URL to my spreadsheet (click here)
I chose this particular lesson plan because language is a vital aspect of the English subject. The lesson, An Introduction to Beowulf: Language and Poetics, allows students to make a comparison between Old and Modern English and lets students see how language has transformed over time. Since the goals were to demonstrate the relationship between Old English and Modern English, as well as present poetic devices common to Old English poetry, the teaching strategies and technologies used effectively supplemented the lesson plan. Although I do consider the teaching strategies to be effective, I must admit that they could be seen to a certain extent as oppressive since the initial portion of the lesson consisted mostly of lectures. There were not many student centered activities present. For this reason, I incorporated the task of asking students to create their own original poem integrating poetic devices that were common to Old English. This activity would allow students to demonstrate their abilities and apply their knowledge. Furthermore, I added clips from the movie Beowulf in order to elicit the discussion on the relationship between Old and Modern English. The incorporation of the clips would not only draw the students’ attention, but it would add another dimension to achieving the curriculum goal.
The technologies used in the
lesson plan were mostly websites. The
websites were not essential to
achieving the curriculum goal, but they were great aids. Although this lesson could be taught without
the incorporation of technology, without any aids it would be boring and flat. The websites allow students to physically see
and hear the elements present in Old English, and therefore contribute to the
students’ overall understanding. As I
mentioned in interactivity #1, technology should not take over the classroom setting but
should only be an aid and support system.
I agree with you that a lesson plan incorporating technology without any aids would be a disaster. To include clips from the film Beowulf is a good idea in that, from what I understand, is a completely different interpretation from the epic poem itself. You can discuss with the class what things about it were similar and different, what was Old English and what is Modern. Provides both visual and audio and hooks the attention of, come on we're all thinking about it, students not wanting to pay attention in class. I like how your lesson plan is asking for the students to write their own poems using Old English, such a task will probably need modeling. Because no matter how much you tell your students about Old English, hearing about something and actually seeing it being put to use, are two different matters entirely. You seem to have a lot of standards, which is okay, considering how you want your students to know the knowledge they learned and how to implement in the assignment. Other than that, it's a good suggestion of an activity.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was really interesting that you noted there weren't enough student activities present in the lesson plan you selected. In mine, I felt like there weren't enough teacher activities. I think it's important to have a balance in order to avoid an environment that's either too oppressive, as you put it, or too confusing where students don't know what is expected of them. The modifications you made certainly seem oriented to keep students involved and interested in the material while still working towards the curriculum goal. You definitely seem to keep things balanced with teacher/student activities and the usage of technology to support, but not teach, the class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cathleen that my lesson plan also did have enough teacher activities and there should be a balance. I liked that the lesson teaches students about literary devices, but I felt there might not be enough relevance to student's lives. The lesson has the teacher writing the Old English alphabet on the board. I can see the connection being made to Modern English, but I do not feel as though students will be engaged. I did enjoy how you added in the movie clips because movies grab the attentions of the students. I had learned some of the Old English alphabet in high school, and personally it was useless to me when the teacher wrote it on the board. The website that allows students to hear the Old English would be a useful aid for students to understand the text and make connections to Modern English.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I think that the lesson plan you chose to analyze is great one in terms of teaching students the evolution of the English language through Beowulf, one of the most intriguing works of poetry one could ever study. The fact that the lesson begins with the language that is used in Beowulf is a strong introduction to how it functions as a literary text.
ReplyDeleteAs I was looking over your spreadsheet, I noticed that you added a lot of strategies to the original lesson plan. Most of the ones you added focused more on student learning rather than being teacher-centered. In my own analysis of the plan I chose, I was faced with the opposite. Do you agree that there really needs to be some kind of balance between student and teacher centered activities at all times, or do you think that there are some instances that it is acceptable for there to be more of one than another?