TEKS Lesson Plan/Unit Plan



Focus Plan

Texarkana Independent School District

|GRADING PERIOD: |1st 6 Weeks |PLAN CODE: |R7.1.5 |

|Teacher: |Ables |Course/subject: |English Language Arts |

|Grade(s): |7 |Time allotted for instruction: |3 class periods |

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|Title: |What a Character! |

|Lesson TOPIC: |Character Traits |

|TAKS Objective: |Objective 2 |

| |The student will apply knowledge of literary elements to understand culturally diverse written |

| |texts. |

|FoCUS TEKS and Student Expectation: |7.12 Reading/text structures/literary concepts. The student analyzes the characteristics of |

| |various types of texts (genres). The student is expected to: |

| |(F)   analyze characters, including their traits, motivations, conflicts, points of view, |

| |relationships, and changes they undergo (4-8). |

|Supporting TEKS and Student Expectation: |7.10   Reading/comprehension. The student uses a variety of strategies to comprehend a wide |

| |range of texts of increasing levels of difficulty. The student is expected to: |

| |(H)   draw inferences such as conclusions or generalizations and support them with text |

| |evidence [and experience] (4-8). |

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|Concepts |Enduring Understandings/Generalizations/Principles |

| |The student will understand that |

|Character traits |A character trait is a distinguishing quality of a person or character that can include personality, |

| |likes/dislikes, and behavior. |

|Direct characterization |Through direct characterization, a writer reveals a character by directly telling the reader the |

| |character’s traits. |

|Indirect characterization |Through indirect characterization, a writer reveals a character by showing the reader the character’s |

| |traits in the description of describing actions, speech, thoughts, and feelings. |

|Inferences |A successful character analysis demands that students infer abstract traits and values from literal |

| |details contained in a text. |

|Conclusions |Students use textual clues to draw conclusions concerning a character’s personality. |

|Text evidence |In citing text evidence, students connect specific details to their inferences. |

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[pic]I. Sequence of Activities (Instructional Strategies)

A. Focus/connections

Distribute Activity 1: The Labyrinth and have students work their way through the maze. Explain that today you’re going to read a myth about a man who built one of the most complicated mazes of all times. The purpose of the lesson will be to analyze the characters in the story, to make inferences, to draw conclusions, and to use text evidence.

B. Instructional activities

(demonstrations, lectures, examples, hands-on experiences, role play, active learning experience, modeling, discussion, reading, listening, viewing, etc.)

Using the Transparency Packet, introduce the concept of character traits and define “traits” (Transparency 1). Discuss the concepts of direct and indirect characterization (Transparency 2). Divide students into groups and have them use indirect characterization to illustrate the same character trait (Transparency 3). Provide time for groups to share their responses. Discuss the concept of text evidence and have students identify a character trait based on a given action (Transparency 4).

C. Guided activity or strategy

The guided activities for this lesson are embedded in the instruction on Transparencies 3 and 4.

II. STUDENT PERFORMANCE

A. Description

1. Students will define any unfamiliar adjectives listed on Handout 2: Character Traits.

2. Students will read “Icarus and Daedalus” (Glencoe Literature, p. 736).

3. Students will answer the questions on Activity 2: Icarus and Daedalus, using both the text and the adjectives listed on Handout 2.

4. Students will use characterization to fully develop a character (Activity 3: Become a Character).

B. Accommodations/modifications

C. Enrichment

Students could create an original character and use indirect characterization to portry the character. (See Graphic Organizer: Character Analysis.)

iii. Assessment of Activities

A. Description

1. Practice Activities: Transparency Packet

2. Activity 2: “Icarus and Daedalus”

3. Activity 3, Part 1: Become a Character

4. Activity 3, Part 2: Thinking in Character

5. Activity 3, Part 3: Who Am I?

B. Rubrics/grading criteria

See Rubric: Character Traits for grading criteria.

C. Accommodations/modifications

D. Enrichment

E. Sample discussion questions

1. What is a character trait?

2. What is the difference between direct characterization and indirect characterization?

3. What adjectives would you use to describe your own character traits?

4. Could we group these adjectives in any way?

5. What is your text evidence?

IV. TAKS Preparation

A. Transition to TAKS context

On the 2003 and 2004 TAKS, questions measuring TEKS 7.12 (F) involved the following:

1. Character change – how a character’s opinion changed (2 questions)

2. Character traits – why a character feels a certain way (5 questions - worried, discouraged, fascinated, left out, distracted)

3. Character actions – why a character does something (5 questions - cause and effect)

Throughout the year, the teacher should use these question stems to practice this objective:

• How did the character’s opinion change?

• Why does the character feel ---?

• Why did the character ---?

B. Sample TAKS questions

1. Which of these statements reflects Grandpa Delgado’s change of opinion at the end of the story?

F Things get less useful the older they become.

G Older people should retire so that the young can take over.

H Young people do not want to listen to old songs.

J Growing old does not make a person less useful.

From Spring 2003 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

2. Angela is worried as the double axel approaches because ---

F she has forgotten how to do the jump

G she is starting to feel dizzy from spinning so much

H she occasionally makes mistakes on the jump

J she is having a hard time catching her breath

From Spring 2003 Grade 7 TAKS

3. In paragraphs 1 through 4 of this story, why is Angela discouraged?

A She knows that she is not a very good skater.

B She thinks that Sandra does not like her.

C She can’t remember what she is supposed to do.

D She doesn’t think she has a chance of beating Sandra.

From Spring 2003 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

4. In paragraph 5, why does Angela forget what she is supposed to do first?

F She has recently made a change to her program.

G She gets upset after she makes a mistake.

H She decides to try a jump she has never done before.

J She is nervous about competing in the championship.

From Spring 2003 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

5. Why is Sandra distracted while skating her program?

A She is thinking about which college she wants to attend.

B She is angry about what Angela told her as they passed each other.

C She is worried about how well Angela skated.

D She is sorry that she did not treat Angela more nicely.

From Spring 2003 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

6. Which of these statements best reflects Mr. Smith’s change of opinion at the end of the selection?

A He decides that Cliff’s car isn’t dangerous after all.

B He thinks Cliff’s car has a good chance of winning the race.

C He realizes that Cliff has been telling the truth all along.

D He is sorry that Cliff will not be allowed to race his car.

From Spring 2003 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

7. Kalmara feels left out of conversations her parents have about Earth because ---

A she doesn’t want to leave her home on the space station

B she has spent her whole life living in space

C she is tired of listening to her parents complain about space

D she thinks the stories that they tell her are probably not true

From Spring 2004 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

8. Why does Kalmara find it hard to fall asleep?

F The spaceship is making too much noise.

G She is homesick for the space station.

H Her parents have made her angry.

J She can’t stop thinking about the next day.

From Spring 2004 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

9. Why is Kalmara so fascinated by wind?

A She has watched videos of it blowing down buildings.

B She has studied about it in school.

C She has heard fairy tales about what wind feels like.

D She has never felt wind before.

From Spring 2004 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

10. Why does Héctor have trouble remembering his math book?

F His father often forgets to remind him to bring his book to school.

G He is busy trying to help his father get the notes he needs to teach his class.

H His mind is on other things that are more important to him.

J He is worried about how long it will take for him to clean the garage.

From Spring 2004 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

11. Why does Héctor decide to take the notes to his father instead of going to soccer practice?

A He thinks his father doesn’t want him to play soccer anymore.

B He knows that his father needs the notes for an important review.

C He thinks it’s a good excuse to get out of cleaning the garage.

D He sees that he doesn’t have enough time to make it to practice.

From Spring 2004 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

12. Why doesn’t Héctor eat much of his breakfast?

F He doesn’t really like posole very much.

G He is afraid he will miss the bus.

H He is upset that he has to clean the garage.

J He knows his teacher is going to call his father.

From Spring 2004 Grade 7 Reading TAKS

V. Key Vocabulary

Labyrinth, maze, character, trait, adjective, conclusion, inference, text evidence

VI. Resources

A. Textbook

Glencoe Literature: The Reader’s Choice, Course 2

• “Character,” p. 180

• “Critical Reading: Challenges in Fiction,” p. 219

• “Icarus and Daedalus,” pp. 737-741

B. Supplementary materials

• Transparency Packet: Character Traits

• Practice Activities: Transparency Packet

• Activity 1: The Labyrinth

• Activity 2: Icarus and Daedalus

• Activity 2: Icarus and Daedalus – Instructor’s Copy

• Activity 3: Become a Character

• Handout: Character Traits

• Graphic Organizer: Character Analysis

• Rubric: Character Traits

C. Technology

Merriam-Webster Online: The Language Center



On this Web site, you can access the full text of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, and Collegiate Thesaurus. Site links take you to word games, the featured word of the day, and to Word Central, a language site for kids.

vii. FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES

(reteaching, cross-curricular support, technology activities, next lesson in sequence, etc.)

Vocabulary is a key component in mastery of this objective. For example, if the students do not know the definition of “anxious,” they will have difficulty determining events or actions that lead to a character’s anxiety. To build the students’ vocabulary, consider reserving bulletin board or wall space in your classroom as a character wall. Throughout the year, have the students collect adjectives that serve as vivid character traits and post them on the wall. Students also could keep an adjective list in their notebooks to serve as their own personal bank of traits.

VIII. Teacher Notes

FOCUS Plans for ELA Grade 6 include an introductory lesson for teaching character traits, direct characterization, and indirect characterization.

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