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Class Plan -- Unit Two, Day 24

Goals

Assignment for Day 25
Reading - [For their homework, have students read ahead in preparation for the text analyses they will be doing on their own. In other words, assign the two readings from the course packet which will be the topics of discussion for Days 26 and 27. You might also ask students to annotate these readings, particularly in terms of some of the things that come to mind after having practiced text analysis in class using the handout.]

Related Handouts

Activities

General Discussion of Article Spend a few minutes checking comprehension of the article your students have read for today. You might prepare a few questions which ask them to talk in very general terms about the topic and purpose of the text. This is so that everyone will be on the same page at the beginning of the text Anaysis.

Group Activity: Text Analysis Explain that today (and in the next class), you will be practicing text analysis as a class. Review (briefly) the sections of the text analysis handout, then put up instructions like the following.

  1. 1. Form a group of three.
  2. 2. Assign a recorder, a reporter, and a timekeeper for your group. Your recorder will write your responses down on the overhead transparency provided. The timekeeper will try to ensure that you are at a stopping point by ten minutes before the end of class. And the reporter will present your group's information next class.
  3. 3. As a group, begin answering the questions under your assigned heading(s) of the "Analyzing a Written Text" handout. (I will give your group its assignment in just a minute.) Be sure to give specific examples from the article to support your answers!
  4. 4. We will continue this analysis/discussion in the next class.

While students are working, you will want to circulate among their groups and try to help them with any problems they are having with particular questions or with the whole process of text analysis. Toward the end of the period, try to gauge how much time the different groups are going to need next class to finish this activity.

Discussion of Questions/Problems So Far. Ask students which questions so far were hard to answer and why. Try to help them to understand what the questions are asking. Explain once again that they will spend a few minutes completing this analysis in groups next time (if necessary).

Explain reading assignment (and absence of writing assignment) for next class.