Jeni Goffe
Kristy Hicks
LAE 4335
04/10/07
Lesson Title: Descriptive Writing using Cisneros' House on Mango Street
Subject Area: Language Arts
Grade: 6-12
Overview:
Students will understand the importance of using descriptive language in writing by illustrating descriptive and non-descriptive sentences and comparing the difference in detail, using The House on Mango Street as a guide.
Objectives:
· Students will display understanding of non-descriptive vs. descriptive language by:
1. Drawing/illustrating examples, comparing and discussing examples.
2. Participating in group and class discussion of descriptive language on Chapter 9 of House on Mango Street.
3. Answering questions about the text.
· Students will explore, respond to, and discuss the elements of style and theme in literature.
· Students will also write to express meaningful and personal connections to the text.
ESOL Objectives:
L1 and L2: Students will display understanding of non-descriptive vs. descriptive language by:
· Drawing/illustrating examples, and comparing examples one-on-one with the teacher in student’s native language if necessary.
· Answering yes/no and short answer questions about the text.
· They will also draw/illustrate meaningful and personal connections to the text.
L3 and L4: Students will meet the same objectives of the remainder of the class, while improving their vocabulary and communication skills.
Sunshine Standards & Benchmarks:
LA.A.1.4.2: Selects and uses strategies to understand works and texts, and to make and confirm inferences from what is read.
LA.D.2.4.2: Understands the subtleties of literary devices and techniques in the comprehension and creation of communication.
LA.E.2.4.4: Understands the use of images and sounds to elicit the reader's emotion in fiction.
LA.E.2.4.5: Analyzes the relationships among the author's style, literary form, and intended impact on the reader.
Materials Needed:
-Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street
-At least two sheets of blank paper
-crayons/colored pencils/ markers
-Meme Ortiz Worksheet (attached)
Extra Materials for ESOL Students:
Procedures/Activities:
Step: 1 Duration: 10-12 minutes
Open after passing out packet including all above materials. Ask students to use their first blank sheet of paper to draw what they think of after teacher reads, "Meme has a dog". Allow 3-5 minutes. Briefly share drawings, reflecting on how broadly the sentence could be illustrated. Teacher will reread the sentence straight from The House on Mango Street, page 21, lines 5-9. Students will redraw what they imagine the sentence to illustrate. (3-5 minutes) Discuss what the results were. What do you notice when more description is used?
Step: 2 Approx 2 minutes
Ask student to volunteer to read Chapter 9, Meme Ortiz from The House on Mango Street.
Step: 3 Approx 5 minutes
Open the discussion with the following questions and allow the students time to answer. Ask, “Why does Esperanza explain that Meme had been hurt in the First Annual Tarzan Jumping Contest?” “Why does that sound so much more impressive than if he hurt himself jumping out of a tree?” “What does the image of children playing Tarzan tell you about Esperanza and her friends?” Ask students to point out a few more descriptions they noticed in the chapter.
Step: 4 Approx 3-5 minutes
Refer to the worksheet for chapter nine. Have students individually briefly answer questions 1-3 in the question section of the handout.
Step: 5 Approx 5-8 minutes
With their neighbor, students will briefly discuss and answer the theme questions in the next section of the worksheet. Ask the students, “Why do you think that Esperanza spends so much time describing Meme's house?” Ask them to think about the way the children play together. The neighborhood seems to be an extended family; the children talk and play together in the yards and streets. Are there still communities where children are friends and play together because they live near each other? What happens when someone new moves into the neighborhood?
Step: 6 Approx 10 minutes
Discuss and answer the style questions as a class. On their second piece of blank paper, have the students draw a picture of Meme's house based on Esperanza's description.
Step: 7 Approx 15 minutes
Have the students compose a short descriptive paragraph answering the personal response question on the handout. If there is time, have a volunteer come up to the board to try and sketch an illustration of another student’s paragraph as they read it aloud.
Procedural Adaptations for all ESOL Students:
· Text and questions will be given in student’s native language if necessary.
· Teacher will frequently check for comprehension by asking yes/no, short answer, and open-ended questions directly to students.
· Students struggling will be assigned a strong peer buddy to help follow discussion and activities.
· L1 and L2 students fill the worksheet out with the help and collaboration with a partner.
Assessment:
Students will turn in packet including two drawings, and Meme Ortiz worksheet with answers and personal response paragraph (or drawing for ESOL students). Will be graded for completion and participation.