Create a Documentary Clip: Draft a Narrative Lead | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M4:U3:L2

Create a Documentary Clip: Draft a Narrative Lead

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • W.7.3, W.7.4

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • W.7.5, SL.7.4, L.7.6

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine criteria for an effective narrative lead in a documentary. (W.7.3)
  • I can write the narrative lead for a documentary script using effective techniques and relevant descriptive details. (W.7.3)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 (W.7.3)
  • Work Time A: Model Documentary Script annotations (W.7.3)
  • Work Time B: Narrative lead draft (W.7.3) 

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.7.3 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Analyze a Model Narrative Lead in a Documentary Script - W.7.3 (10 minutes)

B. Draft a Narrative Lead for a Documentary Script - W.7.3 (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Triad Share - W.7.4 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Continue Action Plan: Students continue to work on their personal action plans. Students record their plans, research, and actions they've taken in their action plan journals, including at least one new note in the final research or results section.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • W.7.3 – Opening A: On an entrance ticket, students record ideas about their action plans with their documentary triad members, discussing how to turn their action plans into a story for their narrative lead.
  • W.7.3 – Work Time A: Students analyze the techniques and structure of a narrative lead in the Model Documentary Script.
  • W.7.3 – Work Time B: Students draft a narrative lead for their documentary script that engages the reader and uses a variety of narrative techniques to introduce the problem of plastic pollution and establish the context of their efforts to reduce plastic pollution.
  • W.7.4 – Closing and Assessment A: Students share their narrative leads with their triads and discuss how their narrative leads help to orient the audience and establish a context for their documentary.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by collaborating with others in analyzing and sharing narrative leads and taking responsibility for their own work as they draft a narrative lead. These activities also involve working to become ethical people as they practice compassion and respect listening to one another’s work.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Release more responsibility more quickly to students as they comprehend the tasks or concepts. For example:
    • Allow those students who are skilled with planning to offer their services as “expert planners” to other groups who may need some support.
  • If time allows, encourage students to share elements of their narrative lead with the whole class and explain why they are making the choice to include a certain narrative technique.
  • Challenge students to examine the narrative lead of A Plastic Ocean to identify and discuss its narrative techniques.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students watched a documentary to determine criteria for an effective documentary. They have learned about plastic pollution and possible solutions over the course of several lessons. In this lesson, students draw on this work as they begin drafting documentary scripts about their plan to reduce plastic pollution.

Support All Students

  • For students who may be overwhelmed by too much print on a page, reduce anxiety and support sustained effort by offering a copy of the model documentary script with one paragraph per page. ▲
  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after students analyze the narrative lead in the model documentary script in Work Time A, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • Note there is a student version of the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer ▲ used in Work Time A in the separate Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ narrative leads to ensure they are on the right track for writing an effective documentary lead.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will combine the best parts of their narrative leads into one lead for the group’s documentary script.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 at each student's workspace.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time B: Device to type a narrative lead
  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 7.I.A.1, 7.I.B.5, 7.I.B.6, 7.I.C.10, and 7.I.C.12.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson explores a model narrative lead and a discrete checklist to guide students with their own writing.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to draft a narrative lead, even with the modeling and checklist. In addition to the suggestions below, limit the length of the lead according to students' language abilities. For example, newcomers can create a comic-strip narrative lead that includes dialogue in speech bubbles and labels and plot descriptions. Students who are literate in their home language can write their narrative in their home language.

Vocabulary

  • narrative nonfiction (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Criteria of an Effective Narrative anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 4, Work Time B)
  • Equity sticks (from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Model Documentary Script: "Lunch, Hold the Plastic" (example for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening B)
  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time A)
  • Model Documentary Script: "Lunch, Hold the Plastic" (one per student; from Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Narrative Writing checklist from Module 2 (optional; one per student; completed copies from Module 2, Unit 3, Lesson 8, Work Time A) 
  • Action plan journal (one per student; from Module 4, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Homework A)
  • Texts from Module 4, Units 1 and 2: A Plastic Ocean, Trash Vortex, "Five Weird Materials That Could Replace Plastic," "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution," and "Boyan Slat: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Kid" (one of each per student)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Narrative Writing checklist (example for teacher reference) 

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2 (one per student)
  • Narrative Writing checklist (one per student)
  • Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer ▲

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 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 students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.7.3 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 2.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review some sample responses, so that students who struggled with the activity can benefit from peer modeling.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Analyze a Model Narrative Lead in a Documentary Script – W.7.3 (10 minutes)

  • Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can determine criteria for an effective narrative lead in a documentary.”

  • Display the Criteria of an Effective Narrative anchor chart, and distribute blank copies of the Narrative Writing checklist. Ask students to retrieve their copies of the Model Documentary Script: “Lunch, Hold the Plastic,” and reread aloud the narrative lead section as students follow along. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“What is the purpose of this section of the documentary?” (To engage the reader, introduce the problem of plastic pollution, and give a call to action.) 

“What type of writing is used in this section?” (Narrative.) 

“Why is it effective to begin the script in this way?” (It engages the reader and provides context and helps the reader understand the personal impact of plastic pollution.)

“What is the effect of using first person pronouns (I, me, we, us)?” (They make the story seem personal, more real and engaging.)

  • Ask students to use the anchor chart and checklist to identify some of the characteristics of an effective narrative used in this section of the script. As necessary, model identifying one or two characteristics from the checklist and annotating the displayed script. For example, note how the context is established and how the setting is described.
  • Direct students to form their documentary triads and take about 5 minutes to annotate the narrative lead section of the Model Documentary Script for the criteria of an effective narrative. Then use equity sticks to have volunteers share some of the characteristics they identified. Consult the Model Documentary Script (example for teacher reference) for sample annotations.
  • Explain that the criteria for an effective narrative lead in their documentary script and the criteria for an effective narrative are very similar because, in the beginning of their documentary, they will tell a story using real information. When a writer or speaker uses tools from narrative writing to make their stories about real events interesting and engaging, it is called narrative nonfiction. Remind students that in Module 2, they recorded this term on the domain-specific word wall and in their vocabulary logs.
  • Allow several minutes for students to work in their documentary triads to complete the third column of the Narrative Writing checklist, drawing on their learning from the model and the experience of rewatching the documentary clip in the previous lesson. Note that there are several criteria that they will likely not need to consider in their narrative leads; these have been indicated on their copies of the checklist. If students need more support, they may use their copies of the Narrative Writing checklist from Module 2, noting differences between their narrative leads for a podcast about epidemics and one for a documentary about plastic pollution. ▲ Circulate to identify any criteria to review as a class, using the Narrative Writing checklist (example for teacher reference) for sample criteria as necessary.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time A, if time allows, encourage students to act out the model narrative lead in pairs by assigning students the roles of narrator and actor. (Partner students at varied levels for roles, so students who need lighter support can read the lead while those who need heavier support act it out. As necessary, encourage students who need lighter support to guide their classmates by discussing or modeling actions.) Enacting the narrative lead helps students who need heavier support visualize the story and highlights the narrative techniques like hook and description. 
  • After Work Time A, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to explore how the author of a documentary script uses a question as a technique for capturing the listener's interest with a call to action in the narrative lead. The sentence also helps to address L.7.1b because it is a compound sentence that uses but to signal contrast between ideas.

For Heavier Support

  • See For Lighter Support. 

B. Draft a Narrative Lead for a Documentary Script – W.7.3 (20 minutes)

  • Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can write the narrative lead of a documentary script using effective techniques and relevant descriptive details.”

  • Tell students that they will now begin to draft a narrative lead for their documentary scripts individually before sharing with their triads. Explain that even though students will plan and eventually make their documentary in triads, they will first write the narrative lead individually to generate ideas about the content and style of the lead. Then they will use one of the leads as a base or combine the best ideas from their individual narratives to create a group narrative lead for their documentary script. Invite students to retrieve their action plan journal, entrance ticket, and Narrative Writing checklist to help guide their writing. As necessary, remind students that their narrative leads should provide context about plastic pollution and include a hook, introduce a narrator, and use descriptive details. Students should also consider using first person pronouns to make the story more engaging, personal, and realistic. If students need additional support in developing their narrative lead, provide them with a copy of the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer ▲.
  • Remind students to think about how they will eventually present their scripts as a documentary as they draft and to write accordingly. Observe that it is OK to use both a conversational tone and a formal tone at the appropriate times in their scripts.
  • Focus students on the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically: “I persevere.” Remind students that since they will be working independently, they will need to persist through challenges as they draft.
  • Invite students to begin drafting. Circulate to offer support.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time B, encourage students to orally rehearse their ideas for the narrative lead with their triad to allow students to generate ideas and solidify language use.
  • Also in Work Time B, challenge students to include one example of a modifying phrase and a set of coordinate adjectives.

For Heavier Support

  • In Work Time B, encourage students to use the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer . This resource guides students in planning their narrative lead before writing. In addition, some students may find it helpful to sketch their ideas in scenes to ensure they know the order of events, the people, and their actions and thoughts.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Triad Share - W.7.4 (10 minutes)

  • Return students to their documentary triads to take turns reading aloud their narrative leads, noting the best parts and what makes them strong. Students who are listening should note where they hear strong narrative techniques in their classmates' scripts. As necessary, display the Work to Become Ethical People anchor chart, and remind students to practice compassion and respect as they listen to one another's scripts.
  • Inform students that in the next lesson they will be combining their ideas to create a narrative lead for their documentary script. Invite students to discuss the similarities and differences in their narrative leads by asking the following questions:

"How do each of our narrative leads help explain our decision to take action about plastic pollution?"

"Which scenario will best help our audience understand our decision?"

"How can we use strong aspects of each lead in our triad's narrative lead?" 

"Do we want to use first person singular (I, me) or plural (we, us) to tell our story as a group?"

"Do we want to use different parts of each person's story, or should we focus only on one story and add in techniques or ideas from the others?"

  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • In Closing and Assessment A, allow students to share their narrative lead in the modality that best suits them. They may want to practice whisper-reading their lead before reading aloud. They may want to exchange leads in their triads and read silently. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence in sharing their work. 

For Heavier Support

  • See For Lighter Support. An additional modality that may be appropriate for students who require heavier supports is asking a partner to read their lead aloud.

Homework

Homework

A. Continue Action Plan

Students continue to work on their personal action plans. Students record their plans, research, and actions they've taken in their action plan journals, including at least one new note in the final research or results section.

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