A Discipline Philosophy – This Will Probably Change

When discussing classroom management, it is often hard for future educators to think of themselves as anything other than amazing teachers. Often we are optimists and expect our students to be wonderfully behaved and never need to be disciplined in anyway. This thought, however, is as far from the truth as anything could be, and that is where the discipline philosophy and plan come in. In order to properly explain my philosophy of discipline, I will first have to explain how I feel about my students, what I feel is my role in the classroom, and finally how I feel a classroom should be managed. Through my exploration of these topics, I will come to a single thought on how my future classroom should be and shall be run. All of my personal thoughts will culminate in the form of an actual discipline plan which will, most likely, be posted in my classroom when I teach in one.

Students, as a whole, are hard to define. When thinking on a single class, I feel that students in general are good people, as I feel all people are inherently good people. However, I do find that students are sometimes too immature to harness their inner person that would love to sit quietly and learn about Hamlet. Therefore, rules must be in place in order to guide them in their behavior. Rules are not meant to punish a child or hinder a child’s creativity or range as a person; rather they are in place to help ensure that each student gets the education that he or she is entitled to. All students are capable of self-control. They simply need to be instructed as to what is expected of them in that area of their lives. If students know what teachers expect of them in a behavioral sense, they are more likely to fulfill those expectations than if they were left to their own devices. In addition to their ability to autonomous and self-governing humans, I feel that students to some degree are my equal. I feel that we have much to learn from each other, and because of this I feel that it is important to emphasize a mutual respect. This means that I must also follow all rules that I impose on them myself to some degree. However, this equality that I feel with my students does not mean that they may overrun me. I am still the teacher. I do still have more knowledge than them in most aspects, and in order for me to impart that knowledge, my students must follow any rules that help make that happen.

As for myself, I have decided that I want to be the kind of teacher in whose class students follow the rules because they want to, not necessarily to simply avoid punishment. I see myself as a generally democratic person. I do gain much from the input of others. However, I do not see democratic teachers as jellyfish. I definitely have a backbone and, while I may value and take into account the thoughts and feelings of my students, they will have standards to strive for in my classroom. I think that students are much more inclined to follow the rules if they are in the process of making them. Therefore, class time should be spent teaching and collaborating on the rules of the classroom. I will make 4 rules, and my students can come up with the last one; this goes along with the rewards as well. My classes will each be able to determine what they feel is an appropriate class reward for good behavior. Overall, I believe that a teacher’s role in the class is leadership, although she may receive help from her students. Even as a leader of my classroom, I would prefer to manage my students rather than discipline them. There is a distinct difference, because I feel that discipline refers to reacting to a situation that is already in progress while managing implies a sense that any unwanted behavior can be given a chance to stop before extreme measures are taken. In general, I would prefer that my students know the rules, and make some of them, and then follow them because they want to not because they have to.

When it comes to classroom management, I feel there are two things necessary to accompany the rules: rewards and punishments. Students need to know that there are rewards in place if they follow all the rules. If they know that they’re working for something, even if it is just a verbal “good job,” then the rules are much better to understand. Students must also know that there are punitive actions to be taken as well should they choose to not follow the rules. When everything is posted, and you know what the positive and negative consequences are, you are more likely to want to strive for the positive rather than the negative, because nobody really wants a letter home telling their parent that they couldn’t be in they’re seat on time. When the rules and consequences of following and breaking them are posted, students are more likely to self-discipline, and that is what I intend to do with my discipline plan. A classroom management plan is not to control or to force everybody into one category; it is to teach students that they need to be accountable for their actions. Along those lines, I must also be accountable for my own rules. School-adopted classroom management programs are wonderful things because the rules quickly become the same across the board, and students know basically what to expect from each teacher because it is all the same. However, if a school-adopted plan does not work in my classroom, there has to be another way. In that instance, I would choose my own practices. I have a right to teach and my students have a right to learn. If the school-adopted program doesn’t ensure those two rights, I would toss it, and make my own that would work.

On the whole, my plan is to have a backbone. The rules are in place for a reason and my students should see and know the consequences, both positive and negative, when they enter my classroom. When given the opportunity collaborate on the rules, I feel that students are more willing to discipline themselves rather than simply having the teacher be an iron fist. I feel that in order to properly manage a classroom a system of rules with positive and negative consequences must be known to all students in the classroom, and, after a while of said rules being in place, the students are more than willing to self-manage. In this way, I plan to ensure that my students have the opportunity to learn and I have the opportunity to teach.

Classroom Rules:

1. Be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings.
2. Raise your hand and wait to be acknowledged to speak.
3. Bring all materials necessary for class: books, notebooks, pencils, etc.
4. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
5. (Each class will be given an opportunity to make this last rule)

Positive Consequences:

1. Verbal Praise (i.e. “Good job,” “Thank you for your work,” etc.)
2. Note home
3. Late pass for homework (a pass saying your homework may be ONE DAY late)
4. Class Reward: An extra credit opportunity
5. Class Reward (Each class will be given and opportunity to pick this reward)

Negative Consequences:

1. Verbal Warning and Name Written
2. Name + * – Two minutes after class with me
3. Name + ** – Ten minutes after school with me
4. Name + *** – Note home
5. Name + **** – Visit the vice principal

SEVERE CLAUSE: Visit to the vice principal

The Bard and The Benighted Prince – A Unit on Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’

I. “HAMLET” – CONTEXT, THEMES, AND INTERPRETATIONS

II. GRADE 12

III. EXPECTED DURATION – 2 WEEKS – 9 LESSONS, 1 ASSESSMENT DAY

IV. INTRODUCTION –

a. Initially, I chose “Hamlet” because it is one of my favorite plays. However, as Shakespeare as a playwright is part of the canon of required literature for all high school students, it seems likely that they will have to read this play anyhow. They will benefit greatly from this unit because they will see how they can apply modern thought and terms, such as psychology, to something that was written in Elizabethan England. The students will also be able to find themes in the text, and through their own personal interpretations of it, that they might possibly be able to apply to their own lives. Also, a firm grasp on Shakespearean language will help students as they enter colleges and take more difficult literature courses. This unit will be more of a moderately in depth overview of the play, rather than a very in depth discussion of all of the topics brought up in the dialogue. In general, the intent is to move sequentially through the play. The unit will start with a general Shakespeare introduction, which will take two days. From there, it will move sequentially through the acts of “Hamlet,” using instructor led discussions to find what students didn’t understand or what they thought was interesting about the text, and looking at some key topics in each act. The final actually taught lesson will be looking for over-arching topics or themes that apply to the whole play, not just a single act.

V. GENERAL UNIT OBJECTIVES AND PRE-ASSESSMENT

a. Objectives

i. Students will be able to understand the historical context of “Hamlet.” – “Analyze the historical, social and cultural context of setting” (Ohio Academic Content Standards: English Language Arts 261).

ii. Students will be able to identify major characters, topics, and themes in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” – “Analyze variations of universal themes in literary texts” (261).

iii. Students will be able to explain the function of most characters in “Hamlet.”

iv. Students will be able to identify an over-arching theme in “Hamlet” and provide textual evidence of the theme’s presence.

b. Pre-Assessment

i. The entire first lesson is a pre-assessment. There will be an informal writing activity in which students will write about their former experiences with Shakespeare plays, especially “Hamlet,” any concerns they may have with encountering Shakespeare’s language, or anything that they may be excited about when entering into this unit. This will also give me an idea about how much the students already know about how to read Shakespeare’s English into modern English.

VI. OUTLINE

a. General Introduction – This will include the pre-assessment as well as some translation exercises to allow the students to get ready to think in Shakespeare’s English.

b. History and Background – This will include a brief history leading up to and including Elizabethan England, staging convention of Shakespeare’s time, and historical information on “Hamlet” as a play.

c. ACT I – Students will pick some topics to discuss in this lesson, but the things that I wish to look at closely are Polonius’ advice to Laertes (ed. Worthen 292-293) and the scene between Hamlet and the Ghost (294-296).

d. ACT II – Students will pick some topics to discuss in this lesson, but the things that I wish to look closely at are the relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet and why exactly Polonius warns her away from him (297-298) as well as the purpose of the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who first appear in this act (298).

e. ACT III – Student picks, as well as a closer look at the “play within the play” (308) and how it functions in the plot of the play and Polonius’ death (311-314) and whether or not it was necessary.

f. “To be or not to be…” and “Palimpsest” – Students will take a closer look at one of the most famous speeches ever written, the “To be or not to be…” speech (305) through the concept of the palimpsest, which will be defined.

g. ACT IV – Student picks, as well as a closer look at the function of the character Fortinbras who first enters here although we hear of him earlier (315) and why he is sometimes left out of performances of “Hamlet” and why and how Ophelia becomes mad (316-319).

h. ACT V – Student picks, as well as a closer look at the scene at the graveside when Hamlet discusses the death Yorick (323) and the final scene in which everybody dies, with a special attention to whether or not Gertrude knew there was poison in the cup (325-329).

i. Themes – Students will discuss what themes or topics they felt were most important that encompass the whole play, such as action vs. inaction, being true to oneself, death, love, etc. This will also serve as a question and answer session if students have any remaining questions about “Hamlet.”

j. Formal Assessment – Students will have a period-long writing exercise.

VII. SAMPLE LESSONS/INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES

a. Topic: Introduction to Shakespeare and Pre-assessment

Objectives: Students will be able to express their pre-existing feelings about Shakespeare. Students will be able to moderately accurately translate Shakespearean English into modern English.

Activities: Students will be given a free-writing activity so they can write out anything that comes to mind when they think of Shakespeare and “Hamlet.” Students will then share their feelings in small groups, figuring out where they agree. Teacher will then redirect their writing to how they feel about Shakespeare’s language. Teacher will then pass out copies of Shakespearean sonnets for groups to translate.

Assessment: Students will be awarded for participating in free-writing. The translation activity will be a formal assessment. They must have at least the first 8 lines of the poem translated into modern English with no errors in spelling, punctuation, or content to be considered as meeting the objective.

b. Topic: History and Background

Objectives: Students will be able to identify historical events leading up to the production of “Hamlet.” Students will be able to explain staging conventions of Elizabethan theatre.

Activities: Teacher will give a presentation on Elizabethan England as well as Elizabethan theatre staging conventions. Students will be encouraged to question as the presentation proceeds. They will be encouraged to take notes. After the presentation, teacher will present a drawing of the Globe theatre and ask students to identify in unison the parts of the theatre and calling on individuals to explain what each part was used for, who used it, and why (different students for each question).

Assessment: Informal assessment via questioning about the staging conventions. All students must answer what the part of the theatre is in order for the objective to be considered fulfilled.

c. Topic: Act I

Objectives: Students will be able to identify the major characters involved in Act I. Students will be able to restate the major plot points in Act I. Students will be able to define “aphorism” as well as identify at least one.

Activities: Teacher will facilitate a student discussion, starting with identifying the major characters and plot points in this act, including some thoughts about how Hamlet’s interaction with the ghost is a catalyst for the rest of the play. Teacher will define “aphorism” and students will have to decide which of the many that Polonius says is their favorite and explain why (292-293).

Assessment: Discussion is an informal assessment to see if students can identify major characters and plots points together. Individuals will be informally assessed on whether they can identify and aphorism when given the definition; they must explain why they are words to live by to meet objective.

d. Topic: Act II

Objectives: Students will be able to identify the major characters involved in Act II. Students will be able to restate the major plot points in Act II. Students will be able to explain the function of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Activities: Teacher will facilitate a student discussion, starting with identifying the major characters and plot points in this act, including some thoughts about the nature of Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia which is now strained enough for Polonius to warn her away from him (297-298). Teacher will facilitate an in depth discussion of the function of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, including but not limited to: why they are there, what they represent for Hamlet and for Claudius respectively, whether or not they’re doing what they’re supposed to.

Assessment: Class discussion is an informal assessment of the major character and plot point identification. Each student must participate at least once to obtain objective. As a formal assessment, students will need to write a few sentences explaining what Rosencrantz and Guildenstern mean to both Hamlet and the King. In order to fulfill the objective, they must have at least a paragraph answering the questions set forth in discussion.

e. Topic: Act III

Objectives: Students will be able to identify the major characters involved in Act III. Students will be able to restate the major plot points in Act III. Students will be able to explain why the play within the play achieves the reaction it does from Claudius and why Hamlet takes Claudius’ reaction as an admission of guilt.

Activities: Teacher will facilitate a student discussion, starting with identifying the major characters and plot points in this act, including some thoughts about why Polonius had to die when he did and whether or not his death was actually necessary (311-314). Two students, volunteers, will read the script of the play within the play (308). Teacher will then facilitate a student discussion on why the play achieved the reaction did from Claudius and Hamlet’s thoughts on that reaction.

Assessment: Discussion will be an informal assessment of the identification of characters, plot points, as well as whether or not students understood why the play within the play has the effect that it does on both Claudius and Hamlet. Each student must participate once in the discussion in order to fulfill objectives.

f. Topic: “To be or not to be…” and the “palimpsest”

Objectives: Students will be able to define a palimpsest. Students will be able to explain why the “To be or not to be…” speech in “Hamlet” and its various interpretations qualify as a palimpsest.

Activities: Teacher will define palimpsest as “something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface” (http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=palimpsest). Teacher will then explain how different interpretations of the “To be or not to be…” speech build upon each other creating the layering that is implied when calling it a palimpsest. Students will then watch several different versions of the same scene from different actors (Laurence Olivier, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, and Ethan Hawke). They will, as they watch, write similarities and differences that they see in each film.

Assessment: Students will be formally assessed based on their notes taken while watching the films. Students must have at least 6 connections between any of the four film segments to be considered as reaching the objective.

g. Lessons for Days 7 and 8 will function basically the same way that Days 4 and 5 did, with the following exceptions:

a. Instead of explaining the function of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as on Day 4, students will be able to explain the function of Fortinbras in “Hamlet.” After teacher defines what a “foil” is, the formal assessment will be to explain why Fortinbras is Hamlet’s foil. Students must have at least two reasons why he is a foil to obtain objective.

b. Instead of explaining why the play within the play received the reaction it did as on Day 5, students will be able to explain why Gertrude had to die on Day 8. Teacher will facilitate a discussion on whether or not Gertrude knew there was poison in the cup Claudius kept trying to give to Hamlet in the final scene (325-329). The formal assessment will require that students state their opinion on this matter and support their assertion with evidence from the text, and if they cannot find any, explain why. Students must have at least 2 supports to be consider the objective obtained.

h. Topic: Over-arching themes

Objectives: Students will be able to identify and discuss topics and themes that may be used to develop a “moral” of “Hamlet.”

Activities: In groups of three, students will identify what they think the main over-arching theme of “Hamlet.” Each group must come to a consensus as to what they believe the theme is, and state why to the class, via writing it on the chalkboard or on newsprint and taping it up. After each group has explained their answer, there may be a question and answer session. Individually, students will then work on a possible thesis statement for a paper asking for an explanation of an over-arching theme.

Assessment: Each student will turn in a possible thesis statement as well as come up with evidence from the text to support their assertion. They must have a coherent thesis statement and at least two textual supports to be considered as reaching the objective.

VIII. RESOURCES

Brockett, Oscar G., and Franklin J. Hildy. History of the Theatre. 9th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2003. 108-137. (for background on theatre conventions, and Tudor history)

Ohio Academic Content Standards: K-12 English Language Arts

Magelssen, Scott (for inspiration for the lesson for Day 6)

Stephenson, Sarah (for inspiration on the lesson for Day 1)

Worthen, W.B., ed. The Wadsworth Anthology of Drama. 5th ed. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007. 287-329. (for the text of “Hamlet”)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040416/ (for information on the Laurence Olivier version of “Hamlet”)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099726/ (for information on the Mel Gibson version of “Hamlet”)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116477/ (for information on the Kenneth Branagh version of “Hamlet”)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171359/ (for information on the Ethan Hawke version of “Hamlet”)

http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/shakespeare_sonnets.htm (for a translation of the sonnets into modern English)

http://poetry.eserver.org/sonnets/ (for a complete list of sonnets)

http://webster.com/dictionary/aphorism (for the definition of aphorism)

http://webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=palimpsest (for the definition of palimpsest)

IX. UNIT ASSESSMENT – Students will be asked to write an essay in one class period explaining one theme from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” They should have at least three textual references as to why the theme that they chose as the “moral” of the play is the correct one. Points will be subtracted for incorrect grammar and usage.

Big, Red Balloon – A Lesson on Adjective Placement

Grade:10

Grade Level Indicator:

Writing Conventions: Grammar and Usage

Use proper placement of modifiers

a. Objectives

Students will be able to place adjectives in their proper order in relation to nouns by picking adjectives for various simple pictures and placing the adjectives in their correct order 8 out of 10 times.

b. Materials/Resources

Make sure the room in which presentation takes place has internet access and a computer projector

Go to the URL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qUd2KHv7Ec – Schoolhouse Rock – “Unpack Your Adjectives”

Make a print-out of the order of adjectives from, and direct a web-browser connected to a projector to, the URL http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blgr_adjective_order.htm to inform students as to what the order of adjectives should be.

List of many adjectives from all different categories and nouns they could modify

For examples see: http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?u=12894 (an adjective list), however, teacher may have to provide own.

c. Instructional Procedures

Set Induction

1. Have the class watch Schoolhouse Rock’s “Unpack Your Adjectives” on YouTube. Although the class should have a firm grasp on what an adjective is, this video is to illustrate aurally and visually that there are different types of adjectives and give them some examples of them – 3 minutes

Example: The song says, “He was a hairy bear. He was a scary bear.” Hairy is an adjective about material, while scary is an opinion adjective

2. Explain to the class what exactly they will be learning that day: the proper order of adjectives when using multiple adjective to describe one noun. Possibly connect the order of adjectives to the Order of Operations from mathematics. – 1 minute

3. Present the order of adjectives via the About.com website on the screen. The site gives a numbered list illustrating the order in which two or more adjectives should appear when modifying a single noun. Explain each kind of adjective and give at least one example for each type in addition to the ones on the screen, possibly using words that are in the students’ vernacular, obviously at the instructor’s discretion. – 3-5 minutes

Possible Examples:

1. Opinion – ex: a horrible movie

2. Dimension – ex: deep pockets

3. Age – ex: a young girl

4. Shape – ex: the square computer monitor

5. Color – ex: black night

6. Origin – ex: Chinese food

7. Material – ex: a metal bat

Questioning/Examples

4. Provide students with a paper copy of the order of adjectives, either directly from the website or a re-typed and easier to read copy. – 1 minute

5. Present PowerPoint: “Let’s Unpack Some Adjectives!”

A. Slide 1: Questions to Ask Yourself – Explain each question that students should ask themselves when trying to describe the things to be presented. Pay special attention to the difference between looking at/listening to (the physical thing that’s being presented to them) and seeing/hearing (what’s in the thing that’s being presented). For example, when looking at a picture, the student could describe the picture itself or what’s in the picture.

B. Present each slide. For the slides with music, allow students to describe the music OR the picture that corresponds. For the slide with bubbles, for better student understanding, have one student blow some with the bubbles provided by teacher. For the slide with the teddy bear, pass one around so students can describe how it feels as well as looks. Allow students to call out answers and under which category of adjective they fall. Write answers on the board. 10-12 minutes

POSSIBLE ANSWERS

Nouns to Modify Opinion Dimension Age

Painting interesting huge old

Queen Elizabeth I fascinating big Tudor

Photograph boring small ancient

Queen Elizabeth II ugly average outdated

Leaves beautiful recent

Music annoying ephemeral

Marching band lame seasonal

Bubbles stately

Teddy bear

Shape Color Origin Material

round red English oil

rectangle orange American marching band

square yellow Ohioan dance

shiny Tudor wool

many-colored velvet

Closure

6. When through with initial run-through of slides, go back through the slide show and have individual students pick two adjectives from the board to describe each slide. They must physically move to the board and point to the word. 5-7 minutes

7. Break students into pairs and have them try to come up with a mnemonic device to help them remember the order of adjectives. Give them examples of other pneumonic devices such as “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” for the mathematics Order of Operations (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction) or “Good Boys Eat Hot Never Cold Pizza” for remembering the countries of Central America in order (Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama). Share the ideas with the class, and vote on which one all of the students want to learn. 7-10 minutes

d. Evaluation Strategies

Evaluate formatively. Be sure that each student understands why they picked the words they did and the order in which they go before a noun. Actual formal evaluation of this lesson will not take place until a summative unit test dealing with grammar.

e. Adaptations for Special Needs Students/Various Learners/Possible Extensions

1. Adaptations: Rather than having the teacher write answers on the blackboard, have students keep records of their own answers in order to give kinesthetic learners the chance to write as well as seeing and hearing answers. Allow extra time for those who need it. Students who cannot move about the room as easily may participate in the closure from their seats.

2. Extensions: Have students describe each other using several adjectives in the proper order, making sure that the words they use are kind. Or, if students cannot refrain from insulting each other, have them describe members of their family.

Pictures on the PowerPoint provided by:

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Queen-Elizabeth-II-Posters_i876234_.htm

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/frugalcrafts/preservingleaves.htm

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/economy/

http://englishhistory.net/tudor/beeslychapterfour.html

http://www.last.fm/music/Whitney+Houston/_/I+Wanna+Dance+With+Somebody

http://www.nimpa.org/pages/64.htm

http://shop.missamerica.org/description.asp?pid=50

Music:

“Alma Mater” performed by the Northland High School Marching Band

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES

1. Opinion

Example: an interesting book, a boring lecture

1. Dimension

Example: a big apple, a thin wallet

1. Age

Example: a new car, a modern building, an ancient ruin

1. Shape

Example: a square box, an oval mask, a round ball

5. Color

Example: a pink hat, a blue book, a black coat

1. Origin

Example: some Italian shoes, a Canadian town, an American car

1. Material

Example: a wooden box, a woolen sweater, a plastic toy