Akers-Pecht 1

Dottie Akers-Pecht
EDIS 4882
Lesson Plan 1
Context:
Course name and grade level: Standard 8th grade Language Arts
Length of lesson: 45-50 minutes
Current Unit in Curriculum: Personal Challenges
Lesson plan date: October 17, 2014
Virginia Standards of Learning
Reading 8.4 a) Identify and analyze an authors use of figurative language.
Common Core Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
d) Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language
to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
Objectives (KUD format)
Know:
1) Students will know the types of figurative language, such as simile, metaphor, hyperbole,
personification, alliteration, symbolism, and imagery.
2) Students will know that a vignette is a brief, in-depth account of an episode or memory
that uses these types of figurative language.
Understand:
3) Students will understand that authors use the tools of figurative language in order to
emotionally connect with their readers.
Do:
4) Students will be able to identify and analyze types of figurative language in literature.
5) Students will be able to create their own writing using figurative and sensory language
and share it using oral speech.
Assessment
Diagnostic: Students will demonstrate what they already know by
Discussing the use of figurative, sensory, and descriptive language in an excerpt of The
House on Mango Street
Formative: Students will show their progress on todays objectives by
Completing an ungraded graphic organizer containing the types of figurative language
with examples, and discussing the figurative language used by Sandra Cisneros in The
House on Mango Street. These assignments align to the following objectives:
o SOL 8.4a, KUD 1, KUD 3, and KUD 4
Summative: Students will ultimately be assessed (today or in a future lesson) on these
standards by:

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Revised draft of a vignette to be read aloud during the following week. This assignment
aligns to the following objectives:
o CCSS.ELA-Writing 8.3d, KUD 2, KUD 3, and KUD 5

Materials Needed:
Book versions of The House on Mango Street or photocopies of the passages discussed in class
Copies of graphic organizers
Copies of instructions for vignettes
* Samples of the above can be found at the end of the lesson plan within the Materials Appendix
at the end of the document
Multimedia: Computer to play the audio recording narrated by the author, Sandra Cisneros, of an
excerpt of The House on Mango Street found at the site
http://esl-bits.net/ESL.English.Learning.Audiobooks/Mango_Street/Part01/default.html
Instructional Steps (Procedures)
Beginning Room Arrangement: The class is initially arranged in even rows of desks all facing
the front of the classroom.
I. Welcome / greeting / announcements
Good morning, everyone! Today, were going to be looking at types of figurative and sensory
language a little more closely alongside Sandra Cisneros novel The House on Mango Street.
II. Hook / bridge / opening to lesson (5 minutes or less)
You all have read one of the chapters in The House on Mango Street before, called My Name,
when you wrote your name stories a few weeks back. The author, Sandra Cisneros, calls these
short chapters little stories or story cycles within the larger story of Esperanzas life. A fancy
word for these little chapters is vignettes. (I write the word vignette on the board.) You can
think of a vignette as being like a snapshot showing just a quick glimpse into someones thoughts
and experiences. Even though theyre short, Cisneros uses a lot of descriptive language in order
to give us an in-depth, intimate look at Esperanzas struggles. You know the saying a pictures
worth a thousand words? Well, these little snapshots through the vignettes can tell us a lot about
Esperanza even though theyre short.
The way Cisneros accomplishes this in her writing is through figurative language. Through tools
like personification, similes, and metaphors, she gives us images of Esperanzas new house in
Chicago, her family members, and her friends and neighbors. What are some of the types of
figurative language, and can you give me some examples? Samples of this short discussion
include some of the following:

Student: Hyperbole?
Me: Yes, hyperbole is an example of a type of figurative language technique. Can
anybody give me an example of a hyperbole?

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Another student: Im so hungry, I could eat a hippo.

Me: Right, thats a great example, and we know that its hyperbole because its an
exaggeration we know that J.D. isnt really going to eat a hippo. Whats another type of
figurative language?
Student: Simile.
Me: And how can we tell when a simile is being used?
Another student: The sentence says like or as.
Me: Right, so how is a simile different from a metaphor then? They both compare two
things, but how can we tell these terms apart?
Student: Simile uses like or as, but a metaphor doesnt at all, I think.
Me: Thats it. Now we also have what we call sensory language, another technique
authors use to help show us the details of whats going on in their stories. I write
sensory language up on the board alongside figurative language. Is anyone
familiar with this term or what it means?
Silence.
Me: Okay, what if I were to do this? (I cover up the ending -ory in the word
sensory.)
Student: Oh, that looks like sense, or like senses!
Me: Yes, so sensory refers to language having to do with the senses. What are the five
senses? The students go around and list them off until we get to all five. So, sensory
language involves details telling us how things look, smell, taste, hear, and feel within the
story so that we can almost imagine being there ourselves. Were going to see a lot of
examples of this in Sandra Cisernos The House on Mango Street. Then at the end of
class, you all are going to start writing your very own vignettes on a topic of your choice
using Cisneros writing, and her use of figurative and sensory language, as a model.

III. Instructional Steps

Step 1: Guided Exploration of Figurative Language (15 minutes)
To get us started thinking about figurative language and using it in our own writing, Im going
to play the author Sandra Cisneros reading aloud a section of one of her vignettes, called Hairs.
Listen closely to the figurative language and any other passages that stand out to you. I play the
audio clip.
What are some things you noticed about Cisneros descriptions? Samples of the discussion
include some of the following:
Student: I like when she says her moms hair is like little candy circles all curly and
pretty
Me: So what kind of figurative language technique do you think Cisneros is using
here?
Another student: Simile, since she uses like.
Me: Thats right, it is a simile. So what two things does she use this simile to compare?
Student: Her moms hair and candy.

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Me: And what does that accomplish? Her hairs not literally candy, but what qualities do
the hair and the candy share here?
Student: Well she says her moms hair is sweet to put to your nose.
Another student: So her moms hair smells sweet, like candy.
Me: So Cisneros appeals to our sense of taste and of smell here through this simile. Can
you tell how Esperanza feels about her mom in this passage?
Student: I think she feels nice around her mom, since she talks about how her mom
reminds her of good-smelling things like candy and baked bread. It sounds like she feels
safe with her.
Me: The figurative language in the story already sets up Esperanzas fond feelings for
her mother by comparing her to sweet-tasting and sweet-smelling things.

Step 2: Individual Analysis of Figurative Language, with less teacher guidance (15-20 minutes)
Were going to transition now into a little activity. Right now, Im passing out graphic
organizers to help you look for the examples of figurative and sensory language in short excerpts
of The House on Mango Street. (I finish passing out the graphic organizers.) There are three
different stories that you can choose from to read based on what sounds most interesting to you.
Ill give you a quick review of what each vignette is about:
Laughter Esperanza tells us about her little sister Nenny
Four Skinny Trees Esperanza feels as if she doesnt belong where she is
Beautiful & Cruel Esperanza talks about the pressure for girls to be beautiful
Are there any questions? (I allow for some wait time for students to come up with any questions
about the assignment.)
Youre welcome to work in pairs as well if a friend picks the same passage as you. Ill be
circling around to check on how youre doing. I will circle around to monitor students progress
and provide them with some hints if they seem to be having trouble. Samples of some of the
guided assistance I provide during this lesson include some of the following:

Me: So which vignette did you choose to talk about?

Student, K.T.: Laughter.
Me: Oh, this is a good one. I like how she describes her relationship with her little sister,
Nenny. What kinds of figurative and sensory language did you find here so far?
K.T.: Well, she says she and her sister laugh the same like a pile of dishes breaking.
And I said that was a simile.
Me: Yes, it is a simile. Could you also include it as a type of sensory language?
Sometimes the two overlap, and one quote can be an example of each.
K.T.: Hmm I guess hearing? Since you think about the sound of dishes breaking when
they laugh.
Me: I think thats right. Have you been able to come up with other examples so far?
K.T.: Not yet I wasnt sure what to say about this part she describes these two girls
with fat popsicle lips.

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Me: I think that R.C. also chose this story, and I just talked with her about that same
quote. Why dont you check in with her and discuss what you both think about this
example? Ill be back in just a moment to check on you again.

Step 3: Vignette Activity (15 minutes to get started, following the students lunch break in the
middle of the block)
So we can see in The House on Mango Street that Sandra Cisneros discusses everyday topics,
like family, the difficulties of moving to a new place, and growing up. Now youre going to have
the opportunity to do the same. Im passing out the instructions now. (I pass out the vignette
writing activity instructions.) You all are going to complete your very own vignette like the
ones in The House on Mango Street based on experiences from your own lives.
Youll notice that there are 3 columns on this sheet. The first is labeled Character, the second
Setting, and the third Resolution. Youll create a short vignette by choosing one character or a
person you know and one setting for your story. The Resolution column provides an ending to
the vignette; it might be an event, such as surprise party, an action that a character makes, or an
emotion that you, as the writer and narrator, feel by the end. Use Sandra Cisneros writing as a
model and incorporate examples of figurative and sensory language in your stories. Youll want
readers to be able to see and feel the experiences of your character, just as you could with
Esperanza. After these are written, youll be reading them aloud to your peers. Looking over the
assignment now, does anyone have any questions? I allow some wait time for students to think
of questions and then address them.
Ill allow you all to get started now on ideas for your vignettes. Students begin to work on their
vignettes. I stop by to ensure that students are making progress and help to provide ideas for
their writing. Samples of discussion include the following:

Student, D.A.: I didnt think to ask this earlier, but can we focus on ourselves as the
main character?
Me: Absolutely, it can be all about you. What were you thinking of writing about?
D.A.: I play the flute, so I wanted to talk about when I won a competition.
Me: Oh, so it was an individual competition?
D.A.: Yeah, it was just me on stage.
Me: That must have been kind of scary were you nervous?
D.A.: Yeah, I was really nervous.
Me: And you can use a lot of sensory language to let us know how nervous you really
felt were your palms sweaty, or was your heart beating really fast?
D.A.: Yes, both! I thought I was going to pass out.
Me: There you go an example of hyperbole! This sounds like a great idea to get you
started on a piece that will be really vivid for us as your audience. If you want to use the
back of your instructions to brainstorm, feel free I usually find it helpful to list the
things I want to include or map them out before I start writing. Maybe you can remember
back to your competition and jot down some of the things you just told me about how

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you felt, and what details you can envision in your mind. Then youll have a lot of great
examples to use to draw us into the experience, too.
IV. Closing
You all have done a great job today, Im really impressed with your ideas and what youve
brainstormed so far for your vignettes. Keep thinking about these and working on your writing
over the next week; well be presenting them aloud to the class on Thursday. If you all think of
any questions later on while youre writing that you didnt consider today, just let Mrs. K. know
and she can email them to me. Ill get back to her quickly so she can give you some answers
while you keep working. Thanks again for all of your hard work, have a great day!
Attention to Individual Student Needs
If I teach this lesson in the future in a class with ELL students, I would differentiate
instruction by allowing them to listen to the audio recording of The House on Mango Street in a
slower pace, which is provided on the website containing Sandra Cisneros readings that I used
to play the vignette we heard during the guided practice stage of the lesson. Additionally, I might
provide copies of the text in Spanish so that they could compare it with the English version to
check for the meanings of previously unknown words or phrases.
For any students with reading disabilities, I could provide enlarged text versions of the
reading material. Additionally, these students might also benefit from hearing the story recited in
a slower pace so that they could follow along more easily as they read. I might spend some time
with these students clarifying directions or allowing them to find a quiet place to read or listen to
the audio recordings before collaborating in groups.
Students with difficulties reading, including those with disabilities and ELL students,
could benefit from working with advanced readers who can help them with the text, especially
during step two of the plan using the graphic organizers. Thus, the gifted learners in the class
could take on the role of a more knowledgeable other or mentor to their group. With this added
responsibility, gifted students might feel as if they have been given an important role that
elevates their position to one of an expert in teaching and guiding others, heightening and
maintaining their affective engagement in the lesson.
Technology Use
The technology used in this lesson includes the brief use of Mrs. K.s laptop in order to
access the website containing an audio recording of an excerpt of The House on Mango Street
read by the author, Sandra Cisneros. Hearing the authors oral interpretation of her own work
will allow students to identify with the emotions of the story as well as hear a model of
enthusiastic and enunciated reading. Additionally, Ive observed that students in Mrs. K.s class
are more affectively engaged with the text when they hear an example of reading aloud. Students
will use Cisneros voice as a guide for the reading of their own original vignettes during my
subsequent teaching placement. Additionally, the website containing Cisneros readings offers
them in two different paces. If I were to ever teach this same lesson in a class with ELL students
or students with reading disabilities, they could listen to the slower pace as they read along.

Akers-Pecht 7
How this lesson incorporates specific insights from course readings and/or class discussion
During our class discussions involving reading strategies, weve incorporated the
concepts of providing students with texts that are personally relevant, as well as with providing
associative recollections for students to compare their own experiences to those of authors and
characters. Milner, Milner, and Mitchell assert that attempts to include students own
recollections in reading activities engages students and offers them some personal stake in what
follows (p. 126). I think that using Sandra Cisneros writing as a model for students own
personal stories makes this lesson more affectively engaging than had I asked them to write
something less personally relevant. Additionally, students are provided with an example of a
model to follow, as each will have read two of Cisneros vignettes one in a guided practice
format and another in a more independent setting and will be able to refer back to these
sections while writing their own stories.
In class, weve only recently begun to discuss writing in the classroom, but while
reviewing my lesson plan, I realized that I needed to consider how the creative writing activity
contributes to students learning. In Gallaghers Teaching Adolescent Writers, he cites Langer
and Applebees assertion that, in the whole range of academic course work, American children
do not write frequently enough (p. 27). Additionally, in class weve contended with the problem
that analytical and highly structured writing typically takes precedent over more creative writing
opportunities. I think that this lesson allows students to write in a less structured way that does
not necessarily require a formal tone on their part. Additionally, I wanted to provide autonomy
for students in allowing them to choose the topics of their vignettes. Were I to reuse this lesson or
revise it for the needs of a future class, I would consider including this activity in students
portfolios to reveal a range of both analytical/academic and more creative writing forms. Milner
et al. assert that portfolios are convenient for all genres of writing, including self-assessment
pieces, creative writing, letters, poetry, reports, and a number of other kinds of writing (p. 352).
Additionally, they allow students to see see changes and development over time, which I think
is especially crucial to the writing process (p. 353).
Additionally, in class discussion we have often discussed the role of young adult novels
within the classroom. The House on Mango Street meets the criteria discussed by Hayn and
Kaplan as a young adult novel; it tackles the difficult, and oftentimes adult, issues that arise
during the adolescents journey toward identity, a journey told through a distinctly teen voice,
that holds the same potential for literary value as its Grownup peers (p. 41). The House on
Mango Street is still relevant to readers of many ages and is still held in high literary esteem after
30 years since its publication. Its vignettes capture everyday moments that middle school age
students will be able to relate to. Additionally, students will be able to model their own vignettes
after Sandra Cisneros in the knowledge that their lives have literary significance as does young
Esperanzas in the story, inspiring them to use examples of her figurative and descriptive
language to paint a picture of their own experiences.

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The Materials Appendix follows:

Name ___________________________
Block ___________________________
Figurative Language Graphic Organizer
Story from The House on Mango Street that you chose: ______________________
Quotations with Page
Numbers

Type of
Figurative
Language:
Simile,
Metaphor,
Personification,
Hyperbole,
Alliteration,
Symbolism or
Imagery

Sensory
Language: Does
this phrase
appeal to any of
the 5 senses? If
so, which
one(s)?

Effect Created: What

does this figurative
language reveal about
Esperanza or another
character?

Akers-Pecht 9

Name _____________________________
Block _____________________________
Vignette Directions
Your vignette is going to be a reflection or recollection of an experience youve had. This does
not have to be very long; they can be roughly the length of the short chapters in The House on
Mango Street. Remember that although vignettes are short, they are packed with descriptive
details, figurative language, and sensory language. You dont have to use every single type of
figurative language in your vignette just be sure to paint a picture for your audience so that we
can envision whats going on.
The chart below offers you some examples of characters, settings, and resolutions for your own
vignettes. Your character is going to be someone important in your own life who you would like
to describe to your audience, the class. The setting is where your vignette will take place. Your
resolution can be an emotion that you felt during this experience (such as embarrassment or
calmness.) The resolution can also be an action that ends the story, such as making a new friend
or falling out with an old one.
You have a couple of different options for writing your vignettes:
1) You can choose one idea from each of the three categories below. For example, you
might want to use your mother as the character you focus on, a family vacation as the
setting, and the revealing of a secret as your resolution.
2) Or, you can think up your own examples of each category. Maybe you already have a
memory in mind that you would like to write about. Just make sure your vignette
involves a character or important person in your life, a setting, and a resolution/ending.
Character
1) Principal
2) Teacher
3) Mother or father
4) Sister or brother
5) Grandparent
6) Neighbor
7) Coach
8) Best friend
9) Guidance counselor
10) Librarian

Setting
1) Living room
2) Talent show
3) School cafeteria
4) School gym
5) School library
6) Park
7) Movie theater
8) Skating rink
9) Field trip
10) Family vacation

My Character: ____________________________
My Setting: ______________________________

Resolution
1) Embarrassment
2) Engagement
3) Suspension
4) Making a new friend
5) Surprise party
6) Guilt
7) Victory
8) Falling out
9) Calmness
10) Reveal of a secret

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My Resolution: ___________________________
Rubric for Vignettes
Criteria
Word Choice

6 points
Most or all verbs
and adjectives
are precise and
vivid.

Figurative Language Effectively

employs original
figurative
language to
broaden the
meaning behind
details,
descriptions, and
ideas presented.
Sensory Details
Visual picture is
created and at
least 3 of the 5
senses are
appealed to.
Conventions/Writing Writing exhibits
Process
a command of
spelling,
sentence
structure, and
punctuation.

________ of 24 points

4 points
Some specific
words,
including verbs
and adjectives,
are used.
Student uses
figurative
language, but
some may be
unclear and
detract from the
overall
descriptive
effect.
Visual picture
is sufficiently
created and at
least 2 of the 5
senses are
appealed to.
Writing
exhibits a basic
control of
spelling,
sentence
structure, and
punctuation.
Contains some
errors that do
not hinder
comprehension.

2 points
0 points
Few specific
No specific
words have
words have
been used in the been used.
piece.
Student uses
very little
figurative
language, or it
hampers a clear
understanding
of the main
idea.

Student does
not use
figurative
language.

Visual picture
is minimally
created and
does not appeal
to the readers
senses.
Writing
exhibits errors
in spelling,
sentence
structure, and
punctuation that
hinder
understanding.

Visual picture is
not created
throughout the
piece.
Writing exhibits
many errors in
spelling,
sentence
structure, and
punctuation that
make
comprehension
very difficult.

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The House on Mango Street Excerpts Discussed in Class

Whole group format:
Hairs starts at 4:10, ends at 5:26 on audio clip at http://eslbits.net/ESL.English.Learning.Audiobooks/Mango_Street/Part01/default.html
Everybody in our family has different hair. My Papa's hair is like a broom, all up in the
air. And me, my hair is lazy. It never obeys barrettes or bands. Carlos' hair is thick and straight.
He doesn't need to comb it. Nenny's hair is slipperyslides out of your hand. And Kiki, who is
the youngest, has hair like fur.
But my mother's hair, my mother's hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles all
curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is
holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it, is the
smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin, and you
sleep near her, the rain outside falling and Papa snoring. The snoring, the rain, and Mama's hair
that smells like bread.

3 passages students can choose from for graphic organizer

Laughter
Nenny and I don't look like sisters ... not right away. Not the way you can tell with Rachel
and Lucy who have the same fat popsicle lips like everybody else in their family. But me and
Nenny, we are more alike than you would know. Our laughter for example. Not the shy ice cream
bells' giggle of Rachel and Lucy's family, but all of a sudden and surprised like a pile of dishes
breaking. And other things I can't explain. One day we were passing a house that looked, in my
mind, like houses I had seen in Mexico.
I don't know why. There was nothing about the house that looked exactly like the houses
I remembered. I'm not even sure why I thought it, but it seemed to feel right.
Look at that house, I said, it looks like Mexico.

Akers-Pecht 12
Rachel and Lucy look at me like I'm crazy, but before they can let out a laugh, Nenny
says: Yes, that's Mexico all right. That's what I was thinking exactly.

Four Skinny Trees

They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them. Four
skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong here but are
here. Four raggedy excuses planted by the city. From our room we can hear them, but Nenny just
sleeps and doesn't appreciate these things.
Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground. They grow up and
they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth
and never quit their anger. This is how they keep.
Let one forget his reason for being, they'd all droop like tulips in a glass, each with their
arms around the other. Keep, keep, keep, trees say when I sleep. They teach.
When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so
many bricks, then it is I look at trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this street. Four
who grew despite concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four whose only reason is
to be and be.
Beautiful & Cruel
I am an ugly daughter. I am the one nobody comes for.
Nenny says she won't wait her whole life for a husband to come and get her, that
Minerva's sister left her mother's house by having a baby, but she doesn't want to go that way
either. She wants things all her own, to pick and choose. Nenny has pretty eyes and it's easy to
talk that way if you are pretty.
My mother says when I get older my dusty hair will settle and my blouse will learn to
stay clean, but I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the
threshold waiting for the ball and chain.
In the movies there is always one with red red lips who is beautiful and cruel. She is the
one who drives the men crazy and laughs them all away. Her power is her own. She will not give
it away.
I have begun my own quiet war. Simple. Sure. I am one who leaves the table like a man,
without putting back the chair or picking up the plate.
* Additionally, there are text versions of the story available along with the audio recordings at
http://esl-bits.net/ESL.English.Learning.Audiobooks/Mango_Street/Part01/default.html

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