Lesson Plan Template s36

Name(s): Salina Salway

Lesson Title: Exploring the Process of Writing Historical Fiction

Date/Duration: 5th March, 2010/ 100 minutes (two 50 minute periods)

Lesson Overview: Students will conduct research on authors who have written historical fiction and will then compile a list of procedures used by these writers. The list will be shared with the rest of the class as an ending to the lesson. They will also use a graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas for their short stories.

Lesson Rationale: This lesson focuses on the stage Burke refers to as the gathering stage. During this stage you gather information that will help in your writing. Information may be gathered through books, interviews, surveys etc. The students are being prepared to write their own short stories. The students will first analyze the procedures other authors of historical fiction go through. Through this they will note the procedures and learn how they may use them in their own writing. This will teach them the steps they can imitate in writing their own story. It also prepares them to gather information for their own stories. The lesson has the students narrow down their topics for their short historical fiction. It also asks them to brainstorm about sources through which they may obtain supporting information for those details. In the English Teacher’s Companion, Burke states that graphic organizers are a good way of helping students think. He also says that the graphic organizer should be used with an objective in mind. In this lesson, the students will use a graphic organizer to write the details they want to focus on for their stories and the sources which may be helpful to gain information about those details. The organizer is not only being used to help students organize ideas for that specific lesson but also fulfills an overall goal for the unit.

Lesson Objectives: Students will be able to:  research procedures used by writers of historical fiction  compile a list of procedures that are used by writers of historical fiction  begin working on their short stories

Objectives for ESOL students: ESOL students will have the same objectives as the other students.

Sunshine State Standards: LA.910.3.1.1: The student will prewrite by generating ideas from multiple sources (e.g., brainstorming, notes, journals, discussion, research materials or other reliable sources) based upon teacher-directed topics and personal interests. LA.910.3.1.3: The student will prewrite by using organizational strategies and tools (e.g. technology, spreadsheet, outline, chart, table, graph, Venn diagram, web story, plot pyramid) to develop a personal organizational style.

Instructional Resources and Lesson Materials Needed:  a clip on the making of Titanic from (0 minutes to 2:24 minutes) Name(s): Salina Salway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxDF1dUH67w  folders containing written and audiovisual interviews with authors of historical fiction  a poster or chart paper  writing utensils: markers, pens etc.  group evaluation forms  lesson evaluation forms  “pictionary game”: strips of paper with words written on them (This is explained further in the lesson plan, the first bullet point of Day 2.), a bowl (any container will do) and a marker.  a graphic organizer

Additional Materials for ESOL students if necessary:  an illustrated script of the clip from the making of Titanic  an outline of the article, “Tracing her Roots” accompanied with illustrations  an illustrated script of the audio and audiovisual media from the folders  modified graphic organizer  a handout of the questions for the discussion on family stories/artifacts

Lesson Sequence (include approximate times for each segment): Introduction/Lead-in/ Focus: 7 ½ minutes  As students enter the classroom guide them to specific tables. Students should be separated based on reading level for a later activity in this lesson.  Inform the students that they are about to watch a clip about the making of Titanic. The clip shows certain things that were done to adapt the film to fit the time period in which it took place. Titanic is a film but many of the same things that were done for it can be done in writing. Let students know this is the reason they are watching this clip. Show the clip. You may stop the clip wherever you choose. I chose to stop it at 2:24 minutes. This section of the clip shows how the staircase and clothes closely imitated the originals.  Ask the students what was done to adapt the film to that time period. How could they do something similar in their writing?

Explicit Instruction: Day 1 5 minutes  Let the students know that they are going to conduct research on the procedures authors do when writing historical fiction. They are doing this activity to discover the path that writers take when writing and to learn the steps they need to take in other to write their own work.  First demonstrate to the students how you want this done. Use the link at www. Sfgate.com; “Tracing Her Roots” article, published 6/1/01 as an example (I chose to use this article because it is at grade level). Briefly scan the article and demonstrate what should be done. For example, the writer in this article used her Name(s): Salina Salway

cousin’s letter as the basis of her research and continued gathering her information through newspapers, deeds, wills etc. This should be written down as methods/sources for gathering information. Students can use this method themselves by using a family article as the basis for their research such as a photo album. 10 minutes  Now have the students pick out other relevant information while guiding them. If they are having difficulty doing this ask them if they can identify any other things she did to help her write her novel (examples: take writing courses at the local university, getting a feel for the land which served as her setting for the novel). Before proceeding to the next step make sure that the students understand what they need to do. Have them indicate this by a thumb up or down. If they do not understand repeat the steps (read the article, pick out the relevant points, write them down) and ask them to let you know where they are having difficulty. If not then move on. 27 ½ minutes  In their homogenous groups based on reading level, handout the level appropriate folders to each group along with a poster or chart paper and writing utensils. Students will read the information and watch videos from their folder and take note of the procedures used by the authors when writing historical fiction. Their information should be recorded on their posters. Procedures that they can replicate for their own story should be highlighted (They can do this by writing it in a different color. As the students work in their individual groups walk around the class to monitor their progress and assist them when necessary.  Have the groups present their findings to the class (this can be evaluated for their understanding of the activity). Compile a class list of the recommended procedures that the students chose. This list can be posted in the classroom for future reference. To end the class, have the students complete a short lesson evaluation checklist. Also ask them to bring in a family artifact that they wish to use for their story, next class or to select a detail about their family to write about. Day 2 10 minutes  To begin the class, have students participate in a sort of “pictionary game”. Use the class list that was compiled of the recommended procedure for the game. Have students draw a strip of paper from a bowl. The strip of paper should have a word or short phrase (E.g. letter, newspaper, writing classes etc.) related to the compiled list. The student has to draw pictures on the board to help the rest of their classmates guess the word and how it can be helpful in writing a historical fiction. (E.g. It is a newspaper and it can be a source of information for the story. If necessary this format may be written on the board). They have one minute to do this. In the interest of time, the maximum number of words should be ten. 15 minutes  If you are writing your own piece of historical fiction, do a think-aloud in which you share your family artifacts with the class (If not, bring in a local author to do so). Talk about the story you plan to pursue, the kinds of information you will need to research, the information and ideas you have so far. Name(s): Salina Salway

 Ask the students to take out the family artifacts that they brought. Ask if they would like to share it with the class. After they are done sharing, ask them how they plan to use this to write their story. Help them along by asking them about the same things that you shared with them earlier (the story they plan to pursue, the kinds of information they will need to research, the information and ideas they have so far). 25 minutes  Handout the graphic organizers (They are included in the lesson plan forms/handouts) and explain how to use it. In the left column they should write details of their family stories/artifacts. In the right column, they should write possible sources of information for that detail.  When the graphic organizers are complete, students should highlight the details they want to focus on. Circulate around the classroom and review the students’ highlighted organizers and note what each student will be working on.

Assessment and Assessment Criteria: Day 1 of the lesson plan will be assessed through the group work evaluation form and the lesson evaluation form. Students will assess their groups and their understanding of the lesson. Further assessment criteria can be found in the evaluation forms which are located in the lesson plan forms/handouts. Day 2 of the lesson plan will be assessed through the graphic organizers. Collect the organizers at the end of the class (If necessary. You may also assess the organizers while monitoring the students’ progress) to assess their understanding of the material and the completion of the work. If the organizers are completed and the information demonstrates an understanding of the material it will be considered satisfactory.

Adaptations for different levels of ESOL students Group work evaluation form and lesson evaluation form Pre-production and Early production: Students will have the forms orally explained to them and will indicate their response by pointing to their response. Any needed written response will have to be shared as much as possible through the use of gestures and illustrations. Speech Emergence: Students will have the forms orally explained to them and will indicate their response by saying it. Any needed written response will be shared verbally with the teacher. Intermediate Fluency: Students will fill out the form and will receive additional explanation from the teacher when necessary. They may share their concerns verbally if they prefer to do so.

Graphic Organizer Pre-production and Early production: Students will draw pictures to indicate their ideas. Speech Emergence: Students will draw pictures of their ideas along with words or short phrases. Name(s): Salina Salway

Intermediate Fluency: Students will write out their ideas but are free to illustrate them with drawings. The teacher will also have an oral interview with all levels of the ESOL students so they can further explain their ideas.

Lesson Plan Extensions and Modification Ideas Methods to writing a historical fiction can be broken down into four main categories (the event, the context, the land and the people). Teaching these methods beforehand may help students in identifying the procedures that historical writers use from the written and audiovisual information that will be given to them. Be sure to remind students that these methods are not done in a particular order. A writer may use all of these methods or only some to write and can use them in any order (E.g. event, context, land or people, land, context). Below are the four methods accompanied by a task.

1. Know the event. Choose a moment in history that you can be passionate about. This may be an event of national and historical significance that has resonated with you or something of personal or community significance. Task for step 1: Brainstorm events in history that you find interesting. For additional ideas, try looking through your history textbook to see if you can find an event in history that you would like to see told from an Aboriginal perspective. 2. Know the context. Keep in mind that very few events occur without some connection to others. It is important to know what came before and after the event you choose. Do some research on the time period of the historical event of your choice. Task for step 2: Create a timeline including events leading up to the setting of your story and subsequent events as well. 3. Know the Land. Geography shapes a culture more strongly than any other influence. Imagine yourself standing on the land where your story place. Look around you. What do you see? What is the weather like? What animals and plants are available in this area? Are there lakes? Rivers? An ocean? Task for step 3: Write or draw a description of the land to have this as a reference throughout the writing process. 4. Know the people. You could choose to write about real people who were involved in the historical event (E.g. Louis Riel in the Northwest Rebellion) or perhaps you would like to tell the story from the perspective of a person who may not have made it into the history books. Whether the characters in your historical event are real or invented, it’s best to know them as well as possible. Task for step 4: Decide on the main characters in your story. Create a chart listing each of the characteristics you want your characters to have including appearance, clothes, occupation, attitude, family life, belief system and any other characteristics you think may affect how they respond to change or turmoil. Taken from http://www.our-story.ca/SixSteps.pdf

ESOL Modification Day 1  Follow the lesson sequence as previously planned. Provide the ESOL students Name(s): Salina Salway

with an illustrated script for the clip from the making of the Titanic. The script should have the spoken words of the people in the clip. Difficult words, in the script, should be illustrated through the use of a picture or drawing that will make the meaning of the word clearer.  When explaining the activity for the lesson using the article, “Tracing her Roots” give a summary of the article. Provide the ESOL students with an outline of the article and pictures that help illustrate it so they can follow along as you summarize it. Draw pictures and use gestures while explaining the material. Remember to ask the class to indicate if they understood by showing a thumb up or down.  Assign the ESOL students to groups based on their reading level in their native language. Assist the ESOL students when possible but let the groups know that the ESOL students’ main responsibility will be working on the audio/visual media. They are still expected to participate when working with the other media but it will be their responsibility to pick out the procedures from the audio/visual media with the help of their fellow classmates. Provide them with an illustrated script of the audio/visual media. The script will display the spoken words of the people with pictures or drawings to help illustrate the meaning of difficult words.  ESOL students will evaluate the lesson by having the lesson evaluation form read out to them. The teacher or a peer can read the form to them and fill out the appropriate spaces. Day 2  ESOL students who are able to participate in the “pictionary game” without further interpretation of the words or phrases may participate in as the clue giver. The other ESOL students may participate by guessing the answers. If they are unable to verbally answer they may draw their answer.  Provide the ESOL students with the questions for the discussion at the beginning of the lesson so they can prepare if they would like to share about their family artifact/story. The questions should be written at their level and illustrated if necessary. Examples of the questions are: What do you plan to write your story on? How will you find out information for your story? What ideas do you have so far for your story?  Provide the ESOL students with illustrated graphic organizers. Similar to the other handout in this lesson, the difficult words should be illustrated using a picture or drawing. After passing out the organizers, go over the directions for filling out the organizer clearly and carefully. Use gestures, drawings and other forms necessary to get the meaning across. While students work on their organizers, it is a great time to give extra help to students who may need it like some of the ESOL students.

Lesson Plan Forms/Handouts Materials for the folders Advanced Readers  “Historical Fiction or Fictionalized History?” by Joanne Brown (online at scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall98/brown.html). Name(s): Salina Salway

 “Historical Fiction Author Roundtable” (online at www.authorsontheweb.com/features/0210-historical-fiction/historical- fiction.asp).  “Isabel Allende” by Linda Richards (online at www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/allende.html).  “Isabel Allende: A Life of Extremes” (audio online atwww.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/hightlights/allende.shtml).

Grade-Level Readers  “Tracing Her Roots: Lalita Tademy Quit the Corporate Life to Write a Novel About her Family History” by Heather Knight (online at www.sfgate.com; article published 6/1/01).  “Interview with the Author: Lalita Tademy” (online at www.oprah.com/obc/pastbooks/lalita-tedemy/o_bc20010914_profile.jhtml).  “Writing Backward” by Anne Scott Mcleod (online at www.hbook.com/exhibit/article_mcleod.html).  “Amy Tan: Best-Selling Novelist” (audio and video online at www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/tan0int-1).

Struggling Readers  “Writing Historical Short Fiction” by Bev Walton-Porter (online at home.san.rr.com/grady/writing/histfiction.html).  “Interview with Ann Rinaldi” by D. Ilana Dessau and Jenna Galley (online at scils.rutgers.edu/~kvander/rinaldi1.html).  “Interview with Karen Cushman” by Stephanie Loer (online at www.eduplace.com/rdg/author/Cushman/question.html).  “Cynthia Rylant” (video available from American School Publishers). Taken from Differentiation in Practice by Carol Tomlinson and Cindy Strickland ISBN: 1- 4166-0050-7

Lesson Evaluation Checklist Scale 1-10 (1 = poor, 10 = excellent) Criteria Indicate your level of understanding by writing a number next to the corresponding criteria Understood the teacher’s example from “Tracing Her Roots” Understood what was supposed to be done for the article “Tracing Her Roots” Understood what was to be done during the group work Know how to use the procedures from the material in your own writing Comments: (What did you not understand? How can I help you further?) Name(s): Salina Salway

Group Work Evaluation Form 1. Overall, how effectively did this group work together on this project/task/assignment? Poorly Adequately Well Extremely Well

2. Out of the all the group members, how many participated actively most of the time? 1 2 3 4 5 3. Out of the all the group members, how many were fully prepared for the activity? 1 2 3 4 5 4. Give one specific example of something you learned from the group that you probably wouldn’t have learned working alone.

5. Give one specific example of something the other group members learned from you that they probably wouldn’t have learned otherwise.

6. Suggest one change the group could make to improve its performance.

Taken and modified from Angelo & Cross (1993), p350. Name(s): Salina Salway

Name: ______Graphic Organizer Name(s): Salina Salway

Important Details in My Family Stories/ How/Where I Could Find Out More Artifacts (details that might provide a basis (e.g. family, online sources, print sources for the short story) etc.)