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In the same vein as my flipped lesson for Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, this is a flipped lesson for AP Language students on Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers, Daniel Pink’s Drive, and Angela Duckworth’s work on the importance of developing grit in students. This incorporates the standard WSQ assignment, class discussions (both in class and online), thesis statement building, rhetorical analysis, mind maps (for organizing ideas), reflective writing, formal argument writing, public speaking, and Socratic seminar.

What is success and how do we find it?

1) WSQ – Rhetorical Modes – read and annotate “How to Read Like a Writer” by Mike Bunn
2) online discussion on Drive video
3) Grit survey
4) WSQ (in-class) – Grit TED talk
5) reflective essay on Grit (using the question from the WSQ)
6) analysis and annotation on chapter of Outliers
7) coaching group on assigned chapter
8) read selection of Drive in class – discussion on the argument and content
9) informal presentation on the chapter of Outliers
10) WSQ & discussion – de Botton TED talk on kinder definition of success
11) read two reviews of Outliers – rhetorical précis for each – how valid and relevant is the criticism?
12) another selection from Drive – read and discuss
13) Mind Map of ideas from all of the sources
14) 4 square discussion – develop a thesis statement
15) question writing for seminar – What is success and how do we find it?
16) seminar
17) argument essay – begin from the class-developed thesis statement

This was created with some collaboration with my friend Amy Habberstad.

I’m working on creating more flipped lessons, rather than just blended, for my English classes.

Using Jackie Gerstein’s fantastic and concise explanation of flipped lessons as my guide, I brainstorm all possible work on a sheet of paper, so I can scribble, cross out, draw arrows, etc. in the margins. I center her graphic in the middle, using it as a graphic organizer for my planning.

Here’s what it looks like for Plato’s Allegory of the Cave:

As a result, my sequencing looks like this:

WSQ – modeled in class & turned in on paper – “Socrates, Plato, Aristotle” (EE)
How-to annotate instruction – modeled in class with “Allegory of the Cave” (EE)
WSQ on TED talk “Pursuit of Ignorance” – due in LMS (Edmodo, Moodle, etc.) (CE)
Students read and annotate – color coded text features – questions in the margins to explain why information was highlighted (EE)
WSQ on “Socratic Method” video – due in LMS (Edmodo, Moodle, etc.) (CE)
small group coaching – answering questions and clarifying the text (MM)
draw the cave – mind map techniques (MM)
write seminar questions in class – can be answered in the text and out of the text – answers help everyone deepen understanding (MM)
Socratic Seminar (DA)
Reflective essay (DA)

This is a lesson for 10th grade honors world literature that will take place at the very beginning of the year, hence the increased modeling taking place in class. Of course, it would be great for me to make some videos of these annotation and WSQ lessons that can be stored online for new students or students who forget what to do.

This lesson meets Common Core state standards: