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Lehtonen

LESSON PLAN 3, focus on writing: Jonathan Lehtonen

General Information

1) Lesson title:

Shared writing activity on annotated bibliographies.

2) Provide name of class AND brief description of class.

ESL 015 Composition: training in reading and writing for academic contexts.

3) Describe your students

Advanced proficiency in English, advanced academic proficiency in other academic areas too. In both classes: ages 18-20, countries of origin: India (~35%), Arab/ Middle Eastern countries (~15%), China (~20%), South Korea (~10%), and others.

4) How long is the class?

75 minutes per class, two times per week, for 15 weeks: 37.5 hours total.(I am designing this lesson specifically for my longer class, but it can be divided among two class periods if necessary.)

5) Overall Instructional Goal (1 goal):

Students will work together to make a short annotated bibliography of 4 sources, where each annotation has three paragraphs:

Paragraph 1) summary, Paragraph 2) plan for using the source, and Paragraph 3) comparison to other sources.

6) Learning objectives AND how you will measure each (at least 2 objectives):

1. Understand that the Annotated Bibliography assignment is an opportunity for BRAINSTORMING through summarizing the main points and describing your plan

2. Understand that their brainstorming process will be deeper and more thorough if they compare the different sources to each another.

Measuring objectives: 1) Walk around and look at what groups write on their computer screens. 2) Have groups upload their annotations to Angel at the end of Step 1, and then the instructor can view the annotations on his/her own computer. 3) They will submit their work at the end of class on Angel. 4) The rough draft of the annotated bibliography is due the following week, so the teacher can see if they have understood the concepts.

7) Why this lesson?

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Since this lesson will be conducted on March 17, it will be their second day learning about to the Annotated Bibliography assignment. They will have to write a few annotations for homework

This lesson is modeled after what Nation (2009) calls a “shared task,” and more specifically this is a “group composition” that resembles a “blackboard composition” (pp. 98-100). It is like a blackboard composition, but instead of on the blackboard, the groups will share their writing with the other groups on Angel. Since the task is rather difficult, students can help each other with the various skills needed.

I have not done many group writing activities with this group, mostly just group discussions, so this will be different and much more challenging.

Reference: Nation, I. S. P. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL Reading and Writing. New York: Routledge.

8) Materials – List all materials, websites, handouts, etc.

i. 4 different articles about technology in the classroom: they are both printed out and available on Angel. Here are the clickable PDFs:

1.

2.

3.

4.ii. Have them take out their assignment sheets from the previous class.

iii. Angel is set up with a folder with materials and drop-boxes that are set to peer-review mode, so that students can see each other’s annotations when they upload them.

iv. Laptops and/or computers in the classroom.v. PowerPoint with sample annotations

vi. PowerPoint with a few slides explaining the instructions for the activity

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Here is a link you may double click to view a pdf version of the PowerPoint.

I am uploading the original PowerPoint along with this as well.

Here is a pdf version of the PowerPoint with instructions for this activity:

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THE PLAN (describe the activities & student arrangement)

WHY(give justification for activities & student

arrangement)

Orientation (5 min.: 2:30-2:35 pm): Catch their attention.

Tell the students a story about personal experience with annotated bibliographies: When I was a junior in college, I studied abroad in Finland, and after that I put together an annotated bibliography for my senior honors thesis project about Finnish and English literature. Five years later, I am still interested in the same topic I learned about while making the annotated bibliography, and now I had the opportunity to travel to Harvard to present my research at a conference on comparative literature. I even used some of the same sources I found 5 or 6 years ago. For you, it is possible that your annotated bibliography for this class might be about a topic you are still interested in many years from now.

(Take attendance later, when they are doing their activities in small groups.)

Explain the overall objectives of the class period: to understand that writing the annotations is a form of brainstorming. Today, we will emphasize the importance of all three requirements in an annotation:

Paragraph 1) summary,Paragraph 2) plan for using the source; and Paragraph 3) comparison to other sources.

Each paragraph of an annotation will deepen your knowledge of your topic and help you decide what you will write about in the Problem/Solution Essay.

During the entire lesson, constantly remind the students that writing annotations is a brainstorming activity that will improve the quality of their Problem/Solution essay and presentation.

Why is it good to tell a few stories at the beginning of class? Annotated bibliographies are still very new and abstract for the students. Telling a story can create a “shared history,” so that students feel more identified with me and my experience.

Why is it a good idea to emphasize the idea of brainstorming so much? Getting used to the writing process is the key to becoming a good writer, and it is the key to improving one’s own writing abilities. Students need to be convinced of the value of the writing process, especially brainstorming and researching, since a lot of other classes just assume students can do these activities on their own.

The ‘Connection’: write a script of 2 or 3 sentences of what you will say to the students to help them see the connections between this topic and something else, either related to this course or to other contexts. These connections help to justify what we are doing.

In a lot of other classes at Penn State, you have turn in a final paper and you are expected to do pre-writing and brainstorming on your own. But in this class, you get a lot of academic credit for the brainstorming steps: 10% of your grade is based on the annotated bibliography assignment.

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Presentation (15 min. or less; 2:35-2:50 pm)

Tell students to take out their assignment sheets for the annotated bibliography. If anyone was absent, give them an assignment sheet at this point.

There are three required parts for each annotation: (write on the chalkboard)


What is the purpose for the summary? After asking a question, count to 8, and if no one says anything, then you can rephrase the question in a different way. Count to 8 again, and if still no one answers, then you can answer for them or try to ask an even simpler question. When someone does answer a question, ask the same person a second or even a third question about what he/she just said. This will give the students two chances to say something. Use this strategy for most of the following questions:

Why is a summary important?

What is the role of signal phrases in the summary? (wait until they answer). Why should writers use signal phrases? (wait until they answer).

If you write strong paraphrases using signal phrases in the annotated bibliography, why will these be helpful for you?

I give you permission to copy a small number of sentences from your annotated bibliography into your problem/solution essay. If you make good summaries and paraphrases now, it will make your final Problem/Solution essay much easier to write.

Why should you keep the summary brief? It should be less


arrangement)

It is important to show that today’s activity derives specifically from the assignment itself. We are practicing what the assignment requires.

Why is this a good discussion strategy?This gives students time to think about their answers, and many might be shy.

I want the students to see how each section contributes toward the brainstorming process.

Why should this connection be made here?

If they can copy sentences into their final paper, they will be more motivated to put effort into this assignment in order to save time later. As a result, they will engage more deeply with the material.

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than 150 words. Why?

In paragraph 2 of an annotation, why is it important to explain your plan for using the source? (wait until they answer.) Why is this a good form of brainstorming?

How long should paragraph 2 be? Definitely at least 60 words, in my opinion. Maybe even 100 words long.

Why is it important to write about how the source is similar or different to the other sources on the list?

Why do researchers need to compare their sources to one another?

When should you write paragraph 3 for your annotations? (I recommend doing this after you have already read the other sources. It might even be better to do these paragraphs last, after you have written the first two paragraphs of each annotation.)

Does anyone remember how many annotations you need total? You need 8-10 sources, so 8-10 annotations are required.

These are all brainstorming activities.

Students might not realize that comparison is a form of brainstorming as well.

They also might not realize that comparing sources causes their brains to create deeper analyses of the articles.

This will help students to remember the assignment requirements.

The ‘Connection’: write a script of what you will say to the students to help them see the connections between this topic and something else, either related to this course or to other contexts. These connections help to justify what we are doing.

Overall, this assignment is designed to help you brainstorm and be well prepared for writing the Problem/Solution essay. Doing the necessary preparations as part of the writing process will help your final product to be much more successful. In future classes, teachers will expect you and your classmates to do a lot of preparations for your final papers, and now you know more about what to do during the month before an assignment is due.

Engagement (30 min.: 2:50-3:20): (start giving instructions by 2:50) WHY(give justification for activities &

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Activity of typing up annotations

Divide the class into 4 groups, by counting off randomly 1 through 4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4…. You must be very assertive and clear when giving them numbers and telling them to move into their groups.

There should be about 3-4 students per group. Make sure students all have a computer—they can use the computers in the classroom, or they can use a laptop.

Introduce the main objective of the activity: Students will work together to type up a short annotated bibliography of 4 sources, where each annotation has three paragraphs:


Explanation to students: Imagine you are brainstorming for a problem/solution about using technology in the classroom. We use technology all the time for learning, and we are even using it right now. Since we use it so much, it is good to be self-reflective about the benefits and disadvantages of using technology in the classroom.

Problem Situation: Imagine this hypothetical situation. Imagine that two years ago, the State College Area School District has adopted using smart phones and tablets all day for instruction in the elementary, middle, and high schools. After this policy was adopted, the standardized test scores of the students went down. You believe that the problem is that the overuse of screens is having a negative impact on students’ learning.

Imagine you are going to write a research paper explaining why the school system needs to change the technology policy.

Solution: Here is the thesis of the paper: The State College Area School District needs to limit the usage of smart phones and tablets in the classroom to about one hour per day on average. Here is the way to do it: Each teacher is only allowed to use tablet or smartphone-based activities one day per week. This way, there can be some benefit to using technology, but not an overreliance on technology.

Activity: As a class, we are going to work together to create annotated bibliographies about this topic in 4 groups. Imagine you are going to write a paper arguing why technology should be limited in the classroom to about one hour per day. Each group will have a source and have to start writing an annotation that summarizes the article and explains how you will use it

student arrangement)

Why are group activities good? See Nation (2009) pages 98-100. Student will be able to accomplish more than they could individually. Students’ strengths and weaknesses will balance out.

Why do you have to be assertive with the students when putting them in groups? What will happen if you are hesitant? What will happen if you are not clear?

Getting students to move is difficult, especially if they are not used to these kinds of activities. Everyone prefers to just sit there and relax.

Why is it good to imagine writing a research paper?

This helps them imagine what they will be doing in a couple weeks. There is some Vygotskian term for this, but I forget what it was…

Also, by seeing my problem and solution, they now have an idea of what an appropriate topic might be for this kind of assignment. It is focused enough, and it takes a balanced approach to solving the problem.

What do you think would be the best way to communicate this scenario to the students?

Speaking about it and using a PowerPoint, making sure the instructions are concise and clear.

Why should they be concise?If not, it will be too hard for them to read everything.

Why is my thesis balanced—it limits technology usage but

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in your paper. Then we will upload our annotations to Angel so the other groups can find them.

There are three main steps to the activity. We will try to finish the first two steps of this activity today, and if there is time, we will go on to step 3, or finish it next class.

At 2:55: Pass out the printed articles to the appropriate groups, and tell the students to login to Angel where they can find the article as well as the APA citations which I already made for them.

First, students will read their own groups’ articles for 5 minutes silently.

At about 3:00 – 3:20 pm: writing activity

Each group should choose a writer. Then students will work for 20 minutes together to complete Step 1

Step 1: 3:10 pm

Analyze the article and write the first two required parts of a bibliographic citation. Your summary should include at least three signal phrases. (A signal phrase is an author’s name followed by a verb portraying a verbal or mental action. Examples: Baker (2016) states…Baker (2016) demonstrates that…)

Paragraph 1) one paragraph that gives a summary of the article

Paragraph 2) one paragraph that explains your plan about how you will use this source in your paper

Remember: This is the thesis of the paper: The State College Area School District needs to limit the usage of smart phones and tablets in the classroom to about one hour per day on average. Here is the way to do it: Each teacher is only allowed to use tablet or smartphone-based activities one day per week. This way, there can be some benefit to using technology, but not an overreliance on technology.

appreciated the benefits?

I like moderate solutions to problems, not impossible or radical proposals, such as bans/ prohibitions.

Put these basic objectives on a PowerPoint slide.

Why are there 4 articles?So that at the end, the annotated bibliography will have 4 sources that we can put in alphabetical order, and so that students can compare and contrast the sources for paragraph 3.

Why is it good to give them 5 minutes to read silently?Everyone should have time to interpret the assigned article with minimal distraction.

At 3:10, how can you assertively guide them to begin writing? Be loud and clear. This is important because it is a transition. Students need to know what they are expected to do in the new step.

Why is it good to remind them to use signal phrases in the summary?They may have forgotten, and this is a core academic skill I want them to practice.

Put these basic instructions on a PowerPoint slide. Why should they be on a PowerPoint slide? Because it will help them navigate the transitions.

Why is it good to remind them of the thesis of the paper they are writing? It will help them to write paragraph 2 about how they will use the source.

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While students are writing, the teacher will walk around and give feedback on how well the student have used signal phrases and on how clear the plans are.

Step 2: 3:20 - 3:30

Upload your two paragraphs on Angel in the appropriate drop-boxes. Then download the paragraphs written by the other groups. Then analyze what all of the other groups’ annotations, and compare and contrast the sources together.

Then students will download the paragraphs written by the other groups. Then analyze what all of the other groups wrote, and compare and contrast the sources together. Also take a look at the sources they originally used, since they are in the folders on Angel. Then you will write the third paragraph for your groups annotation:

Paragraph 3) comparison to other sources: how does it support, contradict, or relate to the other sources on the list.

Depending on how fast the students write, this activity can be continued during the next class period, so more time can be given for completing it.

Final activity: Then give about 5 minutes for each group to download the other groups’ annotations and put them into a final annotated bibliography in alphabetical order, formatted just like the example, with the names of the students at the top, with appropriate spacing, etc. All students will upload their final annotated bibliographies on Angel, so the teacher can evaluate if the students understood the three main parts of the annotation. Walk around to help each student do this.

Why should they read what the other groups wrote?

They need to practice comparing sources, since the third paragraph of the annotation is a comparison paragraph, through which they will deepen their analysis. Also, last semester, many of my students did not do well with the third paragraph or they just skipped it.

THE PLAN (describe the activities & student arrangement)


arrangement)


You will need to follow these same requirements when writing their own annotations. You will earn full points if you write 3 balanced paragraphs for each source. Also, you will understand your sources on a deeper level and be well prepared for

Assessment/Evaluation/ (10 min.: 3:30 – 3:40): WHY

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Step 3:

Each group will upload to Angel their final three-paragraph annotation and the APA citation. Then the teacher will make a final annotated bibliography on the screen: the instructor will download the four annotations and the citations and copy and paste them into a document, display it on the screen, and put them in alphabetical order.

Student should follow the same steps on their own computers, and put their sources in alphabetical order, and imitate all the formatting corrections that the instructor makes.

At the same time, the instructor can ask questions of each group and give final feedback about what the students did well.

Highlight the signal phrases, and mostly praise the students on what they did well. Mainly focus on all of the good things they did in their summaries and plans. Feel free to ask the groups for more clarification questions.

(give justification for activities & student arrangement)

Students often forget to put annotations in alphabetical order according to the authors’ last names, and they might not even know what this means, so I will display it for them.

Also, they might not know the different formatting tools on MS Word, so I can show them at this point, and have them imitate what I am doing so they will remember the tools better.

Why is it better to praise what they did well, rather than criticize what they did poorly?They might be embarrassed.

Clarification questions will help them realize what they could do better, and they might not even need direct criticism.


This can be very short here, since there is not a lot of time. Talk about the main objective of the day: WRITING ANNOTATIONS IS A FORM OF BRAINSTORMING THAT WILL DEEPEN YOUR THINKING AND HELP YOU WRITE A HIGH QUALITY FINAL PAPER.

Expansion/Homework (5 minutes): 3:40-3:45

Next class, we will be doing Peer Review. Make sure your printed rough draft is at least 4 full pages long. You already have several sources that you used for your topic proposal. For homework, read your main source again, and start summarizing the main points and then write about how you think you will use the sources. Your rough draft must be printed for peer review next class.

Your rough draft needs to have annotations that follow these requirements: 1) summary, 2) plan for using the source, and 3) comparison to the other sources.

All of these three sections in an annotation help you to brainstorm for the Problem/Solution Essay.

Student need to be reminded that the skills we did today will help them with their assignment.

Major Assignment 3, Part II:

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Annotated Bibliography (10%)

Background: Now that you have proposed a problem to solve in your Topic Proposal assignment, you will now conduct intensive research on how to solve the problem you have identified. During the next few weeks, you will analyze reliable sources that you will cite in Major Assignment 4: The Problem/Solution Essay and Oral Presentation.

At the end of the semester, you will turn in Major Assignment 4, which is a 4-6-page essay that will argue for a specific solution to a focused problem that affects a significant number of people.

Objectives for the Annotated Bibliography: gathering and evaluating useful resources for the Problem/Solution Essay; textual organization; analyzing a problem; and describing the background and context of the problem.

Annotated Bibliography: You will compile an annotated bibliography of 8-10 reliable sources related to the problem and/or the solution you have chosen to write about. An annotated bibliography is a reference list where each reference is followed by an annotation. An annotation is a description of the source and its significance in the field of research

For this assignment, you will be writing 8-10 annotations, one for each source on the list. The entire document must follow APA style, and you must use signal phrases in the annotations when you talk about what the authors write about in their sources. Each annotation must be 200-400 words, and each annotation should include three short paragraphs:

Paragraph 1: the main points of the reading; Paragraph 2: how it will be useful to you for your essay; and Paragraph 3: how the source contradicts, supports, or relates to the other sources

on the list.

Required Length and Format: Annotated Bibliography: 8-10 sources, 200-400 words per annotation (at least 8 pages) Formatting Requirements: I have created several detailed videos about to use Microsoft Word to format your annotated bibliography. The videos are available at http://sites.psu.edu/esljournals/microsoft-word-tutorial-for-formatting-the-annotated-bibliography/

Important Dates:

1. Peer Review Day, Print out Annotated Bibliography: Monday, 3/21 or Tuesday, 3/22

2. Upload your Rough Draft to Angel: Tuesday, 3/22

3. Final Draft of Annotated Bibliography due on Angel: Sunday, 4/3

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