Lesson+Plans

=Lesson Plans=

Session 1:

 * Issue the students a pretest that will be used to assess their knowledge on the Salem Witch Trials, mob mentality, The Crucible, “witch hunts” and McCarthyism.
 * Show class presentation: The Crucible from []
 * Explain the concept of Reader’s Notes, use Smart Notebook to demonstrate a sample of a student’s notebook, then model how students should take Reader’s Notes by reading through the Act 1 to the point that Abigail threatens the girls to not say a word about what they did in forest
 * Assign students to read Act 1 to the point Reverend Hale enters take Reader’s Notes

Session 2:

 * Watch several videos where students witness the power of mobs of people both positive and negative


 * [] : Watch people throw tomatoes


 * [] : Westboro Church Under Attack


 * Discussion: Why do people act differently as a group than they would as individuals?
 * Notes on Mob Mentality and the psychology of people as they “work” in groups
 * Assign Blog Post: “Have you ever been part of a mob? What do you think it would be like (or what was it like)? Why do you think people would act the way they do in mobs? Are all mobs negative?”

Session 3:

 * Discuss Act 1: Parts 1 and 2 using reader’s notes from the reading
 * Assign Act 1: Part 3 for Session 5

Session 4:

 * Provide tutorial and demonstration at the beginning of class to learn Windows Movie Maker
 * Computer Lab Day: Students will use Windows Movie Maker and pre-loaded graphics and movies on the shared drive to create a standardized Movie Maker product
 * Students will need to follow a tutorial in order to incorporate elements of the program

Session 5:

 * Discuss Act 1: Part 3 in Class
 * Begin historical notes on The Salem Witch Trials and provide historical accuracies compared to the fictional relationships and facts used by Miller in The Crucible
 * Assign Blog Post: “|How does the Puritan belief system and the expectations for each gender play into the interactions you see between the characters in Act 1?”

Session 6:

 * Notes on the author Arthur Miller
 * Discuss Miller’s professional influence and personal life
 * View video about Monroe and Miller’s marriage


 * []
 * View website video on Miller’s being called in front of HUAC []


 * Assign Read Act 2 All
 * Assign Blog Post: “How might have the events taking place in America during the “McCarthyism” era influence Arthur Miller’s writing of The Crucible?”

Session 7:

 * Begin WebQuest to research McCarthyism and the effect of McCarthyism on Miller and on the United States []

Session 8:

 * Computer Lab Day: Students may either complete WebQuest or Movie Maker Session 4

Session 9:

 * Discuss the events of Act 2
 * Comparison between what has taken place so far and what students know about McCarthyism and the red scare in America
 * Begin to identify the characters of The Crucible with the real-life counterparts of McCarthyism using Witch Hunt Key Players Identification Chart
 * Assign Blog Post due by Session 11: “What characters from The Crucible would you link to the real-life counterparts from McCarthyism? Defend you explanation.”

Session 10:

 * Begin reading Act 3 in class
 * Assign: Finish reading Act 3 by Session 11 and complete Reader’s Notes
 * Students take ability/modality preference survey to assist teacher in assigning groups appropriately

Session 11:

 * Using Reader’s Notes, students will have a group discussion to formulate an understanding of what happened in Act 3
 * Group will be furnished with Blog Posts from Character to McCarthyism Blog, They must come to consensus on what character relates to what real-life person
 * Use SmartBoard to have each group write their choices for each character, rationale
 * Class analysis and discussion about how they came to these realizations and what they were looking for as they chose each character representative

Session 12:

 * Wrap Up of The Crucible, Final notes, lecture on how this can be used in our modern era
 * Introduce Group Assignment: The New Crucible, a movie trailer made with Movie Maker
 * Assign Groups and Demonstrate Links Available for Research via wiki
 * Utilize Blog Post to Aid Each Other in Finding a Modern Day Witch Hunt
 * Explain "Story Boards" and hand out blank copies for organizing video project
 * Time remaining will be used in the computer lab researching

Session 13:

 * Training on Digital Camcorder and Getting Video on Computers (as needed)
 * Pre-view sample movie trailers in class(to provide understanding and background
 * Discuss qualities of great/weak movie trailers
 * Computer Lab: Research and Work Day
 * Make sure students post their information and progress, links on the class blog

Session 14

 * Mini-lesson on using audio in movies, royalty free audio downloads
 * Teach students how to record audio for use in Movie Maker
 * Computer Lab: Research and Work Day in Movie Maker
 * Make sure students post their information and progress, links on the class blog

Session 15:

 * Computer Lab: Research and Work Day in Movie Maker
 * Before moving forward with shooting, students must present a completed and detailed story board for the teacher's approval
 * Make sure students post their information and progress, links on the class blog
 * Obviously timing is going to need to be extended as the teacher sees fit. An inventory of each group's production capabilities at home may help the teacher to determine how much time this should/will take.

Session 16:

 * Begin Presentations of Movie Trailers
 * Students will evaluate each groups movie to identify the following areas:


 * What “witch hunt” is being identified in the video?


 * What is happening in the identified witch hunt?


 * How does the graphics play a role in the video? Add/detract from flow? Understanding?


 * How does the audio play a role in the video? Add/detract from flow? Understanding?

Technology
Necessary Technology for this unit includes:
 * SmartBoard (or another means of presenting to the class)
 * Microsoft PowerPoint
 * Windows Movie Maker
 * Access to Digital Cameras
 * Recording Program (Audio) (Audacity)
 * Microphone that links into computer (or existing computer microphone)
 * Access to Computer Lab or Computers for Production
 * Internet/Online Resources
 * Media Playing Software/Hardware as necessary

Student Learning Assessment:
In this unit, students will be assessed using several methods. Students will use the Reader’s Notes method utilized throughout the year to demonstrate reading is completed, that reading is in-depth and that they are asking complex questions while they read, and that they identify their problem areas as they read throughout the play. Students knowledge gained will be assessed informally in class discussions, and formally as they post their blogs and have online discussions with each other. In this manner, they will be formulating their own knowledge.

The development of an initial movie project (not the movie trailer, but the one identified in Session 4) will demonstrate an initial ability to utilize the software. Students will further that knowledge in their movie trailer creation, and they will be assessed on their ability to utilize the software to demonstrate meaning and analysis of witch hunts using the Movie Trailer Rubric. Students will be instructed that the focus of this project is gaining and demonstrating information, not making an award winning movie. Therefore, students will need to keep that in mind, although they can make the project more enjoyable by developing a neat and interesting movie file.

Finally, utilize a checklist to make certain that all of the tasks in this unit are completed. It will provide an outline for students as they may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work in the unit.

Unit Assessment
There are several key elements I am looking for in this unit that will identify success or failure. The key elements are:
 * Students are able to make a direct link between a piece of “historical” literature and a modern day event that has similar characteristics (I will evaluate this through their final video project).
 * Students are able to demonstrate an analysis of their research in an interesting and creative way (I will evaluate this by assessing the message delivered in their final video project).
 * Students become aware of modern-day issues in the world around them and begin to have a valuable discussion about these issues (I will evaluate this in reading their posted blog comments and through the discussion in class)
 * If students begin to demonstrate these essential skills, this unit will be an enormous success. Having students that are aware of the world around them, can talk about it openly, and that can begin to see direct links between literature and real-life is a big step for any English classroom.