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The Story Behind The Story
After having the opportunity
to explore the meaning of culture and the
degree of
influence in each of their lives, students will
investigate an author
and determine the influence
his/her culture has had on their writing.
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Nevada
Objective(s):
3.8-The student will compare the cultural,
generational and gender
perspectives of various authors.
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Subjects:
English/Language Arts, Literature
Learning Level: Middle School
Author(s): Kathy
Mead
Submitted by: George Breaz
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This lesson will take
place in the classroom. Time - 4-6 weeks
Grouping /
Interaction(s):
1. Whole group activity led by the
teacher
2. Small group jigsaw activity
3. Individual or
paired reading of novels
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Day 1 - Building background for the
lesson
1. Teacher initiates a discussion with the
statement: "Students in the same
grade are all the same."
(They will disagree.) Discuss how students
are
different.
2. Have each student select a potato.
Give they one minute to examine the
potato. Their job is to
introduce their new friend, the potato, to the class.
Have
them focus on the potato's physical characteristics.
Distinguishing scars
or bumps might indicate it was dropped
in the market or the field.
3. After each student
introduces the potato, collect all in one pile. Have
each
student find his/her original potato. Discuss how
different potatoes were
identified. Draw an analogy between
potatoes and people: "They're all alike,
means you have not
taken enough time to get to know someone."
4. Build the
analogy: To begin this activity, pair off students. Have them
ask
each other five questions to help introduce then to the
class. (You may wish
to brainstorm a list of questions
before beginning this activity.) In same pairs,
ask them to
point out unique features or characteristics of the partner.
Relate
this to the potatoes.
5. Assignment: Have
students write two paragraphs:
I am an
individual
because__________________________________________
I belong to a group
because
_________________________________________
Day
2 - To develop a working definition of "culture"
1.
Have students write their definition of the word "culture" on
pieces of
paper.
2. Make a list on the board or
overhead of the different definitions generated
by the
students.
3. From these definitions, lead the students
to an understanding that "culture"
refers to the way a
group of people live; the rules they set for themselves;
the
ideas they thing are important; and the things they
feel are good or bad, right
or wrong, pleasurable or
painful.
Day 3 - To acquire background information
about the author
1. Using the jigsaw strategy, students
will read various sources of
information about an
author.
2. After completing a graphic organizer from
the information gained about
the author, students will
predict how the author's culture might affect
their
writing. A list of these predictions should be
composed and displayed in the
classroom.
Day
4
1. The students will begin reading a novel, or
various novels, by the author
being studied. Throughout the
reading of the novel(s), students will
distinguish how the
cultural, generational, and gender perspectives of
the
author affect his/her writing. As they make these
distinctions, refer back to
the Prediction Chart to confirm
their previous predictions throughout the
completion of the
novel.
2. Using a graphic organizer, create a diagram
depicting the historical events
in the novel that affected
the sequence of the plot or the actions of
the
characters.
3. Based on the information gathered
on the prediction chart and on the
graphic organizer,
students will write an analysis that explains
the
connections among an author, the historical and
cultural context, and the
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1. Using a graphic organizer format,
the students will identify examples of
connections among an
author, the cultural and historical context, and
the
work.
2. The students will analyze and explain the
connections among an author,
the historical and cultural
context, and the work.
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Inspirations software, or any other graphics
program. |
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Copyright © 1997-2003
Career Connection to Teaching with Technology
USDOE Technology Innovation Challenge Grant
Marshall Ransom, Project Manager
All rights reserved.
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