Example 1

Monday, March 7, 2011
What is working is the CCD Chart. All of the students were able to work in their groups to
discuss the meanings of the words and contributed to the class discussion. The Language
Discrimination Scenarios was also effective because not only were the ELs able to relate, but
also the EOs. The pros and cons of being bilingual T-Chart was effective, but some students
had difficulty coming up with cons.
For the next lesson when we review, I will need to emphasize and provide more examples of
possible cons of being bilingual.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
What really worked today was having the students listen to the audio clips of Rush
Limbaugh. They were shocked, angry, and outraged, so I used that energy to have them
focus on taking action by writing a persuasive letter. Reading the article was also helpful
because it gave the students more background information on what happened and what were
some of the reactions. We began to review the prompt, sample letter and rubric, but ran out
of time.
For the next lesson, we will definitely need to spend time reviewing the prompt, sample letter
and rubric before they write their letters.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I think what really helped the students was having them identify the components of a
persuasive letter in my sample letter. Having the students talk about possible arguments and
counterarguments in their groups also helped them begin to think about what they would
write. There was an initial confusion on counterarguments, so that may be an issue in their
writing. Not all of the students started once they got their papers, so some may have written
less than others.
In grading their letters, I should check for their understanding of counterarguments and
consider time constraints in regards to the completeness of the letters.