BROOKE ROBERTS

714 N. Armistead St. ● Alexandria VA 22312 ● 703-403-5062 ● ms.brooke.roberts@gmail.com

XYZ
Principal
Best Ever High School
Street Address
Somewhere, VA Zip

Dear Dr./Mrs./Ms./Miss/Mr. Z:

Thank you for considering my application for a position on the English faculty at Best Ever High
School. I believe my combination of knowledge and professional experience would be a good fit
for your school.

In May 2009 I will qualify for an Eligibility License and will be considered “Highly Qualified”
as a teacher, having successfully completed Level One of the Career Switcher Teacher
Preparation Program that is approved by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a route to teacher
licensure. I am fully versed in curriculum and instruction methods, course content related to the
Standards of Learning, differentiation of instruction, reading in the content area,
classroom/behavior management, and human growth and development. My educational
background also includes a B.A. in English.

Public service is my life’s passion, and I come to teaching after a long and multifaceted career as
a lawyer working for the United States Congress. My job combined senior-level management
and policy development, but the most deeply satisfying part of it was training and mentoring
young people, helping them set goals and achieve their potential. Having an undergraduate
degree in English, I was also responsible for developing writers and constantly monitoring the
quality of their writing.

I believe my proven ability to lead a diverse young workforce in a fast-paced environment would
translate well to the classroom. It would be an honor to bring my teaching credentials, skills, and
lifetime of experience to Best Ever High School and help you provide a first-class learning
opportunity for the young people of Somewhere.

Enclosed, you will find copies of my resume, teaching philosophy, classroom management plan,
and sample lesson plans. I would be happy to meet with you at your convenience to answer any
questions.

Sincerely,

Brooke Roberts

Enclosures
 BROOKE ROBERTS
714 N. Armistead St. ● Alexandria VA 22312 ● 703-403-5062 ● ms.brooke.roberts@gmail.com

Objective Combine my experience in training young people and my

knowledge of language arts to obtain a full-time position teaching
high school English.

Education Virginia Community College System

Career Switcher Teacher Placement Program
Provisional teaching license 2009
Endorsement: high school English/Language Arts

Indiana University School of Law

Bloomington, Indiana
J.D. 1979

Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana
B.A. English 1976

Professional United States Senate 1991-2009

Legislative Director and Chief Counsel
Senior advisor to U.S. Senator. Oversaw all legislative policy
development and operations; negotiated legislation and political
policy; researched, wrote, and edited both technical and topical
materials; spoke at national conferences; met with and assisted
constituents; trained and managed all legislative staff, including
teaching writers and monitoring writing standards.

United States House of Representatives 1984-1990

Chief of Staff
Several legislative positions culminating in Chief of Staff to
Member of Congress. Oversaw both Washington, D.C. and district
operations; trained and managed staff and developed workplace
policies; advised Member on legislative, legal, and political
matters; conducted research; wrote speeches, briefings, and
correspondence.

Petri, Fuhs, and Doehrman, Indianapolis, IN 1979-1983

Associate Attorney
Civil trial and general legal practice. Duties included client
interviews and counseling, legal research, drafting and writing,
administering case flow, and court appearances for trial and oral
argument.
 TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Brooke Roberts

“They are able because they think they are able.” Virgil

My teaching philosophy starts with a fundamental respect for students as unique individuals with
valuable perspectives and potential capacities. I see the purpose of education as broadening that
perspective and developing those capacities, helping students build the skills they will need to be
responsible citizens and live meaningful lives.

One of the most powerful lessons I learned in more than twenty years of being a manager of
young staff was the importance of positive reinforcement. By demonstrating confidence in
people’s abilities, finding what was good in their performance and giving them positive feedback
for it, I could help them build work habits that enabled them to succeed. I was frequently
reminded that “they are able because they think they are able.”

In applying that key concept to the classroom, I realize students must first believe that they can
succeed in learning, in order for them to make the attempt. They will know from Day One that I
am confident in their abilities and will do all I can to help them advance in my class. Part of
respecting my students as unique individuals is getting to know their strengths and interests, so
that I can help them make the connections necessary for learning to take place and provide them
with feedback that is authentic and worthwhile.

To help these unique individuals to grow to their potential, my instructional techniques will
address the different learning styles in my class, and my differentiated curriculum will
accommodate various ability levels. I will routinely employ a variety of assessment measures,
realizing that learning can be demonstrated by projects, presentations, and papers, as well as
tests.

“A mind is a fire to be kindled…” Plutarch

As a teacher, my highest goal is to “kindle the fire” for learning in all my students, so that they
become actively engaged in their own education not only in my class, but as lifelong learners.
There are many educational roads that I could travel with my students to accomplish Virginia’s
Standards of Learning for English, but my choice will be one that is positive, engaging, and fun.

The English curriculum offers exciting opportunities – which we will thoroughly explore – for
young people to develop critical thinking skills, self-awareness, and an appreciation for the
diversity of human experience, as they connect with writings from many eras and cultures. I
believe reading well is a blessing that everyone should enjoy and benefit from throughout their
lives; the variety of my literature choices will be geared toward cultivating enthusiastic readers,
and my classes will spend time working on building their reading skills.

My students will understand how important communication skills are to their future success in
the classroom and beyond. That is why one of my key priorities is helping learners become
fluent in both sending and receiving language for many different purposes and in many different
contexts, including the technologies that are changing the universe of expression in the twenty-
first century.

It seems to me that student engagement is as much a response to the “how” of a lesson as it is to

“what” is being taught. For that reason, I will ensure the learning environment in my classroom
is positive, dynamic, challenging, and fun. I want my students to take risks in learning; to that
end, I will model a willingness to make mistakes, which will be easy because I honestly expect
my students to teach me a thing or two…or three. Likewise, I believe it is important for a
teacher to step away from center stage and create opportunities for students to learn through
working with one another in pairs or groups, as well as to learn by teaching and through self-
directed projects. My assignments will not be trivial make-work but will challenge students to
think deeply and creatively, and I will be careful to give prompt feedback to help build on
successes.

Finally, but equally important, I will not neglect the aspect of fun that helps make school a place
where students like to go. My personality tends to be upbeat, and while I do not aspire to
standup comedy, humor is important in my daily life, and it will figure appropriately in my
classroom, as well. In the mix of activities my students can expect are a number that combine
learning with games or competition, and it won’t be unusual for them to find a corny joke or two
buried in a worksheet. The point is not to entertain them, but to promote their engagement and
learning.

“The foundation of every state is the education of its youth." Diogenes

Public service is my vocation. During a long and varied career working for the United States
Congress, I came to realize that one of the most deeply satisfying parts of my job was training
and mentoring young staff, helping them set goals and achieve their potential. Teaching gives
me the opportunity to pursue that interest directly, but still within the context of service to my
community, the Commonwealth, and the nation. I am genuinely interested in the ideas and
concerns of young people and welcome the serious responsibility of helping them develop the
skills and knowledge they need to pursue their aspirations.
 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT PLAN
Brooke Roberts

Philosophy
My philosophy of classroom management is rooted in more than twenty years of managing a
young, diverse staff in the high-stress atmosphere of a legislative office. That experience taught
me the value of establishing a structure of organization, procedures, and routines all geared
toward getting the work done. The best management plan insures a safe, positive, productive,
and fun environment for work – regardless of whether that work deals with legislation or
learning – and that is my goal in all of the following strategies:

Organization
The physical setting of a classroom can help or hinder management. To the greatest extent
possible, seats in my classroom should be arranged so that I can move around during lessons or
independent study, easily reach any students who need help, and provide continual reinforcement
for their good work habits. Students must be able to view the board comfortably and be able to
come and go without impediment. To that end, my preference is for a modified “U”
configuration of seating, which not only serves my management plan and teaching style, but also
facilitates the kinds of regular class discussions and activities I anticipate in my content area of
English.

A bookshelf and/or storage areas should be located along the wall where students can access
additional supplies without disrupting class. I want to stimulate interest in writing and reading,
so I will display books, thought-provoking quotations, related posters, and enrichment materials
that invite curiosity and reflection in my class.

Discipline
I believe discipline is primarily a tool for teaching rather than punishment. For that reason, my
system of discipline demands that misbehaving students take responsibility for their actions
while stressing that they can and should make better choices in the future.

My first goal in discipline is to head off as much misbehavior as possible before it starts. I will
do that by establishing classroom expectations, procedures, and routines, making sure students
are aware of them, and reinforcing them regularly. My one ironclad rule is “Respect” – respect
for self and everyone else in the class, including the teacher. This rule means no disrespectful
behavior like namecalling, fighting, disrupting others’ learning, and the like; it is respectful
behavior that will earn my respect in return. I will outreach to parents early in the year with
positive comments about their child, both to underscore good behavior and to establish a
working relationship with parents for future contacts about the student. This positive, proactive
approach will teach students acceptable behavior and help them maintain that behavior without
nagging or disciplinary confrontations.

Knowing that some students will still test the best of management plans and the slightest of rules,
I am prepared to address misbehavior when it arises with a hierarchy of responses. In most
cases, I will privately notify the student that certain behavior is crossing a line and must be
stopped; if necessary, my response will increase in severity to include removal of the student to
another supervised location, parental involvement, or, as a last resort, administrative sanctions. I
want misbehaving students to know that actions have consequences, and to avoid the
consequences of misbehavior they need to make better choices in the first place. The entire class
will know that I mean business, administer consequences fairly, and will not tolerate
disturbances that detract from their learning.

Instruction
My instructional techniques include several that have implications for classroom management,
because they minimize the need for one-on-one instruction that takes away from my ability to
supervise the entire class. These techniques have been summarized and given descriptive
shorthand names in the award-winning Tools for Teaching by Frederic H. Jones, Ph.D.

For instance, “say, see, do” teaching presents a lesson via three formats: auditory, visual, and
physical; not only does this address my students’ varied learning styles, but the “do” portion of
the exercise results in students routinely applying what they have learned – all of which
promotes retention and independent learning. “Visual instructional plans” repeat the lesson plan
in a series of graphic prompts for students to use as they practice their learning. Also during
guided practice, I will provide needed direction and correction, without being caught in extended
individual tutorial situations, by following the “praise, prompt, leave” technique of focusing the
student’s attention on what he/she did right and what needs to be done next, and then moving on
to the next student.

Organizationally, a syllabus of my class will be provided at the beginning of term, and lesson
plans will be posted in the classroom to aid in students’ preparation and smooth transitions from
activity to activity. One routine in my classroom will be “bell work” that requires students to
settle down to work immediately when they arrive and for some minutes after the bell rings.

In creating a safe learning environment where students are not afraid to take risks, I will rely on
differentiation of instruction to engage all the diverse learners in the class. Not only am I aware
of how different learning styles can affect a student’s experience in school, but I am also
sensitive to the impact of cultural and socioeconomic differences on learning. One personal
value I bring to the classroom is my celebration of diversity; I strongly believe that experiencing
a variety of perspectives is an important way for children to grow in their understanding and
become better prepared to live peacefully in a highly diversified society. These principles will
permeate my relationships with students as well as my instructional strategies and curriculum
choices.

Motivation
A well-managed classroom is one where students are engaged immediately and throughout the
period, move from one activity to another without getting off task, and keep to the business of
learning.

To motivate that kind of behavior, I will work hard to establish a culture of success in my
classroom. More than anything else, I will have high expectations of all my students and will let
them know it. I am passionate about my subject and will help students make the connection
between success in my class and their lives and aspirations; I know “language is power” and
everything we do in my English class will help them become more powerful. I understand and
respect their concerns, interests, and backgrounds, and will take their suggestions into account
when planning lessons and activities. My classes and assignments will not be trivial make-work;
they will be challenging and meaningful, and because they matter, I will be careful to give my
students feedback on their performance and opportunities to revise their work in order to learn.
It is important to me that all students make progress, regardless of where they seem to fall on the
ability spectrum, so I will draw them all into classroom discussions and activities.

I will not neglect the aspect of fun that helps make school a place where students like to go. My
personality tends to be upbeat, and my classroom should reflect that. I do not aspire to standup
comedy but can, and do, use humor at appropriate times. In the mix of activities my students can
expect are a number that combine learning with games and competition. I will use these and
various self-directed learning activities as incentives for students to complete their work to an
acceptable standard promptly, after which they will be allowed to use their remaining time for
these preferred activities.

Conclusion
It would be impossible to address every contingency of every educational setting in a plan such
as this, but I have tried to provide some of the philosophical bright lines and key skills that will
guide my responses in the classroom. By offering my students appropriate challenges,
incentives, and encouragement, setting fair limits and administering discipline consistently,
demonstrating competence, inclusiveness, and humor, I hope to create an environment for
learning that is safe, engaging, productive, and fun.
 Grammar Lesson Plan: “Pet Peeves and Participles”
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals
11.8 The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation,
spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing….
b) Use verbals and verbal phrases to achieve sentence conciseness and variety.
11.9 The student will write, revise, and edit personal, professional, and informational
correspondence to a standard acceptable in the workplace and higher education.
e) Use technology to access information, organize ideas, and develop writing.
Source: Virginia Standards of Learning

Understandings: Essential Questions:

• Students will understand participles What prior knowledge and skills are needed?
and participial phrases and use them Students will need to know parts of speech
appropriately in writing. (noun, verb, adjective). They will need to know
• Students will understand dangling how to go to a website on the Internet and
participles and how to avoid them in download a document.
writing.
• Students will write clear and accurate
business correspondence. They will
use a writing process to develop real-
world, practical products.

Students will know…

• How to apply rules for participles and participial phrases.
• How to use models of professional, personal, and informational correspondence and other
writings, such as business correspondence.
• How to use technology to access, develop, and modify documents for professional and
informational purposes.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Formative Assessment: Summative Assessment:
Writing assignment scored on a rubric
Worksheets (attached: “Stop That Dangling (attached)
Participle!” and “Build a Sentence with
Participial Phrases”)

Class participation in discussions

 Stage 3 – Learning Plan
STAGE 3 – LEARNING PLAN

Bell work: When class enters, they see the following on the board: “pet peeve” definition: a
noun meaning a frequent subject of complaint. What are two or more of your “pet peeves” and
why? Please write the answer in your class notebook.

5 min - Introduction
Open class by asking if they have all made a note of a couple of their pet peeves, since we will be
using those in our work today. Repeat what is a pet peeve and give examples (“For instance, two
of my pet peeves are people who talk in movie theaters and drivers who don’t use their turn
signals.”) Give them an additional minute or two if necessary.

15 min – Participle basics and modeling

Anticipatory set: Introduce concept of verbals by writing the following sentence on the
overhead/SmartBoard for all to see: “Driving to school today, minding my own business, I was
surprised when an approaching Ford Mustang turned left in front of me.” How many verbs are in
that sentence? (get show of hands for a consensus). Actually, there are only two. Today we are
going to learn about participles – they are verbs acting like adjectives.

Instruction on basics of participles:

There are two kinds of participles: present and past.
Present participles end in –ing (write on overhead/SmartBoard a couple of examples of present
participles: the dancing cowboy, my nagging mother, etc.) Past participles of most verbs end in –
d or –ed (write a couple of examples of past participles: the locked chest, the injured player, etc.)
A participle doesn’t have to stand alone; it can be part of a phrase, and we call that a participial
phrase. (write a couple of examples of participial phrases: bouncing the ball, streaked with gray,
etc.)

Modeling on recognizing participles and participial phrases:

Let’s see if we can identify the participles and participial phrases. (Project the letter with
participle examples). Can anyone find a participle in the first sentence? (Go through the letter
with the class, underlining participles and participial phrases; noting that participles can occur in
different places in a sentence; and present and past participles can be combined.).

10 min – Collaborative learning, sharing

Collaborative learning and practice on creating participals:
Let’s practice creating participles. (Practice creating participles by having students pair off with a
neighbor close by, and together create at least two sentences relating to their pet peeves, using a
participle in each sentence. Have students share some results, and write them on the board.)

15 min – Dangling participles, independent practice, sharing

Instruction on dangling participles:
There is one mistake that happens sometimes when people use participles: they leave out or
misplace the noun that is being described by the participle. What results is called a “dangling
participle,” because it’s just dangling there without a the noun it describes.
(Write example for class: Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours, Michael’s paper was
not completed.) This can be corrected in several different ways. We can keep our participial
phrase and just insert the correct noun following it: (write corrected version: Playing solitaire on
the computer for three hours, Michael did not complete his paper.) Can you think of other ways
to rewrite this sentence? (“Because Michael played solitaire on the computer for 3 hours, he did
not complete his paper.” “Michael, playing solitaire on the computer for 3 hours, did not
complete his paper.” Etc.)

Independent practice on dangling participles:

Let’s practice correcting dangling participles, and writing sentences without dangling participles.
(Distribute handout “Stop That Dangling Participle!” Students work alone.) Can somebody give
me an example of a corrected sentence? (Write corrected sentences on the board. Note there may
be different grammatically correct versions.).

15 min – Combining sentences, collaborative practice, sharing

Instruction on combining sentences with participial phrases:
The reason we use participles is to make writing more interesting. They can also help avoid
choppy sentences.

Collaborative learning practice on creating sentences with participial phrases:

For this next project, please break into groups of 4 (pre-determined by teacher, with an eye
toward differentiation). Each group should have a recorder. You’re going to be creating
sentences using participial phrases. There’s more than one way to do this, so talk among
yourselves and decide as a group what you think is the best way. (Distribute handout “Build A
Sentence With Participial Phrases” Allow groups to discuss and craft sentences and reform
class.) Can anyone give me an example for sentence number 1? Did any other group do this
differently? (write examples on board)

30 min – Computer work

Computer work: Now that you have had all this practice in writing interesting sentences using
participles and participial phrases, let’s put that skill to work. I would like you to take the
sentence about your pet peeve that you wrote earlier today, and turn it into a letter of complaint.
Remember the letter to the president of Ford Motor Company that we looked at when we began
this class? Your letter will be in the form of a real letter, addressed either to some person you
think can actually help correct this problem, or to the Editor of your local paper just to sound off.
In addition to the participial phrase you have already written, there should be three more
examples of participial phrases – and no dangling participial phrase, misspellings, or other
grammatical mistakes – in this letter.

Distribute “Writing Assignment” and “Rubric” to class, then move to computers.

Students may access a template for a letter of complaint by going to www.consumeraction.gov

On the green bar at the top, click on “sample complaint letter.” Above the sample letter on the
page, click on ”Sample Complaint Letter ” and then save the document by clicking on “Save”
and naming it. Students can modify the letter with their own text and print it, save it, or email it
to the teacher.
TEACHER ANSWER KEY FOR MODELED PRACTICE

Best Ever High School

Somewhere, Virginia
March 29, 2009

Mr. Allen Mulally

President and CEO
Ford Motor Company
Dearborn, Michigan 48126

Dear Mr. Mulally:

Driving to school today, minding my own business, I was surprised when an approaching Ford
Mustang turned left in front of me.

That motorist didn’t display a blinking turn signal, and he almost caused an accident.

Wanting to improve public safety, I suggest that you paint a bright color like day-glo orange on
the turn signal levers in your Mustangs. Your car designers, being patriotic Americans, might
prefer to use red, white, and blue, but the effect would be the same. Even preoccupied, speeding,
or illegally texting drivers would be reminded that they do have turn signals.

Please act on this suggestion and help improve safety for those driving on roads everywhere.

Sincerely,

Ima Teacher
Stop That Dangling Participle!
Example:

Sentence with dangling participle: Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours,
Michael’s paper was not completed.

Correction keeping the participial phrase: Playing solitaire on the computer for three
hours, Michael did not complete his paper.

Please remove dangling participles by rewriting the following sentences correctly:

Forgetting to buy gas, the car wouldn't start.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

I shot an elephant wearing my pajamas.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

Locked away in the old chest, Richard was surprised by the antique hats.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

Hopping briskly through the vegetable garden, I saw a toad.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

The burglar was about 5’10” with wavy hair weighing about 150 pounds.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

We sat on the back porch where we could see the cows playing Scrabble and reading.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

TEACHER KEY TO “STOP THAT DANGLING PARTICIPLE”

(Note there may be different grammatically correct rewrites.)

Forgetting to buy gas, I couldn’t start the car.

Wearing my pajamas, I shot an elephant.
Richard was surprised by the antique hats locked away in the old chest.
I saw a toad hopping briskly through the vegetable garden.
Weighing about 150 pounds, the burglar was about 5’10” with wavy hair.
Playing Scrabble and reading, we sat on the back porch where we could see the cows.
Build a Sentence with Participial Phrases
Please combine each group of sentences into a single, intelligible, grammatically correct
sentence, using participial phrases and being careful not to create any dangling participles:

1. The dishwasher was invented in 1889.

The dishwasher was invented by an Indiana housewife.
The first dishwasher was driven by a steam engine.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

2. I was sitting on the window ledge.

The ledge overlooked the narrow street.
I watched the children.
The children were frolicking in the first snow of the season.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

3. The first edition of Infant Care was published by the U.S. Government.
The first edition of Infant Care was published in 1914.
The first edition of Infant Care recommended the use of peat moss for disposable diapers.
Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

4. I washed the windows in a fever of fear.

I whipped the squeegee swiftly up and down the glass.
I feared that some member of the gang might see me.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

5. Goldsmith smiled.
He bunched his cheeks like twin rolls of toilet paper.
His cheeks were fat.
The toilet paper was smooth.
The toilet paper was pink.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

6. The roaches scurried in and out of the breadbox.

The roaches sang chanteys.
The roaches sang as they worked.
The roaches paused only to thumb their noses.
They thumbed their noses jeeringly.
They thumbed their noses in my direction.

Your sentence: _________________________________________________________

TEACHER KEY TO “BUILD A SENTENCE WITH PARTICIPIAL PHRASES”:

SAMPLE COMBINATIONS
Keep in mind that in most cases more than one effective combination is possible.

1. Invented by an Indiana housewife in 1889, the first dishwasher was driven by a steam engine.

2. Sitting on the widow ledge overlooking the narrow street, I watched the children frolicking in
the first snow of the season.

3. Published by the U.S. Government in 1914, the first edition of Infant Care recommended the
use of peat moss for disposable diapers.

4. Fearing that some member of the gang might see me, I washed the windows in a fever of fear,
whipping the squeegee swiftly up and down the glass.

5. "Goldsmith smiled, bunching his fat cheeks like twin rolls of smooth pink toilet paper."
(Nathanael West, Miss Lonelyhearts)

6. "The roaches scurried in and out of the breadbox, singing chanteys as they worked and
pausing only to thumb their noses jeeringly in my direction." (S. J. Perelman, The Rising Gorge)
Writing Assignment
Write a letter of complaint to someone who can help with your pet peeve. Alternatively, you can
address your letter to the editor of your local paper just to sound off.

Your letter should:

• Include four underlined examples of participles or participial phrases, which may include
the one you wrote in class, plus three more.
• Not include any dangling participles or other grammatical errors.
• Be spelled correctly.
• Be in correct letter format (either use the template below or write your own).

To access a template for a letter of complaint, go to www.consumeraction.gov On the green bar

at the top, click on “sample complaint letter.” Above the sample letter on the page, click on
”Sample Complaint Letter ” and then save the document by clicking on “Save” and naming it.
You can then modify the letter with your own text and print it when you are finished, or email it
to me.
Rubric:
Category 5 4 3 2 1
Use of Writer used Writer Writer Writer Writer
participles and attempts to attempts to attempts to misuses or
and underlined use 4 use 4 use 4 mislabels
participial 4 participles participles or participles or participles or participles
phrases or participial participial participial or
participial phrases but phrases but phrases but participial
phrases misidentifies misidentifies misidentifies phrases – or
correctly or misuses or misuses or misuses fails to use
one two most of them them at all
Dangling There are There is one There is more Most The only
participles no dangling dangling than one instances of reason there
and phrases participles participle dangling participles are no
participle are dangling dangling
participles
is that there
are no
participles
Other Writer Writer makes Writer makes Writer makes Writer
writing makes no 1 or 2 errors 3 or 4 errors 4 or 5 errors makes more
conventions errors in in grammar in grammar in grammar than 5
grammar or or spelling. or spelling or spelling errors in
spelling. grammar or
spelling
Standard Letter is Letter has a Letter has Letter has Writing is
letter correctly mistake in two mistakes more than 3 not in the
format formatted formatting in formatting mistakes in form of a
formatting letter at all
 Poetry Lesson Plan: “Sound Impressions: The Music of Poetry”
Stage 1 – Desired Results

Established Goals:

10.5 The student will read and analyze a variety of poetry.

a) Compare and contrast the use of rhyme, rhythm, and sound to convey a message.
b) Compare and contrast the ways in which poets use techniques to evoke emotion in
the reader.
c) Interpret and paraphrase the meaning of selected poems.

Source: Virginia Standards of Learning

Understandings: Students will understand: Essential Questions:

• How rhyme and sound elements are
used in poetry
• Why poets use these elements
1. How does the poet use rhyme and/or sound?
2. Why did the poet use rhyme and/or sound?
3. How is your response to this poem influenced by
its rhyme and/or sound?

Students will know…

• Students will identify, compare, and contrast poetic sound elements including rhyme (slant, end,
internal), alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia
• Students will write a poem using these elements and describing their impact.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Formative Assessment: Summative Assessment:

• Diagnostic assessment through class
discussion of the definitions and
examples for these terms
• Students will underline examples of
these elements on poetry handout
• Students will produce a poem reflecting on what
they have learned and demonstrating their ability
to use and identify poetic sound elements – to be
graded with a rubric (attached).

• Peer discussion
 Stage 3 – Learning Plan
Learning Activities:
Music is playing as students arrive.

Anticipatory set: “Music creates a mood – so can the sound of poetry. This lesson is all about the
different sounds in poetry.”

Teach poetic elements: alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme (internal, end, slant).
Find out what students already know and what needs to be taught (according to the Virginia SOLs, they
should have encountered these terms several times prior to 10th grade), by writing terms on the board and
asking students for definitions and examples of each poetic element, also writing those on the board
under the term.

Teach any unfamiliar terms by discussing and writing the definition under the term, and then asking
students to give an example and also writing that under the term. Provide the example if students have
difficulty coming up with one.

Rhyme: matching the end sounds of words.

(example: June/moon)
Alliteration: repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words or within words.
(example: wild and wooly; Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)
Assonance: repeated vowel sounds in nearby words having different consonants – note: "June" and
"moon" are rhymes; "June" and "food" are assonant.
(example: on a proud round cloud in a white high night – e.e. cummings)
Consonance: repeated consonant sounds occurring at the end of syllables or words.
(example: Whose woods these are I think I know – Robert Frost)
Onomatopoeia: the use of words to mimic sounds.
(example: comics and cartoons use “Pow!” “Ooomph!” but there are also onomatopoeic words in our
language like “crackled” and “popped”)
End rhyme: ending the lines of poetry with rhyming words.
(example: In the world of mules, there are no rules – Ogden Nash)
Internal rhyme: rhyming a word within a line and a word at the end of the line or in another line
(example: Once upon a midnight dreary, as I pondered, weak and weary – Edgar Allen Poe)
Slant rhyme (aka half, near, oblique rhyme): a partial or imperfect rhyme, often using assonance or
consonance
(example: swans/stones; soul/all; lap/shape)

Guided practice: Distribute handout of poems containing these elements (attached). Have one student
read a poem/excerpt aloud while others underline/label examples of elements reviewed. Have volunteer
share what he/she underlined, identifying the element. Go to next poem and repeat.

Pairs – “Pair up with somebody in front, behind, or next to you. Pick one of the poems we just read and
discuss it with your partner, and be prepared to share your thoughts with the class. At the top of your
handout are questions you should ask one another, and a list of the poetic elements that the poems
contain. Answer these questions: What is this poem about? Why did the poet use the poetic elements
we identified? Did those elements affect your response to the poem? How did they influence your
response?”

Class discussion: share insights on why these elements are used in poetry, using the above questions as a
guide and being sure the discussion covers at least one poem exemplifying each element studied.

Writing assignment: (Hand out assignment sheets) For the rest of class, write a short poem about what
you learned today, using 4 of the sound elements we’ve been talking about. This does not have to be a
great poem that will make you immortal. However, as you will see on the assignment sheet, it will be
graded on four things:
• form: you must give it a title and put it in the form of a poem, not a paragraph
• content: your poem must make a statement about the use of sound elements in poetry
• number of elements: I’m asking you to use FOUR DIFFERENT elements.
• identification of elements: please circle/underline and label those elements.

(assignment sheet and teacher rubric are attached)

Sound Impressions: The Music of Poetry
Find examples of the following elements in these poems (every poem has at least one but not
all): alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme.
Answer these questions: What is this poem about? Why did the poet use the poetic elements
you identified? Did those elements affect your response to the poem? How did they influence
your response?

From Bells
By Edgar Allen Poe

Hear the sledges with the bells-

Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!
How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,
In the icy air of night!
While the stars that oversprinkle
All the heavens, seem to twinkle
With a crystalline delight;
Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells-
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells

Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio

By Carl Sandburg

It's a jazz affair, drum crashes and cornet razzes.

The trombone pony neighs and the tuba jackass snorts.
The banjo tickles and titters too awful.
The chippies talk about the funnies in the papers.
The cartoonists weep in their beer.
Ship riveters talk with their feet
To the feet of floozies under the tables.
A quartet of white hopes mourn with interspersed snickers:
"I got the blues.
I got the blues.
I got the blues."
And . . . as we said earlier:
The cartoonists weep in their beer.
Dancing Dolphins
By Paul McCann

Those tidal thoroughbreds that tango through the turquoise tide.

Their taut tails thrashing they twist in tribute

to the titans.

They twirl through the trek

tumbling towards the tide .

Throwing themselves towards those theatrical thespians.

Those Winter Sundays

By Robert Hayden

Sundays too my father got up early

and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?

God's World
By Edna St. Vincent Millay

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!

Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists, that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag
To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
Long have I known a glory in it all,
But never knew I this;
Here such a passion is
As stretcheth me apart, -- Lord, I do fear
Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year;
My soul is all but out of me, -- let fall
No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

Seascape
By W. H. Auden

Look, stranger, on this island now

The leaping light for your delight discovers,
Stand stable here
And silent be,
That through the channels of the ear
May wander like a river
The swaying sound of the sea.

Here at a small field's ending pause

Where the chalk wall falls to the foam and its tall ledges
Oppose the pluck
And knock of the tide,
And the shingle scrambles after the suck-
-ing surf, and a gull lodges
A moment on its sheer side.

Far off like floating seeds the ships

Diverge on urgent voluntary errands,
And this full view
Indeed may enter
And move in memory as now these clouds do,
That pass the harbour mirror
And all the summer through the water saunter.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.

THE POOL PLAYERS.

SEVEN AT THE GOLDEN SHOVEL.
By Gwendolyn Brooks

We real cool. We
Left school. We

Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We

Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We

Jazz June. We
Die soon.

Remorse
By Emily Dickinson

Remorse -- is Memory -- awake --

Her Parties all astir --
A Presence of Departed Acts --
At window -- and at Door --

Its Past -- set down before the Soul

And lighted with a Match --
Perusal -- to facilitate --
And help Belief to stretch --

Remorse is cureless -- the Disease

Not even God -- can heal --
For 'tis His institution -- and
The Adequate of Hell --

Fable
By Ralph Waldo Emerson

The mountain and the squirrel

Had a quarrel,
And the former called the latter, "little prig":
Bun replied,
You are doubtless very big,
But all sorts of things and weather
Must be taken in together
To make up a year,
And a sphere.
And I think it no disgrace
To occupy my place.
If I'm not so large as you,
You are not so small as I,
And not half so spry:
I'll not deny you make
A very pretty squirrel track;
Talents differ; all is well and wisely put;
If I cannot carry forests on my back,
Neither can you crack a nut.

From The Cross-Roads

By Amy Lowell

The stake has wrenched, the stake has started, the body, flesh from flesh,
has parted. But the bones hold tight, socket and ball, and clamping them down
in the hard, black ground is the stake, wedged through ribs and spine.
The bones may twist, and heave, and twine, but the stake holds them still
in line. The breeze goes down, and the round stars shine, for the stake
holds the fleshless bones in line.

When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer

By Walt Whitman

When I heard the learn'd astronomer;

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns
before me;
When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add,
 divide, and measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he
lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

Turtle
By Kay Ryan

Who would be a turtle who could help it?

A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet,
She can ill afford the chances she must take
In rowing toward the grasses that she eats.
Her track is graceless, like dragging
A packing-case places, and almost any slope
Defeats her modest hopes. Even being practical,
She’s often stuck up to the axle on her way
To something edible. With everything optimal,
She skirts the ditch which would convert
Her shell into a serving dish. She lives
Below luck-level, never imagining some lottery
Will change her load of pottery to wings.
Her only levity is patience,
The sport of truly chastened things.

TEACHER KEY
Bells, By Edgar Allen Poe: onomatopoeia, end rhyme
Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio by Carl Sandburg: onomatopoeia
Dancing Dolphins, by Paul McCann: alliteration
Those Winter Sundays, by Robert Hayden: consonance, alliteration
God's World, by Edna St. Vincent Millay: assonance, consonance, alliteration, end rhyme
Seascape, by W. H. Auden: alliteration, consonance
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost: alliteration, consonance, end rhyme
We Real Cool, by Gwendolyn Brooks: internal rhyme
Remorse, by Emily Dickinson: slant rhyme
Fable, by Ralph Waldo Emerson: slant rhyme, end rhyme
The Cross-Roads, by Amy Lowell: internal rhyme
When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, by Walt Whitman: internal slant rhyme
Turtle, by Kay Ryan (U.S. Poet Laureate): internal slant rhyme
Sound Impressions: The Music of Poetry
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write a poem of your own about what you heard in our class
today, using sound elements.

• It must have a title and be in the form of a poem, not a paragraph (2 points).
• It must say something about what you learned in class today, such as explaining why a
poet uses sound elements or how the elements influenced you as a reader. (5 points)
• It must use at least 4 different examples of sound elements (pick 4 of the following:
alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant
rhyme). (4 points)
• Please circle and label the elements you used. (4 points)

TITLE: ___________________________________________________________

By (your name) ________________________________________________

POEM:
Sound Impressions: The Music of Poetry

TEACHER RUBRIC:

Category: Student total:

Title (1 point) __________

Form (1 point) __________
Number of examples used (up to 4 points) __________
Number of examples correctly labeled (up to 4 points) __________
Content (5 points – see rubric below) __________

5 4 3 2 1
Work makes Work Work refers Work Work is
a clear and includes an to sound attempts to unintelligible
thoughtful accurate but elements by make a or does not
statement basic name but statement even attempt
about sound statement fails to say about sound to say
elements in about sound anything elements in anything
poetry elements in about them poetry but is about sound
poetry unclear elements in
poetry
 Directed Reading and Writing Lesson: “O. Henry’s
Characters”
Stage 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals

9.3 The student will read and analyze a variety of literature.

a) Identify format, text structure, and main idea.
b) Identify the characteristics that distinguish literary forms.
c) Use literary terms in describing and analyzing selections.
d) Explain the relationships between and among elements of literature:
characters, plot, setting, tone, point of view, and theme.
9.6 The student will develop … expository… writings to inform, explain, analyze, or
entertain.
e) Use specific vocabulary and information.
g) Revise writing for clarity.
h) Proofread and prepare final product for intended audience and purpose.
9.7 The student will edit writing for correct grammar, capitalization, punctuation,
spelling, sentence structure, and paragraphing.

Source: Virginia Standards of Learning

Understandings: Students will Essential Questions:

understand …
• How an author develops and depicts
characters
• Why and in what different ways
characterization is used in a story
Note: Students should already have some
knowledge of the elements of a short story
How would you describe the characters in this
story?
What clues did O.Henry give you about these
characters, and how did he give you those clues?

For what purposes does O.Henry use

characterization?

Students will know…

• How to analyze the techniques used by an author to convey information about a character, such as
° direct exposition – what is said about the character
° character’s actions – what the character does
° character’s words – what the character says
° character’s thoughts – what the character thinks
° other characters’ actions – what others say or how they react to that character in the work
• How to use these techniques in writing to portray a character
 Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Formative Assessment: Summative Assessment:
Participation in class discussion
Writing assignment: edited character
Journaling on character traits study depicting character through the use
Pre-writing exercise on using a specific of description; what the character says,
method to depict character does, and thinks; and how others react.

Characterization Chart for the short

story “After Twenty Years”

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Learning activities

READINESS
a. Motivation:
Earlier this year, we talked about a particular kind of literature called the short story. Who
remembers the characteristics of a short story?

[Expected response: fiction, single event, short time/space, setting, characters, plot, conflict,
climax, resolution, theme, point of view]

Today we will be reading a short story by O. Henry called “After Twenty Years” and looking at
the element of “characterization” [write term on board], which is how an author presents and
develops characters.

b. Tapping and Developing Background of Experience:

I bet everyone in this room has at least one friend – or used to have one – am I right? There is
something you found in that person that made you want to be friends or has kept you friends, isn’t
there? Take out your class notebook and list the things that drew you to your friend, and what
evidence you had of those things. For example: you may have thought “he/she is funny” and the
evidence you had of that was “what he/she said.”

[Give students time to write. Then get them to share some examples.]
Summarize the exercise by telling students: These qualities you are talking about are “character
traits” [write term on board]. Authors have a number of different ways they can convey
information to readers about the traits of their characters, and you are going to be looking for
those methods in our reading today.

c. Concept Development/Vocabulary:
But before we get to the reading, I want to be sure that everyone knows the meanings of some of
the words and expressions you will be coming across. Keep in mind that O. Henry, the author of
our story, was actually a man by the name of William Sydney Porter, who lived from 1862 to
1910. Not only will you see some words that may be new to you in this story, but some of O.
Henry’s expressions may sound strange, coming from a different era.

[Write on board/overhead projector: pacific, egotism, stanchest, scarfpin, lids of a watch, Roman
nose, pug nose.]

The first word is “pacific” – where have you heard this before?

[Expected response: Pacific Ocean]

Yes, the Pacific Ocean. In this story, the word has nothing to do with that ocean. Please work
with your vocabulary partner, look at the two sentences using “pacific” and come up with what
you think is a good definition of the word. Then go on to the next two words.

[On board/overhead, display the following six sentences:]

The clap of thunder shattered the pacific mood of those picnicking in the park.
Slow, quiet music has a pacific effect on my jangled nerves.

“Egotism”
He said that his bragging was not egotism because he was simply stating the facts about his
greatness.
The newspapers called it a “supreme act of egotism” when the mayor had a statue of himself
installed in the town square.

“Stanchest”
Wanting to avoid leaks, I looked for the stanchest boat I could find.
The governor’s stanchest supporters stood by him when times got tough.

[Call on students to share their definitions and get a class consensus on what these words mean,
writing the definition next to the word on the board/overhead.]

Let’s also take a look at some photographs that may help you with images in this story. [Show
photographs of: a “scarfpin”; “lids” of a watch; a “Roman nose” and a “pug nose” – getting
students to verbalize descriptions of each item.]
d. Transition/ Purpose-for-reading:
Now you have the tools you need for our reading today. I am distributing copies of the O. Henry
short story titled “After Twenty Years.” Your purpose for reading is to gain the literary
experience of this work. As you read, picture the characters in your mind, and notice the ways O.
Henry helps create those pictures of his characters for you, the reader.

[Distribute story]

SILENT READING.

DISCUSSION: Before we go on to a discussion of this story, let’s take a couple of minutes, and
with your vocabulary partner, re-tell this story in your own words. When you are finished, your
partner should do the same thing, re-telling the story in their own words. [Allow time for this
activity]

Did you see these characters in your mind as you read? Somebody give me an example of how
O. Henry showed you his characters.

[Expected responses: description of character, what character said, what character did, what
character thought, how others responded to character]

[Write on board/overhead “character name” followed in a row by the other responses given by
students: “description” “said” “did” “thought” “how other characters responded”. Draw
columns under each term. Put a title above the resulting chart: “Characterization Chart.”]

Writing assignment: Now, go back to your class notebook, where you wrote about the character
traits of a friend of yours. Use one of these methods that you have not already used, and write a
few sentences describing your friend. For instance, if you already wrote about something your
friend said or did, this time write about how other people’s reactions to your friend demonstrate
something about your friend.

[Give students time to write. Then ask for a couple of volunteers to share what they wrote.]

REREADING: Now, I would like you to copy this Characterization Chart into your class
notebooks, and work in your [pre-determined by teacher] groups of four, to fill out this chart with
the characters, their character traits, what description, quotations, and reactions demonstrate those
traits.

[Allow groups to work, then reconvene class and have students share their findings].

Now that you have seen how an author can depict characters, let’s talk about how O. Henry uses
characterization in this story. Why does he take the time to give you these details about the
characters?

[Expected answers: it helps move the story along, it helps explain why things happen, it makes
the story interesting.]
Authors can use characterization for a number of purposes, such as to help provide the tone of a
story, establish a point of view, help express a theme or moral, or help develop the plot. Here O.
Henry uses characterization to help develop the plot, including the surprise of the ending. A short
story is exactly that: it’s short – so by being careful with his characters, he not only gives you a
vivid picture, but he helps to move the story along.

FOLLOW-UP: Tonight for homework, I would like you to go back to the pre-writing you have
already done today, and turn this into a full, written character study of your friend. No, you don’t
have to give me your friend’s name if you don’t want to. When you write this character study,
use all of the methods we have seen today to reveal your friend’s character traits: description;
what your friend says, does, and thinks; how others react. This should be a finished product, and
you should edit your work. It will be scored on a rubric, with points for your use of each of the
methods we have discussed, plus points for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I will
collect these character studies tomorrow.
Virginia Career Switcher Alternative Route to Licensure Program

From the website of the Virginia Department of Education

(http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/newvdoe/CareerSwitcher):

Program Background

The Career Switcher Alternative Route to Licensure Program was created in response
to a resolution agreed to by the 1999 General Assembly. The General Assembly
requested the Board of Education to study alternative licensure programs and models in
other states and develop an alternative pathway to teaching for individuals who have
not completed a teacher preparation curriculum but have considerable life experiences,
career achievements, and academic backgrounds that are relevant for teaching in pre-K
through grade 12. During the 2000 session of the General Assembly funds were
appropriated to develop and pilot the first Career Switcher Program.

Course of Study
Career Switcher Program participants begin their study with an intensive induction into
curriculum and instruction methods, course content relating to the Standards of
Learning, differentiation of instruction, classroom/behavior management, and human
growth and development (Level I). This intensive Level I preparation includes a
minimum of 180 clock hours of instruction, including field experience. After completing
Level I preparation, candidates are awarded a Provisional Career Switcher License and
are expected to seek and obtain employment in a Virginia public or accredited nonpublic
school. An individual's salary contract is determined by the employing education
agency.

Level II preparation begins during the first year of employment. During that year, a
minimum of five seminars are provided to expand the intensive preparation
requirements associated with instructional categories and topics. The five seminars
include a minimum of 20 cumulative instructional hours. Various instructional techniques
are used to implement the seminars. During Phase II a trained mentor is assigned to
assist the candidate throughout his or her first year of employment.

Upon successful completion of Levels I and II of the Career Switcher Program and
submission of a recommendation from the Virginia educational employing agency, the
candidate will be eligible to apply for a renewable license.
Career Switcher one pager.pdf