This lesson plan reviews grammar and syntax from the previous lesson and builds upon a persuasive essay assignment. Students will workshop their draft essays in flexible groups, using a rubric. They will also analyze anonymous exemplar essays from previous years. Next, students will sign up to present on an autonomous region of Spain in upcoming lessons, focusing on industries, customs, traditions, politics, economics, climate, language, and gastronomy. The lesson aims to develop cultural understanding through comparison and help students improve their writing and presentation skills.

1. Lesson Plan
TAL 540 2015
Meg Shephard
Lesson 2, The use of grammarand syntax in persuasivewriting
Date: 3/18/15
InstructionalContext
What do I know about my studentsthatwill inform this lesson?
I know my studentsand their varying levelsof knowledge in Spanish grammar and syntax. I know thatI
must use flexible grouping in order to engage in peer-teaching/peer-modeling.This dualenrollmentFIU
class is composed of mostly allSpanish native and heritage speakers. Alsomost of the studentsare
Miami raised and born and of Cuban descent. They are engagedstudentsthat are mostly intrinsically
motivated which is shownby their choice to dual-enroll.
How does this lessonconnect with and build on the previous lesson(s)?
We will review the terminology, adverbs,and adjectives learnedin the lastlesson in order to ensure
retention. This lesson will use the essay assignmentfrom the previousclass period in order to build upon
the writing they already did at home. We will be work-shoppingthe first drafts in class and analyzing
essays from previousyears (anonymous essays, in orderto protect students’identity). Studentswill also
be assignedbrief grouppresentationsfor the next class (Due on Monday following the weekend).
How do you expect to build on this lessonin subsequentlessons?
In ournext lesson, havingthe PowerPoint presentationson one autonomousprovince of Spain so that
studentscan demonstrateprogresson the previously practiced skills: oratorical skills/verbalexpression
using correct terminology to describe Spain-specific characteristics, and written skillsdemonstrated
througha written handoutaccompanying the PowerPoint and verbal presentation. The oratorical skill
previously practiced: persuasive debate. The written skill previouslypracticed: persuasive essay.
Standards Addressed
Sunshine State Standards
WL.K12.AL.8.2: Discriminate between different registers of language(formal/informal,literary/colloquial,
written/conversational),andexplain their culturalimplications.
WL.K12.AH.5.3: Write with precision and detail about abstracttopics synthesizing andsummarizing
information gathered from various authenticsources (written and oral).
Learning Objectives
Objective
The studentwill be able to develop insight into the natureof the targetlanguageand cultureby
comparing his/her own language(s)andculturesto others in workshopsgroups.
The studentwill be able to presentinformation, concepts, and ideas to an audience of readers in a
culturallyappropriatecontext by rewriting their first draft essays. The essay (formative assessment)is
specifically focused on one autonomousregionof Spain. In their essays, the studentsareexploring
important industries,customs, traditions,political/social/economic characteristics, climate, language,and
gastronomy.This is an informative essay usedto explore culturalandhistorical contexts.
Assessments
Use informative essay writing rubric to guide the studentsin gradingtheir own work compared to the
grade I gavethem for their first draft. The first draft of the essay is a formative assessments gaging the
studentsability to write an essay based off of their research. The second andfinal draft of the essay is a

2. Lesson Plan
TAL 540 2015
summative assessment,showing the studentsmastery/fullunderstandingof the informative essay
structure/content,showingthatthey have taken the edits/feedback from their first drafts and directly
applied it to their second (final) draft. Another summative assessmentto be used in this lessonis the
pop-quiz at the end of the review powerpoint presentation.This will gage if the studentshavelearned
and studied the previouslesson on the San Fermin Festival and the Runningof the Bullstradition.
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks (Procedures & Timelines)
Time Instructional Strategies/Learning Tasks Purpose
15
minutes Pre-preparedPowerPoint presentation
summarizing the previous lessonon the
San Fermin Festival.The presentationwill
review Spain-specific terminology,
grammarand syntax from the lesson,
alongwith vocab and adjectives from the
lesson.There will also be youtubevideos
for the regionaldialects spoken in Spain.
At the end of the brief review
presentation,there will be a pop quiz on
the San Fermin festival and the Runningof
the Bulls. At the end of the quiz, I will
collect quizzes and state objectives for this
lesson.
The review will refresh the students
memory. The pop quiz will assesstheir
understandingandretention of the San
Fermin Festival and the Runningof the
Bulls.
15
minutes
Flexible groupingsin order to peer-review
essays using teacher given and student
contributedrubric.
After the quiz, the studentswill be given the
informative essay rubric, placed in groupsof
four, and instructedto follow the rubric in
order to grade/edit each othersessays. Each
person in the groupwills have 4-5 minutes to
review their classmate’s essay before passing
the essay on to the next classmate (following
the 4-5 rotation).
At the end of the task, the studentswill turnin
their essays that have been peer-reviewed and
they will each keep their copies of the rubric.
After, studentswill be prompted to break into
pairs for the next activity.
Allow for studentsof mixed achievement
levels to aid each other in introspectively
reflecting on their own work. Also, this
serves as an in class workshopthat
jumpstartsthe editing processfor their
second draft of their persuasive essay.
10
minutes
Whole class review of previousyears’ essays.
The studentpairs will each be handed a past
student’s(anonymous)essay thatthe
studentscan edit togetherand thentake
home after. Before taking them home, the
The studentsareable to compare the peer-
reviewed essays they just edited with the
essays of previous students.This also
reinforces the expectations for the second
draft, allowing the studentsto see more

3. Lesson Plan
TAL 540 2015
studentswill review the essay, list positives
and negativesof the essay on a paper for 5
minutes. The next five minutes will be
reviewing the positives and negatives as a
group.Each groupwill be called on to share
their list. Studentswill be promptedto take
notes on the lists of their peers.
examples of desired compositions.
10
minutes
Studentsare able to groupthemselves and
sign up for an autonomousregion of Spain to
present on in the next class.At this point in
time, the studentswill independently choose
groupsof 2 andthen sign up for a
presentationday and topic.
The topics will be one autonomousregion of
Spain. They will need to highlightthe
important industries,customs, traditions,
political/social/economic characteristics,
climate, language,andgastronomy
(dedicating at least one slide to each of the
aforementioned items). They will be given a
handoutof the instructionsand guidelines to
follow in order to do their presentation over
the weekend, due on Monday.
This allows studentsto feel competent and
valuedin the classroomwhen given the
opportunityto choose their own group
members.
Student Supports
List what you are usingto support studentlearning/organization.
Presentation outline (describing what the presentationshould contain) and Rubric (how the
presentationwill be graded: oratoricalquality, written presentationquality, written handoutquality).
Materials and Resources
Handouts& PowerPoints
Studentsare given rubric for both the persuasiveessay and the upcoming PowerPoint presentation.
Materialsneeded in class
First draft persuasiveessay
Pencil
Red pen
ClassNotebook
ClassBinder