RESEARCH AWARENESS

 

PROJECT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By

Lorri A. Stinnett

November 26, 2001

SEED 3554

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents:

 

Part I.           Introduction ************************************************* 1

 

Part II.                    Description of Criteria for Classification******************* 3

 

Part III.         Summary of Observations ********************************* 4

 

Part IV.         A. Gifted and Talented Development ******************** 11

B. This Experience - My Professional Development **** 12

 

Part V.          Related Research Summary and Application *********** 14

 

Part VI.         References ************************************************* 19

 

Part VII.        Special Provisions For This Child ************************ 20

 

Part VIII.       Lesson Plans ********************************************** 21

 

         Part IX.                  Examples of Classroom Work

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part I.  INTRODUCTION

 

I would like to address the exceptionality of “Gifted and Talented,” for the topic of my Research Awareness Project.  The exceptionality of the Gifted and Talented student involves test scores, grades, creativity, self-initiative, leadership and reasoning skills.  Identification results in collaborative evidence in all these areas, and no single factor would be grounds for identification.  Studies show evidence that a student's environment, exposure and proper nurturing contribute to the gifted abilities of a student rather than genetics alone.  

Sadly, most talented students in America never reach their full potential.  The talents of disadvantaged and minority children have been neglected even more.  One in four American children live in poverty, and often there is a tremendous amount of untapped talent among these children.  So much of the attention is focused on problems encountered in the home environment; the resources are simply not there to address additional needs. 

Public school systems are so paralyzed with the interest of standards, budgets, and meeting the needs of other areas of exceptionalities, I fear the student with gifted abilities is often overlooked.  They are simply under challenged and consequently, underachieve.

The law in the United States only mandates that an adequate educational opportunity be offered to every boy and girl regardless of race or disability.  Adequate may be considered sufficient, but it certainly does not accomplish a child's potential. I expect that many of America’s most talented students are being denied the challenging education they are capable of and deserve.  This is also a disservice to our country.

Another area of concern is the tendency of society to encourage our students to meet standards, and too often we favor conformity over any deviation of the norm.  As Gregory Anrig, president of the Educational Testing Service explains:

In America we often make fun of our brightest students, giving them such derogatory names as nerd, dweeb, or, in a former day, egghead.  We have sent conflicting signals to our children about how hard they should work to be smart.  As a culture we seem to value beauty far more than brains.   Peer pressure as well encourages the avoidance of academic achievement especially among minority adolescents.  Whether it is jealousy or simply 'uncool.'

Only a challenging educational institution and communities can elevate expectations and resources that students need to contribute the most to society.  Because the home is where so many good habits are instilled, it is very important that parents work closely with their child’s school district.  They are the particular ones that are responsible to teach their children the desire to excel and to see that the school is doing their part in offering the resources they need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OBSERVATION - Criteria Part II

Third Grade

North Side Elementary School

South Conway County School District

Morrilton, Arkansas

CRITERIA  FOR

CLASSIFICATION DECISIONS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


                                                                                      

 

 

                                                                              

Creativity: “not art” – This is problem solving skills that require a higher level of thinking.  This also includes writing skills.  Having the ability to express imagination and explanation in writing.

 

Class Academics:  Grades made on daily work and weekly assessments.  This also includes the student’s ability to stay on task and work on his or her own without constant direction.

 

Test Scores:  Sat 9 is the primary test considered.  Sometimes the WTC score is considered.  This is taken when the student is in kindergarten.  GT classes are offered in the third grade, so they have three years of test scores to consider.

 

Teacher Recommendation:  Recommendation by previous teacher is very important, and it is very hard for the student to get in GT without being recommended.

 

(Part of the students in this class have been identified and part only “recognized” and recommended.)  Identification is done by teacher request.

 

 

Part III. SUMMARY Observations Visits

 

October 15, 2001

Observed 8:05-10:05

 

Class begins with announcements being read over the intercom.  The students stand at the end of announcements, and they are led in the Pledge of Allegiance.  Then a patriotic song is played over the intercom.  Today it was the Star Spangled Banner.  The students are encouraged to sing along if they wish.

          The lunch count is taken.  The teacher presents the lunch count as the first math problem of the day.  She announces that they have one person absent, the lunch boxes are lined on the floor under the chalkboard, so, “How many students will be eating in the lunchroom that day?”  The students tell her.

          A “helper” is chosen for the day alphabetically.  The helper is responsible to keep up with any late arrivals, and they take the lunch count to the office.  Any errands or additional class responsibilities are their job for that day.  The students are divided in days of the week at the beginning of the year.  So when it is time to line up to go somewhere, they line up by Monday's row if the day of the week is Monday.

Assignments are written in the corner of the white board daily.  Today they are:

 

1.)  Math (Mathland)

a.     Check Skill Power (homework) given the previous day.

b.     Daily Tune Up – math exercise

c.     Mini Lesson – New lesson in Math

d.     Skill Power – is handed out;  This is homework or they can work on it in class if they extra time.

e.     Arithmetwists

 

2.)  Activities – Today's activity is music

 

 

3.)  Spelling

a.     Talents Unlimited

b.     Pretest (Peer Check)

 

4.)  Reading

a.     SRA Unit

 

          Daily Tune Up:  Today it is counting the next five numbers by 11 after being given a starting point.  The starting points today were 99, 399, 477, and 988.  The class gave the next sequential numbers aloud as a class when the teacher directed them to do so by raising her fingers in the air.

Mini Lesson: This lesson is provided by the teacher from her workbook.  (In Mathland, the students do not have books.  Copies are made and passed out from a workbook the teacher uses.)

Basic Skills:  These are part of the Mini Lesson.  They work on this alone.  After the teacher has given them the time to work on it, they read the answers aloud in class.  Today it is basic addition and subtraction, and there is always one word problem. (They do pre-Algebra on Fridays.) 

Arithmetwists:  The students love these.  They are a fun sheet on basic math skills.

 

          SRA Reading Units:  This is a very old technique of improving reading at schools.  At this time, the school district is testing low in Reading Comprehension, so this area is now being emphasized more.  These units start out in the first grade level.  Teacher explains to me, that some disagree and think this is unnecessary for GT.  Her response to this is, that everyone always assumes GT knows everything.  She feels it is very possible they too could have missed emphasis in this area the past three years or that maybe it was covered when they were not developmentally prepared to comprehend it.  This is referred to as the “late bloomers.” She believes GT can miss things too, and she feels very good about the results she has seen with the use of the SRA packets.

The packets progressively get harder so they do challenge the students.

          The students went to music class this day for their “Activity Class.”  In this class, there are five children from a Resource Class with different exceptionalities.  One appeared to have Downs Syndrome and another probably Autistic.  These students are streamlined in with this Music class.  One was very distractive to the rest of the class (Autistic).  They took notes off the board, chose song leaders by pulling names, sang a song out of their music books, and sang The President’s Rap.  They also played bells and had lots of fun.

     This Gifted and Talented class makeup includes one child with hypoglycemia that has to eat a snack throughout the day.  Three students have a bladder abnormality and must go to the bathroom often.  There are five minority students out of nineteen.  One student, a boy, lives with his “Pa.”  Pa is not able to cook nor take care of himself or the little boy.  There is an uncle staying at the house off and on who is supposed to be responsible for the child.  He often complains of not having food in the house or if food is available, there is no one to cook it.  From an academic standpoint and creativity, he is probably the most exceptional little boy in the class.  This is a good example, that GT students do not all generate from the upper socioeconomic level in society.  How wonderful it is to see teachers and an educational institution take an interest in his abilities.  They could have so easily allowed him to fall through the cracks with his difficult home life.  This is what good teachers are all about!

Observation

October 16, 2001

8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

 

          Today is an "Independent Study" day.  This means that no class instruction is given, and the students work on their own from the assignments written on the board.  The teacher is available for assistance and any questions the students might have.

Assignments:

1)              Spelling

a.     ABC order (NB)

b.     Worksheet #40 (NB)

c.     October Word Puzzle (NB)

 

2)              Math

a.     Check homework

b.     Daily Tune UP

c.     Mini Lesson (worksheet)

d.     Arithmetwist (T)

(Odd-Even Nos.)

e.     Skill Power #52 (NB)

 

The math problem for the day was:  Six students brought their lunch with one student being absent.  How many are eating in the lunchroom for this day?

Teacher asks specifically to see their desks organized.  For example:  If the student is right handed, they are instructed to place their book on the left and paper on the right with both placed at a slanted position.  Left handed students were instructed to do the opposite. 

 

 

 

Their grading scale:

Advanced - Full 100%  (Ex. 8 points.)

Proficient - 5-6 correct

Basic - 3-4 correct

Below Basic - 2 or less correct

 

Observation

October 18, 2001

8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

 

The assignments are on the board as follows:

 

1)              Math

a.     Basic math (T)

b.     Check homework

c.     Skill Power #53 (NB)

d.     Daily Tune Up

e.     Basic Math I

 

2)              Activity - Computer Lab 12:30

 

3)              Spelling Pre-Test

 

 

This is a special day for the class, The First Lady of the Sate of Arkansas, Mrs. Janet Huckabee, came for a visit and read a Dr. Seuss story to the class.  She stayed about 45 minutes, and the students were allowed to ask her questions. This was a great opportunity for the students.

 

Observation

October 23, 3001

8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

 

The class begins with the typical morning routine of announcements, Pledge of Allegiance, and patriotic song.  (Student's birthdays are also announced at this time.)

 

 

1)              Writing

a.     Cursive writing (T)

b.     Writing process (sentences) NB

c.     Mini lesson - Daily Writing 3 (NB)

 

2)              Activity (PE)

 

3)              Spelling

a.     Check work for neatness

b.     A-B-C order of all 21 words (NB)

 

4)              Reading

a.     SRA 2

 

The process sentence exercise offers the students a topic.  Today it is a "robot."  They brainstorm parts of speech for adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, and then make a super sentence from the brainstorming words.

 

Observation

October 29, 2001

8:00 -10:00 a.m.

 

The assignments for the day were:

 

1)    Math

a.     Mini lesson #41 (NB)

b.     Check homework

c.     Work sheet #61-67 (T)

d.     Practice #42 (T)

e.     Arithmetwists #7 (NB)

 

2)    Activity (Music)

 

3)    Spelling

a.     Planning

b.     Communication

 

4)    Reading

a.     SRA

 

5)    Language

a.     Literature - Teacher reads aloud a mystery book.

b.     Practice #33 (NB)

c.     Practice #34 (NB) (nouns, common, proper, singular and plural)

d.     Practice #35 (NB)

 

6)    Writing

a.     Cursive writing P.25 (T)

b.     Process

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part IV. - A. Gifted and Talented Development

 

          The gifted and talented classroom is different from a normal classroom in numerous ways.  First of all, the curriculum is accelerated.  For example, the same math worksheet maybe given in the normal classroom, but in the GT classroom, it will be completed at a faster rate with a higher achievement expectancy.  While the students are working on one thing, the teacher is already passing out the next worksheet for them to start on when they get finished with the first one.  It is amazing to watch how fast they work and how eager they are to start something else.  It is actually a conflict at times for the teacher to keep a few of them busy enough.

The lessons and instruction time in the GT classroom will be shorter with less time being spent on explanation.  The content is also compacted so that the simpler things that are easily picked up on are passed quickly.  The students are encouraged to exercise their own initiative in working on their own.  The Independent Study day is an example of the opportunity for them to do so.  

          The GT class completes exercises that are kept in an individual folder called "Talents Unlimited."  I have enclosed samples of these exercises.  These are designed to challenge the student's creativity whether it is planning for a party or simply creating an imaginative portrait from a squiggled line.  It is very interesting to view the imagination that many of the students put into these.

          The GT class has a project that they work on each month.  In September, they studied Johnny Appleseed.  Their project was the making of pillows from washcloths that they painted apples on.  They used red yarn for the fringe edging around the pillow's edge.  The students have a work tray beside their desk where these are kept for them to work on between assignments if they finish early.  For the month of October, the students designed their own pumpkins.  I have never seen such original ideas.  There was a spider, a butterfly and a mummy.  I have enclosed pictures of some of their pumpkins and some of the pillows they completed.

          Desk organization and tidiness is always emphasized to the students.  They are not allowed to have books or folders on their desk that are not pertinent to the task at hand.  This is a lot of responsibility for fourth graders. 

          The students have computer class one day a week for their activity.  At this time, they are being introduced to Internet Research on the computer.  This fascinated me.  The GT teacher is very busy keeping these students busy.  She gives them extra projects and slips in extra units when they are needed.  She said that many perceive her job as being easy because of the level of students she has in her classroom.  She stated that it was quite the opposite.  It is a huge task for her to keep them busy with legitimate work, and she also included that when these children do get bored, they can present a big discipline challenge. 

 

Part IV - B.  This Experience - My Professional Development

 

          This opportunity provided me a clear difference from a normal classroom of students compared to a Gifted and Talented classroom.  I think I would enjoy working with a GT class because I love challenges myself, and I think it would be very rewarding to challenge the students to their fullest potential and watch them succeed and have pride in themselves.  I do not believe most of us truly know what we are capable of without the experience of challenge itself.  Even to try and fail is okay, and I believe in not giving up just because you might have failed the first time.  I think it is important to encourage students to always try, to try their best, and to realize they might not succeed the first time or maybe not at all.  As a teacher, I want to remove the fear of failure because I feel it is a hurtle never overcome by many and results in wasteful talent and abilities.

          I also believe that unnecessary and too many expectations can be made of a gifted and talented student as well.  While I believe that no child will produce above what is expected from him/her, I do believe I can expect too much.  One has to remember that every student is not going to make 100% every time.  It is also important not to assume they already understand every concept that may have been introduced to them before.  For one reason or another, they may have missed out or gotten behind on particular content.  So the students need to know that there is never a dumb question.  They need to feel comfortable being their selves without embarrassment.  They are still people and children that need to be loved and understood without too much being expected of them.  I believe it is important to their overall development to be allowed to be a kid while they are one.  They have lots of time to act like adults.

          This period of observation has been an ultimate experience for me.  Classroom instruction is good, but I believe nothing can compare to actual experiences and personal observation of students. 

 

 

Part V. - Related Research Summary and Applications

 

SUMMARY: 

 

          Many students in the United States are identified as "Gifted and Talented."  These students learn at a faster pace than the average student and quickly get bored with repetitive work.  Because of the rate at which they learn, it poses a challenge for the schools and parents. 

          Most of these students never reach their full potential because the resources are simply not there.  They are not challenged so they underachieve as to what they might be capable of achieving.  The students from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds are especially neglected because their parents do not have the resources to expose them to educational experiences.  Often the parents do not have an education themselves (A quiet crisis in educating talented students, 1993).

          Underachievement often results to an increased risk of self-doubt because of a continuous cycle of disappointments.  Under achievement interrupts the well- rounded development necessary in acquiring self-efficacy.   A sense of pessimism frequently forms further complicating the life of a gifted youngster. 

          Another problem that is faced with among our gifted and talented students, to quote from Ramos-Ford & Gardner in 1997,

Is to employ test scores to identify underachievement among students who possess significant spatial giftedness or interpersonal talent--both of which are distinct from the kinds of giftedness usually identified and served by schools--is as inappropriate as using IQ cut scores for placement of students in intelligence domain-specific programs (Olenchak, 1999).

This raises another question or task for educators as how to best measure the behavior or collections of behaviors that cannot always be measured sufficiently by tests (Olenchak, 1999).

          Then there are the parents of these gifted children that need to be considered.  They are found in precarious situations wondering if they are offering their children enough stimulating, educational experiences to enhance their child's abilities.  They seem to always be wondering where they draw the line, what they can afford, and experiencing feelings of guilt because of fear for not providing adequately.

          Another concern for parents of gifted children is the challenging circumstances when there are other siblings.  Maybe the other sibling learns quite the opposite of the gifted child.  How does one rationalize treating one child differently over the other?  When two children are so totally different, how can you treat them both alike?  What if the child that is not gifted feels like a failure and inferior member of the family?  There are a lot of issues these parents have to deal with, and it is a sensitive issue.  These are children's lives that parents have to make decisions about, and the right and wrong choices can affect that child's future for the rest of their lives.  It is simply a tough road for parents of gifted children as well (Stephens, 1999).

          There have been many events in the history of this country that have helped make some strides in the area of gifted and talented students.  Intelligence testing by Alfred Binet was on the right track when he developed the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test.  His work remains unparalleled, yet research is still being looked at to look for improved methods of identification.

Sputnik launched by Russia certainly got this country's attention.  This turned all eyes toward the fields of math and science for fear that our country was being threatened by the lack of resources made available to our students.  The Congress found their selves scrambling to find money to appropriate in the effort. 

          The Civil Rights Act, the Association of the gifted, and the National Association of the Gifted and Talented have all been products of greater attention to this special group of students with special abilities.  The study of creativity done by Piirto, the changing roles of women, and the new school reform again, are all products of renewed attention to the gifted and talented.  One could go on and on to mention the positive things that have occurred and been accomplished in the interest of the gifted and talented, but obviously the future influences for the needs of gifted and talented children needs to remain positive, world wide, and long lasting (Imbeau, 1999).

          There have been many missed opportunities in the past.  Another conflict that intensifies problems for gifted children is the need to convince professors, teachers, administrators and sometimes even the parents, that children with advanced abilities have different learning needs than can be met within a direction of standard curriculum.  The question is how many of these will support fund appropriation and return to school for retraining in the effort to provide the resources these children deserve.  It is a complicated matter with no simple solutions (Corn, 1999).

APPLICATIONS:

"Learning is cumulative; all students, including the gifted, develop to their full potential only when their special strengths are identified and supported throughout their lives (A quiet crisis in educating talented students, 1993)."  One facet necessary in accomplishing this goal is for the community to get involved.  Lawmakers, educators, business leaders, civic organizations, and parents have all got to realize the untapped talent that is actually out there and what it could mean for their child, their company, and this country.

          Another facet, is the understanding of professionals that gifted and talented abilities, especially categorical talents cannot always be completely defined from a written test.  Other factors must be involved to truly understand the potential that a child might have, if not in one area, maybe another.  This is going to require more interest, research, money, and the interest and effort of those who can make a difference in the identification process.

          Parents are a particularly important group.  They have got to establish the necessary time involved with their children to recognize and react to their child's abilities whatever they might be.  One of the first steps to make in the right direction for parents is to be a good child advocate and build valuable partnerships with teachers and the school system.  These two groups must work together for the benefit of the child.  Educators must help parents, and parents must help educators.  A team effort will help minimize the confusion and turmoil that can result in raising a gifted child, and parent involvement is essential.     

          There have been many influences in the past that have contributed positive awareness in the field of gifted and talented.  These influences have made differences and positive changes in the lives of many.  But in order for this country to continue making strides in the right direction, future influences must remain positive and long lasting.

          These future influences need to be active on a national level, and this means involving the media and the legislature in passing legislation to protect the rights of children for an education that provides resources of students reaching their full potential.  The success that can be realized from this effort will be evident worldwide as this attitude eventually changes. 

          This effort will only be a reality with the efforts of consumers, educators, and parents getting involved, and placing the education of our children at the highest level of priority.  If this country refuses to confront this inadequacy head on in the twenty-first century, missed opportunities for this great nation will only continue to grow and so will the number of our kids having dismal attitudes toward their special ability and education as well (Olenchak, Stephens, Imbeau, and Corn, 1999.)

 

 

 

 

VI.  References

 

A case for developing america's talent. (October 1993) Part I. Educational Government Web Site. Retrieved October 10, 2001, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/DevTalent/part 1.html

 

Corn, A.L. (Nov./Dec. 1999). Missed opportunities--but a new century is starting. Gifted Child Today Magazine 22, No. 6., p.19-21. Retrieved October 10, 2001, http://firstsearch.oclc.org

 

Imbeau, M.B. (Nov./Dec. 1999). A century of gifted education:  A reflection of who and what made a difference. Gifted Child Today Magazine 22, No. 6., p. 40-43. Retrieved October 10, 2001, http://firstsearch.oclc.org

         

Olenchak, F.R. (May/June 1999). Affected development of gifted students with nontraditional talents. Roeper Review 21, No. 4., p. 293-297. Retrieved October 10, 2001, from Http://firstsearch.oclc.org

 

Stephens, K.R. (Sept./Oct. 1999). Parents of the gifted and talented:  The forgotten partner. Gifted Child Today Magazine 22, No. 5., p. 38-43. Retrived October 10, 2001, http://firstsearch.oclc.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part VII. - Special Provisions For This Child

 

I observed in a Gifted and Talented classroom, so the focus of my observation was on the "class" instead of a particular student because there were not any special provisions made for any individual child.  The classroom as a whole differed from a normal classroom in that the curriculum was accelerated.  In other words, there was more material covered with less instruction and explanation time.  The students were given additional projects or units as needed to keep them busy with legitimate work instead of just busy work.  They worked on talents unlimited portfolios that initiated their individual creative ability.  They have one day a week called Independent Study where they are expected to work on their own without any instruction and only offered assistance at their request.  The teacher incorporated a project per month that dealt either with a topic studied or a national celebrated holiday that offered them the opportunity to challenge their creativity and display individual talent.  In conclusion, there were higher expectations made of this class in achievement and proficiency than that of a typical classroom. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIII. - Lesson Plan

Unit 1

Lesson Plans

Nouns:  Definition and Identification

 

AUTHOR:                Lorri A. Stinnett

DATE:                    November 26, 2001

GRADE LEVEL:      6th Grade

SUBJECT:              Language

 

OVERVIEW:           This lesson will introduce the definition of a noun as a part of speech, the identification of nouns and common nouns v. proper nouns, and the recognition of the correct plural form of nouns.

 

PURPOSE:             The purpose of this lesson is to teach students in 6th grade what a noun is and various ideas to the identification of the noun.  The identification will include that the student will be able to differentiate between a common noun and a proper noun.  The correct plural form of different nouns also needs to be addressed in this lesson.  This lesson is necessary to precede a lesson on subject and predicate identification in sentences.

 

OBJECTIVES:        

 

1.)  Teach the definition of a noun - as a person, place or a thing which frequently follows an identifier or article i.e. a, an, or the.

2.)  Teach that a proper noun is a noun that represents names, locations and titles.

3.)  Teach that the correct plural forms of nouns are as follows:

 Change y to i and add es. Ex. Puppy - Puppies

Change the form of a word. Ex. Child - Children

Add s - Ex. Toy - Toys

Add es if the word ends with x, ch, sh, s, or z.

ACTIVITIES:

          After the lesson on nouns, the students will be given three assignments to complete:

1.)            One worksheet will be 10 sentences.  They will read each sentence and circle the nouns in each one.

2.)            The second part of the instructions on this worksheet will require the student to read the sentences once again to determine if the nouns circled are proper or common.  They will identify the difference by placing a "C" above the common nouns and a "P" above the proper nouns.

3.)            The second worksheet will be handed out with a column of twenty nouns.  The student will write the correct plural form out beside each noun in the blank provided.

4.)            The third assignment can be used for homework if time does not allow it to be completed in class.  The directions for this assignment asks that the children create 10 sentences on their own using at least two nouns per sentence with each noun being underlined.

These four activities address the analysis, comprehensive, and synthesis level of Blooms Taxonomy.  This higher level of learning is a good modification to consider for GT.  The students should be able to complete this with 100% accuracy.  Exercise 1, 2, & 3 will be gone over in class with each student checking their own paper.  Exercise 4 will be turned in to the teacher the following day.  It will be graded and recorded in the grade book.

MODIFICATIONS:  

1.)            Each assignment could be reduced to one-half the amount of sentences to identify, and one-half the words to write in the blanks.

2.)            The sentences on the worksheet can be read aloud to a student that has difficulty reading or is a slow reader.

3.)            The homework assignment could be altered to writing five sentences using at least two nouns each instead of ten.

Resources/Materials:  White board, dry erase markers, and worksheets.

SUMMARY:    After instruction and the worksheet has been gone over, and the homework assignment has been received and graded, the following point scale should evaluate whether or not the objectives have been met in this lesson plan.

Ten sentences worth three points each.

Two nouns used in each sentence equals two points.

If both nouns are underlined correctly, it will equal one point.

**If half the class gets 25 points out of 30, the objectives have been met.  If it is less than 25 points, the objectives need to be reinforced once again.  If only a few do poorly, those few need to be re-mediated on the parts they are having difficulty with.

Unit 2

Lesson Plans

Verbs:  Definition and Identification

AUTHOR:                Lorri A. Stinnett

DATE:                    November 26, 2001

GRADE LEVEL:      6th Grade

SUBJECT:              Language

OVERVIEW:           This lesson will introduce the definition of a verb as a part of speech and how to identify a verb in a sentence.

PURPOSE:             The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students in 6th grade the definition of a verb and how to identify a verb in a sentence.  This lesson is necessary to precede a lesson on the subject and predicate in sentences.

OBJECTIVES:

1.)      Teach the definition of a verb - as an action verb or the action that the noun is either doing or receiving.

                              2.)      Teach the students to identify a verb by asking 

"What is the noun/subject in the sentence doing?"

"What is the word in the sentence describing or doing action?"

ACTIVITIES:           After the lesson on verbs, the students will be given two assignments to complete:

1.)            One worksheet will be 10 sentences.  They will read each sentence and circle all the verbs in the sentences.  We will then go over these sentences in class asking for volunteers to read the sentences and give their answer as a way of checking their own paper.

2.)            The second worksheet will be 15 sentences containing a total of 15 verbs.  **This can be a homework assignment if time does not allow it to be completed in the class time.  It will be turned into the teacher the following day to be graded and recorded in the grade book. 

These two activities address the analysis and comprehension level of Blooms Taxonomy. The students are expected to complete the worksheet with 100% accuracy.