The following plans outline three lessons to be used in the course of the unit. Each lesson incorporates different modes of instruction and learning styles. Some of the points raised in the lesson should be recurring themes that are revisited frequently during the unit, particularly in regard to stereotypes and assumptions in regards to the writing of women. The other lessons include cooperative learning strategies and performance based assessment.
Lesson - Introducing the Short Story Unit
The goals of this lesson are to expose knowledge and questions students have about the short story as a genre, understand the terms setting, character, and point of view, and uncover any assumptions regarding the gender of a writer and what s/he produces.
Initiation: Journal Responses
Begin with the prompt, “What do you know about short stories? What are the parts or components of a short story? What short stories have you read? What questions do you have about short stories?
Allow students 5-10 minutes to respond in their journals. When they begin exhausting their ideas, have them stop and share their knowledge and questions as a group. When questions do arise, check for other students who might have the answers. This is a key to knowing the class skill level (i.e. where to start from). Explain that the class will be studying short stories for the next several weeks, and that at the end of that period they will be experts on the genre of the short story.
Activity: Reading a short short story in class by a women author.
Distribute the text to students without letting them know the name of the author.
Read the story as a group. Ask about who the characters are, the setting and the point of view which the story is written in. If students do not know these terms, then teach them at this point. Always allow knowledgeable students to explain concepts to the class first.
After students have identified the above details, have them do another journal response. This time they must respond to the prompt, “Was this written by a man or a woman? Why do you think so? What evidence in the text suggests this to you? Give specific details.” After students write for a couple minutes ask for their ideas. There responses should be varied, and that is the point of discussion. How do we know the gender of a writer without knowing their true name? Is there any legitimate way to tell?
Assessment: Question students as to what they learned in the lesson that they did not know
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before or that they had a question about during initiation. Ask peers to verify the
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accuracy of students’ comments. If they are mistaken, allow peers the first
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opportunity to correct the mistake before you step in as instructor.
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Closure: Remind students of setting, character, and point of view. Reiterate the ideas that
came out in the discussion at the end of the activity regarding the gender identity of writers and the pitfalls in making assumptions without evidence or using stereotypes.
Lesson - Vocabulary cooperative learning
The goal of this lesson is adaptable. It can be used at the end of the unit after all terms have been introduced to the students, or it can be used more than once during the course of the unit to help students establish and maintain a thorough comprehension of the terms and components discussed in the unit.
Initiation: Give students a list of vocabulary they are expected to understand. Have
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them highlight any of the words that they do not feel comfortable with. Ask them to
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share their list with the class. Have students answer peer questions verbally if they
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can.
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Activity: Place students in cooperative groups according to class size and dynamics. Give
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each group a set of words. It will be each group’s responsibility to learn their words
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completely in 5-10 minutes. Once the groups have accomplished that, they will be
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responsible for returning to the large groups and teaching the class the meaning of
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the words they were assigned to learn. This can easily be adapted to any skill level
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by limiting the number and complexity of the words given to individual groups.
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Assessment - Students should be quizzed either verbally or in written format to check for
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understanding. Verbal is preferable at this point. Student groups can also be asked
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to assess other groups effectiveness in instructing the class on their assigned words
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and offering clear explanations.
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Closure - Remind students of the importance of knowing all these terms and helping each
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other to understand the tasks being assigned. Take a few minutes to randomly
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question a few students on the significance of specific words.
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Lesson - Producing a short story
This lesson will require several days to complete, and it will serve as a comprehensive assessment of the students understanding of all components and terms introduced in the course of the unit. The writing process will be used, as well as peer revision and editing.
Initiation - Have students respond to the prompt, “If you were to write a short story, what
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type of a story would you write? What characters would you use? Where would it
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be set? What theme would you incorporate?” After they have had time to write, ask
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for verbal responses from the class. After hearing their ideas, explain that they will
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be writing a short story of their own.
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Activity - Students will plan, draft, revise, edit, publish and share their short stories. In
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addition they will be required to write a reflection on their story addressing questions
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such as, “What point of view did they use? What types of conflict are in the story?
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Do you have a complete resolution? Why did you choose to end the story the way
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you did?”
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Assessment - This project will be graded as a performance based assessment. Students will
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gain or lose points depending on the inclusion of all necessary components of a
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short story. For example, if they have no forms of conflict in their story, without a
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clear explanation why they omitted conflict in their story, they will loose points. If
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they offer justification in their reflection as to why they omitted conflict, then they
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do not
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loose those points. This allows for students of all cognitive and skill levels to
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work on the same assignment.
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Closure - Students will share their short stories with their peers.
Lesson - Epilogues Creating Resolution
Goal: Students will understand the difference between complete and incomplete resolution
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and create their own resolution to a story.
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Objectives: Students will read “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara
Students will respond to the ending of the story. (What do you think will happen next? If you were the author, what would you add to the story or how would you continue the story?)
Students will then create a continuation or resolution to the story.
Activity: After reading the story in class, students will respond to the prompt in their
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personal writing journals. “What questions do you have left after the end of this
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story? Do you think this story is really over, or do you think there is more to be told
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about these characters? What do you think might happen in a sequel?
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After sharing student responses in the class, students will be required to create a
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continuation or conclusion to the story. In preparation for this project, students will
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be placed in small groups to work on story boards depicting the stages of their story.
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Then, using their story boards, they will have the option to either write a story or a
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dramatic one scene performance to present to the whole class when completed.
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Assessment: Students will critique their peers’ work based upon each group’s
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effectiveness in bringing resolution to the story. They will also be assessed upon
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their creative efforts and ability to work as teams.
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