GENERAL INFORMATION

Subject(s)
Topic or Unit of Study

Concept(s)

Language Arts (English)

The lesson will focus on visualization and the characteristics of
narration and short story.

I want students to take away the concepts that make up a good

narrative or short story. Not only do I want the students to recognize
these concepts in their own narrative writing per the state Common
Core standards.
Essential questions to be asked:
How does the correlation of dialogue, characterization, figurative
language, and setting discern meaning of a short story?
How does the correlation of dialogue, characterization, figurative
language, and setting tie a story together?

Grade/Level
Time Allotment

Grade 11
1 class periods. 50 Mins. per class.

Assessment of Prior Knowledge

The class will begin with a picture prompt. Students will be given a
picture and asked to write a story pertaining to this picture. This will
provide background knowledge of narrative writing for the instructor.

Instructional Materials

Students will need four different writing utensils (highlighter, marker,

crayon, pen/pencil).
Teacher will need to provide a copy of George Orwell's1984.
Attachments:

1.

Resources

Materials and resources:

The teacher will be using Google presentation

Links:

1.

Summary

The students will be asked to write a short narrative in response to a

picture. Following this warm-up, students will be asked five questions
that pertain to narrative writing. The students will discuss these

questions in pairs for five to seven minutes. As a class, we will review

the questions, and provide a class definition of narrative writing. I
will address the author of today, George Orwell. As a class, we will
read chapter one of1984. The students will be asked to mark
dialogue, characterization, setting, and figurative language. Following
this activity, students will construct their own narrative and identify
the four concepts.

STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES

Standards

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MD- Maryland College and Career Ready Standards

- Math and ELA/Literacy (2013)
Subject: English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social
Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
Grade: Grades 1112 students:
Content Area: English Language Arts
Strand: Reading Standards for Literature
Domain: Craft and Structure
Standard:
Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure
specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or
end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic
resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as
well as its aesthetic impact.
Strand: Writing Standards
Domain: Text Types and Purposes
Standard:
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences
or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and
well-structured event sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem,
situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one
or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; create a smooth progression of
experiences or events.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing,
description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop
experiences, events, and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that
they build on one another to create a coherent whole and
build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of
mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and
sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the
experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what
is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the
narrative.

USA- Nat. Council of Teachers of English: Standards

for the English Language Arts
Standard 3.: Students apply a wide range of strategies to
comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They
draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other
readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of
other texts, their word identification strategies, and their

understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter

correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
Standard 4.: Students adjust their use of spoken, written,
and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to
communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for
different purposes.
Lesson Objective(s)

The learning outcomes for this lesson are that the students will be
able to assess a narrative text in terms of dialogue, characterization,
setting, and figurative language. Students will write and judge their
own narrative writing given these four concepts. This lesson will also
slow down the reading process for students in order for each student
to analyze literature effectively.

PROCEDURES AND MODIFICATIONS

Introduction(Motivation)

Students will be provided with a picture; the students will be asked

to write a short narrative that responds to the picture and the
question asked pertaining to the picture. Students will be given the
opportunity to share their short narratives before classtime
"officially" begins.

Teaching / Activities

1. Students will write a short narrative responding to a picture and

question on the board. This warm-up activity will act as the
assessment of prior knowledge.
2. In partners, students will discuss these four
questions: "Personally, what makes a good story to you? What is
dialogue? What is characterization? What is setting? What is
figurative language?" The partners will be given four to five minutes
to discuss the questions and we will clear up any misconceptions
during our classroom discussion of the questions.
3. Given our discussion of the questions, we will write a classroom
definition of narrative writing. Each student will be asked to provide
input for this definition.
4. I will provide a short background on the author of "The Last Leaf,"
O.Henry.
5. I will then present a slide that explains Guided Visualization. Using
a pencil, students will underline points of dialogue; using a
highlighter, students will highlight the setting of the story; using a
marker, students will locate points of characterization; and using a
crayon, students will denote areas of figurative language.
6. I will ask a student to hand out copies of "The Last Leaf" while I
make sure each student has the necessary materials needed for the
Guided Visualization.
7. We will read "The Last Leaf" as a class. While reading, the class
will denote the four concepts of narrative. Following the reading, we
will discuss the points of dialogue, characterization, setting, and
figurative language and how it relates to the overall short story.
8. The lights will be dimmed and students will be asked to put their
heads on their desks. I'm trying to create an atmosphere of
comfortable creative thinking. I will provide the students with a
setting (a fall day in the front yard of their childhood home) and ask

the students a variety of questions that will activate a succinct scene

in their minds.
9. Students will write their own narrative that relates to the images
they have visualized. This narrative must include dialogue, setting
(already provided), characterization, and figurative language.

Closure

Students will be asked to scan their own narrative writing and denote
the four concepts of narrative writing.

Differentiated Instruction

Students with reading impairments will be provided an audio version

of the text.

ASSESSMENT / EVALUATION
Assessment/Rubrics

The formative assessment will be the completed, denoted narrative

text written during class.