Inner Voice Lesson for 8th Grade

Standards:
CC.1.3.8.K Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading
independently and proficiently.
CC.1.5.8.A Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions, on grade-level
topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly

Objective: Students will be able to react, question, and make connections

and inferences while reading a narrative text.
Anticipatory Set: Provide students with a copy of an excerpt from Flowers
for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Have students preview the excerpt and write
down any questions they have. Then, have students follow along as the
teacher reads the excerpt aloud and tell them to be prepared to reflect on
the excerpt. After reading, have the students write down their thoughts,
questions, and/or opinion of the text. Explain to students that they just
activated their inner voice by thinking about the text as they read. Explain
that writing down their thoughts means they are having a conversation with
the text.
Procedures:
Modeling: After introducing the novel Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie by
Jordan Sonnenblick, the teacher will model how to use inner voice by reading
the first chapter aloud, stopping every couple paragraphs and jotting down
thoughts on the board (Stop-Think-React). The students will write this inner
conversation in their notebooks, which will act as a guide when they monitor
their own inner voice.
Guided Practice: Students will continue to Stop-Think-React after every
paragraph for the next five paragraphs. Then, they will turn and talk with a
partner. When they share their reflections they can check to make sure they
are on the same page and develop a deeper meaning of the text.
Independent Practice: Students will continue monitoring their inner voice
and comprehension with Stop-Think-React throughout the novel. Explain to
students that they should be stopping every couple of paragraphs or every
page. At the end of every chapter, the students are encouraged to turn and
talk about their reflections.

Differentiation: The teacher will mark the novels with stopping points to
remind students to Stop-Think-React for students who need more support.
Also, students who require more support will turn and talk before writing to
refine their ideas and rehearse what to write.
Closure: After each day of instruction on the novel, the students will answer
the following prompts in their notebooks:
1. Main idea of the chapter(s) you have read today.
2. How did talking to a partner help you understand what you read?
3. Any questions you have about the novel.
Assessment: The teacher will review the students reflections in their
notebooks. Their responses would help determine their level of
understanding. The teacher will look for evidence that the reader is stopping
frequently, thinking about the information, and jotting down thoughts and
reactions.
Materials: whiteboard, Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie by Jordan
Sonnenblick, notebooks
Adaptations for younger grades: The teacher will read aloud and draw
pictures of their thinking process.