2.05 Evaluate inferences, conclusions, and generalizations and provide evidence by referencing the text(s).
| Lesson Title: | Author's Craft | ||
| Curriculum Area: | English Language Arts | ||
| Technology Strand: | Uses technology but does not address a technology strand | ||
| Grade Level: | 5 | ||
| Essential Question: | How does an author use his skills or "craft" to help us know more about the characters in a story? |
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Activity Summary | Students will be able to identify the author's use of voice, font type and style, word choice and illustrations as Anthony Browne reveals each character's personality in the book Voices in the Park. NOTE: Due to the multiple opportunities in this lesson to utilize technology, this lesson will take place in its entirety in the computer lab. |
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Curriculum |
English Language Arts: 2.05 Evaluate inferences, conclusions, and generalizations and provide evidence by referencing the text(s). |
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Technology |
Uses technology but does not address a technology strand
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| Activating Strategies |
The teacher will begin the class by reading the poem by Shel Silverten, "Point-of-View" then ask the students to turn to a neighbor (partners or classmates at their table) and explain the poem. (Allow students to share that people look forward to Thanksgiving because of the great food that most people enjoy. However, this poem describes Thanksgiving and other celebratory events that include food to be unpleasant experiences from the turkey's point-of-view.) The teacher will then lead a brief discussion on "Point of View" as it is written underneath "Author's Craft".The teacher will review "Point-of-View" by stating: "A story is always told as the storyteller sees it. If the same story is told by another person, it may not be told in the exact same way." Each person tells the story from his/her "Point of View". The teacher will lead into further discussion of point-of-view by giving the example of how two different teams may feel after a championship game; e.g., How would the winner feel versus the loser? |
| Technology Vocabulary: |
| Detailed Technology Instructions: |
| Cognitive Teaching Strategies | |||||||||
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"Skillfully selecting the most appropriate viewpoint from which to tell a
story in one element of the author's craft. The book "Voices
in the Park" is told from four different viewpoints." The teacher will
post point-of-view under a list of elements associated with author's craft.
"As we read the story today, we will be looking for other ways that an
author can use his/her craft to help us understand the characters in the
story."
Vocabulary Development Before reading the story the teacher will partner students in groups of two or three and give each group one of the following vocabulary words to research and share with the group:
Note: Teachers my feel free to add or delete words from this as
necessary for his/her students. After each group has taught the assigned vocabulary word, the teacher will ask students to move into and sit in groups according to their color chips. After each group has taught the assigned vocabulary word, the teacher will once again direct the students' attention to the EQ. The teacher will pass out a copy of Voices in the Park while making sure that each student has his/her piece of paper and a pencil to use for recording a characteristics of each character."Today we are going to see how the author uses his talent or "craft" to help the reader to better understand the characters in the story. As I read the story aloud, I would like for you to follow along in the book and think about what the story allows you to understand about each character. Take your piece of paper and fold it to create four sections. Write one of the following in each of the four sections: woman, man, girl, boy. You will use the sections of this note-taking sheet to record your thoughts about each character. The teacher will read the story in sections, briefly pausing between pages to allow time for students to look at the pictures on the page. Do not discuss the characters at this time. After reading each voice, ask students to record their thoughts about each character in the designated section of their note-taking sheet.After reading all four voices, the teacher will ask students to look at the color chip that was given to each of them at the beginning of class. Students should now get into their "color alike" groups in order to further investigate what we know about each character. Assign a character (mother, father, girl or boy) to each of the color groups. NOTE: The teacher will want no more than four students assigned to a character so he/she may subdivide each color group.
Using notes taken from each person's note-taking sheet, groups should share what each person has recorded about the group's assigned character. From the notes shared, the group should then construct on a number overall beliefs (The number of beliefs should be determined by the number of people in the group. One belief will be assigned to each person in the group) The group will then reread the voice that features their assigned character's point-of-view of the story. While rereading, students should look for evidences that supports the groups beliefs about the character. After allowing time for students to reread each voice to find evidences that support the group's beliefs about the assigned character, have students order themselves according to how their first names would be found in the dictionary. This will determine the order of who drives the computer first in the next activity. Each group will move to and sit together around one computer. The teacher will make sure that the students know the order of drivers by asking students to raise their hand if he/she is the first driver, second driver, etc. The teacher will then tell the students that they are going to create a graphic organizer to show their group evidences that support the group's beliefs about the assigned character. The teacher will launch Inspiration and demonstrate typing in a character's name in the main topic bubble. (I plan to use the man's dog in the story for demonstration purposes.) The teacher add beliefs as subtopics that tell what we know about the dog. Examples may include friendly, happy, and energetic. The students will be asked to use their book to find evidences of these beliefs. It will be very easy for the students to give evidences from both text and illustrations. The teacher will demonstrate continue adding subtopics to the beliefs that illustrate the beliefs about the man's dog. Each person in the group is responsible for adding to the graphic organizer his/her own belief and evidences found by the group.The teacher will then allow time for groups to create and complete their own graphic organizer about their assigned character. The teacher should monitor and guide students to look additionally at the font style and symbolism that is predominant in each character's version of the story. If possible, allow the students to save the group organizer to a server. When each group has completed this task, allow groups to share the organizer with the class. If possible, project the organizer on a large screen for other to see. Otherwise, students may print a copy to share. As each group shares the organizer, the teacher should point out and list under "Author's Craft", along with point-of-view, that the author used his craft to help us to better understand the characters in the story through font type and style, word choice and graphics. |
| Summary Strategies |
| I would like for your group to open a word processor and type the following sentence starter "My trip to the park...". You are to use what you know about "Author's Craft" to finish and illustrate the sentence so that someone can identify your character by word choice, font style and type and illustration. Students will individually complete this task. Ask students to print their work without any identification. The teacher will collect the papers from the printer and redistribute the them to students. Students should receive a paper that is NOT their own. The teacher will ask the students to place the paper that they currently hold in a place designated for one of the four characters in the story. After the papers have been placed in a character group, have the original character groups ( by color) go to the area designated for their character's papers to retrieve their paper if it is there. All students return to their seats; even if they did not find his/her paper in the character location. If there are extra papers in this location, save them for later so that the class, as a group, can look for the author's craft that would help to identify the correct character that the paper belongs to. |
| Resources For directions on how to download files choose: Mac (Kid Pix or Microsoft Works), Windows (Kid Pix or Microsoft Works or Office), or Mac/PC (AppleWorks). |
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color chips for groups scrap paper pencils for students multiple copies of the book: Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne ISBN:078948191X "Point of View" from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein ISBN:06-025667-2 Vocabulary Template Vocabulary Cards |
| Re-teaching and Enrichment Activities |
| To extend this activity, the teacher may want to repeat the same lesson, allowing students to change assigned characters. The teacher may also allow students to rewrite the story from one of the other character's point of view such as the dog or other people that appear in the park; remembering to select appropriate text font and style, words and graphics for illustrations. |
Donna Martin |
| Prescott Technology Center, Data last modified: 12/30/2004 |