Lesson 9

Strategy Focus: Background Knowledge, Vocabulary, Preview, Prediction, SelfQuestion, Main idea, Details, and Writing a Character Analysis
Common Core State Standards:
Reading Standards for Literature Grade 9-10
CCSS 1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS 3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting
motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance
the plot or develop the theme.
Writing Standards Grade 9-10
CCSS 5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.
CCSS 6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update
individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technologys capacity to link
to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
CCSS 9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
Speaking and Listening Standards Grade 9-10
CCSS 1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (oneon-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 910 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively
CCSS 2: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of
formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Language Standards Grade 9-10
CCSS 1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
CCSS 2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CCSS 3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend
more fully when reading or listening.
CCSS 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grades 910 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
CCSS 6: Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career
readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when
considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Student Learning Objective

I can read and comprehend text in English using many reading strategies.
I can determine the characters of a story and words to describe personality.
I can write a character analysis using text evidence.
I can clarify the meaning of unknown English vocabulary and use the words in my
writing.

Materials
Standing by Emma by Jeff Gottesfeld (Lexile Level 160L)
Reading Strategies Graphic Organizer
Look at a Character/Character Traits (From Reading Comprehension)
Individual Reading Conferencing Rubric
Comprehension Quiz
Character Analysis Rubric

Lesson Description (Reading Period)

Warm Up Ask students if they participate in a school sport, band or activity.
Allow them to share about their after school activities. Discuss the difficulty and
stress a student can experience when participating in activities and balancing
school life. Identify this as background knowledge to understand the main
characters, Emma and Danya.
Modeling Read aloud Standing by Emma by Jeff Gottesfeld. Review the reading
strategies chart and the word infer. Infer why Danya had a hard time being friend
with Emma after the accident. Add retell to the reading strategies chart in the
after reading column. Tell students that they will have individual reading
conferences again, and after reading they will retell the story. Explain that a
retelling is longer and more detailed than a summary, but it also includes all of the
elements of a summary.
Guided Practice/Independent Practice Independently, students preview the text
and work on their pre-reading graphic organizer. Then students read the story on
their own and work on vocabulary semantic maps for 5 to 10 new vocabulary
words in the text. While students are working independently, hold individual
reading conferences with each student. Listen to each student read the book and
then retell the story. Ask for predictions, connections, and inferences during the
conferences. Use the Individual Reading Conferencing Checklist to determine
what students know and areas for improvement.
Differentiation Guided reading groups allow the teacher to assess student needs
abilities, and address the individual need of each student.
Lesson Description (Writing Period)
Warm Up Give each student a dry erase board and marker to write down
personality trait words that are not already on our class generated list. Have
students hold up their dry erase boards, and add new personality traits to the list.

Modeling Look at last weeks Character Traits graphic organizer about Rosa. Use
it to model how to write a Character Analysis Essay rough draft that included text
evidence. Add character analysis essay to the reading strategies chart in the after
reading column below literature response.
Guided Practice Using the document camera, display a new copy of Character
Traits Graphics Organizer and give students their own copies. Together pick one
personality trait for Danya and find text evidence to support it.
Independent Practice Students fill in the other 3 personality traits with text
evidence, and use their graphic organizer to write a rough draft character analysis.
Hold individual reading conferences to help students with the revise and edit
process. Students publish their final copies on Google Classroom.
Differentiation Individual writing conferences allow the teacher to address the
individual needs of each students and work with them to improve their writing
skills.
Assessment of Student Learning (Did students meet the learning objectives?) Individual
reading conferences using a checklist clearly show students abilities, needs, and areas of
growth with reading and comprehension. Students are summatively assessed with a
comprehension quiz. Writing conferences allow the teacher to formatively assess student
writing, and guide them to mastery. Students are then summatively assessed with their
published final copies.