Carrie E. Goodnight
October 13, 2004
Craft (8th grade)
30 minutes
Mini-Lesson:�
Getting Started
I.� Getting Started/Warm-Up Activity (1 min)
Getting
Started:� New Ideas for Writing
Address the class
by saying:
����������� It
has come to my attention, that several of you are having writing �slumps.�� You cannot think of anything else to write
about in Writing Workshop.� You guys have
already written about the issues that directly affect your lives, so now it is
time to dig deeper.� Today, we are going
to learn about some new ideas for writing topics.� We are also going to look at who we are
writing for and why that is important to our purpose for writing.
II.� Review/Introduction (7 min)
Review
����������� Let�s
review some of the topics that you have written about thus far.� Raise your hands and share with the class
what you have written about.
Write them on the
board.� Categorize them as subtopics
under larger topics such as �Friends,� �Family,� �Hobbies,� �Sports,�
�Relationships,� �Pets,� etc.
Ask the students,
�Are there any other topics that you have ever considered writing about?�
List prospective
topics in another color on the other side of the board.
����������� So
far, we have written about things that we are familiar and comfortable
with.� There is nothing wrong with
writing about these things, but it is time for us to try other topics as
well.� You need to start thinking about
our experiences on a more global level.�
The topics of your writing need to begin leaning towards your ideas
about society and your perspective in the world.� However, I still want you to use your own
personal experiences in your own writing along with these new topics.
Relate this
lesson to other classes that students are taking right now.
����������� Are
there any topics that you are learning about in other classes that interest
you?� Name some that we can talk about.
����������� (Be
prepared to know about some topics that you can discuss by speaking with other
teachers on your team.� If students do
not actively participate, give them some suggestions.)
����������� i.e.
Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina, etc.�
(These ideas depend on what your team members are teaching at that
particular time)
�����������
III.� Points/Objectives to Learn
NCSCS Standards
1.01 Narrate a personal
account which:
Creates a
coherent, organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.
Establishes a
point of view and sharpens focus.
Uses
remembered feelings.
Connects
events to self/society
Students
will be able to involve their own experiences that influenced their �Just
Because� statements through the writing that they choose to create.� They will use these personal experiences to
form the message that they wish to convey in their writing.
1.04 Reflect on learning experiences by:
Evaluating how
personal perspectives are influenced by society, cultural differences, and
historical issues.
Appraising
changes in self throughout the learning process.�������
Evaluating
personal circumstances and background that shape interaction with text.
Students
will have the opportunity to reflect on the learning experiences with issues of
social justice through the writing that they wish to pursue.� Students are able to identify how the element
of social justice has impacted their life in some way and how it has changed
them.� Through writing about this topic,
they will be organizing their ideas and learning more about their views of the
world.
National Standards
5.� Students employ a wide range of strategies
as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to
communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
����������� Through the exercise in the JUST BECAUSE exercise,
students will have the opportunity to think about issues of social justice and
how they can be incorporated in their writing.�
The issues that this exercise addresses can encourage students to write
for a different audience than their earlier pieces had.
12. Students use spoken,
written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for
learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
����������� Students can use this activity to expand on ideas of
social justice in their writing.� They
will be encouraged to use ideas generated from this activity to address ideas
and initiate social change.
Rationale
����������� This
mini-lesson should be used to get students thinking about topics that they can
write about that are important to their daily lives.� However, these topics require thought that is
more developed and planned than topics that require thinking on the surface.� As eighth graders, students are beginning to
see themselves in a world that is larger than themselves.� This activity will push them to think about
how others perceive them and how they feel they are being viewed in the
world.� The issues that come up during
this activity can create opportunities for writing that is taking an active
role for social change.� These pieces of
writing could also be submitted for publication as well.
IV.� Materials Needed
Note cards
Pen/pencils
Notebook paper
Writing Workshop
folders (students should have these to collect their materials in at the end of
class)
V.� Guided Practice (15 min)
Introduce new
ideas of social justice that they might not have considered before such as
equality, fairness, and discrimination.
Describe the
meaning of social justice.
����������� Social
Justice is the distribution of advantages and disadvantages within a society
(according to www.dictionary.com).� Social justice takes on many forms and has
many components.� When discussing issues
of social justice we tend to think about equality, fairness, and
discrimination.
Give students
directions for the �Just Because� activity.
JUST BECAUSE
activity
Pass out note
cards to every student in the class.�
Write the following sentence on the board, �Just because I�m __________,
doesn�t mean I�m ____________.�
Everyone
copy the sentence on the board.� Fill in
the blank spaces in the sentence by applying your own personal experiences
(Allow students a few minutes to fill in the blanks.).�
�����
����� Now that
everyone is done, I want you to walk up to the front of the classroom and read
your card to the class.� When you are
finished, tear the card in two pieces and throw them in the trashcan.� Start on this side of the room (point to one
side) and work your way around the room so that everyone has a chance to read
their card.
Have students
volunteer to talk about how this exercise made them feel.� Let the discussion lead itself as students
share their feelings regarding the activity.�
The following questions could be used to encourage the discussion.
����������� How
did this exercise make you feel?� Did it
feel good to tear up the card and throw the stereotype away?� What is a stereotype?� Is this something that you have thought about
before?
Experiences
regarding social justice are an important part of our social lives and are
deeply engrained in ourselves.� They help
form our opinions in many ways.� The way
we are perceived by others is reflected in this activity.
VI.� Independent Practice (5 min)
Students should
begin brainstorming for their new topics.�
They should react to the power that they felt through expressing their
�Just Because� statement.�
Use your �Just
Because� statement in your writing.
I
want you to think about using your �Just Because� in your next piece of
writing.� You can even consider using
someone else�s statement that is more relevant to your life than your own
statement was.� Think about pro-active
ways that you could use your writing to initiate social change.� Who would your audience be?� Why would it be more effective to write for a
specific audience if you are trying to raise questions of social justice?� Take out a sheet of notebook paper and write
down some ideas that you are thinking about.
Remind students
that these issues of social justice are complex and need to be elaborated on
over time.
VIII.� Closure/Expectations (2 min)
Remind students
of their homework.
HOMEWORK:
�Students should
think about their �Just Because� statements in regard to the genre they want to
write.
***
Questions to think about for homework ***�
(Write
these on the board for students to copy on their notebook paper to be kept in
their folders)
What do I want to
say?
Who is my
audience?
How will I tell
him/her/them?
What is the best
format for my writing piece?� Is it a
narrative account of a single experience?
Do I need to
perform any research for my piece?
What are my main ideas within the topic?