Substitute Teacher Guide • Grade 9 • Unit 1: The Client & The Designer
Copyright, Licensing & Fair Use — Day 2 of 2
Today's focus: Applying Copyright Rules
✅ Before Students Arrive
- Materials needed today:
- Printed scenario cards (at least 14, mixing clearly-OK / needs-license / fair-use situations)
- Sorting mat (3 columns, paper)
- Chart paper
- One additional real-world case-study handout for Day 2
- Most students keep their class notebook at its usual spot in the room and use it every day (see routine below) -- but it's each student's own notebook, so a few may bring theirs from home instead. Either way, everyone should have one out.
- Write today's Do Now on the board before the bell rings (see below).
📓 Daily Notebook Routine (students already know this)
Keep this going every day, in your class notebook: date today's entry, jot your Do Now response, add any new vocabulary word(s) from today's Key Vocabulary section (word + a quick picture + a simple definition in your own words), and take 60 seconds to sketch something connected to today's topic. This notebook is yours to study from, reference on projects, and pull evidence from later for your portfolio.
🗣️ Opening: Do Now
Write or project this, and have students start immediately:
“Define Fair Use in your own words, no notes.”
📋 Class Plan (step by step)
-
Step 1 — 15 min
🗣️ Say: "Get into your groups."
📋 Small groups (15 min): sort the remaining scenario cards into the mat.
-
Step 2 — 10 min
🗣️ Say: "Here's what we're doing next." Then read the instructions below to the class.
📋 Whole-class review (10 min): correct any remaining misconceptions.
-
Step 3 — 10 min
🗣️ Say: "Here's what we're doing next." Then read the instructions below to the class.
📋 Case study (10 min): given a real classroom scenario (using an image found online for a class project), decide what's needed -- a license, a Fair Use argument, or nothing -- and write a 2-sentence justification.
-
Step 4 — 5 min
🗣️ Say: "Before the bell, everyone needs to finish the exit ticket."
📋 Exit ticket (5 min): 3-question written check on copyright vs. licensing vs. fair use.
🔑 Vocabulary Introduced Today
- Creative Commons
- A licensing system that lets creators pre-approve certain public uses of their work.
- Royalty-Free
- Content that can be used after a one-time payment or for free, without ongoing fees, under the license's terms.
✅ Wrap-Up: Exit Ticket
A few minutes before the bell, say: "Time to finish your exit ticket."
“In your own words, what's the difference between licensing an image and claiming fair use?”
Collect exit tickets (or have students leave them in the usual spot) for the regular teacher to review.
⏳ If You're Short on Time
Protect the Do Now and the Exit Ticket above all else -- those are how the regular teacher tracks daily progress. If a step above is optional/homework, or is a "share out"/discussion step, shorten or skip it first.
⏳ If Students Finish Early
Have them keep working in their notebook: add extra detail to today's vocabulary sketch, review previous vocabulary, or -- if this is a portfolio update week for this class -- work on their portfolio. Early finishers should never be idle or distracting to classmates still working.
📝 For the Regular Teacher (fill in ahead of time)
- Regular teacher's name / how to reach them: ______________________________
- Where finished work / exit tickets go: ______________________________
- Front office extension / emergency contact: ______________________________
- Anything else this class needs to know today: ______________________________