Mini Lesson Plan
Proofreading
1. Course Title: Language Arts
2. Unit: Proofreading
3. General Objective:
1. Students will be able to understand homonyms, and be able to identify them during the proofreading process. 2. Students will learn that words that sound alike require the writer to be careful and more specific in their writing than when they are speaking.
4.Performance Objectives:
1. Given a list, students will be able to recognize certain homonyms and put them in the correct sentences. 2. Students will complete one or two sentences, in groups using homonyms. They will follow the model given in class.
3. Students will proofread a letter of correct word choice.
6. Rationale: Spelling and misuse of words are a common problem in high school student's papers. This activity is going to address the problem and make the students aware of homonyms. Students must learn that revising, proofreading, and rewriting are essential in order to become better writers. Word choice is a crucial part of writing. This activity is designed to teach the process of proofreading in a fun way.
7.Instructional Procedures:
1. Draw a sign on the board that says, "Give Us a Brake." Ask if the road sign looks familiar and get some comments on it. I will get the discussion started by asking if they know what the sign means. The main goal is to see if they recognize that "brake" is a homonym for "break." 2. Introduce word choice as an important aspect of writing. Misusing words common and something that we have to be aware of. I will ask the students to write down the first thing that comes to their head when they hear the following words.
alter
duel
whether
they're
cite
too
pair
presence
complement
They will be told to write the definition or the sentence.
4. Ask students for their answers by going around the room and comparing them with the words on my list. There will be a handout of the list, and we will discuss how these words have different meanings and how they can be easily confused because they are homonyms. Not every student is going to have the same answer, so will be a difference in definitions. The idea is to provide as many examples as possilble.
5. Give handout with sentences that have pairs of homonyms in them. As a class, we are going to discuss where the correct words belong and fill in the blank. There will one or two sentences to work with. In this excersise, the students are experiencing the problems that readers may face when reading sentences with homonyms.
6. Tell students to get into groups of two or three and to come up with their own sentences that have a pair of homonyms in them. The worksheet that I handed out can be used as a model.
7. Each group will give us a sentence. We will go around the room.
8. Show students a letter I received from a friend in Japan who is beginning English studies, and knows nothing about homonyms. They will be asked to proofread it, and point out the mistakes. We will discuss them. So this process goes quickly, students will just call out what the mistakes are n the order they occur.
9. When that is done, I will use the letter as an example, and talk about the importance of proofreading for word choice. Tell students that it is a very common thing to do when writing and they have to be aware of it. Ask if there are any questions or comments.
10. Assign students to write their own paragraph with incorrect homonyms, like the letter, and they will give it to a classmate.
9. Materials:
1. Worksheets with sentences and paragraph. 2. "Give Us a Brake" sign.
10. Evaluation: Each participant will be involved in the discussion.
Each will be given a paragraph to proofread.