Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

• W.6.3 – Opening A: Students complete an entrance ticket in which they reread the model narrative, select a sentence that they find effective, and connect it to criteria on the Narrative Writing checklist.
• RL.6.1 – Work Time A: Students read the next chapter of the text and find the gist. Students also unpack unfamiliar vocabulary and answer comprehension questions using inferences and evidence from text.
• W.6.3 – Work Time B: Students plan their character and scene insertion. They incorporate their research on the character’s god parent and the physical description and traits of the character. Students also begin thinking through which scene will work best for inserting this character and justifying their choice, considering which relevant descriptive details to include and how to structure the event sequences. Students may not complete all of their planning in this lesson and will continue their work in the next two lessons.
• W.6.4 – Work Time B: Using the model narrative as guidance, students plan a clear and coherent narrative, with attention to task, purpose, and audience.
• W.6.5 – Closing and Assessment A: Students share their initial character and scene plans with a partner. Remind students that any feedback they provide should be kind, specific, and helpful. Additionally, stress that the first draft of a plan is rarely the best draft; tell students that their ideas will evolve and improve over time.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

• Introduce a new vocabulary word - penultimate. Explain that penultimate means second to last. In today’s lesson, students will be reading from the penultimate, or second to last, chapter in The Lightning Thief. Encourage students to come up with other scenarios in which they could use this word.
• Make the Pair Share in Closing and Assessment A more interactive by incorporating a movement protocol.

How It Builds on Previous Work

• In the previous lesson, students began their work toward the End of Unit 3 Assessment by establishing expectations for this assignment. They read a model narrative and analyzed it to determine how it compared and contrasted with the original scene from the novel. Students also began establishing the characteristics of narrative writing using a checklist that they applied to the model narrative. They will apply this same checklist to their own narrative writing as they work toward the end of unit assessment.

Support All Students

• Students may be surprised, offended, confused, or upset by the depiction of Gabe’s verbal abusiveness toward Percy and his mother and the suggestion of a history of physical abuse toward Percy’s mother in this chapter. Time for debriefing and reflection might help get these concerns out into the open so they can be addressed and tracked throughout the text.
• Successfully developing a new character and planning the scene revision depends first on students' understanding of the scene and the Greek god they have selected. Make sure to provide opportunities for students and/or groups to ask questions throughout Work Time B, frequently referring back to their research from Lesson 3 or extending their research as the character evolves. ▲
• Some students may not be able to spontaneously come up with ideas for their original character and scene insertion. A number of digital, interactive online tools can be leveraged, such as character name generators or storyboarding sites, to inspire ideas and help students gain momentum with their writing.
• Provide choice in how students plan using their graphic organizer. Allow students to write full sentences, jot down, or sketch their ideas. Model all the available choices, and empower students to make the decision that works best for their planning style. ▲

Assessment Guidance

• Circulate and monitor as students complete the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer. Set up writing conferences to ensure that students understand the requirements of the assignment and to push students’ thinking.
• Students will likely not finish all of their planning during this lesson. They will have time in the next two lessons to continue planning.

Down the Road

• In the next lesson, students read from the final chapter in the anchor text, The Lightning Thief. They will continue to plan their narratives, using their analysis of the model narrative to determine where to insert their new character. Students will strategically edit the original scene, determining what to keep and what to change.