Grade 9 Lost and Found

Lost and Found

Focus Questions: What is a timeless theme?  How can I express a preference for one text over another based on the same theme?  What can I create to express my understanding and personal connections to the theme of a text?

• Students discussed theme parties to understand what a thematic concept is.  
• We watched a YouTube video: "How to Find a Theme," by D4Darious to help us better understand theme.
• See some of our ideas below (excuse the misspellings)

• We listened to "Amazing Grace" and discussed how the song fits into the lost and found theme.
• We also listened to "Home" by Phillip Phillips 
• Students recognize that both songs have a character vs. self conflict.
• We practiced making inferences and making personal connections to text.
• Students annotated "Home" with the class and then annotated "Fight Song," by Katie Herzig on their own.

See a copy of our ideas:

We know we can lose ourselves at times in life... death, divorce, depression. These songs are about personal struggles to find our way.

How are timeless themes developed?

• Students recognized that literary devices help develop the thematic concepts.

The song "Home" uses symbolism (home and demons) and "Fight Song" uses simile (like a small boat on the ocean)

Students are learning about and teaching each other figurative devices by: 

• Completing Figurative Language Handouts

• Creating a poster with: a title, definition, example, imagery, literal interpretation

• Analyzing the creative use of figurative language in an advertisement (assignment found in Google Classroom)

• Organizing, rehearsing and delivering a presentation in stations

To Organize our presentations students have been planing using a web, chart, or outline.  See criteria set and rubric development below:

Which criteria for MY PLAN from the list above is missing in this example?

Using a rubric which level (Expert, Apprentice, Novice, Limited) does this example fit into? 

9G Student Developed Rubric for MY PLAN:

9E Student Developed Rubric for MY PLAN:

How do I give feedback that will encourage the presenter to make improvements?

• Students rehearsed, gave feedback, improved presentations then Presented in STATIONS.

STUDENT GENERATED FEEDBACK FORM:

What kind of problems might be in a LOST and FOUND text?

• Students brainstormed different story problems and we sorted them as a class after much discussion.  See items below:

Which text's portrayal of the theme: Lost and Found do I prefer?

• "The Lost Thing"
• "The Red Tree" 
• "The Rabbits"

Stories by Shaun Tan can be found on YouTube click on the story title above.

• Students begin by watching the video and then explaining the central conflict and how the story fits into the theme: Lost and Found

We will be analyzing each story to determine our preference to one story over another by completing the chart below:

How do I write a response to a literary piece?

Introduction

• Introduction with a hook (using GRAB)
• G: generalization
• R: rhetorical question
• A: anecdote
• B: bold statement
• transition (with title and author)
• State your thesis (main idea + reason/idea 1, reason/idea 2, and reason/idea 3)

Body

• Topic sentence (using main idea in order from thesis)
• Develop your ideas with specific support (examples / quotes / proof) in body paragraphs
• Maintain the order mentioned in thesis
• Use transitions (between and in body paragraphs) to direct the reader
• Concluding sentence (return to main idea)

Conclusion

• restate the thesis in a new way
• identify what seems most important to leave the audience with

See below for examples of teacher and student models:

Hook Introduction for "The Red Tree" using Generalization:

Hook Introduction for "The Rabbits" using Generalization:

Body Paragraph 1 for "The Rabbits": 

Body Paragraph 1 for "The Red Tree":

Students actively identified the following items in the class example and in their own writing:

Body Paragraphs:  

• Topic sentence with main idea in order from thesis (underline main idea)
• Support: 2 or 3 examples from the story - (highlight)
• Support: explain these examples
• 3 Transitions inside paragraphs - (bold)
• Concluding sentence - restate main idea in a new way. (underline)

Students helped Mrs. Anderson create a concluding sentence for the paragraph above and revise her work to include a transition between paragraphs.  See below:

Next class we'll write a conclusion together...

Lost and Found Essays Due Tuesday, March 22 for all grade 9's.