Analyze a Model Narrative Interview | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G8:M3:U3:L7

Analyze a Model Narrative Interview

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • W.8.3, W.8.4

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.

  • RL.8.10, RL.8.4, W.8.10, L.8.4, L.8.6
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can determine the essential components of an effective narrative interview. (W.8.3, W.8.4)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket
  • Closing and Assessment A: Narrative Writing Checklist (W.8.3)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - W.8.4 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Review Traits of Upstanders Anchor Chart (5 minutes)

B. Read and Annotate a Model Narrative - W.8.3 (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Alignment to Narrative Criteria - W.8.3 (15 minutes)

4. Homework

A. 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.8.4 – Work Time B: Students analyze a model narrative interview, analyzing how the development, organization, and style are appropriate for the task and purpose.
  • W.8.3 – Work Time B: Students read and analyze a model narrative in order to prepare to write their own narrative interview with an imaginary upstander, using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
  • W.8.3 – Closing and Assessment A: Students identify specific characteristics that make the model narrative effective in order to prepare to write their own.
  • W.8.3 – Closing and Assessment A: Students use a checklist of general criteria to generate specific criteria for their own narratives.
  • In this lesson, students work on becoming ethical people, showing respect and empathy as they discuss the experiences of victims and survivors of the Holocaust.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Students may research additional Holocaust upstanders and craft summaries and reflections on their experiences.
  • Some students may find writing interviews compelling. Encourage students to explore genre this in more detail, either by searching for existing interviews with Holocaust survivors, or writing interview questions that they would like to ask a Holocaust survivor if they had the opportunity.
  • Provide the opportunity for students to listen to existing recordings or scripts of interviews with Holocaust survivors.
  • Students can search for and listen to interviews on other topics that interest them to explore how interview questions and answers flow. Encourage students to share notices in small groups or with the class as a whole.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In Lessons 1–4, students read nonfiction texts about various upstanders. They then reflected on the experiences of each upstander. In this lesson, students use the background knowledge built in these lessons and review their list of common characteristics of upstanders in preparation for creating a fictional upstander for their own writing.

Support All Students

  • Presenting learning targets and directions in writing, orally, and if possible, accompanied by symbols will help students to understand the language within them. ▲
  • In Work Time B, students may use an I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher to identify the characteristics of an effective narrative while reading the model narrative. ▲
  • In Work Time B, read aloud the model narrative to further highlight the emotion and drama in Anna Jensen’s reflection and make it accessible to all students, even struggling readers. Consider directing more proficient readers to read the model narrative independently or aloud together in pairs. ▲
  • Students may need additional support reading the model narrative introduced in this lesson. Use strategic grouping to ensure those students who may find the model challenging because of unfamiliar vocabulary and structure can navigate the reading with support from highly proficient peers. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Closing and Assessment A: Monitor the annotations students make on how the model meets the criteria. Take note of students who may need additional support or clarity on aspects of a narrative writing piece.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will create their fictional upstander profile, based on real-life upstanders they have read about in the module so far. Students will use a character and setting planner to craft details about their upstander’s life and experience so they can plan the answers to interview questions in Lessons 9 and 10.

In Advance

  • Prepare
    • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7
    • Upstander Model: "Interview with Anna Jensen"
    • Narrative Writing checklist
  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 at each student's workspace.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time B: Provide digital copies of the model for students to annotate and align to criteria (in Closing and Assessment A).
  • 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, 8.I.B.6, 8.I.B.7, and 8.I.C.1.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson guides students through the process of analyzing a model historical narrative using targeted questions, group discussion, and a narrative checklist to draw attention to specific features. Students will consider the structure and style of the model narrative in preparation for planning and writing their own narratives on a fictional Holocaust upstander for the End of Unit 3 Assessment.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand and identify all of the characteristics on the Narrative Writing checklist in the model narrative. Guide students to find and notice specific examples in the model and allow ample time for discussion around how the writer has captured the experience of an upstander. Be mindful of supporting students to be sensitive and respectful of the topic as they begin to think about creating their upstander profiles and historical narratives.

Vocabulary

  • fictional (A)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, Opening B)
  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • Vocabulary logs (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
  • 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 7 (example for teacher reference)
  • End of Unit 3 Assessment: Write a Narrative in Interview Form (example for teacher reference) (see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Narrative Writing checklist (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 (one per student)
  • Upstander Model: "Interview with Anna Jensen" (one per student)
  • Narrative Writing checklist (one per student and one for display)

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.8.4 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: As students arrive, invite them to complete Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7. Prompt students to Turn and Talk about their answers to the entrance ticket. Cold-call students to share out. Refer to the Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7 (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. Review Traits of Upstanders Anchor Chart (5 minutes)

  • Direct students to meet with a partner and review the Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart. Ask students to look for an "Example of a Holocaust Upstander" that is most compelling to them.
  • Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

"What example did you pick, and why is it compelling to you?" (Answers will vary.)

  • Elicit responses from the group, and add any annotations to the chart. Invite students to discuss any additional characteristics that they feel should be added to the chart.
  • Tell students that they will be creating a historical fiction narrative of an imagined upstander who portrays some of the characteristics identified. They will learn more about this as they examine the model.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time A, after students have reviewed the Characteristics of Upstanders anchor chart, invite them to generate questions they might want to ask upstanders to learn more about their experiences during the Holocaust. This can serve as a way of activating thinking about the historical narrative format before analyzing the model in Work Time B. When students read the model, they can see how closely their own questions align with the ones the writer has included.
  • If it is feasible to do so, consider hosting individual writing check-ins with ELLs who need lighter support before they begin the process of planning a historical narrative in preparation for the End of Unit 3 Assessment. During these meetings, work with students to reflect on the writing process they engaged with in Modules 1 and 2. Help them articulate their progress as writers and refine their writing goals for the narrative task. Work with students to develop action plans for working toward their goals. Plan to meet with students again at the end of the unit to track their progress and adjust goals as needed. This process supports a growth mindset and facilitates opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning.

For Heavier Support

  • If it is feasible to do so, consider hosting individual writing check-ins with ELLs who need lighter support before they begin the process of planning a historical narrative in preparation for the End of Unit 3 Assessment. Before these meetings, create a list of clear and specific statements that students can use to help them pinpoint their strengths and areas of growth. Students can use a 1-5 scale to express the extent to which they believe the statements apply to them. These statements might include the ones listed below:
    • I am able to use descriptive details to engage the reader.
    • I can structure a piece of writing so that it is easy to follow.
    • I can vary vocabulary to make my writing interesting.
    • I can use different types of punctuation in my writing to indicate a pause.
    • I can use relative clauses to add information and ideas.

B. Read and Annotate a Model Narrative – W.8.3 (20 minutes)

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

“I can determine the essential components of an effective narrative interview.”

  • Tell students they will be writing a historical fiction narrative in which they conduct an interview with an imagined upstander. Explain that they will write answers to the questions posed in the interview from their upstander’s point of view, describing what propelled them to act and become an upstander. Inform students that in this lesson they will read a model narrative interview similar to the one they will write themselves. In Lessons 8–10 they will be analyzing the model in detail and planning the narrative they will write for the End of Unit 3 assessment in Lesson 11.
  • Distribute Upstander Model: “Interview with Anna Jensen” to each student. Remind students that analyzing a model will help them write their own narrative.
  • Read the model narrative aloud, and invite students to follow along.
  • Tell students that when analyzing a model to generate criteria for an effective piece of writing, they need to read it closely. Remind students of the strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart: reading for gist and determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.
  • Invite students to work in pairs to find the gist and to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.
  • Use total participation techniques to select students to share their gist statements with the whole group.
  • Gist: In an interview, Anna Jensen, Holocaust survivor, answers questions about her life: witnessed Gestapo attack, smuggled Jews to safety, risked her life helping others.
  • Ask students to Turn and Talk:

“What habits of character did Anna Jensen display in her work as an upstander?” (Answers may vary, but could include compassion as she worked to help others find safety.)

  • Ask students to identify how this narrative model is different from other narrative models they have read. Cold-call on students to share out, lifting up any responses that identify the differing format of this narrative. Tell students that the format of an interview, (where the author is the interviewer and the interviewee is a fictionalized upstander, also written by the author) is unlike their first narrative in Module 1, and it will require them to first create a fictional profile of their interviewee.
  • Invite students to discuss their understanding of the word fictional (imaginary) and prompt them to record the meaning on their vocabulary logs. Inform students that they will be writing a historical fiction narrative—it is imaginary, but based on actual historical circumstances that they have read about in Units 1 and 2.
  • Direct students to question 1 in the model interview and begin a discussion about how the narrative is constructed. As each question in the narrative is discussed, prompt students to annotate the model, capturing the purpose and narrative structures used. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“What is the writer doing in this first interview question?” (The writer sets a context and give details about the upstander’s life using interview questions. The writer then uses narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to explode a significant moment and develop the experiences that led Anna to act as an upstander.)

“Why does the writer ask, ‘And then what happened?’” (The writer uses a follow-up question to elicit more information and tell more of Anna’s story. In the response, the writer is using narrative techniques to slow down the narrative, use sensory details and description to capture the dramatic moment she witnessed, and relay the significance of this tragic, formative event.)

  • Continue, prompting students to Think-Pair-Share about the remaining interview questions, and asking them to identify what the writer was doing in each question and response. Use the End of Unit 3 Assessment: Write a Narrative in Interview Form (example for teacher reference) as needed and remind students to annotate their model.
    • Question 2 (The writer uses the narrative technique of reflection to develop Anna’s reaction and response to her experience and names this moment as the one that propelled her to act.)
    • Question 3 (The writer uses relevant descriptive details to share ways in which Anna acted as an upstander. She uses reflection to develop the experience and to highlight how Anna’s significant moment connects to the work she did to save Jewish people during the Holocaust.)
    • Question 4 (The writer uses reflection and descriptive details again, developing more of Anna’s experience. Anna reflects on important and lasting takeaways from the work she did as an upstander and explains how this work impacted her.)
    • Question 5 (The writer uses this last question as a conclusion that follows from and reflects on Anna’s narrated experience. It provides space for her to share advice for future generations. Anna refers back to her significant experience, and then acknowledges the importance of taking action, for the big and small moments in life, in order to make a difference.)
  • Make sure students understand that the structure of questions and answers helps the information in the interview flow naturally, creates a compelling narrative that shares a critical moment from the upstander’s life and describes the impact of this event.
  • Explain to students that in the next lesson they will have the opportunity to create the profile of their upstander. Explain that the upstander they create should be fictional, as we can’t write a narrative on a real Holocaust upstander and presume we know how that person would have answered interview questions. Instead, we will use what we know about various experiences in the Holocaust to create a historical fictional narrative with an imagined fictional upstander whose life experiences could have happened.
  • Allow students to brainstorm, with a partner, ideas they have for Holocaust upstanders they might use as basis for their own upstander.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • If it is feasible to do so, consider hosting individual writing check-ins with ELLs who need lighter support before they begin the process of planning a historical narrative in preparation for the End of Unit 3 Assessment. During these meetings, work with students to reflect on the writing process they engaged with in Modules 1 and 2. Help them articulate their progress as writers and refine their writing goals for the narrative task. Work with students to develop action plans for working toward their goals. Plan to meet with students again at the end of the unit to track their progress and adjust goals as needed. This process supports a growth mindset and facilitates opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning.

For Heavier Support

  • In Work Time B, to help students understand the content in the model narrative more deeply, print an enlarged-text version of the model and cut each sentence into strips. Distribute scrambled strips to groups of students and invite them to match each question and response.
  • If it is feasible to do so, consider hosting individual writing check-ins with ELLs who need lighter support before they begin the process of planning a historical narrative in preparation for the End of Unit 3 Assessment. Before these meetings, create a list of clear and specific statements that students can use to help them pinpoint their strengths and areas of growth. Students can use a 1-5 scale to express the extent to which they believe the statements apply to them. These statements might include the ones listed below:
    • I am able to use descriptive details to engage the reader.
    • I can structure a piece of writing so that it is easy to follow.
    • I can vary vocabulary to make my writing interesting.
    • I can use different types of punctuation in my writing to indicate a pause.
    • I can use relative clauses to add information and ideas.

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Alignment to Narrative Criteria - W.8.3 (15 minutes)

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

"I can determine the essential components of an effective narrative interview."

  • Distribute and display the Narrative Writing checklist. Invite students to read checklist to themselves.
  • Using a total participant technique, invite responses from the group:

"What do you notice about this checklist? What do you wonder?" (Answers will vary. Students should note that they used this checklist in Module 1, Unit 2, when they wrote narratives modernizing a monster from folklore of Latin America for a new scene in Summer of the Mariposas.)

  • Tell students that this checklist will help them to ensure they have included everything necessary for an effective narrative as they write their own narratives. Remind them that in the left-hand column are general characteristics of an effective narrative. Next to each characteristic is a space to record what this might look like for their narrative interview of their fictional Holocaust upstander. This resource includes matching pre-filled information and is modified to focus student attention on finding concrete examples in the model in an effort to build understanding of each of these elements.
  • Read the first criterion aloud for the group.
  • Model how to complete the first row of the Narrative Writing checklist using characteristics and annotations from the model. See Narrative Writing checklist (example for teacher reference). Note that the Narrative Writing checklist is a consistent resource in all grades. Base the amount of detail needed in modeling this on students' needs.
  • Direct students to Think-Pair-Share:

"Where do we see evidence of the second criterion in the model essay?" (The author creates context about Anna's life in the biographical introduction and the answer to the first question.)

"What context might you need to establish when you write your own narratives?" (Information about your upstander's life and their involvement in the Holocaust.)

  • Invite students to record responses on row 2 of their Narrative Writing checklist.
  • Invite students to work in pairs to complete the remainder of the Narrative Writing checklist by analyzing the characteristics of the model.
  • Circulate, and support students as needed, prompting students to notice specific words and phrases from the text. Refer to the Narrative Writing checklist (example for teacher reference) to guide students.
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

Homework

Homework

A. 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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