English SOL Enhanced Scope and Sequence for Grades 6–8: WRITING

WRITING Lesson Plan  Ruffling Feathers

Organizing TopicComposing and Revising

Related Standard(s) of Learning6.6, 7.8, 8.7

Objective(s)

  • The student will practice brainstorming to generate ideas for writing topics.

Prerequisite Understandings/Knowledge/Skills

  • The students are expected to be able to work in a cooperative group.
  • The students are expected to be able to participate in the class discussion.
  • The students are expected to have experienced some brainstorming techniques.

Materials needed

  • Chalkboard or overhead projector and transparency markers

Lesson procedure

  1. Lead the students in a discussion of the writing process, explaining that first step is to generate an idea about which to write. Ask students how one gets and organizes ideas for writing, and list their suggestions on the board (e.g., webbing, clustering, sketching, listing, cubing, quick-writes).
  2. Model a technique, called “Ruffling Feathers,” for generating ideas for persuasive and opinion papers: the teacher lists groups of people on the board and then asks students for some generalizations that would ruffle the feathers of each group. These generalizations are topics that could be used for a persuasive paper. For example, ask students to call out generalizations that are guaranteed to ruffle feathers of the following groups:
  • Dog owners: (People should be allowed to live in a dog-free zone.)
  • Mothers of kindergartners: (Kindergartners don’t need a teacher. They just need some toys, some snacks, and a naptime rug.)
  • Skateboarders: (Skateboarding isn’t really a sport. Anyone can do it.)
  • Hungry restaurant customers:
  • Musicians:
  • SUV owners:

Source

  • Barry Lane and Gretchen Bernabei. Why We Run with Scissors.

Specific options for differentiating this lesson

Technology

  • As a warm-up to using graphic organizers for brainstorming story topics, download the Story Plan interactive lesson from SmartBoard, and have students follow the onscreen instructions -
  • Have the students use graphic organizing software to generate and organize thoughts about topics, (e.g. Inspiration, Kidspiration, DraftBuilder). Free online graphic organizer software includes Storymap, Google Draw in Google Docs can also be used,
  • Given a pictorial story starter, ask the students to generate a list of possible topics.Unique pictures can be found in books, magazines, and on the Internet.
  • Literacy aids such as Soft Communication or Trifold Foam boards can also be used: Use a picture communications software, e.g. Boardmaker, to create different images. Print off images on Velcro picture paper and cut out. (Paper can be found at – keywords Velcro picture paper). Direct students to complete activity as indicated above.
  • To use metal surfaces in classroom, use a picture communications software, i.e. Boardmaker, to create different images. Print off images on Magnetic inkjet paper and cut out. (Paper can be found at – keywords Magnetic inkjet paper). Direct students to complete activity as indicated above.
  • For students who have difficulties using pencil and paper completing this activity, provide the following assistive technologies including pencils/pens with adaptive grips, adapted paper (e.g. raised line, bold line, or different spacing), slant boards, and dry erase boards/markers.
  • To reinforce these skills, have teams of students play the following free online story creation and mapping games: Zoe’s Story book creator, Seussville Story Maker, Comic Creator, Story Mapping

and Webbing Tool,

  • To present information in various ways, consider integrating the Universal Design for Learning Guideline 3, i.e. Provide options for comprehension within this lesson,

Multisensory

  • Using photographs, assign the students to generate ideas for a composition.
  • After listening to a ballad, have the students generate ideas for a composition.
  • Given the first line, ask the students to predict an appropriate topic.
  • Given a set of objects, have the students generate writing topics using at least one of the objects provided. For example: a tube of toothpaste, a baseball cap, a kitchen fork, and a doorstop.

Community Connections

  • Have the students use local print media to consider controversial local issues as topics.

Small Group Learning

  • Given a newspaper clipping of a local event, have the students fabricate a story about the event.

Student Organization of Content

  • Using the ideas generated in the brainstorming sessions, ask the students to create an “idea wall” of writing topics.
  • Have the students include three topics generated in brainstorming sessions (of interest to them) in their interactive writing journal.

VirginiaDepartment of Education 20041