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Tea Party Lesson Plan

*My adaption of Linda Christensens lesson from her books Reading, Writing, and
Rising Up: Teaching Social Justice and the Power of the Written Word and Teaching
for Joy and Justice: Reimagining the Language Arts Classroom
Pre-Lesson Handout:
As students come into class I will expect them to grab their notebook and answer the
question that will be put under the projector. When class begins I will remind my students that if
they are not already answering the journal question to start doing so now. The question that will
be under the projector will ask, What do you know about language and power? Do they go
together? Why or why not? This asks three separate questions. Some students will answer only
one or two and a select few will answer all three. This is what I am expecting because I am not
giving them a ton of time to do this. This question is important for the whole lesson though
because they should be able to answer this at the end of the class period. This lesson is about
language and the power it holds. People of color have often been pushed aside and pushed down
because of the language they speak. This lesson is a great starter to show students that some
languages have more power than others and why. Christensens lesson is terrific and I think is
important for all students, whether they are folks of color or are not.
Context:
This lesson plan is for four 7th grade classes at Washington Middle School in Olympia
Washington. Each class varies in size. There are normally an average of 1 Native American
student, 2-3 African American students, 2-3 Asian students, 2-3 Hispanic students, and 15-18
white students. The students are 12-13 years old. Most of the students will be from homes of
upper to middle class familiesaround 15-18 of the students.
This lesson is taken from Linda Christensens book Teaching for Joy and Justice. I have
adapted the lesson though for a whole class period. The way Christensen has it the students
answer the worksheet and go around talking to people for the entire period and talk at the end.
With middle school students this would be difficult. Most students I dont think could handle
doing this activity for an entire hour without getting distracted.
I do think it is an important lesson for students though. Especially going with identity. I
tried to create a diverse lesson plan but this was proven difficult with the texts middle school
students can read. This lesson allows students to learn about different cultures and the power of
language. The historical figures that are referenced are also close to the same age as the students
in the classroom. Showing the students that even they can speak out against what they believe.

Objectives:
The Students Will:
o Work on their journal entry
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o Read about their person and fill out worksheet accordingly (Ill explain in
description)
o Meet with 3 other people and write down what they learn
o Discuss what they learned as a class.
o Write down what they think of language and power now
The Teacher Will:
o Type out journal entry question
o Tell students to save their answers for the discussion later
o Pass out stories of people
o Explain the tea party
o Time it so they discuss the people for five minutes
o Facilitate to make sure they are staying on task
o Guide discussion

Common Core Standards (English 7)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the
characters or plot).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.6
Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or
narrators in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9
Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account
of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.1
Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.

Method:
Journal Entry
Explanation of Tea Party
Meet four other students (each for 5 minutes)
Fill out Worksheet
Discuss what they learned
Have them answer the question from the journal entry again and go over what they wrote
if there is time
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Materials
Journal
Projector
Worksheet
Stories cut and typed out
Questions typed and ready

Outline
*This is for a 50 minute class period
Journal Entry (5-10 minutes)
Before I introduce the journal entry I am going to ask the students What is power? This
is a short question to get them ready for the journal entry. I will then tell the students that this Commented [RR1]: I didnt have this originally and the
question doesnt have a right or wrong answer, I just want to see how their answers change from students were concerned about getting the journal entry
question correct. They kept asking, what do you mean by
the lesson. This is about the lesson and what they learn. I will also explain that they need to write power what do you mean by language I had to explain
their name on it and save it because it is their exit slip at the end of the period. They cannot leave that this is their interpretation and I want to see what they
my classroom until they have given me their answer. learn.

The journal entry today is used to show the students the contrast in their understanding of
language and power before and after the Tea Party Lesson plan. This is a great lesson for the
theme of identity and will be a great lead up for vignettes and point of view because all three
things are seen in this lesson. This question is the lead up to the rest of the lesson and will then
be looked at the end of the class for discussion. The question is, What do you know about
language and power? Do they go together? Why or why not? Im interested to see what the
students write before and after the lesson. Yes, I will be collecting these after. Also, I will have
the question typed out on a separate piece of paper to put under the projector for them to read.
The students will be asked to write on a clear full piece of paper because they will use that sheet
again later.
Explanation (3-5 minutes) Commented [RR2]: Need to explain explicitly with
students. Show them with an example. Show them in more
After the students have written their journal entry we will jump right into the Tea Party than one way so every type of learner understands
Lesson plan. I will ask the students to save their answer for the journal entry because they will
write on the same sheet of paper at the end of the class period.
There are 18 total stories that I will have. Since my classes have more than that some
students will have duplicates. This is okay though because then there are more people to double
check with what people say about the story. I will give the same stories to people at the same
table so that way they can go talk to other people. They will also be given a worksheet I want
them to work on during the Tea Party.
Each student will be given one person. They will then be asked to stand up and go around
to 4 of their peers. I will have it timed so every 5 minute they will be asked to move on to
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another person. During their time with their partner each person will read the description of their
person. When their partner is reading about their person, they should be filling out their
worksheet. I want them to write down the name of the other person and notes they think are
important about the person. I will be walking around to make sure they are staying on task.
Worksheet 2 (5-10 minutes)
After 20 minutes of the Tea Party I will ask the students to sit back down in their seats.
Knowing that every historical figure had been discussed I will have another worksheet I will
have printed out for each class period. As a class we will work as a class to will it out.
Sometimes I may ask why they think that and where in the text it is seen. I will also have
an extra copy which is the key so that way I know if their answers are correct. This has the
students using textual evidence to find it. Commented [RR3]: This is done only if there is enough
time. If we do soft start first then take this section out.
Tea Party (20 minutes)
The description of what will be done during this time is described above.
Worksheet is below.
Discussion (10-15 minutes)
After the worksheet I will lead a discussion. I want to see if students learned anything
from the lesson and if they did, what.
Questions:
o Do you relate to any of the people you heard about today?
o What do all of these people have in common?
o Why was their language taken from them?
o Why do you think this lesson is important? Is it important?
o Are these things still a problem currently?
o How many of you knew this was a problem?
o Why is the idea of power and language important to learn about today?
o Is this struggle of power and language still an issue?
o Have you seen that struggle with language? Personal? Movies? Books?
o Was this struggle with power and language just because of teachers?
o Whose language has the power in the historical vignettes? Where was this seen? Commented [RR4]: New questions after lesson

For this lesson it will very much depend on the class and what they want to focus on. I
could see some classes being great and understanding and enjoying this lesson. But I
could also see classes messing around and not getting the point of it. It will depend on the
day and the class period for where the lesson goes.
Journal Entry 2 (5-10 minutes)
Before I ask them to answer the journal entry question again I will let the students know
how to turn everything in. The vignettes will stay on their desk in the baskets, their worksheets
will go in the black baskets, and I will be at the door ready to collect their exit slips when the bell
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rings. I will also let them know that 2-3 minutes before class I will excuse them to pack up so
work until that time. This means be quiet and answer the journal entry. Commented [RR5]: Adapted this after first period when it
was chaotic for them leaving without knowing what to do
After the discussion, the students will then answer the same question from the journal with the papers.
entry on the same page, but this time after the lesson. If there is time I will then ask students to
volunteer what they read. If there is only a couple minutes I might ask the students to share the
differences in their response with their table group. It will depend on the class.
Evaluation
I will collect their journal entries to see what they wrote at the beginning of class and at
the end of class.
I will walk around the classroom to make sure students are following the directions
I will stamp all of their worksheets and give them points for completing the assignment
Working on the worksheet as a class will be part of the evaluation to see if they could
identify who belonged to which description.
The class discussion will also be a part of the evaluation. I want to see what they learned
and if they thought it was important.
I will ask the journal question again and they will respond below their journal entry
Homework
Homework for today will simply be to think about what they learned today. I think it is
important for them to have a day to think about it without homework. I will be curious to
see if they do think about the text more.

Worksheet:
Reference Linda Christensens book Teaching for Joy and Justice for the worksheets on
the historical figures and the group worksheet. I also adapted the worksheet from Reading,
Writing, and Rising Up from Christensen. I liked her worksheet for the historical figures but it
didnt fit with what I wanted to do personally. If I had a whole week to work on this (which I
would do in my own classroom) I would find a way to adapt both worksheets. Commented [RR6]: Added this after talking with RoAnn.
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What do you know about language and power? Do they go together? Why or why not?
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Name: _______________________
Date: _______________
Tea Party Worksheet
1st Historical Figures name: ______________________________________________________
Description:

2nd Historical Figures name: _____________________________________________________

Description:

3rd Historical Figures name: _____________________________________________________

Description:

4th Historical Figures Name: _____________________________________________________

Description:
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Nonfiction Lesson Plan: I am Malala

I plan on having the Tea Party start the Power and Language Unitthis is the first day of the
unit. After this the students will start reading the kids version of I am Malala. This is a current
piece of literature that has someones voice taken from them. Although the tea party lesson is
fabulous this would be an amazing book to pair it with to show that this struggle of power and
language is still an issue. But I also think it is important to add other pieces of nonfiction to show
that this struggle isnt happening only in Saudi Arabia. We could even do excerpts from I am
Malala. Will come back to this lesson once Ive read the novel
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Language and Power Assessment Paper

Throughout the Unit as a class we will have gone through all of the historical figures we
had in out tea party lesson but in more detail. We will have annotated them and gone over in
detail as a class of what the article is saying and what occurred. This allows the students to learn
but also make sure they learn something. We will do something different though so that way we
are not just reading and discussingthat isnt fun and will get old. After, I will ask students to
research 2-3 more people on their own that have had their voices taken from them. They can be
current figures or historical.
For the final paper as a class we will brainstorm a question that they will have to answer
in their paper. This will help them learn how to come up with an essay question that is not too
broad as well as give them good experience in starting a paper when a teacher gives them too
broad of an assignment. Each class may have a different question but this will make it easy to
grade as well as make the students feel unique.
Throughout the essay process we will do the following to give points throughout and
check that they are keeping up:
Stamp notes taken on three articles they researched.
Stamp for bibliography
Stamp for rough draft
Stamp for Peer Review
Stamp for One on one discussion with students
Stamp for Introduction
I will be giving the students about two weeks to work on it because I want them to be able to
work on it in classif they work outside of class but for students that that isnt an option I
want to make sure they can still finish the essay. We will do other more interactive activities
alongside this in the beginning to get them moving and energy out. This is an important essay
and an important topic, I want to make sure the students are following along and arent being
taken in by the essay topic. This may seem like a scary topic and it is . . . but it is also critical.
This is such an important topic and at this age these students need to hear these things.
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Superb Good Needs Work

(50 Points) (35 Points) (20 Points)

Their researched Has all 3 articles with Has 2 articles with Has 1 article with
articles notes. notes. notes.

Stamps Has all 5 stamps. Has 3 stamps Has 0 stamps

Grammar 3 to 0 grammar Has 4-8 grammar Has more than 8

mistakes. mistakes. grammar mistakes.

References References all 4 References 2 sources References 0 sources

sources in paper.