roberts - cover letter and portfolio

8/6/2019 Roberts - Cover Letter and Portfolio

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BROOKE ROBERTS714 N. Armistead St. Alexandria VA 22312 703-403-5062 [email protected]

XYZPrincipalBest Ever High SchoolStreet AddressSomewhere, VA Zip

Dear Dr./Mrs./Ms./Miss/Mr. Z:

Thank you for considering my application for a position on the English faculty at Best Ever HighSchool. I believe my combination of knowledge and professional experience would be a good fitfor your school.

In May 2009 I will qualify for an Eligibility License and will be considered Highly Qualifiedas a teacher, having successfully completed Level One of the Career Switcher Teacher Preparation Program that is approved by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a route to teacher licensure. I am fully versed in curriculum and instruction methods, course content related to theStandards of Learning, differentiation of instruction, reading in the content area,classroom/behavior management, and human growth and development. My educational

background also includes a B.A. in English.

Public service is my lifes passion, and I come to teaching after a long and multifaceted career asa lawyer working for the United States Congress. My job combined senior-level managementand policy development, but the most deeply satisfying part of it was training and mentoring

young people, helping them set goals and achieve their potential. Having an undergraduatedegree in English, I was also responsible for developing writers and constantly monitoring thequality of their writing.

I believe my proven ability to lead a diverse young workforce in a fast-paced environment wouldtranslate well to the classroom. It would be an honor to bring my teaching credentials, skills, andlifetime of experience to Best Ever High School and help you provide a first-class learningopportunity for the young people of Somewhere.

Enclosed, you will find copies of my resume, teaching philosophy, classroom management plan,and sample lesson plans. I would be happy to meet with you at your convenience to answer any

questions.

Sincerely,

Brooke Roberts

Enclosures


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BROOKE ROBERTS714 N. Armistead St. Alexandria VA 22312 703-403-5062 [email protected]

Objective Combine my experience in training young people and myknowledge of language arts to obtain a full-time position teachinghigh school English.

Education Virginia Community College SystemCareer Switcher Teacher Placement ProgramProvisional teaching license 2009Endorsement: high school English/Language Arts

Indiana University School of LawBloomington, Indiana

J.D. 1979

Butler UniversityIndianapolis, IndianaB.A. English 1976

Professional United States Senate 1991-2009Legislative Director and Chief CounselSenior advisor to U.S. Senator. Oversaw all legislative policydevelopment and operations; negotiated legislation and political

policy; researched, wrote, and edited both technical and topical

materials; spoke at national conferences; met with and assistedconstituents; trained and managed all legislative staff, includingteaching writers and monitoring writing standards.

United States House of Representatives 1984-1990Chief of Staff Several legislative positions culminating in Chief of Staff toMember of Congress. Oversaw both Washington, D.C. and districtoperations; trained and managed staff and developed workplace

policies; advised Member on legislative, legal, and politicalmatters; conducted research; wrote speeches, briefings, and

correspondence.

Petri, Fuhs, and Doehrman, Indianapolis, IN 1979-1983Associate AttorneyCivil trial and general legal practice. Duties included clientinterviews and counseling, legal research, drafting and writing,administering case flow, and court appearances for trial and oralargument.


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TEACHING PHILOSOPHYBrooke Roberts

They are able because they think they are able . Virgil

My teaching philosophy starts with a fundamental respect for students as unique individuals withvaluable perspectives and potential capacities. I see the purpose of education as broadening that

perspective and developing those capacities, helping students build the skills they will need to beresponsible citizens and live meaningful lives.

One of the most powerful lessons I learned in more than twenty years of being a manager of young staff was the importance of positive reinforcement. By demonstrating confidence in

peoples abilities, finding what was good in their performance and giving them positive feedback for it, I could help them build work habits that enabled them to succeed. I was frequentlyreminded that they are able because they think they are able.

In applying that key concept to the classroom, I realize students must first believe that they cansucceed in learning, in order for them to make the attempt. They will know from Day One that Iam confident in their abilities and will do all I can to help them advance in my class. Part of respecting my students as unique individuals is getting to know their strengths and interests, sothat I can help them make the connections necessary for learning to take place and provide themwith feedback that is authentic and worthwhile.

To help these unique individuals to grow to their potential, my instructional techniques willaddress the different learning styles in my class, and my differentiated curriculum willaccommodate various ability levels. I will routinely employ a variety of assessment measures,realizing that learning can be demonstrated by projects, presentations, and papers, as well as

tests.

A mind is a fire to be kindled Plutarch

As a teacher, my highest goal is to kindle the fire for learning in all my students, so that they become actively engaged in their own education not only in my class, but as lifelong learners.There are many educational roads that I could travel with my students to accomplish VirginiasStandards of Learning for English, but my choice will be one that is positive, engaging, and fun.

The English curriculum offers exciting opportunities which we will thoroughly explore for young people to develop critical thinking skills, self-awareness, and an appreciation for the

diversity of human experience, as they connect with writings from many eras and cultures. I believe reading well is a blessing that everyone should enjoy and benefit from throughout their lives; the variety of my literature choices will be geared toward cultivating enthusiastic readers,and my classes will spend time working on building their reading skills.

My students will understand how important communication skills are to their future success inthe classroom and beyond. That is why one of my key priorities is helping learners becomefluent in both sending and receiving language for many different purposes and in many different


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contexts, including the technologies that are changing the universe of expression in the twenty-first century.

It seems to me that student engagement is as much a response to the how of a lesson as it is towhat is being taught. For that reason, I will ensure the learning environment in my classroom

is positive, dynamic, challenging, and fun. I want my students to take risks in learning; to thatend, I will model a willingness to make mistakes, which will be easy because I honestly expectmy students to teach me a thing or twoor three. Likewise, I believe it is important for ateacher to step away from center stage and create opportunities for students to learn throughworking with one another in pairs or groups, as well as to learn by teaching and through self-directed projects. My assignments will not be trivial make-work but will challenge students tothink deeply and creatively, and I will be careful to give prompt feedback to help build onsuccesses.

Finally, but equally important, I will not neglect the aspect of fun that helps make school a placewhere students like to go. My personality tends to be upbeat, and while I do not aspire to

standup comedy, humor is important in my daily life, and it will figure appropriately in myclassroom, as well. In the mix of activities my students can expect are a number that combinelearning with games or competition, and it wont be unusual for them to find a corny joke or two

buried in a worksheet. The point is not to entertain them, but to promote their engagement andlearning.

The foundation of every state is the education of its youth ." Diogenes

Public service is my vocation. During a long and varied career working for the United StatesCongress, I came to realize that one of the most deeply satisfying parts of my job was trainingand mentoring young staff, helping them set goals and achieve their potential. Teaching givesme the opportunity to pursue that interest directly, but still within the context of service to mycommunity, the Commonwealth, and the nation. I am genuinely interested in the ideas andconcerns of young people and welcome the serious responsibility of helping them develop theskills and knowledge they need to pursue their aspirations.


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CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLANBrooke Roberts

Philosophy

My philosophy of classroom management is rooted in more than twenty years of managing ayoung, diverse staff in the high-stress atmosphere of a legislative office. That experience taughtme the value of establishing a structure of organization, procedures, and routines all gearedtoward getting the work done. The best management plan insures a safe, positive, productive,and fun environment for work regardless of whether that work deals with legislation or learning and that is my goal in all of the following strategies:

OrganizationThe physical setting of a classroom can help or hinder management. To the greatest extent

possible, seats in my classroom should be arranged so that I can move around during lessons or independent study, easily reach any students who need help, and provide continual reinforcement

for their good work habits. Students must be able to view the board comfortably and be able tocome and go without impediment. To that end, my preference is for a modified Uconfiguration of seating, which not only serves my management plan and teaching style, but alsofacilitates the kinds of regular class discussions and activities I anticipate in my content area of English.

A bookshelf and/or storage areas should be located along the wall where students can accessadditional supplies without disrupting class. I want to stimulate interest in writing and reading,so I will display books, thought-provoking quotations, related posters, and enrichment materialsthat invite curiosity and reflection in my class.

DisciplineI believe discipline is primarily a tool for teaching rather than punishment. For that reason, mysystem of discipline demands that misbehaving students take responsibility for their actionswhile stressing that they can and should make better choices in the future.

My first goal in discipline is to head off as much misbehavior as possible before it starts. I willdo that by establishing classroom expectations, procedures, and routines, making sure studentsare aware of them, and reinforcing them regularly. My one ironclad rule is Respect respectfor self and everyone else in the class, including the teacher. This rule means no disrespectful

behavior like namecalling, fighting, disrupting others learning, and the like; it is respectful behavior that will earn my respect in return. I will outreach to parents early in the year with

positive comments about their child, both to underscore good behavior and to establish aworking relationship with parents for future contacts about the student. This positive, proactiveapproach will teach students acceptable behavior and help them maintain that behavior withoutnagging or disciplinary confrontations.

Knowing that some students will still test the best of management plans and the slightest of rules,I am prepared to address misbehavior when it arises with a hierarchy of responses. In mostcases, I will privately notify the student that certain behavior is crossing a line and must be


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stopped; if necessary, my response will increase in severity to include removal of the student toanother supervised location, parental involvement, or, as a last resort, administrative sanctions. Iwant misbehaving students to know that actions have consequences, and to avoid theconsequences of misbehavior they need to make better choices in the first place. The entire classwill know that I mean business, administer consequences fairly, and will not tolerate

disturbances that detract from their learning.

InstructionMy instructional techniques include several that have implications for classroom management,

because they minimize the need for one-on-one instruction that takes away from my ability tosupervise the entire class. These techniques have been summarized and given descriptiveshorthand names in the award-winning Tools for Teaching by Frederic H. Jones, Ph.D.

For instance, say, see, do teaching presents a lesson via three formats: auditory, visual, and physical; not only does this address my students varied learning styles, but the do portion of the exercise results in students routinely applying what they have learned all of which

promotes retention and independent learning. Visual instructional plans repeat the lesson planin a series of graphic prompts for students to use as they practice their learning. Also duringguided practice, I will provide needed direction and correction, without being caught in extendedindividual tutorial situations, by following the praise, prompt, leave technique of focusing thestudents attention on what he/she did right and what needs to be done next, and then moving onto the next student.

Organizationally, a syllabus of my class will be provided at the beginning of term, and lesson plans will be posted in the classroom to aid in students preparation and smooth transitions fromactivity to activity. One routine in my classroom will be bell work that requires students tosettle down to work immediately when they arrive and for some minutes after the bell rings.

In creating a safe learning environment where students are not afraid to take risks, I will rely ondifferentiation of instruction to engage all the diverse learners in the class. Not only am I awareof how different learning styles can affect a students experience in school, but I am alsosensitive to the impact of cultural and socioeconomic differences on learning. One personalvalue I bring to the classroom is my celebration of diversity; I strongly believe that experiencinga variety of perspectives is an important way for children to grow in their understanding and

become better prepared to live peacefully in a highly diversified society. These principles will permeate my relationships with students as well as my instructional strategies and curriculumchoices.

MotivationA well-managed classroom is one where students are engaged immediately and throughout the

period, move from one activity to another without getting off task, and keep to the business of learning.

To motivate that kind of behavior, I will work hard to establish a culture of success in myclassroom. More than anything else, I will have high expectations of all my students and will letthem know it. I am passionate about my subject and will help students make the connection


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between success in my class and their lives and aspirations; I know language is power andeverything we do in my English class will help them become more powerful. I understand andrespect their concerns, interests, and backgrounds, and will take their suggestions into accountwhen planning lessons and activities. My classes and assignments will not be trivial make-work;they will be challenging and meaningful, and because they matter, I will be careful to give my

students feedback on their performance and opportunities to revise their work in order to learn.It is important to me that all students make progress, regardless of where they seem to fall on theability spectrum, so I will draw them all into classroom discussions and activities.

I will not neglect the aspect of fun that helps make school a place where students like to go. My personality tends to be upbeat, and my classroom should reflect that. I do not aspire to standupcomedy but can, and do, use humor at appropriate times. In the mix of activities my students canexpect are a number that combine learning with games and competition. I will use these andvarious self-directed learning activities as incentives for students to complete their work to anacceptable standard promptly, after which they will be allowed to use their remaining time for these preferred activities.

ConclusionIt would be impossible to address every contingency of every educational setting in a plan suchas this, but I have tried to provide some of the philosophical bright lines and key skills that willguide my responses in the classroom. By offering my students appropriate challenges,incentives, and encouragement, setting fair limits and administering discipline consistently,demonstrating competence, inclusiveness, and humor, I hope to create an environment for learning that is safe, engaging, productive, and fun.


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Grammar Lesson Plan: Pet Peeves and ParticiplesStage 1 Desired Results

Established Goals11.8 The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation,

spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing.b) Use verbals and verbal phrases to achieve sentence conciseness and variety.

11.9 The student will write, revise, and edit personal, professional, and informationalcorrespondence to a standard acceptable in the workplace and higher education.e) Use technology to access information, organize ideas, and develop writing.

Source: Virginia Standards of Learning

Understandings:

Students will understand participlesand participial phrases and use themappropriately in writing.

Students will understand dangling participles and how to avoid them inwriting.

Students will write clear and accurate business correspondence. They willuse a writing process to develop real-world, practical products.

Essential Questions:

What prior knowledge and skills are needed?

Students will need to know parts of speech(noun, verb, adjective). They will need to knowhow to go to a website on the Internet anddownload a document.

Students will know How to apply rules for participles and participial phrases. How to use models of professional, personal, and informational correspondence and other

writings, such as business correspondence. How to use technology to access, develop, and modify documents for professional and

informational purposes.

Stage 2 Assessment EvidenceFormative Assessment:

Worksheets (attached: Stop That DanglingParticiple! and Build a Sentence withParticipial Phrases)

Class participation in discussions

Summative Assessment:

Writing assignment scored on a rubric(attached)


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Stage 3 Learning PlanSTAGE 3 LEARNING PLAN

Bell work: When class enters, they see the following on the board: pet peeve definition: anoun meaning a frequent subject of complaint. What are two or more of your pet peeves and

why? Please write the answer in your class notebook.

5 min - IntroductionOpen class by asking if they have all made a note of a couple of their pet peeves, since we will beusing those in our work today. Repeat what is a pet peeve and give examples (For instance, twoof my pet peeves are people who talk in movie theaters and drivers who dont use their turnsignals.) Give them an additional minute or two if necessary.

15 min Participle basics and modelingAnticipatory set: Introduce concept of verbals by writing the following sentence on theoverhead/SmartBoard for all to see: Driving to school today, minding my own business, I was

surprised when an approaching Ford Mustang turned left in front of me . How many verbs are inthat sentence? (get show of hands for a consensus). Actually, there are only two. Today we aregoing to learn about participles they are verbs acting like adjectives.

Instruction on basics of participles:There are two kinds of participles: present and past.Present participles end in ing (write on overhead/SmartBoard a couple of examples of present

participles: the dancing cowboy, my nagging mother, etc.) Past participles of most verbs end in d or ed (write a couple of examples of past participles: the locked chest, the injured player, etc.)A participle doesnt have to stand alone; it can be part of a phrase, and we call that a participial

phrase. (write a couple of examples of participial phrases: bouncing the ball, streaked with gray,

etc.)

Modeling on recognizing participles and participial phrases:Lets see if we can identify the participles and participial phrases. (Project the letter with

participle examples). Can anyone find a participle in the first sentence? (Go through the letter with the class, underlining participles and participial phrases; noting that participles can occur indifferent places in a sentence; and present and past participles can be combined.).

10 min Collaborative learning, sharingCollaborative learning and practice on creating participals:Lets practice creating participles. (Practice creating participles by having students pair off with a

neighbor close by, and together create at least two sentences relating to their pet peeves, using a participle in each sentence. Have students share some results, and write them on the board.)

15 min Dangling participles, independent practice, sharingInstruction on dangling participles:There is one mistake that happens sometimes when people use participles: they leave out or misplace the noun that is being described by the participle. What results is called a dangling

participle, because its just dangling there without a the noun it describes.


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(Write example for class: Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours, Michaels paper wasnot completed.) This can be corrected in several different ways. We can keep our participial

phrase and just insert the correct noun following it: (write corrected version: Playing solitaire onthe computer for three hours, Michael did not complete his paper. ) Can you think of other waysto rewrite this sentence? ( Because Michael played solitaire on the computer for 3 hours, he did

not complete his paper. Michael, playing solitaire on the computer for 3 hours, did not complete his paper. Etc.)

Independent practice on dangling participles:Lets practice correcting dangling participles, and writing sentences without dangling participles.(Distribute handout Stop That Dangling Participle! Students work alone.) Can somebody giveme an example of a corrected sentence? (Write corrected sentences on the board. Note there may

be different grammatically correct versions.).

15 min Combining sentences, collaborative practice, sharingInstruction on combining sentences with participial phrases:

The reason we use participles is to make writing more interesting. They can also help avoidchoppy sentences.

Collaborative learning practice on creating sentences with participial phrases:For this next project, please break into groups of 4 (pre-determined by teacher, with an eyetoward differentiation). Each group should have a recorder. Youre going to be creatingsentences using participial phrases. Theres more than one way to do this, so talk amongyourselves and decide as a group what you think is the best way. (Distribute handout Build ASentence With Participial Phrases Allow groups to discuss and craft sentences and reformclass.) Can anyone give me an example for sentence number 1? Did any other group do thisdifferently? (write examples on board)

30 min Computer work Computer work: Now that you have had all this practice in writing interesting sentences using

participles and participial phrases, lets put that skill to work. I would like you to take thesentence about your pet peeve that you wrote earlier today, and turn it into a letter of complaint.Remember the letter to the president of Ford Motor Company that we looked at when we beganthis class? Your letter will be in the form of a real letter, addressed either to some person youthink can actually help correct this problem, or to the Editor of your local paper just to sound off.In addition to the participial phrase you have already written, there should be three moreexamples of participial phrases and no dangling participial phrase, misspellings, or other grammatical mistakes in this letter.

Distribute Writing Assignment and Rubric to class, then move to computers.

Students may access a template for a letter of complaint by going to www.consumeraction.gov On the green bar at the top, click on sample complaint letter. Above the sample letter on the

page, click on Sample Complaint Letter and then save the document by clicking on Saveand naming it. Students can modify the letter with their own text and print it, save it, or email itto the teacher.
http://www.consumeraction.gov/http://www.consumeraction.gov/


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TEACHER ANSWER KEY FOR MODELED PRACTICE

Best Ever High SchoolSomewhere, Virginia

March 29, 2009

Mr. Allen MulallyPresident and CEOFord Motor CompanyDearborn, Michigan 48126

Dear Mr. Mulally:

Driving to school today, minding my own business, I was surprised when an approaching FordMustang turned left in front of me.

That motorist didnt display a blinking turn signal, and he almost caused an accident.

Wanting to improve public safety, I suggest that you paint a bright color like day-glo orange onthe turn signal levers in your Mustangs. Your car designers, being patriotic Americans, might

prefer to use red, white, and blue, but the effect would be the same. Even preoccupied, speeding,or illegally texting drivers would be reminded that they do have turn signals.

Please act on this suggestion and help improve safety for those driving on roads everywhere.

Sincerely,

Ima Teacher


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Stop That Dangling Participle!

Example:

Sentence with dangling participle: Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours, Michaels paper was not completed.

Correction keeping the participial phrase: Playing solitaire on the computer for threehours, Michael did not complete his paper.

Please remove dangling participles by rewriting the following sentences correctly:

Forgetting to buy gas, the car wouldn't start.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

I shot an elephant wearing my pajamas.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

Locked away in the old chest, Richard was surprised by the antique hats.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

Hopping briskly through the vegetable garden, I saw a toad.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

The burglar was about 510 with wavy hair weighing about 150 pounds.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

We sat on the back porch where we could see the cows playing Scrabble and reading.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

TEACHER KEY TO STOP THAT DANGLING PARTICIPLE(Note there may be different grammatically correct rewrites.)

Forgetting to buy gas, I couldnt start the car.Wearing my pajamas, I shot an elephant.Richard was surprised by the antique hats locked away in the old chest.I saw a toad hopping briskly through the vegetable garden.Weighing about 150 pounds, the burglar was about 510 with wavy hair.Playing Scrabble and reading, we sat on the back porch where we could see the cows.


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Build a Sentence with Participial PhrasesPlease combine each group of sentences into a single, intelligible, grammatically correctsentence, using participial phrases and being careful not to create any dangling participles:

1. The dishwasher was invented in 1889.The dishwasher was invented by an Indiana housewife.The first dishwasher was driven by a steam engine.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

2. I was sitting on the window ledge.The ledge overlooked the narrow street.I watched the children.The children were frolicking in the first snow of the season.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

3. The first edition of Infant Care was published by the U.S. Government.The first edition of Infant Care was published in 1914.The first edition of Infant Care recommended the use of peat moss for disposable diapers.Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

4. I washed the windows in a fever of fear.I whipped the squeegee swiftly up and down the glass.I feared that some member of the gang might see me.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

5. Goldsmith smiled.He bunched his cheeks like twin rolls of toilet paper.His cheeks were fat.The toilet paper was smooth.The toilet paper was pink.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

6. The roaches scurried in and out of the breadbox.The roaches sang chanteys.The roaches sang as they worked.The roaches paused only to thumb their noses.They thumbed their noses jeeringly.They thumbed their noses in my direction.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________


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TEACHER KEY TO BUILD A SENTENCE WITH PARTICIPIAL PHRASES:

SAMPLE COMBINATIONSKeep in mind that in most cases more than one effective combination is possible.

1. Invented by an Indiana housewife in 1889, the first dishwasher was driven by a steam engine.

2. Sitting on the widow ledge overlooking the narrow street, I watched the children frolicking inthe first snow of the season.

3. Published by the U.S. Government in 1914, the first edition of Infant Care recommended theuse of peat moss for disposable diapers.

4. Fearing that some member of the gang might see me, I washed the windows in a fever of fear,whipping the squeegee swiftly up and down the glass.

5. "Goldsmith smiled, bunching his fat cheeks like twin rolls of smooth pink toilet paper."(Nathanael West, Miss Lonelyhearts)

6. "The roaches scurried in and out of the breadbox, singing chanteys as they worked and pausing only to thumb their noses jeeringly in my direction." (S. J. Perelman, The Rising Gorge)


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Writing AssignmentWrite a letter of complaint to someone who can help with your pet peeve. Alternatively, you canaddress your letter to the editor of your local paper just to sound off.

Your letter should: Include four underlined examples of participles or participial phrases, which may include

the one you wrote in class, plus three more. Not include any dangling participles or other grammatical errors. Be spelled correctly. Be in correct letter format (either use the template below or write your own).

To access a template for a letter of complaint, go to www.consumeraction.gov On the green bar at the top, click on sample complaint letter. Above the sample letter on the page, click onSample Complaint Letter and then save the document by clicking on Save and naming it.

You can then modify the letter with your own text and print it when you are finished, or email itto me.
http://www.consumeraction.gov/http://www.consumeraction.gov/


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Rubric:

Category 5 4 3 2 1Use of

participlesand

participial phrases

Writer usedandunderlined4 participlesor

participial phrasescorrectly

Writer attempts touse 4

participles or participial phrases butmisidentifiesor misusesone


participles or participial phrases butmisidentifiesor misusestwo


participles or participial phrases butmisidentifiesor misusesmost of them

Writer misuses or mislabels

participlesor

participial phrases or fails to usethem at all

Dangling participlesand phrases

There areno dangling

participles

There is onedangling

participle

There is morethan onedangling

participle

Mostinstances of

participlesare dangling

The onlyreason thereare nodangling

participlesis that thereare no

participlesOther writingconventions

Writer makes noerrors ingrammar or spelling.

Writer makes1 or 2 errorsin grammar or spelling.

Writer makes3 or 4 errorsin grammar or spelling

Writer makes4 or 5 errorsin grammar or spelling

Writer makes morethan 5errors ingrammar or spelling

Standardletter format

Letter iscorrectlyformatted

Letter has amistake informatting

Letter hastwo mistakesin formatting

Letter hasmore than 3mistakes informatting

Writing isnot in theform of aletter at all


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Poetry Lesson Plan: Sound Impressions: The Music of Poetry

Stage 1 Desired Results

Established Goals:

10.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of poetry.a) Compare and contrast the use of rhyme, rhythm, and sound to convey a message.b) Compare and contrast the ways in which poets use techniques to evoke emotion in

the reader.c) Interpret and paraphrase the meaning of selected poems.


Understandings: Students will understand:

How rhyme and sound elements areused in poetry

Why poets use these elements


1. How does the poet use rhyme and/or sound?2. Why did the poet use rhyme and/or sound?3. How is your response to this poem influenced by

its rhyme and/or sound?

Students will know Students will identify, compare, and contrast poetic sound elements including rhyme (slant, end,

internal), alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia Students will write a poem using these elements and describing their impact.

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Formative Assessment:

Diagnostic assessment through classdiscussion of the definitions and

examples for these terms

Students will underline examples of these elements on poetry handout

Peer discussion


Students will produce a poem reflecting on whatthey have learned and demonstrating their ability

to use and identify poetic sound elements to begraded with a rubric (attached).


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Stage 3 Learning PlanLearning Activities:

Music is playing as students arrive.

Anticipatory set: Music creates a mood so can the sound of poetry. This lesson is all about thedifferent sounds in poetry.

Teach poetic elements: alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme (internal, end, slant).Find out what students already know and what needs to be taught (according to the Virginia SOLs, theyshould have encountered these terms several times prior to 10 th grade), by writing terms on the board andasking students for definitions and examples of each poetic element, also writing those on the boardunder the term.

Teach any unfamiliar terms by discussing and writing the definition under the term, and then askingstudents to give an example and also writing that under the term. Provide the example if students havedifficulty coming up with one.

Rhyme : matching the end sounds of words.(example: June/moon)Alliteration : repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words or within words.(example: wild and wooly; Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)Assonance : repeated vowel sounds in nearby words having different consonants note: "June" and"moon" are rhymes; "June" and "food" are assonant.(example: on a proud round cloud in a white high night e.e. cummings)

Consonance : repeated consonant sounds occurring at the end of syllables or words.(example: Whose woods these are I think I know Robert Frost)Onomatopoeia : the use of words to mimic sounds.(example: comics and cartoons use Pow! Ooomph! but there are also onomatopoeic words in our language like crackled and popped)End rhyme : ending the lines of poetry with rhyming words.(example: In the world of mules, there are no rules Ogden Nash)Internal rhyme : rhyming a word within a line and a word at the end of the line or in another line


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(example: Once upon a midnight dreary, as I pondered, weak and weary Edgar Allen Poe)Slant rhyme (aka half, near, oblique rhyme): a partial or imperfect rhyme, often using assonance or consonance(example: swans/stones; soul/all; lap/shape)

Guided practice: Distribute handout of poems containing these elements (attached). Have one studentread a poem/excerpt aloud while others underline/label examples of elements reviewed. Have volunteer share what he/she underlined, identifying the element. Go to next poem and repeat.

Pairs Pair up with somebody in front, behind, or next to you. Pick one of the poems we just read anddiscuss it with your partner, and be prepared to share your thoughts with the class. At the top of your handout are questions you should ask one another, and a list of the poetic elements that the poemscontain. Answer these questions: What is this poem about? Why did the poet use the poetic elementswe identified? Did those elements affect your response to the poem? How did they influence your response?

Class discussion: share insights on why these elements are used in poetry, using the above questions as aguide and being sure the discussion covers at least one poem exemplifying each element studied.

Writing assignment: (Hand out assignment sheets) For the rest of class, write a short poem about whatyou learned today, using 4 of the sound elements weve been talking about. This does not have to be agreat poem that will make you immortal. However, as you will see on the assignment sheet, it will begraded on four things:

form: you must give it a title and put it in the form of a poem, not a paragraph content: your poem must make a statement about the use of sound elements in poetry number of elements: Im asking you to use FOUR DIFFERENT elements. identification of elements: please circle/underline and label those elements.

(assignment sheet and teacher rubric are attached)


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Sound Impressions: The Music of Poetry

Find examples of the following elements in these poems (every poem has at least one but notall): alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme.Answer these questions: What is this poem about? Why did the poet use the poetic elements

you identified? Did those elements affect your response to the poem? How did they influenceyour response?

From BellsBy Edgar Allen Poe

Hear the sledges with the bells-Silver bells!What a world of merriment their melody foretells!How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,In the icy air of night!While the stars that oversprinkleAll the heavens, seem to twinkleWith a crystalline delight;Keeping time, time, time,In a sort of Runic rhyme,To the tintinnabulation that so musically wellsFrom the bells, bells, bells, bells,Bells, bells, bells-From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells

Honky Tonk in Cleveland, OhioBy Carl Sandburg

It's a jazz affair, drum crashes and cornet razzes.The trombone pony neighs and the tuba jackass snorts.The banjo tickles and titters too awful.The chippies talk about the funnies in the papers.

The cartoonists weep in their beer.Ship riveters talk with their feetTo the feet of floozies under the tables.

A quartet of white hopes mourn with interspersed snickers:"I got the blues.I got the blues.I got the blues."

And . . . as we said earlier:The cartoonists weep in their beer.


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Dancing DolphinsBy Paul McCann

Those tidal thoroughbreds that tango through the turquoise tide.

Their taut tails thrashing they twist in tributeto the titans.

They twirl through the trek tumbling towards the tide .

Throwing themselves towards those theatrical thespians.

Those Winter SundaysBy Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up earlyand put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,then with cracked hands that achedfrom labor in the weekday weather made

banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.When the rooms were warm, he'd call,and slowly I would rise and dress,fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,who had driven out the coldand polished my good shoes as well.What did I know, what did I knowof love's austere and lonely offices?

God's WorldBy Edna St. Vincent Millay

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!Thy mists, that roll and rise!

Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sagAnd all but cry with colour! That gaunt cragTo crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!


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Long have I known a glory in it all,But never knew I this;Here such a passion is

As stretcheth me apart, -- Lord, I do fear

Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year;My soul is all but out of me, -- let fall No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

SeascapeBy W. H. Auden

Look, stranger, on this island nowThe leaping light for your delight discovers,Stand stable here

And silent be,That through the channels of the ear May wander like a river The swaying sound of the sea.

Here at a small field's ending pauseWhere the chalk wall falls to the foam and its tall ledgesOppose the pluck And knock of the tide,And the shingle scrambles after the suck--ing surf, and a gull lodges

A moment on its sheer side.

Far off like floating seeds the shipsDiverge on urgent voluntary errands,And this full viewIndeed may enter And move in memory as now these clouds do,That pass the harbour mirror And all the summer through the water saunter.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy EveningBy Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.His house is in the village though;He will not see me stopping hereTo watch his woods fill up with snow.


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My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lakeThe darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.The only other sound's the sweepOf easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep.And miles to go before I sleep.

THE POOL PLAYERS.SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.

By Gwendolyn Brooks

We real cool. WeLeft school. We

Lurk late. WeStrike straight. We

Sing sin. WeThin gin. We

Jazz June. WeDie soon.

RemorseBy Emily Dickinson

Remorse -- is Memory -- awake --Her Parties all astir --A Presence of Departed Acts --At window -- and at Door --

Its Past -- set down before the SoulAnd lighted with a Match --Perusal -- to facilitate --And help Belief to stretch --

Remorse is cureless -- the Disease Not even God -- can heal --


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For 'tis His institution -- andThe Adequate of Hell --

Fable

By Ralph Waldo Emerson

The mountain and the squirrelHad a quarrel,And the former called the latter, "little prig":Bun replied,You are doubtless very big,But all sorts of things and weather Must be taken in together To make up a year,And a sphere.

And I think it no disgraceTo occupy my place.If I'm not so large as you,You are not so small as I,And not half so spry:I'll not deny you makeA very pretty squirrel track;Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;If I cannot carry forests on my back,

Neither can you crack a nut.

From The Cross-RoadsBy Amy Lowell

The stake has wrenched, the stake has started, the body, flesh from flesh,has parted. But the bones hold tight, socket and ball, and clamping them downin the hard, black ground is the stake, wedged through ribs and spine.The bones may twist, and heave, and twine, but the stake holds them stillin line. The breeze goes down, and the round stars shine, for the stakeholds the fleshless bones in line.

When I Heard the Learn'd AstronomerBy Walt Whitman

When I heard the learn'd astronomer;When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns

before me;When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add,


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divide, and measure them;When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he

lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

TurtleBy Kay Ryan

Who would be a turtle who could help it?A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet,She can ill afford the chances she must takeIn rowing toward the grasses that she eats.

Her track is graceless, like draggingA packing-case places, and almost any slopeDefeats her modest hopes. Even being practical,Shes often stuck up to the axle on her wayTo something edible. With everything optimal,She skirts the ditch which would convertHer shell into a serving dish. She livesBelow luck-level, never imagining some lotteryWill change her load of pottery to wings.Her only levity is patience,The sport of truly chastened things.

TEACHER KEYBells, By Edgar Allen Poe: onomatopoeia, end rhymeHonky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio by Carl Sandburg: onomatopoeiaDancing Dolphins, by Paul McCann: alliterationThose Winter Sundays, by Robert Hayden: consonance, alliterationGod's World, by Edna St. Vincent Millay: assonance, consonance, alliteration, end rhymeSeascape, by W. H. Auden: alliteration, consonanceStopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost: alliteration, consonance, end rhyme

We Real Cool, by Gwendolyn Brooks: internal rhymeRemorse, by Emily Dickinson: slant rhymeFable, by Ralph Waldo Emerson: slant rhyme, end rhymeThe Cross-Roads, by Amy Lowell: internal rhymeWhen I Heard the Learnd Astronomer, by Walt Whitman: internal slant rhymeTurtle, by Kay Ryan (U.S. Poet Laureate): internal slant rhyme


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WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write a poem of your own about what you heard in our classtoday, using sound elements.

It must have a title and be in the form of a poem, not a paragraph (2 points). It must say something about what you learned in class today, such as explaining why a

poet uses sound elements or how the elements influenced you as a reader. (5 points) It must use at least 4 different examples of sound elements (pick 4 of the following:

alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, end rhyme, internal rhyme, slantrhyme). (4 points)

Please circle and label the elements you used. (4 points)

TITLE: ___________________________________________________________

By (your name) ________________________________________________

POEM:


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TEACHER RUBRIC:

Category: Student total:

Title (1 point) __________ Form (1 point) __________

Number of examples used (up to 4 points) __________ Number of examples correctly labeled (up to 4 points) __________ Content (5 points see rubric below) __________

5 4 3 2 1Work makesa clear andthoughtfulstatementabout soundelements in

poetry

Work includes anaccurate but

basicstatementabout soundelements in

poetry

Work refersto soundelements byname butfails to sayanythingabout them

Work attempts tomake astatementabout soundelements in

poetry but isunclear

Work isunintelligibleor does noteven attemptto sayanythingabout soundelements in

poetry


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Directed Reading and Writing Lesson: O. HenrysCharacters

Stage 1 Desired Results Established Goals

9.3 The student will read and analyze a variety of literature.a) Identify format, text structure, and main idea.b) Identify the characteristics that distinguish literary forms.c) Use literary terms in describing and analyzing selections.d) Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature:

characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme.9.6 The student will develop expository writings to inform, explain, analyze, or

entertain.e) Use specific vocabulary and information.g) Revise writing for clarity.h) Proofread and prepare final product for intended audience and purpose.

9.7 The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation,spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing.


Understandings: Students will understand

How an author develops and depictscharacters

Why and in what different wayscharacterization is used in a story


Note: Students should already have someknowledge of the elements of a short story

How would you describe the characters in thisstory?

What clues did O.Henry give you about thesecharacters, and how did he give you those clues?

For what purposes does O.Henry usecharacterization?

Students will know

How to analyze the techniques used by an author to convey information about a character, such as direct exposition what is said about the character characters actions what the character does characters words what the character says characters thoughts what the character thinks other characters actions what others say or how they react to that character in the work

How to use these techniques in writing to portray a character


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Stage 2 Assessment EvidenceFormative Assessment:

Participation in class discussion

Journaling on character traits

Pre-writing exercise on using a specificmethod to depict character

Characterization Chart for the shortstory After Twenty Years


Writing assignment: edited characterstudy depicting character through the useof description; what the character says,does, and thinks; and how others react.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Learning activities

READINESSa. Motivation :Earlier this year, we talked about a particular kind of literature called the short story. Whoremembers the characteristics of a short story?

[ Expected response: fiction, single event, short time/space, setting, characters, plot, conflict,climax, resolution, theme, point of view ]

Today we will be reading a short story by O. Henry called After Twenty Years and looking atthe element of characterization [write term on board], which is how an author presents anddevelops characters.

b. Tapping and Developing Background of Experience :I bet everyone in this room has at least one friend or used to have one am I right? There issomething you found in that person that made you want to be friends or has kept you friends, isntthere? Take out your class notebook and list the things that drew you to your friend, and whatevidence you had of those things. For example: you may have thought he/she is funny and theevidence you had of that was what he/she said.

[Give students time to write. Then get them to share some examples.]


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Summarize the exercise by telling students: These qualities you are talking about are character traits [write term on board]. Authors have a number of different ways they can conveyinformation to readers about the traits of their characters, and you are going to be looking for those methods in our reading today.

c. Concept Development/Vocabulary:But before we get to the reading, I want to be sure that everyone knows the meanings of some of the words and expressions you will be coming across. Keep in mind that O. Henry, the author of our story, was actually a man by the name of William Sydney Porter, who lived from 1862 to1910. Not only will you see some words that may be new to you in this story, but some of O.Henrys expressions may sound strange, coming from a different era.

[Write on board/overhead projector: pacific, egotism, stanchest, scarfpin, lids of a watch, Romannose, pug nose.]

The first word is pacific where have you heard this before?

[ Expected response: Pacific Ocean ]

Yes, the Pacific Ocean. In this story, the word has nothing to do with that ocean. Please work with your vocabulary partner, look at the two sentences using pacific and come up with whatyou think is a good definition of the word. Then go on to the next two words.

[On board/overhead, display the following six sentences:]

The clap of thunder shattered the pacific mood of those picnicking in the park.

Slow, quiet music has a pacific effect on my jangled nerves.EgotismHe said that his bragging was not egotism because he was simply stating the facts about hisgreatness.The newspapers called it a supreme act of egotism when the mayor had a statue of himself installed in the town square.

StanchestWanting to avoid leaks, I looked for the stanchest boat I could find.The governors stanchest supporters stood by him when times got tough.

[Call on students to share their definitions and get a class consensus on what these words mean,writing the definition next to the word on the board/overhead.]

Lets also take a look at some photographs that may help you with images in this story. [Show photographs of: a scarfpin; lids of a watch; a Roman nose and a pug nose gettingstudents to verbalize descriptions of each item.]


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d. Transition/ Purpose-for-reading : Now you have the tools you need for our reading today. I am distributing copies of the O. Henryshort story titled After Twenty Years. Your purpose for reading is to gain the literaryexperience of this work. As you read, picture the characters in your mind, and notice the ways O.Henry helps create those pictures of his characters for you, the reader.

[Distribute story]

SILENT READING.

DISCUSSION: Before we go on to a discussion of this story, lets take a couple of minutes, andwith your vocabulary partner, re-tell this story in your own words. When you are finished, your

partner should do the same thing, re-telling the story in their own words. [Allow time for thisactivity]

Did you see these characters in your mind as you read? Somebody give me an example of how

O. Henry showed you his characters.

[ Expected responses: description of character, what character said, what character did, what character thought, how others responded to character ]

[Write on board/overhead character name followed in a row by the other responses given bystudents: description said did thought how other characters responded. Drawcolumns under each term. Put a title above the resulting chart: Characterization Chart.]

Writing assignment : Now, go back to your class notebook, where you wrote about the character traits of a friend of yours. Use one of these methods that you have not already used, and write a

few sentences describing your friend. For instance, if you already wrote about something your friend said or did, this time write about how other peoples reactions to your friend demonstratesomething about your friend.

[Give students time to write. Then ask for a couple of volunteers to share what they wrote.]

REREADING: Now, I would like you to copy this Characterization Chart into your classnotebooks, and work in your [pre-determined by teacher] groups of four, to fill out this chart withthe characters, their character traits, what description, quotations, and reactions demonstrate thosetraits.

[Allow groups to work, then reconvene class and have students share their findings].

Now that you have seen how an author can depict characters, lets talk about how O. Henry usescharacterization in this story. Why does he take the time to give you these details about thecharacters?

[ Expected answers: it helps move the story along, it helps explain why things happen, it makesthe story interesting. ]


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Authors can use characterization for a number of purposes, such as to help provide the tone of astory, establish a point of view, help express a theme or moral, or help develop the plot. Here O.Henry uses characterization to help develop the plot, including the surprise of the ending. A shortstory is exactly that: its short so by being careful with his characters, he not only gives you a

vivid picture, but he helps to move the story along.

FOLLOW-UP: Tonight for homework, I would like you to go back to the pre-writing you havealready done today, and turn this into a full, written character study of your friend. No, you donthave to give me your friends name if you dont want to. When you write this character study,use all of the methods we have seen today to reveal your friends character traits: description;what your friend says, does, and thinks; how others react. This should be a finished product, andyou should edit your work. It will be scored on a rubric, with points for your use of each of themethods we have discussed, plus points for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I willcollect these character studies tomorrow.


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Virginia Career Switcher Alternative Route to Licensure Program

From the website of the Virginia Department of Education(http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/newvdoe/CareerSwitcher):

Program Background

The Career Switcher Alternative Route to Licensure Program was created in responseto a resolution agreed to by the 1999 General Assembly. The General Assemblyrequested the Board of Education to study alternative licensure programs and models inother states and develop an alternative pathway to teaching for individuals who have

not completed a teacher preparation curriculum but have considerable life experiences,career achievements, and academic backgrounds that are relevant for teaching in pre-Kthrough grade 12. During the 2000 session of the General Assembly funds wereappropriated to develop and pilot the first Career Switcher Program.

Course of Study

Career Switcher Program participants begin their study with an intensive induction intocurriculum and instruction methods, course content relating to the Standards of Learning, differentiation of instruction, classroom/behavior management, and humangrowth and development (Level I). This intensive Level I preparation includes aminimum of 180 clock hours of instruction, including field experience. After completingLevel I preparation, candidates are awarded a Provisional Career Switcher License andare expected to seek and obtain employment in a Virginia public or accredited nonpublicschool. An individual's salary contract is determined by the employing educationagency.

Level II preparation begins during the first year of employment. During that year, aminimum of five seminars are provided to expand the intensive preparationrequirements associated with instructional categories and topics. The five seminarsinclude a minimum of 20 cumulative instructional hours. Various instructional techniquesare used to implement the seminars. During Phase II a trained mentor is assigned toassist the candidate throughout his or her first year of employment.

Upon successful completion of Levels I and II of the Career Switcher Program andsubmission of a recommendation from the Virginia educational employing agency, thecandidate will be eligible to apply for a renewable license.


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Career Switcher one pager.pdf
http://opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch6114/Career%20Switcher%20one%20pager.pdfhttp://opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch6114/Career%20Switcher%20one%20pager.pdf

roberts - cover letter and portfolio

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