RECREATE A LIFE FROM AN OBITUARY
Upper Elementary, Intermediate
OBJECTIVES:
1. To practice making inferences and drawing conclusions
2. To read for main ideas and supporting details
3. To practice gathering information from a primary, nonfiction source
4. To humanize the newspaper obituaries
TEKS-Elementary
Language Arts- 3.9(A), 3/10(A)(C), 4.10(A)(F)(H), 4.12(H)
Reading Objective 1- 3.7, 4.10(F), 5.10(F)
Objective 2- 3.11(H), 4.12(H), 5.12(H)
Objective 3- 3.11(A), 4.12(C),(J), 5.10(E), 5.12(C), (J)
Objective 4- 3.9(F), 3.10(C), 4.10(H), 4.11(C),(D), 5.10 (H),(J), 5.11(C),(D)
Social Studies- 3.16(A)(C), 3.17(A)(B), 3.18(A), 4.22(A)(B)(F), 4.23(B)(C),
5.25(B)(D)(E)(F)
Intermediate
English Language Arts/Reading- 6th , 7th grade- 10 (F)(H), 11 (A), 12 (F), 13 (C)
8th grade- 7 (F)(H)
th
th
Social Studies- 6 , 7 - 21 (A)(B), 22 (D)
8th- 30 (B)(D)
High School- Social Studies 24 (A)(B)
MATERIALS:
1. Transparency of 2-3 short obituaries providing a variety of styles and information
2. Newspaper obituary section
PROCEDURE:
1. In class discussion, list on the overhead or board a list of attributes that describe the
teacher. Be sure to include some affective or emotional attributes along with the
physical ones.
2. Together categorize them into those that are temporary and those that are longlasting. Ask the question, “What kinds of things will be important to remember about
me in 100 years?” “Will my death or how I lived be most important?”
3. Discuss epitaphs, or “self mottoes,” and each student tries to list 3 things he/she
wants to be remembered for and create an epitaph.
4. Analyze 2-3 short obituaries using the transparency. Using the information there, try
to infer:
a. how the deceased wanted to be remembered
b. what was important to the deceased
c. the deceased person’s age, birth date and death date
d. the survivors
e. number of children
f. age of children now
g. cause of death (Hint: Often the family asks for contributions to a charity
associated with the cause of death)
h. type of lifestyle
i. historical events that occurred around the time of birth
j. other information
5. Students choose an obituary and create a story based on that person’s life information
and historical events of the time. Remind them that this is a type of historical fiction.
Students may present their work in any format- mobile, diary, adventure story,
diorama, dramatic interpretation, time line, etc.
6
An extension would be to:
a. choose as a setting, a house from the Real Estate section that the deceased
might have owned or visited and tell why that house matches with the individual.
b. based on the information in the obituary, from the appropriate newspaper
sections choose a car, clothing, food, movies, etc. the deceased might have had
and be prepared to explain why it was chosen.
c. analyze the obituary page as a whole to make generalizations about the
obituaries, causes of death, geography of deaths, ages of deceased, etc.
d. analyze the journalistic presentations of the obituaries including research on
prices, procedures, format, job description/ attributes of the writers
Linda Lewis Michael, 2003
THE GIFT
UPPER ELEMENTARY/ INTERMEDIATE
OBJECTIVES/ SKILLS INTEGRATED
1. Making inferences and drawing conclusions
2. Descriptive thinking by using visualization and the 5 senses
3. Listening for details
4. Revising through elaboration for clarity of detail
5. To allow for creativity using visual/spatial, verbal/linguistic, bodily/kinesthetic,
and logical/mathematical intelligences
6. To practice analysis and evaluation levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
TAKS
Elementary
Language Arts- 3.1(D), 3.2(A), 3.3(B)(D), 3.4(A), 3.10(H)
4.1(C), 4.2(A), 4.5(C)(F)
5.1(C), 5.2(A), 5.5(C)(F), 5.10(D)
Reading- Objective 1- 4.10(F)
Objective 4- 3.10, 4.10(H), 5.10(H)
Intermediate
English Language Arts/ Reading- 1 (C), 2(A), 4 (A), 5 (C), 10 (D)
High School
Speech- 3(E), 6 (B), (C)
MATERIALS
1. Advertisements/ Sunday ad supplements
2. Pencils
3. Unlined copy paper
PROCEDURE
1. Students look through Sunday ad supplements to choose a gift
2. Choices are kept secret.
3. Each student draws a visual organizer on a sheet of copy paper by tracing around his/her
own hand. Across the palm area write the name of the item chosen as a gift.
a. On the 1st “fingernail” each draws an eye to represent the item’s attributes that can be
seen and lists 3-5 visual descriptives (color, shape, size, etc).
b. On the 2nd “fingernail” each draws a hand symbol to represent the item’s attributes
that can be felt and lists 3-5 descriptives (texture, weight, temperature, etc.)
c. On the 3rd “fingernail” each draws a symbol for smell (a nose) and lists 3-5
descriptives (pungent, musty, spicy, etc.). Students might take time to
close their eyes and visualize the item and its smells, sounds, and tastes.)
d. On the 4th “fingernail” each draws a symbol for hearing (ears) and lists 3-5
descriptives (rattles, purrs, thud, clinks, etc.). Students visualize what it
might sound like if the package is shaken or tapped.
e. On the last “fingernail” each draws a symbol for taste (mouth) and lists 3-5
descriptives (metallic, spicy, like dirt, etc.). Remind students of safety issues involved.
A scientist never tastes an unknown substance where safety might be in question.
4. Each student pantomimes, or acts out, carrying the visualized gift into the room while the
others observe for clues as to size, shape, and weight of the visualized package. The gift
giver then begins to give clues based on the sensory list from the graphic organizer.
5. Using the inferences made, students draw conclusions as the the gift and make quick
sketches of what they think is in the package.
6. After about 2 minutes, the gift giver monitors the pictures as students hold
them up to see if anyone is successful. The success of the giver is measured
by the number of students who correctly guess.
7. The class discusses the strengths of the description and suggests ways to improve it.
8. Students revise written or oral descriptions for clarity and elaboration.
An extension would be to use the food ads or classified ads.
Linda Lewis Michael, 2003
A more primary version follows:
THE ATTRIBUTE GAME
Primary Level
OBJECTIVES:
1. To practice visualization and observation skills
2. To practice Interpersonal and listening skills
3. To practice analysis and evaluation
4. To encourage descriptive writing and speaking
5, To practice making inferences and drawing conclusions
TEKS
Elementary Grades K-2 English Language Arts/ Reading
Kindergarten- 1 (D), 2 (A), 9 (A), 11 (A), 12 (B)
Grade 1- 1(D), 2 (A), 10 (A), 12 (F), 15 (C)
Grade 2- 1 (A),(D), 13 (A)
MATERIALS:
1. Grocery ads
PROCEDURE:
1. Each student chooses a food pictured in the grocery ads and visualizes
how that food tastes, smells, feels, sounds, and looks.
2. Each student comes before the group and gives 3 attributes of the food
chosen based on the 5 senses visualized.
3. Students take turns trying to guess what food is being described.
4. If no one guesses after 3 tries, the student gives 2 more attributes, and
guessing continues. The student’s success is based on classmates’
discovering the food in the fewest number of guesses.
5. This can be adapted for “letter” or “color” words, events, people, etc.
6. An extension would be for students to pantomime or act out the food
group in which the food belongs.
Linda Lewis Michael, 2002
QUICK IDEAS
Classified Section- Write an ad for a job for which you would like to apply.
Write a letter in answer to a classified ad.
Create a resume that a successful candidate might submit for
a job advertised.
Create an ad for a job 20 years from now
Draw a car, pet, or other object from the description in an ad.
Create a job ad for a specific area studied (geologist, nutritionist)
Cut out insect or animal shapes and “hide” on classified page
to analyze success or failure of protective coloration.
Inverted Pyramid Style- Analyze the type of news reported in each section of the paper.
Using the inverted pyramid style of writing, create an article for
one these sections in a newspaper dated 20 years into the
future. The article may be about yourself, transportation,
sports, world/state/local news, or lifestyle. Articles can be
turned into a newspaper of the future. Personal goal setting
can be brought into the lesson.
Classifieds or Real Estate- Write a story using as a setting a house or apartment from
one of these sections.
Using a Venn diagram, compare architecture in 3 different
houses.
Use the house plans to study area, perimeter.
Use the house plans to arrange furniture. Can be used as a
lesson in “reasonableness” with accurate sizing.
Use pricing to find average costs for an area or arrange in
order.
Dining Guide- Create a restaurant review for the cafeteria.
Create a menu or advertisement for a “restaurant” for a type of animal,
historical time period, or region studied (a restaurant for spiders, a
restaurant in Colonial America, a tundra biome restaurant ).
Various sections- Students choose a protagonist, antagonist, setting, and problem or
goal from different sections of the paper and put them together to
create a narrative or other piece of writing.
Comics- Compare style, subject matter, characters, etc. using a double or triple Venn
diagram. To differentiate further, on storyboards create a story line that
would follow the style, etc. of one of the strips.
Circle graphic and textual clues that help determine the mood or tone of the
strip.
Linda Lewis Michael, 2002