Cecil County Public Schools
Division of Education Services
The Main Events
Unit 1: Plot and Conflict
Grade 8
English Language Arts
Summer 2009
This unit is the property of
Cecil County Public Schools
201 Booth Street
Elkton, MD 21921
and may not be duplicated without permission.
Acknowledgements
The development of an integrated English language arts unit is the result of the
collaboration and contribution of a team of people. The grade eight Unit 1: The Main Events
reflects the time and effort of individuals who contributed to and provided input in this endeavor.
The unit was written during the summer of 2009 curriculum writing. Sincere appreciation is
extended to those who contributed to this compilation.
Unit Development
Summer 2009
Vanessa Butanis
Delcina Creswell
Kimberly Dyar
Missy Freel
Jaime Gunning
Frederique Seals
Julianne Sindorf
Sharon Vaudry
Teachers
Martin Haberl
Instructional Coordinator for English Language Arts
Table of Contents
Grade 8: Unit 1 – The Main Events
Unit Cover Page .......................................................................................................................... 1
Academic Vocabulary/L to J Terms for Unit 1…………………………………………………2
Assessment Objectives………………………………………………………………………….3
Student Content Knowledge……………………………………………………………………4
Summary of Assessments and GO! Entries ................................................................................ 5
Word Wall Vocabulary…………………………………………………………………………6
Daily Instructional Plans:

Literary Genres and Reading Strategies Lesson……………………………………….7

Initiating Activity: Creating a Straw Structure Lesson………………………………..14

Reader’s Workshop: “The Elevator” – Lesson 1………………………………………16

“Raymond’s Run” Lessons 1-4………………………………………………………..24

“Raymond’s Run” Interactive Reader Extended Readings – Lesson 1……………….36

“The Tell-Tale Heart” Lessons 1-4……………………………………………………38

“The Hitchhiker” Lessons 1-4…………………………………………………………62

“My First Free Summer” Lessons 1-2…………………………………………………87

(Optional) “Paul Revere’s Ride” Lessons 1-2………………………………………...104

(Optional) “The Other Riders” Lesson 1……………………………………………...116
Quick Write: Personal Narrative………………………………………………………………126
Future Planning...........................................................................................................................141
Unit Cover Page
Unit Title
The Main Events: Plot and Conflict
Grade Level:
8
Key Words:
Plot and conflict
Timeframe:
Approximately 4-5 weeks
Big Question: What makes a story worth telling?
What essential questions will guide the unit and focus teaching/learning?

As the author of your own life story, what conflicts create excitement and drama?

Why is conflict necessary?
What unit questions will guide the unit and focus teaching/learning?

What techniques does the author use to create an exciting story?

What are types of conflict and how does it affect a character’s thoughts and/or actions?

How do the conflicts of the story affect the plot?

How does an author create suspense?

What is foreshadowing and how does it impact the story?
Focus:
As a result of this unit of instruction, students will interpret and respond to a variety of texts,
focusing on identifying and analyzing the plot and conflict in the selection. Readers will also
explore techniques that authors use to create an exciting story.
Unit Overview:
The unit encompasses several purposes for reading and writing in order for the students to gain
knowledge about the interrelationship of plot and conflict and techniques authors use to create
interesting stories. Students will read to be informed, and for literary experience. In addition to
plot and conflict, students will also understand and analyze the literary elements of
foreshadowing, suspense, narrator reliability, and parallel structure. Students will explore cause
and effect text structures and have the option to practice the skill of paraphrasing. Students will
write Brief Constructed Responses that anlayze genre and literary elements; they will also draft a
personal narrative with a focus on creating a captivating introduction. The unit assessment
incorporates a literary and an expository selection and requires students to analyze and compare
the two selections as well as to demonstrate an understanding of the unit concepts.
This is a model unit which is designed to show how to develop a unit that is concept-based and
addresses the essential curriculum. It is essential to instruct the unit as written in order to
maintain the continuity of the unit’s focus. Teachers may need to modify a segment of a lesson
depending on students’ needs and abilities.
Grade 8 Main Events
-1-
2009-2010
8th Grade English Language Arts
Unit 1: The Main Events
Plot and Conflict
L to J Terms
Literary Terms:
 plot stages
 conflict
 foreshadowing
 suspense
 narrator reliability
 parallel structure
Genre:
 radio play
 memoir
 narrative poetry (optional)
 history article (optional)
Organizational Pattern:
 cause-effect relationship
 scope
Vocabulary:
 Latin root (“dict”)
Reading Strategies:
 paraphrase (optional)
Grammar:
 sentence fragments
 run-on sentences
 possessive noun
 pronoun-antecedent agreement
 subject pronoun
 object pronoun
Grade 8 Main Events
-2-
2009-2010
Unit 1: The Main Events: Plot & Conflict
Unit Assessment Objectives
Selections
Literary Genres
Workshop
Reading Strategies
Workshop
Reader’s Workshop: “The
Elevator” - Short Story
Level: Average
Literary Focus/VSC Objectives
Writing/Grammar
 Read a variety of literary forms and genres –
3.A.1.b
 Become familiar with the skills and strategies
for active reading – 1.E.2, 1.E.3
 Analyze how conflicts affect character action –
3.A.3.g
 Identify and analyze stages of plot – 3.A.3.b
 Punctuate possessives
correctly—5.C.2.a (Use
p.88 of The Resource
Manager)
 Correct sentence
fragments—5.A.2.c
 Correct run-on
sentences—5.A.2.c (Use
p. 62 in The Resource
Manager)
 Draw inferences-1.E.4.c
 Analyze conflict-3.A.3.b
 Explore character motivation – 3.A.3.d
Interactive Reader
 Identify stages of plot – 3.A.3.b
Selections – Non-fiction
 Identify and analyze organizational features –
2.A.3.a
Level: Average
 Analyze relationships between and among
ideas – 2.A.4.f
“The Tell-Tale Heart” –
 Analyze how language choices create style
 Analyze elements of
Short Story
(suspense) – 3.A.7.a
style and their
contribution to meaning
 3.A.8.b – Analyze ambiguities or
Level: Challenging
(parallel structure)—
contradictions in the text
3.A.7.f
 Use reference aids (dictionary/thesaurus) –
1.D.3.c
“The Hitchhiker” – Radio  Analyze approach to time (foreshadowing) –
 Use correct
Play
3.A.3.h
pronoun/antecedent
agreement—5.B.2.b
 Analyze structural features of a drama –
Level: Average
3.A.5.b
“My First Free Summer”
 Distinguish among types of narrative text
- Memoir
(memoir) – 3.A.3.a
 Analyze relationships between and among
events (cause and effect) – 3.A.3.E
Level: Easy
 Analyze chronological order in nonfiction—
2.A.3.a
 Use word structure to determine word meaning
(Latin roots) – 1.D.3.b
(optional) “Paul Revere’s Ride” (Poem/Average) and “The Other Riders” (History Article/n/a)

No indicators from these selections are on the unit assessment.
“Raymond’s Run” –
Short Story
Quick Write:
Personal Narrative
Selections Removed: “The Ransom of Red Chief”
Grade 8 Main Events
-3-
“Clean Sweep”
 Use dialogue,
descriptive detail,
chronological order, and
sensory language –
4.1.2.a
“The Great Rat Hunt”
2009-2010
Unit 1 - The Main Events: Plot and Conflict
Student Content Knowledge
Declarative Knowledge (What students should know)
 Plot
 Conflict
 Radio play
 Foreshadowing
 Suspense
 Parallel Structure
 Narrator
 Reliability
 Memoir
 Latin Root (“dict”)
 Narrative Poetry (optional)
 History Article (optional)
Procedural Knowledge (What students should be able to do)
 Use prior knowledge
 Apply active reading strategies (inferencing)
 Use graphic organizers to comprehend text and respond
 Use reference aids (dictionary/thesaurus)
 Use context to determine word meaning
 Use word structure to determine word meaning
 Use appropriate pronoun/antecedent agreement
 Use cause and effect structure to comprehend text
 Use various rubrics, scoring tools, and checklists to evaluate writing
 Write using vivid language
 Paraphrase text (optional with “Paul Revere’s Ride”)
 Take notes (optional with “The Other Riders”)
 Compare and contrast various texts (optional with “Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Other
Riders”)
Grade 8 Main Events
-4-
2009-2010
Unit 1: The Main Events: Plot & Conflict
Summary of Assessments
Selection
Literary Genres and
Reading Strategies
Workshops
Initiating Activity:
Building a Straw
Structure
Reader’s Workshop:
“The Elevator”
“Raymond’s Run”
Go Entry Names
Reading
English
Informal /Other
 Class Discussion
 Observation/ Discussion
 Exit Slip
Formative:
 Plot Questions
Formative:
 Plot Questions
 Teacher Observation
 Exit Slip
 Class Discussion
Summative:
 Inference BCR
“Raymond’s Run”
Interactive Reader nonfiction selections
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Summative:
Selection Test
“The Hitchhiker”
Summative:
 Selection Test
“My First Free Summer”
Summative:
 Memoir BCR
 Selection Test SRs
(optional)
Formative:
 Literary Analysis:
Narrative Poetry
Summative:
 Selection Test SRs
Formative:
 Compare/Contrast BCR
Optional: “Paul
Revere’s Ride”
Optional: “The Other
Riders”
Quick Write: Personal
Narrative
Totals
Grade 8 Main Events
Formative:
 2 (or 4 with 2 optional)
Summative:
 5 (or 6 with 1 optional)
Formative:
 Suspense Paragraph
 Parallel Structure
Identification
 Journal Entry*
* = See lesson for
summative option
Formative:
 Pronoun-Antecedent
worksheet
Summative:
 Pronoun-Antecedent
Quiz
 Class Discussion
 Reading Comprehension
Assessment Practice
 Vocabulary chart
 Evaluate Narrator chart
 Class Discussion
 Exit Slip (optional)
 Building Suspense chart
 Exit Slip (optional)
 Class Discussion
 Radio Play chart
 Foreshadowing sheet
 Exit Slip
 Extension Activity or
Pronoun-Antecedent Reteach
 Cause-Effect chart
 Exit Slip
 Literary Analysis: Memoir
 Paraphrase chart
 Exit Slip
Formative:
 Introductory Paragraph
Formative:
 4 (or 5 with 1 optional)
Summative:
 1
-5-
 Taking Notes chart
 Compare/Contrast
Organizer
 Personal Narrative Graphic
Organizer
2009-2010
Unit 1: The Main Events – Plot and Conflict
Word Wall Vocabulary
Listed below are the key academic and selection vocabulary for each
selection in Unit 1. These words should be posted on a word wall and referred to
regularly during instruction.
Unit 1 Selection
Essential Concepts/Skills
(Academic Vocabulary)
Selection Vocabulary
“The Elevator”
plot
condemned
“Raymond’s Run”
plot
conflict
scope
prodigy
liable
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
suspense
narrator reliability
parallel structure
audacity
crevice
hypocritical
stealthily
stifled
vehemently
“The Hitchhiker”
stage directions
sound effects
foreshadowing
inferencing
junction
nondescript
sinister
assurance
monotony
“My First Free Summer”
memoir
cause and effect
contradiction
interrogation
replete
summon
unravel
Optional: “Paul Revere’s
Ride”
narrative poetry
impetuous
paraphrase
peril
somber
Optional: “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Literary Genres Workshop (pp. 4-11)
Time Frame: One 80-minute class (lesson should take 50 minutes; time is left for other teacher
needs to begin the school year)
Difficulty: Average
Selection Question: How do you answer important questions in life?
Vocabulary:
Essential Concepts/Skills (Academic Vocabulary)

Fiction (short
story, novella, novel)

Plot

Conflict

Character

Setting

Theme

Poetry







Selection
Vocabulary

Sound devices

Imagery

Media

Medium

Message

Target
audience
Point of view
Form
Line
Stanza
Speaker
Rhyme
Rhythm
n/a
Objectives:
3.3.a - Distinguish among types of narrative text
2.1.a - Identify the characteristics of primary and secondary sources of academic information
Lesson Materials:

Literature textbook

Literary Genres PowerPoint (Available on the CCPS English language arts Grade 8
website: http://edservices.ccps.org/languagearts/Curriculum/Secondary_Curriculum.html





Literary Genres Notes handout, one per student (Resource 1)
10 -15 copies of seventh grade The Language of Literature (old text)
chart paper
Optional- Teacher Tube clips and media samples (Resource 2)
Optional- Reading Strategies bookmarks (Resource 3)
Assessments
Assessment
Class Discussion
Grade 8 Main Events
Scoring Tool
N/A
-7-
Type
informal
2009-2010
Activities:
Warm Up Options: (10 minutes)
 Teacher created get-to-know-you activity
 Teacher created textbook scavenger hunt
 Teacher created reading/ writing survey
 Display first slide in PowerPoint. Have students journal in response to the questions from
crazythoughts.com or create their own crazy questions.
Directions for instruction are included in the PowerPoint notes on each slide. They are repeated
here for your convenience
Whole Group Instruction: (5 minutes)
Beginning with Slide #1:
1. Have students open their textbooks to p.2. Pages 2-3 will help you introduce students to
the concept of “big questions” which are featured in each unit.
2. Read aloud the introductory paragraph on p.2. Have students take turns reading aloud
the “big questions” on pp.2-3. Discuss connections students have with these questions.
(Have they seen movies/ read books which answer these questions? Have they read any
of the literature referred to in the questions?)
3. Explain that these questions cross history and cultures, and people communicate through
writing to attempt to answer them. Explain that we’ll be looking at a variety of literature
and how different authors attempt to answer these questions
Small Group Instruction: (10 minutes)
Continuing at Slide #2:
1. Read paragraphs on page 4 aloud as students follow silently.
2. Have two copies of the seventh grade The Language of Literature textbook at each group
of tables (so class is broken into small groups and each group has two textbooks to use).
3. Have chart paper hung up at different areas of the room. Label each sheet of chart paper
with one of the literary genres: fiction, poetry, drama, nonfiction.
4. If you are using CHAMPS, this would be a place to introduce expectations for group
work.
5. Have each group look through the seventh grade textbooks for examples of each of the
genres. When groups have found at least one example of each, have group members go
to the appropriate chart paper and list the titles and page numbers for their examples.
6. When groups are done, go through the examples on the charts (having students turn to the
appropriate pages) to look at the examples. Make generalizations about the
characteristics of each genre.
Grade 8 Main Events
-8-
2009-2010
Whole Group Instruction: (10 minutes)
Continuing at Slide #3:
1. Ask students to summarize the characteristics of the fiction (from their observations of
the examples they recorded on the chart paper). Responses should include information
about plot, character, paragraphs, theme, etc.
2. Read paragraph one on page 5 of the student text aloud as students follow silently.
3. Pass out copies of the Literary Genres Workshop Notes (Resource 1).
4. Click to advance the academic vocabulary for fiction on this screen. Have students
complete a picture or key words for the “Elements of Fiction” on the worksheet.
5. Click to advance the forms of fiction on this slide. Record key words or pictures for
these under “Forms of Fiction.”
You will continue this process for the next three slides (for the genres of poetry, drama,
nonfiction). Students will not record notes with each slide; some notes will be recorded when
students first read the genre this year.
Small Group Instruction: (15 minutes)
Continuing at Slide #7:
1. Discuss meanings for the academic vocabulary for media. Draw from students’ prior
knowledge.
2. Read the introductory paragraph on page 10 of the student text aloud.
3. Use the web in the margin of the TE on page 10 to illustrate how the academic
vocabulary relates to the idea of being media literate.
4. If the technology is available, play media clips from Teacher Tube/ show websites to
provide media examples (see Resource 2 for examples and links). Discuss the purpose,
message and target audience of each example.
5. Break the students into groups. Assign one form of media to each group (feature films,
news media, TV shows, etc.) Have the group choose one example of the media with
which they are all familiar. As a group, have them analyze the purpose, message and
target audience of the example they choose. Circulate around groups so you can help
them come up with a common example of their media type if necessary.
6. Have groups present their media examples and explain the purpose, message and target
audience to the class.
7. Have students record notes for the “Elements of Media” section of their worksheet.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Whole Group Instruction: (10 minutes)
Continuing at Slide #8:
1. Tell students that there are some strategies they’ll use for every genre.
2. Have students look at the charts on page 11 and page 15. Tell students we’ll be making
sure these habits become automatic, and the textbook will help with its purpose-setting
and background information for selections. You may want to have them turn to pp. 3234 to see the before reading prep provided for “Raymond’s Run.”
3. Use the note in the margin of the TE on page 12 to discuss passive and active readers.
Compare passive readers to passive sports players or game players. Would passive
players be useful to the team or get an enjoyment out of the game?
4. Read paragraph one on page 12 aloud as students follow silently.
5. Tell students they will be using these strategies as they read selections in the textbook.
Click to advance the strategies on this screen.
6. Use the notes in the margin of the TE on page 12 to model how you can use these
strategies with the chart on page 12.
7. Reading strategies have been reproduced on bookmarks (Resource 3) for you to print.
You can give these out now or when you begin “Raymond’s Run.”
8. Have students keep the copy master in their notebooks.
9. End of lesson.
Closure: (5 minutes)
 Review expectations for student notebooks. Keep Literary Genres Notes handout
(Resource 1) in notebook.
Differentiated Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Give students a complete / partially
complete copy of Resource 1
Grade 8 Main Events
Advanced Learners
- 10 -
2009-2010
Literary Genres Notes:
Keep in your notebook for the year.
Elements of Fiction
Elements of Poetry
Plot
Line
Conflict
Stanza
Character
Speaker
Setting
Rhyme
Theme
Rhythm
Sound devices
Imagery
Forms of Fiction
Elements of Drama
Short story
Act
Novel
Scene
Novella
Stage directions
Poetry
Dialogue
Drama
Sound effects
Resource 1 – Literary Genres Workshop
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Message? Target Audience? Purpose?
From https://www.adbusters.org
Watch this video by the Center for Missing and Exploited Children at TeacherTube:
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=660&title=Think_Before_You_Post
Resource 2 – Literary Genres Workshop
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Bookmarks
READING STRATEGIES
Preview:
Scan and skim before you read.
READING STRATEGIES
Preview:
Scan and skim before you read.
Set a Purpose:
Decide why you are reading.
Set a Purpose:
Decide why you are reading.
Connect:
Take the text personally.
Connect:
Take the text personally.
Use Prior Knowledge:
Think about wheat you already
know.
Predict:
Guess what will happen next.
Visualize:
Picture in your mind.
Monitor:
Check you understanding as you
read.

Question

Clarify

Evaluate
Use Prior Knowledge:
Think about wheat you already
know.
Predict:
Guess what will happen next.
Visualize:
Picture in your mind.
Monitor:
Check you understanding as
you read.
 Question
 Clarify
 Evaluate
Make Inferences:
Make logical guesses based on
reading; read between the lines.
Make Inferences:
Make logical guesses based on
reading; read between the lines.
Be an Active Reader
Be an Active Reader
Resource 3 – Literary Genres Workshop
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Initiating Activity: Creating a Straw Structure
Time Frame: 60 minutes
Objectives:

2.A.4 – Analyze important ideas and messages
Activity Description:
Each group is given the same materials and task of constructing the tallest and most stable straw
structure they can. However, each group is given a different privilege card. They are given 15
minutes to complete the task (with the exception of the one group that may have an extra
minute). The teacher tests all groups’ structures by pounding on the desk/table where the
structure is built and by measuring its height.
Lesson Materials:
 Unit Questions – posted for class to see (Resource 1)
For each group:
 10 drinking straws
 10 inches of tape
 1 pair of scissors
 Task description (Resource 2)
 Privilege cards (Resource 3)
 Rulers or measuring tapes
 Literature, p. 24-25
For Process Observers:
 Observer Questionnaire (Resource 4)
Assessments:
Assessment
Teacher Observation and class
discussion
Scoring Tool
n/a
Type
Class work/participation check
Activities:
Warm – Up: (5 minutes)
 Journal Entry: Display the Essential Questions for the unit and have students respond to
each.
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Post and discuss the Essential Questions for this unit (Resource 1).
Grade 8 Main Events
- 14 -
2009-2010
Big Question: What makes a story worth telling? What makes a story exciting or worthwhile?
(Think about experiences/events, your life story, and relationships/friendships.) As the author of
your own life story, what conflicts create excitement and drama? Why is conflict necessary?
Small Group: (20 minutes)
 Give students materials, directions for Building a Straw Tower (Resource 2), and
Privilege Cards (Resource 3). Assign a few students to be process observers, explain
their role, and give them their questionnaires (Resource 4).
 Allow 15 minutes for groups to complete the activity. Provide extra time for the groups
with that on their privilege cards.
Whole Group: (15-20 minutes)
 Debrief by discussing:
o Conflicts that arose.
o How the conflicts affected the process.
o Students’ reactions to the activity.
o How the conflicts and process would have been different without the privilege cards
and time limit.
o Which processes/behaviors made it possible for some groups to be more successful
than others despite facing the same conflicts.
Key ideas to discuss/reinforce:
Conflict sparked reactions and added excitement.
Conflict slowed down the process and made it more difficult to complete.
Conflict arose from inside groups (different ideas, communication, frustration) and from outside
groups (privilege card use and problems it created).
Despite facing the same conflicts, certain processes worked better than others.


Make the connection to conflicts in literature by having students turn to page 24-25 in
Literature. Read over the pages, discuss the types of conflicts and read the two models,
discussing the questions as you work through the pages.
Revisit the Essential Questions to make unit connections.
Closure: (5 minutes)
 Explain that in the next lesson they will be reading the short story, “The Elevator”, to
explore how conflict affects the characters and plot in a story.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
What makes a story
worth telling?
Why is conflict
necessary?
Resource 1 – Initiating Activity
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
As the author of your own life
story, what conflicts create
excitement and drama?
Think about:
 experiences
 events
 your life story
 relationships or friendships
Resource 1 – Initiating Activity
Grade 8 Main Events
- 17 -
2009-2010
Building a Straw Tower
Task Description: Your job is to make the tallest free-standing structure that will remain standing
after the desk/table is pounded on three times.
Rules:
1.
You may only use the materials you are given.
2.
You must use all the materials.
3.
Each group can use the “privilege card” they are given as they work on the task.
4.
You must do whatever someone’s privilege card says without arguing.
5.
Stop working when time is called.
Building a Straw Tower
Task Description: Your job is to make the tallest free-standing structure that will remain standing
after the desk/table is pounded on three times.
Rules:
1.
You may only use the materials you are given.
2.
You must use all the materials.
3.
Each group can use the “privilege card” they are given as they work on the task.
4.
You must do whatever someone’s privilege card says without arguing.
5.
Stop working when time is called.
Resource 2 – Initiating Activity
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Privilege
Card 1
Privilege
Card 2
You may take the You may take
scissors away from some straws
one group.
from one other
group.
Privilege
Card 5
You may thump
one other group’s
desk one time.
Privilege
Card 6
Privilege
Card 3
You may walk
around, see what
other groups are
doing, and report
back to your
group.
Privilege
Card 7
You may take
You may take
away one
some tape from
group’s privilege one other group.
card and use it.
Privilege
Card 4
You may have an
extra minute to
finish your
structure after time
is called.
Privilege
Card 8
You may tell one
group that they
cannot speak to
one another.
Resource 3 – Initiating Activity
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Process Observer
Your job is to watch how people relate to each other and how successfully they complete the
task. Take specific notes so you can report your observations to the class.
Conflict – What are the problems?
What conflicts do you see within groups?
What conflicts occur when people from other groups use their privilege cards?
What body language do you see when there is conflict?
What happens as a result of the conflict?
Process – How are things going?
What effect does people using privilege cards have on the tower building process?
Apart from the materials, what factors make some groups more successful than others?
What behaviors do you see?
Resource 4 – Initiating Activity
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Reader’s Workshop: “The Elevator”
by William Sleator
Time Frame: one 80-minute block
Objectives:
Analyze the conflict and its role in advancing the plot (3.0.3.b)
Word Wall:
Vocabulary: condemned, scorn
Essential Concepts: plot
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 26-31
 Plot Diagram, p D12, Best Practices Toolkit, transparency
 Plot Memory Cards (Resource 5)
 (optional) Plot Elements (Standards Lesson File: Literature, p. 45)
Assessments:
Assessment
plot questions
Exit Slip
Scoring Tool
n/a
Teacher check
Type
Formative reading grade
Classwork check
Activities:
Before Reading:
Small Group: (5 minutes)
 Allow students to work in partners. Provide each pair of students with a set of plot
memory cards (Resource 5). Students will play memory to review the elements of plot
and their definitions. When students finish the game, ask them to place the cards face up,
paired correctly for a quick check by the teacher.
Note: Keep these cards, the game will be used again in the “Raymond’s Run” Lesson 1.
Optional plot resource: Standards Lesson File: Literature, page 45.
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Read page 26 in Literature to read about the stages of plot.
 Display the plot diagram transparency (D12).
 Read page 27 at the top, Part 3: Analyze the Literature. Discuss predictions that students
might have at this point.
During Reading:
Whole group: (10 minutes)
Read aloud lines 1-40 on pp. 27-28. Model the thought process of answering question # 1 aloud
for students. Then ask students to answer question #2 on their own paper; elicit responses to
share with the group.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 With a partner, students should read lines 41-80 on pages 28-29. They should answer
questions #3 & #4 on their own paper. Ask students to share their answers aloud and
discuss.
Independent: (15 minutes)
 Have students read lines 81-174 on pages 29-31. They should answer questions #5-#9 on
their own paper.
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Read aloud line 175. Allow students 3 minutes to answer questions #10 & #11 on their
own paper. Share.
After Reading
Independent: (15 minutes)
 Students will complete a quick write to provide the falling action and resolution for this
story. Provide them the option of a conclusion in which Martin realizes his fears were
misplaced or a conclusion that is more sinister and frightening for Martin.
Closure: (5 minutes)
 Exit Slip – Conflicts make a story worth telling. Agree or disagree? Explain your
answer.
Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Students should draw and label a
diagram with the elements of plot.
 See pages 26-31 of the Teacher’s
Edition of Literature for ideas for lessproficient readers.
Grade 8 Main Events

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Advanced Learners
See pages 26-31 of the Teacher’s
Edition of Literature for ideas for
advanced readers.
2009-2010
Reader’s Workshop: “The Elevator”
Exposition
 Introduces the setting and the
characters
 Reveals the conflict or sets the
stage for it.
Rising Action
 Introduces obstacles that make
the conflict more complicated.
 Builds suspense as “the plot
thickens.”
Climax
 Is the turning point in the story
and the moment of greatest
suspense.
 Presents the conflict at its most
intense and dramatic.
Falling Action
 Reveals the outcome of the
story’s climax.
 Eases the tension.
 Shows how the main character
resolves the conflict.
Resolution
 Reveals the story’s final
outcome.
 Ties up any loose ends.
Resource 5
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“Raymond’s Run”
by Toni Cade Bambara
Note: Alternative, differentiated lesson plans are available for “Raymond’s Run” in the
Interactive Reader Teacher’s Guide on pp. 5-8.
Time Frame:
Difficulty Level:
Readability:
Four 80-minute lessons
Average
Lexile 1270, Fry 7, Dale-Chall 6.6
Lesson 1
Objectives:
 Analyze conflict (3.A.3.b)
 Analyze character motivation (3.A.3.d)
 Identify stages of conflict (3.A.3.b)
Word Wall:
Vocabulary: relay, prodigy, sidekick, liable, crouch, clutch
Essential Concepts: plot, conflict
Big Question for Selection: What is worth the effort?
Lesson Materials:
 p. 32-45, Literature, Pupil Edition
 Big Question Transparencies, p. T1
 Plot Memory Cards (Resource 1)
Assessment:
Assessment
Plot questions
Teacher observation
Scoring Tool
Teacher Check
n/a
Type
Formative reading grade
Informal
Activities:
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
 Use page 32 in Literature to read and discuss the key idea behind the question, “What’s
worth the effort?” Then allow students to participate by responding to the quick write
activity. Ask students to share their responses and discuss.
Note: A color transparency of the big question is available on page T1 in Big Question
Transparencies.
Before Reading:
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Use page 33 in Literature to read about the author, Toni Cade Bambara.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Small Group/Partners: (5 minutes)
 Use page 33 to guide students through the vocabulary in context. Read aloud the
directions and read aloud each sentence. Allow students to participate in a think-pairshare format. Discuss the correct meaning of each word.
During reading:
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Begin to read the story aloud up to line 16. Stop and model how to answer the question
for “A - Plot: Exposition” as presented in the text.
Independent: (30 minutes)
 Allow students to continue reading the selection independently, stopping at each plot
point and answering the questions. Stopping points include: C - Plot: Rising Action, F Plot: Rising Action, H - Plot: Climax, & I - Plot: Falling Action & Resolution. These
answers may be taken as a formative grade.
Closure: (10 minutes)
 Plot Elements Review Cards (Resource 1). Provide each pair of students with a set of
memory cards. Students will play memory to review the elements of plot and their
definitions. When students finish the game, ask them to place the cards face up, paired
correctly for a quick check by the teacher.
Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Create a chart with the stopping points
and questions for the during-reading
activity.
Grade 8 Main Events

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Advanced Learners
Options for extending Lesson 1 can be
found in the Resource Manager - Unit
1, pp. 22-23.
2009-2010
Reader’s Workshop: “Raymond’s Run”
Exposition
 Introduces the setting and the
characters
 Reveals the conflict or sets the
stage for it.
Rising Action
 Introduces obstacles that make
the conflict more complicated.
 Builds suspense as “the plot
thickens.”
Climax
 Is the turning point in the story
and the moment of greatest
suspense.
 Presents the conflict at its most
intense and dramatic.
Falling Action
 Reveals the outcome of the
story’s climax.
 Eases the tension.
 Shows how the main character
resolves the conflict.
Resolution
 Reveals the story’s final
outcome.
 Ties up any loose ends.
Resource 1- “Raymond’s Run”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“Raymond’s Run”
by Toni Cade Bambara
Time Frame:
Difficulty Level:
Readability:
Four 80-minute lessons
Average
Lexile 1270, Fry 7, Dale-chall 6.6
Lesson 2
Objectives:
 Draw inferences (1.E.4.c)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature, pp. 32-45
 Making Inferences (Standards Lesson File: Reading and Informational Texts, pp. 69-77)
 Making Inferences (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 29)
 Brainboosters Examples (Resource 2)
 Practice with Inferencing worksheet
 4-Point BCR Rubric (Resource 3)
Assessments:
Assessment
Inference BCR
Teacher observation
Scoring Tool
4-point BCR Rubric
n/a
Type
Summative reading grade
Informal
Activities:
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
 Allow students to respond to question #9 on page 43 in the Literature textbook. Share as
a whole group.
Before Reading:
Whole Group
 Review the plot of “Raymond’s Run.”
 Review/practice inferring with students.
Review Options:
o AdBusters – Look at the spoof ads for good examples to use in making inferences.
Teachers will need to carefully select ads; not all are school appropriate. https://www.adbusters.org/gallery/spoofads
o Brainboosters – provides various thinking puzzles. See Resource 2 for an example.
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/brainboosters/
o Strategies in Reading Photographs – Use this site to explore the essential
techniques used to create evocative photographs - http://nuovo.com/southernimages/ogeechee/kids.html
o Brainpop Junior website – free video clip on making inferences http://www.brainpopjr.com/reading/comprehension/makeinferences/
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010


Use pages 69-71 in the Standards Lesson File: Reading and Informational Texts.
Follow the teacher’s guide steps 1-4 to teach making inferences. Provide page 73,
Student Lesson Summary, for students as you teach the lesson.
Allow students to practice using practice worksheet A and practice worksheet B on pages
75 -76.
After Reading:
Small Group/Partners: (15 minutes)
 Allow students to work in partners to apply making inferences to “Raymond’s Run”
using worksheet page 29 from the Resource Manager - Unit 1.
Note: Circulate to assist students with finding the correct answers or review together the
correct answers because this worksheet will be used as the groundwork for answering a
BCR on inferences.
Independent: (15 minutes) BCR
 Assign students question #4 on page 43 to be completed as a BCR. Students should
complete this independently. Encourage students to use their worksheet page 29 as a
basis for answering the question.
Closure: (5 minutes)
 Use page 77 in the Standards Lesson File: Reading and Informational Texts. Students
should complete part B independently to demonstrate their ability to make inferences.
Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner

Brain Pop Jr. has lots of fun activities
about making inferences at
http://www.brainpopjr.com/reading/co
mprehension/makeinferences/.
Grade 8 Main Events
Advanced Learners


Options for extending Lesson 2 can be
found in the Resource Manager - Unit 1,
pp. 22-23.
Use Robert Marzano’s Power Thinking
Activities:
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ml_lit
_gr08/resources/pdfs/power_thinking/8_ray
mond.pdf
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2009-2010
Practice with Inferencing
Solve the word puzzles.
1.
A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street
in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come?
2.
How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come
back to you, even if it doesn't hit anything, there is nothing
attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it?
3.
Two students are sitting on opposite sides of the same desk. There
is nothing in between them but the desk. Why can't they see each
other?
4.
There are only two T's in Timothy Tuttle. True or false?
Answers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
She was walking.
Throw the ball straight up in the air.
The two students have their backs to each other.
True. There are only two T's (upper case). There are also three t's (lower case).
Resource 2 – “Raymond’s Run”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
BCR Rubric for Responding to Text
Advanced
4+ 100% A
4
95% A
4- 90% A-
Proficient
3+
85% B
3
80% B3
75% C
2+
2
1
0
Basic
70% C65% D
Rough
60% F
50% F
Shows a deep understanding of the text’s meaning
and answers all parts of the question.
To support the answer, the response might include
 Multiple text examples/references in relation to the question
 Multiple extensions: connections, explanations, and/or original
thoughts that are fully explained
Shows more than a general understanding of the text.
Answers all parts of the question, although may not develop all parts
equally.
To support the answer, the response might include
 One or more text examples in relation to the question
 An extension: connection, explanation, or original thought
 Evidence that the reader has more than a literal understanding of the
text; an inference is made
 Multiple extensions that are partially explained or supported
Gives a basic or partial answer to the question.
To support the answer, the response might include
 Minimal information from the text
 Extension(s) that is/are unclear or do not exist
Answer demonstrates that the text or question has been read.
 Response may show a misunderstanding or misreading of the text
and/or question
The response is completely incorrect or irrelevant.
Resource 3 – “Raymond’s Run”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“Raymond’s Run”
by Toni Cade Bambara
Lesson 3
Objectives:
 Differentiate grammatically complete sentences from non-sentences (5.0.A.2.c)
Word Wall:
Vocabulary:
Essential Concepts: sentence fragments, run-ons
Lesson Materials:
 Language Network
 Fragment/Run-on PowerPoint (Access from CCPS English language arts website)
http://edservices.ccps.org/languagearts/Curriculum/Secondary_Curriculum.html
 Fragment/Run-on Cards (Resource 4) – 2 sets
 Exit Slip (Resource 5A)
 Exit Slip Answer Key (Resource 5B)
Assessments:
Assessments:
Exit Slip (Resource 4A)
Class discussion/ Teacher
observation
Scoring Tool
Answer Key (Resource 4B)
n/a
Type
Class work check
Informal
Warm Up: (5 minutes)
 Display sentences for students to correct as needed. Check as a whole group.
1. Walked to school.
2. She had a lot of homework to do, she was up all night.
3. By accident.
4. The text message.
5. It was incredibly hot outside, my mom wouldn’t turn on the air conditioning.
Whole Group:
 Using Language Network, page 27, “Part B: Revising Frustrating Fragments and
Ridiculous Run-ons” for guided practice.
o Write the passage on a PowerPoint slide, on the board, or on chart paper. Ask
students to read the passage silently. Then ask students to identify problems with
the writing. As a whole group, revise the passage. Point out fragments and runons as you encounter them in the writing.
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Use fragments/run-on PowerPoint presentation slides 1-9. (Access from CCPS English
Language arts website)
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 Use the fragment/run-on cards (Resource 4) to hold a relay race. Divide the class into two
groups. Remember to provide specific behavior guidelines for the race.
o In the front of the room, place two stacks of the fragment/run-on cards.
o In the back of the room, have two containers for each team. Label one container
“fragments” and one container “run-ons.”
o The object of the race is to correctly separate fragments from run-ons. The first team
to finish correctly is the winning team.
Independent: (10 minutes)
 Once the fragments have been separated from the run-ons, have students return to their
seats. They will need paper and pencil.
 Display fragments/run-ons PowerPoint presentation slides 10-12 and direct students to
write the fragment or run-on as a complete sentence on their own paper. Continue this
process for all sentences.
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Check as a whole group.
Closure: (10 minutes)
 Distribute the fragment and run-on exit slip (Resource 5A) to each student and allow 5-10
minutes to complete. Collect. Re-teach as needed. Answer Key is Resource 5B.
Extension Option:
 Divide the class into groups to play a sports guessing game. Have students take turns
supplying a fragment that is missing subject or predicate. The rest of the group tries to
guess the sport by making a complete sentence. Example: has five players on each team.
Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Create a worksheet with the run-ons and
fragments for the independent practice.
 Additional practice can be found in
Language Network on page 27 part A:
# 1-10, page 606 and in the GUM book
page 28.
Grade 8 Main Events
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
Advanced Learners
Discuss circumstances when authors
might choose to use sentence
fragments. Have students locate
examples of an author’s purposeful use
of fragments in either “Raymond’s
Run” or in other stories/novels. Post
examples and discuss.
2009-2010
Fragment/ Run –On Cards
I washed the dishes then I did
the laundry.
Tired of walking.
Those skirts are nice I will buy
one.
Teams of scientists.
There was no heat,
consequently we froze all
night.
The food generally tasty.
It was my best friend’s
birthday I gave her a present.
The teacher’s assistant.
She asked for a raise she got it.
The Spanish language.
She is a good mother, she pays
attention to her children.
Painted the wall pink.
My paper is late thus it will
lose marks.
Forgot to mail the letter.
Students write essays, teachers
correct them.
The surgeon the cast on the
little girl.
The teacher raised his voice, he
was frustrated.
Your cousin on the phone.
The movie was hilarious, I saw
it three times.
The race car driver around the
track.
Resource 4 – “Raymond’s Run”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Exit Slip
Exit Slip
Sentence Fragments
Sentence Fragments
Directions: Decide whether the following sentence fragments in
bold are missing a subject, a predicate or both. Combine each
fragment with its accompanying complete sentence, inserting
any missing words as necessary.
Directions: Decide whether the following sentence fragments in
bold are missing a subject, a predicate or both. Combine each
fragment with its accompanying complete sentence, inserting
any missing words as necessary.
1. I left my books. On the table.
1. I left my books. On the table.
2. The track meet. It is the last event in the program.
2. The track meet. It is the last event in the program.
Run-On Sentences
Run-On Sentences
Directions: Rewrite the following sentences so that they are no
longer run-ons.
Directions: Rewrite the following sentences so that they are no
longer run-ons.
1. They thought the boy would be afraid, he actually liked
being kidnapped.
1. They thought the boy would be afraid, he actually liked
being kidnapped.
2. The boy threw rocks at them, he was more trouble than he
was worth.
2. The boy threw rocks at them, he was more trouble than he
was worth.
Resource 5A – “Raymond’s Run”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Exit Slip – Answer Key
Answer options are provided; however, accept any answer that corrects each sentence.
Sentence Fragments
Directions: Decide whether the following sentence fragments in bold are missing a subject, a
predicate or both. Combine each fragment with its accompanying complete sentence, inserting
any missing words as necessary.
1. I left my books. On the table.
Possible answer: I left my books on the table.
2. The track meet. It is the last event in the program.
Possible answer: The track meet is the last event in the program.
Run-On Sentences
Directions: Rewrite the following sentences so that they are no longer run-ons.
1. They thought the boy would be afraid, he actually liked being kidnapped.
Possible answer: They thought the boy would be afraid, but he actually liked being
kidnapped.
2. The boy threw rocks at them, he was more trouble than he was worth.
Possible answer: The boy threw rocks at them, so he was more trouble than he was
worth.
Resource 5B – “Raymond’s Run”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“Raymond’s Run”
Interactive Reader & Writer Selections
Lesson 4
Word Wall:
Vocabulary: cross training, socialization, rationale, impoverished
Essential Concepts: scope, organization
Big Question: What is the connection?
Objectives:
 Identify and analyze organizational features of texts ( 2.A.3.a)
 Analyze relationships between and among ideas ( 2.A.4.f)
Lesson Materials:
 Copies of Interactive Reader & Writer with Strategic Reading Support (for on or below
grade level students) or for Critical Analysis (for on or above grade level students)
 Information to divide students into the appropriate Interactive Reader & Writer support
book based on their reading levels
 Teacher’s Guide for Interactive Reader & Writer
 Post-it notes (optional)
Assessments:
Assessment
Class Discussion
Reading ComprehensionAssessment Practice II
Scoring Tool
N/A
Teacher’s Guide for
Interactive Reader & Writer,
pp. 11-12
Type
informal
Classwork check
Activities:
Warm Up (15 minutes):
 Divide students into groups based on who will be using the Interactive Reader & Writer
with Strategic Reading Support (for on or below grade level students) or for Critical
Analysis (for on or above grade level students).
 Have both groups turn to page 18 of their respective workbooks. Allowing students to
work in pairs/ small groups, have them complete their “What’s the Connection” activity.
(Note that the student directions tell them to return to the activity after their reading; tell
students they should not start reading yet.)
 Discuss/ share students’ products.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Before Reading: (5 minutes)
Organizational structures:
 Discuss organizational patterns (chronological order and classification) and what is meant
by scope. (You may want to refer to the boxes at the bottom of page 18 in student
workbooks and/ or the resources in the Nonfiction Handbook (R8, R15, R25).
 Tell students they will be looking at the organizational structure of the nonfiction they’ll
be reading.
Vocabulary Instruction: (5 minutes)
 Discuss these terms: cross training, socialization, rationale, impoverished
During Reading: (30 minutes)
 Have students turn to their first article (page 19). Point out the reading notes in the blue
margins. Tell students they should stop at these points and jot down a quick answer to
the questions (you may want students to use sticky notes so they can record answers right
in the margin).
 Have students read articles independently, note their answers to the questions, then work
in pairs to check their answers. Meet with workbook groups to discuss answers.
After Reading: (15 minutes)
 Optional, have groups complete their Assessment Practice II and collect as a quick check
on comprehension/ testing skills.
 Put these questions on the board:
In what ways does finding an activity you enjoy help you overcome difficulties in life?
In what ways can sports have a positive impact on your life?
 Divide the class into four groups. Assign each group one of the articles (“Jackie JoynerKersee,” “Training for Track and Field,” “Sprinting Toward the Finish” or “Changing
Lives Through Sport”). Have groups answer either of these questions in response to their
article.
 Share students’ answers in a class discussion.
Closure: (5 minutes)
 Review organizational patterns and scope. Ask students to describe the organization and
scope of “Raymond’s Run.”
Differentiated Options: (workbooks are differentiated by reading level)
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
by Edgar Allan Poe
Time Frame:
Difficulty Level:
Readability:
Four 80-minute classes
Challenging
Lexile—850, Fry—5, Dale-Chall—6.4
Lesson 1
Objectives:
 Analyze ambiguities or contradictions in the text (narrator reliability) (3.A.8.b)
 Use reference aids (dictionary/thesaurus) (1.D.3.c)
Word Wall:
Essential Concepts: suspense, narrator reliability, parallel structure
Vocabulary: acute, audacity, conceive, crevice, derision, hypocritical, stealthily, stifled,
vehemently, vex
Big Question for Selection: What makes you suspicious?
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 76-85
 Cut up vocabulary sentences (Resource Manager - Unit 1, p. 109)
 Vocabulary chart (Resource 1) – 1/student
 Evaluate Narrator chart (Resource Manager – Unit 1, p. 107) – 1/student
 Exit slip (optional) – (Resource 2)
Assessments:
Assessment
Vocabulary Chart
(Resource 1)
Evaluate Narrator chart
Class Discussion
Exit Slip (optional)
Scoring Tool
Teacher Review
Type
Classwork check
Teacher Review
Teacher Observation
Teacher Review
Classwork check
n/a
Classwork check
Warm Up: (5 minutes)
 Have students briefly reflect on and write about these questions:
o How do you know when someone is telling the truth?
o What makes you suspicious of someone?
Motivating Activity: (15-20 minutes)
 Before discussing the warm up, in order to give students an immediate experience with
suspicious behavior, have them play a brief version of the old game show “To Tell the
Truth.” After playing, discuss the warm up, reflecting specifically on what happened
during the activity.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“To Tell the Truth” Activity Description:
o A panel of judges is presented with three contestants, all of whom claim to be the
same person and who affirm that information shared about that person is true and
applies to them. The panel of judges asks questions of the contestants to attempt
to determine which one is really the person in question, and end by voting for the
candidate whom they believe is the real deal.

When playing this with students, ask for three volunteers to be the contestants (you might
want to ask for students who think they are good liars). Have these students go in the
hallway and write a short paragraph that could apply to all of them, but only applies to
one—they might write about their hobbies or accomplishments or anything appropriate,
but the paragraph should focus on information that the majority of the class does not
know.

The class will act as the judges. While the contestants are developing their statement, the
class should develop questions to ask. These can be yes/no, but should not be anything
too complex. They may think of additional questions once they hear the contestants’
statement.

Bring the contestants back in to the front of the room and read their written statement.
Once it is read, the students who are judging can take turns asking questions—they can
direct a question to any contestant they like, but they must ask a particular contestant.

After a few minutes of questioning, the students who are judging should cast their votes
for the truth-telling contestant. Reveal the winner (the one with the most votes) and the
real truth teller (if not the winner).

Discuss the activity with a focus on what made the judges suspicious of certain
contestants. Share /connect to warm up.
Other activity options: Two Truths and a Lie, a school-appropriate version of the card
game Mafia, or even something as basic as Heads Up, Seven Up. (Descriptions of these
games may be found online.)
Before Reading:
Whole Group: (15-20 minutes)
 Define reliability. Explain that as they read “The Tell-Tale Heart,” they will be
evaluating the narrator’s reliability or trust worthiness.
Small Group: (25 minutes)
 Introduce vocabulary for “The Tell-Tale Heart” using vocabulary sentences (“Vocabulary
Study” – Resource Manager: Unit 1, p. 109). Sentences should be cut up and displayed
around the room.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010


Students will have a chance to read each word in context and predict what it means.
Distribute the vocabulary chart (Resource 1). Have students work in pairs to do a gallery
walk of the sentences and record their predictions about what the word means. When
each student has visited all words, have students return to their seats.
Assign each pair one of the words to look up. Students should share definitions with the
class and record official definitions on their papers.
Whole Group:
 Access prior knowledge about Edgar Allan Poe by asking students what they know about
him and his writing.
 Read Poe author background on p. 77 of Literature. You may also wish to show a United
Streaming (www.unitedstreaming.com) clip about Poe for additional background. The
segment “Profile of the Author: Edgar Allan Poe” provides good information.
Note: Directions for how to access and download a United Streaming clip is available on
the ELA website.
During Reading:
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Distribute the Evaluate Narrator chart (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 107) to each
student, display on overhead and review it with the class.
 Read the Targeted Passage 1 on page 78 aloud.
 Discuss - On the basis of what he plans to do, decide whether the narrator’s opinion of
himself makes you trust him more or less.
Clarifying Questions for Less-Proficient Readers:
 Who is the narrator?
 What does the narrator decide to do?
 Why does the narrator want to kill the old man? What bothers him?
 What evidence does the narrator provide for his claim that he is not mad?
Independent: (10 minutes)
 Students read to line 102 on page 81 to, “His eye would trouble me no more.” Students
should complete their Evaluate Narrator charts as they read.
Closure: (10 minutes)
 Discuss and share charts.
 Discuss these questions or provide as an Exit Slip (Resource 2).
o Describe the narrator’s mood. What might it suggest about him? Do you think
killing the old man will calm the narrator? Explain. (See Discussion Prompts on
page 81 of the Teacher’s Edition for possible student answers.)
Grade 8 Main Events
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Differentiated Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Adapted version of “The Tell-Tale
Heart” is available in Bridges to
Literature: Level III, pp. 4-13. Lexile:
580, Dale-Chall: 4.8
 Audio version available on Literature’s
Audio Anthology CD
 Multiple-meaning words: mad, pitch
(see p.80 in TE)
 Targeted Passage 2 – use this passage to
ensure comprehension. Respond to
questions for Less-Proficient Readers
on page 81 in TE.
Grade 8 Main Events
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

Advanced Learners
Ideas for Extension are available in
Resource Manager- Unit 1, pp. 100101.
Analyze tone – Have students reread
lines 84-102. In small groups, use a
Two-Column Chart (Best Practices
Toolkit, p. A25) to record key words
and phrases that convey the tone of this
passage. Share. (See p. 81 in TE for
sample).
2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Vocabulary
Predict what each word means based on the context in which it is used. Then confirm your
prediction by finding the official definition of the word in the dictionary—make sure you pick
the right meaning!
Word
Prediction
Actual Definition
Resource 1 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart” – Exit Slip
1. Describe the narrator’s mood. What might it suggest about him?
2. Do you think killing the old man will calm the narrator? Explain.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” – Exit Slip
1. Describe the narrator’s mood. What might it suggest about him?
2. Do you think killing the old man will calm the narrator? Explain.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” – Exit Slip
1. Describe the narrator’s mood. What might it suggest about him?
2. Do you think killing the old man will calm the narrator? Explain.
Resource 2 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
By Edgar Allan Poe
Lesson 2
Objectives:
 Understand, acquire and use new vocabulary (1.D.3)
 Analyze how language choices create style (suspense) (3.A.7.a)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp 76-85
 Evaluate Narrator charts (Resource Manager – Unit 1, p. 107) – from previous lesson
 Words to Know Skillbuilder (The Language of Literature, Unit 4 Resource Book – p. 47)
– 1/student and transparency
 Building Suspense worksheet (Resource 3) – 1/student and transparency
 Suspenseful Video Clip (teacher choice)
 Exit Slip (Resource 4) – 1/student
Optional Materials:
 Teaching Foreshadowing and Suspense Teacher’s Guide (Standards Lesson File:
Literature, p. 69-70)
 Foreshadowing and Suspense Student Lesson Summary (Standards Lesson File:
Literature, p. 71) – 1/student
 “Phaeton”: Foreshadowing and Suspense Teaching Model (Standards Lesson File:
Literature, p. 72) – 1/student and/or transparency
 Foreshadowing and Suspense Practice Worksheet A or B/C (Standards Lesson File:
Literature, pp. 73-74)
Assessments:
Assessment
Building Suspense worksheet
Exit Slip (optional)
Scoring Tool
Teacher Review/discussion
Teacher Review
Type
Class work check
Class work Check
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
 Have students complete the Vocabulary Practice on page 85 of Literature and review.
Before Reading
Small Group: (5 minutes)
 Review Evaluate Narrator charts from previous lesson. In pairs or small groups, have
students discuss
o Was the narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart” reliable? Explain.
o What actions/thoughts/statements make the reader suspicious?
Grade 8 Main Events
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Whole Group: (15-20 minutes)
 Share as a whole group.
 Link suspicious behavior to the creation of suspense. Ask students what this is, and have
them write down the definition and the three techniques Poe used to create it—this is
found on page 77 in Literature and on page 105 in the Resource Manager - Unit 1.
Options for Teaching Suspense: Select one or combine both options for a multi-sensory
approach.
Option #1:
 Using Lesson 8: Foreshadowing and Suspense in Standards Lesson File: Literature, pp.
69-70 and Student Lesson Summary: Foreshadowing and Suspense on page 71.
 Begin with Step 3: “Teaching Suspense” on page 69 of the Teacher’s Guide lesson plan.
 Identify techniques authors use to create suspense:
 Reader’s Feelings
 Rising Action
 Burning Questions
 Guided Practice – Use the Teaching Model from “Phaethon,” (Standards Lesson
File: Literature, p. 72) Ask students how they feel about Phaethon’s difficulties.
What question is uppermost in their minds?
 Independent Practice – Use Practice Worksheet A (for student who need more
structure) or Practice Worksheet B (for grade-level and above students) and complete
the suspense portions of the worksheets. (Standards Lesson File: Literature, pp. 7374)
Note: Material used in this lesson can be saved and used to supplement instruction of
foreshadowing with “The Hitchhiker” lessons.
Option #2:
 Show students a brief film clip that contains suspense. (Suggested films: Arsenic and Old
Lace, Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean, or another appropriate film clip of
your choice.)
o Search www.teachertube.com or United Streaming for some film clip options.
 Have students write down the details in the clip that created suspense and the questions
raised in the viewer’s mind.
 Discuss.
Whole Class: (5-10 minutes)
 Review the beginning of “The Tell-Tale Heart,” using the questions at the bottom of page
78 in the teacher’s edition.
 Distribute Building Suspense charts (Resource 3) and review.
 Model the first two blocks using think aloud for the students.
 Have pairs or small groups complete the next 3 blocks and check as a whole class.
During Reading: (10-15 minutes)
 Students should continue reading the story independently and complete their Building
Suspense sheets. Point out that they may choose two of the next three stopping points.
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Whole Group
After Reading: (5 minutes)
 Summarize the end of the story.
 Share/discuss final blocks of Building Suspense sheets.
Closure: (5 minutes) - Exit Slip (Resource 4) or discussion: What is the relationship between
suspicion and suspense?
Homework: Words to Know Skillbuilder (The Language of Literature Unit 4 Resource Book, p.
47)
Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Adapted version of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is available in




Bridges to Literature: Level III, pp. 4-13. Lexile: 580, DaleChall: 4.8
Audio version available on Literature’s Audio Anthology CD

Advanced Learners
Brainstorm a list of ways
authors create suspense.
For students who need more help with suspense, you
may wish to stop the film clip at several places and
discuss how the suspense is being created at that point.
Some students may benefit from skeletal notes.
Use Reteaching Worksheet: Foreshadowing and
Suspense – focusing on only the suspense portion of the
worksheet - (Standards Lesson File: Literature, p. 75).
Provide a modified version of the Building Suspense
Worksheet, where the number of excerpts is reduced, or
more of the chart is completed.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Building Suspense
As you read “The Tell-Tale Heart,” consider the ways in which the author, Edgar Allan Poe,
creates suspense. Use this chart to keep track of just how Poe unsettles and unnerves his readers!
At each of the stopping points below, identify the technique Poe uses and the questions it creates
in your mind. Remember that Poe generally uses three techniques to create suspense:



Describing a character’s anxiety or fear
Relating vivid descriptions of dramatic sights and sounds
Repeating words, phrases, or characters’ actions
Excerpt
Technique(s)
Questions in the Reader’s
Mind
“True!—nervous—very, very
dreadfully nervous I had been and
am! But why will you say that I am
mad? The disease had sharpened my
senses—not destroyed—not dulled
them” (1-3).
“…I put in a dark lantern, all closed,
closed, so that no light shone out,
and then I thrust in my head…I
moved it slowly—very, very slowly,
so that I might not disturb the old
man’s sleep…And then, when my
head was well in the room, I undid
the lantern cautiously—oh, so
cautiously—cautiously (for the
hinges creaked)—I undid it just so
much that a single thin ray fell upon
the vulture eye” (20-27).
“…Death, in approaching him, had
stalked with his black shadow
before him, and enveloped the
victim” (64-66).
“…there came to my ears a low,
dull, quick sound, such as a watch
makes when enveloped in cotton. I
knew that sound well too. It was the
beating of the old man’s heart. It
increased my fury, as the beating of
a drum stimulates the soldier into
courage” (80-83).
Resource 3 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Excerpt
Technique(s)
Questions in the Reader’s
Mind
“Meantime the hellish tattoo of
the heart increased. It grew
quicker and quicker, and louder
and louder every instant. The old
man’s terror must have been
extreme! It grew louder, I say,
louder every moment!—do you
mark me well? I have told you
that I am nervous: so I am. And
now at the dead hour of the night,
amid the dreadful silence of that
old house, so strange a noise as
this excited me to uncontrollable
terror” (86-91).
Your Choice:
“My head ached, and I fancied a
ringing in my ears: but still they
sat and still chatted. The ringing
became more distinct:--it
continued and became more
distinct: I talked more freely to
get rid of the feeling: but it
continued and gained
definitiveness—until at length, I
found that the noise was not
within my ears” (129-133).
Your Choice:
Resource 3 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart” – Exit Slip
What is the relationship between suspicion and suspense?
“The Tell-Tale Heart” – Exit Slip
What is the relationship between suspicion and suspense?
“The Tell-Tale Heart” – Exit Slip
What is the relationship between suspicion and suspense?
Resource 4 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
by Edgar Allan Poe
Lesson 3
Objectives:
 Analyze how language choices create style (suspense) (3.A.7.a)
 Analyze ambiguities or contradictions in the text (narrator reliability) (3.A.8.b)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 76-85
 Building Suspense worksheet (Resource 3) – from previous lesson
 Evaluate Narrator chart (Resource Manager – Unit 1, p. 107)
 Reading Check questions (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 112) – 1/student
 Suspense Paragraph Scoring Tool (Resource 5) – 1/student
 Cut apart list of main events in “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Resource 6)– 1/group or pair
 Selection Test SRs (Resource Manager – Unit 1, Forms A or B/C p. 115 or 117) – 1 class
set
 Modified Selection Test (Resource 7) – as needed with identified students
 Selection Test Scan Sheets – 1/student
Assessments:
Assessment
Original Suspense Paragraph
Selection Test (A or B/C) or
modified
Scoring Tool
Type
Suspense Paragraph Scoring Tool – Formative English grade
(Resource 5)
(optional)
Answer Key in Resource Manager- Summative reading grade
Unit 1
Form A – p.115
Form B/C – p. 117
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
 Journal Entry: Do you think the police knew the narrator was guilty at any point before
he confessed? If so, when do you think the police became suspicious? Give reasons for
your answer.
Whole Group: (15 minutes)
 Share journal responses.
 Discuss how the narrator’s reliability (or lack thereof) impacts the plot and conflict using
the questions on page 112 of the Resource Manager – Unit 1 to frame the discussion.
After Reading:
Whole Group: (25 minutes)
 Review techniques for creating suspense in a story – those used by Poe as well as those
used by other authors. Be sure to discuss the connection between suspicion and
suspense.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010


Direct students to use one or more of the suspense techniques discussed to create their
own drafts of a suspenseful paragraph. Allow 10-15 minutes. Collect for an optional
formative English grade. Use Suspense Paragraph Scoring Tool (Resource 5) to grade
the students’ paragraphs.
Share in pairs or as a whole group. Listeners should try to identify the technique used by
the author to create suspense.
Optional: Small Group Reading Review: (10 minutes)
 In pairs/small groups, have students sequentially organize the events of the story. They
could list the events, or could be given the events to put in order (Resource 6). Review.
Independent: (15 minutes)
 Have students complete the SRs given in either Selection Test A (p. 115) (for students
who need more structure) or Selection Test B/C (p. 117) (for grade-level and above
students). Whichever test you administer, give only the SRs (10 questions). A modified
Selection Test is also available (Resource 7).
Closure: (5-10 minutes)
 Refer to Essential Questions for the unit and discuss.
o What makes “The Tell-Tale Heart” worth telling?
o How did conflicts affect the narrator’s thoughts and actions?
Homework Option: Using three or more vocabulary words, write a paragraph about how the
narrator felt before the murder. See Literature, p. 85, “Vocabulary in Writing” for an example.
Extension Options:
 Police Report (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 101)
 Film Comparison and Contrast (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 100)
 Inquiry and Research – Do research on lie detection to find out what are the most reliable
ways of finding out if someone is telling the truth. Present your findings to the class.
Does what you learn challenge your opinion about whether the narrator is reliable? Use
the Research Center at www.classzone.com for information on lie detection.
Grade 8 Main Events
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Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Modified Selection Test (Resource 7)
 Instead of writing original suspense
paragraphs, use Reteaching Worksheet:
Foreshadowing and Suspense – focusing
on only the suspense portion of the
worksheet - (Standards Lesson File:
Literature, p. 75).




Grade 8 Main Events
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Advanced Learners
May not need the Reading Check questions
on pg. 112 of the Resource Manager-Unit 1;
they may be able to directly consider how
the narrator’s reliability impacts the plot and
conflict.
Selection Test B/C, and can be given
questions 13-14 as well.
Extension Options listed above.
From www.classzone.com, use Robert
Marzano’s Power Thinking Activities:
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ml_lit_
gr08/resources/pdfs/power_thinking/8_tellta
le.pdf
2009-2010
Suspense Paragraph
Scoring Tool
The paragraph(s)…
4 – 100% - create(s) suspense by effectively incorporating several suspense
techniques.
3 – 85% - create(s) suspense by effectively incorporating one suspense technique.
2 – 70% - create(s) some suspense by partially utilizing one suspense technique.
1 – 60% - attempt(s) to address the writing purpose, but does not create suspense.
0 – 50% - is/are completely irrelevant or off topic.
Suspense Paragraph
Scoring Tool
The paragraph(s)…
4 – 100% - create(s) suspense by effectively incorporating several suspense
techniques.
3 – 85% - create(s) suspense by effectively incorporating one suspense technique.
2 – 70% - create(s) some suspense by partially utilizing one suspense technique.
1 – 60% - attempt(s) to address the writing purpose, but does not create suspense.
0 – 50% - is/are completely irrelevant or off topic.
Resource 5 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Main Events
The old man’s eye troubled the narrator.
The narrator crept into the old man’s room each
night to see if the eye was open.
The narrator kills the old man and buries his
body under the floor boards.
A neighbor hears the old man’s shriek and calls
the police.
The police arrive at the old man’s house to
investigate a suspicious noise.
The narrator gives the police a tour of the old
man’s house and offers them a seat.
The narrator begins yelling and tears up the
floor boards, revealing the old man’s dead body.
Resource 6 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Name: ________________________
Date: _______________
Quiz on “The Tell-Tale-Heart”
Comprehension (10 points each)
Total points: _____/100
1.
2.
Read each of the following questions.
Choose the letter of the best answer
1.
What does the narrator say that madness has done to him?
a.
b.
c.
2.
made him nervous
sharpened his senses
made him hear things
It is difficult to believe the narrator when he says that he _________.
a.
b.
c.
3.
_____%
opened the creaky lantern carefully
heard the old man groan in the dark
treated the old man well before killing him
The author creates suspense by describing the sound of the old man’s
heartbeat as the sound of a __________.
a.
b.
c.
4.
watch’s ticking
cricket’s chirping
mouse’s footsteps
The narrator is overconfident after killing the old man when he _____.
a.
b.
c.
thinks that no one has heard the old man scream
thinks that he has hidden the old man’s murder
guesses that no one will miss the old man
Resource 7 – “Tell Tale Heart” Mod Quiz
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
5.
Why is the narrator upset with the police at the end of the story?
a. His heart starts to beat very fast.
b. He thinks that they are making fun of him.
c. The police accuse him of murder.
Vocabulary
Choose the answer that best explains the meaning of each underlined word. (10
points each)
9.
What does stifled mean?
6.
What does acute mean?
a. smother
a. nervous
b. evil
b. pretty
c. gloomy
c. keen
10.
7.
To conceive of something is to
a. lantern
b. crack
c. room
a. think of it
b. tell about it
c. dream about it
8.
A crevice is a
To vex is to
a) plan
b) annoy
c. scream
Resource 7 – “Tell Tale Heart” Mod Quiz
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Modified Selection Test
Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
B
C
A
B
B
C
A
B
A
B
Resource 7 – “Tell Tale Heart” Mod Quiz
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
by Edgar Allan Poe
Lesson 4
Objectives:
 Analyze elements of style and their contribution to meaning (parallel structure) (3.A.7.f)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 76-85
 Parallel Structure PowerPoint (Access from CCPS English language arts website:
http://edservices.ccps.org/languagearts/Curriculum/Secondary_Curriculum.html)
 Parallel Structure worksheet (Resource 8A) – 1/student
 Parallel Structure Answer Key (Resource 8B)
 Journal entry prompt (in PowerPoint or Resource 9)
 Journal Rubric (Resource 10)
Assessment Options:
Assessment
Parallel Structure
Identification
Tool
Answer Key
Type
Formative English grade
Formative English grade
Journal Entry
Journal Rubric (Resource 10)
Note: If other parallel structure
work is graded, use journal entry as
a summative English grade
Warm Up: (5 minutes)
 What is your impression/opinion of the language Poe uses in “The Tell-Tale Heart”?
Whole Group: (20 minutes)
 Use the PowerPoint and Parallel Structure worksheet (Resource 8) to guide students
through the definition and examples of parallel structure. Explain that this is a powerful
stylistic tool authors use to convey their ideas in a way that makes an impression on the
audience, and Poe uses it often in “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
Small Group
Parallel Structure in “The Tell-Tale Heart”: (20 minutes)
 Find and discuss three examples in Targeted Passage 1 as a class:
o not destroyed—not dulled” (lines 2-3)
o “Object there was none. Passion there was none” (lines 8-9)
o “with what caution—with what foresight—with what dissimulation” (lines 1516).
 Have students work in pairs to find examples of parallel structure in “The Tell-Tale
Heart.” They should write these examples on their paper and should have at least five.
 Review the examples students found – display on board/overhead.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010

Discuss: How does the use of parallel structure add to the suspense of the story? How
does it impact your impression of the narrator’s reliability?
Application: (15 minutes)
 Have students write a journal entry from the point of view of either the old man, the
neighbor who reported the shriek, or one of the police officers (Resource 9). The journal
entry should describe the character’s thoughts and feelings about what is happening and
must use parallel structure in at least three different places.
Closure: (10-15 minutes)
 Have several students share their journal entries. Collect for an English grade.
Extension Options:
 Write (and illustrate) a Found Poem from the story that includes some examples of the
parallel structure they found.
Description: Students compose found and parallel poems based on a descriptive passage
they have chosen from a piece of literature they are reading. They pick out words,
phrases and lines from the prose passage then arrange and format the excerpts to compose
their own poems. This process of recasting the text they are reading in a different genre
helps students become more insightful readers and develops creativity in thinking and
writing.
For more information on Found Poems (lesson plans, samples, scoring tools), visit:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=33
or
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5780

Write an “I Am” poem using parallel structure.
Description: Students create a short poem, starting each line beginning with, “I Am”, and
describing themselves, their hopes, dreams, and other important aspects of their lives. An
"I Am" poem is typically made up of three stanzas that are six lines each and normally do
not rhyme.
For more information on I Am Poems (templates, samples), visit:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson391/I-am-poem.pdf
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/portrait.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4967013_write-am-poem.html
Grade 8 Main Events
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Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Provide excerpts of the story and have students identify/underline
examples of parallel structure in each.
 Use Repetition and Parallelism Lesson Plan 34 on pp. 317-319 of
the Standards Lesson File: Literature. Use Practice worksheets A
and B/C on pp. 323-325 and Reteaching Worksheet on pp. 326327.
 If students need additional practice, quizzes and other resources
may be found at
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/parallelism.htm
(address verified as of June 24, 2009).
Grade 8 Main Events
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Advanced Learners
Respond to
Discussion
Questions in writing.
 Extension Options
are listed above.

2009-2010
Parallel Structure
In English, parallel structure means that
__________________________________________.
In other words,
_________________.
Examples:
Parallel:
 Charlie Twinkletoes likes singing, dancing,
and riding his unicycle.
 Lulu needs to eat, to sleep, and to do her
homework.
 The teacher told the student to speak loudly,
clearly, and expressively.
NOT Parallel:
 Charlie Twinkletoes likes singing, dancing,
and to ride his unicycle.
 Lulu needs to eat, to sleep, and do her
homework.
 The teacher told the student to speak clearly,
expressively, and in a loud voice.
Which one is parallel?
1 A. Phuong Tran has wit, charm, and her personality is pleasant.
B. Phuong Tran has wit, charm, and a pleasing personality.
2
A. We found the film repulsive, offensive, and we thought it was embarrassing.
B. We found the film repulsive, offensive, and embarrassing.
3. A. Dilly-Bob commonly farts, burps, and whines.
B. Dilly-Bob commonly farts, burps, and is whiny.
Your Turn!
Rewrite each of the following sentences so that it correctly uses parallel structure.
1.
She likes to listen to music and reading the latest novels.
2.
He spent his time studying Spanish, working at the convenience store, and he jogged
every afternoon.
________________________________________________________________________
________________
3.
Mary wanted to paint her office, to add some new draperies, and the carpet needed
cleaning.
________________________________________________________________________
________________
__
4.
Last year, my brother dropped out of school, was looking for work, and needed a place to
stay.
________________________________________________________________________
______
Resource 8A – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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Parallel Structure – Answer Key
In English, parallel structure means that similar phrases need to be expressed in similar terms.
In other words, you use the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have equal
importance.
Examples:
Parallel:
 Charlie Twinkletoes likes singing, dancing,
and riding his unicycle.
 Lulu needs to eat, to sleep, and to do her
homework.
 The teacher told the student to speak loudly,
clearly, and expressively.
NOT Parallel:
 Charlie Twinkletoes likes singing, dancing,
and to ride his unicycle.
 Lulu needs to eat, to sleep, and do her
homework.
 The teacher told the student to speak clearly,
expressively, and in a loud voice.
Which one is parallel?
1
B. Phuong Tran has wit, charm, and a pleasing personality.
2
B. We found the film repulsive, offensive, and embarrassing.
3.
A. Dilly-Bob commonly farts, burps, and whines.
Your Turn!
Rewrite each of the following sentences so that it correctly uses parallel structure.
1.
She likes to listen to music and reading the latest novels.
She likes to listen to music and to read the latest novels.
2.
He spent his time studying Spanish, working at the convenience store, and he jogged
every afternoon.
He spent his time studying Spanish, working at the convenience store, and jogging every
afternoon.
3.
Mary wanted to paint her office, to add some new draperies, and the carpet needed
cleaning.
Mary wanted to paint her office, to add some new draperies, and to clean the carpet.
4.
Last year, my brother dropped out of school, was looking for work, and needed a place to
stay.
Last year, my brother dropped out of school, looked for work, and needed a place to stay.
Resource 8B – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Parallel Structure Journal Entry
Write journal entry from the point of one of these characters:

the old man

the neighbor who reported the shriek

one of the police officers
Be sure to include:

a description of the character’s thoughts and feelings about
what is happening

parallel structure in at least three different places.
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Parallel Structure Journal Entry
Write journal entry from the point of one of these characters:

the old man

the neighbor who reported the shriek

one of the police officers
Be sure to include:

a description of the character’s thoughts and feelings about
what is happening

parallel structure in at least three different places.
Resource 9 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Parallel Structure Journal Entry
Scoring Tool
The writing …
4 – 100% - Advanced
 clearly and accurately portrays story events from the selected character’s
point of view
 effectively conveys appropriate character thoughts and feelings
 includes three or more strong examples of parallel structure
3 – 85% - Proficient
 accurately portrays story events from the selected character’s point of view
 effectively conveys appropriate character thoughts and feelings
 includes three basic examples of parallel structure
2 – 70% - Basic
 portrays story events from the selected character’s point of view
 mostly conveys appropriate character thoughts and feelings
 Includes one or two examples of parallel structure
1 – 60% - Rough
 summarizes the story without a clear character point of view
 may not include effective and/or any parallel structure
0 – 50% - Incorrect
 completely incorrect or irrelevant
Resource 10 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
by Lucille Fletcher
Time Frame:
Difficulty:
Four 80-minute classes
Average
Lesson 1
Word Wall:
Vocabulary: lark, junction, nondescript, sinister, assurance, monotony
Essential Concepts: stage directions, sound effects, foreshadowing, inferencing
Big Selection Question: Is seeing believing?
Objectives:
 Analyze structural features of a drama (3.A.5.b)
 Use context to determine meaning of words (1.D.3.a)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 86-97
 Radio play example and excerpt (Resource 1)
 Radio Play worksheet (Resource 2) – 1/student and transparency
 Resource Manager- Unit 1: Vocabulary Study worksheet, page 133 – 1/student and
transparency
 Discussion Questions (Resource 3) - transparency
 Vocabulary Square worksheet (Resource 4) – 1/student and transparency
Assessments:
Assessment
Class Discussion
Radio Play Sound chart
Scoring Tool
Teacher observation
n/a
Type
n/a
classwork check
Activities:
 Warm Up (10 minutes): Journal Entry: Does everything have a logical explanation or
do some things happen that cannot be explained or supported by proof? Think, group,
share.

Option: Provide the students with images of controversial or unexplained phenomenon
(i.e., crop circles, UFO, ghostly image, Stonehenge, Egyptian pyramids, etc.) Have the
students categorize the images as having a logical explanation or not having a logical
explanation. Discuss.
Grade 8 Main Events
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Before Reading: (30-35 minutes)
Parts of a Radio Play:
 In groups, brainstorm parts of a play. List on overhead or chart paper.
 Discuss what makes a play different than a story.
 Introduce radio play and the components that make it different than a stage play.
 Define stage directions and have students record definition in Literary Genre notes (from
introductory course lessons)
 Display play sample from page 87 of the Literature TE or distribute sample to small
groups of students. (Resource 1) Have groups describe the sound effects that would fit
the action of the scene. What would they expect to hear if they were watching or
listening to the scene?
 Distribute radio play worksheet (Resource 2) to each student and have students turn to
page 91 of their Literature texts.
 Display some of the lines from The Hitchhiker (Resource 2-bottom half) – point to the
stage directions and sound effects in italics. Review the first set of directions/effects and
explain the function of the effect to the play.
 Individually or in pairs, have students read the excerpt and complete the radio play
worksheet. (10 minutes)
 Review as a whole class.
Vocabulary Instruction:
 Distribute Vocabulary Study worksheet to each student. (Resource Manager: Unit 1
page 133)

o Option 1: Teacher reads each sentence aloud and students complete the vocabulary
chart – indicating familiarity with each word and using context to create a definition.
o Option 2: Individually or in pairs – have students read each sentence and complete
the chart.
Discuss as a whole group and check definitions for each word.
During Reading: (15 minutes)
 Assign parts. Read aloud to the end of page 90. Display Discussion Questions (Resource
3) and have students turn and talk to a partner about each after the reading. Share as a
whole group.
 Continue to read the play to line 119 on page 91.
Discussion Questions:
End of page 90:
 How is Ronald Adams’s mother feeling about her son’s trip? How do you know?
 How is Ronald Adams feeling about his trip? How do you know?
After line 119, page 91:
 What happens the first time Adams sees the hitchhiker?
 Why does Adams start to get nervous when he sees the hitchhiker a third time?
Grade 8 Main Events
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Closure: (10 minutes)
 Review stage directions and sound effects in a radio play – definition and purpose. Call
on 5-6 students to identify different sound effects or stage directions that could be used in
a radio play. (i.e., stage directions: angrily, desperately, whispering or sound: tire
screeching, door slamming, glass breaking, etc.)
 Distribute and review homework: Analyzing Words chart
Homework: Analyzing Words – students select two vocabulary words and complete the boxes
for each word: meaning, synonyms, antonyms, picture/symbol, and sentence.
Differentiated Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner


Advanced Learners
Before Reading: If students struggle with
resource 1, use the T chart in TE page 92
using line 170 and line 209 for additional
practice of sound effect and function
During Reading: Use Targeted passage TE
p. 90
Grade 8 Main Events
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
Ideas for Extension: Resource Manager
p.124-125: Music Selection: convey
mood. Students could use garage band to
select the music
2009-2010
Radio Play Example
What sound effects would fit into this scene?
Driver: Where are you going, buddy?
Hitchhiker: I’d love a lift to Amarillo.
Driver: I’m going that way, too. Get in.
The Hitchhiker
Excerpt
Mother: Wire me as soon as you get to Hollywood, won’t you,
son?
Adams: Of course I will. Now don’t you worry. There isn’t
anything gong to happen. It’s just eight days of perfectly simple
driving on smooth, decent, civilized roads, with a hotdog or a
hamburger stand every ten miles….(fade)
(sound: auto hum)
(music in)
Resource 1 – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
by Lucille Fletcher
Sound Effect
Function
Line 83: Music changes to something
weird and empty
Line 92: Sound: terrific skidding
Line 113: very spooky and faint; echo
as through a tunnel
The Hitchhiker
by Lucille Fletcher
Sound Effect
Function
Line 83: Music changes to something
weird and empty
Line 92: Sound: terrific skidding
Line 113: very spooky and faint; echo
as through a tunnel
Resource 2 – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
Discussion Questions:
End of page 90:
 How is Ronald Adams’s mother feeling about her son’s trip?
How do you know?
 How is Ronald Adams feeling about his trip? How do you
know?
After line 119, page 91:
 What happens the first time Adams sees the hitchhiker?
 Why does Adams start to get nervous when he sees the
hitchhiker a third time?
Resource 3– The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Name:
Date:
Analyzing Words: Word Squares
Word Squares help you learn vocabulary terms through images and definitions.
1. Choose two words from our vocabulary words from the story, “The Hitchhiker” and complete the word
squares for each word. Write the chosen word in the circle.
2. Make sure you also create a sentence for each chosen word.
lark, junction, nondescript, sinister, assurance, monotony
Meaning:
Synonyms:
Picture/symbol:
Antonyms:
Sentence:
Meaning:
Picture/symbol:
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Sentence:
Resource 4 – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
by Lucille Fletcher
Lesson 2:
Objectives:
 Analyze approach to time (foreshadowing) (3.A.3.h)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 86-97
 Literary Analysis: Foreshadowing worksheet (Resource 5A or 5B) – 1/student and
transparency
 Exit Slip (Resource 6)
 Optional Homework sheet (Resource 7)
Assessments:
Assessment
Foreshadowing Worksheet
Exit Slip
Scoring Tool
Teacher Review
Teacher Review
Type
Classwork check
Classwork check
Activities:
Warm Up (10 minutes): Collect and/or check homework. Assign two words to pairs or triads
and have students create original sentences for each word. Groups should select their best
sentence and write it on a sentence strip that can be posted and shared for the class.
Option: Students could complete the sentences individually, and then in small groups,
students share their sentences. The teacher can assign the small group to a vocabulary
word and the group will use one of their created sentences for the assigned word or write
a new sentence for the word on a sentence strip.
Before Reading: (15 minutes)
 Using the example on page 87 of the TE of the Literature book, display the sample
paragraph of foreshadowing and ask students what they think is being foreshadowed or
what they think will happen next.
 Define foreshadowing and have students record definition in their notes.
 Distribute Literary Analysis: Foreshadowing worksheet (Resource 5) to each student and
display on the overhead. Use Resource 5A for less proficient readers and 5B for gradelevel or advanced readers.
 “I Do” - Explain the chart and model the first one for the students. Using think aloud
explain how to determine what is foreshadowed.
 “We Do” – In pairs, have students complete the next two blocks of the foreshadowing
sheet and share their predictions.
 Point out the stopping points in the selection and have students lightly mark with a pencil
or indicate with a post-it note each stopping point in their books.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
During Reading: (35 minutes)
 Students read to first stopping point, completing the foreshadowing chart and discussion
questions along the way. (15 minutes)
 Turn and talk to a partner to discuss their completed chart and answers to the questions.
 Briefly share as a whole class.
 Direct students to read to the next stopping point, complete their chart and
comprehension questions then turn and talk to a partner. (10 minutes)
 Discuss as a whole class.
 Direct students to read to the end of the story, complete their chart and comprehension
questions, then turn and talk to a partner. (10 minutes)
After Reading:
 Discuss/share as a whole class.
Closure: (10 minutes)
 As a whole class, review the technique of foreshadowing - definition and purpose.
Distribute and explain exit slip (Resource 6) and have students individually complete.
 Collect.
Homework (Optional): One paragraph evaluation of Adams’s sanity. (Resource 7)
Differentiated Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Before Reading: Use resource 5A
 During Reading: Work with the students in
small group
Grade 8 Main Events
Advanced Learners
 Ideas for Extension: Have students in pairs
or individually analyze “What might
Adams’s journey represent?” Ask
students to consider what happens to
Adams along the way and the possible
significance of the hitchhiker and the
conclusion of the play. Have students
create a diagram that explores the
metaphorical or symbolic significance of
his travels and the events that occur.
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
Literary Analysis: Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing
Events that were foreshadowed
(What do you expect will happen?)
Narrator calls the play “a thriller and a
shocker,” “without apologies”
Adams’s mother warns him against falling
asleep, speeding, and hitchhikers (lines 61-68).
Lines 90-92: Hitchhiker steps off sidewalk, and
Adams swerves to avoid hitting him – his car
skids.
Lines 105-114: The hitchhiker keeps
reappearing and trying to catch up to Adams.
Lines 141-142: Mechanic says hitchhiker
would be a “sight for sore eyes.”
Line 171-176: Hitchhiker is standing at the
detour.
Stop at line 261 on page 93 and briefly respond to these questions:
 How would you describe the hitchhiker?

Adams lies to the hitchhiker about going to California, and he stops to get a cup of
coffee. What is the real reason that he lies about California and stops at the stand?
Lines 293-295: Car stalls on tracks as train is
coming closer.
Stop at line 422 on page 95 and briefly respond to this question:
 How has Adams changed since leaving Brooklyn?
Lines 463-465: Adams describes the hitchhiker
as “shadowless…flitting over the cold and
lifeless ground, dried up rivers, over broken
stones…and cloudless air…”
At the end of the story, briefly respond to this question:
 What does Adams learn when he calls home?
Resource 5A – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“The Hitchhiker”
Literary Analysis: Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing
Events that were foreshadowed
(What do you expect will happen?)
Narrator calls the play “a thriller and a
shocker,” “without apologies”
Adams’s mother warns him against falling
asleep, speeding, and hitchhikers (lines 61-68).
Lines 90-92: Hitchhiker steps off sidewalk, and
Adams swerves to avoid hitting him – his car
skids.
Stop at line 261 on page 93 and briefly respond to these questions:
 How would you describe the hitchhiker?

Adams lies to the hitchhiker about going to California, and he stops to get a cup of
coffee. What is the real reason that he lies about California and stops at the stand?
Lines 293-295: Car stalls on tracks as train is
coming closer.
Stop at line 422 on page 95 and briefly respond to this question:
 How has Adams changed since leaving Brooklyn?
Lines 463-465: Adams describes the hitchhiker
as “shadowless…flitting over the cold and
lifeless ground, dried up rivers, over broken
stones…and cloudless air…”
At the end of the story, briefly respond to this question:
 What does Adams learn when he calls home?
Resource 5B – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker – Exit Slip
Which use of foreshadowing was most effective in increasing the
suspense you felt as you read? Explain.
Think about the techniques that authors use to create suspense:

Describing a character’s anxiety or fear.

Relating vivid descriptions of dramatic sights and sounds.

Repeating words, phrases, or character actions.

Sound effects/music (play/radio play)
The Hitchhiker – Exit Slip
Which use of foreshadowing was most effective in increasing the
suspense you felt as you read? Explain.
Think about the techniques that authors use to create suspense:

Describing a character’s anxiety or fear.

Relating vivid descriptions of dramatic sights and sounds.

Repeating words, phrases, or character actions.

Sound effects/music (play/radio play)
The Hitchhiker – Exit Slip
Which use of foreshadowing was most effective in increasing the
suspense you felt as you read? Explain.
Think about the techniques that authors use to create suspense:

Describing a character’s anxiety or fear.

Relating vivid descriptions of dramatic sights and sounds.

Repeating words, phrases, or character actions.

Sound effects/music (play/radio play)
Resource 6 – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
The play opens with Adams telling listeners, “I am not mad.” On the basis
of what you learn in the rest of the play, do you agree with his assessment? Write
a one-paragraph evaluation of Adams’s sanity.
The Hitchhiker
The play opens with Adams telling listeners, “I am not mad.” On the basis
of what you learn in the rest of the play, do you agree with his assessment? Write
a one-paragraph evaluation of Adams’s sanity.
Resource 7- The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
by Lucille Fletcher
Lesson 3
Objectives:
 Use correct pronoun/antecedent agreement (5.B.2.b)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 86-97
 Language Network books
 Standards Lesson File: Grammar p. 71 – 1/student and transparency
 Resource Manager: Unit 1 p. 137 – 1/student and transparency
Assessments:
Assessment
Pronoun-antecedent worksheet
Scoring Tool
Answer key
Type
Formative English grade
Activities:
Warm Up (10 minutes): Create a Venn Diagram comparing “The Hitchhiker” and “The TellTale Heart.” Include setting, conflict, main characters, and endings. Share/discuss. Collect
homework and discuss several responses to the prompt.
Whole Group Pronoun Review:
 Activate prior knowledge by reviewing pronouns using “Here’s the Idea” portion of page
58 of Language Network.
 Complete “Practice and Apply: Identifying the Pronouns” on page 59 by identifying the
pronouns. Model #1 and 2 as an “I do”. Complete 3-5 as a “We Do” and review.
Students can complete this in pairs then check aloud.
Guided Practice:
Whole Group Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: (adapted from Teachers’ Guide page 67 of
Standards Lesson File: Grammar)
 Introduce Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: Write the sentence on the board as an
example of a pronoun and its antecedent.
o Example: When Jamal could not get out of the crib, he started to cry.
o Have a volunteer circle, or name, the word in the sentence that is the pronoun.
(he)
o Ask: How can you tell that the word you circled is a pronoun? (It is a word that
replaces, or refers back to a noun – Jamal.)
o Ask: Who or what does he refer to? (Jamal, a little boy)
o Explain that in the example, Jamal is the antecedent to he. You might have
students recall the meanings of the word parts “ante” (before) and “cede” (to go).
Then, explain that every pronoun in students’ writing must have a clear,
identifiable antecedent, a noun or pronoun that the pronoun replaces.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010

Distribute Student Lesson Summary (Standards Lesson File: Grammar page 71) and
have students add sheet to their notebooks.
o Review Academic Vocabulary (agreement in number, person, and gender)
o Display sample sentences. For each sentence, have a student:
 Circle the pronoun.
 Underline and explain the antecedent to which the pronoun refers.
 Explain what is wrong with the sentence and correct it.
Examples:
1. On the rug, the babies play with his or her toys.
2. Both parents love the feeling when you get when Jamal laughs.
3. A babysitter must take his job seriously.
Small Group Practice:
 Have students turn to page 99 in their Literature books. Review with students that words
like anybody, someone, anyone, etc. will receive a singular pronoun. Allow small groups
to complete the practice sentences and correct as needed. Review.
o If more practice is needed, have students turn to page 75 in Language Network.
Have pairs or small groups complete several of the “Practice and Apply” items.
Students should identify the pronoun and its antecedent.
Independent Practice:
 Distribute Pronoun-Antecedent worksheet (Resource Manager: Unit 1, p. 137) and have
students complete it independently.
Whole Group:
 Check as a whole class.
 Survey class on errors to see who needs additional support.
Closure: (10 minutes)
 Define pronouns and pronoun-antecedent agreement. Add to notes or to Student Lesson
Summary. Discuss why it is important in one’s writing.
Homework: G.U.M workbook pages 67-68 (even numbers only).
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
The Hitchhiker
by Lucille Fletcher
Lesson 4
Objectives:
 Apply appropriate pronoun/antecedent agreement (5.B.2b)
 Analyze approach to time (foreshadowing) (3.A.3.h)
 Draw inferences and/or conclusions and make generalizations. (1.A.4.c)
 Use context to determine meaning of words. (1.D.3.a)
Lesson Materials:
 The Hitchhiker crossword puzzle (Resource 8)
 Literature textbook, pp. 86-97
 Language Network books
 Standards Lesson File: Grammar, pp. 74-75 – 1/student who needs re-teaching
 Selection Quiz (Resource Manager: Unit 1, pp.141-142, 1-10 only)
 Standards Lesson File: Grammar, p. 73 – 1/student
 Modified Selection Quiz (Resource 9)
 Student Garage band directions – for podcasting (See Instructional Guide: Technology
Directions)
 Voice Techniques Activities (Resources 10A-F)
Assessments:
Assessment
Pronoun-Antecedent Reteaching
worksheet
Extension Activity
Selection Quiz (1-10 only)
Pronoun-Antecedent Quiz
Scoring Tool
Answer key
Type
Classwork check
Teacher-created scoring
tool
Answer key
Answer key
Classwork Check
Summative reading grade
Summative English grade
Activities:
Warm Up (10 minutes): Vocabulary review – crossword puzzle (Resource 8)
Whole Group
 Check pronoun-antecedent homework and determine who needs re-teaching of concepts.
Small Group
For additional pronoun-antecedent work:
 Brainstorm list of singular and plural pronouns and post on chart paper. (Teacher might
then want to provide each student with a chart of singular and plural pronouns.)
 Review Language Network pp. 73-74 with students.
 Model using think aloud 1-3 on p. 75.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010




Complete 4-6 as paired guided practice, discussing reasoning for identification.
Have students complete 7-10 independently and check.
Distribute Re-teaching worksheet (Resource Manager: Unit 1, pp. 74-75) and have each
student complete it independently.
Check as a whole group.
For proficient students:
Extension Activities:
Radio Play Options:
1. Choose a scene from The Hitchhiker (pp. 88-97) and act it out for the class or create a
podcast of the scene with sound effects.
2. Divide The Hitchhiker into segments and assign a segment to each group. The group will
create a podcast of their designated segment. All segments will be spliced together to
create a full version of the radio play.
3. Create a radio play for “The Elevator.” Be sure to include sound effects and stage
directions.
Note to Teacher: Additional support for podcasting is provided on the ELA website.
Cause-and-Effect Diagram: (Using p. 95 in Literature TE and Best Practices Toolkit –
transparency: Cause-and-Effect Diagram pp. B16, B38)
1. Have students track Adams’s change in attitude and increasing panic using a Cause-andEffect Diagram. Fill in the first box for the students or together (Cause: Adams leaves
for his trip to California. Effect: He is in “excellent spirits [line 80]).
2. Students can complete the diagram in groups. Prompt the students to think about: How
might Adams’s behavior continue to change once the man begins “to be everywhere”
(line 440)?
Comic Life:
1. Give students blank comic life templates and have them illustrate a scene or scenes from
The Hitchhiker.
Whole Group
 Distribute Selection Quiz (pp. 141-142 Resource Manager) and pronoun/antecedent quiz
(p. 73 Standards Lesson File: Grammar) to each student. Allow 15 minutes to complete.
Note on Scoring: Comprehension quiz will be identified as a summative reading grade,
and the pronoun-antecedent agreement portion will be a formative English grade.
 Collect quizzes.
Closure:
 Discuss what has made the story, The Hitchhiker worth telling? How did the conflicts
impact the story?
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Warm-Up
Solve the crossword puzzle
Resource 8 – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Name:
Total points: _____/100 = _____%
The Hitchhiker – Quiz
Comprehension (10 points each)


1.
Read each of the following questions.
Choose the letter of the best answer
What does Adams do to show that he is sane?
a. states facts about himself
b. tells the story of the hitchhiker.
c. admits that his life might end soon
2.
What does the music in note in the following lines indicate?
Adams. Six days ago I left Brooklyn, to drive to California…
Adams…This may be the last thing I ever tell on earth…the last night I ever see the
stars… (music in)
a. A car is moving
b. Adams is talking
c. Adams is remembering
3.
Which event foreshadows the appearance of the hitchhiker?
a. Mother tells Adams not to pick up strangers.
b. The man at the gas station fills up Adams’s car.
c. An operator asks Adams to deposit money.
4.
5.
Adams picks up the girl because
a.
He thinks that he recognizes her
b.
She is afraid on the road
c.
He wants company in the car
What does Adams learn from Mrs. Whitney?
a.
He dies in an automobile accident.
b.
His family has forgotten him.
c.
Mother has moved from Brooklyn.
Resource 9 – The Hitchhiker Quiz - Mod
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Vocabulary
Choose the answer that best explains the meaning of each underlined word. (10 points each)
6.
What is assurance?
a. Adventure
b. Remark
c. Situation
7.
A lark is a carefree
a. Doubt
b. Event
c. Guarantee
8.
Sinister means
a. Evil
b. Angry
c. Fearful
9.
What does monotony mean?
a. Sickness
b. Sameness
c. Darkness
10.
A junction is a
a. Vision of home
b. Place of joining
c. Symbol for death
Resource 9 – The Hitchhiker- Quiz – Mod
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Voice Techniques Activities
Materials:
 Voice Techniques Handout/Overhead (Resource 10B)
 “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (Resource 10C)
 Emotion Cards (Resource 10D)
 Tongue Twisters (Resource 10E)
 “I Am You See” Poem (Resource 10F)
Activity Description:
 Before having students perform readers theatre, go over these simple voice activities to
improve their performance skills.
Instruction:
 Brainstorm common problems when people read aloud a play: too quiet, can’t pronounce
words, read in monotone, looooong pauses, people losing their places, etc.
 Introduce the voice techniques, their definitions, and the corresponding images.
 Practice each technique with “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Divide class or groups in
half for emotion and overlap.)
Emotion:
 Divide the class in half. Play a game in which you show one group an Emotion Card.
Someone says the first line of “Row” with his/her voice expressing that emotion. The
other group tries to guess the emotion. To challenge students, encourage them to only
use their voices, not facial expressions or body languages.
Topping:
 Have class or group say “Row” in unison as one person directs them like a conductor to
raise/lower their volume for each line. For fun, have the conductor indicate volume level
in random sequence.
Overlap & Timing:
 Divide “Row” so speaker one has line one and line three. Speaker two has lines two and
four. Then, speaker one says line one and speaker two says “gently” at the exact same
time as speaker one says “boat.” The trick is to speak at a normal rate, not jump in and
cut someone off. Listeners will hear the lines as if they are two separate ones without
much pause. This will improve everyone’s timing.
Enunciation:
 Clearly pronouncing each sound is tough. Have students use tongue twisters at a normal
pace to see how clearly they can enunciate. They can speed up to see how fast they can
go and still enunciate clearly.
Projection:
 Distribute copies of “I Am You See” poem. Pairs of students face each other and stand
close together. They speak the lines (alternating parts like in overlap activity) and take
one step apart with each line, raising their voice a little bit as they do so they can still be
heard with the increasing distance. Then they reverse direction and step toward each
other, lowering voices as they move.
Resource 10A – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Notes: Voice Techniques
1.
emotion - using your voice to
express feelings
2.
topping - raising your volume a
little bit for each line; once you’ve
become really loud, lower your
voice a little for each line
3.
overlap - one person says the first
word of his/her next line at the
SAME time as the other person
says the last word of his/her
previous line
4.
enunciation - clearly pronouncing each
sound in each word (crisp T, S, P, CH
sounds)
5.
projection - saying the lines loudly enough
for everyone in the audience to hear
6.
timing - chunking your script into
sentences or phrases after which you
pause briefly
Resource 10B – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Row, row, row your boat,
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life ‘tis but a dream.
Resource 10C – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Happy
Angry
Shy
Sleepy
Depressed
Excited
Confused
Disappointed
Peaceful
Sad
Hysterical
Desperate
Anxious
Disgusted
Surprised
Arrogant
Curious
Scared
Resource 10D- The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Tongue Twisters
red leather, yellow leather
knapsack straps
specific Pacific
unique New York
Men munch much mush.
Rush the washing, Russell!
fresh fried fish
pre-shrunk shirts
selfish shellfish
good blood, bad blood
black bug’s blood
fish shop sauce
Resource 10E – The Hitchhiker
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
I am, you see,
I am what’s me.
I am not done.
I’m yet to
come!
Resource 10F – “The Hitchhiker”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
by Julia Alvarez
Time Frame:
Difficulty:
Two, 80-minute lessons
Lexile 820, Fry 7, Dale-Chall 6.3
Lesson 1
Word Wall:
Vocabulary: replete, unraveled, summoned, contradiction, interrogation
Essential Concepts: cause and effect, memoir
Big Selection Question: When is it time to leave?
Objectives:
 Analyze relationships between and among events: cause and effect (3.A.3e)
 Use context to determine the meanings of words (1.D.3.a)
 Use word structure to determine word meaning (dict-) (1.D.3.b)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 112-115
 Journal Entry Warm-Up #1 (Resource 1) – transparency
 Vocabulary Study worksheet (Resource Manage – Unit 1, page 169) – 1/student
 Reading Skill Cause and Effect (Resource Manager – Unit 1, page 167) - 1/student and
transparency
 Optional Cause and Effect Chart (Resources 2A-C)
 Discussion Questions (Resource 3) – transparency
 Exit Slip (Resource 4) – 1/student
 Vocabulary Practice worksheet (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 170)
Assessments:
Assessment:
Cause and Effect chart
Exit Slip
Scoring Tool:
Teacher Check
Teacher Check
Type:
Class work check
Class work check
Activities:
Warm-up (10 minutes):
 Journal Entry (Resource 1): Respond to each:
1. When is it time to leave? Think about a time when you were upset to leave a
particular place. After you left, were your worries confirmed, or did they turn out to
be unnecessary?
2. Explain this quote: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
 Discuss student responses.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Before Reading:
Whole Group: (15 minutes)
 Introduce story: a girl faces this situation of leaving her country, the Dominican
Republic. It had been ruled for many years by a dictator named Rafael Trujillo. Since
things had quickly become very dangerous, the Alvarez family flees to America. The
daughter Julia Alvarez tells the story of her family during that time.
 Use the sidebar information “Background” on page 111 of the student text to summarize
the key ideas to give the students an understanding of this political unrest.
Options:
 Visit the Literature Center at ClassZone.com for more information about the
author, Julia Alvarez, and the Dominican Republic
 Download a short news clip about the assassination of Rafael Trujillo from United
Streaming at www.unitedstreaming.com

Introduce vocabulary. Distribute a Vocabulary Study sheet (Resource Manager-Unit 1,
p. 169) to each student.
o Option 1: Teacher reads sentences aloud and students record a meaning on their
worksheets for each word.
o Option 2: Students work in pairs to complete the worksheet


Discuss responses with whole class.
Introduce Cause and Effect as a reading focus and explain that by noticing cause and
effect relationships, a reader is able to recognize turning points in the text.
Optional: Read “Reading Skill: Cause and Effect” on page 111 of student text.

Distribute Cause and Effect charts (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 167 or Resource 2) to
each student and briefly review.
During Reading:
Whole Group: (10-15 minutes)
 Using pp. 112-115, begin to read aloud the Targeted Passage on page 112 of Literature.
 Have a student summarize what was just read aloud.
Optional: Display these discussion questions (Resource 3) and have pairs or small groups
turn and talk to respond to each.
 Where does Alvarez live?
 What kind of school does she attend?
 What does she have trouble learning?
 Who rules the Dominican Republic?
 How is Alvarez’s experience different from that of her friends?
 Continue reading aloud to the end of page 112 (line 23).
 Complete the effects for the first cause on the Cause and Effect chart and have students
update their charts.
 Read the next two causes on the chart. Students should read to identify the effects of the
remaining causes on their charts.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Independent: (20 minutes)
 Direct students to finish reading the story and to update their Cause and Effect chart as
they read.
After Reading:
Small Group: (5 minutes)
 Share with a partner.
 Display Discussion Question (Resource 3): Review your Cause and Effect chart. Make a
general statement about how politics can affect one’s personal life. Write it at the bottom
of your chart.
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Share.
Closure: (10 minutes)
 Distribute homework sheet: Vocabulary Practice (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 170) to
each student.
 Exit Slip (Resource 4):
o Why do Alvarez’s feelings about leaving her homeland change by the end of the
memoir?
o Will Alvarez regret leaving the Dominican Republic? Explain.
Homework: Vocabulary Practice (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 170)
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 For more vocabulary practice, go to the
Vocabulary Center at ClassZone.com
 With the Audio Anthology CD, use one
or more Targeted Passages (pp. 112,
114, 115) to ensure that students focus
on key selection events, concepts, and
skills.
 See Comprehension: Idioms and
Sayings under Differentiated Instruction
on page 115 for ELL support.
 Give the skeletal Cause and Effect chart
(Resource 2B) to struggling readers.
Grade 8 Main Events
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


Advanced Learners
An Extension for Challenge: Go
online to research additional
information about Dick and Jane; a
popular reading series used in the 40’s
– 50’s.
See Social Studies Connection on page
116 of Literature for a research option.
See Anchor Activity under
Differentiated Instruction on page 112
for ideas about researching the nature
of dictatorships.
2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Warm-Up #1
Journal Entry - Respond to each:
1.
When is it time to leave? Think about a time when
you were upset to leave a particular place. After you
left, were your worries confirmed, or did they turn
out to be unnecessary?
2.
Explain this quote: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
“My First Free Summer”
Warm-Up #2
Turn to page 117 of your Literature textbook.
Complete:

Vocabulary Practice and

Vocabulary Strategy: The Latin Root dict
Resource 1 – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Cause and Effect
Effect:
Cause:
Effect:
Effect:
Effect:
Cause:
Effect:
Effect:
Effect:
Cause:
Effect:
Effect:
Resource 2A – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Cause and Effect Answer Key
Effect: Father involved
Cause:
Effect: People are
Political struggles
Effect: Julia had a
Effect: Julia didn’t have
Cause:
Went to an
American School
Effect: Julia had to
Effect: Julia had to go to
summer school for English.
Effect: Julia had to
Cause:
Father was involved
in underground
movement
Effect: Alvarez family is
afraid that
Effect: Alvarez family flees to
Resource 2B – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Cause and Effect Answer Key
Effect: Father involved in the
underground movement
Cause:
Effect: People are fleeing to
Political struggles
the United States
Effect: Julia had a boring
summer.
Effect: Julia didn’t have many
holidays off.
Cause:
Went to an
American School
Effect: Julia had to learn
English.
Effect: Julia had to go to
summer school for English.
Effect: Julia had to attend an
American school.
Cause:
Father was involved
in underground
movement
Effect: Alvarez family is
afraid that they’ll be arrested.
Effect: Alvarez family flees to
the United States.
Resource 2C – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Discussion Questions
During Reading: (at the end of page 112)
Turn and talk to a partner about each:





Where does Alvarez live?
What kind of school does she attend?
What does she have trouble learning?
Who rules the Dominican Republic?
How is Alvarez’s experience different from that of
her friends?
After Reading:
√
√
√
Review your Cause and Effect chart.
Make a general statement about how politics can
affect one’s personal life.
Write it at the bottom of your chart.
Resource 3 – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer” Exit Slip

Why do Alvarez’s feelings about leaving her homeland
change by the end of the memoir?

Will Alvarez regret leaving the Dominican Republic?
Explain.
“My First Free Summer” Exit Slip

Why do Alvarez’s feelings about leaving her homeland
change by the end of the memoir?

Will Alvarez regret leaving the Dominican Republic?
Explain.
“My First Free Summer” Exit Slip

Why do Alvarez’s feelings about leaving her homeland
change by the end of the memoir?

Will Alvarez regret leaving the Dominican Republic?
Explain.
Resource 4– “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
by Julia Alvarez
Lesson 2
Objectives:
 Distinguish among types of literary text (memoir) (3.A.3a)
 Use context to determine the meanings of words (1.D.3.a)
 Use word structure to determine word meaning (dict-) (1.D.3.b)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 112-115
 Vocabulary Warm-Up #2 (Resource 1) - transparency
 Literary Analysis: Memoir (Resource Manager – Unit 1, page 165) - 1/ student and
transparency
 Optional: Memoir Characteristic Chart (Resources 5A-C)
 Memoir BCR – (Resource 6) – 1/student and transparency
 Optional: Selection Test SRs (Resource Manager-Unit 1, pp.175-178) – 1/student
 Vocabulary Homework Prompt (Resource 7) 1/student
 4-Point BCR Rubric (Resource 8)
Assessments:
Assessment:
Literary Analysis: Memoir
Memoir BCR
Optional: Selection Test SRs
Scoring Tool:
Teacher Check/Answer Key
(Resource 5)
4-Point BCR Rubric
Answer Key
Type:
Class work check
Summative reading grade
Summative reading grade
Activities:
Warm-up (15 minutes):
 Complete Vocabulary Practice and Vocabulary Strategy: The Latin Root dict on page 117
of Literature. Display warm-up (Resource 1).
 Check as a whole group.
Small Group: (5 minutes)
 Have pairs turn and talk to their partners to summarize the memoir. Designate an “A”
and a “B” partner. Partner A summarizes the story up to the closure of the U.S. Embassy
and the recommendations for Americans to return home. Partner B picks up the
summary where A left off and summarizes to the end of the memoir.
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Allow one or two students to summarize the memoir aloud for the class.
 Ask: What genre is “My First Free Summer”?
 Read “Literary Analysis: Memoir” on page 111 of Literature. Define memoir or coconstruct a definition with the students.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010

Note: Memoir – form of autobiographical writing that describes important events in the
writer’s life. Most memoirs:
 are told in first person point of view
 are true accounts
 describe conflicts faced by the author
 include the writer’s feelings.
Distribute Literary Analysis: Memoir worksheets (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 165 or
Resource 5) and review.
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 In small groups, students will locate text evidence to support each of the characteristics of
a memoir.
 Monitor and assist groups as needed while they work.
Whole Group: (15 minutes)

Share and record on class chart. See Resource 5A for possible answers.

Display Big Question for the unit: What makes a story worth telling?

Think-Pair-Share: What made Alvarez feel that this is a story worth telling?
Independent: (15 minutes)
 Distribute Memoir BCR (Resource 6) to each student and review.
Option: Selection Test SRs could be given with the Memoir BCR or instead of the
Memoir BCR. If both the BCR and the Selection Test SRs are being given, students
should be allowed at least 20-25 minutes to complete the assessments.


Allow time for students to complete the BCR and/or the Selection Test SRs.
Collect for a summative reading grade.
Closure: (5 minutes)
 Review the elements of a memoir by quickly calling on random students.
 Distribute and review homework sheet to each student.
Homework:
 Write a paragraph explaining the challenges that Julia and her family faced in the summer
of 1960. Use at least two vocabulary words in your paragraph (Resource 7).
.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Literary Analysis: Memoir
Characteristic
Guiding Questions
Text Evidence
1 Person Point-of-  How do you know
View
that this is told in the
first person?
st
True Account
Describes conflict
faced by author
Includes the
writer’s feelings
about historical
events or social
issues
 How do you know
this is a true story?
 What conflicts or
problems did the
author face?
 What does freedom
mean to Alvarez at
this point in her life?
(p. 114, lines 41-56)
 What feelings have
Alvarez expressed in
the story?
 What changes have
occurred in
Alvarez’s thinking
about the Dominican
Republic and the
U.S.? (p. 115, lines
89-94)
Resource 5A – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Literary Analysis: Memoir
Characteristic
Guiding
Questions
1st Person Pointof-View

True Account

Describes conflict 
faced by author

Includes the
writer’s feelings
about historical
events or social
issues


Text Evidence
How do you
know that this is
told in the first
person?
How do you
know this is a
true story?
What conflicts
or problems did
the author face?
What does
freedom mean to
Alvarez at this
point in her life?
(p. 114, lines 4156)
What feelings
have Alvarez
expressed in the
story?
What changes
have occurred in
Alvarez’s
thinking about
the Dominican
Republic and the
U.S.? (p. 115,
lines 89-94)

“For thirty years, the Dominican Republic
had endured a bloody and repressive
dictatorship.”

“From my father, who was involved
________________________________

“….my mother knew that los americanos
had promised to ___________________
_______________________________

Julia attends an __________________
_______________________________.

“You have to learn _______________”

“That’s the problem - ___________”

Freedom means not having to
_______________________________.

Teacher asks students how they feel
____________________________.

Julia is jealous of ________________
_________________________________

After the events at the airport and on the
plane, Alvarez realizes _____________
___________________________________
Resource 5B – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“My First Free Summer”
Literary Analysis: Memoir – Answer Key
Characteristic
Guiding Question
Text Evidence
1 Person Point-of-  How do you know that
this is told in the first
View

“I never had school – I had summer
school.’


“For thirty years, the Dominican
Republic had endured a bloody and
repressive dictatorship.”
“From my father, who was involved
in an underground plot…?”
“….my mother knew that Los
Americanos had promised to help
bring democracy to the island.”
Julia attends an American school
while her friends attend the
Dominican schools.
“You have to learn your English!’
Mami kept scolding me…That was
the problem. English.”
“I didn’t know the dictator was bad.
All I knew was my friends who
were attending Dominican schools
were often on holiday to honor the
dictator’s birthday.”
Teacher asks students how they feel
when they are scolded.
Julia is envious of her friends who
have their summers free
Teacher asks students how they feel
when they are required to do
something that they do not
understand.
After the events at the airport and on
the plane, Alvarez realizes how
dangerous her homeland is. The
U.S. seems safe and free to her.
st
person?
True Account
How do you know this
is a true story?



Describes conflict
faced by author


Includes the
writer’s feelings
about historical
events or social
issues


What conflicts or
problems did the author
face?
What does freedom
mean to Alvarez at this
point in her life? (p.
114, lines 41-56)

What feelings have
Alvarez expressed in
the story?
What changes have
occurred in Alvarez’s
thinking about the
Dominican Republic
and the U.S.? (p. 115,
lines 89-94)





Resource 5C – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Memoir BCR
The title of the memoir, “My First Free Summer” can have
several meanings. What do you think the title means? Use
evidence from the text to support your answer.
Memoir BCR
The title of the memoir, “My First Free Summer” can have
several meanings. What do you think the title means? Use
evidence from the text to support your answer.
Memoir BCR
The title of the memoir, “My First Free Summer” can have
several meanings. What do you think the title means? Use
evidence from the text to support your answer.
Memoir BCR
The title of the memoir, “My First Free Summer” can have
several meanings. What do you think the title means? Use
evidence from the text to support your answer.
Resource 6 – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Vocabulary in Writing
Homework
Write a paragraph explaining the challenges that Julia and
her family faced in the summer of 1960. Use at least two
vocabulary words in your paragraph.
Vocabulary in Writing
Homework
Write a paragraph explaining the challenges that Julia and
her family faced in the summer of 1960. Use at least two
vocabulary words in your paragraph.
Vocabulary in Writing
Homework
Write a paragraph explaining the challenges that Julia and
her family faced in the summer of 1960. Use at least two
vocabulary words in your paragraph.
Vocabulary in Writing
Homework
Write a paragraph explaining the challenges that Julia and
her family faced in the summer of 1960. Use at least two
vocabulary words in your paragraph.
Resource 7 – “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
BCR Rubric for Responding to Text
Advanced
4+ 100% A
4
95% A
4- 90% A-
Proficient
3+
85% B
3
80% B3
75% C
2+
2
Basic
70% C65% D
Rough
60% F
1
0
50% F
Shows a deep understanding of the text’s meaning
and answers all parts of the question.
To support the answer, the response might include
o Multiple text examples/references in relation to the question
o Multiple extensions: connections, explanations, and/or
original thoughts that are fully explained
Shows more than a general understanding of the text.
Answers all parts of the question, although may not develop all parts
equally.
To support the answer, the response might include
o One or more text examples in relation to the question
o An extension: connection, explanation, or original thought
o Evidence that the reader has more than a literal understanding
of the text; an inference is made
o Multiple extensions that are partially explained or supported
Gives a basic or partial answer to the question.
To support the answer, the response might include
o Minimal information from the text
o Extension(s) that is/are unclear or do not exist
Answer demonstrates that the text or question has been read.
o Response may show a misunderstanding or misreading of the
text and/or question
The response is completely incorrect or irrelevant.
Resource 8– “My First Free Summer”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Optional Lessons
“Paul Revere’s Ride”
by Henry Woodworth Longfellow
Time Frame:
Difficulty Level:
Two 80-minute classes
Average
Lesson 1
Objectives:
 Use strategies to make meaning from text during reading: periodically paraphrase
important ideas or information (1.C.3.g)
 Use strategies to demonstrate understanding of the text after reading: paraphrase (1.C.4.e)
Word Wall:
Vocabulary: impetuous, peril, somber
Essential Concepts: narrative poetry, paraphrase
Big Question for Selection: When does truth become legend?
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 134-138
 Warm-up Question (Resource 1) – 1/student and transparency
 Paraphrase worksheet (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 215)
 For students needing additional paraphrasing practice: “Little Red Riding Hood” poem
(Resource 2) Resource Manager: Big Question Transparencies, p. T9
 Optional: Two-column or T-chart (Resource 3, Best Practices Toolkit p. A57, or Writing
Center: Graphic Organizers at ClassZone.com) – 1/group and transparency
 Exit Slip (Resource 4) – 1/student
Assessments:
Assessment
Paraphrase Chart
Exit Slip
Scoring Tool
Teacher Check
Teacher Check
Type
Class work check
Class work check
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
 List as many synonyms that you can for said, pretty, and bad. Students will also read the
first stanza of Little Red Riding Hood by Roald Dahl, and in their own words, explain
what happened in each segment. (Resource 1)
 Discuss.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Before Reading:
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Explain that putting ideas into your own words is the basis of paraphrasing. Read
“Reading Skill: Paraphrasing” on page 133 of Literature. Discuss how paraphrasing is
different than summarizing. Define paraphrasing.
Note: Paraphrasing: restating complete information in simpler terms. A good
paraphrase includes all of the main ideas and details of the original.
 Explain that they will be using paraphrasing as they read today’s selection.
 Display Big Question transparency: When does truth become Legend? (Resource
Manager: Big Question Transparencies, p. T9)
 Have students pair/share the Big Question and discuss why someone or something
becomes legendary.
Instructional Option: (15 minutes)
 Display and discuss the question: What is the difference between truth and legend?
 Distribute a two-column/t-chart (Resource 4) to small groups and have them
brainstorm legends and why they are legendary. Share.
 Discuss:
o Is most of what we know about these people truth or legend?
o Why do people create legends?
o How do legends enrich our lives?
 Introduce main character, Paul Revere. Ask students what they know about him. Read
“Background” on page 133 of Literature.
 Read “Author Online” on page 133 of Literature and discuss Longfellow’s motivation for
writing about Paul Revere. Why did he think that his story needed to be told?
During Reading:
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Distribute Paraphrase worksheet (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 215) to each student and
display.
 Read aloud and model how to paraphrase stanzas one and two.
 Read aloud the third and fourth stanzas (lines 15-30) and have student volunteers model
the paraphrasing. Record on chart.
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 In pairs or triads, have students read and paraphrase the fifth and sixth stanzas (lines 3156).
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Record and display student paraphrases.
Independent: (20 minutes)
 Students should independently read the rest of “Paul Revere’s Ride” and complete their
Paraphrasing Chart as they go along.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Have students summarize the ending of “Paul Revere’s Ride.”
 Collect completed Paraphrasing Chart for a class work check.
Closure: (10 minutes)
 Discuss: Why/how can paraphrasing be helpful to a reader? Where can you use this
strategy?
 Exit Slip: Reread lines 119-130. On the basis of this stanza, why do you think Paul
Revere became an American legend?
Differentiated Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Give students a partially completed
Paraphrasing Chart (Resource 2) or
provide more modeling and guided
practice of paraphrasing.
 Provide more paraphrasing practice
with the narrative poem, Little Red
Riding Hood by Roald Dahl
(Resource 3)
Grade 8 Main Events

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Advanced Learners
Use Robert Marzano’s Power Thinking
Activities:
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ml_lit_
gr08/resources/pdfs/power_thinking/8_reve
re.pdf
2009-2010
Warm-Up
List as many synonyms as you can for each word.
said
pretty
bad
Read the excerpt from Little Red Riding Hood by Roald Dahl.
Rewrite the lines in your own words.
In Your Own Words
As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, "May I come in?"
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
"He's going to eat me up!" she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, "That's not enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!"
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
"I've got to have a second helping!"
Resource 1 – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Little Red Riding Hood
by Roald Dahl
Paraphrase
As soon as Wolf began to feel
That he would like a decent meal,
He went and knocked on Grandma's door.
When Grandma opened it, she saw
The sharp white teeth, the horrid grin,
And Wolfie said, "May I come in?"
Poor Grandmamma was terrified,
"He's going to eat me up!" she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
He ate her up in one big bite.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And Wolfie wailed, "That's not enough!
I haven't yet begun to feel
That I have had a decent meal!"
He ran around the kitchen yelping,
"I've got to have a second helping!"
Then added with a frightful leer,
"I'm therefore going to wait right here
Till Little Miss Red Riding Hood
Comes home from walking in the wood."
He quickly put on Grandma's clothes,
(Of course he hadn't eaten those).
He dressed himself in coat and hat.
He put on shoes, and after that,
He even brushed and curled his hair,
Then sat himself in Grandma's chair.
In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,
"What great big ears you have, Grandma."
Resource 2 – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Paraphrase
"All the better to hear you with,"
the Wolf replied.
He sat there watching her and smiled.
He thought, I'm going to eat this child.
Compared with her old Grandmamma,
She's going to taste like caviar.
Then Little Red Riding Hood said, "
But Grandma, what a lovely great big
furry coat you have on."
"That's wrong!" cried Wolf.
"Have you forgot
To tell me what BIG TEETH I've got?
Ah well, no matter what you say,
I'm going to eat you anyway."
The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature's head,
And bang, bang, bang, she shoots him dead.
A few weeks later, in the wood,
I came across Miss Riding Hood.
But what a change! No cloak of red,
No silly hood upon her head.
She said, "Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat."
Resource 2 – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Famous or Legendary People
Why are they famous or
legendary?
Resource 3 – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Exit Slip
Reread lines 119-130 of “Paul Revere’s Ride.” On the basis of this
stanza, why do you think Paul Revere became an American legend?
Exit Slip
Reread lines 119-130 of “Paul Revere’s Ride.” On the basis of this
stanza, why do you think Paul Revere became an American legend?
Exit Slip
Reread lines 119-130 of “Paul Revere’s Ride.” On the basis of this
stanza, why do you think Paul Revere became an American legend?
Resource 4 – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Optional Lesson
“Paul Revere’s Ride”
by Henry Woodworth Longfellow
Lesson 2
Objectives:
 3.A.4.a – Distinguish among types of narrative texts: narrative poetry
 1.C.4.a – Identify and explain the main idea or argument
 1.C.4.c – Draw inferences and/or conclusions and make generalizations
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 134-138
 Warm-up Question and Narrative Poetry (Resource 5) – transparency
 Literary Analysis (Resource Manager – Unit 1, p. 213)
 Selection Test (Resource Manager-Unit 1, pp. 221-224
Assessments:
Assessment
Literary Analysis:
Narrative Poetry
Selection Test A or B/C
(SRs only)
Scoring Tool
Teacher Check
Type
Formative reading grade
Answer Key
Summative reading grade
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
 Brainstorm as many characteristics of stories and as many characteristics of poems as you
can. (Resource 5)
 List student answers.
Before Reading:
Whole Group: (15 minutes)
 Display sample narrative poem excerpt (Resource 5). Which is it: a poem? Or a story?
Identify the story elements found in the excerpt and the poetic characteristics. Explain
that it is a narrative poem.
 Read “Literary Analysis: Narrative Poetry” on page 133 of Literature.
 Define Narrative Poem or co-construct the definition with students and have them add the
definition to their notes.
Note: Narrative Poem - a poem that tells a story and has these story elements: plot,
setting, character(s).
 Distribute and display Literary Analysis: Narrative Poetry worksheet (Resource
Manager-Unit 1, p. 213) to each student and review.
 Reread the first two stanzas aloud. From these stanzas, where does the poem take place?
Fill in the setting on the chart. (Possible answer: The poem takes place in Middlesex
County, in eastern Massachusetts.)
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
During Reading:
Small Group: (10 - 15 minutes)
 In pairs or small groups, direct students to re-read “Paul Revere’s Ride” to find the other
story elements and to complete their charts.
After Reading:
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Share and record story elements.
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 In pairs or triads, have students (Resource 6)
o Review lines 52-56. What words or phrases does the writer use in this passage to
create a feeling of suspense?
Differentiation for Less-Proficient Readers: Remind students that suspense is the
excitement or tension readers feel as they wait to find out how a story ends or a
conflict is resolved. Review techniques authors use to create suspense (e.g.,
foreshadowing).
o Review lines 87-110. What are some examples of foreshadowing in this passage?
o Think about the events in the story. What is the climax of the plot? Give reasons for
your answer.
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Share small group responses.
 Discuss: Why do you think Longfellow did not mention the other men who spread the
alarm? (Possible answer: a story with a single hero is more dramatic)
Independent: (15 minutes)
 Give Selection Test (SRs only) to each student (Resource Manager -Unit 1, pp. 221-224)
 Collect.
Closure: (5 minutes)
 Have students discuss whether they prefer narrative poetry or other poetic forms and
why.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Differentiated Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Review sequence of events and have
students place them in a sequence
chain, along with the events of the next
day, which are alluded to in lines 107118.
 Give a modified version of the
Selection Test Form A.



Grade 8 Main Events
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Advanced Learners
Use Robert Marzano’s Power
Thinking Activities:
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/
ml_lit_gr08/resources/pdfs/power_th
inking/8_revere.pdf
Draw a map of the journey that
shows the images the poet evokes for
each spot (e.g., the barking dog, the
fog, the moonlit weathercock, etc.)
Present maps to the class.
Point out the metaphor and simile in
lines 20-21 and discuss what they
reveal about setting and what mood
they create. Encourage students to
find more examples of figurative
language in the poem.
2009-2010
Warm-Up
Brainstorm as many characteristics as you can for each:
Characteristics of Stories
Characteristics of Poems
Narrative Poetry Sample
Many years ago, in Ireland,
A mother, Maggie, now long dead,
Worked long days and all night long
So she could give her children bread.



Is it a story or a poem?
What story elements does it contain?
What poetry elements does it contain?
Resource 5 – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
“Paul Revere’s Ride”
Suspense and Foreshadowing
Review lines 52-56.
 What words or phrases does the writer use in this
passage to create a feeling of suspense?
Review lines 87-110.
 What are some examples of foreshadowing in this
passage?
“Paul Revere’s Ride”
Suspense and Foreshadowing
Review lines 52-56.
 What words or phrases does the writer use in this
passage to create a feeling of suspense?
Review lines 87-110.
 What are some examples of foreshadowing in this
passage?
Resource 6 – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Optional Lesson
“The Other Riders”
History Article
Time Frame:
Difficulty Level:
Readability:
One 80-minute class
Challenging
Lexile 1260, Fry 7, Dale-Chall 8.2
Lesson 1
Objectives:
 Survey and preview the text by examining features, such as the title, illustrations,
photographs, charts, and graphs. (1.C.2.a )
 Use a graphic organizer or another note-taking technique to record important ideas or
information. (1.C.3.i)
 Analyze relationships between and among ideas across multiple texts. (2.A.4.f)
 Synthesize ideas from text to form new understanding: conclusions, inferences, and
generalizations from one text or across multiple texts. (2.A.4.g)
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 140-141
 Warm-up: Anticipation Guide and Text Preview questions (Resource 1) – 1/student and
transparency
 Taking Notes Graphic Organizer (Resources 2A-C) – 1/student and transparency
 Take Notes (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p. 233) – 1/student and transparency
 Compare and Contrast BCR (Resource 3) – 1/student and transparency
 Optional: Compare and Contrast organizer (Resource Manager-Unit 1, p.234) – 1/student
 Optional: Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer (Resource 4) – for struggling readers
 Compare and Contrast BCR response template (Resource 5) – for struggling readers
 4-Point BCR Rubric (Resource 6)
Assessments:
Assessment
Take Notes Graphic Organizer
Optional: Compare and
Contrast organizer
Compare and Contrast BCR
Scoring Tool
Answer Key (Resource 2C)
Teacher Check
Type
Class work check
Class work check
4-Point BCR Rubric
Formative reading grade
Warm Up: (10 minutes)
 Anticipation Guide (Resource 1) – have students complete the BEFORE column only.
 Scan the text features of “The Other Riders” on pages 141-142. From your preview,
what is the topic or main ideas? List.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Before Reading:
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Have students share their findings from previewing the text features of the article.
 Read “What’s the Connection?” and “Skill Focus: Take Notes” on p. 140 of Literature.
 Discuss. Connect Taking Notes with the skill of paraphrasing from the previous lesson.
 Distribute Note Taking graphic organizer (Resource 2A) to each student and display one
on the overhead for class discussion.
During Reading:
Whole Group: (5-10 minutes)
 Read aloud the introductory paragraph and first subheading: Rumors of a March on
Concord of “The Other Riders” on page 141 of Literature. Using think aloud, model how
to take notes from the reading. Record on the class chart.
 Read aloud the second subheading: Sneaking Past the Guards and have a student
volunteer share how to take notes for that section. Record responses on class chart.
Independent: (15 minutes)
 Direct students to read the remainder of the article and to complete their Taking Notes
chart as they go along.
For Less-Proficient Readers: Provide these students with the partially completed
Taking Notes chart (Resource 2B).
After Reading:
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Conduct Whip Around to share students notes. Rapidly call on students in turn to
identify important details that they included under each subheading. Students may say, “I
pass,” but no student is allowed to give an answer that has already been given.
 Add their facts to the class chart.
 When all of the students have had a turn, give them time to review and revise their notes.
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Distribute the Compare and Contrast BCR (Resource 3) to each student and review.
Independent: (15 minutes)
Students will complete their BCRs.
For Writing Support:
o For all students: Give students the BCR planning chart (Resource Manager-Unit
1, p. 234) to use as they construct their BCR responses.
o For struggling readers: Use the skeletal planning chart (Resource 4) and/or the
Compare and Contrast Response Template (Resource 5)
 Collect BCR for a formative reading grade and the Taking Notes sheet as a class work
check.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Closure:
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Return to the Anticipation Guide (Resource 1) and have the students complete the
AFTER column.
 Share answers and discuss why answers have changed.
 If time remains, discuss: What do you think are the main points the author wants to make
about the events of April 18, 1775?
Differentiated Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Use skeletal Compare and Contrast
graphic organizer (Resource 4) to help
students plan their responses.
 Give students a response template for
their comparison paragraphs (Resource
5)
 Have students create a timeline of the
events in “The Other Riders.”
Grade 8 Main Events
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
Advanced Learners
Have groups of students find
additional examples of history
articles and compare elements of the
articles with this one. They should
examine: author’s purpose, writer’s
style, kinds of facts, use of graphic
aids, tone, and organization.
2009-2010
“The Other Riders” Warm-Up
Anticipation Guide and Text Preview
Part 1:
Read each statement below. Write “Agree” or “Disagree” in the Before
Reading column. If you are unsure, try to make a guess based on what you
already know.
After we read today, we will check your original answers and complete the
After Reading column.
Before
Reading
After
Reading
1.
Without Paul Revere, the town of Concord would have
been unprepared for the British.
________
2.
Paul Revere encountered no one on his ride.
________
3.
William Dawes and Samuel Prescott played roles as
important as Paul Revere’s on April 18, 1775.
________
The signal went out when the boats were spotted coming
into the harbor.
________
No British troops guarded the towns of Medford,
Lexington, or Concord.
________
________
________
________
4.
________
5.
________
Part 2:
 Scan the text features of “The Other Riders” on pages 141-142.
 From your preview, what is the topic or main ideas? List.
Resource 1 – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Taking Notes
“The Other Riders”
Subheadings
Rumors of a
March at Concord
Notes
Sneaking Past the
Guards
Spreading the
Word
A Clever Escape
Prescott Warns
Concord
So Forgotten It’s
Funny
Resource 2A – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Taking Notes
“The Other Riders”
Subheadings Notes
Rumors of a
March at
Concord
 Night of April 18, 1775, a rumor reaches William
Dawes that the British are planning to
_____________________.
Sneaking Past
the Guards
 Dawes tells _____________; both get orders from
_____________________ to ride to inform the leaders
of the Provincial Congress of what’s going on.
 Dawes is friendly with some of the British guards on the
gates of Boston.
 This makes it possible for him to
___________________.
 Dawes alerted other riders, who also spread the warning.

 After warning Hancock and Adams, ________________
 __________________ joined them on the ride.
 Dawes, Revere, and Prescott are
____________________.

Prescott Warns
Concord

 People have joked about reasons why Dawes’s name
was forgotten. Some have said it’s because
_______________
Resource 2B – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Taking Notes
“The Other Riders”
Answer Key
Subheadings
Notes
Rumors of a
 Night of April 18, 1775, a rumor reaches William
March at Concord
Dawes that the British are planning to take ammunition
at Concord.
Sneaking Past the
Guards
 Dawes tells Paul Revere; both get orders from Dr.
Joseph Warren to ride to inform the leaders of the
Provincial Congress of what’s going on.
 Dawes is friendly with some of the British guards on the
gates of Boston.
Spreading the
Word
 This makes it possible for him to get out of the city
easily on the night of April 18.
 Dawes alerted other riders, who also spread the
warning.
 Dawes caught up to Revere in Lexington.
 After warning Hancock and Adams, Dawes and Revere
rode to Concord together.
A Clever Escape
Prescott Warns
Concord
So Forgotten It’s
Funny
 Dr. Sam Prescott joined them on the ride.
 Dawes, Revere, and Prescott are captured by the British.
 They escape, but Dawes’s horse is too tired to continue.
 Prescott, not Revere, warns Concord of the British
march.
 People have joked about reasons why Dawes’s name
was forgotten. Some have said it’s because Dawes
doesn’t rhyme very well.
Resource 2C – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Read for Information: Contrast BCR
“Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Other Riders”
How does the information in “The Other Riders” contrast with the
story told in “Paul Revere’s Ride”?
Contrast the legend in the poem with the true account of that night
as it is presented in the historical article. Be sure to include evidence
from the two texts to support your answer.
Read for Information: Contrast BCR
“Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Other Riders”
How does the information in “The Other Riders” contrast with the
story told in “Paul Revere’s Ride”?
Contrast the legend in the poem with the true account of that night
as it is presented in the historical article. Be sure to include evidence
from the two texts to support your answer.
Read for Information: Contrast BCR
“Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Other Riders”
How does the information in “The Other Riders” contrast with the
story told in “Paul Revere’s Ride”?
Contrast the legend in the poem with the true account of that night
as it is presented in the historical article. Be sure to include evidence
from the two texts to support your answer.
Resource 3 – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Compare and Contrast Organizer
“Paul Revere’s Ride”
Similarities/Differences
Paul Revere
Revere’s Friend
Main
Participants


Main
Events
“The Other
Riders”



Revere said light
“one if by land, two
if by sea”
Friend climbed the
watchtower to wait.
Friend spotted the
British and gave the
warning.
Revere rode through
Medford, Lexington,
and Concord,
warning the people
that the British were
coming.
The Middlesex
farmers fought off
the British soldiers.
So What? (Make a general statement about the similarities and differences
between the two accounts.)
Resource 4 – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Read for Information: Compare and Contrast BCR
“Paul Revere’s Ride” & “The Other Riders”
Topic Sentence: The poem is different from the article in several ways.
Body Sentences:
In the poem, (explain what happens and who is responsible)
In contrast, in the article (explain what happens and who is responsible)
Conclusion: Longfellow’s poem is entertaining by not entirely factual.
Resource 5 – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
BCR Rubric for Responding to Text
Advanced
4+ 100% A
4
95% A
4- 90% A-
Proficient
3+
85% B
3
80% B3
75% C
2+
2
Basic
70% C65% D
Rough
60% F
1
0
50% F
Shows a deep understanding of the text’s meaning
and answers all parts of the question.
To support the answer, the response might include
o Multiple text examples/references in relation to the question
o Multiple extensions: connections, explanations, and/or original
thoughts that are fully explained
Shows more than a general understanding of the text.
Answers all parts of the question, although may not develop all parts
equally.
To support the answer, the response might include
o One or more text examples in relation to the question
o An extension: connection, explanation, or original thought
o Evidence that the reader has more than a literal understanding of
the text; an inference is made
o Multiple extensions that are partially explained or supported
Gives a basic or partial answer to the question.
To support the answer, the response might include
o Minimal information from the text
o Extension(s) that is/are unclear or do not exist
Answer demonstrates that the text or question has been read.
o Response may show a misunderstanding or misreading of the text
and/or question
The response is completely incorrect or irrelevant.
Resource 6 – “The Other Riders”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Quick Write
Personal Narrative
Time Frame:
One 80-minute lesson
Lesson 1 – Option #1
Indicators/Objectives:
 Generate and narrow topics by considering purpose, audience, form, personal relevance,
scope, and feasibility with a variety of pre-writing strategies, such as webbing/listing,
free writing, and/or technology-assisted process (4.0.1.a)
 Use a systematic process for recording, documenting, and organizing information
(4.0.1.b.3)
 Create tone (attitude toward subject) and voice with word choice and well chosen details
(4.0.2.a.4)
Assessments:
Assessment
Personal Narrative Graphic
Organizer
Personal Narrative Introductory
Paragraph
Scoring Tool
Teacher Review
Type
Classwork Check
Introductory Paragraph
Scoring Tool
Formative English grade
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 144-150
 Warm-up Question and Discussion Questions (Resource 1) - transparency
 Optional – 1 or more personal narrative/memoir picture books (Resource 2)
 Optional – video clip of a short personal narrative/memoir (from United Streaming or
Teachertube.com)
 Writing Prompt Option 1 (Resource 3 and Literature, p. 144) - transparency
 Sentence Starter strips (Resource 4) – 1 set/group and transparency
 Autobiographical or Personal Narrative organizer (Resource 5)
 Example of Introductory Paragraph from Student Model (Literature, pp. 145-146)
 Creating a Great Introductory Paragraph (Resource 6) – 1/student and transparency
 Introductory Paragraph Scoring Tool (Resource 7)
 Optional – Frame of Student Model Introduction (Resource 8) – for struggling writers
Objective
 Analyze a student model that reflects the key traits of a personal narrative
 Use chronological order
 Use language that engages and hooks the reader in the introductory paragraphs
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Activities:
Warm-Up: (5 minutes)
 What is a personal narrative?
o Review: A personal narrative is a memoir or a form of autobiographical writing in
which the writer shares his or her personal experiences and observations of significant
events or people. “My First Free Summer” by Julia Alvarez is a memoir.
o If necessary, have students add this definition to their notes.
Before Writing:
Whole Group: (15 minutes)
 Using one of these options, review Personal Narrative and connect to the Big Question of
the unit: What makes a story worth telling?
a. Discuss “My First Free Summer.” Why did Julia Alvarez believe that this was a story
worth telling?
b. Tell a story about a significant or memorable event in your life.
c. Show a video clip of someone telling a short story.
d. Read an excerpt or an entire picture book or short story that is a personal
narrative/memoir. (See Resource 2 for a list of personal narrative/memoir children’s
books)
e. Give small groups one or more picture books and have them determine the author’s
purpose.
Note: After completing one of the options b – e, discuss: What made the story worth
telling? Stress that people often tell stories to explain lessons that they’ve learned or to
share a special or memorable experience.



Explain to students that they will be telling a personal narrative or story about one of their
own personal experiences. Display and/or review Writing Prompt 1: Writing from Your
Life (Resource 3) on page 144 of Literature.
Tell them that they will be brainstorming ides for their story, then creating an
introductory paragraph using words and phrases that will hook the reader and make
him/her want to read more.
Display sentence starters (Resource 4) to get the students thinking about various
meaningful experiences in their lives.
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 Each student will need a sheet of paper and a pencil.
 Pass out an envelope with a set of the six sentence starter strips (Resource 4) to each
group.
 Each person in the group takes one of the sentence strips from the envelope.
 Each student should write down their own responses on their paper, and then they are to
read the sentence starter out loud to their group, and then finish the sentence with their
own personal experience.
 Rotate around the group, with each person reading his/her sentence strip and completing
it.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010



Then once all of the responses have been read, each person passes his/her strip to the
right and repeats the process with the new sentence starter that he/she has received. This
should continue until all of the sentence starters have been read.
At the end, each group member should have six sentence starters written on their sheet of
paper.
In pairs, have students discuss which sentence starter would be the best focus for a
personal narrative. Students should circle or star their topic choice.
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Hand out the Autobiographical or Personal Narrative graphic organizer (Resource 5 or
from Best Practices Toolkit, pp. C16, C18). A PDF template is also available from the
Writing Center at ClassZone.com under Writing Templates or from this site:
http://www.classzone.com/cz/books/ml_lit_gr08/page_build.htm?id=resources/jsp/writin
g_templates/writing_templates&htl=ml_lit_gr08
 Display and review the organizer. Model how to fill out the organizer if necessary.
 Emphasize the importance of using chronological order when writing a story.
 Explain that the students should have enough details about this event to write a story, and
if they do not, pick another event from the sentence starter sheet.
Independent: (10 minutes)
 Students complete their organizer as the teacher monitors student progress and assists
students as needed.
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Display discussion questions (Resource 1) and have students think, pair, share to respond.
o How do you decide which stories you’re going to read?
o How do certain stories hold your attention?
 Lead the discussion to include the importance of introductions grabbing a reader’s
attention.
 Tell students that now they are going to be writing the introductory paragraph for their
personal narrative
 Explain to the students that this is the most important paragraph, that this first paragraph
needs to catch and hold the readers attention, and make them want to read more
 Review the introduction of the Student Model on page 145 of the Literature textbook to
identify the strategy used to “hook” the readers
 Read it aloud, and highlight the sensory details, and vivid details that make this paragraph
interesting and how it encourages the reader to continue reading.
 Explain that this is only one way of creating an introductory paragraph.
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 Hand out and display the Creating a Great Introductory Paragraph sheet (Resource 6).
 Have pairs or triads review the other ways a writer can open a paragraph and “hook” the
reader and identify reasons why each particular introduction would be a good way to
begin the text.
 Share as a whole group.
Grade 8 Main Events
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Independent: (10 minutes)
 Have students use the worksheet to create their own introductory paragraphs on separate
paper.
Closure: (5 minutes)
Small Group:
 Have students pair/share their introductory paragraphs. Discuss what they did or did not
like about their introductory paragraphs and whether or not it hooked them as readers.
 Share a few examples from the students.
 If time allows, students can make revisions to their introductions.
 Staple introductory paragraphs to each student’s graphic organizer and collect for a
formative English grade.
Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Place each Introductory Paragraph
technique on card stock as
manipulatives. Students can write
their own paragraphs using the
examples on the cards.
 Use the Introductory Paragraph Frame
(Resource 8) from the student model
as a guide.
Grade 8 Main Events
Advanced Learners
 Experiment with Style – Have students
rewrite all or part of their narratives
with a style entirely different from their
own. (See Literature Teacher’s
Edition, p. 149 for more information.)
 Create 6-word Memoirs – students
summarize their lives using only six
words and display with a meaningful
photo background on a PowerPoint
slide or iMovie. (See
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVid
eo.php?video_id=104615&title=6_W
ord_Memoir&ref=mrboyer for some
student examples)
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Lesson 1 – Option #2
Indicators/Objectives:
 Generate and narrow topics by considering purpose, audience, form, personal relevance,
scope, and feasibility with a variety of pre-writing strategies, such as webbing/listing,
free writing, and/or technology-assisted process (4.0.1.a)
 Use a systematic process for recording, documenting, and organizing information
(4.0.1.b.3)
 Create tone (attitude toward subject) and voice with word choice and well chosen details
(4.0.2.a.4)
Assessments:
Assessment
Personal Narrative Graphic
Organizer
Personal Narrative Introductory
Paragraph
Scoring Tool
Teacher Review
Type
Classwork check
Introductory Paragraph
Scoring Tool
Formative English grade
Lesson Materials:
 Literature textbook, pp. 144-150
 Journal Entry Warm-up (Resource 1) - transparency
 Optional -1 or more personal narrative/memoir picture books (Resource 2)
 Optional - Story telling video clip
 Writing Prompt 2: Writing from Literature (Resource 3 and Literature, p. 144) transparency
 Autobiographical or Personal Narrative Graphic organizer (Resource 5, Best Practices
Toolkit, pp, C16, C18, or Writing Center: Writing Templates at ClassZone.com) –
1/student and transparency
 Optional - Web Organizer (Writing Center: Graphic Organizers at ClassZone.com or
Best Practices Toolkit, p. ) – 1/student and transparency
 Example of Introductory Paragraph from Student Model (Literature, pp.145-146)
 Creating a Great Introductory Paragraph (Resource 6) – 1/student and transparency
 Introductory Paragraph Scoring Tool (Resource 7)
Objective
 Analyze a student model that reflects the key traits of a personal narrative
 Use chronological order
 Use language that engages and hooks the reader in the introductory paragraphs
Grade 8 Main Events
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Warm-Up: (5-10 minutes)
 Journal Entry: Think about each of the stories that have been read. What lesson(s) can
be learned from each story? Think about the main conflict – what did it cause the main
character to learn?
o “Raymond’s Run”
o “The Tell-Tale Heart”
o “The Hitchhiker”
o “My First Free Summer”
 Discuss and record student answers. Responses might include:
o A time when you learned something new about another person – “Raymond’s Run”
o A time when you felt guilty – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Before Writing:
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Introduce Personal Narrative through one of these options:
o Tell a story about a significant or memorable event in your life
o Show a video clip of someone telling a short story.
o Read an excerpt or entire picture book or short story that is a personal
narrative/memoir. (See Resource 2 for a list of personal narrative/memoir children’s
books.)
o Give small groups one or more picture books and have them determine the author’s
purpose.
 Discuss: Why did the author tell it? (Stress that people often tell stories to teach lessons
or explain lessons that they’ve learned.)
 Define Personal Narrative and have students record the definitions in their notes.
o A personal narrative is a memoir or a form of autobiographical writing in which the
writer shares his or her personal experiences and observations of significant events or
people. “My First Free Summer” by Julia Alvarez is a memoir.
 Explain to students that they will be telling a personal narrative or story about one of their
own personal experiences. To help with making the selection, explain that student will
be thinking of conflicts or incidents from their lives that are similar to those experienced
by the characters studied in the unit.
 Display and/or review Writing Prompt 2: Writing from Literature (Resource 3) on page
144 of Literature.
Independent: (10 minutes)
 Students should brainstorm events in their lives that correlate to the lessons identified in
the warm-up and select one to write about for today’s lesson.
Note: If students are having difficulty selecting a topic, they could work in pairs or triads
to assist one another in making a selection.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Whole Group: (5 minutes)
 Distribute the narrative organizer (Resource 5, Best Practices Toolkit, pp. C16, C18, or
Writing Center – Writing Templates at ClassZone.com) and review.
Independent: (10 minutes)
 Direct students to complete their personal narrative or web organizer about the topic of
their choice.
 Teacher will monitor student progress and assist as needed.
Whole Group: (10 minutes)
 Review/read aloud the student model. Have students identify techniques that the author
used to create an interesting personal narrative. Direct students to comment about an
interesting introduction.
 Focus on Introductions – Think, pair, share techniques that author’s might use to make an
interesting beginning. Post/display student answers.
 Distribute Writing a Great Introduction handout (Resource 6)
Small Group: (10 minutes)
 Have pairs or triads review the other ways a writer can open a paragraph and “hook” the
reader and identify reasons why each particular introduction would be a good way to
begin the text.
 Share as a whole group.
Independent: (10 minutes)
 Have students use the handout to create their own introductory paragraphs on separate
paper.
Closure: (5 minutes)
Small Group:
 Have students pair/share their introductory paragraphs. Discuss what they did or did not
like about their introductory paragraphs and whether or not it hooked them as readers.
 Share a few examples from the students.
 If time allows, students can either make revisions to their introductions or try a different
introduction for their writing.
 Staple introductory paragraphs to each student’s graphic organizer and collect for a
formative English grade.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Differentiation Options:
Less Proficient Readers/English Learner
 Place each Introductory Paragraph
technique on card stock as
manipulatives. Students can write
their own paragraphs using the
examples on the cards.
Grade 8 Main Events
Advanced Learners
 Experiment with Style – Have students
rewrite all or part of their narratives
with a style entirely different from their
own. (See Literature Teacher’s
Edition, p. 149 for more information.)
 Create 6-word Memoirs – students
summarize their lives using only six
words and display with a meaningful
photo background on a PowerPoint
slide or iMovie. (See
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVid
eo.php?video_id=104615&title=6_W
ord_Memoir&ref=mrboyer for some
student examples)
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2009-2010
For Writing Prompt Option 1
Warm-Up
What is a personal narrative?
Discussion Questions:
 How do you decide which stories you’re going to
read?
 How do certain stories hold your attention?
For Writing Prompt Option 2
Warm-Up
Journal Entry:
Think about each of the stories that have been read. What
lesson(s) can be learned from each story?
Think about the main conflict – what did it cause the main
character to learn?
Identify possible lessons for each selection:
 “Raymond’s Run”
 “The Tell-Tale Heart”
 The Hitchhiker
Resource 1: Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Personal Narrative/Memoir Picture Books
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
Mama & Papa Have a Store by Amelia Lau Carling
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Big Mama's by Donald Crews
When I Was Little by Jamie Lee Curtis
Hanna Upstairs & Hanna Downstairs by Tomie dePaola
The Baby Sister by Tomie dePaola
The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola
Tom by Tomie dePaola
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston
Potato by Kate Lied
All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan
Kisses from Rosa by Petra Mathers
Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran
Hue Boy by Rita Phillips Mitchell
Always Gramma by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
The Chalk Doll by Charlotte Pomerantz
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
Friday's Journey by Ken Rush
My Father's Hand by Joanne Ryder
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
El Chino by Allen Say
No, David by David Shannon
July by James Stevenson
Don't You Know There's a War on? by James Stevenson
Fun No Fun by James Stevenson
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Resource 2 – Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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Unit 1: Writing Prompt Option 1
Writing from Your Life
Write a personal narrative telling about a
special experience in your life.
Include details that will help your reader
understand what the experience was like.
Be sure to explain why it was important to
you.
Unit 1: Writing Prompt Option 2
Writing from Literature
Sometimes an incident or a conflict in a
literary work can remind you of a similar
experience in your own life.
Choose an incident or conflict from one of
the stories in this unit. Describe the event and
tell what similar thing happened to you.
Resource 3 - Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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Sentence Starter Strips
The best Christmas present that I ever
received was…
The funniest thing that ever happened to
me was…
My favorite birthday gift ever was…
The best day of my life was…
The best vacation ever was…
The most fun I ever had was…
Sentence Starter Strips
The best Christmas present that I ever
received was…
The funniest thing that ever happened to
me was…
My favorite birthday gift ever was…
The best day of my life was…
The best vacation ever was…
The most fun I ever had was…
Resource 4 - Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Autobiographical or Personal Narrative
In an autobiographical or personal narrative, you will describe a personal experience and
explore its meaning. Use this form to organize your thoughts.
Introduction
Experience
Significance
Beginning
Middle
End
Conclusion
Resource 5 – Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Creating a Great Introductory Paragraph
The opening paragraph of a story or essay must pique your reader’s interest in order to get
him/her to read on.
Techniques:
Raise a question or create a mini-mystery: A desire to know more, to find out what the first
sentence means, can pull readers onward. Make them want to know more!
1.
Example: “Martin, a thin twelve year old, felt nervous in it from the first day he and his
father moved into the apartment. Of course he was always uncomfortable in elevators,
afraid that they would fall, but there was something especially unpleasant about this one.
- from “The Elevator” by William Sleator
2.
Introduce the Main Character:
Example: “I don’t have much work to do around the house like some girls. My mother
does that. And I don’t have to earn my pocket money by hustling; George runs errands
for the big boys and sells Christmas cards. And anything else that’s got to get done, my
father does. All I have to do in life is mind my brother Raymond, which is enough.
- from “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara
3.
Establish the Conflicts or Problems:
Example: “It looked like a good thing: but wait till I tell you. We were down South, in
Alabama-Bill Driscoll and myself-when this kidnapping idea struck us. It was, as Bill
afterward expressed it, “during a moment of temporary mental apparition”; but we
didn’t find that out till later.”
-from “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry
4.
Use Dialogue:
Example: ““Have you ever seen a dust mite?” My mother always lowers her voice when
she asks this: it adds to the emotional impact.
-from “Clean Sweep” by Joan Bauer
Resource 6 – Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
5.
Start with Action:
Example: “True!-nervous-very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am! But why
will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses-not destroyed-not
dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven
and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I made? Hearken! And
observe how healthily-how calmly I can tell you the whole story.”
-from “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
6.
Begin with the setting:
Example: “The dark sky, filled with angry, swirling clouds, reflected Greg Ridley’s
mood as he sat on the stoop of his building.”
- from “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers
Resource 6 – Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
Introductory Paragraph
Scoring Tool
The writing demonstrates a strong understanding of the writing technique.
Advanced
4
100%
The introductory paragraph effectively includes:
 thorough use of a technique or multiple techniques to capture the reader’s
attention.
 compelling ideas, engaging language, and revealing details.
The reader is able to infer the purpose of the text. (Why is this being written, or
what is important to know?)
The writing demonstrates an adequate understanding of the writing
technique.
Proficient
3
85%
The introductory paragraph effectively includes:
 a technique that captures the reader’s attention.
 compelling ideas, engaging language, and revealing details.
The reader is able to infer the purpose of the text. (Why is this being written, or
what is important to know?)
Basic
2
70%
The writing demonstrates a basic or partial understanding of the writing
technique.
The introductory paragraph attempts to:
 use a technique to capture the reader’s attention.
 include compelling ideas, engaging language, and revealing details.
The reader may not be able to infer the purpose of the text. (Why is this being
written, or what is important to know?)
The writing demonstrates an attempt to incorporate the writing technique.
Rough
1
60%
0
50%
The introductory paragraph has little to no evidence of using:
 A technique that captures the reader’s attention.
 compelling ideas, engaging language, and revealing details.
The writing is completely incorrect or irrelevant.
Resource 7 – Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010
It was an ingenious idea. It was my idea.
During lunch one day, we loaded up two
trays with as many jalapenos peppers as they
would hold. Then the fun began.
Differentiation Option
It was
.
During ____________ one day,
.
Then the fun began.
Resource 8 - Quick Write: “Personal Narrative”
Grade 8 Main Events
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Grade 8: Unit 1: The Main Events
Plot and Conflict
Future Planning/Evaluation
Teacher:
Grade:
School:
Unit Title:
Date:
During the course of this unit, please save samples of student work and return the samples
along with this evaluation to the English Language Arts Department at the Carver Center,
Booth Street.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the unit by providing comments below:
The content of the unit clearly addresses the grade level content standards/outcomes and
indicators and the essential questions.
Learning activities provide opportunities for active learning and elicit positive student
responses.
Activities enable a variety of students with different interests and learning styles to meet the
outcomes/indicators.
The pacing of the lessons is reasonable.
Grade 8 Main Events
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2009-2010