Scaffolding questions • How does the author use narrative techniques?. • How does Warner use dialogue to develop the characters?. • engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem,
Trang 1Anchor Text with Text-Dependent Questions:
On Narratives by John Warner
http://www.creativenonfiction.org/brevity/pastissuestwo/brev38/Warner38.html
After the teacher reads the article for the second time, the questions the students have should be added to the questions listed below Questions that are critical to the understanding of the text have been bolded and scaffolding questions are listed beneath should they be necessary
Text, page or
paragraph
reference
Text-dependent questions WV CCRS addressed
What genre of writing is this? What in the text makes you say that?
How does the author engage and orient the reader? How does this impact the narrative?
What sensory imagery does Warner use
in this piece?
Scaffolding questions
• Circle some precise words and phrases he uses in the text What did you come up with?
• When and how does he use the most detail? What makes you say that?
• What is the meaning of the word transphenoidally? What impact does the word have?
• Why did the author use the phrase Roto-Rooter to describe his father’s surgery?
How does Warner set out the problem, situation or observation?
Scaffolding questions
•How does he make this seem important?
•From whose point of view is this told?
•What makes you say that?
•When and how is the narrator first introduced?
•When and how are the other characters first introduced?
What details and observations does the author use to create a smooth
progression of ideas?
Scaffolding questions
• How does the author use narrative techniques?
• What are narrative techniques?
• What are some examples of narrative techniques used in this text?
• How does Warner use dialogue to develop the characters?
• How does he use dialogue to develop the experiences?
ELA.12.22 write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences
• engage and orient the reader
by setting out a problem, situation or observation and its significance, establishing multiple point(s) of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events
• use narrative techniques, such
as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events and/or characters
• use and evaluate a variety of techniques to sequence events
so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth or resolution)
• use precise words and phrases, telling details and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences events, setting and/or
characters
• provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed
or resolved over the course of the narrative
Trang 2What is the structure of the text?
Scaffolding questions
• Why are paragraphs 2 and 3 placed immediately following the opening paragraph?
• Why did the author structure the text in this manner?
• How does the episodic pacing develop the experience for the reader?
• What is episodic pacing?
“His medical
condition was
officially
categorized as
“alert”, but he
didn’t look it
Sitting in his
room, we would
kibitz, being
cheery in front
of him, maybe
as some kind of
example.”
What are two of the central ideas and how
do they interact and build on one another?
Teacher may have students complete a concept map or use the questions listed below.
Scaffolding questions
•What does the title tell you about the central idea?
•What is the other central idea?
•What observations does the author make about stories?
•How do these observations lead to the development of a central idea?
•How does the author develop this idea from the beginning of the text to the end?
•How does he develop another central idea?
•How do these central ideas build on one another and interact?
•How does the author’s use of the central ideas and their development impact the text?
How do the father and son diffuse the intensity of the situation?
Scaffolding questions
•What does this say about the father-son relationship?
•What does this say about how people cope with intense situations?
•What significance does paragraphs 2,
3, 9, 10 and 11 play?
What does this sentence tell us about the father’s attitude toward his condition?
How does it help build on the central idea?
ELA.12.5 determine two or more
central ideas of an informational text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex and critical analysis; provide an objective summary of the informational text
Trang 3Paragraphs 1,
3, 9 What is the importance of memory?
Scaffolding questions
• Why does the author repeat that his father is having problems with his memory?
• How does this tie into the central idea?
Paragraph 3
—“The surgery
went well…”
and paragraph
5
What is the “brain episode”?
What leads you to that answer?
ELA.12.10 determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in
an informational text, including figurative, connotative and technical meanings; analyze how and why an author uses and refines the meaning of
a key term or terms over the course of
an informational text (e.g., how
Madison defines faction in Federalist
No 10).
Trang 4Module 4 Lesson 2 The Narrative Step by Step Process
1 Make copies of “On Narration” for each student
2 Writer’s Notebook Prompt—Brainstorm your favorite family stories to tell, giving a brief description
as you go and leaving room for additional details you may remember later
3 Complete the Writer’s Notebook Prompt in order to allow students to witness the thought
processes you put into writing Remember, you are the best writer in the room in most cases
4 Pass out “On Narratives” and have students annotate the text, notating places where the
author builds the major themes and questions they have about the text
5 Read “On Narratives” aloud
6 Using LCD/computer combo, overhead, board or chart paper, notate student questions and then
utilize their questions in addition to the text dependent questions for this text
7 Dissect the text using the text dependent questions provided and additional questions from
students Discuss and have students write their answers in their Writer’s Notebook
8 Text-dependent writing prompt (this can be an in-class assignment or a homework assignment):
How does the author utilize vivid descriptions and narrative techniques to convey his experience
so that it is accessible to a reader without those same references?
9 The teacher and students read the article “Compelling Stories” .After reading the article, the teacher instructs students to move into small groups and create an objective summary of the text
10 Writer’s Notebook Prompt—Add details to your descriptions of favorite family stories by including
characters, setting and additional sensory details
11 The teacher and students read aloud Anton Chekov’s “Home” The teacher leads students in the
Making Thinking Visible routine “I used to think…Now I think…” After reading the story ask
students to think back to the rules laid forth in the “How to Write Compelling Stories” article and ask them to add additional rules they think Chekov and Warner would include based on the readings
12 Assign Project: 214 West, a literary magazine for high school students, is seeking submissions
for their next issue entitled “My Life My Story.” Entries need to be between 1500-1750 words and adhere to the theme: “Stories we can hold forever.” Entries need to follow the Contest Entry Format
13 The teacher will need to provide students with a copy of the 12 th Grade Narrative Instructional Writing Rubric and review the expectations outlined within the rubric.
14 Students use the prewriting activity of their choice and create a first draft—this does not need to
be completed during class
15 Peer review Students need to come prepared with two or three copies of their draft to share
with their review group (this group may be teacher or student chosen; however, the teacher needs to take into account the strength of the writer’s in the room and divide the groups accordingly) Using the peer review sheet, students will read and comment on the writing of each member of their group
16 Students work on revisions—this does not need to be completed during class.
17 Teacher/Student Writer conferences—teacher will need to meet with students individually to
conduct a writer’s conference about their second drafts After discussing their piece with the teacher, students need to polish their writing, create a final draft and turn it in to the teacher and place a copy in their portfolio
18 THIS IS OPTIONAL, BUT WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT FINALIZED PROJECT The teacher
should collect final drafts electronically in order to create a class book of the stories
19 Reflection on lesson and on their writing: After completion of the final draft, students will
complete a 50-75 word reflection on why this piece is a story they “will hold forever” and how it
relates back to their reading of Warner’s On Narratives The 50-75 word reflection needs to be
placed into the student portfolio along with their narrative
Trang 5Peer Review: Narrative Essay
Directions: Divide into groups of three people Exchange papers with one another Be sure to review this sheet as you
revise your paper Every person should read and complete the review for at least two drafts
Writer:
Reader:
Read the paper once without pausing to write comments Then read the paper again with the following questions in mind
1 Does the introduction engage and orient the reader? If so, please write what specifically made you want to continue reading If not, please provide suggestions on how the author might do so
2 What narrative techniques does the author use to develop the experiences, events and/or characters?
3 What techniques does the author use to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole?
Trang 64 What techniques does the author use to build toward a particular tone and outcome?
5 Look closely at the details Circle the sensory language that the author uses to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting and/or characters
6 What transitions does the author use and are any specific transitions overused? Circle five transition words that would benefit from being changed and offer suggestions
7 Circle one sentence that would benefit from being rewritten Write down the essay’s best sentence below
8 Does the conclusion follow from and reflect on what is experienced, observed or resolved over the course of the narrative? List three questions you have about the story and offer suggestions on how those questions could be answered/resolved by the conclusion
Trang 7Grade 12 Instructional Writing Rubric*
Aligned to Next Generation West Virginia Content Standards and Objectives for English Language Arts and Literacy
Smarter Balanced Claim 2: Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing for a range of purposes and audiences.
NARRATIVE 4
Exemplary – Exceeds Standards
3 Adequate – Meets Standards
2 Partial – Approaches Standard
1 Minimal – Begins Standards
The writer
effectively creates a
well-executed progression of
experiences or events, so that
they build on one another to
create a coherent whole to that
leads to a particular outcome
and build toward a particular
tone and outcome (e.g., a
sense of mystery, suspense,
growth or resolution)
provides a powerful conclusion
that follows from and reflects
on what is experienced,
observed or resolved over the
course of the narrative
The writer adequately creates a smooth progression of experiences or events, so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth or resolution)
provides a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed
or resolved over the course of the narrative
The writer creates a progression of experiences or events that may or may not create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome
provides a conclusion that follows from what is experienced, observed or resolved over the course of the narrative
The writer creates events and experiences that may not progress smoothly
does not provide a conclusion that follows from what is experienced, observed or resolved over the course of the narrative
The writer effectively uses and
evaluates a variety of narrative
techniques, such as
o dialogue
o pacing
o description
o reflection
o multiple plot lines
to vividly develop experiences,
events and/or characters
The writer adequately uses and evaluates a variety of narrative techniques, such as
o dialogue
o pacing
o description
o reflection
o multiple plot lines
to develop experiences, events and/or characters
The writer uses some narrative techniques, such as
o dialogue
o pacing
o description
o reflection
to develop experiences, events and/or characters
The writer insufficiently uses narrative techniques, such as
o dialogue
o pacing
o description
o reflection
to develop experiences, events and/or characters
Trang 8s The writer effectively engages and
orients the reader by
o setting out a problem,
situation, or observation
and its significance
o establishing one or
multiple point(s) of view
o introducing a narrator
and/or characters
The writer adequately engages and orients the reader by
o setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance
o establishing one or multiple point(s) of view
o introducing a narrator and/or characters
The writer somewhat engages the reader by
o setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance
o establishing a point of view
o introducing a narrator and/or characters
The writer shows an attempt to
o set out a problem, situation, or observation and its signifiance
o establish a point of view
o introduce a narrator and/or characters
se The writer effectively uses
o precise words and phrases
o specific telling details
o sensory language
to convey a vivid picture of the
experiences, events, setting
and/or characters and the
connections between them
The writer adequately uses
o precise words and phrases
o telling details
o sensory language
to convey a clear pictureof the experiences, events, setting and/or characters
The writer sometimes uses
o words and phrases
o some telling details
o sensory language
to convey a picture of the experiences, events, setting and/or characters
The writer uses imprecise
o words and phrases
o some telling details
o sensory language
in an attempt to create a picture of the experiences, events, setting and/or characters
s The writer
uses correct capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling, with
insignificant errors that need
little or no editing
effectively demonstrates
correct usage of hyphenation
conventions
effectively demonstrates a
comprehensive understanding
of complex or contested usage
The writer uses correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, with few errors that need editing but do not distract from the argument
adequately demonstrates correct usage of hyphenation conventions
adequately demonstrates an understanding of complex or contested usage
The writer uses capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, with errors that need editing to clarify the argument sometimes demonstrates correct usage of hyphenation conventions
sometimes demonstrates an understanding of complex or contested usage
The writer uses capitalization, punctuation, and spelling, with frequent and repeated errors that need editing to convey the argument
seldom demonstrates correct usage of hyphenation
conventions seldom demonstrates an understanding of complex or contested usage
Trang 9On Narratives
By John Warner
On the table in front of my father the therapist places four random picture cards: a
sandwich, hands washing with soap, a baby, and a knife She wants him to try to
remember the pictures He’s having problems with his memory
The tumor was more than three centimeters, about the size of a golf ball, sprouting from
my father’s pituitary gland The pituitary is normally pea-sized and dangles from the brain, housed in a cavity in the middle of the skull The tumor had filled that space and then some, eroding bone in the sinuses The neurosurgeon said it could have been growing for twenty-five years An epic of a tumor The procedure was done transphenoidally, scopes and cutting tools through the nose Like Roto-rooter, only smaller Beforehand we joked about my father’s large nose, how there’d be plenty of room to maneuver
The surgery went well, but that night he had a “brain episode,” and when he woke up, he couldn’t move his right arm or leg Six weeks later, the arm and leg are back, save a slight shuffle He can speak and read aloud without trouble, but by lunch he’s forgotten
breakfast When I visit, in the mornings, he asks if I’d been there yesterday
The trick, the therapist tells my father, is to construct a scenario, a narrative that
encompasses all of the pictures Discrete bits of information are hard to hold on to Stories
we can hold forever Later, when the therapist takes one of the cards away and shows him only three, my father will remember the part that is missing This is harder than you’d think Sure, a knife cuts a sandwich and you should wash your hands before handling a baby, but how could all four possibly go together? Do you need to use the soap on the baby after you smear it with the sandwich? But what about the knife?
To see him after the “episode” was a shock, the pale dullness of his face, the slight droop
on one side His medical condition was officially categorized as “alert,” but he didn’t look
it Sitting in his room, we would kibitz, being cheery in front of him, maybe as some kind of example They see these kinds of things all the time we were told There is a progression
to look forward to, a series of events heading toward recovery He’d look around and smile, and be happy to answer any direct question, "How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
Trang 10The therapist takes the cards away and replaces them with a worksheet titled “Garden Plot,” the kind of thing second graders do to hone their nascent critical thinking skills There is a 4x3 grid at the top of the page and then a list of statements: “The beans,
needing maximum sunlight, should be placed in the southeastern corner.” My father is having trouble with his memory, but his reasoning abilities are intact, and the exercise could be taken as an insult, considering my father’s reputation as one of the top litigators
in Chicago, in the country But its purpose is simply to distract him from remembering the cards, from forgetting the story he told himself to remember five minutes earlier
This should’ve been a turning point in my father’s story, the moment we knew he was back on his way to his old self, but in three months time, there will be another tumor, tumors actually, and these will kill him in relatively short order, something I couldn’t imagine in that moment with the therapist, because the worst possible thing had already happened I never figured that I lacked imagination
The garden plot completed, the therapist returns three of the four cards to the table
“Which one is missing?” the therapist asks My father bends his head to his hands and rubs his fingers against his forehead “You had to ask, didn’t you?” he replies, smiling
Afterward, during a break in therapy we eat lunch, sandwiches, packed by Mom “Your father looks pretty stupid,” he says
“You just need to make the story unforgettable,” I reply “Like this: The knife is used to stab the baby, after which you wash your hands to keep from getting caught The
sandwich is to celebrate getting away with the crime Who doesn’t like to celebrate with a good sandwich?”
My father smiles He’s always approved of my sense of humor, even when it got us in trouble
The therapist told us how much we looked alike We both took it as a compliment
John Warner is the author of five books, including his recently released novel, The