CBUP Lesson Plan Template: EDIS 5401

Unit Working Title: “The Danger of a Single Story”: Confronting Stereotypes Through
Reading and Writing Personal Narratives

Unit “Big Idea” (Concept/Theme): Confronting stereotypes

Unit Primary Skill focus: Personal narrative and reflection

Week _3_ of 4; Plan #_6_ of 12; [90 mins.]

Plan type: ____Full-Detail __x__Summary

Content Requirement Satisfied: instruction that uses text as a mentor text

Unit Learning Objectives (numbered) [from my Backwards Design Unit Document],

followed by Specific lesson objectives (lettered) being taught in this lesson:

Performance (do):
4. Students will be able to tell a personal story that shows how multifaceted they are.
b. Students will understand that personal narratives reflect on a significant event, moment, or
experiences in an individual’s life and are written in first person
c. Students will understand that a powerful personal narrative includes a so what or theme

SOL’s: [List with numbers portrayed in the SOL document]

10.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze literary texts of different cultures and eras.
m) Use reading strategies to monitor comprehension throughout the reading process.

CCS’s: [List with numbers portrayed in the CCS document]

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.6
Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from
outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.

Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] List all methods of assessment used in
this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson. After each assessment,
indicate in brackets the number(s) and letter(s) of the unit objective and the related lesson
objectives that the assessment is evaluating.

Formative

Title of assessment tool: Mentor Text Analysis

Students will show their progress toward understanding that personal narratives reflect on
a significant event, moment, or experiences in an individual’s life and are written in first
person and include a so what or theme by identifying these key components in mentor
texts (objective 4 b and c)

Criteria: Thoughtful insights in partner and whole class discussion.

 How data will be used: To see how students are progressing towards learning targets and
determine if any additional instruction/clarification is needed before song analysis.

How students will receive feedback: Verbal feedback

Title of assessment tool: Choice Song Lyrics Analysis

Students will show their progress towards understanding that personal narratives include
a so what or theme by identifying this key component in the song lyrics of their choice
song (objective 4 c)

Criteria: Clear identification of the so what or theme during base group discussions

How data will be used: To see how students are progressing towards the learning target.
During base group debriefs if I notice many students are missing the mark, I will provide
additional opportunities to focus in on the so what in the literature circles during the next
class period.

How students will receive feedback: Verbal feedback

Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:

(This is where you identify specific aspects of this lesson which have been differentiated in order
to address the needs of one or more of your profiled students—identify them by name)

What have you done (visible in the lesson plan procedures) that differentiates for the a)
readiness, b) interests, and/or c) learning environment for your profile students.

Student Name Readiness Interest Learning

Environment

Tyler Tyler loves music so I

included a choice song
analysis to increase the
relevance of today’s lesson
to him.
Jessica The partner and group
work today will scaffold
Jessica’s learning.
Jose Jose also loves music so I
included a choice song
analysis to increase the
relevance of today’s lesson
to him.
Sarah Sarah loves to talk so
the collaborative
portion of this class is
aimed to highlight his
strength of verbal
communication.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies

Beginning Room Arrangement:

Students will be seated in their 4 person base groups (1 group of 5). The slides for the day are
projected up on the board.

1. [ 2 mins.] Welcome, essential question and agenda

As students enter the room, I greet them by name and exchange a few pleasantries.

I will read off our essential questions that we will work towards over the next few weeks: How
do we confront and overcome stereotypes? How do I express my unique story?

Agenda:
- Read “Fish Cheeks” and former student’s personal narrative essay
- Identify more components of the personal narrative genre
- Mini lesson on craft – so what?!
- Song analysis
- SSR

2. [5 mins.] Review what we have learned so far about personal narrative genre

To review what we learned last week about the personal narrative genre, I will ask students to
think, pair, share about what we know so far about the genre.

I will then write the components on the board to create a running list that students can reference
as we are reading personal narratives and as they write their own in a few days.

Components of the personal narrative genre (what good writers should do when writing personal
narrative):
3. Write in the first person. Since it is YOUR story, use “I”
4. Reflect on a significant event, moment, or experiences in your life.

I will also explain the trajectory of the week: today we are going to be reading the narrative of a
professional writer as well as one from a former student in order to tease out some other key
components of the genre, Wednesday they will be able to choose a diverse personal narrative to
read and have a lit circle discussion, and Friday will be majority writing workshop time to draft
their own personal narrative based on the summative assessment task and rubric I outlined last
Thursday. So by Friday, they need to have chosen their topics. And next Tuesday is when the
first draft is due for teacher feedback.

3. [10 mins.] Read “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan and student mentor text

I will explain that the reading purpose for these two short texts is to identify common
components between the two personal narratives in order to add to our running list of what good
writers do when crafting a personal narrative. I will read “Fish Cheeks” aloud first and ask
students to underline parts that show Tan writing in the first person and highlight any reflection
portion. After I read, I will give students 2 minutes to continue annotating. Then, I will read the
student mentor text and give the same annotation tasks. After I read, I will give students 2
minutes to continue annotating.
 4. [12 mins.] Compare “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan and student mentor text

Now I will ask students to work with their elbow partner to compare the two texts with these
guiding questions:
- What are some key components you think we should add to our personal narrative genre
list?
- What do both authors do in their personal narratives that makes them powerful and clear?
- Does the reflection in the texts lead you to rethink or question things in your life? Does
the writing appeal to your emotions?

I will prompt them to reread parts or the entire text to help them. I let them know that they next
step will be to talk through key components of the genre as a whole class and add to our running
list. They will have 10 minutes to complete this comparison. During this time, I will walk
around and help guide students with prompting questions. I will make sure to check-in on
anyone that I see is struggling (or can predict may be).

5. [ 10 mins.] Whole group discussion on key genre components

Next, I will lead a classroom discussion to see what they discovered as key genre components of
personal narratives. I will call on students to share and ask them to read specific moments in the
texts that led them to their conclusions. I predict that I will have to clarify and expand on their
insights in order to come up with a list similar to below. Of course, they may see other things
which I will add but these are the target areas that I want to make sure they see and will be
graded on in the summative assessment for the course.

Components of the personal narrative genre (what good writers should do when writing personal
narrative):
1. Write in the first person. Since it is YOUR story, use “I”
2. Reflect on a significant event, moment, or experiences in your life.
3. Develop a powerful so what or theme
4. Use diction—specific word and vocabulary choice—to show your unique voice and
create an emotional impact on the reader
5. Use a mixture of summary (events related quickly) and scene (where the writer slows
things down, with description or dialogue) to engage the reader

6. [ 3 mins.] Three-minute break

Students have 3-minute break to stretch legs, use restroom, get water, chit-chat. Play a student’s
favorite song (from questionnaire).

7. [10 mins.] Mini-lesson on so-what

After the break, I will dig a bit deeper into craft with a mini-lesson on The Rule of so What? Or
Theme (borrowed from Atwell). I will print out a copy for the rule and ask each student to tape it
in their writer’s notebook on the next clean page of their craft section. I will ask them to take
additional notes as we discuss the rule. I will use “Fish Cheeks” and the mentor student text to
highlight specific examples of the so what.
The Rule of So What? Or Theme
- Good writing in every genre answers the question so what? Good writing has a purpose, a
point, a reason it was written.
- The good writer looks for the meanings, the significances, the implications in the subject
they have chosen to write about.
- Sometimes a so what? is subtle and implicit. Sometimes it’s clear and explicitly stated.
But always, the good readers can find something to think about because the good writer
found something to think about.
- Robert Frost wrote, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader” (1939). If you don’t
discover meaning in your life, your readers won’t be able to discover meaning in theirs.
Your thoughts and feelings about something are the best source of a so what?!

8. [ 15 mins.] So what song analysis

I will remind students that as we just discussed that good writing in every genre answers the
question so what? Good writing has a purpose, a point, a reason it was written. I want them to
choose a song that they like and try to figure out what the so what is. Why did the lyrist write
that song? What is the main meaning or significance or theme? They can choose whatever song
they like but should take only a few minutes to do so so that the majority of the time can be spent
discovering the so what. I will also project a few song titles that I would suggest looking into in
case students are having problem deciding. I will direct students to take out their Chromebooks
and google the song lyrics vs. listening to the song. If they have headphones, they can listen to it
as they read. Students will take 10 minutes to analyze their choice song for the so what and then
5 minutes to share with their base groups. I will float around to check-in on student progress
towards identifying the so what in their songs and help them as needed.

9. [15 mins.] SSR

I will tell students that for the last 15 minutes of class they will participate in SSR. Students read
silently and independently. I will also walk around and note the page number each student is on
on my Reading Weekly Status Report. I will also conference with students about their books
based on a predetermined schedule.

10. [6 mins] Closure and choose lit circle reading for Wednesday

I will remind students that their homework is to read their choice book for at least 30 minutes per
day. I will build excitement for Wednesday’s class by giving them a preview of the texts they
will have the option of reading. I will ask that they fill out a google form to sign up for what
personal narrative they want to read (the google form with have the text title, author, and a short
description to guide choice). This will help me form groups and print out the correct number of
texts for the next class.

Materials Needed (list):

Slides
Handout of “Fish Cheeks”
Handout of former student personal narrative
Handout of The Rule of the so what? or theme
Reading Weekly Status Report