Lesson Plan #5: Closure

Grade Level: 9^th

Subject: English

Overview: The Closure assignment for The Hobbit unit plan is a creative writing assignment which requires that students combine the lessons they learn on plot, character, setting, and language to create a short story on a topic of their choosing. This synthesis serves to not only push students and write and “be producers,” but also reinforces lessons already learned and puts them into practice. Rather than have students take an objective tests on the subjects covered, they will prove their mastery of the different unit components by demonstrating their use in a short piece of fiction.

Standards:

·         1.2: Adapt verbal and nonverbal delivery techniques to effectively enhance messages of varying lengths and formats.

·         1.3: Apply and evaluate effective listening strategies to fit the purpose, situation, and setting of the communication.

·         3.1: Analyze the ways in which authors develop literary elements (setting, plot, character, conflict, point of view, mood, tone, theme) to impact works and readers.

·         4.6: Create and evaluate media messages for a variety of audiences and purposes.

·         5.1: Apply the steps of the writing process to develop, evaluate, and refine writing.

·         5.5: Demonstrate knowledge of language choices and their impact on writing by showing purposeful control of voice, sentence fluency, and word choice.

·         5.6: Apply conventions of standard written English (e.g., usage, punctuation, spelling) appropriate for purpose, audience, and form.

·         5.8: Write using a variety of forms and genres and evaluate one’s own and others’ writing for effectiveness of form and genre.

21^st Century Skills

·         1A: Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

·         2A: Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.

·         3A: Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new technologies and situations.

·         4B: Address the diverse needs of all learners by using learner-centered strategies and providing equitable access to appropriate digital tools and resources.

Technologies Used

• ·         Blogger: Students will create their own blog for their stories where they will post or attach their entire pieces. Students assessing and commenting on their work can then simply respond to the blog post with criticisms and complements.

• ·         Flickr: Any students wanting to accompany their performance of their story with pictures may use flickr or flickr storm to create a slideshow to go along with their reading.

Lesson Plan Activities: Each student will be given a copy of the closure assignment handout and the instructor will explain the parameters of the assignment. They will be asked to write a creative piece of fiction employing all of the lessons they learned throughout the unit. Their stories will need to include the five elements of plot: introduction, problem, rising action, climax, and conclusion; at least one example of each of the four prescribed character types: flat, round, static, dynamic; at least one major change in setting with descriptions that set them apart; and at least one word (name of person or place) that they create complete with its own etymology. There is no page limit for the final assignment and there is no required genre or style (it may be fantasy like The Hobbit but it doesn’t have to be).

            One the first day of the assignment, students will start with making a blog where they will post or attach their story once it is finished. Day two will be spent in class pre-writing and brainstorming, with the beginning of their first draft due in class on the third day for writers workshop. In groups students will peer review their work and continue writing their stories. The workshops will continue for three days, with the final draft being due on the seventh day of the lesson. Completed works will be posted or attached onto blogs and students will be required to comment upon their peers’ stories on their blogs. Each story will be read aloud in class by its author. If students want pictorial accompaniment, they will be allowed to use flickr slideshows.

Assessment: The closure assignment is worth 80 points, with 20 being given for the reading aloud and 30 given for the blog. The remaining 30 will be given based on the rubric.

	One	Two	Three	Four	Five
Plot	Only one element present	Only two elements present	Only three elements present	Only four elements present	All elements present
Character	No recognizable differences between character types	Missing three character types	Missing two character types	Missing one character type	All character types present
Setting	No sense of place in the story	Only one setting in the story	More than one setting, neither described in detail	More than one setting, only one described in great detail	More than one setting described in great detail
Language	Language aspect ignored	Uses an existing word or definition	Uses a new word, but does not offer a definition	Name of person or place used, not defined well	Name of person or place used as assigned and cleverly defined
Conventions	More than eight errors	More than six errors	More than four errors	More than two errors	Two or fewer errors
Timeliness	More than three days late	Three days late	Two days late	One day late	On time