I. Getting Started/Warm-Up Activity (1 Min)

Carrie E. Goodnight October 13, 2004 Craft (8th grade) 30 minutes

Mini-Lesson: Getting Started

I. Getting Started/Warm-Up Activity (1 min)  Getting Started: New Ideas for Writing  Address the class by saying: It has come to my attention, that several of you are having writing “slumps.” You cannot think of anything else to write about in Writing Workshop. You guys have already written about the issues that directly affect your lives, so now it is time to dig deeper. Today, we are going to learn about some new ideas for writing topics. We are also going to look at who we are writing for and why that is important to our purpose for writing.

II. Review/Introduction (7 min)  Review Let’s review some of the topics that you have written about thus far. Raise your hands and share with the class what you have written about.  Write them on the board. Categorize them as subtopics under larger topics such as “Friends,” “Family,” “Hobbies,” “Sports,” “Relationships,” “Pets,” etc.  Ask the students, “Are there any other topics that you have ever considered writing about?”  List prospective topics in another color on the other side of the board. So far, we have written about things that we are familiar and comfortable with. There is nothing wrong with writing about these things, but it is time for us to try other topics as well. You need to start thinking about our experiences on a more global level. The topics of your writing need to begin leaning towards your ideas about society and your perspective in the world. However, I still want you to use your own personal experiences in your own writing along with these new topics.  Relate this lesson to other classes that students are taking right now. Are there any topics that you are learning about in other classes that interest you? Name some that we can talk about. (Be prepared to know about some topics that you can discuss by speaking with other teachers on your team. If students do not actively participate, give them some suggestions.) i.e. Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina, etc. (These ideas depend on what your team members are teaching at that particular time)

III. Points/Objectives to Learn NCSCS Standards 1.01 Narrate a personal account which:  Creates a coherent, organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.  Establishes a point of view and sharpens focus.  Uses remembered feelings.  Connects events to self/society Students will be able to involve their own experiences that influenced their “Just Because” statements through the writing that they choose to create. They will use these personal experiences to form the message that they wish to convey in their writing.

1.04 Reflect on learning experiences by:  Evaluating how personal perspectives are influenced by society, cultural differences, and historical issues.  Appraising changes in self throughout the learning process.  Evaluating personal circumstances and background that shape interaction with text. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on the learning experiences with issues of social justice through the writing that they wish to pursue. Students are able to identify how the element of social justice has impacted their life in some way and how it has changed them. Through writing about this topic, they will be organizing their ideas and learning more about their views of the world.

National Standards 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. Through the exercise in the JUST BECAUSE exercise, students will have the opportunity to think about issues of social justice and how they can be incorporated in their writing. The issues that this exercise addresses can encourage students to write for a different audience than their earlier pieces had. 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). Students can use this activity to expand on ideas of social justice in their writing. They will be encouraged to use ideas generated from this activity to address ideas and initiate social change. Rationale This mini-lesson should be used to get students thinking about topics that they can write about that are important to their daily lives. However, these topics require thought that is more developed and planned than topics that require thinking on the surface. As eighth graders, students are beginning to see themselves in a world that is larger than themselves. This activity will push them to think about how others perceive them and how they feel they are being viewed in the world. The issues that come up during this activity can create opportunities for writing that is taking an active role for social change. These pieces of writing could also be submitted for publication as well.

IV. Materials Needed  Note cards  Pen/pencils  Notebook paper  Writing Workshop folders (students should have these to collect their materials in at the end of class) V. Guided Practice (15 min)  Introduce new ideas of social justice that they might not have considered before such as equality, fairness, and discrimination.  Describe the meaning of social justice. Social Justice is the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society (according to www.dictionary.com). Social justice takes on many forms and has many components. When discussing issues of social justice we tend to think about equality, fairness, and discrimination.  Give students directions for the “Just Because” activity.  JUST BECAUSE activity  Pass out note cards to every student in the class. Write the following sentence on the board, “Just because I‘m ______, doesn’t mean I’m ______.”

Everyone copy the sentence on the board. Fill in the blank spaces in the sentence by applying your own personal experiences (Allow students a few minutes to fill in the blanks.).

Now that everyone is done, I want you to walk up to the front of the classroom and read your card to the class. When you are finished, tear the card in two pieces and throw them in the trashcan. Start on this side of the room (point to one side) and work your way around the room so that everyone has a chance to read their card.

 Have students volunteer to talk about how this exercise made them feel. Let the discussion lead itself as students share their feelings regarding the activity. The following questions could be used to encourage the discussion.

How did this exercise make you feel? Did it feel good to tear up the card and throw the stereotype away? What is a stereotype? Is this something that you have thought about before?

Experiences regarding social justice are an important part of our social lives and are deeply engrained in ourselves. They help form our opinions in many ways. The way we are perceived by others is reflected in this activity.

VI. Independent Practice (5 min)  Students should begin brainstorming for their new topics. They should react to the power that they felt through expressing their “Just Because” statement.

 Use your “Just Because” statement in your writing.

I want you to think about using your “Just Because” in your next piece of writing. You can even consider using someone else’s statement that is more relevant to your life than your own statement was. Think about pro-active ways that you could use your writing to initiate social change. Who would your audience be? Why would it be more effective to write for a specific audience if you are trying to raise questions of social justice? Take out a sheet of notebook paper and write down some ideas that you are thinking about.

 Remind students that these issues of social justice are complex and need to be elaborated on over time.

VIII. Closure/Expectations (2 min)  Remind students of their homework.  HOMEWORK: Students should think about their “Just Because” statements in regard to the genre they want to write. *** Questions to think about for homework *** (Write these on the board for students to copy on their notebook paper to be kept in their folders)  What do I want to say?  Who is my audience?  How will I tell him/her/them?  What is the best format for my writing piece? Is it a narrative account of a single experience?  Do I need to perform any research for my piece?  What are my main ideas within the topic?