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Lesson 6

We will revise and edit our historical narratives and will present and discuss our narratives or storyboards in a class gallery review.

Lesson Goals

Reading and Knowledge

  • Analyze Relationships: How well do I analyze how a documentarian or author uses the elements of storytelling to develop ideas and themes that ring true in a historical narrative?

Writing

  • Organize Ideas: How well do I group and sequence narrative details to produce a coherent and well-developed historical narrative or documentary storyboard?
  • Develop Ideas: How well do I use and develop my storyteller’s voice to recount a narrative based on a historical or contemporary event or figure?
  • Use Language to Convey Meaning: How well do I use vivid, descriptive images and dialogue to recount and dramatize a narrative based on a historical or contemporary event or figure?

Texts

There are no texts for this Lesson.

Materials

Tools

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Write

We will revise our historical narrative for use of vivid sensory language or images to present a compelling story.

Reread your draft narrative, asking yourself the following questions:

  1. Does my narrative sequence events in a way that is both clear and dramatic?

  2. Does my narrative use vivid sensory language or images to present compelling characters and memorable events?

  3. Does my narrative communicate a theme?

  4. Does my narrative reflect my unique voice as a storyteller?

Use your reflections to make revisions to your story as needed.

Activity 2: Write

We will edit and polish our draft historical narratives.

Review as a class the conventions associated with time frames in a narrative and the use of past and present verb tenses. Consider examples from stories you have read and how authors either maintain a consistent time frame and verb tense throughout a story or intentionally shift tenses for effect.

Read through your draft narrative, highlighting, underlining, or circling all of the verbs you have used in your sentences.

With a writing partner, review all of your verbs and determine if they are in past or present tense. If you have shifted tenses, be sure that you have intentionally done this for effect.

If not, correct the tense of any verbs that are in a different time frame so that your narrative is consistent throughout.

Identify other areas in which you might polish and improve your draft. Revise and polish your narrative rewrite of one of the stories so you are prepared to submit it to your teacher.

Activity 3: Present

We will participate in a gallery review of our historical narratives and present them dramatically to other students.

Based on how your teacher has organized the class presentation and gallery review of your historical narratives, display your images and read your narrative in a way that dramatizes the events it presents.

Activity 4: Write – Discuss

We will reflect on our progress and the knowledge and skills we have developed in preparation for the Culminating Task at the end of the unit.

Step 1

Choose at least three of the questions below and respond to them in your Learning Log:

  1. How well did you take the necessary action to prepare for the task?

  2. What went well for you during the completion of this task?

  3. What did you struggle with during the completion of this task? How did you push through that struggle?

  4. How well did you actively focus your attention during this independent task?

  5. How well did you develop and use an effective and efficient process to maintain workflow during this task?

  6. What would you do differently during the next Section Diagnostic?

Review your Culminating Task Progress Tracker. Think about all you have learned and done during this section of the unit. Evaluate your skills and knowledge to determine how prepared you are for the Culminating Task.

Step 2

Review the Central Question of the unit:

What makes a good story?

Use the following questions to guide a discussion with a partner or small group:

  1. What new knowledge do you have in relation to the Central Question?

  2. What are you still curious about in relation to the Central Question?

  3. What is the relationship between the question and the texts you have read so far? How do the texts shed light on the question? How does the question help you understand the texts?

  4. How has your response to the question evolved, deepened, or changed?

In your Learning Log, write your response to Question 3. You will return to this response in later lessons to examine how your understanding of the Central Question has evolved.