BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Name
Thea Patterson
Subject/Class Year/Set Length of Class Period
English Year 8 50 Minutes

Lesson Topic/Title Content

USA and Writing Writing Standards for Year End Tests

Prior Knowledge Assumed

By this time, students will have seen and worked with practice tests regarding their Year-End
test. Specifically, section B of their tests works with creative writing. Students are asked to
either a story based on a picture or based on one line of description. Throughout the year,
students have also learned different devices and structures to make writing interesting,
organized, and clear.

Class Make-Up
For the school, the gender break down is split down the middle 50%. As for racial
background, there is one African American student and two Asian American students. The
rest appear to be Caucasian. About 13% of students are of the Orthodox Jewish faith, while
the other 87% come from many different faiths: Catholicism, Protestantism, Islamic faith, and
Sikh religion. Many students are from high socio-economic status.

STAGE 1: DESIRED RESULTS

Content Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2

(GLCEs, HSCEs, Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey
Common Core) ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization,
and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.C
Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.D
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about
or explain the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events

1
 using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-
structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.A
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of
view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event
sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to
develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.C
Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey
sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and
sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and
events.
Understanding I want students to understand that writing based on a picture can be
Goal(s) easy or exciting and pushing your imagination can be beneficial.
Additionally, I want them to understand some things about America
and myself that they would not have if I had not come to the
classroom.
Student Learning Students will write 3-4 sentences of creative pieces after viewing
Objective(s) pictures of the United States.
I CAN Statements I can start a creative writing piece after viewing a picture.
I can write creatively even when I dont understand the full context.
I can write proper grammar, descriptive words, and transitions.

STAGE 2: ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Performance Tasks Observation Data

After seeing the pictures, students will be After introducing the picture, I will walk
given a short time to write a short creative around the classroom watching to see if
writing piece. Students will then be given the students need more inspiration, have trouble
opportunity to read their sentences out loud writing, or can write three full sentences.
and explain their understanding or
interpretation of the picture.
Questioning
How could we make this more descriptive? Is there a different way to start this? How much
of the picture do we need to use? What structures have you used? What would you add if
you had more time? Identify one structure you used in your own writing and explain what it
is an example of.

STAGE 3: LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND INSTRUCTION

2
 Time Activity
5 Minutes Calm Down
As part of their normal routine, students will read for five minutes
from their own choice of books.
6 Minutes Opening
To orient students to the lesson, I will mention that I noticed how
excited they were about America the previous lesson. I will be taking
them on field trip to America (virtual, of course). This will get them
excited while also focusing them on what I am about to say. Then I
will explain the activity and how it will connect to their year-end test.
7 Minutes Modeling
For the first picture, I will show them one picture from my own travel
abroad experience that I will talk through explaining what I see, what
sparks my inspiration for something to write, and how I would start
my first three sentences. Then I will show them the three sentences I
came up with.
13 Minutes Guided Practice
When I show the second picture, students will be asked to work as a
group to pick out parts of the picture to write about and create three
descriptive sentences from the picture together.
20 Minutes Independent Practice
For the next picture (or two if needed), students will be asked to
work on a picture alone. When everyone has finished (or a sufficient
amount of time has passed), volunteers can read out their three
sentences. Then as a class, we will work together to boost the writing
and lift their work in hopes of higher marks.
4 Minutes Closure
To end the lesson, I will ask the students what they think of the
activity, if it has helped them, and if any of them would want to
continue their writing past those three sentences.
Materials
Teacher Students

A slide show with all the pictures and A pen

modeled sentences. This includes: Their imagination and an open mind
-3-4 pictures
-modeled sentences
A smart board or projector
Loose leaf paper for students to write on
Technology
Type Rationale

3
A smart board This is where I will display all the pictures and show the modeled
paragraph.

TEACHING SKILLS

Category: Teaching Skill Explanation

Circulate, observe, and So much of this lesson is based on students own abilities and
take advantage of understandings of the picture, their writing style, and the
teachable moments different structures they are comfortable with. While
circulating, I can work with students who struggle more and
help pull the descriptive writing out of them.
Provide appropriate wait Since I dont know these students, it will be hard for me to
time gauge their timing. To combat this, I will circulate often and
watch students of different levels as they complete the task.
Probe for more detail to Especially when students volunteer to read their own work, I
determine a students will ask them questions that require them to be more
understanding when descriptive, use strategies, identify these strategies, and lift
he/she answers a question their work to a higher level.