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Unit 6: Lesson 15Select Writing for Authors and Actors Performance

Unit 6

Authors and Actors

                

 

 

Purpose

The purpose of this unit is to ignite students’ excitement to write by giving them the tools to explore experiences in their own lives and to communicate those stories to an audience through theater and writing.
 

Unit Description

In this unit, students write personal narratives about experiences in their own lives. To prepare, students will explore writing around three different topics. With each topic, they read real authors’ stories and engage in theater exercises as they apply the writing process. Then as authors, students pick one topic to write a whole story about and use acting to support their progress. As a culminating event, the class creates a theater presentation of the stories for an audience, who can see and hear the students’ stories on stage.

 

                

 

Common Core State Standards

Arts for Learning is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. This Overview describes the scope of the standards and this Quick Reference Guide provides each of the standards fully or partially met within this A4L Unit, followed by the charts that specifically identify the standards addressed in each lesson and step in the Unit. The standards are also coded and listed at the beginning of each lesson in the unit. Arts for Learning also provides a comprehensive student assessment program in each unit. This A4L Assessment Toolkit Quick Reference Chart indicates an overview of the locations of the tasks to be scored in the unit..
 
Each A4L unit is developed on a common framework and contains a 3-part sequence of instruction that educational research suggests will help students become more self-directed, independent learners. There is a gradual hand-off of responsibility--from teacher to students-- that is supported by assessment and teacher help as needed. Throughout A4L units the arts serve as motive and means to advance reading for meaning and writing thoughtfully.
 
 

Part 3

Sharing

Unit 6: Lesson 15

Select Writing for Authors and Actors Performance

Unit 6: Lesson 15

Select Writing for Authors and Actors Performance  

 
 

LITERACY OBJECTIVE

By the end of this lesson students will be able to identify sections of their personal narratives for performance.
 
 

Literacy "I Can" Statements

"I can work with my writing group to select sections from our personal narratives for our performance."
 
 

Lesson Overview

 

 

Standards Alignment

 

Targeted CCSS

 

Secondary CCSS

 

TEACHING RESOURCES

 

Classroom Charts

 

A4L Student Notebooks

 

Student Materials

 

Life & Learning Skills

 

  Differentiation Options  

 

  Leveraging Moments

 
 
 

STEP 1: INTRODUCE PERFORM & INFORM

 
 
Process: Review the Unit Overview for Students with students to show them their progress so far. Tell students that in the next series of lessons, they get to work in their writer’s groups to create an Authors and Actors Performance, which they will present to an audience. It’s a fun celebration of their best writing that describes their personal experiences with the writing topics. They will spend time planning, rehearsing, reflecting, refining, and then performing for an audience.
 
Tell students their performances will look similar to the story endings presentation, but with some fun dramatic twists that will be revealed through the planning and rehearsal process.
 
Lesson Alternatives: Options for Final Performance
 
Pairs or Triads with Statues
 
Publishing Party
 
 
 

STEP 2: INTRODUCE LESSON 15

 
 
Process: Give an overview of the lesson objectives. Work with writing groups to select sections from personal narratives that will be used in the performance.
 
 
 

STEP 3: READ & DISCUSS FINAL DRAFTS IN WRITING GROUPS

 
 
Process: Students get in their A4L writing groups, which are also their performance groups. Each student reads the final draft of his or her personal narrative. After each student reads, the group engages in discussion about which part they might use for the performance. The text selection should be one to four sentences. Sentences must be sequential so that the group can create dramatic statues to match the writing. The author makes the decision in the next step, after the group has a conversation using the following discussion points.
 
ELL Support: Focusing on Discussions
 
Suggested Dialogue
 
Reflecting on Discussion Points
 
 
 

STEP 4: SELECT WRITING SECTIONS FOR PERFORMANCE

 
 
Process: Each author selects a section of text from his or her personal narrative for the performance. The text selection can be one to four sentences and must be presented sequentially, matching the dramatic statues. Authors highlight, circle, or underline their sections, and then share their sections with the group.
 
The group decides the order of each author’s section for their performance.
 
Teaching Tip: The Script
 
 
 

STEP 5: CLOSE LESSON 15

 
 
Process: Close the lesson with a look forward and an optional closing ritual.
 
Suggested Dialogue
 
Looking Forward
 
Performing the Closing Ritual (Optional)
 
 
 

CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING LESSON 15! YOU ARE NOW READY TO MOVE ONTO LESSON 16 OF UNIT 6.

 

 

 

 

You've now reached the end of our ArtsforLearning Curriculum preview.