StudySync Lesson Plan Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

StudySync Lesson Plan Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

Objectives 1.

Engage students in reading a speech delivered by Winston Churchill to British Parliament, with the intention of inspiring the people of the United Kingdom to fight on during WWII.

2. Practice and reinforce the following Grade 8 ELA Common Core Standards for reading, writing, speaking and listening: READING: INFORMATIONAL TEXT - RI.8.1-8, 10 WRITING - W.8.1-10 SPEAKING AND LISTENING - SL.8.1-4, 6

Time 130 minutes (with up to an additional 100 minutes of extension possibilities)

Materials SyncTV Premium Lesson on “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” by Winston Churchill

Overview Winston Churchill’s memorable speech, first heard by British Parliament in May 1940, imparts his desire and determination to achieve victory over the Nazi enemy, who were equally determined at that time to conquer Europe, including the United Kingdom, through force. Having nothing to offer but “blood, toil, tears, and sweat,” Churchill’s address demonstrates that he is truly ready to offer everything he has to this cause. Close examination of Churchill’s speech, “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat,” will offer students the opportunity to engage with informative writing, author’s point-of-view and the importance of word choice, and to write thoughtful, informed, and textuallyrooted responses, consistent with the ELA Common Core Standards for grade 8.

Background (10 minutes) 1.

Watch the Preview (SL.8.1-2). As a group, watch the video preview of the premium lesson. Use the following questions to spur discussion following the preview: a. What prior knowledge, if any, do you have of World War II and what was happening in the world at this time? What prior knowledge do you have of

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Lesson Plan: Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat

Winston Churchill? b. What feelings are brought to mind by the images and music in the preview? What historical associations do the images and music evoke? c. Based on the words and images you see in the preview, make a prediction about why Churchill’s speech is titled “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat.”

Extension (additional 10 minutes) d. Discuss and Diagram (SL.8.1). A K-W-L chart, will help students organize ideas and information as they read and write about this speech. Set up a 3-column K-W-L chart to list what students already Know, what students Want to know, and what students have Learned. Ask for any items that students may have ready to add to the first two columns. If there is any doubt about the accuracy of what they already know, check-mark those items to signify that they will need to be fact-checked and confirmed during the time spent with this speech.

Engaging the Text (110 minutes) 2. Read the Text (20 minutes) a. Read and Annotate (RI.8.1-6, 10). Have students read and annotate the introduction and text. If students are completing as a homework assignment, ask them to write any questions they have into the annotation tool—these questions are visible to you after the students submit their writing assignments or beforehand if you use the “Mimic” function to access the students’ accounts. b. Discuss (SL.8.1, 3). Have students get into small groups or pairs and briefly discuss things that stood out for them while reading. As a class, discuss the following: What impact do you think Churchill’s speech had on the members of Parliament? On people in the U.K.? On other nations, including Germany? What do you imagine Churchill was feeling as he composed and delivered this speech? How do his words match those feelings? (Add to the K-W-L chart if students have come up with new knowledge or questions.) Extension (additional 20 minutes) c. Listen and Discuss (SL.8.1-4). As a class, listen to the audio reading of the text. What about Churchill’s tone stands out for students? What specific lines or passages stand out, and why? What is the overall message of this speech? It is easy or challenging to discern what Churchill’s overall message is, and why? d. Comprehend (RI.8.1-4). Have students complete the multiple-choice questions. Collect papers or discuss answers as a class.

3. Watch SyncTV (20 minutes) a. Watch. Either watch the SyncTV discussion associated with Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat as a class or ask students to watch it on their individual computers. b. Focus (RI.8.5, SL.8.1-3) Focus on the portion of the episode beginning at 1:40, wherein the SyncTV students discuss Churchill’s style of writing. They specifically discuss the short sentence length and factual nature of the contents of the

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speech. What impact does Churchill’s writing style have on the actual content in the speech? Would it have made the same impact had Churchill used a different style? c. Focus (RI.8.1–6, SL.8.1-3) From 2:00 to 3:30, the students in the SyncTV episode talk about Churchill’s call for unity. What details does Churchill cite in building his case for unity? Why does he feel it’s necessary to do so? d. Focus (RI.8.1–6, SL.8.1-3) From about 4:50 nearly to the 8:00 mark, the model students discuss the concept of victory. Ask how Churchill uses victory as a rallying cry. Is his language poetic? Explain. e. Discuss (SL.8.1, 3) The model students refer to a timeline throughout this episode of SyncTV. Going along with the sense of urgency that Churchill’s words carried, how else are Churchill, Parliament, and the entire nation influenced by the timing of things? f.

Discuss (SL.8.1-4) After watching the model discussion, have a conversation with the class about the ideas discussed in the SyncTV episode that stood out the most. What new thoughts do they have after hearing the students' discussion? What have they learned? What new questions do they have? Next, divide students into small groups (3-4 students). Move around the room monitoring the groups as students follow the SyncTV episode as a model to discuss some of the following questions: 1.

The students discussed the idea that Churchill had more than one goal in mind when delivering his speech. Did this speech achieve all of those goals? How?

2. How does the repetition of “victory” add impact to Churchill’s speech? Where are other places in the speech where a specific word choice seems especially important? 3. Which sections of the speech most stand out for you? What do these parts of the speech mean to you? 4. Think about Churchill’s statement: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” What does the statement say about Churchill’s character? What insight does it give into what the British people were up against? 5. Do you think a resolution officially welcoming Churchill’s government and expressing national resolve in wartime was necessary? Why or why not?

Extension (additional 30 minutes) g. Write (W.8.1-2, 4). Winston Churchill had the daunting task of inspiring an entire country to keep fighting against forces that may have seemed insurmountable. Other problems beside war call for inspiring words and determined leadership. Imagine that you have just been elected student body president and want to encourage your fellow students to deal with a crisis that your school community faces, such as severe budget cuts, bullying, or vandalism. Write a 300-400 word speech that would be up to the task of inspiring your entire student body. The issues that you write about in your speech can be real or imagined. h. Write (ELL). Re-read the speech, noting how you react at specific points. Write one- or two-sentence quotes from the speech, underlining the words or phrases

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that evoke these reactions. Go back through the quotes you have selected and state what reaction you have in reading it and why.

4. Think (10 minutes) a. Respond (W.8.1, 4, 9). Ask students to read the “Think” questions, watch the corresponding video clips, and respond to the questions, either in class or for homework. 5. Write (50 minutes) a. Discuss (SL.8.1). Read the prompt you have chosen for students, and allow time for questions regarding the prompt and the assignment expectations. Use this short discussion time to make sure students have a clear understanding of the assignment expectations and the rubric by which you and the other students will be evaluating them. b. Organize (RI.8.1-6, 10 and W.8.1-5). Ask students to go back and annotate the text with the prompt in mind. They should be organizing their thoughts and the points they’ll address in their writing as they make annotations. They should apply any outlining or organizational tools you have been working on as a class. c. Write (W.8.1-6, 9-10). Have students go through the writing process of planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing their writing responses. d. Review (W.8.4-6). Use the StudySync “Review” feature to have students complete one to two evaluations of their peers’ work based on your chosen review rubric. Have the students look at and reflect upon the peer evaluations of their own writing. If time allows, have students write a final revised version of their essays based on the suggestions their peers have given them, as well as any new ideas they might have for what their essays need.

Extension (additional 40 minutes) e. Write (W.8.1-6, 9-10). For homework, have students write an essay using one of the prompts you did not choose to do in class. Students should publish their responses online. f.

Write (W.8.1-4). For homework, have students write a letter in response to Winston Churchill’s speech. They should write it from the perspective of a citizen of the UK at the time the speech was delivered, reacting to at least 5 specific parts of the speech.

g. Discuss (SL.8.1-3). Winston Churchill was a newcomer to his position at a time when a leader would have a great deal to prove. What do you think this speech would tell Parliament about Churchill as a leader? What would it tell the citizens of Britain? Do you imagine that Churchill “proved himself” worthy of his new position and gained the confidence of the citizens in his delivery of his speech? Why or why not?

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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

Key Vocabulary 1.

rigor (n.) – severity; extreme challenge

2. resolution (n.) – a statement of intent, a vow 3. inflexible (adj.) –rigid; firm; unyielding 4. prosecute (v.) – to pursue something to the end 5. grievous (adj.) – serious, grave, dire or dangerous 6. tyranny (n.) – a government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power 7. lamentable (adj.) – causing sorrow, distress or regret 8. buoyancy (n.) – resilience or cheerfulness

Reading Comprehension Questions 1.

What was Britain’s aim, according to Churchill? a. Victory at all costs b. Victory in spite of all terrors c. Victory, however long and hard the road may be d. All of the above

2. What is Britain’s policy? a. To wage war by land, sea and air, with all their might and strength b. To join forces with the strongest nation, no matter what they stood for c. To wait to enter the war until they were certain they could win d. None of the above 3. Churchill formed a war cabinet of five members who represented: a. the top one percent of the country. b. the unity of the nation. c. the five points of a star. d. the five largest cities in Britain.

4. When Churchill appointed his new war cabinet members, it was necessary for him to do so:

a. b. c. d.

without meeting them beforehand. within his first week as Prime Minister. in a single day. with his wife’s help.

5. Churchill makes it clear that he would be flexible about negotiating with Germany if necessary. a. This statement is not true. b. This statement is possibly true. c. This statement represents the entire message of his speech. d. There is not enough information in the speech to know whether this statement is true or false.

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6. Churchill states that all he has to offer is: a. his limited experience as Prime Minister. b. blood, toil, tears and sweat. c. some very good ideas about running the country. d. a secret strategy for defeating Germany. 7. When Churchill states that he takes up his task in “buoyancy and hope,” what does he mean? a. He believes the war will end quickly. b. He feels confident about the work to be done. c. He will act brave for the sake of the people. d. He doesn’t want Parliament to worry. 8. Churchill received the mission to form a new administration from: a. the archbishop. b. a few members of Parliament. c. the British people. d. the king. 9. Who does “a monstrous tyranny” refer to in Churchill’s speech? a. Anyone who doesn’t agree with Churchill b. The former Prime Minister of Great Britain c. Nazi Germany d. Norway 10. How will Britain wage war, according to Churchill’s policy? a. By land b. By sea c. By air d. All of the above

Answer Key 1. D 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. A 6. B 7. B 8. D 9. C 10. D

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Further Assignments 1.

Have students design a poster that illustrates Churchill’s speech. It should contain images and words that clearly correlate with the messages within the speech. (RI.8.1, 4, 6 and W.8.4, 9)

2. Have students refer back to the K-W-L chart introduced as a Background activity. Have them research any questions that remain unanswered on the chart, as well as any additional ones that they have come up with. Using the questions on the chart, as well as their research, have students write brief essay on what they have learned about and from this speech. (W.8.2-4, 9) 3. Have students research a topic of their choice from the time period that Churchill’s speech was written. Topics might include people such as Churchill’s predecessor Neville Chamberlain or Adolph Hitler; institutions such as the British Parliament; or events such as the fighting in May of 1940. Students should then construct an informational pamphlet about the topic they chose, including at least ten facts. (W.8.2-4,7-9) 4. Have students research Winston Churchill more fully and write a short biography about him. There is an abundance of information in books and on the Internet about Churchill; the toughest part will be narrowing it down! Students can focus the biography on one aspect of Churchill’s life, such as his writing, his leadership, etc. (W.8.2-4, 7-9) 5. Guide students in engaging with the concepts of policy and aim. Have them re-read the portion of the speech in which Churchill defines his policy and his aim. Help students understand that policy is the action or work to be done and aim is the goal, or purpose, of that action. Have students complete a sentence frame such as: “The policy of a soccer team is ________.” (to play soccer); “The aim of the team is _______.” (to win the game). Have them state other examples of policy and aim (in occupations and games) in their own words. (ELL) 6. Have students imagine that they are members of Parliament and have just heard Churchill’s speech. Students should consider how they think the individuals in Parliament would have reacted to the speech. Then have students write a letter to a friend or family member from the perspective of a member of Parliament, telling that person about Churchill’s speech and giving their opinion on the main points he made. (RI.8.2, 9 and W.8.2-4)

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