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Meg RussellEnglish 310March 13, 2012Title: Novel-Focused Literary Analysis Essays Introduction/ Cover LetterA. The Teaching Context: A small, upper-middle class, public charter schoolThis unit plan is designed for ninth grade students of a block-scheduled, middle-class charter school, which I model after my own high school experience at Black River Public School in Holland, MI. In block scheduling, students are scheduled to attend four ninety-minute classes a day, each class meeting two (if an elective) or three (if a required course) times a week. In the case of our class, English is considered a “required course,” and is expected to meet three times a week. Along with this block scheduling, the school year is broken up into two semesters (comparable to a typical university setting) as opposed to the trimester system of other public schools. Student populations tend to range from fifty to one hundred students per grade. In our ninth grade class, we will assume that there are one hundred students.Students from this school tend to be upper-middle class students, with a general thirst for knowledge and desire to succeed; there is a waiting list to get into the school, which limits the number of students within the population, and makes enrollment somewhat competitive. The student population has been attending the school anywhere from elementary school to where they are now, giving priority to those who have been in the school system seniority (meaning that they have a place in the school based somewhat on seniority, and that they won’t lose their position simply because other “better” students want to join the school). Most students have attended the school anywhere from one to eight years before their freshman year in high school, and so there will be varying degrees of familiarity between the students. My high school has its resources readily available to the students, meaning that students will have individual “ownership” of their novels, literature, etc. for as long as the unit persists, expecting that the student will return the novel in a good condition at the end of the unit. Students will be expected to read the assigned portion overnight, and journal about what they have read in their personal writing journals, which they will bring home to write in, and bring to class for discussions; this will figure into their assessment later within the course, and as such, students are expected to be accountable for this work. Students are, of course, expected to be able to complete their reading assignments on time, reading anywhere between one and four chapters of a novel between classes.Students are taught with the Common Core Standards in mind, and as such, are expected to be able to generate and answer their own short research questions, effectively locate and use various outside print and digital resources, and should have a general idea of how to craft an argument, using short passages from the literature to back up their claims. While in the ninth grade, these students will be expected to draw upon these already-learned skills, to strengthen said skills, and to learn new skills, such as introducing counterclaims. Students should also begin to strengthen the general cohesion of their writing, such as their transitions, quotes, and relative readability of their writing. Students should be able to write mostly grammatically accurate, complete sentences, but will be corrected if need be. This unit can be taught at any point during the school year; it should be challenging enough to force students to work at improving their writing, but should not be so difficult that the students struggle to complete the work. B. Rationale for the UnitThe focus of this unit is to teach ninth grade students to create their own cohesive argumentative essays based on the analysis of a novel that we read in class; students are also expected to generate their own writing prompts on which to base these essays.1. What They Will Learn:Students will understand:Curricula are designed to meet the standards set forth on the ninth-grade level Common Core Standards for writing.Curricula should move slowly and cohesively from students’ prior understandings and writing skills to new, unfamiliar and more challenging areas, building gradually over time.What constitutes good literary analysis; how authors use areas such as reading comprehension, character analysis, interpretation, and creativity to create a challenging, interesting argument. How to create an interesting thesis; a good thesis statement has a “so what” factor, is argumentative and will require explanation.How to write an essay outside of the basic “five paragraph essay,” focusing on their arguable thesis. Expectations for assigned reading; students are expected to read assigned sections of the novel before class.Expectations for journaling; students are expected to write at least one paragraph of reflection on the assigned reading. This is not only a great way to assess a students’ involvement in the school work, but will also give students a starting point for discussion, and eventually create a basis on which the student can build their prompt for their final assignment. Students will be able to:Evaluate their peers’ writings, and give constructive criticism that is helpful, not mean or offensive.Create their own writing prompts that give way to interesting, arguable theses.Correctly find and incorporate secondary sources in their writing.Correctly cite secondary sources according to MLA standards.Craft an essay that goes beyond the basic “five paragraph essay;” it does not necessarily need to be longer than a five paragraph essay, but students must understand why this form of essay is restrictive and detrimental to their writing, and how they can step outside of those boundaries to create a better essay.Contribute constructively to group discussionsExpand on ideas discussed within the classroom to create new, interesting or challenging theories or ideas.Write formally to an audience of their peers.Students will know:Successful writers create theses that are both challenging and argumentative.Successful writers use relevant secondary sources to back up their claims, and are able to cite their sources correctly according to MLA standards.Successful writers are able to create their own writing prompts.Successful writers use topic sentences to maintain a sense of cohesion within an essay.Successful writers use correct voicing and tone within their writing, depending on the subject upon which they are writing.Successful writers use subordinating and/or coordinating clauses to create smooth transitions within their writing.How to incorporate and refute a legitimate counterargument, to strengthen their own points. 2. What will be assessed:Students will write a short reflective passage each night along with their assigned portion of reading. This section of the assessment will be based on completion, and I will attempt to monitor this by checking the students’ journals at the end of each week. Students will also be graded on attendance, as well as their personal input during class discussions. Students will compose a complete literary analysis essay based on S. E. Hinton’s novel The Outsiders, as well as an initial proposal of their thesis statement, and a peer-edited rough draft of said essay. Grading will be based on a combination of completion and of effort towards improvement; it must be obvious to me that the student made an effort to first create a completed rough draft, and as the assignment continued, that they worked to substantially edit that essay to create a better final product. Quality will be assessed throughout the assessment process; there will be different times of assessment as students move from proposal, to drafting, to final product. 3. What students will do:Over the course of the unit, students will read S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.Students will be given some short examples of literary analysis essays provided by the AP English Literatures’ sample section.Students will be expected to complete their assigned reading, as well as journal reflectively on the passages they read.Students will be taught minilessons on subjects such as a. Effective secondary sourcesb. Word usage; focusing on verbs used to make claims, introduce summaries and quotations, etc.c. MLA style and formatd. The basic five paragraph essay and why it works/ why it doesn’te. Creating effective thesis statementsf. Using topic sentences and why they are importantg. Voicing and formal toneh. Comma usage; subordinating and coordinating clausesi. Using counterclaims to strengthen an argumentStudents will create their own thesis statements/challenging questions by writing a proposal, making sure that the instructor approves of their thesis before they begin the drafting process.Students will be given class time to peer edit each other’s essays, as well as a time to meet one-on-one with the instructor to work through their ideas.Students will turn in a final copy of their literary analysis essay for assessment.4. How will they learn:My classroom will tend to fluctuate between writing and grammar minilessons, as well as reading comprehension minilessons that generally follow a familiar pattern of a short minilesson followed by a time for journaling, small group discussion, and large group discussion. I learned this method by reading Sheridan D. Blau’s The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers. I like this method of instruction, and I think that it will work, and is important because it gives the students different areas of focus; students have time to think critically and write reflectively on their own, then have time to share their specific thoughts with one or two of their peers, and from that discussion, are able to consolidate their thoughts into a great discussion with the class as a whole. This method is great because it gives students of different personalities an ability to share with the class; more introverted students are able to write reflectively and share in small groups, instead of speaking in front of the whole class, while more social students are still given the chance to speak to the class as a whole. Although some argue that a repetitive scheduling can create facilitate boredom in the classroom, I believe that the stability is good for the students. I think that the variance in subjects and minilessons will be enough to keep students lively, and of course there will be some variability within the scheduling based on the subject being taught. C. Texts: Central and SupportingStudents will be expected to read the novel The Outsiders, but this novel is going to be the topic of their literary analysis essays, and will not give them much insight into the genre of literary analysis. To give students some examples of good literary analysis essay writing, I have found some websites that feature AP Literature analysis essays that I can have the class read, as well as prompts from past AP Literature exams. I think it would also be valuable to have a day where students bring in their old (as close as they can get to) literary analysis essays that they have written in classes in the past, and show how their writing will improve, or how the essays they will write will differ from ones they’ve written in the past. These example texts will help to strengthen their understandings beyond the minilessons taught in class, to give them a tangible, visible example that they can look back on as they write their own essays. D. This unit of literary analysis coincides with the Common Core Standards’ units of informative/ explanatory writing, as well as argumentative writing, analysis and even research projects. It encompasses all of these topics because it encourages the student to write formally, in complete, grammatically correct sentences, and to even use and cite secondary sources. This unit will help students to strengthen their abilities to create coherent, well-developed writing, and will also help them to strengthen their drafting and corrective skills. This unit fits especially well with the reading component of English Literature classes, because it forces the student to consider, and to draw ideas from much of what they’ve read. Students will have to master a certain amount of reading comprehension and critical thinking in order to draw inferences from the text, to create challenging thesis statements, and to analyze the content of the novel they read.E. After receiving some feedback, I realized that the original lesson plans I created were based very much on the reading component of the English class; my three original lesson plans were based on character analysis, interpretation and the literary analysis essay itself. None of these lesson plans are particularly bad; in fact, I could probably use them later on. But, because this class focuses on the teaching of writing in the classroom, I needed to revise the plans, and to change at least one of my topics. In the end, I decided to change the order of the lessons I made, making the literary analysis lesson appear first, then combined the interpretation and character analysis lessons, so that it incorporated more aspects of how good writers use interpretations of subjects such as character analysis within their writing, to make room for a grammar lesson instead. As I wrote the lessons out, I discovered that students need to have a component that connects what they’re learning to what they know, and even to cultural surroundings, if applicable; it is best to give students different connections within their understandings so that they’ll be more likely to understand and remember the lessons you’re teaching them. Works Cited:Blau, Sheridan D. The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003. Print.Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print.Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Writing Center. "Academic Conversation Templates: How to Indicate When a Source Is Speaking and Declare Your Position." IUPUI Writing Center, Apr. 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <;."Sample Character Analysis Essay - "Dead Poet's Society""?AP* Study Notes. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <;."Sample Literary Devices Essay - "Things Fall Apart""?AP* Study Notes. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <;."AP English Sample Essays."?AP* Study Notes. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. <;."."?AP: English Literature. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. < 1Introduction to The Outsiders; Information about S. E. Hinton & Historical Contexts surrounding The Outsidersi.e., Hinton was only sixteen years old when she wrote the novel, etc., class discussion about its relevance todayStudents should have been assigned to read chapters 1 and 2 over the weekend, to be read for todayInterpretation/Character Analysis Lesson; How good writers use analysis and interpretation techniques to strengthen their writingStudents should have chapter 3 read by todayLiterary Analysis Essay Lesson; Introduction to the Literary Analysis Essay, moving away from the basic 5 paragraph essay Students should have chapter 4 read by today Week 2The importance of topic sentences & effective comma usage to create smooth transitionsThis is an important topic to cover, because it gives students a good idea of smooth, professional writing that is easy to read and understand.Students should have chapters 5 and 6 read by todayEffective Thesis Statements;Students will look at examples of effective thesis statements, and will attempt to write their own.For Monday’s Class:Students should write a proposal thesis statement/writing prompt for their own literary analysis essays.Students should have chapter 7 read by todayExamples of essays with secondary sources; The goal is to get students to understand why secondary sources are important, and which can be considered refutable (NOT WIKIPEDIA)Students should have chapter 9 read by todayWeek 3Introduction to MLA Format; Building off of last class’ lesson on secondary sources, teaching students how to reference these sources, and how to cite them correctly, as well as how to set up a college-appropriate English essay! Students should have chapters 9 and 10 read by todayCorrect Verb Usage: verbs for making claims, introducing summaries and quotations, etc.This will be a useful lesson to build off of, using quotes from secondary sources as well as the primary text to strengthen students arguments.Students should have chapters 11 and 12 read by todayVoicing & Formal Tone;This lesson should remind students that they are writing within a specific genre, and that their essays should be written in a formal, respectful tone.For Next Class:Students should have a rough draft completed and ready for peer editing in the next week.Week 4Counterclaims; This should be the final touch that the students should learn about. It can be an awesome addition to their essays, and will help to strengthen their arguments immensely. Give examples of counterclaims and how to use them well in writing.Challenge students to add a counterclaim if they don’t have one, and have their rough drafts ready for the next class period.Rough Draft & Peer Editing SessionFinal Draft Due & Discussion of ThesesUnit 1: Literary Analysis9th GradeMeg Russellcenter0Unit IntroductionThis unit will focus on teaching 9th graders to compose effective literary analysis through the reading and analysis of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. Students will learn about the importance of character analysis, interpretation of the novel, and lastly, how to construct a literary analysis with correct formality, tone, and voice.00Unit IntroductionThis unit will focus on teaching 9th graders to compose effective literary analysis through the reading and analysis of S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. Students will learn about the importance of character analysis, interpretation of the novel, and lastly, how to construct a literary analysis with correct formality, tone, and voice.*The workshop format I have used to design my lesson plans are loosely inspired by lessons outlined in Sheridan D. Blau’s The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers*The structure of the outline of these lesson plans is based on the Oakland school’s units of study found at One: Interpretation90 minutesPreparationThroughout this unit, students will be expected to read S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. This lesson will be taught on the second day of the unit, and students will be expected to have read through chapters 1-3. This is a quarter of the book, so a fair chunk of the reading, and students should have been introduced to almost all of the characters in the novel by this time.0 MinutesTeaching PointAuthors do not arbitrarily create their characters, and each has a specific role within the text.Later this unit, we will be writing our own literary analysis essays about The Outsiders, creating our own writing prompts for these analyses. This lesson is meant to help give us, as readers, insights into details we may have overlooked when we read the text individually.Good writers use these close-reading techniques to notice details that can help them to make interpretations to help them create an interesting, arguable thesis.This point will become important to remember later, and it’s important to remind students that we are working towards a common goal of creating a Literary Analysis essay later within the unit; use this introduction to analysis to show the students that there are motivations for characters to be created one way or another, and that this can be argued about through a thesis for an analysis essay.Students often believe that there is only one “best” interpretation of a text, which is simply untrue.As the students begin reading The Outsiders, I want them to understand that there is more than one way to interpret the many themes and motifs novel. Some people argue that the main theme of the novel is the idea of “family” relationships, while others argue that it’s about the dynamics between the gangs, while others even say that it may be promoting feminist non-violence.Whatever ideas students believe to be the most important, I want to emphasize that as long as they can back up their opinion, they are free to believe, and argue whatever they think is important about The Outsiders.10 Minutes10 Minutes10 MinutesActive EngagementI will ask the students to break off into partners to talk about the reading they did last night, as well as the reflection they did in their journals about said reading. Students should discuss questions such as What specific ideas did you capitalize on? Why did you think they were important? Did they create some sort of feeling in you?In class as a large group, we will create a list of characters that we see as the most important people in the novel. As each character is nominated, we will discuss why we think they are so important. We will also consider ideas such as that character’s ethics, effects of the character’s behavior on others, and if the students can see any author-inferred judgments about the character within the text, citing page numbers if appropriate.When it seems that the students have run out of characters, I will make sure that they’ve covered all the bases; if they’re missing someone who is important, or who becomes important at the end of the novel, I will suggest the possibilities of the significance of that character, and have students keep an eye on that character as they continue to read.By the end of this portion of the discussion, I want students to have covered these important characters:CharactersQualities/SignificancePonyboy CurtisMain character of the novel, pure, open, a generally “good guy”, kind of rough, the “baby” of the Greaser familyJohnny CadeA lot like Ponyboy; innocent, loyal, young, comes from a rough family, member of the Greaser familySodapop CurtisPonyboy’s older brother, dropped out of school to help feed/raise Ponyboy, funny, good looking, good natured, member of the Greaser familyDarry (Daryl) CurtisPonyboy’s oldest brother, leader of the Greaser family, works two jobs to support Ponyboy and Sodapop, the only father-figure that Ponyboy has left in his life. Ponyboy notes that he is always rough with him, even though he doesn’t mean to be (Hinton 6).Dally (Dallas) WinstonThe toughest member of the Greaser family, has just gotten out of prison as the novel begins, will become important as the novel continuesCherry ValanceA female Soc, admires the Greasers (Hinton 27), very outspoken, pretty, and interacts well with Ponyboy, Johnny and Two-Bit, becomes very important as the story continuesI want students to connect these moments in the text that they’ve outlined and that they recognize as important to qualities of the characters that we’ve discussed; can they make any interpretations about the novel? Of course, this is just one are of interpretation within the text. I will explain to students about the “big ideas” within the text, and although it’s true that it will be hard to boil the entire text down into one, solid theme, but there will be a few specific “main ideas” of the novel that we can hit on. After I’ve explained to the students what it is that I’m looking for, I will ask them to reflect on this question throughout the rest of their unit: If you could choose one passage, or explain one idea that is the purpose of the novel, what would you choose and why?I’ve chosen this question because it is hugely open ended and it will force students to think about the novel as a whole, and which ideas within the novel are the most significant to the student as a reader.These reflections will eventually be expanded to become their Literary Analysis essay, but for now, will serve simply as an idea generator for their future Literary Analysis Essay.20 Minutes20 Minutes10 Minutes10 MinutesLinkFrom this session, students should start to understand that there are many different standards by which someone may consider something as significant to the text.From class discussion, students may become more aware of other ways of thinking about these areas of significance, and may be inspired to write about a topic that they had not thought of before, but that they now understand as significant. Students should find something arguable, or something that others may disagree with, and try to support that idea to make it stronger for their eventual literary analysis essay. 0 MinutesIndependent PracticeAs students finish up the reading, they should be expected to keep looking back on their interpretations of the “big ideas” of the text. As they finish the novel, have their interpretations and opinions changed?At the end of the reading assignments (around the end of week 3), have them create a final, cohesive writing about their thoughts on the end of the novel; does it reaffirm their original idea, or will they have to tweak their thesis to support their new conclusion?At HomeShareRemind them that these characters have a huge influence on the “main ideas” of the text, and have them think about this in regards to the writing they did today. Challenge them to start thinking about what they may want to construct a thesis on and work to create a really strong, interesting argument.If they struggle at all with the tone, voice or formality of the essay, or with any process of the writing, I would urge them not to worry because we will be addressing literary analysis essays as a genre next class.Students are welcome to share their reflections in group discussion during class.Lesson Two: Literary Analysis 90 minutesPreparationBy this time, students are not expected to have read more than 1 chapter of The Outsiders. This unit is meant to be an introduction to the unit as a whole, and will give students a rough idea of what they will eventually create at the end of the Literary Analysis unit. 0 MinutesTeaching Point*Teaching points in this section are copied from the explanatory essay I wrote on Literary Analysis Essays as a genre.What is a literary analysis essay, and why is it relevant?Students should have some basic ideas of the 5 paragraph essay by now, although they may or may not be familiar with the genre of the literary analysis essay.If they are familiar, this will simply be a quick review, but if not, I will make sure to explain that literary analysis essays are argumentative essays that are written about a specific text, in our case, about S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. The purpose of this literary analysis essay will be to focus on analyzing specific aspects of the novel, using quotations from the text as well as any necessary outside sources which may help to strengthen our argumentative theses.Literary analysis essays are often written about any combination of the texts’ plot, setting, narration, point of view, characterization, symbols, metaphors, etc., and can be found in a number of different areas, such as accredited university published works, scholarly journals, and even popular magazines, but they are also commonly found in secondary school classrooms. Roane State Community College’s Online Writing Lab states that “Students are asked to write literary analysis essays because this type of assignment encourages you to think about how and why a poem, short story, novel or play was written. To successfully analyze literature, you’ll need to remember that authors make specific choices for particular reasons. Your essay should point out the author’s choices and attempt to explain their significance” (Roane).Secondary schools (grades 6-12) use some form of literary analysis essays as a form of assessment because they give great insight into the students’ writing abilities, as well as their skills of analysis and articulation in explaining the significance of their ideas.Good writers avoid using the basic five paragraph essay.Many students are taught the “easy” way of writing an essay; an introduction, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. But this method of writing has become extremely predictable and boring, and at times, does not match the students’ thesis, and thus, makes the student think that they cannot write the paper that they want to.I would like to challenge my students to write their essays without the basic five paragraph essay in mind; I would like them instead, to create a challenging thesis statement, and write the paper to support that thesis, no matter how long or short their paper becomes because of it. This may be a difficult concept for the students to grasp at first, but with encouragement, students will learn to write better, more intriguing papers because of it.Writing for literary analysis essays aims to be as complete, grammatically and syntactically, as possible. By the ninth grade, students are expected to be able to distinguish between formal and informal voice, and should be able to make an effort to write appropriately for the genre. This being said, any problems can be addressed in peer conferences, as well as one-on-one meetings with me. 30 MinutesActive EngagementAfter the introduction minilesson, students should take about 20 minutes to themselves, to examine specific examples of literary analysis essays, taken from AP Literature exams.Here are specific examples of these essays:’s a long list of sample essays: also gives specific examples of sample essay questions used in the past, but not how to answer them. These can be handed out to the class, and can be used later to help give students ideas about how to create their own prompts later in the unit. ()As the students finish reading the examples and the sample questions, sort them into small groups of two to three students for some small-group discussion. Let them talk for about 15 minutes, prompting them to think about why these samples are good examples of successful literary analyses. Remind them that these are AP level writings, and thatAs conversations start to die down and students begin to get off task, ask them to consolidate any last thoughts as a small group and prepare for group discussion. I want students to understand that what we’re looking at now is what we’ll be working towards learning to do throughout this unit; we need to create argumentative thesis statements, write strong, well-thought-out sentences, and create a professional tone.To finish out the class, have the students’ small groups come together and discuss their findings. Make sure to have students circle any areas of the examples that they found confusing, and explain their significance. This may help to open up discussion about lessons that may be following within the unit, such as subordinate clauses and comma usage to create cohesive transition sentences, strong conclusion paragraphs, etc.20 Minutes15 Minutes25 MinutesLinkWith an in-depth discussion about literary analysis essays as a genre, students should be able to see the genre as something they will have an opportunity to master throughout their high school, and even college careers. Hopefully, I will have been able to answer any questions they have, as well as give them some great, usable examples for the future. 0 MinutesIndependent PracticeI will challenge the students to think about Literary Analysis Essays as a genre, and how they are similar to essays they may have written in the past. Students should be expected to look at their past essays from other classes, if they have them readily available. If not, just have them try to remember and describe their past assignments in detail, to help them think about how their writing will advance throughout this unit. Have the students write a short 1-2 paragraph response in their journals explaining their thoughts on the subject.At HomeShareBecause nothing was specifically turned in, do not take anything from the class to share.0 MinutesLesson Three: Correct Verb Usage: verbs for making claims, introducing quotations, etc.90 minutesPreparationBy this time, students are expected to have read all of The Outsiders, as well as documented their thoughts on the reading in their journals. On their own time, students should be thinking about possible theses, and interesting prompts on which to base their literary analyses. 0 MinutesTeaching PointIndicating when a source is speaking, and stating your own opinions on the subject.To argue convincingly, writers must be able to reference credible sources on the areas of focus within their argument. MLA format requires the author to write in the present tense when referring to a source of reference (for example: “Robert Johnson believes…”). Framing quotes within an essay.It is important to frame your quotes within the essay, because it makes the quote much more readable, and less confusing than if it is simply stuck into the essay with no introduction or explanation.They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing’s authors Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein urge writers to not “introduce quotations by saying something like “X asserts an idea that” or “A quote by X says”” (Graff & Birkenstein 36-37) because these phrases can be misleading, as well as very repetitive.Graff and Birkenstein also argue that, ““I” can be used in well-grounded and well supported arguments just as those that don’t use “I”. Some occasions may warrant avoiding first person (“I”). Overuse of “I” can also result in a monotonous series of “I” statements—“I believe, I think, I argue”. It is a good idea to mix first-person assertions with assertions that signal your position without using “I” (Graff & Birkenstein 26).These verbs become important as students begin to craft their own arguments based on their own literary analysis essays begin to come together. Secondary sources and in-text citations will help to immensely strengthen their theses, and it is important that they master these skills, and make smooth transitions, choosing good scholarly sources, and avoiding websites such as Wikipedia for citations.5 Minutes10 MinutesActive Engagement I have many examples provided through the book They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein that I can hand out to the class, but I will make sure to hand out my own created handout first, such as the one described below: I will have students read a handout I give them full of quotes with and without these verbs in them, with sentences like, “According to both X and Y, these feelings are common for people to experience, because of the research they have conducted,” as opposed to, “We think that these feelings are common for people to experience because that’s how we feel every day.” – Of the two above, which statement sounds more credible?I will also make sure to hand out the pdf I found from IUPUI.edu’s website, which does a great job of summing up what Graff and Birkenstein wrote on these verbs. Students will have an opportunity to read these handouts during class, but will also be allowed to keep these handouts so that they can reference them as they need to when they write their literary analysis essays. After students have received and read these handouts, I will ask students to talk in groups of two or three about why they think these verbs are important, and whether they help to strengthen or hinder the writers’ credibility. I will ask students to create examples, or reference examples from the things we’ve just read, using the very verbs that we are learning about to create this argument. After they’ve discussed this in small groups, we will open up the discussion to the large group and share the main ideas that we’ve come up with in small groups. We will make sure to create our own list of the best verbs we’ve found, and how to use them without sounding repetitive.10 Minutes20 Minutes20 Minutes30 MinutesLinkI will challenge students to see how they can use these verbs to help strengthen their arguments that they are constructing about The Outsiders.0 MinutesIndependent PracticeIn class and at home, students should be challenged to start looking for secondary sources to include in their literary analysis essay that will help to strengthen their arguments. Students will be evaluated on their usage of these framing verbs to make their transitions smoother, and their main ideas easily understood by the reader.Over the next few class periods, we will be getting close to peer-editing, and students are expected to have completed their rough drafts before that point.At HomeShareI will highlight in class which students seem to use these verbs the best, and challenge other students to talk to the successful individuals for advice on how best to use and understand these verbs. 5 Minutes ................
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