Grade Level:9-10

Subject(s):Language Arts, Speech

Learner Outcomes:

• Students will use brainstorming to develop ideas for a writing assignment about the present part of their life.
• Students will  brainstorm specific questions.
• Students will  give an oral presentation from their PowerPoint presentations
• Students will  write a poem.

Materials: Pen, pencil, paper, disk

Technology Tools/Courseware:  PowerPoint software, data projector or television with VCR, Internet ready computers for each student
 

Teacher Notes:

• Before this unit you will want to have taught PowerPoint presentations
• Schedule one or two days in the computer lab for online access to brainstorming techniques
• Allow one or two days for follow up work in class
• Have data projector or television and VCR ready to model personality PowerPoint presentation.  Sample prepared for you in this lesson.
• Remind Students to bring disks for computer lab
• Schedule two or three days in computer lab for students to prepare their PowerPoint presentations
• Use the mouse to click on and activate each entry in the PowerPoint model presentation.

Procedures:

Students will access an article on brainstorming and take written notes from the article.
Students will access an article on personality traits dictated by choosing a picture that appeals to them. A brainstorming session will follow on different aspects of personality.  Personality traits to be brainstormed are likes, dislikes, family and friends, hobbies and interests, strengths and weaknesses, plans for the future, and any others that students want to add concerning their 'present.' Other interesting additions might be heroes (people who have most influenced life), qualities most admired in friends, special talents, school or community activities,
lifetime goals(the star they are reaching for).

Students will watch a PowerPoint presentation on personality. This presentation is based on an imaginary teacher's personality.  This is to serve as a model for them to use in preparation of their own PowerPoint presentations. Students will work in the computer lab and prepare their presentations and save them on disks. They are to include the personality traits and topics that were previously collected in the brainstorming session.
 

Students will be given a form from which they will compose a poem about themselves.  This is the I Am poem format and is included in this lesson. Students are to complete this as a homework assignment if not completed in class.  This may be the assigned format, or students may choose to write a poem in another format.  The poem must address the theme of what they believe themselves to be.
 

Students will provide oral explanations as they present their PowerPoint personality projects. They are given the option of using their I Am poem as a conclusion to their presentation.
 

Modifications:

• Lessons will be modified according to individual IEP's.

Enrichment activities:

• Students may question friends and family to become more aware of what strengths others see in them.
• Students write one positive thing that they have witnessed or heard about each student in the class.  They put each student's name on the outside of a folded piece of paper with the positive comment written inside.  These anonymous papers are collected by the teacher.  (It is suggested that the teacher preview these to discard any unacceptable comments.) These papers are then distributed to the students.

• Students will receive a grade for notes taken and turned in
• Active participation in the brainstorming exercise
• The completed I Am poem
• The presentation of student's personality on PowerPoint

West Virginia Instructional Goals and Objectives:
English Language Arts  Grade 9
Reading: 9.18-9.22-9.25-9.27-9.31
Writing:  9.41-9.52
Computer Technology:  9.90-9.91-9.92-9.94-9.96-9.97
 

Speech:  9.9-9.11-9.15-9.17

English Language Arts  Grade 10
Listening:  10.45
Reading:  10.19-10.26-10.40-10.41-10.51
Study Skills:  10.77-10.82
Computer Technology:  10.81-10.82-10.83-10.85-10.87-10.88

Speech:  10.2-10.13-10.14-10.18
 
 

National Standards
 

References: (all links)
Brainstorming
Personality Test
PowerPoint presentation/model
I Am poetry form
 

Created by:

Sandra Bennett               Wheeling Park High School
Caroline Ihlenfeld               1976 Park View Road
Diana Ihlenfeld                  Wheeling, West Virginia
 
 

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