Name: ___ Date: ___ Per.: ___
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Designated Problem Area ___
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Methods Already Employed ___
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Planned Remediation Schedule ___
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Mini-session Exercise ___
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Follow-up Assessment Date ___
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Suggestions/Comments on Progress: ___
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a) Student ___
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b) Teacher ___
Lesson Plan #5
—Guided Reading for Journal Writing
Objective
: To provide the student with a writing stimulus through a silent reading selection and accompanying graphics.
Method:
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1. Setting—Wed. or Thurs. educational-diagnostic meeting; students are reading to discover information for expanding initial journal entries for the week.
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2. Materials—The following list includes books of low-level, high interest readings of prose and poetry which are related to value clarification issues. All use illustrations, photographs, and other graphics to visually enhance the readings (See Student Reading List).
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3. The student selects a reading (or is guided to one by the teacher) which is related to the responses recorded in his journal entries from Monday and Tuesday.
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4. The student reads the selection silently in a reserved reading area in or near the classroom (library or reading lab).
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5. The student fills in answers to the following questions on a review form provided by the teacher:
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Prose/Poetry Review Sheet # ___ Journal Entry #___
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Name: ___ Date: ___ Per.: ___
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Value topic being researched ___
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Reading source:
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a) Title: ___
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b) Author: ___
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c) Literary genre: ___
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d) Who is (are) the main character(s)? ___
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e) What happens in the story/poem? ___
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f) What “sense” images can you recall from the reading?
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g) Were there any visual images or illustrations accompanying the reading? (Briefly describe or draw on a separate paper.)
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h) What connections do you make between the reading, the visual images, and the value topic?___
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i) How can you relate the value ideas and the characters in the reading to your own value ideas or those of your friends and acquaintances (family, neighbors, minister)? ___
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j) Would you recommend this reading for someone else? Why? ___
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6. The student completes this form for homework credit and the teacher’s assessment at the next class session.
Lesson Plan #6
and
Lesson Plan #7
are a four-day sequence of classes.
Day #1:
Lesson Plan #6
—Cluster Values Exercise
Objective
: To engage students in a small-group exercise that examines the definitions of the Cluster values of respect, honesty, responsibility, effort, and courtesy.
Method
:
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1. Setting—Mon. and Tues. social-problem-solving meeting; the Cluster values are written as the headings of columns across the top of the blackboard.
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2. The teacher leads a brainstorming exercise for oral responses to each value(free word-association)which are recorded in appropriate columns.
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3. The teacher asks for connections between the values and recorded responses. How do they relate to the Cluster concept? to the individual student or peers? to a “true friend”?
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4. The teacher asks students to focus on the last topic of the qualities of a “true friend.”
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5. Divide the class into pre-selected groups of three or four students, five groups in all, and assign a Cluster value to each group.
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6. Each group selects a monitor/recorder and selects a group name which includes their assigned Cluster value.
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7. Day #1 Homework—Each student completes a “V.C. response form” and is asked to include a statement about a “true friend.”
Day #2:
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8. Students remain in the same groupings and must complete the following task:
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a) Rank the Cluster values according to the importance they hold in determining a “true friend” through discussion.
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b) List the Cluster values in descending order from most to least important to the group’s image of a “true friend.”
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c) The monitors record the results on a group tally sheet prepared by the teacher.
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9. Half-way through the period, the teacher asks for the tally sheets and lists the class results on a chart on the board. This chart will display a class ranking of the Cluster values and “true friend” qualities.
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10. The teacher leads a discussion of the class ranking and presses students to give reasons why they valued one quality over another.
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11. Day #2 Homework—Students are asked to think and write about their “true” friends and what quality they value most about them. Students may list the reasons why they chose a particular quality as #1 in short phrases or write a short paragraph about it. They must be prepared to read their list or paragraph to a group of classmates during the next class.
Day #3:
Lesson Plan #7
—Small-Group Peer-Conference Evaluation
Objective
: To provide a setting where the student will orally read a prepared writing and assist in evaluating his or her peers’ writings.
Method:
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1. Setting—Wed. and Thurs. educational-diagnostic meeting; students have prepared writings on their “true friends” for oral readings and are arranged in groups.
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2. The teacher introduces the peer-conference group in the positive light of improving the class’s ability to think, listen, speak, read, and write. Initially, the teacher models a conference for the class with selected students.
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3. All students in each group take turns reading their pieces while adhering to the following rules:
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a) Everyone not reading must sit quietly and listen.
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b) The student-writer reads the piece twice; on the second reading, peers take notes recording reactions and stressing something positive.
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c) Each listener responds to the reader with something they
liked
and with a
constructive
suggestion.
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d) The reader uses a reaction sheet for comments on revisions of the “true friend” piece which is completed for class and homework.
Day #4:
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4. Each student brings the revised piece to an aide, a volunteer,or the teacher for an evaluation.
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5. The student completes any guided readings, further peer-conference revisions, or graphic presentations.
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6. If necessary, the student revises the “true friend” piece once more for homework to prepare for Friday’s oral reading and discussion.