Understanding By Design 10-Day Unit Plan

Evidence of Requirements & Self Assessment .........1

Understanding by Design Unit Overview...............2

Day 1 Lesson Plan......3

supporting materials.......5

Day 2 Lesson Plan.....10
supporting materials..13

Day 3 Lesson Plan.....14

Day 4 Lesson Plan.....16
supporting materials..20

Day 5 Lesson Plan.....24

supporting materials..26

Day 6 Lesson Plan.....27

Day 7 Lesson Plan.....29

Day 8 Lesson Plan.....32
supporting materials..35

Day 9 Lesson Plan.....37
supporting materials..39

Day 10 Lesson Plan......41

Authentic Assessment Prompt.......44

Summative Assessment Quiz.........46

Some Direction...

Active student learning can be found in the learning activity

box of each lesson: pages 3, 10, 14, 16, 24, 27, 29, 32, 37, 41, 44, & 45

Gardners Intelligences in this unit:

Visual/Spatial - Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 9
Verbal/Linguistic - Day 5, Day 7, Day 10
Kinesthetic - Day 1, Day 4, Day 6
Interpersonal - Day 3, Day 4, Day 10
Intrapersonal - Day 8, Day 10

The single meaningful homework assignment that

augments instruction can be found on page 12 for Day 2.

Self Assessment:

I believe that the essential questions focus on big ideas and that the learning
activities get students there in a meaningful way. The take aways from this
unit are applicable to student success in any future class or grade as well as
their success outside of the classroom where ever communication is called for.
The learning activities put in place to reach the set goals are engaging,
accessible, and meaningful to produce quality student work. Students are held
to high expectations to be thoughtful of what they put into work and there is
adequate time, space, and resources available to allow and encourage them to
do so.
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Voice & Tone (writing)

Writing Standard 3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Writing Standard 5 - With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen
writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how
well purpose and audience have been addressed.

Writing Standard 9 - Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.

Language Standard 4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or
phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Language Standard 5 - Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and

nuances in word meanings.

Understandings
- A consistent, purposeful tone aids in accomplishing implicit meaning.
- Tone stimulates the audience to read a piece of literature as serious, comical, spectacular
or distressing.
- Tone carries the purpose, voice carries the audience.
Essential Questions
- What creates a connection between writer and audience?
- What makes an audience trust a writer?
- What do words do?

Students Will Know

Terms: explicit, implicit, connotations, denotations, allude, convey, anecdotal
Concepts: diction, point of view, writers voice, active voice, passive voice,
formal/informal/slang voice, positive/neutral/negative words, tone vs. mood, perspective,
showing not telling

Students Will be Able To

- Associate feelings with tones.
- Study the different effects of formal and informal language.
- Distinguish the difference between writers voice and characters voice.
- Analyze different audiences wants/needs to create a voice to best reach them.
- Create writing using purposeful tone to set mood and create attitude.
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Day 1 - Voice Switch

Utah State Core Writing Standard 9 - Draw evidence from

Standard and Objective literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.

Essential Question(s) What creates a connection between writer and

audience?

How do activities, Texts can be excerpts from stories students may

materials etc. connect already know. They can be taken from things
to students prior previously read in class, in other classes, or
knowledge? something known to be of interest. They can be
(academic, interests, lines from movies or shows that the students talk
learning styles, about.
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge) By assigning importance to different writing
styles, different interests in types of texts are
validated. Studying informal writing takes
pressure off of grammatical correctness.

Assessments The voice switch writing activity will serve as a

(formative and/or summative assessment of learning from the
summative) sorting activity and discussion.

Learning Activities: I. Formal/informal, passive/active

(Include detailed
description and time
frame for each activity)
(discovery 20 min | discussion, 10 min)
a. In small groups, students will be
given cut outs of 1-3 sentence long
texts that they must sort into two
groups. (Some groups will sort for
passive/active and some for
informal/formal)
1. Once everyone has sorted
their texts into two piles,
groups will find the other
 4

groups who had the same

texts and exchange thoughts
with each other on how they
sorted their texts.
2. Findings will be shared with
the entire class.
b. The class will hold a discussion on
what they foundbased on their
textscontributes to
informal/formal/active/passive
1. What gave it away for each
text?
2. Were there any that youre
unsure about?
3. Provided: Explicit reference
sheet with definitions of
1. informal language
2. formal language
3. active voice
4. passive voice
II. Voice Switch Practice (15 min)
a. Students will each pick a slip of one
of the texts used in the earlier
activity and rewrite it in the
opposite voice (formal to informal,
active to passive, vice versa)

Accommodations made - Grouping for sorting activity will be

for struggling and heterogeneous so students who struggle
accelerated learners with reading can be assisted by their peers
(grouping patterns, - Students that need more challenging work
content literacy will sort for passive/active instead of
strategies, etc.) formal/informal, seeing its a more
abstract concept

Materials - reference sheets (informal/formal,

active/passive)
- sentence strips
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Sorting strips:

Mr. Muhammad, to whom I was writing daily, had no idea of what a new world
had opened up to me through my efforts to document his teachings in books.

Alex Haley and Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X

So Im like, Look, you can follow me if you want. You know, I just felt maybe
he really needs help. So, you know, we go into the diner where I normally eat
and we sit down in the booth and the manager comes by, the dishwashers
come by, the waiters come by to say hi you know so The kid was like, Man
but you know like everybody here. Do you own this place?

Julio Diaz, https://storycorps.org/listen/julio-diaz/

The six or seven or ten of us walked/wheeled in, grazed at a decrepit selection

of cookies and lemonade, sat down in the Circle of Trust, and listened to
Patrick recount for the thousandth time his depressingly miserable life
storyhow he had cancer in his balls and they thought he was going to die
but he didnt die and now here he is, a full-grown adult in a church basement
in the 137th nicest city in America, divorced, addicted to video games, mostly
friendless, eking out a meager living by exploiting his cancertastic past, slowly
working his way toward a masters degree that will not improve his career
prospects, waiting, as we all do, for the sword of Damocles to give him the
relief that he escaped lo those many years ago when cancer took both of his
nuts but spared what only the most generous soul would call his life.

John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

"Well, ain't that nice. I usually don't take my tea till later anyway." She brings
over an opener and two glasses. I drink mine straight from the bottle and
 6

seeing this, she pushes the glasses aside, does the same.

Kathryn Stockett, The Help

At first, as a student, I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory

freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased, and go where I
chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and
honorable freedoms of achieving my potential, of earning my keep, of
marrying and having a family the freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful
life.
Nelson Mandela, A Long Walk to Freedom

Our pockets were full of deng, so there was no real need from the point of
view of crasting any more pretty polly to tolchock some old veck in an alley
and viddy him swim in his blood while we counted the takings and divided by
four, nor to do the ultra-violent on some shivering starry grey-haired ptitsa in
a shop and go smecking off with the till's guts. But, as they say, money isn't
everything.

Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

Our parents had decided to put an end to their calamitous marriage, and
Father shipped us home to his mother. A porter had been charged with our
welfarehe got off the train the next day in Arizonaand our tickets were
pinned to my brother's inside coat pocket.

Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

We're on a flat, open stretch of ground. A plain of hard-packed dirt. Behind the
tributes across from me, I can see nothing, indicating either a steep downward
slope or even a cliff. To my right lies a lake. To my left and back, sparse piney
woods.
 7

Suzanne Collins, Hunger Games

When our bus was called, we ran down the steps. As usual, Moniba and the
other girls covered their heads and faces before we stepped outside the gate
and got into the waiting dyna, the white truck that was our Khushal School
bus. And, as usual, our driver was ready with a magic trick to amuse us. That
day, he made a pebble disappear. No matter how hard we tried, we couldnt
figure out his secret.

Malala Yousafzai, I am Malala (young readers version)

 8

Formal and informal language

from English Grammar Today

We use formal language in situations that are serious or that involve people we dont
know well. Informal language is more commonly used in situations that are more
relaxed and involve people we know well.

Formal language is more common when we write; informal language is more common
when we speak. However, there are times where writing can be very informal, for
example, when writing postcards or letters to friends, emails or text messages. There
are also examples where spoken English can be very formal, for example, in a speech
or a lecture. Most uses of English are neutral; that is, they are neither formal nor
informal.

FORMAL: The girl whom I met in Singapore was interested in working in Australia.
INFORMAL: The girl I met in Singapore was interested in working in Australia.

FORMAL:We went to Barcelona for the weekend. We have a lot of things to tell you.
INFORMAL: Went to Barcelona for the weekend. Lots to tell you.

More formal vocabulary commonly involves longer words or words with origins in Latin
and Greek. More informal vocabulary commonly involves shorter words, or words with
origins in Anglo-Saxon. Most dictionaries indicate very informal and/or formal words.

We often choose to use certain modal verbs to be more formal and polite:
Can I suggest you try this new model? (neutral)
May I suggest you try this new model? (more formal)
Might I suggest you try this new model? (very formal)
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Active Voice
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the
thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.

Examples:

Passive Voice
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and
the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can
use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or
should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is
doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.

Examples:
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Day 2 - Asking about Audience

Utah State Core Writing Standard 5 - With some guidance and

Standard and Objective support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on how well purpose and
audience have been addressed.

Writing Standard 7 - Conduct short research

projects to answer a question (including a
self-generated question)

Essential Question(s) What creates a connection between writer and

audience?

How do activities, Creating different texts with different voices

materials etc. connect connects directly to the voice switch activity
to students prior done the prior day.
knowledge?
(academic, interests, Experimenting with different language allows
learning styles, room for creativity and character.
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge) Students may be motivated knowing that their
writing will serve as material for research for the
class.

Assessments Formative assessment: students writing will be

(formative and/or checked-in on periodically to make sure its
summative) heading in the right direction, guidance will be
offered if students need a better understanding of
their voice group.

Learning Activities: I. Creating Voices (30 min)

(Include detailed a. Class will be divided into 6 groups,
 11

description and time each group will construct ~200

frame for each activity) word text based off of a single
prompt, examples provided.
b. Each group will be assigned a voice
to write in
1. active, informal
2. passive, informal
3. active, formal
4. passive, formal
5. active, slang
6. passive, slang
c. Students will then workshop their
pieces in their groups to help them
revise their work to best represent
their voice
II. Asking About Audience (15 min)
a. Students will be instructed that they
are going to gather research on how
reader feels about a text.
b. As a class, we will construct
questions that students think it
important to know from readers,
examples:
1. On a scale from 1-10, how
much do you trust this text?
And why?
2. Would you like to read more
of this persons writing? y/n,
and why?
3. Were you confused by this
text? strongly
agree/agree/disagree/strongly
disagree. Why?
c. Surveys will be created on Google
Surveys
1. Although all the questions
will be the same for every
reader, they should be
 12

uploaded as different surveys

for each type of text so we
will be able to compare and
contrast data.
III. HOMEWORK
a. Students will be required to have
two people from different audience
groups (ie. a friend and a parent)
read their text then fill out the
survey.

Accommodations made Groups will have an appointed scribe, so

for struggling and discussion can flow freely throughout the group
accelerated learners without the pressure of writing if that is a
(grouping patterns, stressor.
content literacy
strategies, etc.) Students will be able to use the internet to
browse for synonyms and such.

Materials - sample prompts

- laptops
- google s urvey
 13

Sample Prompts

1. Everyone should have a reptile pet.

2. Teenagers should start saving for retirement as soon as they
start working.
3. Bedrooms should not have white walls.
4. Sleeping with socks on is the best.
5. Salad comes after the entree not before.
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Day 3 - Analyzing Audience

Utah State Core Writing Standard 5 - With some guidance and

Standard and Objective support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on how well purpose and
audience have been addressed.

Writing Standard 7 - Conduct short research

projects to answer a question (including a
self-generated question)

Essential Question(s) What makes an audience trust a writer?

How do activities, Students are using their own research to take a

materials etc. connect stance for/against claims.
to students prior
knowledge?
(academic, interests,
learning styles,
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge)

Assessments Formative: graphic organizer

(formative and/or
summative)

Learning Activities: I. Group Survey information analysis (15

(Include detailed
description and time
frame for each activity)
min)
A. Students will all write on the board
who they surveyed
1. as a class, we will group
these participants (ex. by age:
middle school students, high
 15

school students (siblings),

adults 30-50, adults 50+)
B. As a class, we will review all the
survey results and fill out a chart on
a spreadsheet
II. Partner survey information analysis (30
min)
A. Students will each review their own
results and pair up with someone
from their group from yesterday
who also surveyed someone in the
same audience group and draw a
conclusion (ex: middle school
students trust informal passive
language)
B. students will propose their claim to
the class and students will vote
agree/disagree and offer their own
research to support or debunk
claims

Accommodations made Students reviewing their own results allows

for struggling and students to go as deep as they feel comfortable
accelerated learners into analysis
(grouping patterns,
content literacy
strategies, etc.)

Materials google spreadsheets

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Day 4 - Implied Meanings of Words

Utah State Core Language Standard 4 - Determine or clarify the

Standard and Objective meaning of u nknown and multiple-meaning
words or phrases based on grade 8 reading and
content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.

Language Standard 5 - Demonstrate

understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Essential Question(s) What do words do?

How do activities, This activity mimics how society forms

materials etc. connect meanings that we all must understand
to students prior
knowledge?
(academic, interests,
learning styles,
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge)

Assessments Summative: Pull up a picture of a not-so

(formative and/or appealing apartment/home (last slide on
summative) powerpoint) and pass out Charming Studio
Apartment Ad. Students will create a for-rent ad
for this space using as much positive language as
they can to make it appealing

Learning Activities: I. Building Background- Class Definition

(Include detailed
description and time
frame for each activity)
(10 min)
A. Students will be introduced with
two slides of facts. In pairs, students
will discuss why they think these
things happened.
 17

1. Students will turn to the

person next to them and share
their answers, as a class we
will discuss our thoughts as
we come up with a working
definition for connotation.
B. Plug how considering connotations
when working with word choice
will help students set a tone for
their writing
1. Discuss how positive and
negative connotations make
the word say more by
alluding to something or
conveying an idea implicitly
2. vocab words:
a) implicit
b) connotation
c) allude
d) convey
II. Brainstorm Meanings (5 minutes)
A. In partners, students will decide
meanings the two synonyms on the
word slides as they come up,
students must decide which is
positive and which is negative.
1. As a class, discuss how we
all know these things because
of our experience of seeing
them used or using them
ourselves.
2. As most of these will have a
majority consensus, we will
talk about how society shapes
words. Since we all live in
the same society, we all have
similar ideas of words. That
 18

words are malleable, they

evolve.
III. Synonyms Chart (10 min)
A. Explain how even though two
words may have similar dictionary
definitions, they can have different
meanings because of their
connotations
1. give example synonyms
2. guage understanding 1-5 on
hands before moving on
B. In partners, students will be given
strips of 12 words and a pos/neg
chart, they will be asked to pair
them into synonyms and place them
in the positive or negative college
1. discussion after:
a) did any groups get
different answers?
b) did anyone disagree
with their partner about
a word?
Talk about how
our ideas are not
always as
extreme as
others based on
experiences, the
pos-neg is a
spectrum
C. Draw the spectrum on the board
IV. What Am I? Game (20 min)
A. Rules and procedures:
1. Students will each have a
word strapped to their
forehead
 19

2. Students cannot explicitly tell

each other what is on their
cards.
3. Once students guess their
card, they must go up to the
board and tape it on the
spectrum where they think it
fits to get a new card
4. If students are struggling with
their card, they may switch it
out for a new one once they
have talked to at least 3
students

Accommodations made Headband cards can be passed out meaningfully,

for struggling and tougher words for kids that can handle it and
accelerated learners more common words for students who may not
(grouping patterns, know the others
content literacy
strategies, etc.) For Rent Ad already filled with items to guide
students to just write the adjectives that show
positive or negative connotations

Materials Powerpoint
Synonyms strips
Pos/Neg sheet
Elastic headbands
Descriptive word cards
For Rent worksheet

 20

 21

Positive Negative

 22

assertive cheap mushy

curious angry timid

reserved hyper sentimental

strong-willed shy pushy

scrawny inexpensive hipster

egotistical cowardly stubborn

nosey energetic thin

self-confident stylish upset

 23

CHARMING STUDIO APARTMENT FOR RENT

$ /month, 1 year lease

short description of the space:

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

apartment features:
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________
 24

Day 5 - Flyer Voices

Utah State Core Writing Standard 3 - Write narratives to

Standard and Objective develop r eal or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.

Essential Question(s) What creates a connection between writer and

audience?

How do activities, - Assignment ties directly to their audience

materials etc. connect
to students prior
knowledge?
(academic, interests,
learning styles,
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge)
study
- Students will be using artistic or graphic
design skills
- Students will have the opportunity to
express mental creativity in deciding their
club, product, or performance

Assessments formative: finished product of the flyer where I

(formative and/or should be able to easily tell what their RAFT
summative) formula was

Learning Activities: I. Building Background on Voice (10 min)

(Include detailed A. Personality, style, point of view of
description and time writing
frame for each activity) 1. Versus tone as the mood,
attitude, or emotion of
writing.
B. Writers voice vs characters voice
C. UNDERSTANDING: Tone carries
the purpose, voice carries the
audience.
II. FLYERS (5 min intro, 30 min work
time)
A. Students will create flyers using a
 25

RAFT to decide the dynamics of

what voice to use:
1. RAFT:
a) ROLES - young child,
teenager, parent,
teacher, police officer
b) AUDIENCE - young
children, teengagers,
parents, senior citizens
c) FORMAT - mini
pass-out flyers, posted
pull-tab flyer,
brochure,
d) TOPIC - join my club,
buy my product, attend
my performance
2. If students chose to do it on
the computer, they must
make a hand-drawn rough
draft
3. Complete product must have
an attention-grabber, a small
description, key points/facts,
and visuals.
4. Audience must be clear

Accommodations made Students can work in partners or alone to lead

for struggling and their own learning.
accelerated learners
(grouping patterns, The RAFT allows for more and less difficult
content literacy challenges.
strategies, etc.)

Materials Raft handout

Craft paper
Art supplies
 26

RAFT

ROLE: young child, teenager, parent, AUDIENCE: young children,

teacher, police officer teengagers, parents, senior citizens

FORMAT: mini pass-out flyers, TOPIC: join my club, buy my

posted pull-tab flyer, brochure product, attend my performance
 27

Day 6 - Voice Wall

Utah State Core Writing Standard 3 - Write narratives to

Standard and Objective develop r eal or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.

Writing Standard 5 - With some guidance and

support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on how well purpose and
audience have been addressed.

Essential Question(s) What creates a connection between writer and

audience?

How do activities, continuation of previous day

materials etc. connect
to students prior
knowledge?
(academic, interests,
learning styles,
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge)

Assessments summative: small reflection write-up

(formative and/or formative: watching students organize each
summative) others work

Learning Activities: I. Flyers (15 min)

(Include detailed
description and time
frame for each activity)
A. Students will have the first 10-15
minutes of class to finish up their
flyers
B. Students will write a one-paragraph
write up of what the student thinks
their strongest point is and where
 28

the student would find it most

effective to distribute their flyer.
III. Voice Wall (20 min)
A. Students will hang their flyer on a
wall where they think they would fit
on the serious to lighthearted scale,
most serious on the left.
B. Everyone will walk through the
wall and read each others flyers.
C. Students will then re- organize one
anothers flyers to the most serious
voice to the most casual or
lighthearted voice
D. Discussion:
1. Specific examples of
language clues that made
students a flyer was serious
or not
2. Are you surprised where your
own flyer ended up?
3. Do we see any patterns or
themes where different
audiences fall on this scale of
voice?
IV. Reflection (10 min)
A. students will revisit their write up
from the beginning of class and add
specific details of how their voice
will reach their audience

Accommodations made Students will guide each other through the

for struggling and process of organizing their own and each others
accelerated learners flyers
(grouping patterns,
content literacy
strategies, etc.)

Materials tape
 29

Day 7 - Narrative Writing Practice

Utah State Core Writing Standard 3 - Write narratives to

Standard and Objective develop r eal or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.

Essential Question(s) What do words do?

How do activities, Connotations lesson would have taught them

materials etc. connect about social knowledge to lead into anecdotal
to students prior detail
knowledge?
(academic, interests, The flyers would have served as practice in
learning styles, non-factual persuasion
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge)
Quick writes will all be about the students
personal experiences.

Assessments formative: quick creative writing prompts

(formative and/or
summative)

Learning Activities: I. Building Background (10 min)

(Include detailed
description and time
frame for each activity)
A. In pairs, students will explore the
site StoryCorps.com, listen to/read
3 stories
1. Students will guess what
these are all examples of
B. Explain what anecdotal evidence
means
1. Anecdotal detail helps a
writer connect to their
audience through shared
social knowledge,
 30

perceptions, experiences
2. Separate what you will be
learning from what students
have learned before about
backing up writing with
factual evidence
II. Quick Writes (35 min)
A. With anecdotal detail in mind,
students will be asked to write
exactly how they think or how they
speak, not to try to follow standard
writing formulas. They should not
worry about grammar or
punctuation here. Just write:
B. Squiggle prompt
1. peers will draw a scribble on
their neighbors paper
2. students will take 10 minutes
to use the squiggle to create
something about their
childhood, then write about it
C. Haikus
1. Students will write as many
haikus as they want in 10
minutes about waking up that
morning
D. Blind Response
1. Students will fold their paper
in half vertically. On one half
they will write about
something they have a strong
opinion on, really love or
really dislike. On the top of
the other side, they will write
what that topic is without
revealing their bias.
2. Still folded, students will
trade around their papers
 31

multiple times. Without

reading the side with the
original owners thoughts,
students will read the topic
given to them and start
writing how they feel about
it.

Accommodations made Structured but open prompts allows students to

for struggling and guide their own learning. No minimum or
accelerated learners maximum amount of writing required so long as
(grouping patterns, students are writing for the full time.
content literacy
strategies, etc.)

Materials laptops
 32

Day 8 - Showing Anecdotes

Utah State Core Writing Standard 3 - Write narratives to

Standard and Objective develop r eal or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.

Language Standard 5 - Demonstrate

understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Essential Question(s) What do words do?

How do activities, Students will have gotten an introduction to

materials etc. connect anecdotes the day before.
to students prior
knowledge? Students will have already learned about
(academic, interests, descriptive language in a previous unit as well as
learning styles, touched back on day 4
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge) Motivation: The product of this assignment is a
meaningful college application essay that they
can actually use.

Assessments Formative: anecdote detail mapping graphic

(formative and/or organizer
summative) Summative: final one-page paper

Learning Activities: 1. Showing vs. Telling in Anecdotes (30

(Include detailed
description and time
frame for each activity)
min)
a. Explain showing versus telling
i. Pull up an example on the
elmo (one of the examples
given the previous day for
anecdotes for familiarity),
show students where you see
 33

telling and where you see

showing, highlight
telling in yellow and
showing in orange
b. Each student will go through all of
their little writing prompts from the
previous day and highlight in
yellow where they telling and in
orange where they are showing
(as a whole, students will have
more telling than showing)
c. On the first side of a T-chart written
on the board, a few brave students
will offer a line or two of telling
from their writing.
i. As a class, we will
brainstorm how to use
descriptive writing to show
each moment instead. Write
the new sentences on the
right side of the chart.
2. Anecdote Brainstorm (15 min)
a. Explain why an anecdote is
different than a simple narrative.
i. The story that you are telling
must be evidence of
something else, most
commonly it is a story of the
past that shaped something
that you are today.
1. this can be a life
changing event, a
simple day-to-day task
that shows their
character really well or
a moment where they
learned something that
has stuck with them
 34

and affected their life

in some way.
2. Quick brainstorm of
what students think
colleges might find to
be important
characteristics for
candidates
(AUDIENCE)
ii. Students can build off of one
of their quick writes, just a
sentence from one, or start
from scratch
b. Students will fill out graphic
organizer to begin outlining their
anecdote

Accommodations made For students who are in need of more assistance,

for struggling and the graphic organizer has images, one can be
accelerated learners provided with sentence starters
(grouping patterns,
content literacy Personal narrative writing allows students to
strategies, etc.) work to their abilities

Materials Anecdote Detail Mapping graphic organizer

 35

Anecdote Detail Mapping

Start with the five Ws:

who what when where why

Now add some sensory details to create the mood of the setting
(think about the where):

I see I hear I smell I feel I taste

 36

Anecdote Detail Mapping

Start with the five Ws:

who what when where why

This moment What is The time The place this The reason
is about ME. happening in when this happened this is
this moment happened was important is
is was because

Now add some sensory details to create the mood of the setting
(think about the where):

I see I hear I smell I feel I taste

 37

Day 9 - Creating Images

Utah State Core Writing Standard 5 - With some guidance and

Standard and Objective support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on how well purpose and
audience have been addressed.

Essential Question(s) What do words do?

How do activities, Builds off of graphic organizer filled out the

materials etc. connect previous day
to students prior
knowledge? Connects to their art class where they just
(academic, interests, learned about color tones :)
learning styles,
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge)

Assessments formative: self analysis answers

(formative and/or
summative)

Learning Activities: 1. Creating a picture (30 min)

(Include detailed
description and time
frame for each activity)
c. Students will be randomly given
another students graphic organizer
i. Based off of all the details
provided by their peer on
their graphic organizer,
students will draw a picture
of what they believe this
experience would look.
ii. Students should be aware of
using warm and cool colors
to match the tone they are
 38

perceiving
d. Students will switch again, so each
persons story has two drawing
interpretations
3. Self Analysis (10 min)
a. Students will review the images
they received back and answer a
few questions on a handout
4. Class Share (5 min)
a. Students will share a few things
from their analysis

Accommodations made Analysis questions can be offered with sentence

for struggling and starters for students who need it.
accelerated learners
(grouping patterns, Self-guided learning with drawing.
content literacy
strategies, etc.)

Materials Drawing paper

colored pencils
Analysis Questions

 39

Image Analysis
On this scale, show how well the images matched what you pictured:

image 1:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
nothing like what I expected exactly what I expected

image 2:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
nothing like what I expected exactly what I expected

What is the main focus of each of the drawn images?

Do these match the main focus you had in your head for your writing? If
not, explain what story youre writing to tell.

What details do you think you need to add to your writing to get the
perceived image to where you want it?

 40

Image Analysis (with sentence starters)

Did the pictures look how you expected? Show how much or how little:

image 1:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
nothing like what I expected exactly what I expected

image 2:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
nothing like what I expected exactly what I expected

The main focus of image #1 was ____________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

The main focus of image #2 was ____________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

When I was filling out my graphic organizer, the story in my head was
_________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

In my writing, I will add details about _________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
 41

Day 10 - Powerful Anecdotes

Utah State Core Writing Standard 3 - Write narratives to

Standard and Objective develop r eal or imagined experiences or events
using effective technique, relevant descriptive
details, and well-structured event sequences.

Writing Standard 5 - With some guidance and

support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning,
revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on how well purpose and
audience have been addressed.

Language Standard 5 - Demonstrate

understanding of figurative language, word
relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Essential Question(s) What do words do?

How do activities, Builds off of everything from this unit!

materials etc. connect
to students prior Completed anecdotes will be submitted to the
knowledge? Creative Minds Creative Non-Fiction Writing
(academic, interests, Contest from John Hopkins Center for Talented
learning styles, Youth
motivation, Funds of
Knowledge)

Assessments Summative: Completed anecdote should use all

(formative and/or the methods we have covered throughout the
summative) unit shown on the rubric.

Learning Activities: I. Rubric Review (5 min)

(Include detailed A. As a class, we will review the rubric
 42

description and time which covers everything that we

frame for each activity) have learned in the unit and how
that is expected to come forth in
their final anecdote
B. Any clarifying questions can be
asked at this time
II. In-Class Writing Time (30 min, split)
A. To avoid sending home homework,
students should be given time to
work on this in class
B. At this time, the teacher should bop
around and check in on each
student, reviewing the supporting
materials (graphic organizer, the
pictures, and the analysis questions)
and comparing them to the writing
that is being done.
III. Peer Check-In (10 min)
A. **halfway through writing time**
students will pair up with a person
next to them, swap what they have
written so far along
1. Students will help their peers
make sure that they are going
in the right direction in
meeting all the requirements
on the rubric. Students
should point out any telling
where there could be
showing, where they can
be or already are appealing
well to audience, where they
can be or already are using
connotative language to show
tone, etc.

Accommodations made In-class writing and check-ins allows

for struggling and opportunities for feedback and questions
 43

accelerated learners
(grouping patterns, Rubric offers clarity and structure
content literacy
strategies, etc.)

Materials rubric (attached to the authentic assessment

prompt rather than here)
 44

College Application Anecdote

College recruiters want to hear about who you are as a person, so a
5-paragraph generic essay about how y our biggest weakness is that
youre a perfectionist isnt going to cut it. Anecdotes will never get old to
read, because YOUR experiences are YOUR OWN! Since you are writing
to show that you are ready for a higher education, keep in mind that
your audience wants to hear about things like growth, strong values, big
goals, or great passions. Your anecdote is evidence to those things,
make that clear!

Since college is still a few years away and many of you are not sure
what or where you want to study yet (which is okay!), you will only be
writing a 12 pt, double spaced single-page anecdote that you can use to
start off a college application in the future. Instead of sending your
writing off for that once were done, we are going to be entering them in
the Creative Minds Creative Non-Fiction Writing Contest from John
Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.

Check the rubric for the what is expected on the completed assignment.

 45

RUBRIC FOR COLLEGE APPLICATION ANECDOTE

Incomplete (40%) developing

(60%)
accomplished
(80%)
exemplary
(100%)

Logical 20 points 30 points 40 points 50 points

development Ideas and events Ideas and events
are not connected are in are not in a are developed in a
in an orderly logical order, some
fashion. but not all ideas
Transitions are are connected with
jumpy. There is no appropriate
mention of what transitions. The
the anecdote is anecdote is not
trying to prove connected to what
about yourself. you are trying to
prove about
yourself.
Ideas and events Ideas are
developed in a
moderately logical logical order: ideas
order, most ideas and events build
are connected with up on one another,
appropriate smooth transitions.
transitions. The What you are trying
connection to prove with your
between your anecdotal evidence
anecdote and what is very clear and
you are trying to concise.
prove is a stretch.

Style, 12 points 18 points 24 points 30 points

individuality, Style is inconsistent Some, but little Personality and Writers voice has
and creativity or of a borrowed individuality shows. creativity is evident strong personality,
voice. None or Descriptive in voice. Emotion individuality is
very little language is present is evident, enough prominent.
descriptive but not creative. for a noticeable Emotion is present
language, none or No implicit tone. Style can be and annotations all
very little emotion. meaning, more easily pointed out. align with intended
telling than Descriptive details tone. Shows
showing. are mostly ingenuity in
showing. concept and
design.

Grammar, 8 points 12 points 16 points 20 points

Usage, and Many errors in 2-3 errors in 1-2 errors in No errors in
Mechanics grammar, spelling, grammar, spelling, grammar, spelling, grammar, usage, or
and/or and/or and/or mechanics.
punctuation. punctuation. punctuation.

 46

Voice and Tone QUIZ

Part I
Provided here are some generally neutral sentences. Translate them
into formal and informal language. It helps to exaggerate!

1. Can I go to the bathroom?

FORMAL:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
INFORMAL:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

2. Thats a nice shirt.
FORMAL:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
INFORMAL:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

3. What a mess!
FORMAL:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
INFORMAL:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

 47

Part II
The story below is a passage from James Dashners The Maze Runner.
Except here, it switches back and forth between active and passive
voice. Underline or highlight these with distinctly different colors to show
what they are and where the switches happen. Color in the boxes on the
key below so I know which is which.

- ACTIVE
- PASSIVE

He began his new life standing up, surrounded by cold darkness and stale, dusty air.

Metal ground against metal; a lurching shudder shakes the floor beneath him. He fell
down at the sudden movement and shuffled backward on his hands and feet, drops
of sweat bead on his forehead despite the cool air. His back struck a hard metal
wall; he slid along it until he hit the corner of the room. Sinking to the floor, he pulls
his legs up tight against his body ad hopes his eyes will soon adjust to the darkness.

With another jolt, the room jerks upward like an old lift in a mine shaft.

Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys, like the workings of an ancient steel factory,
echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. The
lightless elevator swaying back and forth as it ascends turns the boy's stomach sour
with nausea; a smell like burnt oil invaded his senses, making him feel worse. He
wanted to cry, but no tears came; he could only sit there, alone, waiting.

My name is Thomas, he thinks.

That... that was the only thing he could remember about his life.

 48

Part III
Choose two (2) of these four options and write what choices you would
make in your writing if they were your audience. Justify your answer.

Neighborhood Kids Business People

Disappointed Parents Beyonc

audience: _ ___________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

audience: _ ___________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

 49

PART III
Write connotative definitions for any five (5) of the following words and
determine if you think it is positive/neutral/negative based on that meaning.

assertive timid hyper shy scrawny hipster conceded

shrimpy hot baby-faced mature sophisticated snobby

Word:__________________ (POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, NEGATIVE)

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Word:__________________ (POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, NEGATIVE)

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Word:__________________ (POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, NEGATIVE)

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Word:__________________ (POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, NEGATIVE)

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Word:__________________ (POSITIVE, NEUTRAL, NEGATIVE)

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

 50

PART IIII
For each descriptive sentence, circle T if it is telling the reader about
something and circle S if it is showing the reader something.

The room had grown dark but he was still too sad to move to turn T / S
on the light. He had convinced himself the floor was comfortable
The lower the sun dropped below the view from his window the T / S
more he felt his weight sink into the floor.
The floor felt like putty at this point. Maybe it was sticky, who T / S
knows if he even could move
Work was exhausting. Now that she was home, she was enjoying T / S
a moment of true peace.
Her chest felt warm and light as she inhaled. The silence of her T / S
home was the sweetest song to listen to after a full day of the city
buzzing in her ear.
She was home at last. She made herself a cup of tea to sip on as T / S
she relaxed.
The snow was glittering, it made for a bright morning. T / S
The light rays reflected in every way off of the thin frost. T / S
Winter is a cruel joke. No one thinks of winter when they picture T / S
bright, sunny mornings, but thats because no one thinks about
how the sun reflects off of white objects (aka snow) and directs
them right to your eye. I want to go back to bed.