Plan a Narrative: Create a Fictional Upstander Profile | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G8:M3:U3:L8

Plan a Narrative: Create a Fictional Upstander Profile

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • W.8.3a, W.8.4, W.8.5, SL.8.1

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.

  • RL.8.10, W.8.6, W.8.10, L.8.6
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can create a fictional upstander profile, including setting, character information, and critical life experiences. (W.8.3a)
  • I can orient the reader by introducing the narrator, character, and setting of my upstander's interview. (W.8.3a)
  • I can give kind, specific, and helpful feedback to my peers.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket
  • Work Time A: Upstander Profile graphic organizer (W.8.3a, W.8.4)
  • Closing and Assessment A: Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher (W.8.3)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.8.3 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Create an Upstander Profile - W.8.3a (15 minutes)

B. Profile Feedback: Praise, Question, Suggestion - W.8.5 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Introduction and Biography - W.8.5 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Revise Upstander Profile: Students revise their upstander profile based on feedback and capture information on their Upstander Profile graphic organizer.

B. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • W.8.3a – Work Time A: Students plan to orient the reader and introduce the main character of their narrative by completing the Upstander Profile graphic organizer.
  • W.8.5 – Work Time B: After participating in the Praise, Question, Suggestion protocol, students use the feedback given to develop and strengthen their writing.
  • SL.8.1 – Work Time B: Students engage effectively in a collaborative feedback protocol to provide peers with praise, questions, and suggestions about their Upstander Profile graphic organizer, building on each others’ ideas and expressing their own ideas clearly.
  • W.8.5 – Closing and Assessment A: Students consider purpose and audience when drafting the introduction and biography to their Holocaust Upstander Interview.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become ethical people, showing respect as they discuss the experiences of Holocaust victims and survivors while brainstorming their own upstander profile. They also focus on working to become effective learners, persevering as they practice narrative writing techniques.
  • In this lesson, students engage in the following protocol (instructions for which appear at the first point of use in the lesson):
    • Praise, Question, Suggestion can be used to offer critique and feedback in preparation for revision of work. It should be used after a draft of what will become a finished product is completed. This process will help students see what is working and then ask questions and offer suggestions, leading to revision and improvement. It is important students understand that the focus should be on offering feedback that is beneficial to the author. Explicit modeling is necessary for this protocol to be used successfully.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • In Work Time A, students may add complexity in their Upstander Profile graphic organizer to reveal more details about their upstander’s life and interaction with significant events, people, and places of the Holocaust.
  • Students can write about and discuss the connections they notice between habits of character and characteristics of upstanders. Students may wish to spend time considering how they can be upstanders in their own lives and write about or discuss how they see the characteristics of upstanders being lived, in small ways, by people they know in their communities.
  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use before students plan their upstander profile in Work Time A, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students read about the experiences of upstanders from the Holocaust and analyzed a model narrative interview. In this lesson, they will use these understandings to plan a fictional interview of their own.

Support All Students

  • In the second half of this unit, students will write about a fictional rather than real upstander due to the potential danger of telling a story about a real person that isn’t true. Guide students to consider the real upstander stories they have read, and what those people experienced, as they write fictional upstander narratives.
  • Emphasize the importance of students being respectful to the real stories of upstanders and what Holocaust victims went through as they write their stories. Remind students that, while narrative writing is creative and can be fun, the time period they are writing about was horrific for the victims.
  • Presenting learning targets and directions in writing, orally, and if possible, accompanied by symbols will help students to understand the language within them. ▲
  • Record, or have student record, share-outs visually to reinforce oral discussion of important aspects of creating a fictional upstander. ▲
  • Some students may require additional support completing their Upstander Profile graphic organizer. Provide extra brainstorming opportunities for students, and use small groupings for students who may need guidance when developing aspects of their fictional upstander’s character. If useful, consider identifying three to five potential fictional upstanders, with an initial description of each, for students who may have difficulty coming up with one on their own, to further develop. ▲
  • Students may need help putting their ideas into writing. Sit with those students who require additional support with writing to help them actualize their ideas. ▲
  • Provide opportunities for students to orally rehearse aspects of their fictional upstander’s character as a way to help students process information from texts they have read. Doing this prior to filling out their Upstander Profile graphic organizer will help students capture their ideas in the graphic organizer. ▲
  • Modeling the Praise, Question, Suggestion protocol used in Work Time B could support students to give more precise and meaningful feedback to their peers. ▲
  • Note there is a differentiated version of Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher used in Closing and Assessment A in the separate Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Throughout Work Time A, frequently review student work to ensure they are filling out their Upstander Profile graphic organizer with adequate and appropriate details. Use common issues as whole group teaching points.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will continue to analyze the model and plan their narrative interviews. They will use their plan to draft their narratives on the assessment in Lesson 11.

In Advance

  • Prepare
    • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 8
    • Upstander Profile graphic organizer
    • Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher
    • Praise, Question, Suggestion Protocol anchor chart
  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 8 at each student's workspace.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Consider converting the Upstander Profile graphic organizer into a digital format for students, using an online tool such as http://eled.org/0158.
  • 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 8.I.A.1, 8.I.A.3, and 8.II.A.1.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson includes further work with analyzing a model narrative and time to plan an upstander profile. Students will use the profile of an upstander that they create to write their historical narrative. Time for peer feedback using the Praise, Question, Suggestion protocol is built into the lesson to help students to support each other in crafting well thought out profiles.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to create an upstander profile. Consider creating a list of fictional upstanders with basic descriptions that students can use as a springboard for their profiles if they are having difficulty inventing their own. Pair students strategically during Work Times to ensure that ELLs have appropriate peer support through this creative process. During Closing and Assessment A of the lesson, students will draft the introduction and a short biography of their upstanders. Refer students back to the model narrative, as needed, for additional support.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 7, Work Time A)
  • Upstander Model: "Interview with Anna Jensen" (example for teacher reference) (from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 7, Work Time B)
  • Upstander Model: "Interview with Anna Jensen" (one per student; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 7, Work Time B)
  • Independent reading journal (one per student; begun in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 8 (example for teacher reference)
  • Upstander Profile graphic organizer (example for teacher reference)
  • Praise, Question, Suggestion Protocol anchor chart (one for display)
  • Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 8 (one per student)
  • Upstander Profile graphic organizer (one per student)
  • Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher (one per student)
  • Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher ▲
  • Sticky notes (three to five per student)

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.8.3 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 8. Prompt students to Turn and Talk about their answers to the entrance ticket. Cold-call students to share out and refer to the Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart as needed. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 8 (example for teacher reference).
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as 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. Create an Upstander Profile - W.8.3a (15 minutes)

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

"I can create a fictional upstander profile, including setting, character information, and critical life experiences."

  • Display the Upstander Model: "Interview with Anna Jensen," and direct students to reread alone or aloud with a peer.
  • Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"What did the writer need to know about her upstander before writing this narrative interview?" (Answers will vary. Students should recognize that the writer needed to access details they learned throughout the whole module. They knew about the geography and events of the Holocaust and how it impacted people. They will need to then develop a character who could have lived during these events and describe details about her life.)

  • Cold-call on students to share out their responses. Explain to students that the writer needed to know enough about victims and survivors of the Holocaust to develop a realistic, yet fictional, experience of an upstander. They will need to rely on texts they have read, bring in real details, places, events and experiences, and then have their upstander interact with those details.
  • Display and distribute the Upstander Profile graphic organizer to students. Tell students they will use this planner to develop aspects of their upstander's character, and in future lessons they will use this thinking to write their upstander's responses to the interview questions.
  • Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"How will answering these questions help you develop the profile of your upstander?" (Answers will vary. It will help them determine the life story of their upstander, and the role they played in the Holocaust.)

"What will you need to do, as writer, before writing your responses to these questions?" (Answers will vary. They will need to think about voices of the Holocaust they have read, recall details of the Holocaust, and then brainstorm possible characteristics and experiences of their upstander.)

  • Tell students that they will answer these questions as they create their upstander. Prompt partners to do some initial brainstorming by asking them to Think-Pair-Share:

"Who do you think you will base your upstander on?" (Answers will vary.)

"What characteristics will your upstander exhibit or retell in her interview? Refer to the Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart for reference." (Answers will vary.)

  • Direct students to start their Upstander Profile graphic organizer, working on the questions in any order that serves them as they develop aspects of their upstander. As needed, refer to the Upstander Profile graphic organizer (example for teacher reference) as an example of how to flesh out information of an upstander profile.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • Before Work Time A, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to explore a sentence from Upstander Model: "Interview with Anna Jensen" that uses context to engage the reader and introduce a character. The sentence also helps students address L.8.1 by presenting an opportunity to consider conventions for using relative clauses to add information to a sentence. In the practice portion of this Mini Language Dive, students have the opportunity to apply their learning to construct a relative clause to add additional information to a sentence.
  • To extend work with relative clauses after the Mini Language Dive, invite students to experiment with adding relative clauses to sentences in their own writing. Challenge students to use a variety of relative pronouns (which, that, where, when, who). As time allows, display examples of relative clauses that students create for the class to review together.

For Heavier Support

  •  N/A

B. Profile Feedback: Praise, Question, Suggestion - W.8.5 (15 minutes)

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

"I can give kind, specific, and helpful feedback to my peers."

  • Invite students to find new partners, and tell them they will now offer feedback to one another to strengthen their upstander profiles.
  • Guide partners through the following steps of the Praise, Question, Suggestion protocol and post the Praise, Question, Suggestion Protocol anchor chart for student reference.

1. Read aloud the following revision questions, and project or record them on the board:

"How does my plan show I have developed aspects from our Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart in my profile?"

"Do I have enough detail planned so my fictional upstander is believable?"

"What would make this piece of work stronger?"

2. The first student presents the draft of her Upstander Profile graphic organizer, giving a brief description of their upstander and allowing time for their peer to read the answers to the questions on the planner. She asks peers to focus on a particular revision question or two that she is struggling with from the list above.

3. Peers first focus on what is praiseworthy or working well. Remind students that praise needs to be specific. Simply saying, "This is good" doesn't help the creator. Comments such as, "I notice that you used will talk about your upstander's involvement in the resistance," or "You have a catchy title that makes me want to read your piece" are much more useful. Students can capture their praise on sticky notes.

4. Next, peers ask questions and offer helpful suggestions. Remind students that questions and suggestions should also be specific, for example: "This part is unclear. I wonder if it would be better to better explain what event made your upstander an upstander?" or "I can't tell the importance of the event you describe. Maybe you could add description that would show the reader why this event was a critical part of your upstander's life?" Students can capture their questions and suggestions on sticky notes.

5. Feedback should relate to the revision questions identified by the group or presenter.

6. After each member of the group has offered feedback, the presenter discusses which suggestions she wants to implement and thanks the group.

7. Others then present their work in turn, and cycle through the feedback process.

  • As students finish, invite them to apply the feedback they received from their partner.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • During Work Time B, Help students to navigate the discussion during the peer feedback exchange by providing sentence starters that students can use to respond to the questions:
    • My plan shows I have developed aspects from our Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart in my profile by . . .
    • The following details make my upstander believable . . .
    • I can make this profile stronger by . . .

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Introduction and Biography – W.8.5 (10 minutes)

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

“I can orient the reader by introducing the narrator, character, and setting of my upstander’s interview.”

  • Display and distribute the Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher. For ELLs and students who require additional support, the Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher ▲ can be used to help guide students’ thinking with sentence starters. Inform students that they will use this note-catcher to practice their narrative writing skills while they craft a biography of their upstander. Tell students that most interviews have a lead-in portion that introduces who they are about to talk about to engage the reader or listener or give them enough background to understand the interview.
  • Display the Upstander Model: “Interview with Anna Jensen,” and read the biography section aloud while students follow along. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“What information does the biography include?” (Answers will vary. They should notice that it is brief and includes background information and description of the interview setting.)

  • Ensure that students notice that the biography gives information about the date and time of the interview, a brief background about the upstander’s life, and their involvement in the Holocaust, hinting at what made them an upstander.
  • Prompt students to complete the note-catcher, using information from their Upstander Profile graphic organizer, or adding new information to further develop their upstander’s profile.
  • As students finish, prompt them to continue revising their upstander profile based on feedback given in Work Time B, capturing information on their Upstander Profile graphic organizer.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • N/A

For Heavier Support

  • Invite students who need heavier support to use Narrative Writing Practice: Upstander Biography note-catcher ▲. This resource has sentence frames to help guide students’ thinking.

    Homework

    Homework

    A. Revise Upstander Profile

    • Students revise their upstander profile based on feedback and capture information on their Upstander Profile graphic organizer.

    B. Independent Research Reading

    • Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

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