Crosswinds Intersession – “Science Fiction: The Worlds of Tomorrow! ” Teachers: Josh Axtman, Peter Ilten, Lindsey Schempf

Context: Crosswinds Middle School in Woodbury, MN 7th and 8th grade students Course: “Science Fiction: Worlds of Tomorrow” 120-minute class periods

ELA Standards met in this course: Reading and Literature (7th grade)

o Comprehension: The student will understand the meaning of texts, using a variety of strategies, and will demonstrate literal, interpretive, inferential, and evaluative comprehension

o Literature: The student will actively engage in the reading process and read, respond to, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate a wide variety of fiction, poetic, and nonfiction texts.

Writing (7th grade)o Elements of Composition: The student will engage in a writing process with

attention to context, organization, focus, quality of ideas, and a purpose.

Enduring Understandings:1) Textual worlds can be used as a vehicle for deeper understanding of one’s own world.2) Exploring literary techniques used by established authors will improve writing skills.3) Active engagement with a text leads to increased comprehension.

Essential Questions:1) What is a world?2) How does science fiction use fictional worlds to help us explore our own world?3) What are the literary techniques that make science fiction a distinct and engaging

genre?a. Setting, Character, Plot, Theme

DAILY LESSON PLANS

Day One (11/16/09): Welcome to the World of Tomorrow!A. Objectives

1. Literature (Reading and Literature - 7th Grade): The student will actively engage in the reading process and read, respond to, analyze, interpret, evaluate and appreciate a wide variety of fiction, poetic and nonfiction

2. Students will receive an overview of class goals and activities3. Students will share current conceptions of the science fiction genre and identify

common elements of stories within that genre4. Students will develop an understanding of the concept of “theme”

B. Materials Laptop computer w/ DVD capabilities Inspiration/Bubbl.us concept-mapping program LCD projector Futurama, Vol. 2 “5-Box” viewing handout Lined paper Pens/Pencils Whiteboard Whiteboard markers Blank white paper Colored markers/pencils Tape

C. Procedures1. Agenda and Daily Goal Placement

i. As students enter, the agenda for the day will be written out on the board, including daily goal(s)

1. Daily Goal: Introduction to Sci-Fi and rest of week2. Daily Goal: Introduction to concept of theme

ii. Written agenda will mimic daily lesson plan.2. Icebreaker activity (10 minutes)

i. Students will pair up and ask each other three questions: 1) What is your name? 2) Why did you sign up for this intersession class? 3) If you could be any cartoon character, who would you be? Why?The class will come back together and each student will introduce their partner to the class as a whole.

3. Sci-Fi concept map (10 minutes)i. Using the laptop and LCD projector, the class will work together as a large

group, brainstorming to create a concept map using their current ideas about the science fiction genre. Topics for the concept map will include characters, settings, plots, themes, stereotypes, and examples.

ii. For the teachers, this concept map will act as formative assessment to let us know the students general conceptions of science fiction.

4. Viewing Futurama Episode (25 minutes)i. Before viewing the Futurama episode, students will be instructed to be on

the lookout for some of the “hallmarks” of science fiction discussed in the creation of the class concept map. Then the episode will be viewed.

ii. Students will receive a “What did you notice?” 5-box handout in order to jot down notes during the viewing.

5. Post-viewing discussion #1 (5-10 minutes)i. As a large group, the students will be asked to share as many of the

science fiction “hallmarks” from the episode as they can think of. Students will write responses on the whiteboard. After all ideas are written, the class will compare the whiteboard to the concept map they made earlier in class and have the opportunity to add elements from either list, where appropriate, to the other list. For example, if the students realize the episode provided them with more “hallmarks” of science fiction, they can add it to the class concept map.

6. Students will use words from the concept map to create a class word wall about the Sci-Fi Genre. (5-10 minutes)

7. Post-viewing discussion #2 (5-10 minutes)i. Students will engage in a think-pair-share activity to answer a question

about the episode: “What was the show about?” After all students have had a chance to share their responses with the class, the class will engage in a guided discussion to come to a consensus about the 2 or 3 “big ideas” of the episode. Guiding questions may include: “What was the bigger idea?” or “Where’s the conflict in the episode?” or “What are some different perspectives the characters take?”

8. Human Solar System! (Break Time: 5-10 minutes)i. (This activity is designed to get the students out of their chairs and provide

them with a physical activity to break up the 2 hour period. It will be clarified to the students that this is a break and not related to the day’s daily goal.) Students will leave the classroom for a larger, open space. Students will take on roles as the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, etc… and create the human solar system, circling the sun. Speed up, slow down, etc…

9. “Hey! What’s The Big Idea?” – A discussion about theme (5 minutes)i. Class will engage in a mini-lecture/guided discussion tying the questions

“What’s the big idea?” and “What was it about?” to the literary concept of theme.

10. “Theme Jeopardy” (15 minutes)i. Students will split into teams and play a Jeopardy-like game in which they

choose a category of well-known stories (e.g. nursery rhymes, fairy tales, popular movies) and a dollar value to get a specific story (e.g. Cinderella). The team then has to “answer” with a theme from that story (with justification).

ii. This will demonstrate to students that even the simplest stories have a theme, and that they will be able to identify the theme going forward. This will segue into the weekly agenda and final project.

11. Overview of the rest of the week (10 minutes)i. Introduction of final project (to be posted on the board for the duration of

the week): We will explain the final project to the students, that they will be completing four aspects of their OWN final science fiction story! (Theme, Character, Setting, and Plot) The final project will be a posterboard of these big ideas that they will share with the class at the end of the week.

ii. We will explain what they should expect for the rest of the week (character/setting on Tuesday, plot on Wednesday, workshop on Thursday, and sharing on Friday).

iii. We will explain what the exit slips will be (our summative assessment and the beginnings of their project) and transition into today’s exit slip.

12. Pick Your Own Theme (10-15 minutes)i. Students will complete an exit-slip activity. Students will choose one

theme or issue that interests them and write a paragraph about what they want their story to express about that theme or issue. Instructors will collect all of the exit slips for use in a later class.

D. Evaluation1. Formative: Students’ prior knowledge of the science fiction genre will be

informally assessed during class discussions, pre-viewing, and post-viewing discussions #1 and #2.

2. Formative: Post-viewing discussions #1 and #2 and Theme Jeopardy will serve as an informal assessment of a student’s ability to identify theme in a text.

3. Summative: Students will be more closely assessed by reviewing their exit slip to ensure they understand the literary concept of theme.

E. Differentiation1. Concepts are introduced and discussed in a variety of formats: lecture, discussion

as a large group, discussion in small groups, discussion in pairs, through games and activities, using the spoken and written word.

i. Students who are less comfortable in a large group environment will still have an opportunity to share in a small group setting.

ii. Students who have trouble/aversion to reading and/or writing will be allowed to express themselves and be assessed through other means, whether orally in groups or one-on-one with a teacher.

Day Two (11/17/09): “Who, When, & Where in the Universe – Setting and Character”A. Objectives

1. Literature (Reading and Literature - 7th Grade): The student will actively engage in the reading process and read, respond to, analyze, interpret, evaluate and appreciate a wide variety of fiction, poetic and nonfiction

2. Students will develop an understanding of the role of setting in science fiction texts

3. Students will develop an understanding of the nature and use of characters in science fiction texts

4. Students will continue to generate ideas for their final project through character and setting.

B. Materials Laptop computer with video capabilities LCD Projector Movie clip from Bladerunner Copies of “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury Copies of “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Lined Paper Pens/Pencils Whiteboard Whiteboard Markers “Human Solar System” index cards

C. Procedures1. Agenda and Daily Goal Placement

i. As students enter, the agenda for the day will be written out on the board, including daily goal(s)

1. Daily Goal: Introduction to character2. Daily Goal: Introduction to setting3. Daily Goal: Continue generating ideas for final project

ii. Written agenda will mimic daily lesson plan.2. Icebreaker Activity #2: Birthday Lineup (5 minutes)

i. Students attempt to order themselves in a line by birth date (Jan 1 at one end, Dec. 31 at the other). The trick is they are not allowed to talk or write. When they think they are in the correct order, they raise their hand. Once everybody’s hand is raised, the teacher begins at one end and asks each student for their birth date to see how close they came to getting it right.

3. Introducing character (10 minutes)i. Using age/birthday as an example of a character trait, introduce students

briefly to the literary concept of character and the use of characteristics/character traits. Students will generate a list of as many character traits (age, height, hair color, temperament, job, gender, home town, etc…) as they can come up with. An instructor will record the students’ ideas in a document on the computer/projector for use later in the class. This pre-reading activity helps the students understand how a character is revealed. This creates a reading focus for them as they begin the story.

4. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut (25 minutes)i. Pre-reading activity: Before handing out the story, students will be asked

to pay special attention to the characters in the story: What do we know

about them? How do we learn about them? What don’t we know about them?

ii. Copies of the story are handed out, and the class is divided into three groups. Groups are assigned vocabulary words to discuss during the reading of the text.

1. Vocabulary : unceasing, vigilance, vague, envious, luminous, synchronizing

iii. During reading activity: Each group, along with one of the instructors, will read the story together. Instructors will occasionally stop the reading at points where character is revealed and do a "think-aloud" sharing of their thought process on how a certain sentence or word tells them about that character. Instructors will model vocabulary instruction using contextual clues to determine the meaning of unknown vocabulary terms.

1. This reading time serves as formative assessment because instructors will be able to observe a small number of students and be able to determine their comprehension of the text.

5. Post-reading discussion (10 minutes)i. Students will come back together as a large group to share what they’ve

learned and how they’ve learned it. Instructors will keep track of the students’ discussion on the whiteboard in two categories (t-chart): what they learned and how they learned it. Students will be prompted to go beyond direct statements to create inferences using specific examples (if necessary), e.g. what do Diana Moon Glampers’ actions at the end of the story tell us about her character? This post-reading activity is a summation and review of the concept of character as introduced as a focus in the pre-reading activity and modeled during the reading.

6. Creating Characters (10 minutes)i. Mid-Class Exit Slip: Students will individually brainstorm ideas for at

least two characters for their final project. The document the class created earlier (listing as many character traits as possible) will be displayed to help them generate ideas. When completed, student papers will be collected for use in a later class, and for our summative assessment.

7. Human Solar System! (5-10 minutes)i. (This activity is designed to get the students out of their chairs and provide

them with a physical activity to break up the 2 hour period. It will be clarified to the students that this is a break and not related to the day’s daily goal.) Students will leave the classroom for a larger, open space. Students will take on roles as the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, etc… and create the human solar system, circling the sun. Speed up, slow down, etc…

8. Introduction to setting (5 minutes)i. Students will be introduced to the literary concept of setting. “Characters

need a place to be …” Science fiction can take place in a wide variety of settings.

9. View opening clip from Bladerunner and discussion (10 minutes)

i. Students will view the opening scene from the movie Bladerunner. Students will be asked to describe the setting in as much detail as they can, which an instructor will write on the whiteboard. This information will be saved on the whiteboard for comparison with the reading to follow. This pre-reading activity gives the students a focus for the reading (looking at setting).

10. Pre-reading activity: “What is a pedestrian? (10 minutes [20 if students need coats from locker])

i. Teachers will lead students outside and take them on a walk around the school grounds. Teachers will ask if any student knows what a “pedestrian” is before explaining it, allowing the students a chance to explain it to others. Students should be aware of their surroundings and their freedom to walk around. We will then head back inside.

11. Read “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury (20 minutes)i. Copies of the story will be handed to the students. They will be asked to

follow along and highlight parts of the text that show setting. The instructors will do a reading/performance of the text; one instructor will narrate, one will be the voice of Leonard Mead, one will be the voice of the police car.

12. Post-reading discussion (5 minutes)i. Students will describe the setting of “The Pedestrian” and

compare/contrast it with the setting from Bladerunner.1. As a large group, we will make a T-chart on the board so the

students can visualize the compare/contrast activity.13. Setting the setting (10 minutes)

i. Students will complete an exit-slip activity. Students will write a paragraph/feature list of a setting for their final project. Instructors will collect all of the exit slips for use in a later class.

D. Evaluation1. Formative: Students will be informally assessed understanding of character and

setting during class discussions, especially post-reading and post-viewing discussions.

2. Summative: Students will be more closely assessed by reviewing their character and setting sheets (exit slips) to determine their level of understanding of the literary concepts of character and setting.

E. Differentiation1. Students will be introduced to literary concepts in a variety of ways – through

reading, viewing, small-group discussion, and large-group discussion i. Students who are less comfortable in a large group environment will still

have an opportunity to share in a small group setting.ii. Students who have trouble/aversion to reading and/or writing will be

allowed to express themselves and be assessed through other means, whether orally in groups or one-on-one with a teacher.

2. Students will be allowed to complete exit slips in a format most comfortable for them; this could be fully-developed paragraphs, a bulleted list of features, or any other format they find useful.

Day Three (11/18/09): “Telling the Story – YOUR Story (A Lesson in Plot)”A. Objectives

1. Literature (Reading and Literature - 7th Grade): The student will actively engage in the reading process and read, respond to, analyze, interpret, evaluate and appreciate a wide variety of fiction, poetic and nonfiction

2. Elements of Composition (Writing - 7th Grade): The student will engage in a writing process, with attention to context, organization, focus, quality of ideas and a purpose

3. Students will develop an understanding of the concept of “plot” and learn typical trends in science fiction plots

4. Students will learn how science fiction reflects the real world and does so to teach lessons

5. Students will continue to generate ideas for their final project

B. Materials Handout of “The Fun They Had” Handout of “Just Before Recess” Handout of Plot Diagram/Storyboard worksheet Laptop computer with DVD capabilities (and Internet access) LCD Projector Lined Paper Pens/Pencils Whiteboard/Whiteboard Markers Permanent/Colored Markers/Colored Pencils (Word Wall materials) “Human Solar System” note cards

C. Procedures1. Agenda and Daily Goal Placement

i. As students enter, the agenda for the day will be written out on the board, including daily goal(s)1. Daily Goal: Introduction to the concept of plot2. Daily Goal: Continue generating ideas for final project

ii. Written agenda will mimic daily lesson plans.2. Icebreaker/Bellringer Activity (5 minutes)

i. “Run to Your Favorite Science Fiction Movie”a. The three teachers will stand in separate corners of the room with the

students in the middle. Taking turns, the teachers will shout out a movie title and if the students have liked that movie, they will run to that teacher. If a student doesn’t like the movie yelled out, they stay where they are, or if it gets back around to the teacher they are standing next to and don’t like that movie, they have to run back to the middle of the room and shout a different science fiction movie out.

3. Introducing Plot (10 minutes)i. Begin with asking students if they know what the word “plot” means.

Gather ideas and key words on the board for them to see different ideas of what plot means to the students.

ii. Working with a familiar story such as Little Red Riding hood, we will hand the students a double-sided worksheet, one with a plot diagram on one side and a six-frame storyboard on the other. We will list out what happens in the story on the diagram, pointing out key concepts of “rising action,” “climax,” etc. These will make their way to our Word Wall.

iii. Explaining that with short stories it is often difficult to create a proper plot diagram, we will then storyboard Little Red Riding Hood in six frames, keeping the idea of climax present by marking the appropriate box with a star.

4. Applying Plot to Science Fiction – “Just Before Recess” (30 minutes)i. Pre-reading activity for “Just Before Recess:” Ask the students the

following questions: With this title, what do you think the story will be about? Drawing on yesterday’s lesson about character and setting, what do you presume will be the setting? What kinds of characters will we have? On a blank sheet of paper, we will have the students draw six boxes to eventually storyboard the plot of the story.

ii. We will hand out copies of the story “Just Before Recess” and read aloud to class. As the story is read, students will jot down notes on the other side of storyboard paper – these notes will be key points in the story that they feel are important to the plot.

iii. Post-reading activity: Using their notes, have the students draw out what they think a six-frame storyboard of the story looks like. Then have them share their storyboards with a neighbor and talk about why they selected those six scenes and what they thought the climax was

iv. Post-reading summary: Explanation that science fiction plots are not what you always expect them to be. Many times there are twists.

5. How Science Fiction addresses modern day issues and teach us lessons (Transition – 10 minutes)

i. We will show the class two video clips from The Matrix and Star Trek. The purpose will be to introduce how scifi teaches us lessons (Matrix – “Free Your Mind”) and how they are able to address real world issues in a textual world (Star Trek – First interracial kiss on TV).

ii. This will also be our opportunity to tie plot back to theme.a. We will ask students what they remember about theme, and if

they can tell us what the theme of these stories is.b. This will be a guided discussion/reminder on how the modern

day issue can BE the theme, and how this theme is revealed through the plot.

6. Human Solar System! (5-10 minutes)i. (This activity is designed to get the students out of their chairs and provide

them with a physical activity to break up the 2 hour period. It will be clarified to the students that this is a break and not related to the day’s

daily goal.) Students will leave the classroom for a larger, open space. Students will take on roles as the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, etc… and create the human solar system, circling the sun. Speed up, slow down, etc…

7. How science fiction reflects/comments on our world – “The Fun They Had” (30 minutes)

i. Introduce the students to the story by Isaac Asimov: Give a very brief history on Asimov and why he was a forefather of science fiction, specifically how he wrote in the future to write commentary on our current social situations. With that in mind, have the students prepare themselves to notice any “messages” or “lessons” that Asimov wants us to learn from his story

ii. Pre-reading/During-reading activity: “5 Questions.” Split students into small groups (with teachers) and have teachers read aloud (or ask students if they would like to). After a couple paragraphs, we will stop reading and have the students write down five questions that they have about the story thus far. These can be very general questions, or they can be very specific. What do they think is going to happen? What do they want to know more about? We will then continue reading and finish the story.

a. Teacher will model what possible or appropriate questions would be for this story.

iii. After reading, we will discuss Asimov’s piece in our small groups. What are lessons that Asimov wants us to learn? What does he think of school? What is he warning us about? Why does the main character long for the olden days? What specifically does she not like about her current situation? Did you enjoy this story? Why?

iv. We will come back together as a group and wrap up the story by reminding the students that science fiction provides an avenue to discuss social commentary. Through these textual worlds, we have seen a reflection of the real world, not only in plot, but theme as well.

8. Trailer comparisons (10-15 minutes)i. We will tell the students that we are going to watch the trailers for a

number of different science fiction films. We want them to think about different elements in the trailers that suggest what KIND of story is going to be told.

ii. We will show them ACTION trailers (Star Trek, Sunshine, War of the Worlds), PERSONAL/DRAMA trailers (E.T., A.I.) and COMEDIC trailers (Honey I Shrunk the Kids, TBA)

iii. After each grouping of trailers, we will discuss what the trends of the particular genre of sci-fi were. We will use this as a transition into their final project. What will YOUR story be? What “genre” of plot will you choose for your story?

9. Working on Plot (10-15 minutes)i. Exit Slip: What will a synopsis of your plot be? Think of what the trailer

would look like if your story were a movie? Based on your setting and character thoughts, too, what would that trailer look like?

D. Evaluation1. Formative: Students will be informally assessed on their ability to recognize

and/or engage with plot during class discussions, especially post-reading and post-viewing discussions.

2. Summative: Students will be more formally assessed by viewing their exit slips to see if they have wrapped their minds around what their plots should/could look like.

E. Differentiation1. Students will be introduced to literary concepts in a variety of ways – through

reading, viewing, small-group discussion and large-group discussioni. Students who are less comfortable in a large group environment will

still have an opportunity to share in a small group setting.ii. Students who have trouble/aversion to reading and/or writing will be

allowed to express themselves and be assessed through other means, whether orally in groups or one-on-one with a teacher.

2. Students will be allowed to complete exit slips in a format most comfortable for them; this could be fully-developed paragraphs, a bulleted list of features, or any other format they find useful.

Day Four (11/19/09): “Workshop Day”A. Objectives

1. Literature (Reading and Literature - 7th Grade): The student will actively engage in the reading process and read, respond to, analyze, interpret, evaluate and appreciate a wide variety of fiction, poetic and nonfiction

2. Elements of Composition (Writing - 7th Grade): The student will engage in a writing process, with attention to context, organization, focus, quality of ideas and a purpose

3. Students will look at picture books to further explore setting. 4. Students will participate in a writing workshop. 5. Students will continue to work on their final project.

B. Materials The picture book Alistair and the Alien Invasion Lined Paper/Pens Drawing Paper Colored Pencils/markers Exit Slips from Days 1-3 LCD Projector Internet access Human Solar System note cards Glue/Tape

Star Wars Clip from YouTube Graphic Organizers: Character & Storyboard

C. Procedures1. Agenda and Daily Goal Placement

i. As students enter, the agenda for the day will be written out on the board, including daily goal(s)

a. Daily Goal: Refreshers on the four components we are learningb. Daily Goal: Workshop to create and finalize components of final

project.ii. Written agenda will mimic daily lesson plan.

2. Ice Breaker (5-10 minutes)i. Famous Places- Where Am I? Put the name of a famous place on each

student's back. They must ask yes or no questions to find out what place they are. They can only ask each person one question at a time.

3. Pre reading discussion: Give students a focus for the reading- Setting. (5 minutes)i. Give students a brief recap of the element of setting in a story:

a. Ask students what setting is.b. Remind students that setting can be described in the beginning of

the story, or it can be described by details throughout the story by things like the geography, scenery, weather, etc.

c. A story is just not place, it can also be time, place, context.4. Showing the introduction from “Star Wars: A New Hope” to describe the concept

of time, place, and context. (5 minutes)5. During Reading Activity (5 minutes)

i. Tell students to listen carefully to the short description the instructor will be reading out of the picture book Alistair and the Alien Invasion. Instructor will not tell them the title of the book or show them the illustrations. Students should listen and record words that relate to the setting of the story. The Instructor will give on example from the text to model what the students should be listening for. Instructor will read through the short passage twice.

6. Post Reading Activity (10 minutes) i. After students have the words that remind them of setting listed on their

lined paper, have them sketch/draw what they think the setting looks like on their drawing paper. Modified Think Pair Share: have students compare pictures and words with a partner and discuss why they chose the words they did. Ask for volunteers to show their sketch/drawing and have them say the words that influenced their drawing. After they all have an illustration, show them the book’s illustration. Tie the words chosen back to setting.

7. Transition to Writing Workshop (20 min) i. Hand back to students their setting Exit Slip and explain that they should

further develop their setting description. Give students a piece of drawing paper and tell them they will be developing the setting for their final

project. Remind them that the setting is an important overall element of their project that will influence what the characters are like and what happens in their story. Give students time to work on their setting portion of the final project.

8. Human solar system activity. (5 min) i. (This activity is designed to get the students out of their chairs and provide

them with a physical activity to break up the 2 hour period. It will be clarified to the students that this is a break and not related to the day’s daily goal.) Students will leave the classroom for a larger, open space. Students will take on roles as the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, etc… and create the human solar system, circling the sun. Speed up, slow down, etc…

9. Continue with writing workshop (60 min) i. Divide students into three groups and have them go to separate areas of

the room. Group 1 will work on Character with Lindsey, Group 2 will work on theme with Josh, and Group 3 will work on plot with Peter. In groups, each student will discuss their ideas briefly with the teacher at their station and continue working on the element of the story the station is exploring. We will rotate in 20 minute shifts.

10. At the end of class, students will turn in what they have done on their project and ask if anyone will be taking their project home to work on it before we present. Remind students that they will be presenting their tomorrow. (Final minute)

D. Evaluation1. Formative: Students will be informally assessed in the mini lesson on setting.2. Formative: Students will be informally assessed in their writing workshop groups. 3. Summative: Student will be assessed by their final project components to ensure

that they are grasping the four main elements of science fiction that we have been teaching.

E. Differentiation1. Students will be work on their literary concepts in a variety of ways – through

reading, viewing, small-group discussion, and large-group discussion i. Students who are less comfortable in a large group environment will still

have an opportunity to share in a small group setting.ii. Students who have trouble/aversion to reading and/or writing will be

allowed to express themselves and be assessed through other means, whether orally in groups or one-on-one with a teacher.

2. Students will not have to share their setting drawing during the mini lesson.3. I will read aloud the passage, so students with different reading abilities will all be

able to participate. 4. Students will be able to come look at the book, Alistair and the Alien Invasion. 5. Students will be able to work one on one with a teacher during workshop time.

Day Five (11/20/09): “Speed Dating and Final Sendoff”A. Objectives

1. Literature (Reading and Literature - 7th Grade):Students will actively engage in the reading process and read, respond to, analyze, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate a wide variety of fiction, poetic, and nonfiction texts.

2. Students will put together their final project. 3. Students will present their project to others in the class in the form of “Speed

Dating.”

B. Materials Copies of the short story “Apologies All Around” by Jeff Soesbe. Poster Paper Lined Paper/Pen

C. Procedures1. Agenda and Daily Goal Placement

i. As students enter, the agenda for the day will be written out on the board, including daily goal(s)

1. Daily Goal: Finalize projects on poster board2. Daily Goal: Share final projects with SPEED DATING

ii. Written agenda will mimic daily lesson plan.2. Ice Breaker- (5-10 minutes)

i. Toilet Paper activity: have students take as much toilet paper without telling them anything. For every square of toilet paper students must tell the class something about themselves.

3. Pre-reading Activity (5-10 minutes) i. Think-Pair-Share: This title of this story is “Apologies All Around.” What

predictions can you make about the story based on the title? 2 minutes to think individually, 2 minutes to discuss with partner and 3 minutes to share with large group.

4. During Reading Activity (10 minutes) i. While teacher reads the story aloud, follow along. Try and underline

anything you notice about the setting, the theme, or important parts in the plot. Instructor will model how to do this with a think-aloud for the first half of the story. The second half will be read aloud by the instructor but students will be underlining on their own.

5. Post Reading Activity (10 minutes) i. "Save the Last Word For Me" – Students will get in groups of 3 or 4 and

each person in the group will say their favorite part of the story, or an important part of the story they underlined. All of the other students will take turns commenting on that specific part of the text. Finally, the person who stated the portion of the text the other group members have talked about will say why they picked it and how everyone’s opinions influenced their interpretation.

6. Work time to put together final poster board. (15 minutes)7. SCI-FI Speed Dating (32 minutes)

i. Students will share their story ideas with classmates in the form of “speed dating.” There will be four sessions. Each session will last 8 minutes.

8. Bonus Activity (see end of lesson plan) (10-15 minutes)9. Sendoff – one final Human Solar System! (5-10 minutes)

i. Students will leave the classroom for a larger, open space. Students will take on roles as the sun, planets, moons, asteroids, etc… and create the human solar system, circling the sun. Speed up, slow down, etc…

D. Evaluation1. Summative: Students will be evaluated on their presentation of their story ideas

during speed dating, of which we as teachers will participate.2. Formative: Students will be assessed informally during the “Think-Pair-Share”

activity to gain their week-end comprehension.

E. Differentiation1. Students will not have to present to the whole class, instead they will be

presenting to one other person at a time.2. During the reading activity, a teacher will read the story aloud for those who may

have trouble reading it.3. We will provide students with copy of reading to help them follow along.

F. (Bonus Activities for this day)1. Read and Reader's Theater "Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery."2. Show clip "Lab Tour clip" from the movie Jurassic Park.  In our class we are

focusing on writing and reading science fiction; but science is a very important element of science fiction.

3. Create Alien Cards (could be tied to character)4. Sci-Fi “Memory”