STANDARDS:
Maryland Core Learning Goals, Expectations, and Indicators
English: Grades 9-12
Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to respond to a text by employing personal experiences and critical analysis.
Expectation 1.1: The student will use effective strategies before, during, and after reading, viewing, and listening to self-selected and assigned materials.
Indicator 1.1.3: The student will use after-reading strategies appropriate to both the text and purpose for reading by summarizing, comparing, contrasting, synthesizing, drawing conclusions, and validating the purpose for reading.
Assessment Limits:
- Summarizing, comparing, contrasting, and synthesizing significant ideas in the text.
- Summarizing or synthesizing significant ideas across texts and drawing conclusions based on information in more than one text.
- Drawing conclusions based upon information from the text.
- Confirming the usefulness or purpose for reading the text.
- Predicting the development, topics, or ideas that might logically be included if the text were extended.
Indicator 1.1.5: The student will identify specific structural elements of particular literary forms: poetry, short story, novel, drama, essay, biography, autobiography, journalistic writing, and film.
Expectation 1.2: The student will construct, examine, and extend meaning of traditional and contemporary works recognized as having significant literary merit.
Indicator 1.2.1: The student will consider the contributions of plot, character, setting, conflict, and point of view when constructing the meaning of a text.
Assessment Limits:
1. Determining the significance of the following as each contributes to the meaning of a text:
- plot sequence of events (including foreshadowing and flashback), cause-and-effect relationships, and events that are exposition, climax or turning point, resolution (Students will not be asked to label events.).
- characters' defining traits, motivations, and developments throughout the text.
- details that provide clues to the setting, the mood created by the setting, the role the setting plays in the text.
- conflicts that motivate characters and those that serve to advance the plot.
- the perspective of the author or speaker as well as the effect of first or third person narration and multiple narrators within and across text(s).
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INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
20-60-20 Teaching Model
Segment One: Mini-Lesson - Estimated Time: 20% of allocated time
During this segment of the lesson:
Drill: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary word (lists 1 & 2).
- Many young people are guilty of (malingering), pretending to be sick to avoid work.
- Many of Muriel's peers disassociate themselves from her because she has a (tarnished) reputation.
- It is an act of (turpitude) for an adult to injure an harmless, innocent child.
- Long will the attacks on Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center live in (infamy).
- Due to the (porous) quality of human skin, air and moisture can seep through.
Review Exercise -- Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement: Underline the antecedent.
Determine if it is singular or plural. Then select the appropriate pronoun.
- Anyone interested in this job should submit (his/her, their) application.
- No one should be made to feel that (he/she, they) must like poetry.
- Each one of the girls knitted (herself, themselves) a sweater.
- All students expecting tograduate should be sure that (his/her, their) credits are accurate.
- Don't offer a ride to anybody unless you know (him/her, them).
- Each of the members told (his/her, their) favorite tall tale.
- If anyone should phone, tell (him/her,them) to leave a message.
- Only a few of the boys considered (himself, themselves) ready.
- I tried to get everyone the kind of gift (he/she, they) wanted.
- Anyone who fails to report a crime is shirking (his/her, their) moral duty.
- Everybody should set a reasonable goal for (himself/herself, themselves).
- Both of the suspects knew that the police officers were watching (him, them).
- Somebody who had been to India was telling of (his/her, their) experience.
- Nobody in (his/her, their) right mind would take such risks.
- Unless someone asks for your advice, don't offer (him/her, them) any.
Materials for this segment: pen, paper, vocabulary lists, and notes on agreement
Student product or performance for this segment: demonstration of their understanding of pronoun/antecedent agreement
Scoring tool for this segment: Students will be supplied the answers, and they will be given the opportunity to ask questions where there is confusion.
Activity Two: Practice - Estimated Time: 60% of allocated time
In previous lessons, the students read the selection by Elizabeth Bowen entitled "Demon Lover." The students answered questions pertaining to the selection. This process was performed to make sure each student understood the story's development and its theme. The writing assignment stems from their understanding the theme, and it extends that understanding by connecting the selection to real life situations.
Writing Assignment
Directions: Let's revisit the story's theme:
- Some suggested that the theme could be: "Never look back."
- Others suggested that a possible theme could be: "Be careful what you look for."
- Some even said that a possible theme could be: "Sometimes your past can haunt you."
Taking each of these in account, one might say that each of the above is basically a part of a more global theme: "What one does in the past will present itself in the future." or "What one does today will return to face him/her in the future." In a composition explain how this theme holds true in the selection read and in real life situations, too.
Before writing, think about the events of the story. Think about the flashbacks and what they revealed to the reader. Think about the apparent promise Mrs. Drover made. Think about how this present situation could have been prevented if she had acted accordingly in the past. Think about what measures she could have taken. Think about your personal experiences that can somewhat relate to this one, and narrow it down to focus on just one such experience. Think about how this theme is true to your own experience. Thinbk about the measures you could have taken to prevent any discomfort or any inconvenience (although you didn't do it!).
Now write your composition explaining how this theme holds true in the selection read and in real life situations, too.
Pre-Writitng Activity Sheet - Click here for the Pre-Writitng Activity Sheet
Materials for this segment: pen and paper
Student product or performance for this segment: By supplying the answers in complete sentences and with as much detail as possible, the students will have created the support sentences to their five-paragraph composition
Segment Three: Feedback - Estimated Time 20% of allocated time
Using the cues for writing and the answers on the Pre-Writing Activity Sheet, the students will compose the first draft of their five-paragraph composition.
The Cues for Writing:
Paragraph #1: (will begin with)
A possible theme of the selection entitled "Demon Lover" could be: "What one does in the past will present itself in the future." Obviously, another interpretation of that theme could be : "What one does today will return to face him/her inthe future." In essence, the details of the selection lend themselves to this theme. (Include your answer to #1 from the pre-writing activity sheet.)
Paragraph #2: (will begin with)
According to the details of the selection, the protagonist committed an action in the past that has caused her discomfort and inconvenience in the present. (Include your answer to #2a; then continue the same paragraph.) She could have prevented her present discomfort and inconvenience by ... (Include your answer to #2b.)
Paragraph #3: (will begin with)
Remarkably, the theme of this selection runs parallel to real life situations. In fact, the average person has experienced the discomfort or inconvenience of having to deal with a past situation which clouds the present. (Include your answer to #3.)
Paragraph #4: (will begin with)
With this personal experience, there were measures that could have been taken that would have prevented discomfort or inconvenience. (Include your answer to #4.)
Paragraph #5: (will begin with)
In the selection read, it is obvious that Mrs. Drover, along with many other people, has experienced asking herself: "What if I had ..." There are measures that can be taken to prevent past situations from causing discomfort or inconvenience in one's future. (Include your answer to #5.)
In the event the students fail to complete the writing of the first draft, they must have it completed by the time class meets again. When class meets again, the students will peer-check the first drafts of the composition, and each checker will complete a checklist/comment sheet. The authors will view the checklist and read the comments carefully. Using these two tools, the students will write the final draft of the five-paragraph composition and submit it for grading.
Materials for this segment: pen, paper, pre-writing activity sheet, and the cues for writing
Student product or performance for this segment: the first draft of a five-paragraph composition.
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| SCORING:
Maryland High School English Rubric: Extended Constructed Response
LEVEL 4
The response is a well-developed essay that fulfills the writing purpose.
- Develops ideas using relevant and complete support and elaboration
- Uses an effective organizational structure
- Uses purposeful word choice
- Demonstrates attention to audience's understanding and interest
- Has no errors in usage or conventions that interfere with meaning
LEVEL 3
The response is a complete essay that addresses the writing purpose.
- Develops ideas using adequate support and elaboration
- Uses an organizational structure that supports the writing purpose
- Uses clear word choice
- Demonstrates an awareness of audience's understanding and interest
- Has few, if any, errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning
Proficient Performance = Level 3 and above
LEVEL 2
The response is an incomplete or oversimplified attempt to address the writing purpose.
- Has incomplete or unclear support and elaboration
- Attempts to use an organizational structure
- Demonstrates little awareness of audience's understanding and interest
- May have errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning
LEVEL 1
The response provides evidence of an attempt to address the prompt.
- Has minimal or no support or elaboration
- May be too brief to demonstrate an organizational structure
- Demonstrates little or no awareness of audience
- May have errors in usage and conventions that interfere with meaning
LEVEL 0
The response is completely irrelevant or incorrect.
NOTE: The rubric for ECRs was last edited and approved July, 2004. The rubric for BCRs was last edited
and approved July, 2004.
Source: http://mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/hsa/language_arts/instructional.html
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| RESULTS:
Analyze: The results of scoring student work included:
- One (1) student received a 4 score point on the composition
- Seven (7) students received a 3 score point on the composition
- Eight (8) students received a 2 score point on the composition
- Three (3) students received a 1 score point on the composition
Summarize: There were nineteen students who performed the writing assignment. Eight of the students reached the proficient level on the scoring tool. Most of the students who did not reach the proficient level were on the right track. The trend in difficulty lied in establishing effective supporting details. Often students rewrote their major point in different words instead of elaborating or establishing specific examples from the text or from real life situations. It was apparent that the students have had an experience applicable to the assigned task, but those who made 2's did not supply adequate details. I noticed that a number of students correctly organized the information, but they did not use effective examples. Before giving this assignment again, I will have students revisit supporting details. This can be achieved by giving them activities where there are topic sentences, and they must supply supporting details. Additionally, students need to revisit coordination and subordination, comma usage, and agreement.
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