Lesson+Plans

**DAY 4: LESSON ON AUDIENCE, PURPOSE, TONE**

 * Teacher:** Khrystie-Ann **Class:** English **Grade Level:** 12
 * Unit:** It’s History…But According to Who?
 * Lesson Number:** Day 4 (of 15) **Topic:** Audience, Purpose, and Tone

Students have recently begun reading //Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close//; Students understand that the author’s rhetorical goals are satisfied by what and how information is presented in a text.
 * //Context://**


 * //Short Term Objectives://**
 * Students will be able to define audience, purpose and tone
 * Students will be able to identify audience, purpose and tone in a text
 * Students will be able to recognize how the author uses audience, purpose and tone as a tool to convey specific constructions of a historical event


 * //Long Term Objectives://**
 * Students will be able to read texts critically
 * Students will be able to identify the discourses which influence texts
 * Students will be able to recognize the way author's construct texts based on their cultural understandings
 * Students will be able to view historical texts as portrayals of the author's own intended perspective
 * Students will be able to recognize the way author's rhetorical goals are met through the use of language
 * Students will be able to identify an author's use of information as part of a construction that satisfies a specific agenda
 * Students will be able to write an expository essay

1.) //Administrators:// In the past, students have struggled to recognize and identify audience, purpose, and tone. Without being able to recognize these aspects, students will not be able to understand how an author constructs a text in order to fulfill the agendas of a specific discourse. 2.) //Students:// Being able to identify audience, purpose, and tone in a text will help you see understand how that text is being constructed and why. 3.) //Critical Pedagogues:// In order to be effective citizens, students will need to know identify audience, purpose, and tone in a piece of writing so they can see how the same historical event may be portrayed differently by different authors. These authors will have specific intentions and rhetorical goals that are reflected in the audience, purpose and tone.
 * //Rationale://**


 * //Background Knowledge and Skills://**
 * These students live in NY and therefore, have their own personal experiences that influence the way they view 9/11 as a historical event.

NYS Reading Standard 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
 * //Standard://**

(See the " Home " link for a complete list of the Standards being met)

I will begin class by asking students to brainstorm the proper definitions of audience, purpose and tone. When we come to three exemplary definitions, I will write on the board and instruct students tell me the audience, purpose and tone of their fulcrum text. Then, I will give students an article to read critically. As they read, I will ask them to annotate and look for specific criteria (listed in the “Procedure” section). Students will get into groups and discuss their findings. After a few minutes, I will go over the articles and review how the audience, purpose and tone are all tools used by the author to accomplish specific goals and construct the text in specific ways. For homework, students will have to use what they learned in order to create their own short writing entries.
 * //Summary://**

-“Okay, how many of you have heard of the terms: Audience, purpose and tone?” -I will ask students to give me the definitions for audience, purpose and tone. -“What does term each mean? How are they different? How are they related? “ -“Take a minute to write down the definition of each. As a class, we are going to create the right definitions.” -Students will continue to brainstorm definitions until we find them to be exemplary.
 * //Procedure://**
 * //Anticipatory set://**

-I will give the students time to write down the definitions, then as a class we will come up with adequate definitions. The definitions should be similar to these: -“By using these questions, you should be able to understand how the author is constructing the text to reflect their own perspectives about 9/11.” -“Every text has an agenda and audience, purpose, and tone are used to meet the author’s goals. Once you can begin to understand who the writer is reaching out to and why, you can begin to understand how their 9/11 constructions are being influenced.” -“Through specific choices about audience, purpose and tone, authors can begin to slant their work to present information in a way that represents their agendas, motives, or even culture.” -I will ask students to give me the audience, purpose and tone of their fulcrum text, //Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.// -Leave time for questions/comments. -Leave time to elaborate more if needed.
 * //Instruction://**
 * **Audience** is the groups of people the author is writing for
 * **Purpose** is the reason why you are writing
 * **Tone** is the author’s attitude toward the subject they are writing for.
 * -**“Can a few volunteers identify the audience, purpose and tone of our novel, //Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close//?”
 * -**After the students have gotten the correct answer, I will hand out an article. It will be the same article for everyone in the class.
 * -**“Here are some helpful questions to ask yourself as you begin to look for the audience, purpose and tone in this article:”
 * For whom is the author writing?
 * What point does the author make?
 * What idea(s) is the author trying to convey?
 * What is the purpose: is it informing? Entertaining? Persuasive? What is the tone of the piece? Is the author sarcastic? Is the author writing a satire?
 * What is the author’s attitude?
 * How is the language used?

//-//After the students have read the article by themselves, they break up into groups of 4. I want students to work with peers who they do not often collaborate with. //-//I want students to focus on answering the questions I gave them in the beginning of class. //-//Each group should have one scribe to document what the group is discussing. But, every group member should still be annotating on their own article. //-//After enough time has passed, have a whole class share out and see what each group came up with. //-//I will be walking around the classroom while the students are working in their groups to listen to conversation and answer any questions. I will also be taking note of who is participating and taking leadership in each group.
 * //Guided practice://**

//-//For homework, students will be asked to write a short journal entry about an event in their life. In the second part of the assignment, students will be asked to reflect on how audience, purpose and tone played a role in the what and how they presented their information. -I will collect this assignment tomorrow.
 * //Independent Practice://**

-“I hope you all have a more comprehensive understanding of how audience, purpose and tone are connected to how the text is constructed.” -“We will be continuing to analyze how texts are constructed so keep this in mind as you read.”
 * //Closure://**


 * Teacher:** Khrystie-Ann **Class:** English **Grade Level:** 12
 * Unit:** It’s History…But According to Who?
 * Lesson Number:** Day 8 (of 15) **Topic:** Who Says… An Exploration into Reliable Narration

Students have recently been reading //Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close//; Students have been exposed to different tellings of the same historical event. Earlier this week, students looked at different conspiracy theories and analyzed the frameworks and messages the conspiracies wish to portray.
 * //Context://**


 * //Short Term Objectives://**
 * Students will be able to define narrator
 * Students will be able to identify the narrator in a text
 * Students will determine the reliability of a narrator
 * Students will be able to recognize how the narrator plays a role in the specific constructions of a historical event


 * //Long Term Objectives://**
 * Students will be able to read texts critically
 * Students will be able to identify the discourses which influence texts
 * Students will be able to recognize the way author's construct texts based on their cultural understandings
 * Students will be able to view historical texts as portrayals of the author's own intended perspective
 * Students will be able to recognize the way author's rhetorical goals are met through the use of language
 * Students will be able to identify an author's use of information as part of a construction that satisfies a specific agenda
 * Students will be able to write an expository essay

1.) //Administrators:// In the past, students have struggled to correctly recognize and identify narrator. Without being able to recognize the narrator (and their reliability), students will not be able to understand how the narrator is used to construct a text in order to fulfill the agendas of a specific discourse. 2.) //Students:// Being able to narrator can give you insight into the text you are reading. Often in a text, recognizing why and how a specific narrator is being used will help you see understand how that text is being constructed and why.
 * //Rationale://**
 * //3.)//** //Critical Pedagogues:// In order to be effective citizens, students will need to know how to identify the narrator in a piece of writing. Narrators are often used by authors to spread messages or persuade the audience in some way. Narrators can spread the author’s intentions and help to meet rhetorical goals.


 * //Background Knowledge and Skills://**
 * These students live in NY and therefore, have their own personal experiences that influence the way they view 9/11 as a historical event.

NYS Reading Standard 6: Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement). (See the "Home" link for a complete list of the Standards being met)
 * //Standard://**

I will begin class by asking the students to offer a definition of narrator. When we have reached an adequate definition, I will teach how this relates to the construction of 9/11. We will apply this information to the fulcrum text. In small groups, students will have discussion on how to determine if fulcrum text’s narrator is reliable and discuss how the narrator acts as a tool for the author’s agendas and influences. For homework, students will write a short journal and reflection.
 * //Summary://**

-“Okay, how many of you already know the role of a narrator? Today we are going to explore how narrators add to the construction of historical events.” -I will ask students to give me the definition of narrator. -Students will continue to brainstorm definitions until we agree on one that is adequate. -“Take a minute to write down the definition of each. As a class, we are going to create the right definitions.” -We will move on when we create a definition similar to this: -I will ask students to identify the narrator of their fulcrum text, //Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.//
 * //Procedure://**
 * //Anticipatory set://**
 * **Narrator:** The character who relates a series of events or transactions to the audience

-After we have come up with the definition, and identified the narrator in the fulcrum text, we will discuss how narrators work into the construction of 9/11. -I want the students to consider these prompts: -Students will create a list of ways they can tell if a narrator is reliable or unreliable. -I will ask students to consider these questions: -“By thinking about these prompts, you should be able to understand how the author is constructing the text to reflect their own perspectives about 9/11.” -“Every text has an agenda and narration is used to meet the author’s goals. Once you can begin to understand who the writer is reaching out to and why, you can begin to understand how their 9/11 constructions are being influenced.” -“Through specific choices about the narrator, authors can begin to slant their work to present information in a way that represents their agendas, motives, or even culture.” -Leave time for questions/comments. -Leave time to elaborate more if needed.
 * //Instruction://**
 * **Is the author using the narrator as a tool to reflect the author’s own views?**
 * **How is the narrator used to fulfill the agendas of a specific discourse?**
 * **Does the narrator attempt to push certain messages and depictions in order to persuade the audience?**
 * **What information does the narrator bring to the forefront of their experiences in the novel?**
 * -How?**
 * **Consider what information is included and what is not**
 * included.**
 * -**After significant instruction on these prompts, I will ask students to consider how they would classify the narrator of //Close//.
 * -**“What is the purpose of using a young boy (with a deceased father figure) as the narrator?”
 * -**“Also, would you consider Oskar a reliable narrator?”
 * “What makes you believe a narrator? Or not believe a narrator?”
 * “Does the narrator work to achieve the author’s rhetorical goals? How so?”
 * “Does the narrator work to push agendas from a specific discourse?”
 * “What role does the narrator play in the construction of 9/11?”
 * "How does language play a role?"

//-//Students will break into groups of 4; I want students to work with peers who they do not often collaborate with. //-//I want students to share their ideas about the purpose of using Oskar in //Close.// -Every group member should have their own notes. //-//After enough time has passed, one student from each group will share their thoughts on how and why Oskar is used. They will also how he helps the author to construct 9/11. //-//Specifically, as they share, I will ask them to tell how 9/11 is constructed: //-// “Does Oskar see it as a sad event caused by terrorists or does it seem to be a conspiracy to him (like we discussed 2 days ago)?” //-//I will be walking around the classroom while the students are working in their groups to listen to conversation and answer any questions. I will also be taking note of who is participating and taking leadership in each group.
 * //Guided practice://**

//-//For homework, students will be asked to write a short journal entry about how //Close// would be different if the narration was done by another character (ex. from the mother’s point of view). This journal entry should be a reflection of what students learned in class today. -I will collect this assignment tomorrow.
 * //Independent Practice://**

-“I hope you all have a more comprehensive understanding of how narration plays a crucial role in what information is presented and how. It has everything to do with the discourses at work and how the text is constructed.” -“We will be continuing to analyze how texts are constructed so keep this in mind as you read.”
 * //Closure://**

**DAY 13: LESSON ON EXPOSITORY ESSAY**

 * Teacher:** Khrystie-Ann **Class:** English **Grade Level:** 12
 * Unit:** It’s History…But According to Who?
 * Lesson Number:** Day 13 (of 15) **Topic:** Expository Essay

Students have read //Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close//; Students have been exposed to different tellings of the same historical event, 9/11. Students have been working on the skills to recognize the texts are constructed to accomplish rhetorical goals.
 * //Context://**


 * //Short Term Objectives://**
 * Students will be able to define “expository essay”
 * Students will be able to identify the conventions of the expository essay


 * //Long Term Objectives://**
 * Students will be able to read texts critically
 * Students will be able to identify the discourses which influence texts
 * Students will be able to recognize the way author's construct texts based on their cultural understandings
 * Students will be able to view historical texts as portrayals of the author's own intended perspective
 * Students will be able to recognize the way author's rhetorical goals are met through the use of language
 * Students will be able to identify an author's use of information as part of a construction that satisfies a specific agenda
 * Students will be able to write an expository essay

1.) //Administrators:// In the past, students have struggled to write expository essays correctly and with ease. Students will be able to improve their skills as readers and writers. 2.) //Students:// Being able to write an expository essay will allow you to present and organize your ideas in new ways. This will help you improve as a writer!
 * //Rationale://**
 * //3.)//** //Critical Pedagogues:// In order to be effective citizens, students will need to know how to write different types of essays. This essay will allow the students to internalize what they have learned and apply it in new ways.


 * //Background Knowledge and Skills://**
 * These students live in NY and therefore, have their own personal experiences that influence the way they view 9/11 as a historical event.
 * These students have been working on their writing skills all year long.

NYS Language Standard 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. (See the " Home " link for a complete list of the Standards being met)
 * //Standard://**

I will begin class by asking students what they already know about expository essays. As a class, we will identify the components and conventions present in the expository essay. I will show students an example. In groups, students will work to identify these components in another sample expository essay. We will go over the correct answers as a class. I will give students the assignment they will be doing in order to write an expository essay.
 * //Summary://**

-“Has anyone ever heard of the expository essay?” -“Can someone give me a definition?” -I will allow students time to brainstorm and eventually guide them towards this definition: -“Additionally, it is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner .” -“Now, does anyone think that they have ever written in this genre?”
 * //Procedure://**
 * //Anticipatory set://**
 * **Expository Essay:** A type of writing that is used to explain, describe, give information or inform.

-“As we have learned this year, every genre of writing has specific conventions that writers use. Readers can identify what genre of writing it is by examining the conventions.” -“What are the conventions of an expository essay?” -I will give students a chance to answer, but then I will provide them with this list: support covered in that paragraph's topic sentence // readdresses it in light of the evidence provided. // -I will hand out a sample expository essay and as a class we will identify all the components. -I will ask students to mark up their own copies as well. -“You can find more information about expository essays online.” -Leave time for questions/comments. -Leave time to elaborate more if needed.
 * //Instruction://**
 * this list is specific to our purposes in the classroom
 * // o // **Thesis//://** // A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay //
 * o **5 body paragraphs:** Each body paragraph should develop the primary
 * o **Textual evidence/Support**
 * // o // **Conclusion:** // A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but //

//-//Students will break into groups of 4; I want students to work with peers who they do not often collaborate with. //-//I will give students another sample essay; this time, the students will be responsible for identifying these components on their own. -Students should take note of language usage, transitions and academic vocabulary.* -Every group member should be annotating their sample essay so that they can use it as a resource when they are writing their own. -As a class, we will go over the correct answers. //-//I will be walking around the classroom while the students are working in their groups to listen to conversation and answer any questions. I will also be taking note of who is participating and taking leadership in each group.
 * //Guided practice://**

-I will introduce students to their own expository essay assignment and this @rubric:
 * //Independent Practice://**
 * Long Term: Students will be assigned an expository essay in which they explore how an author depicts 9/11. Students will write how the author's own agenda, motives and rhetorical goals are reflected in what is written throughout the text. Students must explore how the author's own slant on the events influence what is being included (and what is not being included) in the text. I want students to recognize that the author has constructed the portrayal of 9/11 in a very specific ways and comment on what motives that construction.
 * *I will grade students using this @rubric.

-“I hope you all have a more comprehensive understanding of how to write an expository essay; you should be working on these through next week.” -“Keep reading and writing!”
 * //Closure://**