Lesson Plan for Writing

(Telling more about a character)

Created By: Lindsey Furgal

Benchmarks/English Language Arts Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why,
and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and
challenges.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.6 Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer,
explain, or describe.

Objectives:
-Students will be able to explore how a professional author tells more.
-Students will be able to make up a character and write a story and then reread their writing and tell
more about that same character.
-Students will be able to share their partners thinking with the class.
-Students will be able to explore and use commas in a series.
-Students will be able to work independently during silent writing time.

Anticipatory Set:
Read Sheila Rae, the Brave, by Kevin Henkes aloud to the class.

Direct Instruction:
1. Gather the class on carpet and have children sit down and face teacher. Before reading Sheila
Rae, the Brave, explain to the class that the author who wrote this story does an excellent job of
telling more about a particular character in his book. Remind the class about the book we read
earlier in the week, Lets Get a Pup! Said Kate and review how the author of that book, (Bob
Graham) also did a good job of telling more about the characters (people or animals in the story) to
help us imagine them more. Remind them of the part in the story when Kate, Mom and Dad meet
Dave and Rosy at the rescue center. Ask the students the following question:

-What more did the author tell to help us imagine what Dave and Rosy, and the rest of the
dogs at the rescue center were like?

2. Show the students the cover of the book and read the title and the name of the author.

3. Tell the students that as you read, you will stop to have partners talk about the story, (assign
partners nowto avoid interruptions or confusion during the story).

4. Read the story slowly and clearly to the class and show them each of the illustrations. Clarify
difficult vocabulary as you read it in the text, (by defining and/or describing it)
Examples:
-stray: lost or without a home (page 16)
-bared: showed (page 16)
-it suddenly occurred to Sheila Rae: Sheila Rae suddenly realized (page 19)
-convince herself: tell herself it was true (page 21)

5. TPS (Think, Pair, Share) - Stop on page 9, after you read patting herself on the back and ask
the class the following question:

-What is this story about so far? Tell them to turn to their partners and discuss.

After most pairs have finished talking, signal for the students attention and have a few volunteers
share their partners thinking (rather than their own) with the whole class. (*Pick sticks to call on
random students). Point out that Kevin Henkes is telling about different ways that Sheila Rae is
brave. Ask the students to listen for more ways that Sheila Rae is brave as you continue reading.

6. Reread the last sentence and then continue reading. TPS- Stop on page 17, after you read Snap,
snap, snap and ask the class the following question:

-What are some other ways that Sheila Rae is brave? Tell them to turn to their partners
and discuss.

After most pairs have finished talking, signal for the students attention and have a few volunteers
share their partners thinking (rather than their own) with the whole class. (*Pick sticks to call on
random students). Continue reading to the end of the story.

7. When you are finished reading the story, point out that the author not only tells us that the
character Sheila Rae is brave, but also that she is funny. Ask the class the following question:

-What is funny about Sheila Rae? Tell them to turn to their partners and discuss.

After a few moments, signal for the students attention and have a few volunteers report what their
partner said to the class. (*Pick sticks to call on random students).

8. Point out that Kevin Henkes tells many funny things as well as brave things about Sheila Rae to
help readers get to know Sheila Rae and enjoy the story. To wrap up the lesson ask the students the
following question:

-If you were to make up a funny character like Sheila Rae, what might you have the
character do?

Call on a few volunteers to share what they think. (*Pick sticks to call on random students).

**Check for understanding: Ask students to raise their hands if they think they are ready to return
to their desks and write their own story about a made-up character. --If some students dont raise
their hand, or seem hesitant/confused, ask the class for examples of different kinds of characters
they could write about. Also, offer suggestions for different fictional characters they could write
about in their stories. **

9. Explain to the students that when they return to their seats they are to get out their writing
notebooks and write a fiction story about their own made-up character. Tell them they will have
10-15 minutes to work silently and independently on their stories.

10. After 10-15 minutes of independent writing, signal for the students attention and ask them to
take a couple minutes to quietly reread their stories. Then ask them the following reflective
question:

-What more can you tell about the character in your story?

Give them a minute to think it over and then call on volunteers to share their thinking. (*Pick sticks
to call on random students). After the class discussion, have students resume their silent writing for
another 10 minutes. Explain to the students that they should use this time to write and tell more
about their character.

11. During silent writing, walk around and confer or help individual students who you think may
need extra guidance or further instruction at this time. When students are finished, tell them that
they will need to bring their story over to you and read it to you quietly.

Lesson Extension:
-For those children that normally finish their writing assignments at a rapid pace, have the
following reading comprehension/writing lesson extension ready for them to start when they have
finished the assignment above:
-Tell the students to make a text-to-self connection with the story (Sheila Rae, the Brave),
and have them write about it in their writing notebook. Give them the suggestion of
writing about a time that they were scared and they had to be brave, just like Sheila Rae.

-Another extension that could be done at the end of this lesson is peer-editing or conferring in
pairs. The teacher could divide the class into partners and have each student read what they wrote
about their characters to each other. After all the students have had a chance to share with their
partners, ask the class the following question: What more do you want to know about a character
in your partners story? Have the students discuss and offer suggestions to each other about what
they could add to their stories to make them more detailed and descriptive. Then give the class
more time for individual silent writing to edit and add to their stories.

Checking Understanding:
-While reading Sheila Rae, the Brave to the class, make a mental note of the students who are
paying close attention as well as the students who participate during Think, Pair, Share
opportunities and those who volunteer when I ask for students to share their partners (or their
own) thinking. Check for individual understanding before sending students back to their desk to
start their own stories. (see above in direct instructionstep 8).

-While students are working on independent writing, scan the class to see if the students are
working quietly, independently, and staying in their seats.

*Record observations of formative assessments made during lesson in your own writing
assessment book.*

Guided Practice:
-Assess whether the class is ready to move on to their own independent writing activity after
formatively assessing the class discussion (during TPS and after the story is over) and after you
have given instructions on what they are supposed to do, (raise hands if ready). Give students a
chance to ask questions and clarify instructions, to ensure that they are confident with the
assignment that has been given.
-If and when students appear ready for Independent Practice, allow students at least 20 full
minutes of time for independent writing to practice the strategy that they have just learned.

Closure:
-When students are finished with their independent writing activity, they will bring their work over
to the teacher's desk and read their story to them quietly. This gives the teacher a chance to assess
what they have learned throughout the activity, as well as also giving the teacher the opportunity to
learn more about their students and bond with them individually. -Teacher can also use that
opportunity to assess each individual student's ability to write in complete sentences, spell words
correctly and assess if they are able to tell more about a character that they are writing about.

Independent Practice:
-Independent Writing activity will allow the students to practice modeling telling more about a
character in their own stories. Explain to the class that this is independent writing and that means
that they should be working silently, (no talking, whispering, or walking around--except for
emergencies). Remind them that independent writing means working all by themselves. Also
remind them that because this is just practice, it is okay if they don't spell all the words correctly
and that they should use their best guess when sounding out the words they don't know.

Materials Needed:
-Sheila Rae, the Brave book, by Kevin Henkes
-Individual student writing notebooks
-sharpened pencils for students