Tuesday Roseanna Bowers Language Arts Grade 8 Week One of Monster

Standards: Writing Applications: Produce informal writings (e.g., journals, notes and poems)for various purposes.

Reading Applications: Identify and explain various types of characters (e.g., flat, round, dynamic, static) and how their interactions and conflicts affect the plot.

Analyze the influence of setting in relation to other literary elements.

Apply reading comprehension strategies, including making predictions, comparing and contrasting, recalling and summarizing and making inferences and drawing conclusions.

Materials Daily Journal Monster by Walter Dean Myers Team Builder Questions PowerPoint on novel language and courtroom roles

Instructional Strategies: Introduction: 1. Daily Journal: Is the death penalty ever an acceptable punishment? 2. Team Builder: Have students answer a variety of questions about their beliefs related to criminal acts, punishment, and people. Questions are attached. Brief Lecture: 3. Introduce the language of the novel by giving students some quick notes on the film abbreviations used in the book. This will include film directions and camera movement and will be given using a PowerPoint. 4. In the same PowerPoint include notes on the roles of people within a courtroom. This includes the jury, judge, prosecutor, defendant, lawyers, witnesses, and the audience. Class Reading: 5. Students will read a paragraph at a time aloud to the whole class up to page 7 after the characters are introduced. 6. Throughout the reading students will be stopped to clarify anything that is happening in the novel and any related confusion. 7. Have students make some inferences about the characters and their roles in the novel. For example, when Richard “Bobo” Evans in introduced as “the rat” what can we say about his character. This should be done as a whole class discussion and should be done for all characters introduced. Students will make a chart for each character, as modeled by the teacher to keep with them throughout the reading of the novel. The character should include basic information as well as actions in the novel. Closure: Students will do a quick write on why they think Walter Dean Myers would want this case to be recorded as a film. What does this form offer the story? Team Builder Questions: 1. In a courtroom, a person is always guilty until proven innocent 2. Racism and prejudice isn’t a problem today 3. There are consequences to every decision we make 4. Monsters are imaginary creatures, usually large and frightening 5. Peer pressure is always negative 6. Discrimination can occur because of age 7. Jail is a place where only guilty people go 8. Personal stories are told in narrative form only 9. Writing in a journal is a good way to express feelings 10. People who commit crimes come from broken homes and dysfunctional families Wednesday Standards: Reading Process: Answer literal, inferential, evaluative and synthesizing questions to demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate print texts and electronic and visual media.

Reading Application Identify and explain various types of characters (e.g., flat, round, dynamic, static) and how their interactions and conflicts affect the plot.

Writing Applications: Produce informal writings (e.g., journals, notes and poems)for various purposes.

Materials: Daily Journal Monster by Walter Dean Myers KWL Worksheet

Instructional Strategies: Introduction: 1. Daily Journal 2. Grammar Punk 3. Quick review on the events of the novel from the previous day. Class Reading: 4. Assign characters to students to read aloud. The teacher will read the journal entries, camera directions, and the voice-overs. 5. The class will follow along as some read aloud up to page 19, right after the judges’ speech. 6. Throughout the reading students will be stopped to clarify anything that is happening in the novel and any related confusion. Major stopping points for discussion will be the flashbacks throughout this section of the novel. 7. After reading students will get into groups of three using the Hunger Games cards and discuss the opening statements made during this part of the novel and the significance of Steve’s Defense attorney crossing out the repeated writings of Steve during the opening of the trial. Closure: Students will fill out a KWL chart regarding Steve’s crime. What I Know… What I Want To Know… What I learned… Thursday Standards: Reading Process: Answer literal, inferential, evaluative and synthesizing questions to demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate print texts and electronic and visual media.

Reading Application Identify and explain various types of characters (e.g., flat, round, dynamic, static) and how their interactions and conflicts affect the plot.

Writing Applications: Produce informal writings (e.g., journals, notes and poems)for various purposes.

Materials: Daily Journal Monster by Walter Dean Myers Paper

Instructional Strategies: Introduction: 1. Daily Journal: 2. Snow ball activity: Students will give one event/situation given by the prosecutor in their opening statement that seems to work against Steve. After they write this they will crumple up the paper and throw it to the middle of the room. Students will then go pick up one ball and respond to the evidence with one fact that could prove Steve innocent or guilty for that situation. For example, Mr. Evans says there was a struggle. Pieces of evidence that could prove Steve innocent or guilty would be physical damage to anyone involved in the struggle or even the store’s security tapes. The students would again ball up the paper throw it to the middle of the room and retrieve another ball. This time students will respond with one obstacle the police or defenses private detective would run into when attempting to obtain the evidence they need. 3. The teacher will then pick a few students to share their snowball. 4. The class will discuss how the evidence could work for Steve or against him in relation to his race, social standing, and age and is this evidence stronger to overcome societies beliefs about Steve.

Pair Reading: 5. Students will now pair up, this time they can pair up with whoever they would like, and read from page 19 to page 25. Closure: 6. After the group is finished reading they will summarize the events in those pages and turn it in for 5 points. 7. Homework: Talk to a parent, guardian, family member, neighbor, or friend about a time they were accused of doing something they didn’t do or didn’t feel like they did. Write a brief description of the situation, 5 sentences at least, and be prepared to talk about it the next day. Friday Standards: Reading Application Identify and explain various types of characters (e.g., flat, round, dynamic, static) and how their interactions and conflicts affect the plot.

Writing Applications: Produce informal writings (e.g., journals, notes and poems)for various purposes.

Reading Process: Independently read books for various purposes (e.g., for enjoyment, for literary experience, to gain information or to perform a task).

Materials: Daily Journal Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Instructional Strategies: Introduction: 1. Daily Journal: Describe a time you have been wrongfully accused. How did you feel throughout the situation? 2. Class discussion on the difficulties students discussed with someone the previous night. Pick some students to share their findings from the homework assignment. Independent Reading: 3. Students will independently read Monster from page 25 to page 32. 4. After students are done reading they will make a list of as many words that they can think of to describe the prosecutor and another list of as many words that they can think of to describe Steve. 5. When all students are finished reading and listing students will be grouped by table into groups of 4-5. In this group students should make a list of all the words everyone in the group thought of to describe a character. Half of the class will focus on Steve and the other will focus on the prosecutor. 6. After they have completed the list of descriptive words they will categorize their words into 2-3 groups. (Ex. Professional, personal, bad, good, etc.) 7. Students will then share their categories and words with the rest of the class. Closure: 8. Write a sentence that uses two of the words from your group list and describes yourself. This will be turned as an informal assessment. 9. After the group is finished reading they will summarize the events in those pages and turn it in for 5 points. 10. Homework: Talk to a parent, guardian, family member, neighbor, or friend about a time they were accused of doing something they didn’t do or didn’t feel like they did. Write a brief description of the situation, 5 sentences at least, and be prepared to talk about it the next day.