Middle School Lesson Plan:
Can You Remember?

Lesson Overview

In this activity students will be given the opportunity to examine experiences in their own lives, be they good or bad. They will then discuss insights that they have gained due to these experiences.

 

Standards

Reading Applications:
5. Identify and explain universal themes across different works by the same author and by different authors.

Writing Applications
2. Write responses to literature that organize an insightful interpretation around several clear ideas, premises or images and support judgments with specific references to the original text, to other texts, to authors and to prior knowledge.

 

Materials

 

Procedure

  1. Discuss the experiences of Erica from the beginning of the story until the end. List these on the board.

  2. Discuss insights Erica may have gained from these experiences. List these on the board next to the appropriate experience.

  3. Invite students to examine their own lives to find experiences that may have changed them in some way and to realize the insights that they gained from these experiences. They should write their responses on the worksheet.

  4. To take the lesson one step further, invite students to write a response using information on their charts, supporting statements and reference to their own lives.

 

Evaluation

The teacher can use the discussion as a springboard to the independent writing activity. The Writing Rubric can be used.

 

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Focus on Topic (Content) There is one clear, well-focused topic. The main idea stands out and is supported by detailed information. The main idea is clear but the supporting information is general. The main idea is somewhat clear but there is a need for more supporting information. The main idea is not clear. There is a seemingly random collection of information.
Grammar and Spelling (Conventions) Writer makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. Writer makes one or two errors in grammar or spelling. Writer makes three or four errors in grammar or spelling. Writer makes more than four errors in grammar or spelling.
Capitalization and Punctuation (Conventions) The writer makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the paper is very easy to read. The writer makes one or two errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the paper is still easy to read. The writer makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and interrupt the flow. The writer makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that catch the reader’s attention and greatly interrupt the flow.
Sequencing (Organization) Details are placed in a logical order and the way they are presented effectively keeps the interest of the reader. Details are placed in a logical order, but the way in which they are presented sometimes makes the writing less interesting. Some details are not in a logical or expected order, and this distracts the reader. Many details are not in a logical or expected order. There is little sense that the writing is organized.
Adding Personality (Voice) The writer seems to be writing from knowledge or experience. The author has taken the ideas and made them his or her “own.” The writer seems to be drawing on knowledge or experience, but there is some lack of ownership of the topic. The writer relates some of his own knowledge or experience, but it adds nothing to the discussion of the topic. The writer has not tried to transform the information in a personal way. The ideas and the way they are expressed seem to belong to someone else.
Conclusion (Organization) The conclusion is strong and enables the reader to understand the writer’s point. The conclusion is recognizable and ties up almost all the loose ends. The conclusion is recognizable, but does not tie up several loose ends. There is no clear conclusion; the paper just ends.

 

 
 
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