Unit V Lesson I: Slow Way Home Chapter 13

For Teacher only

Before this lesson, you will need to make copies of the Team Cards Unit V and be prepared to distribute them to the class during slide 8. During the lesson, you will need to interview a student using the teacher card, and be prepared to brainstorm and draft a news story.

Sunshine State Standards:

New Generation Standard 2: Informative

Benchmark LA 4.2.2

student will record information and ideas from primary and/or secondary sources accurately and coherently, noting the validity and reliability of these sources and attributing sources of information;

4.2.2 Application

Students will interview other students and write a news story about what happened to Brandon, then use the novel as a source for verifying information.

and 4.2.3

The student will write informational/expository essays that speculate on the causes and effects of a situation, establish the connection between the postulated causes or effects, offer evidence supporting the validity of the proposed causes or effects, and include introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs

4.2.3

Students will prepare stories using cause and effect reasoning and a multi paragraph organizational pattern to present stories in newspaper and television news formats.

Read Aloud Chapter 13

As you listen, think of yourself as a newspaper or TV reporter

How would you write this story for the newspaper?

How would you report this story as a national TV news story?

Who would you want to interview? What questions would you want to ask

them?

Preparing to interview

Students number off 1-4. Give each of the ones a 1 card, each of the

twos a 2 card and so on.

What your numbers mean!

If you are a 1 you are a news reporter for the local paper

If you are a 3, you are a witness to the events in chapter 13 and will be interviewed by a reporter for the local paper.

If you are a 2, you are a news reporter for the local TV station

If you are a 4, you are a witness to the events in chapter 13 and will be interviewed by the TV reporter.

Take 5

To exchange cards with someone who agrees to exchange with you if you would rather be something other than the card you were given.

Find the partner you are to interview

Look on your card; it will tell you your partner’s number

You and your partner find a place to talk. Be certain you have something on which to take notes if you are the interviewer.

Witnesses

If you are a witness, pretend that you were there on the scene at the 4th of July celebration in chapter 13. You may choose to be the specific character your interviewer asks you about, or you may simply choose to be a bystander who knows the person well, or knows the town well.

You may refer to the book if you need to!

Inteviewer

Gather as much information as you can. You are going to write a story about the character or scene you are asking the witness about.

You are writing a story about what happened to your character on this day and why it happened according to your witness.

If your questions are about the action rather than a character, you are writing a story to explain what happened and why it happened, according to your witness.

Let the interviews begin!

Interview your witness asking him/her the question on the card and any other questions you can think of that will help you get an interesting and accurate story.

Take notes: write down the information as accurately as possible

After you have completed your interview

Take moment to look over your notes

From brainstorming to draft

Now, your teacher will model how she takes her brainstorming and turns it into a story draft using a multi paragraph structure.

First, she will brainstorm

Based on the brainstorming strategy she prefers based on her learning style.

As she models, do your own brainstorming Those who were interviewed will form editing

teams as designated on card. Watch the teacher’s model so that you can

be an effective editing team.

As your teacher models drafting

Begin drafting your own story Editors, watch carefully as the teacher drafts.

After writers have completed their story

Pass it to the editing group indicated on card.

Reporters 1 a and b will have their papers edited at this table by witnesses 3 a and b who are also Editors 1Editing table 1

Reporters 1 c and d will have their papers edited at this table by witnesses 3 c and d who are also Editors 2Editing table 2

Reporters 1 e ,f and g will have their papers edited at this table by witnesses 3 e,f and g who are also Editors 3Editing table 3

Reporters 2 a and b will have their papers edited at this table by witnesses 4 a and b who are also Editors 4Editing table 4

Reporters 2 c and d will have their papers edited at this table by witnesses 4 c and d who are also Editors 5Editing table 5

Reporters 2 e,f and g will have their papers edited at this table by witnesses 4 e, f and g who are also Editors 6Editing table 6

.

E

Editors

Have one editor read the story aloud. Discuss what needs to be changed/revised

so that the story will be more Interesting And accurate As a team, make the necessary changes in

pencil on the writer’s manuscript

After story is edited by editing team, hand the stories back

To the original writer Writer: using the editors’ notes as

suggestions, write another revision Turn revised copy in to your teacher.