Stephanie Mack

Curriculum and Strategies

Metaphorical Expression
Due: 1/04/2016

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Title: Whats My Theme?

Subjects: Reading, Writing
Grade Level: Fifth Grade
Duration: 1-2 Hours
Type of Lesson: Metaphorical Expression

Standards and Elements:

TAG Standards:
Advanced Communication Skills
10. The student supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinions of
others.
Higher Order Critical Thinking Skills
1 The student responds to questions with supporting information that reflects in-depth
knowledge of a topic.
4.
The student makes and evaluates decisions using criteria.

Reading and Writing Standards:

RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or
drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
W.5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
W.5.9.a Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Apply grade
5 Reading standards to literature
W.5.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences

Summary: The students will use the RACE strategy to produce a clear, coherent,
and developed response to a question about RACE.
Necessary Prior Knowledge: Students need to already have notes or anchor
charts that explain theme and have been introduced to the strategy RACE.
Additionally, they need to have been consistently reading independent literature
and non-fiction books.
Enduring Understanding(s): By the end of this lesson, students will know how to
produce a clear and coherent explanation of the theme of an independent novel.
Essential Question(s): How can we explain the theme of a story with a wellwritten paragraph?

Stephanie Mack
Curriculum and Strategies
Metaphorical Expression
Due: 1/04/2016
Evidence of Learning:
What students should KNOW: theme, summary, cite evidence, RACE
What students should BE ABLE TO DO: Use specific evidence from a selfselected literary text and the RACE strategy to write a clear, coherent, and
developed answer to a question about theme.

Lesson Description:
Steps:
1. Hook:
Show students pictures of Dwayne (The Rock), Michael Jordan (Air Jordan), and
Shaquille ONeal (Big Artistole) and share their nicknames. Have the students
theorize with their seat partners where these individuals got their nicknames.
Debrief with the whole class about their ideas and share yours as well.
Read the next chapter in our read aloud, Fish in a Tree, pages 232-235 entitled
Flying Tigers and Baby Elephants. In the chapter, our three favorite characters
discuss secret nicknames that they have. After reading, have another brief
discussion about these nicknames. Additionally, encourage the students to share
nicknames that they would give themselves and/others. Require verbal evidence
to support their opinions.
Next, ask the students, What nickname would you give to your written responses?
Have a discussion about these nicknames and ask the students support their
opinions with evidence. Discuss why writing a strong response to an answer is
sometimes hard.

2. Direct Instruction: Share with the students that today they will be learning a way to make
responding to questions easier and that this new way will also help them create a more quality
response as well. Have students glue the attached notes explaining RACE into their interactive
notebooks, and explain how the strategy can be used.
3. Direct Analogy: Explain to the class that using RACE to write a masterful answer is like
using a recipe to create the perfect dish. Describe your favorite meal or dessert and discuss all
the ingredients that are needed for it to be perfect. Explain that without certain ingredients the
meal/dessert would not be enjoyed. In the same way, without all the parts of RACE an answer
cannot be a masterful one.

Stephanie Mack
Curriculum and Strategies
Metaphorical Expression
Due: 1/04/2016

4. Student Direct Analogy Practice.: Quickly review the concept of theme and the common
themes present in literature. See attached reference. Explain to students that they are now going
to create their own direct analogy to explain and use RACE while answering a theme question
about their independent novel. See the attached model sheet. Students are welcome to use your
analogy of a meal/dessert or create their own. Remind students that they need to explain both
scenarios that they are comparing AND write a developed answer to the question.

Differention: Students may use Google slides, Prezi, or other online programs to
create a product for their direct analogy.
Intervention: Pull struggling learners to your small group space and complete the
practice together. Use a novel or story that you all share.

5. Self-Evaluation: Students will use their RACE sheet in their interactive notebook to help
check their written product.
6. Class Sharing. Evaluation: After students are finished with their product, bring the class
back together. Debrief as a class by first pair sharing and then asking a few students to share
with the class. Collect student work and grade using the RACE strategy.
7. Extension: A way to extend the practice is to have students practice this skill at home.
Tonight, they could use RACE to explain the name analogy that they would give themselves.
Additionally, share this strategy with other content teachers and encourage them to expect the
same amount of development in student work.
Resources/Materials: student interactive notebooks, RACE sheets, pencils, additional notebook
paper, internet access, Fish in a Tree, student independent novels.

Reflection
Writing expression is a strong weakness for our fifth graders at
Shakerag, so I was excited about using Metaphorical Expression with my
group of students. Although most of my students used the example direct
analogy that I used, I was happy to see the end result in their writing. I have
been using RACE throughout the year to encourage students to write
developed pieces of writing. The impact of this lesson has been strong for all
my students. I have seen much more development in their writing and have
happily received reports that many of them are automatically applying the
strategy in their other content areas, especially Social Studies. I look forward

Stephanie Mack
Curriculum and Strategies
Metaphorical Expression
Due: 1/04/2016

to using this Metaphorical Expression lesson next year when I first introduce
RACE.