Lesson Report:
### **Lesson Report**
**Title: Synthesizing Texts: From Analysis to Argumentation**
This session focused on scaffolding the skills necessary for analytical and argumentative writing. The lesson progressed from reflecting on the challenges of textual interpretation to practicing the construction of a thesis statement with supporting evidence. The culminating activity required students to synthesize ideas from two distinct texts—a Rudyard Kipling poem and a Martin Luther King Jr. speech—in preparation for an upcoming in-class essay.
**Attendance**
* **Students Mentioned Absent:** 0
**Topics Covered**
**1. Warm-up Reflection: The Challenge of Textual Translation**
* **Activity:** Students began with a two-minute individual writing exercise, reflecting on the challenges they faced in a previous assignment. The task had been to translate a single stanza from a Rudyard Kipling poem into a single, non-verbal photograph.
* **Instructions:** The instructor prompted students to consider the difficulties of conveying complex ideas, context, and narrative from words into a purely visual medium.
* **Student Discussion Highlights:**
* One student noted the difficulty of capturing the “many ideas” in a single line of poetry within one picture, stating that, like a film director, they had to “sacrifice” certain details.
* Another student found it challenging to visually represent abstract concepts like a person “imagining” or “dreaming.” The instructor affirmed this, comparing the translation between mediums to learning a “brand new language.”
* A third student mentioned that the primary challenge was first understanding the main idea of the complex poetic line before they could even begin to conceptualize a photo.
**2. Argument and Evidence: Analyzing Bruegel’s Painting**
* **Activity:** The class transitioned to forming arguments and finding evidence using a Bruegel painting they had previously discussed.
* **Part 1: Forming an Argument:**
* The instructor referenced a previous class discussion where they had used the idiom “The joy of many depends on the hardship of the few” to summarize the painting’s theme.
* Students were then challenged to write their own, new, one-sentence argument that captures the meaning of the painting. They were explicitly told not to use the previously discussed idiom.
* The instructor clarified that this interpretation could be personal and subjective, focusing on details that were meaningful to the individual student.
* The instructor framed this exercise as the core of academic analysis, explaining that these one-sentence interpretations are “arguments” or thesis statements.
* **Part 2: Finding Evidence:**
* Following the creation of their one-sentence argument, students were instructed to identify at least two specific details from the painting that served as evidence to support their claim.
**3. Context and Reading: Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”**
* **Activity:** The instructor prepared the class for a reading of an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech by establishing historical context.
* **Pre-reading Discussion:**
* The instructor elicited what students had learned from their pre-reading assignment (a Google/Wikipedia search on MLK). Students recalled that he was an American political activist who fought for voting rights, was famous for nonviolent protest, and was assassinated.
* The instructor elaborated on this context, emphasizing that the speech was delivered only about 60 years ago during a time of institutionalized segregation in the United States. He provided concrete examples of “separate but equal” laws, such as separate bathrooms, water fountains, and sections on buses for Black and white citizens, noting that in practice, services were not equal.
* He also contrasted MLK’s philosophy of nonviolence with other activists of the era, like Malcolm X, and described what nonviolent protest looked like (e.g., sit-ins).
* **Popcorn Reading:**
* Students turned to page 90 in their readers and conducted a popcorn-style reading of the speech, beginning with the paragraph “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note…” and concluding with “…the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a large one.”
**4. Synthesis Paragraph: Connecting Kipling and MLK**
* **Activity:** The main task of the session was an individual writing exercise designed to synthesize the two central texts.
* **Guiding Question:** Students were asked to answer the question: “What kind of character does it take for a person to build a better future?”
* **Instructions:**
* Students were given 20 minutes to write a single, cohesive paragraph (5-7 sentences) that answered the guiding question.
* The paragraph was required to include at least one line (stanza) from the Kipling poem and at least one quote from the MLK speech as supporting evidence.
* The instructor advised students to begin by formulating a one-sentence argument (their direct answer to the question) and then weaving in the textual evidence to support it.
**5. Communal Reading Session**
* **Activity:** The final 20 minutes of class were dedicated to a communal reading, where students shared the paragraphs they had just written.
* **Instructions:** Each student read their paragraph aloud. The rest of the class was instructed to listen and absorb the different ideas without offering comments or asking questions.
* **Key Themes from Student Paragraphs:** The readings revealed a range of arguments about the character needed to build a better future, including persistence, integrity, self-control, justice, tolerance, hope, and resilience, with students effectively connecting these themes to quotes from both Kipling and King.
**Actionable Items**
**Urgent (For Next Class):**
* **In-Class Essay:** The next session will be dedicated to writing the first draft of the program essay. Students should be reminded to come prepared.
* **Essay Text Clarification:** The instructor must clarify for all students which specific texts they are required to use for the in-class essay, as a student’s question on this topic was not fully resolved.
**Administrative Follow-Up:**
* **Student Submission:** One student was asked to take a picture of their work and send it via Telegram. The instructor should check for this submission and ensure the student included their name.
**Instructional Review:**
* **Literary Terminology:** The instructor clarified that “stanza” meant “one line” in the context of the Kipling poem. To prevent future confusion, it may be beneficial to review or provide a glossary of key literary terms.
* **Activity Pacing:** Several students appeared to be unfinished or hesitant when it was their turn to read their paragraphs aloud. The instructor may wish to consider adjusting writing time or offering alternative sharing methods (e.g., partner sharing) in future activities.
Homework Instructions: