Sammi Salter

Learning Artifact

Helpful Materials for First Time UTA’S:

Hi all,
My name is Sammi Salter, and I am a Senior Government and Politics Major and Professional
Writing Minor. I have been a UTA ever since I was a sophomore here at the University of
Maryland, and this program has truly shaped my college career. The knowledge I have gained
over the years has propelled me from a timid Sophomore writer to an experienced and confident
Senior teacher. With this lesson plan I hope to demonstrate some of the skills I have learned over
the years. If I can give you one bit of advice, it is to reach for anything but perfection. My
college experience is one filled with happiness, excitement, and joy, but also fear and worry, as I
was a student through a global pandemic. Work to help and be there for your students, but also
know that perfection is not and should not be a goal while being there for your students. Your
students will look up to you, aspire to be like you, and will thank you for everything you do for
them. Enjoy this experience and take all that you can from it, your four-years go by much faster
than you think!

Lesson Plan Tips:

When crafting a lesson plan first and foremost consider whether your lesson plan will be
in person or online. If there is anything I learned going to school through a global pandemic, it is
to have a backup plan! I remember sitting in a classroom full of curious students thinking we
were about to get a two-week spring break which turned into nearly a year a half out of the
classroom. I like to make my lesson plans both adaptable to an in-person or online setting just
because of the unknown nature of today’s world. Here is an online lesson plan that can be
adapted to an in-person classroom environment.

If the lesson plan will be given online, from experience I have learned that interaction is
key. My first semester being an online UTA was one of the hardest semesters in this program.
Neither my professor or I had ever taught in an online environment. We did not know how to
operate zoom, move from breakout-to-breakout room, or that we should have the students turn
their cameras on, how should we? It was an ever-changing world with a global pandemic taking
everyone by storm. However, the next online semester my professor and I learned a few tricks of
the trade to facilitate interaction and a better learning environment. Cameras on, small group-
work, hopping in and out of breakout rooms and checking in on the students, these are all key to
facilitating a healthy online environment, especially in an introductory English class. It keeps
both you and your students accountable and engaged, and if you’re lucky: interested!

Below lies an adapted version of an in-person lesson plan to an online version. I have
edited it to try and make it as polished and clean as possible, while staying organized and
focused on the goals of the lesson plan. I hope this helps! Remember, aim to help your students,
and avoid the false perception of needed perfection.
Before Class:

Complete Assigned reading for class today in Fearless Writing that teaches us about Hyperlinks

Learning Objective:

1. For the students to understand how to incorporate hyperlinks into their Digital Forum
2. For the students to understand why one should use hyperlinks while writing for digital
audiences
3. For the students to understand when one should use hyperlinks in their Digital Forum and
how often to use them
4. For students to ask any last questions about the Digital Forum

Materials:

1. An open mind! We are going to be running things a little bit differently to spice things up
and give our instructor Sabrina a well-deserved break! Please have an open mind when I
introduce something that strays a bit from what we normally do (We will be
incorporating some breakout rooms and games in today’s lesson plan!)
2. Your Digital Forum
3. A computer
4. Cameras on! (I want to see your shinning faces! It is gloomy enough around here let’s
show up for each other today J)

Time Estimate: 50 Minutes

Outline:

Part 1: Small Group Readings Discussion (5 Minutes)

• We will break into 5 Breakout Rooms of 4 people. Go over the following questions in
your small groups:
1. How does one hyperlink using Weebly? How does one hyperlink using Wix? (If you
are using a different platform, how do you hyperlink using that platform?
2. What purpose does hyperlinking serve for a digital platform?
3. How often should one hyperlink?
4. What is the difference between popular and scholarly sources when hyperlinking?

Part 2: Discussion of Small Group Conversation (5 minutes)

Part 3: Demonstrate how to Hyperlink through Screensharing (5 minutes)

Part 4: True or False Game (5 Minutes)

 • The purpose of this game is to clarify any questions or confusions you may have about
hyperlinking. If you think the statement is true, type T in the chat box. If you think the
statement is false, type F in the chat box.
1. I must hyperlink every single source in my Digital Forum (Agree or
Disagree)
2. My Digital Forum must look like a professional website and be perfect (Agree or
Disagree)
3. A “Required Reading” Page is required at the end of my Digital Forum, including 5
annotations (approx. 100 words each) of scholarly sources pertaining to your issue
(Agree or Disagree)
4. A stakeholder is someone who has no interest in my topic (Agree or
Disagree)
5. My Digital Forum should be submitted on Dec 1 (Agree or Disagree)

Part 5: Peer Review (20 Minutes)

1. This is the final peer review we will have before the final drafts are due. Before looking
at the project, look at your partner’s use of hyperlinks and in-text citations. Are they
formatted correctly? Do the hyperlinks lead to the actual source and not a page that is
restricted (this will happen with scholarly sources)
2. Then, once looking at the project, use the rubric given to you on ELMS and see if your
partner meets the necessary requirements (15 minutes)
3. Give your partner feedback. Did they do an efficient job citing their sources? Should they
add anything else? This is your last chance to receive feedback on your projects before
they are due so give your partner honest helpful advice (5 minutes)

Part 6: Final Questions and Assessing your Understanding of Objective (10 minutes)
1. Ask any final questions you may have!
2. Your understanding of this class will be measured through your Digital Forum
submission. Please make sure you understand everything we talked about today and if
you do not, that is what I and your instructor are here for!

Reflection
It is very crazy to me that I am writing one of my last lesson plans as a UTA. I began this
program as a timid Sophomore after taking Introductory to Academic Writing my second
semester Freshman year. I remember questioning my credibility before I began this internship
and was extremely nervous to walk into my first ever class. I remember my instructor was late
and I had no idea what to say to the students. I was sitting among them, and they asked each
other, “Is it true if the professor is more than 15 minutes late, we can just leave class?” I laughed
to myself and knew it was my time to step in. I go very nervously and quietly, “Well, I am your
TA, and your professor should be here soon.”
After the first-class jitters and first couple meetings passed by, I gained some momentum,
and one could say ~suaveness~ in the land of UTAing. My students began to trust me and
formed a trusting working relationship with me. I would walk around group to group and chat
with them at the beginning and during group work in class and would try and make them laugh
and keep them engaged in the material. My first group of students is one of the most memorable
I have worked with. I have also watched them grow up here at UMD and see them around
campus sporadically, grown and matured since they were shy Freshman in my classroom.
Then came covid semesters. I UTAed my entire Junior year which was the semester that
was fully online. Boy, was that an adjustment. I think that was one of the hardest transitions from
in-person to online classes for me because in some ways I just did not know how to be helpful.
The sense of interaction was quite literally reduced to blank screens on computers. It took a
while for my professor and I to learn what worked and what did not and as we became more
comfortable with the software, the classes became more useful to the students. We did the best
we could with the circumstances presented to us.
Then, this semester. Wow, did I miss in-person classes. Being able to interact, to talk
without hitting the un-mute button, to walk around and work right next to my students. What has
made this semester even better is that it seems my students really care about the material. They
ask questions, they work with their friends in small groups, they laugh and actually enjoy class.
This program has truly changed my college career. I learned my passion for reading and
writing and decided to minor in Professional Writing. I learned that I could teach, that I can
instruct, and that I can run a classroom. I can make lesson plans, I can communicate with
students, I can aid in giving grades to the students. But most of all, this program gave me the
confidence I will need to embark on my post-grad journey. My journey goes on next to law
school! Which law school you may ask, I wish I knew! I am going to start touring schools that I
applied to in the coming weeks. It is all surreal. I entered college really having no idea what I
wanted to do. I remember clicking my interest in Government and Politics and then that was
suddenly my major. I remember thinking I wanted to double-major Government and Politics and
Business Management and applied and was accepted into the Business School. I soon learned
business was not for me. That is when I found my love for English, for reading, for writing, and
for working with students. This lesson plan is simply a reflection of the small amount of work I
have learned and accomplished as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant at the University of
Maryland. The first draft I had of this lesson plan was years ago and it was a mess. The polishing
of this assignment is because of everything I have learned from this program and it is not an
experience I will shortly forget.