Today's Demo Lesson

Today I had to do a "demo lesson" in front of my peers at the NWPSI (National Writing Project Summer Institute).  I don't know what it is about speaking in front of an adult crowd (especially English teachers)  that makes me nervous...oh well.  Anyway, my lesson went well.  Actually, it went very well.  I didn't stumble over words, I was confident, and comfortable.  The NWPSI fellows were impressed with my "performance".  I felt as if I had finally perfected that lesson (I have been doing this lesson for seven years).  Here is a summary of what I did today.  By the way, I wrote it in future tense.  Let me know what you think.  The summary really doesn't do it any justice.  It's one of those things that you have to see, but here goes:

             The lesson that I will be teaching for my demo is called, “Step Up to Writing:  Using the Color-Coded Method”.  This lesson focuses on teaching students how to write clear, concise, and organized paragraphs.  It also establishes a sense of order and control over their writing.

            After explaining the purpose of the lesson to the students, I will have them brainstorm by having the students write down five things that they would do if they had a million dollars.  Next, I will give them one minute to write down as many descriptive words as they can that relate to having a million dollars.  Then, I will give them one minute to write down as many transitions as they can.  After they have brainstormed ideas and written down descriptive words and transitions, I will give them some “helpful handouts” that they can use to help assist them in writing topic sentences, transitions, and concluding sentences.  After that, I will show the students an example of my color-coded accordion paragraph graphic organizer.  Next, I will show them my finished product and explain to them how I edited and transferred my information from my rough draft to my final draft.  Lastly, we will do one together as a class. 

Now, I will give the students instructions on how to fold and set up their color-coded accordion.  After that the students will share their ideas about what they would do with a million dollars with their group members and pick the top two.  Next, they will start working on a general topic sentence.  Then, they will start discussing and filling in the graphic organizer (rough draft) with details and explanations.  Once the group has filled in the graphic organizer and proofread, they will have to raise their hands so that I can come to look at it and approve their work.  Once they have my approval, they can go ahead and start transferring the information from their graphic organizer (rough draft) to their color-coded accordion.  Finally, they will choose one person from the group to read the finished product aloud.