Baldwin-Wallace College



Lesson Plan: Genre Analysis: Conversation Templates

Contributed by Corey Hamilton

I. Major Topic: Genre Analysis: Conversation Templates

II. MATERIALS: They Say, I Say Conversation Templates, large Post-Its (or paper for student on which to write), highlighters

III. Required Resources: A scholarly source that I provide (this way everyone is using the same source)

IV. Learning Outcomes: Reading - Use reading strategies in order to identify, analyze, evaluate, and respond to arguments, rhetorical elements, and genre conventions in college-level texts and other media.

V. Specific Lesson Objective(s):

By the end of class, the students will be able to identify, analyze, and respond to the genre conventions of the scholarly article.

VI. Introduction:

Transition/Focus Attention: They will have with them the Conversation Templates handout, which we will review in class. My focus is on a more nuanced introducing of quotes: “capturing authorial action” and “explaining phrases” employed in scholarly articles.

Set Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to be able to learn to locate and understand how to incorporate sources within their papers as is demonstrated by other authors in the genre conventions of the scholarly genre. The goal is to further students’ understanding of the conventions of “participating in a conversation” as source use and as a necessary and beneficial skill not only in this class but also in their upcoming classes.

Assess (activate and/or build) Prior Knowledge:

This can be accomplished in several ways. In other words, there isn’t just one way. In my class, I will already have an idea of approximately “where” most of my students are at by this juncture (i.e. what they already know about quoting). Based on that information, I will then customize this “move.” I generally begin this activity with a “Quote Sandwich” review activity where I break students into groups and have them work as a group to identify the parts of the quote sandwich by writing it on the board (each group being allocated a space on the board in the classroom. After a successful activation, I am then prepared to graft!

VII. Steps/Learning Activities/Differentiated Instruction: (Check Students’ Understanding during the Lesson)

(Anticipated Time for each step)

1. Review the article by asking students to highlight where in the article the author is quoting - (:10).

2. Break students into groups having them then begin to identify what “authorial action” words and “explaining phrases” are used. As they do, each group will then demonstrate their findings on the large post-it notes, identifying the page number, action words, and explaining phrases - (:20).

3. As a class, we then review each group’s findings and engage in discussions – (:20)

4. Individually, I then ask each student to select a specific quote and explain how the author used the quote sandwich, captured authorial action, used an explaining phrase, and how that resembles a “conversation in writing.”

Closure: Ask students to think about how they would use the conversation templates to incorporate sources and how they see other writers using sources in a conversational way, as is done in scholarly writing.

Assessment Activities: Item #4 will then be responded to and “graded” as one of the “in-class” assignments.

VII. REFLECTION

How do you know that learning took place? How does the data support your conclusion?

My goal for this class period and lesson is for them to identify, analyze (in this sense, breaking down the parts of the quote sandwich in the scholarly genre), and respond to the idea that it operates as a conversation. To me, successful learning in this lesson is achieved by active, engaged participation and a well-written response demonstrating an identification complete with authorial action words and explaining phrases directly from the text, along with a well-thought response to how it resembles a conversation (which we have been talking about in class prior to this class period).

What kind of adaptations did you make to accommodate individual differences? What other adaptations would be helpful to accommodate the needs of individual students?

As I am asking students to “move” around the room, write on the board, etc., I usually have one group or a student who needs encouragement. While students are in their groups, I will attend to each group not only to answer their questions but also to participate with them in the activity. This generally helps to allay any fears, but usually by this time of the semester, students are comfortable with this activity, as it is done regularly—the moving around and writing on the board part.

Other than the modifications discussed above, would you change any aspect of the plan or how you conducted the lesson? (E.g. introduction and transitions, sequence of activities, time management, questioning, etc.) Why or why not? What changes would you make?

I have used this activity twice, and the one modification that I cannot seem to account for is time. This is probably a time management issue on my part, for it is very easy to spend more time than is allotted for the step #3, the discussion of their findings. Students really enjoy the discussion, so I am hesitant to remove it from the lesson. I have also asked student to read and perform some of the tasks outside of class, but I have learned thus far that it is easier to have them perform the “graded” part of the assignment after class if we run out of time. Easier, though, is a troublesome term: it is easier in the sense that I know that they will complete the task, but that does not necessarily meant that the student made the necessary connections the lesson intended for them to make.

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