2. UNIT OVERVIEW AND RATIONALE
Essential Questions
In PaperTownsby JohnGreen,Quentin’sparentsmuse that“humanslackgoodmirrors” (page 198). Theymean
to say that itis hardfor us to understandhow we are or how we seem, forotherpeople toshow ushow we are
or seem,andfor usto showothershow we feel.Quentin’sdadaddsthat,“Consciousnessmakesforpoor
windows,too.”We alsohave a hard time seeingpeople clearlybecausewe are lookingthroughthe particular—
perhapscloudy—lensof ourownconsciousness.
1. Do humanbeings“lackgoodmirrors”?
2. How dowe construct(andredefine)ourperceptionof ourselvesandof others?
Rationale
Evenas a mostlygrownadult,Istill finditverydifficulttogeta holisticgraspof how I appearto others,whenI
am inthe wrong,andwhenmy reasoningisbiased.We are the farthestthingfromstrangerstoourselves,andsoitis
verydifficulttogetanobjective understandingof ourselves.We frame ourunderstandingof ouridentitythroughour
comparisonswithothers,howothersbehave towardus,andwhatgroupswe feel we belongto;canwe geta complete
picture or are there thingsinourway?
Similarly,we are notobjectivewhenwe view others,because we view the worldthroughthe unique“window”
of ourown consciousness.Quentin’smomcomments,“We findit difficulttounderstandthatotherpeopleare humans
inthe same waythat we are. We idealize themasgodsor dismissthemasanimals.”Possessingawarenessof ourown
and others’poor“mirrors”and “windows”allowsourwindow tobecome alittle clearer—recognizingthatothersare
humanin the same waywe are,lookingthroughtheirownlenses,unabletoclearlysee themselves,we canempathize
withothersbetterandperhapswill notsoeasilyidealizeordismissthem.Thatiswhythe essential questionsof thisunit
revolve aroundexploringthe ideasof self-understandingandempathy.Byanalyzingandansweringthese questions,itis
my hope thatwhat theylearninthe processwill contribute tobetterself-awarenessandamore subtle,empathetic
approach towardotherpeople.
Song of Myself isa poemaboutthe true wonderand mysteryof life,andittoograppleswiththe ideaof the
“self.”Whitmancelebratesthe self,the body,the wonderingmind,butalsoacknowledgesthathumansare profoundly
contradictorybeings.Theyare natural andpossessthe same sort of “intricate purpose”asthe April rain,yettheybelong
outside of nature—theyare notanimals;theypossessspeechandconsciousness. Song of Myself grappleswithwhat
exactlythe soul is,and proclaimsthatthe “puzzle of puzzles”is“thatwhichwe call Being.”Throughthe explorationof
PaperTowns,Song of Myself,andothershorterworks,studentswillbe able todeveloptheirownideaof howpeople
construct andredefine theirperceptionsof themselvesandtheirperceptionsof those aroundthem.
Learning targets: Language
Studentswill demonstrateunderstandingof figurative language,wordrelationships,andnuancesinword
meanings.(CCS,Language,11-12,5.) Studentswill be able tonote how sensorydetail and figurative
comparisons influence the tone of a textandcharacterization of itscharacters.
Studentswill explore the waysinwhichthe authoruses dictiontocraft tone, theme,and characterization.
Studentswill examine the author’suse of dialogue incharacterization.
Rationale
PaperTowns and Song of Myself are justtwo of the manypiecesof literature thatemployfigurative language and
nuancesto impartmeaning.Inorderto be able to identifyandunderstandtheselanguageschoicesandnuancesin
furthertexts,the classwill closelyanalyzethe text’slanguage.Investigating how the author’slanguage furtherstone,
theme,andcharacterization willcause themtobe more aware of these importantelementsof craftand prepare them
to write withmore attentiontohowtheirownlanguage canachieve similaraims.
3. Learning targets: Reading (strategy)
Throughthe strategyof close reading,studentswill analyzehow style andcontentcontribute tothe meaning
and emotional weightof atext.(CCS,Reading,11-12,6.) Studentswill explorethe waysinwhichthe author uses
theme,tone,characterization, perspective andsensory detail to craft and advance characterization and plot.
Throughclose reading,studentswill use contextcluestodetermine the meaningof wordsandphrasesusedin
the text,make predictionsaboutupcomingevents, andanalyze how anauthorusesand refinesthe meaningof
a keyterm or termsover the course ofa text.(CCS,Reading,11-12, 4.)
Rationale
A focuson continual developmentof more advancedreadingstrategiesforadolescentswill scaffoldtheirgrowthas
readers.Focusingonthe strategiesof prediction andclose readingwillallow themtobeginexpectingacertain
organizationof a textbasedoninitial informationwhichwillhelpthemfindthe importantideasinfuture textsandhave
a bettercomprehension/memoryof plotflowinsomethingtheyread.Developmentof close readingskillswillimprove
theirabilitytomake inferencesand become consciousof those inferences.
Learning targets: Reading (concept)
Studentswill determine twoormore central ideas of a text and analyze their development overthe course of a
text.(CommonCore Standards,Reading,11-12,2.)
Studentswill explainhowspecificindividualsandthemes developoverthe course of the text.(CCS,Reading,
11-12, 3.) Studentswill interrogate the use of pointofviewin the textand formconclusionsbasedupon
whetherornot theybelieve the narratoris reliable.
Rationale
Engagingwithan analysisof the author’scraft as a reader,of the author’s character development,central theme
development,andhandlingof tone willhelpstudentsbecomebetterwritersthemselves. Alongwiththe language
target,it uncoverstricksof the trade. Investigatingthemeandcharacterdevelopment will alsohelpthembecomes
betterat identifyingmajorthemesandargumentsinotherpiecesof writing
Learning targets: Writing
Studentswill use the narrative technique of dialogue andtheirknowledgeof perspectivetowrite narrativesto
developreal orimaginedexperiencesoreventsusingeffective technique,well-chosenandspecificdetails,and
well-structuredeventsequences.(CCS,Writing,11-12,3.)
Engage and orientthe readerbysettingouta problem, situation,orobservationandits
significance,establishingone ormultiple point(s) of view,andintroducinganarratorand/or
characters; create a smoothprogressionof experiencesorevents.
Buildtowarda particulartone.
Use language toconveya vividpicture of the experiences,events,setting,and/orcharacters.
Produce clearand coherentwritinginwhichthe development,organization,andstyle are
appropriate totask,purpose,andaudience.(CCS,Writing,11-12,4.)
Developandstrengthenwritingasneededbyplanning,revising,editing,rewriting,ortryinga
newapproach,focusingonaddressingwhatismostsignificantforaspecificpurpose and
audience.(CCS,Writing, 11-12,5.)
Rationale
Withthese writingtargets, studentswill be askedtoapplywhattheyhave learnedaboutcraft(theme,tone,
characterization,language,perspective,etc) intoawritingpiece of theirown.Init,theytoowill grapple withthe
enduringquestionof whetherornot humans“lackgood mirrors”and how it isthat people developself-perception.
4. Learning targets: Speaking and listening
Studentswill initiateandparticipate effectivelyinarange of collaborative discussions(one-on-one,ingroups,
and teacher-led) withdiversepartners,buildingonothers’ideasandexpressingtheirownclearlyand
persuasively.(CCS,SpeakingandListening,11-12,1.)
Studentswill come todiscussionspreparedandexplicitlydraw onthat preparationbyreferringto
evidence fromtextstostimulate athoughtful,well-reasonedexchangeof ideas.
Studentswill propelconversationsbyposingandrespondingtoquestionsthatprobe reasoningand
evidence;ensure ahearingfora full range of positionsonatopic or issue;clarify,verify,orchallenge
ideas andconclusions;andpromote divergentandcreative perspectives.
Studentswill integrate multiple sourcesof informationpresentedindiverseformatsinordertomake
informeddecisionsandsolve problems.(CCS,SpeakingandListening,11-12, 2.)
Students will participate inreadings of the text,particularlyitsdialogue,andwhennotreading,studentswillbe
activelylistening.
Rationale
Throughdialogue,studentswilldeveloptheirownopinionswiththe inputof others,andaddtheirownunique thoughts
and interpretationstothe classunderstandingandongoingdiscussion.Itisimportantfortheirfuture careersthat
studentsunderstandhowtoholdaproductive andthought-provokingdiscussion.Manyof these targetsaimfor
developmentof these discussionskills.Studentswill alsobe able tohearthe dialogue inthe textasspeechandanalyze
itseffectiveness,its“naturalness,”andgathera betterunderstandingof the language decisionsthe authormade to
achieve theireffect.
5. GATEWAY ACTIVITY
Objective:Studentswillbe able toidentifythe upcomingunit’sbroadlearninggoalsanditsimportance totheir
understandingof themselvesandothers,aswell asto the developmentof theirreadingandwritingskills.
Students will begintoconsiderthe effectof perspective biasandthe wayinwhichperspectiveaffects
everyone’sunderstandingsandbehavior.
Studentswill understandthattextscanhave unreliable narrators.
Video[4 minutes]:“2 People Described the Same Person toaForensicArtist andthisis What Happened”
http://www.upworthy.com/2-people-described-the-same-person-to-a-forensic-artist-and-this-is-what-happene
Follow-Up[10 minutes]:
Didyou relate tothisvideo?Inwhatways?What didit make youthinkabout?
How can we explainthisdifference betweenhow apersonseesthemself andhow otherssee them?
Do youthinkthe difference betweenhow someone seesthemself andhow anotherpersonseesthemisalways
inthisdirection—asinthe otherpersonseesthemmore positively?
Why dowe see differentlyfromthe outsidethanwe dofromthe inside?
Do we see ourselvesclearly?Doyou thinkyou see yourself clearly?
Why isthisan importantthingto thinkabout?
Activity 1: Unreliable Narrator [30 minutes]
Studentswill separatedbysidesof the roomwithspace betweenthem.The firstgroupwill be giventhe following
scenario:Itwasall overthe Essex and London newspapers:a man by thenameof Heinz had broken into a druggist’s
store through a windowand tried to steala new drug,a formof radiumthat wasselling for$2000. They caughtup to
him the nextmorning becausehehad been caughton a hidden security camera in the shop.
The secondgroup will be giventhisscenario: In Europe,a woman wasneardeath froma rare formof cancer.
There wasone drug thatthe doctorsthoughtmightsaveher,a formof radiumthata druggistwasselling for$2000, ten
times whatthe drug costhim to make.The sick woman’shusband,Heinz,wentto everyoneheknew to borrowthe
money,buthecould only get togetherabouthalf of whatthedrug cost. He told the druggistthathiswife wasdying and
asked him to sell it cheaperor let him pay later. But the druggistsaid no.So Heinz got desperateand brokeinto the
man’sstoreto steal thedrug for his wife. They caughtup to him the nextmorning becausehehad been caughton a
hidden securitycamera in the shop.
While the secondgroupremainssilent, Ihave some questionsforthe firstgroup.
Are you gladtheycaught thisrobberHeinz?
Do youthinkhe shouldgoto jail?
Wouldyoutry to steal thisdrug inthe same situation?
Okay,so nowgroup 1 needstokeepquietwhile Iaskgroup2 aboutthisdrug robber.Someone fromgroup2,
witha yes-or-noanswer,are yougladtheycaughtHeinz?
Do youthinkhe shouldgoto jail?
Wouldyoutry to steal thisdrug inthe same situation?
So,we have some differentanswershere.
Group 1, wouldyoureadyour scenarioplease?
Group 2, withanotheryesor no,are these facts—the bare facts—the same inyourscenariotoo?
Okayso group 2, what hascausedthisdifference inyouropinion?
Wouldyouread yourscenarioforgroup 1?
Do youthinkyou wouldhave come tothe same conclusionif all the informationyouhadwasthe information
group1 had?
What do boththese perspectiveshave incommon?(Biases.)
We use biasesall the time instory-telling.We almosthave to,because it’ssomuchworkto get at the full
picture.Whenyougetintoa fight,maybe withyourfriendorsisterorparentsand youtell someone else aboutit,Ibet
youbias the storyto make yourself soundbetterandmore justifiedthanyouactuallywere.Icatch myself doingthat.
6. We couldtry to putourselvesinotherpeople’sshoes,tryandguesswhere they’recomingfrom, whattheirmotivations
are,what itmightbe like inanotherfamilyoranothercountry,butit’shardto know and to understand.Evenwhenwe
followsomeone aroundandcome tounderstandtheirlife,orwe askthemto try to explaintheirperspective tous,we
onlyhave the windowof ourownconsciousness.We can’tsee outof anyone else’sconsciousness.We don’tknowwhat
it’slike intheirheads.
So perspectiveissoimportant. It’sflawedinthe waywe cansee withthe Heinzdilemma,butwhataboutthe
videowe justwatched?Eventhoughwe shouldknow ourselvesbetter thananyone because we’reinside ourown
heads,we still endupwithsome faultsinourperception.
Why doyou thinkthathappens?
The mindis like afilter,right?Andsowe see the worldthroughthat filter,andwe also—whenwe holdamirror
up to ourselves,bothtoour physical outsidesandinternallytoourownpersonalities—don’tsee ourselvesclearly.
Andthisidea—thisveryhumanconundrumof perspective—hasbeenshownandexploredbysomanyauthors.
Almosteveryauthorwithcharactersor witha narrator has to deal withitwhethertheyconsciouslyrecognize itorno.
Thisawarenessof perspectiveisgoingtoguide ourreadingof textsforthisnew unit,especiallyourreadingof John
Green’snovel PaperTowns.Thisnoveliswrittenfromonlyone perspective,butthe otherpeople aroundthe main
character have a lot to sayabout self-perceptionandperceptionof otherpeople.
To give youa taste of thisnovel,we’re goingtobe doingsome reader’stheatre forthe restof the hour.
Activity 2: Book Preview[15 minutes]
Studentswill actoutthe followingscriptdevelopedfromthe textof pages29-32 of PaperTowns.
Q: Are you goingto tell me where we’re going?
M: Well,firstwe’re goingtoPublix.Because forreasonsI’llexplainlater,Ineed youtogo groceryshoppingforme.And
thenWal-Mart.
Q: What, we’re justgonnago ona grandtour of everycommercial establishmentinCentral Florida?
M: Tonight,darling,we are goingtoright a lotof wrongs.Andwe are goingto wrongsome rights.The firstshall be last;
the last shall be first;the meekshall dosome earth-inheriting.Butbefore we canradicallyreshape the world,we need
to shop.I made youa list.If youhave any questionsjustcall mycell,butwiththe Vaseline,youwantthe one that’s
biggerthanyour fist.There’slike aBabyVaseline,andthenthere’saMommyVaseline,andthenthere’sabigfat Daddy
of a Vaseline,andthat’sthe one youwant.If theydon’thave that, thenget,like,three of the Mommies.
Narrator: She handedme the listanda hundred-dollarbill.
M: [Handsbill] Thatshouldcoverit.
Q: [Readingit] 3 whole catfish,wrappedseparately,Veet,Vaseline,sixpackMountainDew,one dozentulips,one bottle
of water,tissues,one canof blue spraypaint.
N: I’mnot sure whatyou’re supposedtosayto the checkoutwomanat twelve-thirtyinthe morningwhenyouput
thirteenpoundsof catfish,Veet,the fat-daddy-size tubof Vaseline,asix-packof MountainDew,acan of blue spray
paint,anda dozentulipsonthe conveyorbelt.
Q: Thisisn’tas weirdas itlooks.
Cashier:Still weird.
Closure:Class Summary [5 minutes]:
Studentswrite onthe boardsomethingabouttodaytheywere interestedby,somethingthatmade themthink,or
somethingthattheylearned.
7. WRITING LESSON: DAY 11
Learning targets: Writing
Studentswill use the narrative technique of dialogue.(CCS,Writing,11-12,3.)
Studentswill engageandorientthe readerbyestablishingone ormultiple point(s) of view,andintroducinga
narrator and/orcharacters.
Studentswill use languagetoconveyavividpicture of the experiences,events,setting,and/orcharacters.
Studentswill produce clearandcoherentwritinginwhichthe development,organization,andstyle are
appropriate totask,purpose,andaudience.(CCS,Writing,11-12,4.)
Objective:Studentswillbe able todefine dialogue,explainwhy itisimportanttonarratives, andcraftauthentic-
sounding,meaningfuldialogue themselves.
Journal writingprompt [5 minutes]: A strangershowsupin an Elviscostume ata funeral.The deceased’sdistraught
wife confrontshimatthe reception.Howdoyouthinktheirconversationwouldgo? Youcan write thisas a scriptor in a
narrative form.
Explicitpurpose [10 minutes]:
Yesterdaywe lookedatpages19 through27 and hadthe dialogue those pagescontainedreadaloudbuttodaywe’re
goingto getintodepthabout why Greenchose to make the decisiontoinclude alotof dialogue betweensome
importantcharacterson those pagesandwhat dialogue isspecificallyandhow itfunctions.
Who has an ideahowto define dialogue?
Dialogue isa conversationbetweentwoormore people.Itcanbe authentic,scripted,orwritten.Often
authenticspokendialogue differsfromoftenmore correctwrittenorscripteddialogue.If youwere tellingastoryto
your friend,youmightsay“Idid thisandthisand thisand thenthisbut thisandthis,”but writtenoutwordfor word,
that isnot a grammaticallycorrectsentence andwouldhave toinclude some subordination.“Before Ididthis,mymom
and I didthat,and thenI saw thisperson.Ididthis,and laterI didthat.”
Writtendialogue alsousesspecificconventions.Whoknowswhatthose are?[Quotationmarks,verbtagswhen
clarificationisnecessary,indentation,correctuse of commas(inside quotationmarks).]
Dialogue isimportantbecause itisextremelyuseful forcharacterization—the readerorlistenercantell alot
abouta character fromwhat theysay.It allowsforactionto be shown,notjusttold,and that can communicate more
information,whichwill become obviouswhenIshow youthissectionof the pages19-27 writtenoutwithoutdialogue.
Mastery of effective,meaningful,andnatural-soundingdialogue will helpyouwrite betterstories,plays,andeven
poetry.Itscharacterizationpowerwill helpmake youabetterandsubtlerwriter.
Modelinglookingat Green’sdialogue [5 minutes]:
[The two sections,onere-written to lack the specific dialogueand theoriginal,are up on the SmartBard or handed out.]
Look at the handoutwiththe twocolumnson it.The firstone isa re-writtenversionof whathappensinthe
secondinPaperTowns,but the firstone doesn’thave anyexplicitdialogue init.It’sparaphrasedtoshow youhow
importantevensimplelinesof dialogue canbe.
So whatcan we tell fromthe original versionthatwe don’tgetinthe other version?Well,juststartingfromthe
firstparagraph,we missMargo’s use of the terms“cybersex”and“perv”showinghow she’salittle dirty-mindedor
maybe she likestouse thatsort of thingforhumor.She’ssnarky—there’ssome characterizationwe don’tgetwithout
herwords.
Class lookat Green’sdialogue [10 minutes]:
In the restof the excerpt,whatcan we tell fromthe original versionthatwe don’tgetinthe versionwithout
explicitdialogue? [Prod student’sanswerswithHow can you tell that?] [Margo is snarky,Margo’sarticulate and speedy
8. wayof talking,the specificwayMargo describesherhome life,Margo’s“hmm”s,the repetitionof “no”sand “problem”,
Margo’s tendencytoswear,Margo’s sarcasm.]
So dialogue hasagreat powerto demonstrate characterthroughthe quotesandthe speechtagsused.Green
usesthe dialogue he usestogive usan understandingof hischaracterswithoutlayingitoutforus.If he justtoldus
“Margo isa snarky,articulate eighteenyearoldwhoemployssarcasmandhasa tendencytoswear,”the storywouldbe
that much more boring.Andunrealistic.Inreal life people don’tgowalkingaroundwithdescriptionsof themselveson
theirT-shirts—youhave togettoknowthemthroughwhattheysay and do.Spellingitall outforthe readeris a
commonpitfall of lessmature writing.Manyof youryoungerbrothersandsistersprobablyliketostartstorie swith“Bob
the giraffe wasa verynice and funnyguy”because they’re notquite tothe pointof understandingindirect
characterizationyet.
What are some of the verbsGreenusesinthisexcerptinadditionto “said”?
[Write tagson theboard,including “said”.]
These are calledspeechtagsor identifiersandthey label abitof dialogue,saywhoispresentlyspeaking,and
sometimestell how they’re speaking.There are manydifferentwaystobendthemtoyour will.You canput themat the
beginningof dialogue,inthe middle of dialogue,and,mostcommonly,atthe endof dialogue.Youcan addmoods(he
saidangrily),define how somethingwassaid(she whispered),specifywhothe dialogue isaimedat(she said toCaptain
Jack). [Write on board.] “Said,”“asked,”and“replied”are the three mainstaple tagsof dialogue andthey,andtheyare
the tags you’ll wanttouse the mostoftenbecause theyare wordsthat the readerbarelyregisters.Theyskipitand
concentrate onwhat youwant themtoconcentrate on.However,the readerwill notice if your“said”sare toorepetitive
inuse and placement.If youwantto be more specificonhow somethingwassad,asked,orrepliedto,there are a bunch
more tags to choose from. Are theymumbling?Stating?Exclaiming?Are they‘deadpanning’—frompage 20?What are
some more tags? What are some more waysto saythings? [List on board.]
Funny conflictresolutiondialogue video[1 minute]:
To get youall thinkingaboutwritingdialogue surroundingsome sortof issue whichwe’re goingtobe workingaround
today,here’sa clipof conflictdialogue fromThe Office.
http://www.nbc.com/the-office/video/conflict-resolution/n21591/
Modelingand guidedpractice withconflict dialogue [10 minutes]:
[Passoutsheetwith two conflict scenariosand spacefora dialogue,oneon the frontand oneon theback.]
Can I have someone readit?
If I were Kristi inthissituation,Iwouldbe feelingprettyexasperatedanditwouldcome outinthe wayI speakto
my sister.AnditsaysKristi talkedtoAshleyaboutitbutthat it didn’thelpmuch.I’mthinkingitprobablydidn’thelp
eitherbecause Kristi wastooforceful inthe confrontationorbecause Ashleysimplyisn’tatidypersonbynature.I could
write thishoweverIwant,soI’ll gothe lessanger-filledroute.If Iwere picturingthisscene inmymindlike amovie,it
wouldgosomethinglike this…
[Write dialogueon the board or overhead. Writethe guiding questionson theboard.]
So whatcan we see from mydialogue aboutthese charactersandtheirrelationshipthatwe didn’tgetfromthe
original story?[Reasonformessiness—Ashleyisn’tatidyperson;she isapologetic;Kristi refrainsfromattackingherin
angereventhoughshe isexasperated,etc.]
Are there any questionsaboutwhatIdidjustnow or any more general questionsaboutdialogue,orusingitto
characterize?
On the deskinthe front of the room are twootherscenarios, andworkingindependently,Iwantyouto choose
one and answerthe questions onthe board aboutwhat youthink 1, the motivationsof these charactersare, 2, what
kindsof people theyare,and 3, howyou thinkthisscene woulddevelop,andthenwrite yourowndialogue,keeping
writingconventionsandyourgoalsforcharacterizationandtone inmind.The conflictsdon’thave toget resolvedbythe
endof yourdialogue.
Are there any questions?
Independentapplication:JW revisitedandpeerresponse [20 minutes]:
9. On a separate piece of paper,Iwouldlike youtospendthe restof todayeditingandimprovingyourJWscene,
but before youstartwritingevenanewsentence,Iwantyouto fill out the organizerthatI handedoutto fleshoutwhat
aboutyour characters youwantto expressthroughtheirdialogue.Youdon’thave toexpresseverysingle thingabout
themthroughwhat theysay,butmake sure youhut a few of them.Maybe you’ve alreadystartedtodo itnaturally,and
that’sgreat.
Whenyou’re done withbothof those things or there is10 minutesleft,findyourpartnerfortodayon the sheet
I’ve tapedto the wall andread eachother’s.Write downanyquestionsyouhave forthe authorat the bottomof their
paperand signyour name.I’ll collect boththose andthe organizers atthe endof the hourand alsogive youfeedbackon
them.
WRITING LESSON RATIONALE
Thislessonandin-classassignmentprovidesexplicitinstructioninanessential ingredientforthe students’
successinregards to theircumulative writingassignmentandfuture writingendeavors,includingplaywriting,
storytelling,andpoetry.The lessonwill give studentsthe knowledge of the definitionof dialogue,the reasonsdi alogue
isimportant,the writtenconventionsof dialogue,andwhatgood,effective,andmeaningfuldialogue lookslike.Itwill
alsogive the studentsknowledge of speechtagsandhow to use (and varyin theiruse) of them.Withthisknowledge of
dialogue, theycanbetterevaluateauthor’snarrative decisionsandeffectiveness(critical thinkingskills),andapplythat
knowledge tomake theirownwriting—especiallytheircharacterizationanddepictionsof action—stronger.
Studentswill demonstratewhattheyhave learnedinthislessonbycraftingtheirowneffective,natural,and
meaningful dialogue inaccordance withthe followinglearningtargets:‘Studentswill use the narrative techniqueof
dialogue towrite narrativesusingeffectivetechnique,well-chosendetails,andwell-structuredeventsequences(CCS,
Writing,11-12, 3.),’and ‘Studentswillproduce clearandcoherentwritinginwhichthe development,organization,and
style are appropriate to task,purpose,andaudience (CCS,Writing,11-12,4.).’ Thiswrittendialogueispractice forwhat
theywill be askedtodo intheircumulative writingassignment.Evenif studentsmake the narrative decisionnotto
include more dialoguethanGreenhasalreadywrittenintheirwritingassignment,theirunderstandingof the messages
dialogue canimpartaboutcharacter (personality,motivation,relationships,etc) willhelpthemmake more informed
decisionsaboutwhatkindof persontheirchosencharacteris and how that character thinksinorderto mosteffectively
tackle the writingassignment.
By engaginginthismini-lessonassignment,Ihave come torealize whata greatdeal of scaffoldingneedstobe
laiddowninorderto put all my studentsonequal footingtoperformwell onlarge,demandingfinal assessments.
Writingskillsandconceptsare notcommon sense,andevenavidreaderscanbenefitfromexplicitinstructionwhich
makesthe ‘invisible visible’asSchoenbachargues.Commandof writtenlanguage mustbe builtblockbyblock.Ihave
alsoexpandedmyideasforgettingatthese amorphousconceptslike‘meaningful dialogue’and‘descriptive writing’by
readingHillocks,Chapter8,fromwhichI borrowedthe gatewayactivityfordialogueidea,whichasksthe studentsto
developdialoguesbasedonconflictscenarios.Manyof Hillock’sgatewayactivityideasinvolve introducingnovel objects,
sounds,orscenarios intothe classroom—anoveltythatprobablywouldcontributetomotivationandenergyinthe
classroom.Hillockshasremindedme toalwaystryto thinkoutside of the box,touse novelty,andtotry to use concrete
objectsandtasks to cementstudents’understandingof a concept.
10. DAY 12 LESSON PLAN
Learning target: Writing
Students will use the narrative technique of dialogue towrite narrativesusingeffective technique,well-chosen
details,andwell-structuredeventsequences.(CCS,Writing,11-12,3.)
Studentswill produce clearandcoherentwritinginwhichthe development,organization,andstyle are
appropriate totask,purpose,andaudience.(CCS,Writing,11-12,4.)
Objective:Studentswillbe able toidentifyhowtextcanaccomplishcharacterizationthroughdialogueandwill use what
theyhave learnedandtheirpeer’s andteacher’ssuggestionstorevise apiece of dialogue writing.
Explicitpurpose:
Dialogue isextremelyuseful forcharacterization—the readerorlistenercantell alotabout a character fromwhat they
say.It allowsforactionto be shown,notjust told.
Mastery of effective,meaningful,andnatural-soundingdialogue will helpyouwrite betterstories,plays,and
evenpoetry.Itscharacterizationpowerwill help make youabetterandsubtler writer.
Journal writingprompt [5-10 minutes]:
Giventhissample textof Fletch:Reflected,what kindof people dowe imagine these twotobe basedontheirdiction
and theirconversation? Howdidyoucome toyour conclusions?Findaspecificquote toback upone of your
conclusions.
Group work and Activity 1: Post-its[20 minutes]:
Usingthis textexcerpt,Iwantyouto write legiblyonpost-itswhichsectionsof Mcdonald’sdialogue inthisexcerpt in
your opinion accomplishesthe mostpowerfulcharacterizationforthe readerandwhy.Use quotesanda quick bulletof
explanationof the quote’sfunction—whatitdoesforthe reader,whatittellsthe reader.Make sure to signyourname
on the bottomof the post-itsbefore youputthemonthe board.
I wantyou to getintothe groupsI postedonthe wall.
Debriefand Feedback[10-15 minutes]:
[While studentspostthepost-its,organizethepost-itsinto clumpsaccording to whatquotesthey focuson.]
I lookslike we have some patternsemerginghere fromwhatyouall are identifyingaseffective characterization
usingdialogue…
[Identify thelines and askgroupsto defend their reasoning.Lead theclass in a discussion aboutwhatwelearn
fromthe characterfromthe lines and whatexactwordsand phrasesMcdonald usesto convey both toneand character.]
Independentpractice and revising[20 minutes]:
[Hand backresponsesto students’dialoguesand passouttheJWhomeworkprompt:How comfortabledo you feel
writing creatively?Are there thingsyou would like to workon?Details? Dialogue?Action?]
For the rest of the hour, please workonwritingafinal versionof yourElvis-at-a-funeral dialogueona separate
piece of paperbasedoneverythingwe’ve workedonandthe feedbackyou’ve receivedfromyourpartnersand from
me.If youfinishthese todayyoucanturn theminto me.Both thisand the journal writingassignmentIjustpassedout
are homeworkif youdon’tfinishtheminclass.Putthe journal writingresponseinyourjournal andI’ll see itwhenI
collectthemonFriday.
11. DAY 13 LESSON PLAN
Learning target: Writing
Studentswill use the narrative technique of dialogue towrite narrativesusingeffective technique,well-chosen
details,andwell-structuredeventsequences.(CCS,Writing,11-12,3.)
Students will produce clearandcoherentwritinginwhichthe development,organization,andstyle are
appropriate totask,purpose,andaudience.(CCS,Writing,11-12,4.)
Objective:Studentswillexplore howdialoguefunctionstotwoothermediumsbesidesthe novel,andstudentswill
practice writingdialogue.
Journal writingprompt [5-10 minutes]:
1) What do yourelate to in Song of Myself?One of my favorite partsis“To beholdthe daybreak!...youconceivetoo
much of articulation”because IunderstandwhatfeelingsWhitmanisdescribinguponwatchingthe sunrise becauseI
have feltsimilarly.
2) How wouldyourespondtoWhitmanif he spoke the followinglinestoyou:
Do you see O my brothersand sisters?
It is not chaosordeath. . . . it is formand union and plan . . . . it is eternal life . . . . it is
happiness.
The pastand presentwilt . . . . I havefilled themand emptied them,
And proceed to fill my nextfold of the future.
Listener up there! Here you . . . . whathaveyou to confideto me?
Lookin my facewhile I snuff thesidle of evening,
Talk honestly,forno oneelse hearsyou,and I stay only a minutelonger.
Explicitpurpose:
Today we’re goingtolookat the functionof dialogue inothermediumsbesidesthe novel andpractice the narrative
technique of dialogueusing Song of Myself asajumping-offpoint. We’re alsogoingtobe examininghow dialogue
functionsin Life is Beautiful.Dialogue isanincredible thinganddoessomuchheavy-liftinginnarratives,whetherthey
are writtenorscriptedor justspokenineverydayconversation.
Puttingaside the journal writing,let’spulloutourcopiesof Song of Myself andtake a lookat what I’mgoingto
all the “shiftingother”.Whitmanaddressesalotof differentpeople,objects,andideasinthispoem.
Activity 1: SOM’s “shiftingother” [10 minutes]:
[Section off studentsinto groups,assigning each group chucksof Song of Myself in which to identify whatpeople,
objects,orideas are being addressed.Thesewill be written up on the whiteboard.]
In-classdialogue practice [20 minutes]:
Usingwhat we knowaboutWhitmanand usingone of the addresseesyourgroupidentified,individuallywrite apage-
longdialogue betweenWhitmanandone of the people,objects,orideashe addresses. Make sure tokeepinmindwhat
youthinkabout Whitman’spersonalityandthe personalityof the addressee,andaccomplishsome characteri zation.
[Volunteerssharewithclass.Characterization and toneishighlighted. Collect these.]
Activity 2: Identifyingthe functionsof dialogue in Life is Beautiful
[Passoutorganizer]
While we watchmore Life isBeautiful,Iwantyouto take noteson thisorganizerthe momentsyounotice the
movie’sdialogue accomplishingthe establishmentof tone orcharacterization.I’mgoingtocollectboththisandyour
dialoguesatthe endof class today.
12. RATIONALE FOR THESE THREE CONSECUTIVE LESSONS:
These lessonscome atthe beginningof the thirdweekinmyunitplan,buildinguponmyteachingof
characterization,perspective,writingwithdetail,andcraftingtone.Theybeginthe four(the fourthisnotconsecutive)
daysthe unitplandevotestolearningaboutandpracticingwritingdialogue.The firstlesson,the writinglessonandday
11 of the Calendarspendstime onthe functionof dialogue,andexamplesof it,beforeaskingstudentstowrite/revise
some hopefullyfunnydialoguetheyjotteddownintheirwritingjournalsatthe beginningof class.
The nextday buildsonthese skillsof identifyinghow dialoguefunctionstolookspecificallyattone and
especiallycharacterization,somethingthe unitwillspendadeal of time on.The lessonsprovide timeforstudentsto
workalone,together,asa class,and givesmanyopportunitiesformyself asthe teachertoprovide feedbackontheir
workand monitorprogressor where studentsmightbe struggling. The secondlessonalsoservesasa refreshingbreak
fromtalkingabout PaperTowns.
My hope forthe writingpromptsisto amuse studentsandprovoke amusing dialogue whichtheywill enjoy
writing.The secondday’sjournal homeworkassignmentismeanttoprovide evenfurtherfeedbackformyasto where
studentsfeel theymightneedmore workintheircreative writing(somestudentswillnotbe ascomfortable with
creative writingasothers).Studentswillbe giventhe opportunitylaterinthe unittorevisitdialogue (amongother
conceptscovered) andapplytheirlearnedstrategiestotheirowncreative writingassignment.
The third dayprovidesconnectionto Song of Myself,anothermediumof dialogue,andassumesameasure of
independencefromthe studentsintheirabilitytofocusontheirtone andcharacterizationgoalswhile writingdialogue
withoutanypromptingquestionsororganizers.Studentswillbe able toheareachother’sbestdialogue,gaininsightinto
Whitman’spoetrythroughthe focusonhischangingaddressees,andwill againreceive feedbackontheirdialogue
writingfromme.Laterin the unitI planon addressinganyrecurringissuesIsee in theirdialoguewritingornarrative
craftingingeneral,andalsoprovidingasample of poorqualityandbetterqualitynarrative writing—includingdialogue—
for the classto edittogethertogive themstrategiesforself-editing.
CULMINATING WRITING ASSIGNMENT
How good isQ’s mirror?
Write a 4+ page typedscene from PaperTowns fromthe pointof view of eitherRadaror Margo (insteadof Quentin).
The scene mustinclude dialogue orinteriorthoughts aswell asspecificdescriptive detail.The scene mustbe an
importantscene forthat character andmust demonstrate thatcharacter’sopinion/thoughtsonQuentinatsome point
withinit.Feel free toadda line fortwofrom Song of Myself,but itis notrequired.
Standard(double-checkfontswithme) 12-pointfont,1½ spaced,1-inchmargins.
Timeline:
DraftingIntroductionsinClass:Day24
Drafts due:Day 27
Final draftsdue:Day 30
13. REFLECTION
A solid,purposeful unitfull of “uncovering”andexplicitteachingof skillsshouldtake agreatamountof time,
thought,andeffort. Formuch of whathelpedorganize andinspire myideas came fromanumberof readings
throughoutthe semester.Firstly,the argumentsof GrantWigginsand Jay McTighe, Jeff Wilhelm,and RuthSchoenbach
et al.helpedme beginwiththe bestpossible focusandgoals.WigginsandMcTighe’semphasison“uncoverage”and
commitmenttogenuine inquirythroughoutaunitmapon perfectlywithSchoenbachetal.’sargumentforexplicitly
teachingcognitive readingstrategiesbecausereadingisaskill likeanyotherwhichmustbe uncovered,taught,and
modeled.Andthroughthe essentialquestionandthese readingskills,Wilhelmarguesthatwe are moldingstudentsinto
critical readers—readerswhounderstandthattextsare meanttobe questionedandengagedwith.He putsitbetter
than I can:
People whoreadfortheirownpurposesreadtounderstandthemselvesandthe worldin
whichthey findthemselvesrightnow.Suchexpertreadersoftenread“authorially”to
understandanauthor as an ‘intelligencethatcreatedthe literarytext’—avoice,asitwere,to
be heard,considered,agreed,orarguedwith.… Throughconversationstudentscancome to
understandthatthe task of readingisnot simplytoask,‘What doesthismean?’butratherto
ask,‘What wouldthis[text] meanforthe audience itwaswrittenforandhow do I feel about
that?
(p.124).
Studentsshouldnotfeel like spongesinaclassroom, theyshouldfeel like detectivesandphilosophers,asking Do Iagree
with that?Isthat logical? Isit just?Isit in accordancewith my pastexperience?Whatwould be my argumentin
response?
The readingsI feel were mostimportantformystrategicorganization,however,andtherefore mostimportant
for the particularsof the entire unit,were Hillock’sprinciples.Thisgave me aformatto model fromuponwhichto
organize all myideasabouthowto arrive at each of my learningtargets.Ibelieveagreatstrengthof my unitplanwas
that I tookthe time towrite outa detailedsequence of instructionforeachof my three mainlearningtargets.That
formatwas indescribablyhelpful tome as faras planningandforcingmyself togetdowntothe nitty-grittyof teaching
explicitskills,modeling,building,andintegrating. Organizingthese sequencesontopof each otherwastricky—butI
alreadyhadall of the content,sowhenit came time to puttogethermycalendar,itwas thrillingtoputthe piecesIhad
alreadycome up withtogetherandsee the unitfill outandunfoldbefore myeyes.
One of myweaknessesasaunitplannerare sometimes myblindspots.Ihave blindspotswhenitcomestomy
activities attimesinthatI plansomethingIthinkisincrediblyuncoveringandentertaining,butanoutside perspective
can see where studentswithdifferentopinionsorwithoutthe same interestsorskills asIhave mightlose track or
interest.Ialsohave an “expertblindspot”whenitcomestoskills—ittakesme actively remindingmyself totryto lookat
whatI am askingthe studentstodofrom a completelyfreshperspective andtryandsee where Iam making
assumptionsaboutwhatskillsthe studentsare comingtothe table with andwhetherornot thisscaffoldsascompletely
or drivesthe pointhome asdeeplyasitdoesinmy ownmind.
I alsoget soexcitedaboutthe plethoraof textsthatI couldintroduce mystudentstowhichrelate tothe
essential questionortothe learningtargetsthatI try to loadon too much. Depthisfar preferable tobreadth,andyou
can’t be all of a student’s Englishclassesinone class,muchasyouwouldlike toteachthemall the textsyouknowand
love.Tomake thisunitdeeperandmore streamlined,Icut outsome Frankenstein,some Don Quixote,andalot of
poetrytermsand learning.Thisisn’tapoetryunit,andI couldonlyuse thisunitto teach Song of Myself as it relatesto
my mainfocusesand text,notas an entityby itself.
Whatdo you wantstudentsto knowand beable to do? How are you going to uncoverthis?How are you going
to scaffold this?Howcan you get them to the pointof transfer? Bykeepingthese questionsconstantlyinmind,teachers
can buildlessonstheirlowest-achievingstudentscansucceedwith,andtheirhighest-level studentscanfindgreat
meaningandpurpose in.
