Scaffolding Essay Writing about Reading
(Scaffolding and Sequencing)
Focus Standard: RI.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters
(e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over
the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance
the plot or develop the theme.
PURPOSE: For students to read and annotate for a specific
purpose, understanding how to gather and organize information
found in the text to support a claim about character relationship.
KEY CONCEPTS: symbolism, characterization
LESSON PLAN
One class period:
1. Teacher and students choral read together aloud in unison.
2. Teacher introduces essay question to be answered during
reading. Teacher models breaking the question into two
parts.
3. Teacher models purposefully annotating the text using part
one of the essay question to focus reading. (I do)
4. Students practice annotating text as they continue reading
part one.
5. Students share their annotations and discuss their thinking
with the whole class. (we do)
6. Students finish part two annotating individually. (you do)
7. Teacher models using graphic organizer to gather evidence
that supports a claim made in part one. (I do)
Jill Diamond and Kate Keinert, Northwest Inland Writing Project
8. Students pair up to continue gathering evidence for part one
to add to graphic organizer. Teacher facilitates a discussion
of evidence. (we do)
9. Students work individually to gather evidence and add it to
the graphic organizer for the part two of the essay question.
(I do)
10.
Teacher uses this individual work as formative
assessment to drive instruction for the next class session.
Continuation of lesson on another day
11. Teacher reviews previous individual practice by facilitating
small group discussions of evidence found for part two. Allow
students to add to their graphic organizer at this point. (we do)
12. Teacher models using the evidence captured on the graphic
organizer to draft an essay answer to part one of the essay
question. (I do)
13. Students work in groups to continue drafting, adding
evidence for part one of the question. (we do)
14. Students share and revise drafts. (we do)
15. Students work individually to draft their evidence for part two
of the essay. (I do)
16. Teacher uses this individual work as formative assessment
to drive instruction for the next class session.
17. Review previous individual practice to part two by allowing
groups of students to share and compare essay. (we do)
18. Allow students to revise based on this discussion before final
submission. (I do)
Materials: A Handful of Dates by El Tayeb Salih, Graphic
Organizer
Jill Diamond and Kate Keinert, Northwest Inland Writing Project