Lesson Plan : Writing "The Roadblock"

Teacher Name:
 Ava Tanton
Grade:
 Grade 6
Subject:
 Literature Activities

Topic:
 Creative Writing- Using Art as focus material
Content:
 Using detail in creative writing - adjectives, descriptives, observation, creativity, imagination
Goals:
 To learn the importance of using details in writing.
Objectives:
  Students should realize the important difference that descriptives make in creative writing. This exercise should illustrate just how different one scene can be depending on the details the author gives it.
Materials:
 Projector, Print out copies of "The Roadblock," pen/ pencil, paper, imagination
Introduction:
 Introduce myself- Ms. Tanton - Teacher for the day - All I ask is for your attention, participation, and pls raise your hand when you have something to say
Development:
 "Testing your powers of observation" - ask students to close their eyes - when ready, put on different articles of clothing (glasses, blazer, baseball hat), and ask them to observe and respond to the differences -- does one thing make me look- friendlier? more severe? professional? businesslike? - play with facial expressions- over the top, to emphasize these differences -CONCLUDE- with realizing that little details can create a very different impression/ interpretation
Practice:
 "Today we are going to talk about the importance of using details in our writing" SWITCH-- Rockwell Painting - Rockwell was born in 1894 - painted "American" scenes, for Saturday Evening Post and Boys Life Mag - Died in 1978
Accommodations:
 Now look at the LARGE PAINTING- "The Roadblock" - find some detail that pple find interesting " I want each of you to find a detail- something new- that no one else has yet mentioned" "Why did Rockwell include so many details?" "What about our impression/ about the painting has changed?" "What do the other parts of the painting suggest, add, include, focus?" CONCLUDE- "Is the painting more- exciting, compelling, interesting? REFER BACK TO HOW THE DETAILS IN MY CLOTHING MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR INITIAL IMPRESSION OF ME
Checking For Understanding:
 Creative Writing - we are just going to work on the first three sentences of our story - can continue if desired later, at home, for homework etc. 1st sentence: AS A GROUP -what is the name of the street? -what is the name/type/ description of this dog? "Yesterday, everything stopped in the middle of McGill's Alley when a small, frightened,.. dog wouldn't get out of the way of ... truck. 2nd Sentence: AS INDIVIDUALS -Pick a character in the painting, someone you are interested in /like. -Make up a name for your character, write it down in CAPITALS, the name might reflect something about your characters personality, individual character, place in life etc. --WALK AROUND THE ROOM TO ASSIST -Now write down what your character was doing right before the truck stopped "She/He had just... when the truck stopped." 3rd Sentence: - Now think about your character. You know something about them that no one else knows. - there is something in your pocket that is important to that character-- going to take it out -include descriptive words to describe the object, because no one else knows what it is/ what it looks like. -include: size, shape, color, feel, importance "He/She reached into his pocket and took out... and wondered if it might help" WALK AROUND THE ROOM
Closure:
 HAVE STUDENTS SHARE THEIR STORIES - start with the title: "The Roadblock" - praise for descriptive/adjective words used End with follow up questions, I hope you now see how detail can make a huge difference in the impressions people get. In the first painting we noticed only a few things of the "real stuff" that was going on in the painting. When writing creatively it is important to include descriptive language and words to emphasize meaning and to provide a clear "picture" of what is happening.
Evaluation:
 
Teacher Reflections:
 

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