Subject:
English Language Arts
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
High School
Grade:
11
Provider:
Pearson
Tags:
  • Collaboration
  • Grade 11 ELA
  • Groups
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial
    Language:
    English

    Essay Planning

    Essay Planning

    Overview

    In this lesson, students will spend some time planning their individual essay. Then they will continue working on the group project exploring other American short story writers and their time periods.

    Preparation

    • Read the lesson and student content.
    • Anticipate student difficulties and identify the differentiation options you will choose for working with your students.
    • Make sure students have access to the short stories they will be writing about. If you do not have Internet access in your classroom, you may wish to bring students to the library or provide a selection of stories for them.

    Homework Review

    • You could begin the class by surveying students to find out which part of the final project they feel they will require the most class time. Adjust accordingly.
    • Make sure all group members are doing their fair share of the work.

    Opening

    Review the work that was completed at home and share with the class.

    • Were you able to complete the work assigned to you? If not, how can you make changes to complete your work?
    • What problems did you face? How can you and your group resolve any problems or difficulties?
    • What authors and stories interested each member of the group?

    Story and Author Share

    • Students should collaborate to share information about the stories, authors, and the time period.
    • Move from group to group, reminding students that although they are writing the papers independently, the group sharing will aid in each group member's understanding of the works that he or she will be writing about.
      • ELL: This is a good opportunity to check in with these students to make sure that the assignment is clear and that they are making progress in terms of their own thoughts on the paper.

    Work Time

    Work with your group to focus on the paper portion of the final project. Begin reviewing the works and sharing the stories.

    Then do the following.

    • Together, generate a list of works and authors from your time period.
    • What two stories and authors will you write about in your paper? Share ideas with your group.

    First Story Reading

    • Make sure students have access to the appropriate stories.
    • Give students ample class time to read and annotate.
    • Help students find a central place to record the group's ideas.
    • Monitor group discussions and facilitate if necessary. Ask the students to look for connections among their stories.
      • SWD: If you have time, a model of the completed assignment using an era that was not assigned to any student (or a fictional time era) can be helpful for students in understanding the assignment’s goal. Model presenting your findings, so students can frame their expectations using concrete examples.

    Work Time

    The literary analysis paper asks for you to “compare and contrast how each author reflected the America of the time period.” Focus on this aspect as you begin reading the two stories.

    • Take time to read and annotate at least one of the stories you intend to write about in your paper.
    • Respond to the following questions and be prepared to discuss them with your group in the next task.
      • Who is the protagonist?
      • What is the setting?
      • Who is the author? What do you know about him or her?
      • Does the biographical information about the author contribute at all to your understanding of the story?
      • What theme (or themes) emerges from your reading of the story?
      • Can you connect this theme to any of the works you have read in this unit? Any of the works in your project?

    Open Notebook

    Return to your group. Have each member report to the group about the story he or she read. Be sure to discuss each of the questions you answered.

    Second Story Reading

    • Help students by moving from group to group and checking in on progress. Students may have questions about the stories, the writers, or the time periods.
    • Be sure students have set goals and assignments for homework and the next lesson.
      • ELL: Review the literary terms protagonist ,setting , andtheme as necessary.

    Work Time

    If you haven’t already, choose a second story to read for homework. This story may be one that was shared by a member of your group.

    • Read and annotate the second story, looking for any comparison between that story and the first story you read.
    • As you read, respond to the questions you considered before:
      • Who is the protagonist?
      • What is the setting?
      • Who is the author? What do you know about him or her?
      • Does the biographical information about the author contribute at all to your understanding of the story?
      • What theme or themes emerges from your reading of the story?
      • Can you connect this theme to any of the works you have read in this unit? Any of the works in your project?

    Open Notebook

    Project Work and Planning

    • Check in with each group to make sure everyone is on task and contributing positively.
    • You could ask the group members to briefly share their authors and stories with the entire class, if time permits.
      • SWD: Check in with students to make sure that the work that they’ve been assigned in their groups is not too difficult or too easy. All students should be challenged at their own level.

    Work Time

    Spend any remaining time working in your groups on the project.

    Keep in mind that, in your presentation, your group will need to complete the following steps.

    • Give details about the time period in America that you were assigned.
    • Discuss the authors you chose and why you chose them.
    • Discuss the stories you chose from each author and why you chose them.

    Project Homework Assignment

    • Make sure all students are clear on their assignment.

    Closing

    • Assign homework for each member of your group.
      • What still needs to be done?
      • What will each person do to prepare for the next lesson?

    Open Notebook

    Independent Project Work

    • If possible, the stories and student annotations should be shared among group members. This will allow students to use the materials gathered by their group members not only for the presentation but also for their literary analysis paper.

    Homework

    • If you were not able to finish reading and annotating the second story in class, finish it for homework.
    • Complete the homework assigned by your group.