Listening With a Purpose

(View Complete Item Description)

Active listening is more than just hearing someone speak. It requires you to be engaged in the moment, to receive the words and body language of someone else, meaningfully. Only then can you feel empathy for the speaker--that is, try to feel what they’re feeling. In this seminar, you will become familiar with nonverbal listening skills--those strategies that require you to say nothing, yet still be part of the conversation. As you learn more about these non-verbal listening skills, you will begin to classify them into particular situations, understanding when certain gestures might be preferred or not preferred.StandardsCC.1.5.9-10.AInitiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.CC.1.5.9-10.CIntegrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g. visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.CC.1.5.9-10.DPresent information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; ensure that the presentation is appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Bonnie Waltz, Deanna Mayers, Tracy Rains

Planning & Presenting Effectively

(View Complete Item Description)

Speaking in public can be a terrifying experience. But it can also be exciting and beneficial--for the speaker and the audience. This seminar will focus on presenting clear and concise information to an intended audience. To be an effective speaker, you must understand empathy--the ability to feel what others feel, especially your audience. You will also need to be able to speak differently to different audiences, classifying your presentations in various categories. (You probably do that already, but it’s important to understand how you communicate in different ways, depending on who’s listening.)StandardsCC.1.5.9-10.AInitiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.CC.1.5.9-10.CIntegrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.CC.1.5.9-10.DPresent information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; ensure that the presentation is appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Bonnie Waltz, Deanna Mayers, Tracy Rains

Vocal Variety Matters

(View Complete Item Description)

When giving a speech or presentation, it is important to plan your words according to audience and purpose. It is also important to focus on the sound of your voice and the different ways to use it. After all, who wants to listen to a monotone speaker drone on and on about a topic, even if the topic itself is interesting? This seminar will focus on vocal variation--the different sounds of your speaking voice and how to use them to effectively.StandardsCC.1.5.9-10.AInitiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.CC.1.5.9-10.CIntegrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g. visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.CC.1.5.9-10.DPresent information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning; ensure that the presentation is appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Bonnie Waltz, Deanna Mayers, Tracy Rains

Moving the Plot With Dialogue

(View Complete Item Description)

In this seminar, you’ll learn about dialogue, including how writers use it to “move” their stories along. As a narrator, you will practice using dialogue, which will help you understand how people involved in conflict interact genuinely. Some lines of dialogue will be longer than others; there’s a reason for that. Some narratives have very little dialogue; there’s a reason for that. Ultimately, you will continue to analyze the perspectives of characters (people) in a narrative setting to better understand the human condition and how their voices contribute to it. This seminar will require innovation on your part, as you will not only learn terminology associated with dialogue, but also put those devices into action as you create your own (mini) narrative with characters who interact.StandardsCC.1.4.9-10.MWrite narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.CC.1.4.9-10.NEngage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple points of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters.CC.1.4.9-10.PCreate a smooth progression of experiences or events using a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole; provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. 

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Tracy Rains

Resolving Internal and External Conflicts

(View Complete Item Description)

In many English classes, conflicts appear in fiction: short stories, novels, and plays. But conflicts--both internal and external--also play a part in our daily lives and become part of our narratives. In fact, a personal narrative (an essay about a personal experience) revolves around a central conflict. Often, the conflict is caused by internal or external forces, and the narrator reveals how the problem was resolved. In this seminar, you will learn more about internal and external conflicts and how both contribute to our human experience. In the process, you will continue to analyze the perspectives of the people involved in the conflict, striving to accurately portray their roles in your narrative.Standards CC.1.4.9-10.MWrite narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.CC.1.4.9-10.NEngage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple points of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters.CC.1.4.9-10.PCreate a smooth progression of experiences or events using a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole; provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. 

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Tracy Rains

The Personal Point of View

(View Complete Item Description)

You’ve probably learned about point of view in previous English classes, even as far back as elementary school. It’s an important aspect of storytelling, including storytelling in the form of the personal narrative. In this seminar, you will refresh your memory about point of view and push your learning to determine the role it plays in a narrative. You will also be imagining different stories that you have to tell, considering how your personal narratives might change depending on the point of view. Seeing a conflict from a different perspective is important, so analyzing it through the lens of someone else could have a strong impact on your writing. In short, you will focus not just on the story itself but also the voice telling the story.StandardsCC.1.4.9-10.MWrite narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.CC.1.4.9-10.NEngage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple points of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters.CC.1.4.9-10.PCreate a smooth progression of experiences or events using a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole; provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.  

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Tracy Rains

PROBLEM: Censorship of Personal Expression

(View Complete Item Description)

In this project, you will explore a real-world problem, and then work through a series of steps to analyze that problem, research ways the problem could be solved, then propose a possible solution to that problem. Often, there are no specific right or wrong solutions, but sometimes one particular solution may be better than others. The key is making sure you fully understand the problem, have researched some possible solutions, and have proposed the solution that you can support with information / evidence. Begin by reading the problem statement in Step 1. Take the time to review all the information provided in the statement, including exploring the websites, videos and / or articles that are linked. Then work on steps 2 through 8 to complete this problem-based learning experience.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Tracy Rains