Jeff+Mahern

** Gaining New Perspective ** An assignment intended for grades 9-10
 * Unit Introduction **

Prepared by: Jeff Mahern This assignment is for the first section of a writing portfolio and would most likely be given at the beginning of the semester as a sort of //getting to know you// project. Lasting roughly 4 weeks, this assignment asks students to produce three versions of a story, each from a different point of view, detailing a significant experience from their past. In addition to this, students will complete a number of in-class writing assignments as well as several peer-response sheets. Several minilessons will also be given throughout the course of this assignment covering topics like literary perspectives and grammar. Finally, students will select one of the three versions of their personal experience story to be further revised and developed into a “polished” final draft which they will read aloud for the class. On the surface, this assignment is meant to familiarize students with the concept of perspective in literature. However, the student-centered nature of the assignment allows it to benefit students in many more ways than this alone. Asking students to write from personal experience can be highly beneficial; as is stated in //Best Practice in Writing//: “children work hard to express themselves well [when the topics matter to them], and are willing to invest time and effort in crafting and revising their work,” (Zemelman 59). The importance of student-centered education is also stressed in //Renewing Our Schools// by the claim, “the best starting point for schooling is young people’s real interests,” (Zemelman 8).
 * Overview **
 * From Theory to Practice **


 * Student Objectives **
 * Establish a sense of accomplishment through the creation of a portfolio
 * Develop an understanding of the role perspective plays in literature
 * Further their understanding of the intricacies of the writing process
 * Develop a sense of community within the classroom by connecting with peers on a personal level
 * Develop confidence in their writing by sharing their work with others
 * Michigan ELA Content Expectations **

CE 1.1.2 Know and use a variety of prewriting strategies to generate, focus, and organize ideas (e.g., free writing, clustering/mapping, talking with others, brainstorming, outlining, developing graphic organizers, taking notes, summarizing, paraphrasing). CE 1.1.5 Revise drafts to more fully and/or precisely convey meaning—drawing on response from others, self-reflection, and reading one’s own work with the eye of a reader; then refine the text— deleting and/or reorganizing ideas, and addressing potential readers’ questions.
 * CE 1.1.1 ** Demonstrate flexibility in using independent and collaborative strategies for planning, drafting, revising, and editing complex texts.
 * CE 1.1.6 ** Reorganize sentence elements as needed and choose grammatical and stylistic options that provide sentence variety, fluency, and flow.
 * CE 1.1.7 ** Edit for style, tone, and word choice (specificity, variety, accuracy, appropriateness, conciseness) and for conventions of grammar, usage and mechanics that are appropriate for audience.
 * CE 1.1.8 ** Proofread to check spelling, layout, and font; and prepare selected pieces for a public audience.
 * CE 1.2.3 ** Write, speak, and create artistic representations to express personal experience and perspective (e.g., personal narrative, poetry, imaginative writing, slam poetry, blogs, webpages).
 * CE 1.2.4 ** Assess strengths, weaknesses, and development as a writer by examining a collection of own writing.
 * CE 1.3.3 ** Compose essays with well-crafted and varied sentences demonstrating a precise, flexible, and creative use of language.
 * CE 2.3.5 ** Engage in self-assessment as a reader, listener, and viewer, while monitoring comprehension and using a variety of strategies to overcome difficulties when constructing and conveying meaning.
 * CE 3.1.2 ** Demonstrate an understanding of literary characterization, character development, the function of major and minor characters, motives and causes for action, and moral dilemmas that characters encounter by describing their function in specific works.
 * CE 4.1.1 ** Use sentence structures and vocabulary effectively within different modes (oral and written, formal and informal) and for various rhetorical purposes.
 * CE 4.1.2 ** Use resources to determine word meanings, pronunciations, and word etymologies (e.g., context, print and electronic dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, and others).

Instructional Plan Detailed lesson plans
 * Resources **
 * Writing utensils, colored pencils, writing/drawing paper
 * Three-ring binders
 * “A Boy and His Cat” by Judith S. Johnessee
 * Four Corners grammar minilesson and handout
 * [[file:four corners.doc]]
 * // Looking back… // self-reflection sheet
 * [[file:Looking Back.doc]]
 * Peer-review sheet
 * [[file:Peer Response Sheet.doc]]
 * Character-web minilesson
 * [[file:minilesson2.doc]]
 * Assessment rubric
 * [[file:assessment rubric.doc]]
 * // Gaining New Perspective // assignment sheet
 * [[file:Gaining New Perspective.doc]]
 * Perspective minilesson
 * [[file:Perspective minilesson.docx]]
 * Teacher preparation **
 * Make copies of “A Boy and His Cat” by Judith S. Johnessee
 * Make copies of Four Corners grammar minilesson handout
 * Make copies of peer-review sheet
 * Make copies of //Looking back…// self-assessment
 * Make copies of //Gaining New Perspective// assignment sheet
 * Week 1 **

__ Session 1 __ o Ask students to write for roughly 10 minutes about any significant experience from their past; the teacher should write along with the students. o Allow 20 minutes or so for students to share what they have written; the teacher should feel free to share as well. > > __ Session 2 __ > Homework: ** complete character webs/ drawings __ Session 3 __ o Respond to the prompt – //To me, grammar is…// o Allow a few minutes for students to share what they wrote > Homework ** : get rough draft ready for peer-review __ Session 4 __ o Split into groups of three o Take turns reading pieces out loud o Have students complete a peer-review sheet for each of their fellow group members o Collect papers for 1-on-1 teacher conferences
 * Pre-writing activity:
 * 20 min - Literary Perspective Minilesson - [[file:Perspective minilesson.docx]]
 * Distribute copies of the //Gaining New Perspective// assignment sheet to the class and take any questions regarding the assignment. - [[file:Gaining New Perspective.doc]]
 * Any remaining time could be used for students to begin work on a rough draft of the first version of their personal experience stories; written in first-person from their own perspective
 * Homework ** : work on rough draft
 * 20 min – Character-Web Minilesson - [[file:minilesson2.doc]]
 * Students should spend the remaining class time working on character webs and drawings for each character in their personal experience stories
 * 15 min - Pre-writing activity:
 * 20-30 min – //Four Corners// grammar minilesson - [[file:four corners.doc]]
 * Any remaining class time should be reserved for students to work on their rough drafts
 * ** Peer-Review Day ** - [[file:Peer Response Sheet.doc]]

__ Session 5 __
 * Homework**: bring a book to read tomorrow
 * Hold a 5 minute or so conference with each student regarding their story
 * Students will read silently when not in a teacher conference
 * Week 2 **

__ Session 6 __ Homework ** : work on rough draft __ Session 7 __ __ Session 8 __ __ Session 9 __ __ Session 10 __ ** __ Session 11 __ > __ Session 12 __ __ Session 13 __ __ Session 14 __ __ Session 15 __ ** __ Session 16-20 __
 * Pass out copies of “A Boy and His Cat” and have students take turns reading aloud
 * Allow students 10 minutes or so to briefly rewrite the story from a different point of view
 * 20 min – Allow students to share what they have written and discuss the impact that changing the point of view had upon the story
 * Allow students to work on a rough draft of the second version of their personal experience stories with any remaining time; this version should also be in first-person but from the perspective of a different character this time
 * Work on second version of personal experience story
 * Work on second version of personal experience story
 * Peer-Review Day
 * 1-on-1 Teacher Conferences
 * Week 3
 * Complete //Looking back…// self-reflection sheet - [[file:Looking Back.doc]]
 * Review third-person perspectives
 * Have students spend any remaining time beginning work on a rough draft of the 3rd version of their personal experience stories; this version should be written in a third-person perspective of their choosing
 * Work on third version of personal experience story
 * Work on third version of personal experience story
 * Peer-Review Day
 * 1-on-1 Teacher Conferences
 * Week 4
 * · Have students select one of the versions of their personal experience stories they have written to further revise and develop into a “polished” final draft
 * [[file:assessment rubric.doc]]