Cortney R. Costa
Lesson #27: Understanding the Main Character
Objectives:
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· Students will use their skills of inferring to understand the changes that went on throughout the story.
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· Students will find appropriate words to describe a character
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· Students will express their ideas orally in front of the class
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· Students will work cooperatively in groups to create a final product.
I feel at this point, the students have a great feel for who Esperanza was, and who she has now become. Following a discussion of the ways in which Esperanza has changed, the students will have this assignment, in which they will work in pairs.
There are many words to describe Esperanza, and how she has changed throughout the story. The students' job will be to express these changes artistically. Each pair of students will take a large piece of construction paper and fold it in half. One half will be labeled before, and the other half will be labeled after. The pair will search through magazines, and other materials provided to find words that will fit in both sections. There must be at least five words in each section, and the students must be able to explain why these words are an accurate portrayal of our main character.
When the posters are completed, each pair will be required to present their view of Esperanza to the class. One member will present the before section, and the other will present the after section. This is not only an activity that allows the students to show their comprehension, but also to practice the art of public speaking. For those students who are unable to speak in front of the whole group, they may present to a small group of students they choose at a different time.
A Family Project
Objectives
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· Students and parents will work together to create facts and memories about their journeys
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· Students will write a paragraph summarizing the reasons they moved to New Haven
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· Students will use pictures to represent their memories of their journeys
Materials:
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· Paper
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· Pictures
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· Crayons / Markers
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· Binding Machine (If possible)
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· Cardstock
The Lesson:
(The length of this project will vary depending on the class, and home cooperation.)
I feel that the students by the end of this unit can feel deeply inspired by the dedication it takes to uproot a family to a new environment, whether a new country, state, town or even location within a town. Through this project, the students will create a memory book of their family's journey. Again, some students may need to go back farther into their family history to get the factual information necessary.
The students will begin by gathering information from their family members, and writing it down to create notes which they will use to form their paragraphs. I plan to require that students and parents collaborate with this project, because it is meant to represent the journey of a family, not a single child. The students and teacher will collaborate to edit and revise the paragraph when necessary. The writing should include information that can be broken down into four or five pages, using two to three sentences per page (like a picture book). After the writing is complete, the students are encouraged to get photographs from home that may represent the place their family originated from, and New Haven, where they are currently living. Because not all students will have access to photographs such as these, they will also draw in pictures to represent these memories. The art teacher is a great resource that can be asked to assist in drawing a realistic portrayal of these events. If it is difficult for the students and teachers involved to find pictures for the children to use as guidelines, the Library-Media Specialist can assist in finding accurate pictures of particular places from a particular time period.
When each page contains two or three sentences, and the corresponding picture, they will be bound into a book. I am going to include all the aspects of a real book such as a dedication, cover, title page, etc. This is not only creating a realistic book for the students and families to keep, but is also giving a mini-lesson on the parts of a book.