Writing Narrative Texts: Planning the Middle of a Monologue | EL Education Curriculum

You are here

ELA G5:M1:U3:L3

Writing Narrative Texts: Planning the Middle of a Monologue

You are here:

These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
  • W.5.3a: Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
  • W.5.3b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
  • W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • W.5.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify the characteristics of the middle of a monologue. (W.5.3a, W.5.3b, W.5.4)
  • I can plan the middle of a monologue that explains how the narrator responds to the event or situation. (W.5.3a, W.5.3b, W.5.4, W.5.5)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Middle box of Monologue Planning graphic organizer: Esperanza Rising (W.5.3a, W.5.3b, W.5.4, W.5.5)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Writer: Rereading an Event (10 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Language Dive, Part II: Miguel's Monologue (15 minutes)

B. Analyzing a Model (10 minutes)

C. Guided Practice: Planning the Middle of a Monologue (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

B. For ELLs: Complete Language Dive Part II practice in your Unit 3 Homework.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This lesson continues a series of lessons in which students analyze the elements of plot in Miguel's Monologue to build expertise about narrative texts and understand what a monologue is. In this lesson, students analyze the middle of the model monologue and plan the middle of their individual monologues (W.5.3, W.5.4, W.5.5).
  • During Work Time A, students participate in a Language Dive. The conversation guides them through the meaning and the order of events of a sentence from Miguel's Monologue. All students learn how to unpack the sentence and will use this knowledge when writing their own monologues during the mid-unit assessment in Lesson 5.
  • This lesson is the final in a series of three that include built-out instruction for the use of Goal 2 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation (adapted from Michaels, Sarah and O'Connor, Cathy. Talk Science Primer. Cambridge, MA: TERC, 2012. Based on Chapin, S., O'Connor, C., and Anderson, N. [2009]. Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, Grades K-6. Second Edition. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications). Goal 2 Conversation Cues encourage students to listen carefully to one another and seek to understand. Continue drawing on Goal 1 Conversation Cues, introduced in Unit 1, Lesson 3, and add Goal 2 Conversation Cues to more strategically promote productive and equitable conversation. As the modules progress, Goal 3 and 4 Conversation Cues are also introduced. Consider providing students with a thinking journal or scrap paper.
  • In this lesson, the habit of character focus is on working to become effective learners. The characteristic that students are reminded of in this lesson is persevere, because they are writing a new and likely unfamiliar format of narrative text.
  • Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently as the teacher reads Miguel's Monologue in Work Time B.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to human rights. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.

How it builds on previous work:

  • Students analyzed the beginning of Miguel's Monologue and planned the beginning of their individual monologues in the previous lesson.
  • Throughout Units 1 and 2, students thought about events in Esperanza Rising where human rights were threatened and how the characters reacted to these events. Students refer to the anchor charts and graphic organizers developed in Units 1 and 2 as they plan and write their monologues in this unit.
  • Throughout Unit 1, students were introduced to various total participation techniques (for example, cold calling, equity sticks, Think-Pair-Share, etc.). When following the directive to "Use a total participation technique, invite responses from the group," use one of these techniques or another familiar technique to encourage all students to participate.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may require support with putting their ideas into writing. Consider sitting with those students who require additional support with writing to help them actualize their ideas.

Assessment guidance:

  • Throughout the teacher-led language dive, call on students to share their responses with the whole group to build knowledge collectively and clarify any misconceptions. As students are working, circulate to clarify misunderstandings and use these as teaching points for the whole group.
  • Consider using the Speaking and Listening Informal Assessment: Collaborative Discussion Checklist during students' partner discussions in Work Time A (see the Tools page).
  • Consider using the Writing: Writing Informal Assessment: Observational Checklist for Writing and Language Skills to gather baseline data on students' writing abilities in Work Time C (see the Tools page).
  • Collect the Language Dive Part I Practice homework from Lesson 2 for assessment.

Down the road:

  • In Lesson 4, students will analyze Miguel's Monologue for its elements of plot and use it as an exemplar as they plan the end of their monologues.
  • Students will use their plan to draft their monologue for the mid-unit assessment in Lesson 5.

In Advance

  • Strategically pair students for partner work in Work Time A.
  • Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the questions and goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting materials). Select from the questions and goals provided to best meet your students' needs.
  • Prepare the sentence strip chunks for the Language Dive (see supporting materials).
  • Review the Thumb-O-Meter protocol. See Classroom Protocols.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts.

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time C: Digital narrative plan: Students complete the Monologue Planning graphic organizer using Google Docs or other word-processing software to refer to when working on their writing outside of class.
  • Work Time C: Students use speech-to-text facilities activated on devices or use an app or software like Dictation.io.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.A.4, 5.I.C.10a, 5.I.C.12a, 5.II.A.1, 5.II.A.2a, and 5.II.B.3

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with the opportunity to act out their group's selected event from Esperanza Rising. Acting out helps ELLs make the connection between language and meaning and allows teachers to assess how well ELLs understand the language. In addition, students continue to analyze the elements of plot in Miguel's Monologue and apply their learning when planning the middle of their monologues.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to identify parts of Miguel's Monologue that show how the narrator responded to the situation described in the narrative. Continue to use the color-coding system established in Lesson 2, and support students by modeling and thinking aloud the process (see Meeting Students' Needs column).
  • In Work Time A, students participate in the second of a series of two connected Language Dives. The conversation reinforces the perfect tense in the same sentence of Miguel's Monologue introduced in the Lesson 2 Language Dive, which was optional for ELLs. Students may draw on this sentence when writing their monologues.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During the Language Dive, challenge students to generate questions about the sentence before asking the prepared questions. Example: "What questions can we ask about this sentence? Let's see if we can answer them together."

For heavier support:

  • Invite students to tell a new partner or family member their plan for the middle of their narrative in their home language and in classroom English. Encourage students to seek feedback from the new partner or family member and discuss what might happen next in the story. Retelling the same story multiple times to different people in their home language and in classroom English will help ELLs experiment with, enhance, and automatize the English they need to tell the story comprehensibly.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, students use a model text to write the middle of their own monologue. It is important for students to make explicit connections between the model and the What is a Monologue? handout. Facilitate increased comprehension by using color-coding in additional to text and other visuals to make the connections clear.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, students begin planning their writing. Planning for writing is a very individual endeavor. Provide choice in how students plan using their graphic organizer. Consider allowing them to write full sentences, jot, or sketch their ideas. Also consider modeling all the available choices and empower students to make the decision that works best for their planning style.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Throughout this unit, students reflect and evaluate their own progress toward their learning goals. This is a very important practice for students to monitor their own learning. However, some students may feel threatened by the public nature of this evaluation in the basic structure in this lesson. Consider offering choice about how students report their progress, including a non-public method that is only for the teacher (see Meeting Students' Needs column).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

  • persevere, middle, responded to the event (L)

Materials

  • Monologue group norms (from Lesson 1; one per monologue group)
  • Esperanza Rising (from Unit 1, Lesson 2; one per student)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Unit 2, Lesson 13)
  • Miguel's Monologue (from Lesson 1; one per student and one to display)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2)
  • Language Dive Guide Part II: Miguel's Monologue (for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher Part II: Miguel's Monologue (one per student and one to display)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks Part II: Miguel's Monologue (one to display)
  • What is a Monologue? handout (from Lesson 1; one per student and one to display)
  • Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Miguel's Monologue (from Lesson 2; one per student and one to display)
  • Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Miguel's Monologue (from Lesson 2; example, for teacher reference)
  • Narrative Writing Checklist (from Lesson 2; one per student and one to display)
  • Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Esperanza Rising (from Lesson 2; one per student and one to display)
  • Character Reaction note-catchers (from Unit 2; one per student):
    • Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Las Cebollas" (from Unit 2, Lesson 1)
    • Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Las Ciruelas" (from Unit 2, Lesson 3)
    • Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Esparragos" (from Unit 2; Lesson 6)
    • Character Reaction Note-catcher: "Los Duraznos" (from Unit 2; Lesson 7)
    • Mid-Unit 2 Assessment (from Unit 2, Lesson 10)
  • Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2)
  • Domain-Specific Word Wall (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 3)

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Writer: Rereading an Event (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to sit with their monologue groups and to spend a few minutes reading through the monologue group norms they generated in Lesson 1.
  • Invite groups to take out their copies of Esperanza Rising and reread the excerpt that corresponds with their group's selected event.
  • Display and read aloud the following directions. Answer clarifying questions:

1. As a group, discuss the gist of your group's selected event.

2. Tell who your selected character is.

3. Act out your group's selected event, with each person acting in the role of his or her character. Be sure to show how the character reacts to the event: What does he or she say or do, and how does he or she feel?

4. Then discuss the following: What is one thing you did to show how your character reacted to the event?

  • Focus students' attention back to the whole group. Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is one thing someone in your group did to show how his or her character reacted to your group's event?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory: Invite students to turn to an elbow partner and retell their group's selected event from Esperanza Rising. Have them share out and give them feedback on their language use and summarizing skill. Then invite them to turn to their partner and summarize once again, this time in 30 seconds or less. Repeat the feedback process. (MMR)
  • As groups discuss the gist, have students sketch a quick image of the main events. This way they can reference it as they it out. (MMR, MMAE)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can identify the characteristics of the middle of a monologue."

"I can plan the middle of a monologue that explains how the narrator responds to the event or situation."

  • Remind students that they have been working on a monologue written from the perspective of a character from Esperanza Rising as part of the module performance task, and that they have planned the beginning of their monologues. Tell students that today they will work on planning the middle of their monologues.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically persevere. Remind students that because they will be working to plan an unfamiliar form of narrative text, they will need to persevere.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with memory: Review the first learning target and ask students to recall and describe how they worked toward achieving a similar learning target for the beginning of their monologue in Lesson 2. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Check comprehension of the second learning target. Ask:

"What will the middle of your monologue explain?" (How the narrator responds to the situation.)

    • Point out that the words respond and to are often used together.
    • Ask:

"What do you think it means to respond to an event or situation? (It means how someone acts after something happens; how someone reacts to an event.) (MMR)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Language Dive Part II: Miguel's Monologue (15 minutes)

  • Move students into pairs.
  • Display Miguel's Monologue and invite students to take out their own copies. Invite students to follow along, reading silently in their heads as you read the text aloud.
  • Direct students' attention to the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart and focus students on bullets 5-11.
  • Tell students you are going to guide them through this Language Dive. Some of the questions will be discussed as a whole group, and others will be discussed with a partner.
  • Guide students through the Language Dive using the Language Dive Guide Part II: Miguel's Monologue (for teacher reference). Refer to the guide for how to integrate the Language Dive Note-catcher Part II: Miguel's Monologue and Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks Part II: Miguel's Monologue.
  • For ELLs: Pair students with a partner who has more advanced or native language proficiency. The partner with greater language proficiency can serve as a model in the pair, initiating discussions and providing implicit sentence frames.
  • Provide differentiated mentors by purposefully pre-selecting student groups. Consider meeting with the mentors in advance to share their thought process. (MMAE)

B. Analyzing a Model (10 minutes)

  • Focus students on Miguel's Monologue and remind them that they have been analyzing this text as a model of effective monologues. Remind students that today, they will analyze the middle of the monologue.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"How can examining the format of this monologue help us when writing our own monologues?" (ensure writing follows the same format, which will help writing be appropriate to the task)

"What is the gist of this text? What is it mostly about?" (It's about Miguel's reaction to the fire at Esperanza's house.)

  • Display and invite students to retrieve their What is a Monologue? handout and point out the third bullet point:
    • "Explains how the narrator responds to the event or situation."
  • Remind students that monologues are structured in certain ways, and this predictable structure helps the reader to better understand the character's message. Tell students that monologues can be broken into three parts: the beginning, the middle, and the end.
  • Tell students that in the middle of a monologue, the narrator explains how he or she responded to the event or situation by describing by what he or she does, says, thinks, and feels. Point out this criterion on the handout.
  • Display the Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Miguel's Monologue and invite students to take out their copies. Remind students they are using this graphic organizer to analyze Miguel's Monologue and using a new version of it to plan their own monologues.
  • Direct students' attention to the Middle box of the graphic organizer and select a volunteer to read the heading and questions, clarifying as needed.
  • Invite students to whisper-read paragraphs three through five of Miguel's Monologue with their monologue group.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"How did the narrator explain how he responded to the situation? What did he do, say, and think? How did he feel?" (what he did: Miguel tried to comfort Esperanza and her mother; he ran inside to find Abuelita when he realized she was still in the house; what he said: he asked Esperanza where Abuelita was; what he thought: he wondered where Abuelita was; how he felt: worry and concern for where Senora Ortega and Abuelita are.)

  • If productive, use a Goal 2 Conversation Cue to encourage students to listen carefully and seek to understand:

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite students to label the parts of Miguel's Monologue that show how the narrator responded to the situation.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Which parts of the text did you label to show how Miguel responded? What details in the text make you think so?" (Responses will vary, but may include: Paragraph 3: "I grabbed Esperanza and asked, trying to make sense of where they were"; Paragraph 4: "Without thinking, I ran inside"; "I carefully picked her up and carried her toward the door.")

  • If productive, use a Goal 2 Conversation Cue to encourage students to listen carefully and seek to understand:

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Direct students' attention back to the Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Miguel's Monologue and as a group complete the Middle box. Refer to Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Miguel's Monologue (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Continue to use the color-coding system established in Lesson 2 for for the Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Miguel's Monologue. Use the corresponding color to highlight and label sections from the middle of Miguel's Monologue to reinforce the connection between the information in the graphic organizer and the information in the monologue. (MMR)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Model and think aloud the process of identifying and labeling parts of Miguel's Monologue that show how the narrator responds to the event or situation. (Example: "In the third paragraph, Miguel says he felt 'a rush of relief' when he saw Esperanza come out of the house. I will write feels next to this sentence and will write Miguel feels relieved when he sees Esperanza on the graphic organizer.") (MMR)

C. Guided Practice: Planning the Middle of a Monologue (15 minutes)

  • Display and invite students to take out their copy of the Narrative Writing Checklist and point out the following characteristics:
    • W.5.3a
    • W.5.3b
  • Tell students that as they plan, they should remember that even though they will be writing an imagined or made-up monologue, it should be based on their group's event from Esperanza Rising.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Are there any specific criteria about the middle of these monologues that you should be aware of and list in that column on the checklist?" (Responses will vary, but may include: I show how my character responded to my group's event, and it is based on how it is described in Esperanza Rising.)

  • As students share out, capture their responses in the Characteristics of My Monologue column as needed.
  • Display and invite students to take out their Monologue Planning Graphic Organizer: Esperanza Rising and direct students' attention to the box labeled Middle. Tell students that today they should complete only this part of the graphic organizer. Remind them that they will work on planning the other parts of their narratives in the next few lessons.
  • Invite students to plan the middle of their monologue.
  • Circulate and support students as they plan. Remind them to be creative but to remember that their narratives should be based on their group's event from Esperanza Rising, and to refer to Esperanza Rising, the Character Reaction note-catcher that corresponds to their group's event, the Spanish/English Dictionary anchor chart, and the domain-specific word wall as they plan.
  • Circulate to support pairs as they plan. If necessary, prompt by asking questions such as:

"What event is being described in this monologue?"

"Who is the narrator? What does the narrator think, feel, do, or say when the event occurs?"

  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Display, repeat, and rephrase the first Narrative Writing Checklist characteristic (W.5.3a). (Example: "I write the events in an order that makes sense and is easy to understand.") (MMR)
  • For ELLs: If beginning proficiency students are partnered with more advanced students within monologue groups, invite them to plan the middle of their monologues and fill out their graphic organizers together. Allow them extra time to plan if needed.
  • Provide differentiated mentors by purposefully pre-selecting student groups. Consider meeting with the mentors in advance to share their thought process. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

  • Tell students they are now going to use the Thumb-O-Meter protocol to reflect on their progress toward the learning targets. Remind them that they used this protocol in Units 1 and 2 and review as necessary. Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.
  • Guide students through the Thumb-O-Meter protocol using the first learning target. Scan student responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.
  • Repeat this process with the second learning target.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically persevere. Invite students to use their thumb to reflect on how they persevered as they planned the middle of their monologues.
  • Note students showing a thumbs-sideways or thumbs-down, so you can check in with them frequently to see how they are getting on with this in later lessons.
  • For ELLs: Be aware that the Thumb-O-Meter protocol may contain gestures that are uncomfortable or offensive for some students. Explain to entering ELLs that these signals are okay in the United States, or ask the class to develop signals that are universally appropriate.
  • For students who may feel uncomfortable sharing their progress on meeting the learning targets publicly: Minimize risk by providing a sheet of paper where they can report their progress for each learning target in private. This provides useful data for future instruction and helps students monitor their own learning. (MME)

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.

B. For ELLs: Complete Language Dive Part II practice in your Unit 3 Homework.

  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 1. (MMAE, MMR)

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.

Sign Up