"Drinking Coffee" Lesson Plan

Dominique Ferguson
Dr. West-White
LIT 3333
3 October 2008
7th grade Language Arts: 90 minute block ( may take 2 periods)

Focus Statement

In this lesson students will create a book jacket for their favorite short story in Drinking Coffee Elsewhere and give a short story report (spin-off of book report) on the story they read. Inside the book jacket students will place a typed copy of the story report which will include a character analysis and a story scavenger hunt.
Students will not only have fun with this activity but be allowed to analyze and evaluate the author’s purpose for their chosen short story as well as sharpen grammar skills.


Theme and Thinking Skill

The theme that guides this lesson is independent learning. Students will be discouraged from seeking ideas or answers from the instructor or their peers. With this activity I hope the students will rely on their own knowledge and the short story they have read.

Objectives:

Students will be able to:
Analyze and evaluate
Compare and contrast

Standards: LA.7.1.7.1, LA.7.1.7.5, LA.7.2.1.7


Procedures:
1. After finishing a selection of stories from Packer’s Drinking Coffee Elsewhere the class will chose their personal favorite and do the following activities:

• Character Analysis: Students select one character from the book they're reporting on and then answer the following questions:
What traits does this character have that I do not have?
What traits do I have that the character does not have?
What traits do the two of us share?

• *Students search the story read for words and/or sentences that match the scavenger hunt criteria, which focuses on grammar and phonics skills. The following are examples of the kinds of words students might be looking for; the last few items on the list might require writing two sentences from the book :
a three-syllable word
a contraction
a compound word
a word with a silent e at the end
a word with a suffix that required doubling the final consonant before adding the suffix
a word with a suffix that required dropping a silent e before adding the suffix
the longest word in the book
a word that includes the letters tion
a four-syllable word
a word that includes a silent letter other than e
an adjective
a word with a prefix
a sentence that includes a simile
rhyming words (students might write two sentences, highlighting the rhyming words)
synonyms (students might write two sentences, highlighting the synonyms)
antonyms/opposites (students might write two sentences, highlighting the opposites)

3. Students will give an oral presentation of their work highlighting why they chose the story and informing teh class of one of their answers for teh characyer trait activity and explaining their short story jacket.


Assessment:

Student work will be evaluated on a 100 point scale:

Neatness of work: _/20

Both elements present (Character Analysis & Scavenger Hunt): _/40

Three Character Analysis questions answered concisely: _/10

Oral Presentation: _/20

Story Jacket: _/10 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Total _/100















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