Creating an Intended Audience

Name: Connar Kelley

Subject: English

Grade Level: 12

Common Core Standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.E
Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or
resolved over the course of the narrative.
Focus: In order for the students to form a conclusion to their personal narrative, it is
essential that they feel a purpose for writing an integrated narrative given their social
identity. To formulate a desired conclusion, students will propose an indented audience to
share their personal experiences with.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
Formulate an appropriate audience for their paper
Conclude an affective tone for the given audience
Develop a conclusion that reflects their experience throughout the
narrative
Materials:
Personal Narrative Rough Drafts
Daybooks
Smartphones or laptops
Activities and Procedures:
1. Introduce the activity as being important in terms of writing for an intended
audience. Emphasize that after their schooling, their writing will be solely for an
audience other than a teacher or a professor. This means that they will need to
write for an audience using specific tones and conventions.
2. Have students reread their rough drafts for the point of deciphering whom they
would want to read this.
3. Have students get out their daybooks and jot down a list of potential audiences.
Encourage that they be pretty specific in this. Give an example of a personal
narrative about a teacher may want to be shown to her students, her principal, the
Board of Ed, etc.) They can use their smartphones to look up specific names of
people if they are unsure.
4. After taking 10 minutes to compile that list, have students share their lists with a
partner.
5. Have students choose three intended audiences and free write another list of tones
and conventions they should use if they choose to write with this audience in
mind. Use this example of the teacher writing to the Board of Ed regarding the
narrative of insufficient pay. Some tones in this paper would be formal, yet
personal, sympathetic, honest, etc. Some conventions would be appropriate
language, no blaming, etc. However, if writing to her students, the tones and
conventions could be more optimistic, light-hearted, etc.

6. After generating a list of each of the three, individually have students do a quick
two-minute conference with you to decide on one specific target audience.
7. While doing this, other students who are not conferencing should be in their seats,
quietly continuing their rough draft with the audience in mind.
8. After all students are done conferencing, have them refer back to their conclusion.
Does the conclusion reflect what they want their target audience to infer about
how their social identity has shaped their personal narrative? If not, have them
rework their conclusion.
9. For homework, explain that they will have to have a nearly complete rough draft
for tomorrows lesson.