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Lesson Plan 5: Writer`s workshop and MC wrap-up

Time:
This lesson will take the Iull 50 minute period and lead into a week`s work oI work shopping and
draIting oI the Iinal project.
$etting:
This lesson will be taught in a senior level elective course, 'Literature Irom Around the World,
in a diverse urban school. There are 25 students in the class and the demographics break down as
such: 10 white students, 8 AIrican American students, 1 Asian student, and 6 Latino/a students.
OI these students 1 has ADHD and 5 oI the Latino/a students speak Spanish but they are
bilingual and not classiIied as English Language Learners.
Theory Into Practice Background:
This lesson was design based on the teaching theory that writing is a process. Work
shopping a draIt gives student not only an opportunity to polish up their grammar but allows
them to see their work through someone else`s perspective. Burke suggests that the process oI
writing is indeed the product (Burke 156). This lesson plays oII oI that idea giving students a
chance to collect Ieedback and re-examine their work in a way that a Iinal exam does not allow
them to do. Burke`s theory also stresses publication. It gives a purpose to the work that our
students do and gives a voice to the issues that they are writing about. This is why our student`s
Iinal project will be published on the school website and newspaper. Work shopping also allows
the students to collaborate with others and expand their world view point in the process.
Students will have Iinished Midnights Children and a working Iirst draIt oI their Iinal
project. They will use our previous discussions about the elements oI literature that are used to
turn it into a vehicle Ior social change in order to think critically about each other`s work. This
lesson sets up the workshop structure which will be continued Ior the next week as the students
work to create their Iinal projects
Materials:
O Students will need a workshop worksheet, their Iirst draIt, a notebook, pen, and their
copy oI Midnight`s Children.
Preparation:
I will need to create and make copies oI a worksheet that will guide students throughout the
workshop and draIting process. The class will have to be rearranged into Iive groups.
Objectives:
By the end oI the class period:
O Students will understand the ending oI Midnight`s children and apply the techniques used
to create this ending in their own stories.
O Students will be able to analyze their classmates work and oIIer advice Ior changes.
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O Students will be able to apply their peer critiques to improve their writing.
Procedure:
O Wrap up Midnight`s Children through a class discussion about the ending oI the story,
whether it was aIIective or not and what techniques made it eIIective or not eIIective. (15
minutes)
O o over guidelines Ior work-shopping and hand out worksheet that will guide their
sessions. This workshop will mainly be conversational Ieedback instead oI having
students Iill out a critique worksheet. (5 minutes)
O Students will move into their groups that were assigned the night beIore. They all should
have read their group members` draIt and come prepared with questions and comments.
Using the worksheet provided each student`s work will be highlighted and discussed
making note oI successes in the pieces and places that still need improvement. (30
minutes)
iscussion Ideas:
O Was the ending oI Midnight`s Children eIIective? How so/ why not?
O What message did you come away with aIter Iinishing Midnight`s Children? Where in
the text did you see evidence oI that?
O How can this novel be used as a vehicle Ior social change?
Bilingual/E$L and Englishes Accommodations:
These students will beneIit Irom getting verbal Ieedback Irom their class mates. An
accommodation that I included was that students must have their classmates` draIt`s read by the
time they come into class. This allows students to take their time reading and ask questions about
the language iI they are conIused. The Iinal project is not a Iormal paper and so this allows these
students to explore diIIerent uses oI the language. Another accommodation or beneIit to this
activity is that getting Iresh eyes on their work will help Ilesh out any grammar mistakes.
Working in groups may be daunting Ior some oI these students but the rules and structures
approach oI the workshop will ensure that everyone is respected and no one Ieels uncomIortable
about sharing their work.
$pecial Education Accommodations:
Instead oI a quiet, written response workshop I designed this conversational workshop to
accommodate this student and others who otherwise would lose Iocus. etting verbal Ieedback
will be more constructive Ior this student and turns it into a conversation that she can be active
in. Working in groups also keeps her Iocused as I have noticed in previous class work. I will be
circulating as usual to bring any groups back on task, to answer questions, and mediate the
groups
Assessment:
I will assess whether my students were giving constructive and analytical Ieedback on their
classmates work by checking how they Iilled out their workshop worksheets. Assessing whether
students applied their classmates` Ieedback will have to wait until they turn in their next draIts.
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They will turn in the Ieedback Irom the Iirst workshop session as well as their Iirst draIt so I can
see how their writing has changed and how they incorporated their classmates` Ieedback. This is
worth 20 points. DraIts are not graded but awarded points Ior being on time and work-shopped.
Extension Ideas:
Workshops will continue regularly until the Iinal project is due. Writing is a process and so it is
critical that these workshops continue Iocusing on a diIIerent aspect oI writing or the story each
time. These workshops will help students work through creative blocks, rough ideas, and smooth
out grammar mistakes that distract Irom the piece as a whole.
$ource of Activity:
I am currently in a creative writing course taught by LauraAdamczyk and she stresses the idea
that writing is a process and that only by re-writing a million times can you really get your ideas
on the page in a meaningIul way. Peer workshops and critiques were central to this class and
really improved my skill as a writer. Seeing other people work and hearing their interpretations
helps you to look at your own work more objectively and grow as a writer.
#esources and #eferences:
Burke, Jim. %he English %eachers Companion. a Complete Guide to Classroom, Curriculum,
and the Profession. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. Print.
#ushdie, Salman. Midnights Children. New York |etc.: Penguin, 1991. Print.

Illinois $tate English Language Arts Goals:
O 3.B.4c Evaluate written work Ior its eIIectiveness and make recommendations Ior its
improvement.
4 Through workshops students will evaluate the eIIectiveness oI the author`s work
and suggest things that they can do to improve the piece. Students will also
engage in a discussion about the eIIectiveness oI the ending oI Midnight`s
Children with a particular Iocus on how the Iorm and structure oI the novel
creates this.

O 3.B.4b Produce, edit, revise and Iormat work Ior submission and/or publication (e.g.,
manuscript Iorm, appropriate citation oI sources) using contemporary technology.
4 Students will begin a cycle oI writing, work shopping, and revising during this
lesson and will continue through emails and blog posts to their workshop
members. Their Iinal projects will be published in the school newspaper and on
the school website.