Akers-Pecht 1

Unit Title: Me, Myself, and I

Unit Big Idea (Concept/Theme): Identity crisis
Unit Primary Skill focus: Character development
Introduction to the Concept of Identity Crisis
Week

of 3; Plan #

of 9; [90 mins.]

Plan type: ____Full-Detail ____Summary

Content Requirement Satisfied: N/A
(Note: Refer to the list in the document called Concept Unit Lesson Plans)
Unit Learning Objectives (numbered) [from my Backwards Design Unit Document],
followed by Specific lesson objectives (lettered) being taught in this lesson:
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
3. Students will understand that identity crisis stems from many different sources.
a. Students will understand identity and identity crisis by examining the sources of their
own identities.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
4. Students will feel that their own experiences and background with identity formation are
respected by their peers.
a. Students will share aspects of their own identities with their peers in a think, pair, share
format.
5. Students will feel that their own lives and experiences have relevancy to the topic of identity
crisis and to the texts at hand.
a. Students will analyze a short film and will discuss their own experiences with internal
and external conflicts.
Performance (do):
7. Students will be able to locate and describe the sources of identity crisis for themselves and for
literary characters.
a. Students will be able to describe internal and external conflicts that cause identity
crisis for a character and relate these scenarios to their own lives.
SOLs:
Reading 8.5c Explain how authors use characters, conflict, point of view, voice, and tone to
create meaning.
CCSs:

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CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]
Beginning Room Arrangement:
As students arrive in class, a message will be visible on the board requesting them to sit
wherever they wish for the day. Desks will be paired in groups of two. By choosing to sit with
the people they feel most comfortable with, students will be ready to engage in a think, pair,
share activity later on in the lesson where they will discuss aspects of their own identity crises in
comparison to those represented in a short film.
[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
1. [5 mins.] Bridge/Hook/Opening to lesson: Do now journal entry
As students arrive in class, they will be directed to the do now instructions written on the
board. These instructions will ask them to retrieve their journals from the class bin, which they
have already become accustomed to doing during the introductory week of the unit. Students will
respond to the following journal entry: What is identity? (You can think back to the word webs
that we made last class in order to get started.) The students will be given about five minutes to
write.
Before students share their journal entries with the class, I will remind them that today is the last
day that they are able to turn in their signed sheets from the syllabus. I will ask students to pass
these forward to me at the front of the classroom. I will later check off students names to ensure
that I have everyones signed sheets.
2. [5 mins.] Step 1: Sharing journal entries
The students will now be asked to share their journal entries aloud. I will call on volunteers who
raise their hands. As students share what the term identity means to them, I will write up a list on
the overhead projector. As I do this, I will ask students if there is any way we could rephrase
their suggestions or add to them in order to encourage them to think harder about the topic. For
example, if someone says, who you really are, I may ask them if they think that identity is the
hidden part of us rather than the part we show others. Which one really counts? Students will
continue to share until the list becomes repetitive.
3. [10 mins.] Step 2: Brainstorming sources of identity

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I will retrieve my word web of phrases, words, etc. that define me that I modeled making for the
students last class. I will place this web on the overhead projector. Together, the students and I
will use my web to consider the different sources of identity. For example, if I have sister and
daughter as words used to describe me, we may say that family is an important indicator of
who we are. I will color code the different categories on the web. (For example, I may underline
or circle the words associated with family influences in blue.) We will continue on to consider
other categories of identity sources. These may include things like hobbies/things we love to do,
friend groups, beliefs/values, personality, etc.
After forming several categories of sources of identity from my word web, I will ask students to
think about what happens when some of these sources clash or conflict with one another. (For
example, What happens when my friends have different values/beliefs than I do? What happens
when my family doesnt approve of something I love to do?) We will brainstorm and list other
ways that these categories can conflict with each other and students will give examples; these
can be personal examples if they wish. I may ask students to consider if they have ever
experienced one of these conflicts if the conversation becomes stuck.
4. [15 mins.] Step 3: Introduction to the concept of identity crisis
I will then show students the image of the identity crisis cow via a PowerPoint on the overhead
projector, explaining that when the sources of our identities dont mix well together, we have an
identity crisis I will write this phrase up on the board in large letters. Students will discuss
the identity crisis cow and how his outward appearance doesnt match what hes trying to be
(hes meowing in the cartoon).
I will explain to students that they are already familiar with examples of identity crisis, although
they may not realize it. I will then explain how many childrens movies feature a character who
has to change in order to understand who he or she really is. I will play a short clip from
Disneys The Lion King Remember who you are. (The clip will be linked in the PowerPoint
for easy access.) Before playing the clip, I will ask students to consider what sources of identity
are conflicting for Simba in this scene of the movie. I will ask students to share these responses
in a full class format. They will likely mention that his family, or his fathers expectations of him
to become king, are interfering with his friend group (Pumba and Timon), or that they are
interfering with his personality and his own desires (maybe he doesnt want to become king yet).
5. [10 mins.] Step 4: Discussion of types of conflict - internal and external
I will let students know that in literature, there are names for different types of conflicts:
internal and external I will write these terms on the board as I discuss this. I will have
students rate how familiar they are with these terms by holding their thumbs up if they are
familiar, a thumbs down if they are unfamiliar, and thumbs to the side if they somewhat
remember what these terms mean. Students will close their eyes as they complete this quick
survey so that their answers cant depend upon their friends and peers responses.

Akers-Pecht 4
Depending upon students responses, I will give more or less explanation of these terms. I will
scaffold students toward the meaning of these words by prompting them with their knowledge of
prefixes in and ex for inside and outside and by giving examples of each. We will then
think back to the video we just watched with Simba to list some more examples from the video;
internal conflicts might include Simba not being sure if he wants to be king, and external might
include that Rafiki hit him over the head, or that Simba has to fight Scar later on if students are
familiar with the movie.
6. [5 mins.] Step 3: Identifying internal and external conflicts in a short film
The students will view a short film called Identity about a high school aged girl. This link to
the film will be included in the PowerPoint presentation so that I can easily access it during the
lesson. Before playing the film, I will pass out graphic organizers with space for listing internal
and external conflicts. I will let students know that as they watch, they are to write down at least
one example of each type of conflict that they see in the movie. I will let students know that they
will share these examples with their elbow partner after they watch the short movie. Once the
clip is over, I will let students take a minute or so to wrap up their thoughts and make sure they
have one example of each type of conflict.
7. [15 mins.] Step 4: Pair portion
Students will be asked to share their notes with their partners. Since students were able to choose
who they sit next to today, they will likely be more comfortable sharing their ideas. For the first
couple of minutes, students will share their examples of internal and external conflicts. Then, I
will ask students to think about these conflicts and whether they can relate to them from any
personal experiences youve had: Take a look at your internal and external conflicts. Have you
ever had something similar happen to you? The students will then talk with their elbow partners
about whether they can relate to the scenarios in the movie. I will monitor the class during this
time and ask guiding questions if any students seem to be stuck. For example, I might ask, Did
you all notice that everyone was wearing masks? Why do you think this was? Did you notice
whether some peoples masks were different than others? What did that show about the groups of
students in the movie and the types of conflicts that exist in the school?
8. [15 mins.]: Step 5: Share portion
After students have discussed their observations of the film in pairs, they will share in a full class
format. I will ask them some of the following questions: Did you feel like any of the internal or
external conflicts presented in the film were familiar to you? How so or why? Were there any
parts you didnt quite understand? What determined peoples identities at this girls school? How
could you tell? How did she break through her identity crisis and the conflicts at her school?
What do you predict will happen next now that she has?

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9. [5 mins.] Step 6: Preview of whats ahead
I will explain to students that this unit will lead up to them writing a creative narrative piece, or
story, retelling one of their personal experiences with identity crisis. These will include an
important internal conflict that theyve gone through, and can also include examples of external
conflicts as well. These will be published online to our class website, and they can share these
links with their friends, classmates, and family if they wish but they dont have to. I will let
them know not to panic if theyre not sure what to write about yet because they will have plenty
of time to consider a topic before the narrative is due. Additionally, they will need to take a
picture to go along with their narratives to upload to the website. I will emphasize that Ill give
students examples within the next week of the unit. If students dont have access to a camera, I
will ask them to leave a note in their journal entry they are about to do saying need camera or
something to that effect. When reviewing them later, I will make a note to reserve school
cameras during the third week of class when students take their photographs.
10. [5 mins.] Closure: Journal entry brainstorming
I will ask students to brainstorm in their journals the ideas that they have for now about an
experience they had with identity crisis. Did the short film give you any ideas today? What about
the clip from The Lion King? I will reassure them that they arent married to these ideas; they can
always throw these out or choose one to expand upon for their narrative piece. This is just an
activity to get them thinking about identity crisis for now. Additionally, I will pass out copies of
the rubrics for the personal narrative. I will encourage students to hold onto these in their folders
or in a safe place and to keep these points in mind as they write. Ill reassure them that well get
to all of the rows on the rubric throughout the unit before their assignments are due.
Before students leave, I will ask them to pass their journals to the front of their rows so that I can
collect them and place them back in the class bin. I will later read over these notes to consider
how much more brainstorming time I should give students to think about their ideas for their
narratives before they are able to begin outlining their ideas and drafting their stories. I will also
make a note as to who needs cameras and be sure to get these to them by lesson 6 so that they
have a week to take a picture.
Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] List all methods of assessment used in
this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson. After each assessment,
indicate in brackets the number(s) and letter(s) of the unit objective and the related lesson
objectives that the assessment is evaluating.
Diagnostic
Students will reveal their prior knowledge about the concept of identity by:
o Completing a journal entry do now activity [3a]
Students will reveal their prior knowledge about sources of identity by:

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o Participating in a discussion using my word web as a model to categorize identity
sources [3a, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1]
Formative
Students will exhibit their understanding of the concepts of identity crisis and internal
and external conflicts by:
o Participating in a think, pair, share discussion comparing and contrasting their
own past conflicts to those of a film character [4a, 5a, 7a, SOL 8.5c, CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.8.1]
o Completing a closing journal entry/brainstorm on ideas for their own narratives
about identity crisis using types of conflict [3a, 7a]
Summative
In a future lesson, students will show their understanding of the concept of identity crisis
and how it relates to their lives by:
o Creating a personal narrative retelling an experience with identity crisis [3a, 7]
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:
(This is where you identify specific aspects of this lesson which have been differentiated in order
to address the needs of one or more of your profiled studentsidentify them by name)
This lesson features multiple modes of representation of the concept of identity crisis, including
video and images, in order to reach students with different learning profiles. Thus, the content
will be accessible to Raul, an English language learner. Allowing him to see examples of identity
crisis before reading about them in the next class will frontload his prior knowledge and allow
him to connect later readings back to visual examples of the concept.
Chris, who reads two grades below the 8th grade level, often feels uncomfortable discussing
academic content with anyone other than his two close friends in the class. By allowing him to
choose where to sit today, he is more likely to engage in open discussion and share how his own
experiences with identity crisis relate to those of the main character in the short film Identity.
For Karen, I will provide her with sentence starters to help her with her discussions in class, as
she often speaks out of turn, talks over her peers, or disregards their statements. (Examples of
these sentence starters are included in lesson 3 of the unit, which focuses on the reading
experience and is a full scripted plan with accompanying materials.)
Jessica may pick up on more nuanced features of the film Identity than her peers do, as it
features a lot of symbolism, imagery, and other complex details. She will likely notice some
elements of the short film that her peers do not initially, and these observations will add to the
class discussion. I can then ask students to find examples of Jessicas conclusions about the film
so that they can be scaffolded toward her same observations or inferences.

Akers-Pecht 7

Materials Needed:
Students journals (already in the class bin)
My word web from last class to use as a model
Colored pencils/pens/markers to annotate my word web
PowerPoint with images and video clips as examples of identity crisis
Graphic organizers for internal and external conflicts in short film Identity
Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers,
handouts, etc.)
Word web
PowerPoint presentation
Graphic organizers: internal and external conflict

Akers-Pecht 8
Reading Experience with Fish Cheeks: Part 1
Week

of 3; Plan #

of 9; [90 mins.]

Plan type: ____Full-Detail ____Summary

Content Requirement Satisfied: Reading Experience, Vocabulary Instruction
(Note: Refer to the list in the document called Concept Unit Lesson Plans)
Unit Learning Objectives (numbered) [from my Backwards Design Unit Document],
followed by Specific lesson objectives (lettered) being taught in this lesson:
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
3. Students will know that identity crisis stems from many different sources.
b. Students will know that authors use characters, conflicts or problems, settings, and
outcomes to show change in a character.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
5. Students will feel that their own lives and experiences have relevancy to the topic of identity
crisis and to the texts at hand.
b. Students will feel that their own experiences give them insight and allow them to relate
to literature.
Performance (do):
7. Students will be able to locate and describe the sources of identity crisis for themselves and for
literary characters.
b. Students will be able to reflect on their own sources of identity crisis through writing.
c. Students will be able to describe the sources of identity crisis for a literary character.
SOLs: [List with numbers portrayed in the SOL document]
Reading 8.5h Identify the main idea.
CCSs: [List with numbers portrayed in the CCS document]
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and
plot.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]
Beginning Room Arrangement:
Students will be seated in desks clustered in groups of three in preparation for the probable
passage prereading activity, where they will work in threes. This way, I will have already
grouped them without having students take the time to move desks. Additionally, students will
not need to worry about where to sit and I can differentiate instruction based on groups. I will use

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name tags taped to the front of their desks so that students can be quickly seated after finding
their names.
[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]
1. [5 mins.] Bridge/Hook/Opening to lesson: Do Now Journal Entry
Okay students, you all know the drill from our discussions about class expectations and from our
previous classes. As you come into the classroom, grab your journals to complete the do now
activity today, its a journal entry. The entry is written up on the board for you all. Take five
more minutes after the late bell rings to write about this topic quietly.
You may notice that I have left a sticky note in each of your journals from your entry at the end
of last class with a short note or two on your potential ideas for your personal narratives.
Remember that you still have lots of time to change these, but I wanted to give you feedback on
what you came up with so far. Once you finish writing your journal entry, take a quick second to
read these notes. (My notes will include things like prompting questions with encouragement:
This sounds like a great idea! How will you tell about your fight with your best friend in your
story? What details are most important to include? etc.)
Students will write for about five minutes on the following topic displayed on the overhead
projector: Write about a time when you were ashamed of or embarrassed by your family. What
happened? How did you deal with this shame or embarrassment?
2. [5 mins.] Step 1: Sharing journal entries in a full class format
Could we have some volunteers to share their ideas? I will call on a volunteer to share. To keep
the conversation going, I might next ask if anyone else has a similar story. For example, Does
anybody else have a younger sibling who embarrassed them? I will also likely call on a student
who does not have his or her hand raised. I will emphasize that they do not have to share if they
dont feel comfortable doing so, but that I would very much like to hear what they have to say.
We will share for about five minutes in a full class format.
3. [10 mins.] Step 2: First Prereading Activity Anticipation Guide
Yesterday, we talked some more about different sources of identity crisis, including external
conflicts, like pressure from friends and peers to fit in. Today were going to examine these even
more closely in the context of a short story. In order to help us start thinking about the questions
that will arise while were reading, were going to complete a survey. I will pass out the surveys
as I finish giving instructions.
Now, the directions for these are that you must either disagree or agree with each statement.
Some of these are tricky in that you will want to respond with something along the lines of,
Well, it depends on so and so. Theyre meant to make you think that way. However, you have

Akers-Pecht 10
to choose one or the other either agree or disagree. Write either A or agree, or D or disagree
next to each statement. Does anybody have any questions? I will give some wait time for
students to look over the handouts and see if they have any questions about what to do. You all
can keep these in your class folders when youre done, as well need them again later. You can
start now. The students should take about five minutes filling out these surveys.
4. [15 mins.] Step 3: Second Prereading Activity Probable Passage
Now that you all are starting to develop an idea for what this story will be about, were going to
complete an activity called a probable passage. Are any of you all familiar with this already? I
will wait to see if students are familiar with the activity. This will be a good time to address any
misconceptions about how the prereading activity works before students begin. Okay, well this is
meant to get you all started making predictions about what the passage will be about and how
the theme of identity crisis, as well as our journal entry this morning, might fit into the story.
Right now, Im displaying a list of words on the board. I will use the overhead projector to show
students a series of words from Amy Tans Fish Cheeks. These words come directly from the
short story were about to read. Using the graphic organizer I give you, youre going to group
these words into categories. Ill start passing out the probable passage graphic organizers. These
categories include characters, setting, problem or conflict, outcome or ending of the story, and
unknown words in case youre not sure of the meanings of these words already. In the To
Discover section, you might write down questions you have about how these words relate to
each other or what you specifically want to know about what will happen in the story. Then once
youre done, make a short gist statement just a sentence long to describe what you think
the story is about, or its major focus or main idea. Are there any questions? I will provide some
wait time for students to ask questions that they may have.
Alright, if there are no more questions, you all are going to work in groups of three with the
people youre already seated with. Ill be circling around to help you all out in any way I can.
However, remember that there are no right answers here none of us could possibly guess
exactly whats going to happen in the story. The main objective of this activity is to start making
predictions about the theme of identity crisis and how the story will relate to it based on these
words. The students will work for no more than ten minutes on these graphic organizers. Once
they are done, we will go around the room and each group will share aloud their one sentence
gist statement.
5. [20 mins.] Step 4: Addressing unknown vocabulary
Now you all have pointed out some unknown vocabulary in this probable passage list of words.
Before we dive into the story, were going to address these. Which words from the list did you
and your group say you were unfamiliar with? Students will likely report that they were most
unfamiliar with prawns and tofu from the probable passage list. Does anybody have any
predictions or any ideas about what prawns are? You all earlier discussed that it sounds like
they are having a Christmas dinner in the story; how might prawns be involved in a Christmas
dinner? I will ask these and other guiding questions to help students think about the possible

Akers-Pecht 11
definition of the word. I will repeat this process with the word tofu. Then, I will show students
a photograph of each on the overhead projector via a Google image search link. These links will
be compiled to a Word document in advance of the lesson plan. So here is a picture of a prawn;
what does that look like to you all?... Does that look appetizing to you? How do you think its
going to be involved in a story about a Christmas dinner? I will ask guiding questions like these
to help students visualize how these vocabulary words will appear in the story.
So now weve discussed a couple of the words you all pointed out, but were also going to talk
about a few more that you may be unfamiliar with. In the Word document that is already up on
the overhead projector, I will have already typed the word clamor along with a sentence using
the word. A clamor of loud voices outside woke them up in the middle of the night. What can
you tell me about the word clamor from this sentence?... How do you know that thats what
clamor means? What about this sentence tells you so? I will ask students guiding questions
like these for the following words as well: grimace, muster, stunned, tweed. (See the appendix
for sentences with each.)
6. [5 mins.] Step 4: Read the short story Fish Cheeks
Now were going to encounter all of these vocabulary words within a short story. I will start to
pass out the copies of the short story. This is Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan. Now youll notice that
there are footnotes within the story. Make sure to read these as we come across them; they are
linked to definitions of vocabulary words. Based on the words you marked as unknown within
your probable passage sheets, you may want to pay special attention to the ones you already
know youre unfamiliar with. Try underlining them as you come across them. Now Ill read
aloud. I will read the story aloud as students listen.
7. [15 mins.] Step 5: Return to Probable Passages
Now that weve read Fish Cheeks for the first time, lets return to our probable passages.
Discuss with your peers in your groups of three ways that the story surprised you maybe you
anticipated that the setting was different, or maybe you guessed that one of the words that
signified a problem actually became a solution or answer to a problem. Once youre done
discussing, try to come up with a new gist statement based on what you think the real main idea
of the story is. Then well go around the room and share once more. I will circulate the room and
monitor students discussions as they talk in their groups of three. Students will discuss for about
ten minutes and will share during the last five of this step.
8. [15 mins.] Closure: Reflection on Anticipation Guides
So based on your revised gist statements, its clear that your reading of Fish Cheeks has
changed your initial ideas of what the story would be about. Additionally, reading the story
might have changed your own personal opinions about the storys themes as well. Now, I want
you all to get your anticipation guides back out of your folders. I will wait for students to retrieve

Akers-Pecht 12
their anticipation guides. I want you to answer these again. At the bottom of your guides, answer
the questions I have posted there. Ill read these questions aloud to the class now to ensure that
everyone understands them: Did your responses to any of the questions change? What about
Fish Cheeks made you change your mind? If your responses stayed the same, what in Fish
Cheeks convinces you that your first opinions were right? I will allow students to respond to
these questions. This closing activity will last until the end of the bell.
Dont forget to turn your papers into my yellow tray on my front desk the one labeled exit
slips before you go. Well return to Fish Cheeks tomorrow and try to look at the story from
a new perspective and read it with a different purpose than before. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] List all methods of assessment used in
this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson. After each assessment,
indicate in brackets the number(s) and letter(s) of the unit objective and the related lesson
objectives that the assessment is evaluating.
Diagnostic
Students will exhibit their prior knowledge on identity crisis by completing:
o
A personal journal entry [objectives 5b, 7b]
o
An anticipation guide [objective 5b]
Students will exhibit their prior knowledge of story elements such as characters, conflicts,
settings, outcomes, and unknown words by completing:
o
A probable passage activity [objective 3b]
Formative
Students will reveal their understanding of story elements, including main idea, by
completing:
o
A reflective group discussion of the probable passage activity [objectives 3b and
7c, SOL Reading 8.5h, and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2]
Students will reveal their understanding of literary text by completing:
o
An exit slip returning to and reflecting on their anticipation guides [objective 5b
and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2]
Summative
In a future lesson, students will show their understanding of the concept of identity crisis
by completing:
o
A personal narrative about their own experience with identity crisis [objectives 5b
and 7b]
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:
(This is where you identify specific aspects of this lesson which have been differentiated in order
to address the needs of one or more of your profiled studentsidentify them by name)

Akers-Pecht 13

I grouped students in threes for the probable passage activity so that I could easily differentiate
instruction based on readiness levels. If I anticipate that a couple of students may have difficulty
filling out their graphic organizers, I am able to place them with students of higher readiness
levels who can assist them. For example, Ral, my English language learner student, may not be
familiar with several of the words on the list for the probable passage. This way, he can work
with a student who can explain these terms to him, as well as things like conflict, outcome, etc.
Additionally, I will get a good sense of what words students like Ral and Chris, who reads two
grades below the 8th grade level, are unfamiliar with and will need scaffolding with when we get
to the text itself. Ral and Chris will also become somewhat familiar with some aspects of the
story before we start to read it, and thus they may feel more comfortable participating in class
with later discussions if they already have some ideas of what the story is about. Additionally, I
added footnotes to the story itself so that students can quickly reference them to figure out what
some of the trickier words in the passage mean.
For students like Karen who need directions explained more thoroughly, I have provided a lot of
wait time after explaining instructions for students to voice their concerns or confusions.
Additionally, if Karen does not feel comfortable speaking up at these points, I can quickly
consult with her group first as I circulate the room. This way, I can make sure that she is on track
as to what she should be doing. Since Ill be talking with her whole group, I wont be singling
her out in front of her peers.
For gifted students like Jessica, probable passage has proved to be effective as well. There are no
right or wrong answers necessarily, and there is a lot of room for creativity in predicting a gist
statement. Additionally, there are ample opportunities for Jessica to reflect upon her thinking,
both with the probable passage and the anticipation guide. The anticipation guide will also likely
be challenging for her as it is challenging with most students, both on an academic level and on a
moral, ethical, and more personal level as well.
Materials Needed:
Overhead projector and computer
Copies of the anticipation guide
Copies of the probable passage
List of words for probable passage
List of vocabulary words with accompanying sentences
Copies of Amy Tans Fish Cheeks with footnotes for vocabulary words
Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers,
handouts, etc.)

Akers-Pecht 14

Anticipation Guide
Name _______________________
Date ________________________
Block _______________________
Write A or agree if you agree with the statement. Write D or disagree if you disagree
with the statement.
Before Reading

After Reading

1. I could never be ashamed of my heritage.

2. Family is the most important thing in life.
3. It is better to change and to fit in than to
be yourself and stand out.

After Reading: Reflection

Respond to the following questions.
Did your responses to any of the questions change? What about Fish Cheeks made you change
your mind?

If your responses stayed the same, what in Fish Cheeks convinces you that your first opinions
were right?

Akers-Pecht 15

Akers-Pecht 16
Probable Passage
Title of Selection _______________________
Author _______________________________
Characters

Setting

Problem

Gist Statement Before Reading

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Gist Statement After Reading
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Outcomes

Unknown Words

To Discover
1.
2.
3.

Akers-Pecht 17
Probable Passage List of Words (to be displayed on the overhead projector):
1. Love
2. Minister
3. Chinese
4. Christmas
5. Robert
6. Prawns
7. Tofu
8. Squid
9. Relatives
10. American
11. Miniskirt
12. Shame
13. Dinner

Akers-Pecht 18
Vocabulary List to be displayed on the overhead projector
Prawns
Image link
http://www.csnnw.com/blog/outdoor-gps/prawn-curing-101
Tofu
Image link
http://thescienceofeating.com/proteins/learning-about-tofu/
CLAMOR
A clamor of loud voices outside woke them up in the middle of the night.
GRIMACE
The patient grimaced in pain when the doctor touched his wound.
MUSTER
Sarah finally mustered up the courage to try out for the cheerleading squad.
STUNNED
The children were stunned by the news that their teacher had been arrested.
TWEED
The elderly professor wore a brown tweed suit.
http://male-extravaganza.com/winter-essential-tweed-suit/

Akers-Pecht 19
Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan
I fell in love with the ministers son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese, but
as white as Mary in the manger. For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a
slim new American nose.
When I found out that my parents had invited the ministers family over for Christmas
Eve dinner, I cried. What would Robert think of our shabby1 Chinese Christmas? What would he
think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? What terrible
disappointment would he feel upon seeing not a roasted turkey and sweet potatoes but Chinese
food?
On Christmas Eve I saw that my mother had outdone herself in creating a strange menu. She was
pulling black veins out of the backs of fleshy prawns.2 The kitchen was littered with appalling3
mounds of raw food: A slimy rock cod4 with bulging eyes that pleaded not to be thrown into a
pan of oil. Tofu,5 which looked like stacked wedges of rubbery white sponges. A bowl soaking
dried fungus back to life. A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so that
they resembled6 bicycle tires.
And then they arrived the ministers family and all my relatives in a clamor7 of doorbells and
rumpled Christmas packages. Robert grunted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of
existence.

1 Shabby: run-down, inferior or less than, cheap

2 Prawns: shrimp or other seafood covered with a hard shell
3 Appalling: causing dismay, horror, or shock
4 Cod: a type of fish from the North Atlantic Ocean
5 Tofu: a soft, bland, white cheeselike food made from soybean milk: used originally in Oriental
cookery.
6 Resemble: to be like or similar to
7 Clamor: a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people

Akers-Pecht 20
Dinner threw me deeper into despair.8 My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and
reached across the table, dipping them into the dozen or so plates of food. Robert and his family
waited patiently for platters to be passed to them. My relatives murmured9 with pleasure when
my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert grimaced.10 Then my father poked his
chopsticks just below the fish eye and plucked11 out the soft meat. Amy, your favorite, he said,
offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear.
At the end of the meal my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her
fine cooking. Its a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied, explained my father to our
astonished12 guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddened face. The minister
managed to muster13 up a quiet burp. I was stunned14 into silence for the rest of the night.
After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, You want to be the same as American girls on
the outside. She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt in beige tweed.15 But inside you
must always be Chinese. You must be proud you are different. Your only shame is to have
shame.
And even though I didnt agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had
suffered during the evenings dinner. It wasnt until many years later long after I had gotten
over my crush on Robert that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the true purpose
behind our particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen all my favorite foods.
Reading Experience with Fish Cheeks: Part 2
8 Despair: loss of hope
9 Murmured: mumbled or said quietly, under their breaths
10 Grimace: to make a facial expression, often ugly or contorted, to show disapproval or disgust
11 Pluck: to pull at our grasp
12 Astonished: to be filled with surprise or shock
13 Muster: to gather or summon
14 Stunned: to be shocked or overwhelmed
15 Tweed: a coarse wool cloth

Akers-Pecht 21

Week

of 3; Plan #

of 9; [90 mins.]

Plan type: ____Full-Detail ____Summary

Content Requirement Satisfied: Reading Experience
(Note: Refer to the list in the document called Concept Unit Lesson Plans)
Unit Learning Objectives (numbered) [from my Backwards Design Unit Document],
followed by Specific lesson objectives (lettered) being taught in this lesson:
SWBAT:
Cognitive (know/understand):
2. Students will know that character development tracks the changes in a character.
a. Students will know that authors leave evidence including dialogue, thoughts or
feelings, actions, and character traits to show character development.
Affective (feel/value) and/or Non-Cognitive:
6. Students will value one anothers personal identities, opinions, and backgrounds.
a. Students will listen to and respect one anothers opinions during group and whole class
discussion.
Performance (do):
7. Students will be able to locate and describe the sources of identity crisis for themselves and for
literary characters.
d. Students will be able to describe the sources of identity crisis for a literary character
using evidence from the text, including dialogue, feelings, actions, and character traits.
SOLs: [List with numbers portrayed in the SOL document]
Reading 8.5c Explain how authors use characters, conflict, point of view, voice, and tone to
create meaning.
CCSs: [List with numbers portrayed in the CCS document]
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Procedures/Instructional Strategies
[Note: Any words that represent what I would say directly to students appear in italics.]
Beginning Room Arrangement:
Students desks will be arranged in straight rows all facing the front of the classroom. Students
will be seated by themselves for now, but will later be paired for a think-pair-share activity.
[Changes in this arrangement that become necessary later will be noted in the plan]

Akers-Pecht 22

1. [5 mins.] Bridge/Hook/Opening to lesson: Prior knowledge journal entry

Good morning, class! I hope you all are having a good week so far. As you all come in and are
seated, write a response to the journal entry on the board: Character development. Have you
heard of this term before? If so, where? What does it mean? If you havent heard of this term,
predict what you think it means. I will give you a few minutes to write. Students will write for
about five minutes.
2. [5 mins.] Step 1: Sharing journal entries
Now lets see what you all had to say about character development. I will call on students who
have their hands raised at first, and I will later call on some students at random based on pulling
their names out of a bowl. I will stress that students can respond by continuing something in a
previously made comment or by adding a new topic or idea to the concept of character
development. Additionally, they may ask a question. Now will be a good time to address any
student misconceptions about this term. We will share ideas for about five more minutes, longer
if necessary and if there are misconceptions or misunderstandings I need to address.
During our first class of the unit when we saw the Identity video with all of the students in the
masks, we talked about internal and external conflicts. Ill write these terms back up on the
board so students can see them again. Identity crisis is usually a type of internal crisis where a
character has to make an important decision about who he or she is. Ill write identity crisis
under internal conflict. Because its on the inside and not outside where you can easily see it,
internal crises usually have to be shown through character development. Authors have a lot of
different strategies or tools that they can use to show character development, which we will talk
about in just a second.
1. [10 mins.] Step 1: Introduction to character development
So now that were starting to understand character development, were going to try and see if we
can use this term to help us better understand how Amy from Fish Cheeks changes throughout
the story. Remember that this was the story that we read a couple of days ago during the last
class. Dont panic if its not all coming back to you so far; were going to reread to refresh
everybodys memory and to read the story with a new purpose in mind. However, I did review
your anticipation guides from last class; remember, you filled these out once at the beginning of
class and returned to them at the end. I will comment on trends I saw within the guides; for
example, I saw that the story had changed a lot of your minds about what was most important
in the second time around, some of you decided family was the most important thing in life. So in
a way, you all sort of changed alongside the main character Amy to come to the same
conclusions she did.
I will pass out the character development graphic organizers. What Im passing out now is a
graphic organizer thats going to help us pick up on different parts of the story where the author,

Akers-Pecht 23
Amy Tan, is telling us about her characters development or the changes shes gone through.
Youll see that the specific parts of the story well be looking at are actions, dialogue, feelings,
and character traits. Now who can tell me what an action looks like in a story? Expected
responses include something a character does. What about dialogue? I will go through all four of
these to ensure that students know what they all look like within a short story.
2. [10 mins.] Step 2: Modeling character development using a graphic organizer
So lets go through the first couple of paragraphs of the story together to find these four types of
evidence for character development. I will begin to read the story aloud and pause when I come
across a good example of one of the four types of evidence. Then, I will model responding to the
graphic organizer using think aloud strategies. I think I just read an important thought that Amy
has about herself: For Christmas I prayed for this blond-haired boy, Robert, and a slim new
American nose. So she really wants this boy Robert to notice her because shes in love with
him, as she just told us. I think its important she includes the description blond-haired boy
because blond hair is a European trait, one that a lot of American boys have. Additionally, she
wants a slim new American nose, furthering this idea that she wants to become more
Americanized, or feel more like she belongs in America. So shes thinking about dating an
American boy and looking like an American girl. So thats what Im going to write in my
thoughts section of my organizer. I will write this sentence down in my organizer, which the
students will follow via the overhead projector. You all can write this down too as your first
piece of evidence. These may help you to know what youre looking for later on when you work
independently. But for now, lets try to do one of each of the four categories together. I will move
on to another category and model through all four.
3. [20 mins.] Step 3: Students complete the graphic organizer independently
Okay, now that you all have gotten down some examples of each kind of evidence, I want you to
silently read through your copies of Fish Cheeks to find more examples of thoughts, dialogue,
action, and character traits (of Amy, the main character). Try to find at least one example of
each, although feel welcome to write more if you have time. If you finish early, start to think
about how these pieces of evidence from the text show a change in Amy from the beginning of the
story to the end. As such, you may want to include thoughts, dialogue, actions, and traits from
different parts of the story chronologically so that it will be easier for you to compare Amy at the
beginning of the text to Amy at the end of the story. I will be circling around to help you all as
you work. I will monitor students work as I circle around the room. If they become stuck, I may
read out a sentence or phrase for them and ask what kind of evidence it is, or prompt students
who finish early to begin thinking about how these four sections of the graphic organizer tell us
about Amys character development.
4. [5 mins.] Step 4: One question, one comment (Think portion of think, pair, share)

Akers-Pecht 24
As you all wrap up, I want you all to think up two things. These are written on the board for you
all to see. The first is one question, which can be about how one of the pieces of evidence you
wrote down relates to character development. So for example, you might take our class example
that Amy wants to be more like an American girl with a slim nose. You might be wondering, what
changes Amys mind about wanting to look more American by the end of the story?
The second thing I want you to write down is one comment. This can be about one of the pieces
of evidence you wrote down from the text. For example, lets take that same quotation that I just
talked about the one about the slim American nose. You might comment on something like
American beauty standards, and how Amy doesnt feel like she fits in because she doesnt look
American. Take just five minutes to brainstorm: one question, and one comment.
5. [10 mins.] Step 5: Pair portion of think, pair, share
Once youre done, put your pencil down so that I can see youre finished. I will provide some
wait time for students to finish up their final thoughts. Okay, now I want you all to pair up with a
partner to discuss your question and your comment. Keep in mind that after this, we will
reconvene in a whole class format. Then, everybody will be expected to share one question or
one comment. These can be your original questions and comments, or you might come up with
something new and even more interesting in your pairs. I recommend that you write this down so
that you have it ready to share. You can write it on the back of your character development
graphic organizer.
You can choose who you wish to work with for this activity. Before you move, I want you to try
and make eye contact with someone, then nod your head to let them know you want to work with
them. Ill provide a minute of wait time for students to choose partners. Okay, now you can get
up and move to a different desk. Students will move and begin to discuss their questions and
comments. I will circle from pair to pair, pausing at groups of students whose discussion seems
stalled or who may need further directions to get started. When students have two or three
minutes left, I will let them know that they need to have a question or comment in mind to share
with the class.
6. [20 mins.] Step 6: Share portion of think, pair, share
Now that youve all wrapped up your thoughts, I want you to quickly and quietly return to your
original seats. Students will return to their former seats. I will comment upon whether students
do so quickly or quietly, maybe by saying something along the lines of, Nice job, but lets try
and be even faster next time. So lets start off sharing our questions and comments. If youre
particularly interested in a question or comment, you can respond to your peers when they share
them, especially if your question or comment is similar or relates to theirs. I will call on someone
whose hand is raised to get the discussion going. If no hands are raised, I may mention a
comment I heard that was particularly insightful for example, Steve, I heard you say that you
thought Amys actions toward and thoughts about her mother were ungrateful and disrespectful.

Akers-Pecht 25
Can we hear a little more about that from you? Then, I will open up the discussion to students
who wish to respond to this initial statement.
7. [5 mins] Closure: Exit slip
Im impressed with the level of discussion we just had going! Now to end class, I want you all to
turn in an exit slip using these index cards. I will pass out index cards to everyone. All I want
you to do is to write down an additional question a new one that you have now that youve
heard your peers thoughts during discussion. Is there something now that you thought you had
answered, but realize youre still confused about? Is there something you wanted answered but
that we didnt get to today? These questions can pertain to Fish Cheeks, character
development, the four types of evidence, or identity crisis in general. Leave these in the yellow
exit slip tray on my desk. Students will write for five minutes until the bell rings. Thank you all,
Ill see you on Friday!
Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] List all methods of assessment used in
this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson. After each assessment,
indicate in brackets the number(s) and letter(s) of the unit objective and the related lesson
objectives that the assessment is evaluating.
Diagnostic
Students will reveal their prior knowledge about character development by:
o
Completing a journal entry on their familiarity with character development
[objective 2]
Formative
Students will exhibit their understanding of character development by:
o
Completing a character development graphic organizer independently [objectives
2a and 7d, SOL 8.5c]
o
Participating in paired and whole class discussions on character development
[objectives 2a, 6a, and 7d, Reading 8.5c, and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.1]
Summative
In a future lesson, students will show their understanding of the concept of identity crisis
by completing:
o
A personal narrative about their own experience with identity crisis [objective 2a]
Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:
(This is where you identify specific aspects of this lesson which have been differentiated in order
to address the needs of one or more of your profiled studentsidentify them by name)

Akers-Pecht 26
For ELL students such as Ral, it will likely be helpful to hear the character development graphic
organizer modeled aloud before completing it for himself. Additionally, Ral could be provided a
list of sentence starters for his conversation with a peer during the think-pair-share portion of the
activity. These sentence starters would help him to articulate his thoughts with a partner as well
as to share his ideas with the whole class. Students like Karen who have trouble focusing might
also benefit from being given sentence starters as reminders to stay on task.
Karen could also benefit from completing a self-assessment based on her ability to stay on task
and to cooperate with a peer during the think-pair-share activity. Based on the specific behaviors
I observe her having issues with, I could tailor this self-assessment to set goals for Karen for
things she needs to work on. For example, she might need help not interrupting others during
discussion, and for that, I may advise her to wait until someone has stopped speaking or to take a
deep breath if she is feeling impatient. Then, I would ask her to rate herself as to how well she
completed these appropriate responses.
For Chris, who reads two grade levels below the 8th grade level, I might provide him with an
audio version of the text for him to listen to and pause as he reads along silently and fills out his
graphic organizer. This aid would help him to keep track of what was happening in the passage
as he worked on his character development skills.
Materials Needed:
Copies of Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan provided above within first reading
experience lesson
Copies of character development graphic organizer
Index cards for exit slips
Overhead projector with computer
Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers,
handouts, etc.)

Akers-Pecht 27
Name _________________________
Date __________________________
Block _________________________

Character Development Reading Response

Story Title: _________________________________________________________________
Author: ________________________________________________

Trait(s)

Actions

Character

Dialogue

Feelings

Sentence Starters
Ask a Question:

Akers-Pecht 28

Do you think
Why do you think
What makes you say
How does this relate to

Make a Comment:
-

I see where youre coming from, but I think it means

I understand why you would say that. However, I think
I like that idea, and it also reminds me of
I appreciate your comment/feedback. Thank you for

Clarify Something:
-

Im hearing you say this Is that what you meant?

Im sorry, could you repeat that?
Im not sure I understand your point.
Could you please repeat what you said? I didnt quite hear it.

Remember to:
Provide wait time. Let others in your group think for a while before you jump in.
If there is someone in your group who hasnt spoken, ask him/her for his/her opinion.
Be respectful to others opinions and backgrounds as we discussed during our class
norms.