Essential Lesson Structure: Charting

This one ended up being harder to do than I thought. Aimee Coates and I were working on STAAR test prep again. We wanted to work up these essential lesson structures with Tea Party, Charting, and Card Sort to show how you could use the same passage with any of the structures. When I started to create the materials for this example, I was stumped for a while. And then, the connections started to come. I had already read and explored the passage to develop the Tea Party example, but I hadn't worked all the way through the 25th paragraph. It wasn't until I had all the pieces plotted, and text highlighted that I began to really see the connections. For the purposes of this TEK, examining the influences of the setting on the plot, I think this lesson structure is probably my favorite choice.

Exploration and Gathering Information: 

1. For this activity, it is best that plot diagram has already been taught and students have already read the passage. We used the same text as the previous post. The one on Anne of Green Gables.

2. Students work in small groups and draw the Freytag's Pyramid on the chart paper.

3. Students have one marker per group. The teacher calls out an element or definition (setting, conflict, etc.) while students take turns passing the marker, and plotting the correct term on the chart. Tip: Give each group a different color marker. You'll see the reason when we get to the Refining and Reflecting stage of the lesson.

Consolidating and Collaborating: 

4. Students work in small groups to annotate the chart with the details from the text that belong with each element. Note: I have them take turns with the marker. This information is all in blue on the chart. (I forgot to take a picture before I added the next steps.) For this lesson, I really wanted to focus on what happened in the setting because it is critical in deeply understanding the rest of the text. What happens in the setting, really  - I'm sorry, but  - it sets the stage/scene for what happens next. I created a small character sociogram between Anne and Marilla to tease out the important details and text evidence phrases that clarified their personal conflicts.

As I worked through this process, I realized that this helped me focus more on the main conflict of the story. Many times, kids get an idea in their head and don't adjust the ideas when text evidence presents itself. I was guilty of this as well. Throughout the first reading, I'm pretty sure I did the same thing. I kept focusing on the conflict between the Aunt and Anne and lost some of the influence of how that relationship colored every other relationship Anne would develop. I had totally missed something important about why Diana was so important. More later on that.

Then, I plotted the rising action. It wasn't until this point that I realized that at first reading, I hadn't ever really figured out what the climax was. And I didn't really even consider that the author left us hanging. Sometimes, I think that when we give kids a form, they expect everything to have a space, a blank to be filled. Stories don't all work that way. I loved how this helped kids see where the climax really showed up. (I've had kids ask - when does the rising action end and the climax begin. This excerpt makes that pretty clear.) 

Note also the amount of summarizing and inferring can be done - "Anne does silly things at when she is introduced." 

Refining and Reflecting: 

5. Now students are ready to make the connections between the elements on the chart. Here's what it looked like when I placed it on the chart. 

I kept looking at paragraph 25, wondering what in the heck this paragraph was doing. At first, I thought it was overly done description just added in because it was a classic text. But what was it doing? I went back to the setting and reread the parts about the flowers on the hat and realized what was going on: Anne loved flowers. This garden was a treasure. It was Diana's garden. Maybe Diana would be someone who was more like her - even though her Aunt didn't approve! From there, the connections and similarities just flew as I was able to draw out more text evidence. 

If I were teaching this, I think I would model it first with how the setting influenced and increased the tension for the conflict in the story. Then I'd let the small groups tackle the rest together. We'd see what others discovered. I bet there are more ideas than I listed here. 

Whole Class Debrief: 

At this point, we'd post everyone's ideas and let each group read the posters of other groups. Each group would have a different colored marker. 

• Star: Most Interesting Idea - Groups would be ready to discuss why they felt this way. 
• Question Mark: Confused or Check - Groups would mark ideas they think need to be supported better, explained, or corrected Groups would compose a question on a sticky note they could use in the whole class discussion. 
• Plus Sign: Added detail, quote, information - Groups would add missing detail, provide text evidence, or alternate ideas to consider. 

Using the highlights from the annotations, each group would take a turn bringing up ideas to discuss as a class. 

For independent practice or closure, students would use one of the rehearsal and practice strategies or evidence from learning strategies from the Lead4Ward  I'm leaning toward 3 Way Thinking, One Minute Paper, or Ping-Pong Summary to describe what they have learned about the influence of setting on plot and how a reader can think through those connections. 

Essential Lesson Structures: Tea Party/Open House/Speed Dating

Kylene Beers taught us a strategy called Tea Party a long time ago in a session on the San Antonio Riverwalk. (It's also in her book, When Kids Can't Read, What Teachers Can Do?) And there was a spelling session in the evening with lovely wine and cheese pairings, but I digress with such gustatory delights. Time and time again, Tea Party becomes a structure that I can use easily to engage kids with text and set the stage for repeated readings. Try adding this strategy to your Essential Lesson Structures menu! Aimee Coates, a teacher at XIT in Dalhart, helped me develop this lesson for her EOC review. We used a passage from Measuring Up (see masteryeudcation.com to purchase a copy).

Preparing the Materials: 

1. First, Aimee and I cut up the passage into sections. We tried to divide the text into enough pieces for each child, including the teacher, to have a section to read. In preparing the text, we decided to leave the paragraph numbers next to the text. But we left a space, so we could cut them off if we didn't want the kids to have the additional support of knowing the order of the text. Since we were working on plot and how isolated scenes contribute to the plot, we thought giving away the order of the text would give up too much information up front. This text divided nicely into 9 sections. Her class had about 12 kids, so we decided to make two copies. (Some kids would have duplicate sections of text.)

2. Then we prepared the note-taking guide for the students. We simply folded a blank piece of paper and labeled the sections. (The note-taking guide usually matches the text structure of the article. This one uses the plot elements, but the sections really could be anything you choose for your TEKS focus.) We also adapted questions from the sidebars of the text passage that we would use later to help students reflect on how the story elements compared to influence the plot development. We didn't have kids write these at first. They were added later - but we needed to plan our our questions.

3. Next, we prepared the teacher model. We decided to model the first four paragraphs of the text. We wanted to have a concrete model of what the student work needed to look like. And we needed to have specific ideas to reference when we did our think aloud.

Exploration and Gathering of Information: 

1. Choose a metaphor that will work with your class. Then talk with them about what happens at these events. Basically, all of them are about gathering data, meeting people, and exchanging information and ideas. I found these neat open house tours of college dorms that give a visual for the ideas.  https://plus.google.com/+universityofkentuckyofficial/posts/jZLUPU7baSf 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdGU0LVJ-Qg  Basically, this activity will allow you to do the same thing for the text you are about to read. You'll visit with others to gather information about the text and begin to form some ideas about the text before you "move in" to the text and read the whole thing.

2. Model the process, using a Think Aloud and Modeled Writing Approach to show what students will complete individually first. Read the text aloud, record the salient details on the chart and explain your thinking.

3. Have the kids make the note-taking guide. Tip: I usually number the passages so students can make sure they are talking to everyone. I have the kids record the number of the sections they need to collect information from. They circle the passages as they meet with others to make sure they get information from each person. Distribute sections of the text to the class. Allow them time to read the section silently or in partners. Students fill out the information that comes from their portion of the text.

Consolidation and Collaboration: 

4. Students mix and mingle with others in the class to collect as much information about the text. They should listen to the person talk about what their section of the text includes and then record the information they gathered from that person. Note: When I have done this activity, students try to just hand each other their papers and copy. Don't let them do that. We need them to discuss, reflect, and write in their own words.

5. When students return to their home groups, they can review and compare the information they have collected. They should make changes and additions.

Refining and Reflecting: 

6. Now students are ready to focus on diving deeper into the text to apply the TEK focus/objective for the lesson. The teacher models how to use the information and questions to focus their purpose for reading.

7. Model the process for paragraphs 1-5. In this case, the details in the setting intensify the problems that will continue in the rest of the passage. Note: use bullet points and cite text evidence. Be specific about highlighting the text as well as labeling the parts in your notes.

Show students this text to model how the notes can turn into an analytic paragraph. By combining all the notes, students will have a complete essay planned by the end of class. Now you have a model of what the notes look like and how they turn into a paragraph.

 "In the first paragraph, we realize that Marilla finds out about what Anne did almost a week after it happened. Most people don't like finding out things after the fact. The dialogue in the setting introduces the two characters and shows the disconnect between how each of them think about proper behavior. At first, Anne thinks she is in trouble for wearing the wrong colors. But she soon realizes that her aunt was more upset that Anne put flowers in her hat. Anne couldn't see that this would be a problem because people have flowers on their dresses. Already, the author has established that Anne and her aunt have very different perspectives that we, as proficient readers, should expect to cause more problems. It also establishes that the time period in this story must not be contemporary, as most people wouldn't use words like "called Anne to account" or be bothered with flowers on a hat at church." 

8. Have students return to the text to read independently. Students should mark the places where the scene changes and then be ready to discuss the impact or changes in the plot at those times. (Note - in this passage, the students should mark paragraphs 15, 23, and 25.)

9. This independent reading time gives the teacher a chance to conference with individual students  or pull small groups for additional support or extension.

10. Using a shared/interactive approach, pull the class together. Identify scene changes that can be the focus of discussions. Using the note-taking guide, have students record the details that could be discussed about the scene in paragraph 15. Have a student record the bullet points of the discussion on the chart displayed for all to see. Next, have students work in small groups to transform the notes into a paragraph that explains the scene changes and the impact on the plot.

11. Using a collaborative approach, have students work in small groups to complete this same task for 23. They should create notes together, but then compose individual paragraphs to share and compare with group members.

12. Independently, have students complete the same note-taking and composing process to analyze the scene in paragraph 25. Have students put all the paragraphs together as a complete essay.

Whole Class Debrief: 

13. Bring the class together and debrief. You can also have students compose a thesis, introduction, and conclusion to finish the essay. Be sure to discuss how examining the details of setting and character reveal important parts of the plot that we might miss without that careful comparison. It deepens our understanding.

Wet Ink

At a recent conference, we were given this list as a prewriting topic guide. After we read over the ideas, they asked us to pick the one that matched our birthday month. (I didin't follow the rules. I didn't want to write about a free trip. Facial tattoos seemed more interesting.)

1. Describe the biopic of your life. What events will this film feature? What actor will play you? Explain your choices.

2. Write a letter to President Trump advising him for a successful presidency.

3. Hostile space aliens invade your community, and you have five minutes to vacate your home. Your family members are safe. What items would you pack? Explain why these items are important.

4. Identify one characteristic that you like about yourself and explain why you like it.

5. Introduce your reader to your hero, and explain why you admire this person so.

6. For what, if anything, would you be willing to fight or even die? Explain.

7. Write a story or narrative to prove or disprove the following statement: Altruism is a myth; humans are basically motivated by self-interest.

8. What is one skill that you would like to acquire? Explain the value of your chosen skill, and explain why you would like to learn it. (Fun hint: you may choose a superpower.)

9. Someone just have you a free trip. Where would you go and why?

10. Help! I woke up with a large facial tattoo! Write this story.

11. What character from a book or movie would you most like to be? Explain why.

12. Describe the best year of your life, and explain why this year trumps all others.

Next, we had three minutes to write using the Wet Ink Strategy. Acts of Teaching, by Joyce Armstrong Carroll and Eddie Wilson explain: "Wet-ink writing derives its name from the days when writers dipped their quill pens into ink, and wrote until the pen went dry before dipping it in again...its purpose is to allow the subconscious to sneak in an idea" (p. 9). We pretended to write fast, so as to finish before the ink dried or ran out.

Here's my sample:

Wet Ink

The deep ache and surface sting wake me. Mottled blood-ink transfers to my palm when I reach to feel the source. Stumbling to the bathroom, my consciousness fades into dis-associative horror. Blackness creeps to the periphery of vision, spotlighting a freshly inked dragon’s head. Emerging from my ear, filling the side of my face with iridescent green scales, his emerald eye leers at the apple of my cheek. Bio-luminescent flames erupt over my lips and to the other side of my face. Invisible most of the time, they only appear when my mouth fails to enunciate my thoughts. Roiling, bubbling, or steaming depending on the intensity of emotion or repression, I’ve come to recognize the Cheshire appearances that expose with archetypal colors the intimate secrets I formerly concealed. Yet, can anyone interpret the flames? Throughout the day, those who stare only see the dark lines still ringed with red edema and whisper aghast at why a woman would choose to mark - to disfigure- her face. No one bothers to translate my soul, of who I am behind this accidental facade.

Thanks to Lucy Seward, Heights High School, Houston Independent School District for a great session at Abydos, 2017.