LESSON TITLE:

I See Dead People - ELA Grade 6

Tracey Dann
Tiered Lesson Plan

CONTEXT
What is the reason for this lesson?
What data/evidence supports the
need for using this lesson?
How much time is required for this
lesson?

This lesson is developed as part of an eight week newspaper

based writing unit. It falls into week six of eight.
Week 1: The roving and researching reporter.
Week 2: Who, what, when, where, why and how: Splashy
headlines and informed reports.
Week 3: The Art of the Editor: A peer editing review.
Week 4: Letters to the Editor; writing to persuade the people.
Week 5: How many stars? A theater (Field Trip) review. and
Comics vs. Cartoons: Humor and Satire.
Week 6: I See Dead People.
Week 7: Help Wanted Literary Unit Review.
Week 8: Going to print. Computer Lab and final edits.
Classical Greek culture was a great influence on Roman
society and on most nations since. Greece was the birthplace of
democracy and theater, and a hotbed for philosophers and formal
education. Greek advances in science and mathematics are an
important part of modern medicine, engineering and technology.
Remnants of Classical Greece are seen in art, architecture,
literature and laboratories across the world.
This ELA unit works in conjunction with Math, Science,
Social Studies and Art to explore subject of Ancient Greece.
There is a separate literary unit exploring the gods and heroes
known from the works of Sapho, Homer and other literary
aspects of Greek Mythology. We will use materials in
conjunction with the mythology unit as we explore current
informational texts and assimilate our literary knowledge of
mythology with our ability to create an informational text of our
own.
The guiding questions of the unit are:
What is the legacy of Greece we see in the world today?
What does it take to become legendary?
What will be your legacy?
This week of the writing unit focuses on a person's legacy.
The students will read about the legacy of other individuals
through their final remembrances. The will create a final
remembrance for a Greek character. Finally, as they analyze
they will discuss their own legacy and how they would like to be
remembered themselves.

GLE(s)/Standard/CCSS Common Core Standards: Grade 6

Reading Standards for Informational Text:
1. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of data the text
states explicitly, as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Writing Standards:
Write informative texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts and information through the selection, organization and
analysis of relevant content.

OBJECTIVES

Reading Objectives:
1. Identify pieces of personal information within a text.
2. Infer information about a person, place or time period
from a text.
3. Identify information about a character from within a
literary context.
4. Infer information about a character, place or time period
from a literary context.
Writing Objectives
1. Analyze the informative content of an obituary.
2. Recreate literary knowledge within a specific
informative context.
3. Recreate the pattern of informative content within an
obituary using information from a literary text.
4. Create a unique obituary reflecting the individuality of
the literary character.

DEPTHS OF
KNOWLEDGE
What is the rigor of the
activity/activities that students will
engage in? Use Webbs Depth of
Knowledge descriptors. Blooms
Taxonomy may also be used as a
reference.

The first day of this unit is a knowledge based fact finding

mission. The lesson uses familiar characters to introduce a
specific and less familiar form of informative writing;
obituaries. The students are asked to determine the subject of
an obituary. Then, taking a step back, they are asked to
identify the facts used to make their determination. The
lesson touches briefly on the synthesis level in that the
students are asked to categorize the facts identified in the
opening game. Once the categories are established, the
students compare new content material, differentiate tones
within the material and work as a group to identify the
important information in a second set of obituaries.
On the second day of the lesson, the students engage with
the literary content. Using the Facts of Life worksheet created
at the end of the opening activity, the students will identify the
same categories of information from their Tiered literary
content. This identification also works at an analysis level as
it will require a greater amount of inference then the content
from the opening. From their content material they can
diagram information about a character into an priorities web

or a timeline.
Finally, the students will design an informative obituary
demonstrating their understanding of both the character
analyzed and the writing methods identified within the context
of a newspaper obituary. This information becomes part of
the newspaper unit as a whole and may be presented orally.
Their final obituary will be critiqued by themselves as well as
their peers.

Opening: Day One.

OPENING:
How will you get students interested
in this lesson?
How will you activate students
prior knowledge and connect it to
this new learning?

Day One.
The unit opens with an interactive quiz game. The quiz is
projected via power point for the entire class. It consists of
three obituaries, Waldo, Darth Vader and George Washington.
Each obituary is read aloud for the class by one of the students.
They remaining students are asked to quietly raise their hand
when they believe they can guess the subject of the obituary.
After each obituary is read, we will discuss as a class the key
clues in each example leading to their conclusion. From their
clues, we will derive the list of important and necessary
information when writing an obituary that later becomes our
"Facts of Life" graphic organizer.
The second opportunity to learn in our opening activity is a
jigsaw. Since the reading level is uniform for this group
activity the students will be grouped outside of their Tier
reading levels. Each group will receive a different obituary and
the information organizer containing the items just listed as
important and necessary for an obituary. They will be
responsible for finding the information within the text and
presenting it to the class.
We will close the lesson with a comparison of tone in each
of the obituaries discussed, specifically addressing how the tone
reflects the personality of the deceased.

MATERIALS AND
RESOURCES
What materials do you need for this
lesson?
Do you need access to technology,
special equipment?
Do you need to adjust the structure
of the working space?

What LITERACY
STRATEGY is the focus
of the lesson?

Materials:

PowerPoint
Facts of Life Organizer
Obituary handouts for three different groups.
Highlighters

There are two literacy strategies introduced in Day One.

They will be used frequently throughout the six days of lessons.
First, the students will help develop the content for the

What is the literacy strategy called?

What is the purpose of this strategy
in your lesson?

informational organizer. This is a simple worksheet to help

track a person or character's facts of life. The Facts of Life
Organizer will be used repeatedly throughout the lesson.
The second literacy strategy used is the jigsaw. This lesson
has the advantage of multiple student groupings. Using the
jigsaw strategy on multiple days allows me to tier the lesson
content. It also allows me to disseminate information through
various literary sources to different groups of students. Because
students have different source material for their information,
they can be research resources for one another throughout the
week.

DIFFERENTIATION
Have you considered Gardners
Multiple Intelligences, the four
learning styles, tiered learning
and/or cooperative learning?
How can you differentiate content,
process, and product? How will you
differentiate for diversity within the
classroom (special education, ELL,
learning styles, gender, etc.)?

GROUPING:
How will you group the class to best
engage the students in this lesson?
Describe how and why you will
group the students for this
particular lesson. What data did
you use to arrange the groups?

The opening activity is designed to engage as many different

kinds of learners as possible. Today's differentiation is geared
toward the diversity of the classroom specifically. Traditional
verbal and visual learners are accounted for in the introductory
content through the use of a power point and reading together as
a group, as are ELL learners and those students with special
needs relating to literacy. The curious naturalistic learners
within the class will excel in exploring the systemic nature of
obituaries. They will enjoy putting together the pieces of the
puzzle resulting in our Facts of Life organizer. The
interpersonal communicators will have their moment to shine
within the group context. The obituaries themselves welcome
the perspective of the quiet and frequently overlooked
intrapersonal learners. With as many of my diverse class
engaged, we are ready to move on to tomorrow's differentiated
content.
This material is likely to take some time to cover in groups.
Therefore, Day One the students are grouped according to space
and convenience. The students will work as a group through
the second set of obituaries. They will read the material aloud
to one another. As the material is read, the group members can
write down the answers to the questions on the "Facts of Life"
worksheet.

Engagement: Day Two.

ENGAGEMENT:
How will you facilitate the lesson so
that all students are active learners
and reflective during this lesson?
How will you monitor students
learning throughout the lesson?
How will you facilitate student
discourse?
How will your students transition
through the lesson?

Day Two
On the second day of the lesson, the student engage the
literary material directly. Now that they are familiar with the
Facts of Life graphic organizer, they are ready to use the
organizer on their own.
The students will be split into their Tiered groups. Each
group is given a choice of Greek Heroes (Pandora, Heracles,
Odysseus, Theseus, Perseus, or Daedalus). The student are

given fifteen minutes to review the already familiar stories of

each hero in their tablet. In that time, each student must each
choose a different hero.
The second part of this lesson, the students will work
individually to highlight and annotate the important information
within their text. This creates an opportunity to circulate
through the room assessing the ability of each student to
produce the information using the method learned on Day One.
Once they information is found in text, it can be transferred to
the "Facts of Life" graphic analyzer.
The students have varied abilities and material. It is
expected some of the necessary information will be missing.
Our next step as a class will be a brief discussion of using
descriptive inference in order to complete the necessary
information. For example, because we do not know the birth
date of Odysseus, we describe him as "living during the reign of
King Agamemnon."
Finally, the students will then be regrouped by their chosen
character. Each of the students writing about Heracles, for
example, will be grouped together. There they will share out
the facts learned in their varying resource materials. Working
together, they can utilize one another as research resources to
complete their Fact of Life worksheet. In their groups, they can
discuss with one another the life events they deem most
important to include in the final obituary. They can discuss the
tone that best reflects the character chosen by the group.
Finally, they can place these important events on a timeline to
assist in the organization of their facts for the final draft of the
obituary.
MATERIALS AND
RESOURCES
What materials do you need for this
lesson?
Do you need access to technology,
special equipment?
Do you need to adjust the structure
of the working space?

Materials:
The tiered literary text used for this writing unit is as follows:
Tier 1: Third-Fourth Grade Reading Level
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mythology-handbook-hestiaevans/1100187448?ean=9780763642914
Evans, Hestia. The Mythology Handbook: An Introduction to
the Greek Myths. Candlewick, 2009. Print.
Tier 2: Fifth-Sixth Grade Reading Level
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/heroes-gods-andmonsters-greek-myths#cart/cleanup.
Evslin, Bernard, and William Hofmann. Heroes, Gods and
Monsters of the Greek Myths. New York: Four Winds,

1967. Print.
Tier 3: Seventh-Eighth Grade reading Level
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/heroes-and-monstersgreek-myth#cart/cleanup
Evslin, Bernard. Heroes & Monsters of Greek Myth. New
York: Scholastic Book Services, 1967. Print.
Additional materials:
Facts of Life organizer
Individual tablet computers
Timeline and/or Important Events web

What LITERACY
STRATEGY is the focus
of the lesson?
What is the literacy strategy called?
What is the purpose of this strategy
in your lesson?

Day Two continues to use the Facts of Life organizer. The

students should be confident using the pattern to organize the
day's new Tiered content.
Creating an obituary to reflect the priorities or
accomplishments of a character may require organizing in
greater depth for some of the students. In order to facilitate that
understanding, students have the option of creating either a
priority idea web or an event timeline for their character.

DIFFERENTIATION
Have you considered Gardners
Multiple Intelligences, the four
learning styles, tiered learning
and/or cooperative learning?
How can you differentiate content,
process, and product? How will you
differentiate for diversity within the
classroom (special education, ELL,
learning styles, gender, etc.)?

The content for Day Two is tiered according to the student's

reading level. The class is split into three different groups.
Because the project is writing based and the readings are brief,
students who are on the cusp of a new reading level are placed
with the higher reading group.
The grouping and regrouping process used on Day Two also
accounts for students at different levels of readiness. Students
working at a slower pace will be able to acquire the information
necessary for Day Three during the final "resource and
research" grouping on Day Two.
While it is more time consuming to create a priority web or
timeline, for some students, ELL and students with ADHD in
particular, having a timeline available can help communication
in the long run.

GROUPING
How will you group the class to best
engage the students in this lesson?
Describe how and why you will
group the students for this
particular lesson. What data did
you use to arrange the groups?

The class materials used within the larger class is consistent

for all of the students. However, the content used in individual
work is tiered for the students by reading level. The materials
chosen cover the same mythological content on a 3rd and 4th,
5th and 6th, or 7th and 8th grade level. The students tier
placement depends on the results of their most recent F & P
assessment and is supplemented by input from our teaching
team. Because Caswell Middle School is free from budgetary
constraints, each student has a tablet device with a tailored

online library making the tiered nature of their content invisible

to fellow students.

CLOSING: Days Three, Four and Five.

CLOSING

Day Three: In class obituary.

The final step of our writing process is creating a rough draft.
How will students share their
The students will be asked to create a three paragraph obituary
understandings of the task?
How will you get meaningful student for their mythological character. A rubric will be distributed and
feedback?
explained at the beginning of the class period. The writing will
ultimately become part of the newspaper developed for this unit.
The students will spend the day working individually creating the
rough draft according to the rubric.
Day Four: Peer Editing
Our confident students editors are familiar with this game
from our last unit. They are now ready to exchange their
papers. Make it very clear to the writers and the editors, this is
an editing competition. As editors, we must be fair to the
writers. We cannot mark correct materials wrong in an effort to
get a bingo. As writers, understand every edit makes your
writing one step closer to great. A writer who pays attention to
the edits and makes the appropriate corrections will have a very
strong obituary. The writer with the most improved obituary
after editing will win the "Grammy," an award given after every
major writing assignment.
Each student receives one Peer Bingo Card, a quick review
sheet, bingo chips or manipulatives, and one peer essay face
down on their desk. Once they turn over their obituary, the
editing race is on. Every error marked on the bingo card must
also be appropriately noted on the peer essay. When the student
has a five square bingo in any direction, they shout "Bingo!"
The student must prove their edits actually correct an error
listed on the quick review sheet before receiving a prize. If it
takes a long time for a bingo to occur, meaning the editors
covered most of the obituary content, then students can
exchange essays. If the bingos occur quickly, students can
exchange bingo cards instead of obituaries. If time allows, try
to exchange work at least once helping each writer receive at
least two sets of edits.
Day Five: Prepping for Presentation
Our final day is spent celebrating the student's work. The first
half of the day is spent in the computer lab typing up their
obituaries. The end results of the editing process are included in
the final obituaries. It will take most of the class period to type
the essays. If there are students who complete their typing
before the class period ends, they will be allowed to read their

obituaries to the others finished with their work. The finished

products will be printed, attached to the rubric and turned in for
grading.
MATERIALS AND
RESOURCES

Day Three:
No new materials.

What materials do you need for this

lesson?
Do you need access to technology,
special equipment?
Do you need to adjust the structure
of the working space?

Day Four:
Peer Editing Bingo Card
Peer Editing Review Sheet
Completed Rough Draft.
Day Five
Computer Lab
Printer
"Grammy Award" for most improved essay.

What LITERACY
STRATEGY is the focus
of the lesson?
What is the literacy strategy called?
What is the purpose of this strategy
in your lesson?

DIFFERENTIATION
Have you considered Gardners
Multiple Intelligences, the four
learning styles, tiered learning
and/or cooperative learning?
How can you differentiate content,
process, and product? How will you
differentiate for diversity within the
classroom (special education, ELL,
learning styles, gender, etc.)?

The final new literacy strategy is the Peer Editing Bingo

game introduced Day Four. This activity is involves editing at
the synthesis level. Each student will receive a bingo card, a
review sheet, manipulatives and the obituary of a peer.
The purpose of this literary strategy is to teach our budding
writers the importance of editing as an essential part of the
writing process and not simply something you do if you have
time. Students are often afraid to edit one another's work or,
alternately, they take a peer's edits too personally. Teaching
this lesson in the context of a game adds a fun, competitive
dimension to peer editing, avoiding much of the negative affect
associated with the process in the past.
Day Three:
We are lucky at Caswell Middle School. Every Wednesday
we have a specialist "push in" to the classroom to assist with the
ELL learners. Our writing day is scheduled in order to take
advantage of our specialists time in the classroom. As we work
on our rough drafts, the ELL teacher and I are able to circulate
answering questions as necessary. Several students are using a
separate organizers with the ELL teacher in order to create the
timeline for their obituaries. Once they receive their rubrics,
students are able to write their rough drafts on paper or they can
type them directly onto their tablets depending on their physical
needs, handwriting or comfort levels.
Day Four:
Peer Editing Bingo is designed to appeal to both competitive
and cooperative learners. It utilizes scrap paper manipulatives
for tactile learners, a review sheet for organizational thinkers,
and a game card for spatial learners. The quick review sheet is
numbered, making the errors easy to mark and identify. Finally,
the game presents an opportunity to review and discuss any
bingos earned by the peer editors for those with linguistic
intelligence.
Day Five:
The final day our main point of differentiation is one of time.
The students still in need of time are given that opportunity to
work in the computer lab typing and correcting the edits on their
obituaries. When work is complete, the students are given an
opportunity in the spotlight sharing their work with their fellow
students. If a student would like to read aloud their work to the
class they may. Having this activity optional provides an outlet
for those students motivated by peer attention without making
students uncomfortable. It also gives the class to celebrate the
hard work of their peers.

GROUPING

Day Three:

How will you group the class to best

engage the students in this lesson?
Describe how and why you will
group the students for this
particular lesson. What data did
you use to arrange the groups?

Students will be working on their own to complete their

rough drafts, but they will sit in their character groups to do so.
If they need to ask a question about the format of the obituary,
they can ask either teacher. However, if they have a content
created question, they will be given an opportunity to "Phone a
Friend" or ask someone within their group to clarify
information about the character in their obituary.
Day Four and Five:
On Day Four and Day Five the students will work on their
own. They will be "paired" with multiple classmates through
the peer editing process, but the editing itself will happen at
their own desk. On Day Five the students will work diligently
on their own to complete their assignment on time.

ASSESSMENT
What will you assess?
How will you assess it?
Pre- and post- tests, informal and
formal assessments as well as
formative and summative
assessments should be considered.

The final obituary will serve as the formative assessment for

the part of our writing unit. The obituary will be graded
according to the attached rubric. Once the obituary is returned
to the student, they will have an opportunity to correct any
errors in the project before presenting the obituary as part of the
newspaper unit at the culminating activity.

Works Cited
Evans, Hestia. The Mythology Handbook: An Introduction to the Greek Myths. Candlewick,
2009. Print.
Evslin, Bernard, and William Hofmann. Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths. New
York: Four Winds, 1967. Print.
Evslin, Bernard. Heroes & Monsters of Greek Myth. New York: Scholastic Book Services,
1967. Print.
"Grave-ly Funny: Hilarious Obituaries." Mental Floss. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
<http://mentalfloss.com/article/18838/grave-ly-funny-hilarious-obituaries>.
"Harry Stamps's Obituary on The Sun Herald." The Sun Herald. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunherald/obituary.aspx?pid=163538353#storylink=
cpy>.
"Obituary of George Washington." George Washington's Obituary. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/obits/washington.html>.
"Read This Grandpas Funny, Self-written Obituary and Then Go Be Kind to Someone in His
Name." 22 Words. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://twentytwowords.com/read-this-grandpasfunny-self-written-obituary-and-then-go-be-kind-to-someone-in-his-name/>.
"RubiStar Home." RubiStar Home. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. <http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php>.
MLA formatting by BibMe.org.

Day One: Warm up Quiz: Guess the obituary.

WALDO
___________, 36, is missing and presumed dead. "We Gave up looking for him years ago."
Said a spokesman for a local search team. "In the past we'd scour the earth, but every time we'd
find him he'd take off again. Finally, we put his picture on a mild carton and said forget it." Other
reactions were mixed." It was a case of sibling rivalry," said Carmen San Diego his equally
difficult to locate half-sister. "Waldo tried to outdo me by hiding in shopping malls and outdoor
rock concerts. These had no educational value, so it's no wonder people stopped caring." "The
little deadbeat owed us for 20,000 red and white striped shirts, said a spokesman for the Acme
Clothing Co. "Now we're filing for bankruptcy, thanks to him." A memorial service for Waldo
will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at an unspecified location. Those wishing to attend will have to
find it for themselves.
George Washington
It is with inexpressible grief, their I have to announce to you the death of the great and good
_____________________. He died last evening, December 14th, 1799, between 10 and 11
o'clock, after a short illness of about 24 hours. His disorder was an inflammatory sore throat.
The President, with deep regret, announces to the army the death of its Commander-In-Chief.
Sharing in the grief every heart must feel for such a public loss, and desirous to express his high
sense of vast debt of gratitude which is due to the virtues, talents and ever memorable services of
the illustrious deceased, he directs that funeral honors be paid to him at all the military stations
and that all officers of the army wear crape on the left arm by way of mourning, for six months.
He will be laid to rest at his home in Mt. Vernon. Survived by his wife Martha and
numerous children and grandchildren.
Darth Vader
This morning the galaxy morns Darth Vader; husband, father, Sith. Mr. Vader, born on
Tattooine a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. His blue form joined the unseen side of the
force early this evening. He died alongside his estranged son just before the ultimate explosion
of his life-long project, The Death Star.
He was a lifelong proponent of the dark side, always willing to demonstrate its power to those
he deemed unworthy. Woe to any man with a lack of faith, as Vader frequently found this
disturbing. As the enforcer for the Emperor, he was a practitioner of tough love. Honest to a
fault, he would often tell you your work was "Most Impressive." Yet, he was not a fan of
second chances.
He is survived by his two children Luke and Leah. Services will be held on the planet of
Endor. Please send any memorial contributions care of "Ani's Fund" to the Death Star Memorial
Padwan Jedi Hospital. May the Force be with us all.

Jigsaw Obituary Examples: A

One of the few advantages of dying from Grade 3, Stage IIIC endometrial cancer, recurrent and
metastasized to the liver and abdomen, is that you have time to write your own obituary. (The
other advantages are no longer bothering with sunscreen and no longer worrying about your
cholesterol.) To wit:
I was born in Seattle on August 10, 1952, at Northgate Hospital. Grew up in Shoreline, attended
Shorecrest High, graduated from the University of Washington in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts
in History. Aside from eight memorable months lived in New York City when I was nineteen
(and where I worked happily and insouciantly on the telephone order board for B. Altman &
Co.), I was a lifelong Seattle resident.
In my professional life, I was a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader. Among career honors, I
received a First Place Society of Professional Journalists award for Humorous Writing for my
column Jane Explains, which ran from 1999-2005 in the Jet City Maven, later called The Seattle
Sun. Also won First Place in the Mainstream Novel category of the 2009 Pacific Northwest
Writers Association Literary Contest for my comic novel, The Bette Davis Club (available at
Amazon.com). I would demonstrate my keen sense of humor by telling a few jokes here, but the
Times charges for these listings by the column inch and we must move on.
I also want to thank Mrs. Senour, my first grade teacher, for teaching me to read. I loved witty
conversation, long walks, and good books. Among my favorite authors were Iris Murdoch
(particularly The Sea, The Sea) and Charles Dickens.
I met Bob Marts at the Central Tavern in Pioneer Square on November 22, 1975, which was the
luckiest night of my life. We were married on April 7, 1984. Bobby M, I love you up to the sky.
Thank you for all the laughter and the love, and for standing by me at the end. Tessa and Riley, I
love you so much, and I'm so proud of you. I wish you such good things. May you, every day,
connect with the brilliancy of your own spirit. And may you always remember that obstacles in
the path are not obstacles, they ARE the path.
I believe we are each of us connected to every person and everything on this Earth, that we are in
fact one divine organism having an infinite spiritual existence. Of course, we may not always
comprehend that. And really, that's a discussion for another time. So let's cut to the chase:
I was given the gift of life, and now I have to give it back. This is hard. But I was a lucky
woman, who led a lucky existence, and for this I am grateful. I first got sick in January 2010.
When the cancer recurred last year and was terminal, I decided to be joyful about having had a

full life, rather than sad about having to die. Amazingly, this outlook worked for me. (Well, you
know, most of the time.) Meditation and the study of Buddhist philosophy also helped me accept
what I could not change. At any rate, I am at peace. And on that upbeat note, I take my mortal
leave of this rollicking, revolving world-this sun, that moon, that walk around Green Lake, that
stroll through the Pike Place Market, the memory of a child's hand in mine.
My beloved Bob, Tessa, and Riley. My beloved friends and family. How precious you all have
been to me. Knowing and loving each one of you was the success story of my life.
Metaphorically speaking, we will meet again, joyfully, on the other side.
Beautiful day, happy to have been here.

Jigsaw Obituary Examples: B

December 19, 1932 -- March 9, 2013
Long Beach
Harry Weathersby Stamps, ladies' man, foodie, natty dresser, and accomplished traveler, died
on Saturday, March 9, 2013.
The women in his life were numerous. He particularly fancied smart women. He loved his
mom Wilma Hartzog (deceased), who with the help of her sisters and cousins in New Hebron
reared Harry after his father Walter's death when Harry was 12. He married his main squeeze
Ann Moore, a home economics teacher, almost 50 years ago, with whom they had two girls
Amanda Lewis of Dallas, and Alison of Starkville. He taught them to fish, to select a quality
hammer, to love nature, and to just be thankful. He took great pride in stocking their tool boxes.
One of his regrets was not seeing his girl, Hillary Clinton, elected President.
Harry was locally sourcing his food years before chefs in California starting using cilantro
and arugula (both of which he hated). As a point of pride, he purported to remember every meal
he had eaten in his 80 years of life. He had a life-long love affair with deviled eggs, Lane cakes,
boiled peanuts, Vienna [Vi-e-na] sausages on saltines, his homemade canned fig preserves, pork
chops, turnip greens, and buttermilk served in martini glasses garnished with cornbread.
He loved to use his oversized "old man" remote control, which thankfully survived Hurricane
Katrina, to flip between watching The Barefoot Contessa and anything on The History Channel.
He took extreme pride in his two grandchildren Harper Lewis (8) and William Stamps Lewis (6)
of Dallas for whom he would crow like a rooster on their phone calls. He also took pride in his
service during the Korean conflict, serving the rank of corporal--just like Napolean, as he would
say.
Harry took fashion cues from no one. His signature every day look was all his: a plain
pocketed T-shirt designed by the fashion house Fruit of the Loom, his black-label elastic waist

shorts worn above the navel and sold exclusively at the Sam's on Highway 49, and a pair of old
school Wallabees (who can even remember where he got those?) that were always paired with a
grass-stained MSU baseball cap.
He despised phonies, his 1969 Volvo (which he also loved), know-it-all Yankees, Southerners
who used the words "veranda" and "porte cochere" to put on airs, eating grape leaves, Law and
Order (all franchises), cats, and Martha Stewart. In reverse order. He particularly hated Day
Light Saving Time, which he referred to as The Devil's Time. It is not lost on his family that he
died the very day that he would have had to spring his clock forward. This can only be viewed as
his final protest.
Because of his irrational fear that his family would throw him a golf-themed funeral despite
his hatred for the sport, his family will hold a private, family only service free of any type of
"theme." Visitation will be held at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, Gulfport on
Monday, March 11, 2013 from 6-8 p.m.

Jigsaw Obituary Examples: C

William Freddie McCullough - BLOOMINGDALE - The man. The myth. The legend. Men
wanted to be him and women wanted to be with him. William Freddie McCullough died on
September 11, 2013.
Freddie loved deep fried Southern food smothered in Cane Syrup, fishing at Santee Cooper
Lake, Little Debbie Cakes, Two and a Half Men, beautiful women, Reeses Cups and Jim Beam.
Not necessarily in that order. He hated vegetables and hypocrites. Not necessarily in that order.
He was a master craftsman who single -handedly built his beautiful house from the ground
up. Freddie was also great at growing fruit trees, grilling chicken and ribs, popping wheelies on
his Harley at 50 mph, making everyone feel appreciated and hitting Coke bottles at thirty yards
with his 45.
When it came to floor covering, Freddie was one of the best in the business. And he loved
doing it. Freddie loved to tell stories. And you could be sure 50% of every story was true. You
just never knew which 50%.
Marshall Matt Dillon, Ben Cartwright and Charlie Harper were his TV heroes. And he was
the hero for his six children: Mark, Shain, Clint, Brandice, Ashley and Thomas. Freddie adored
the ladies. And they adored him. There isn't enough space here to list all of the women from
Freddie's past. There isn't enough space in the Bloomingdale phone book. A few of the more
colorful ones were Momma Margie, Crazy Pam, ... Spacy Stacy and Sweet Melissa (he
explained that nickname had nothing to do with her attitude). He attracted more women than a
shoe sale at Macy's.

He got married when he was 18, but it didn't last. Freddie was no quitter, however, so he gave
it a shot two more times. It didn't work out with any of the wives, but he managed to stay friends
with them and their parents.
When Freddie took off for that pool party in the sky, he left behind his sons Mark
McCullough, Shain McCullough and his wife Amy, Clint McCullough and his wife Desiree, and
Thomas McCullough and his wife Candice; and his daughters Brandice Chambers and her
husband Michael, Ashley Cooler and her husband Justin; his brothers Jimmie and Eddie
McCullough; and his girlfriend Lisa Hopkins; and seven delightful grandkids.
Freddie was killed when he rushed into a burning orphanage to save a group of adorable
children. Or maybe not. We all know how he liked to tell stories.

Name _____________________________
Describe in a few sentences the six most important events in the life of your hero.

Character
Name

Priority Idea Web

Write you hero's name in the center circle.

Write ideas or concepts important to your hero in the larger circles.
(For example, family, victory, or love.)
Cite examples of this idea or concept in your hero's life in the smallest circle.

Character

This
This is a sample card for the editing
game played on Day Four:

OBITUARY RUBRIC
Student Name:
CATEGORY

______________________

Giving Voice to a
Legacy

The writer creates an

The writer creates an
obituary reflective of the obituary reflective of some
personality of the
the personality of the
deceased.
deceased.

The writer creates an obituary The writer has not tried to

reflective of some the
transform the information in a
personality of the deceased, personal way.
but that reflection is unclear.

Grammar and
Spelling

Writer makes no errors

in grammar or spelling
that distract the reader
from the content.

Writer makes 1-2 errors in

grammar or spelling that
distract the reader from the
content.

Writer makes 3-4 errors in

grammar or spelling that
distract the reader from the
content.

Organ-ization

Details are placed in a

logical order and the
way they are presented
effectively keeps the
interest of the reader.

Details are placed in a

Some details are not in a
logical order, but the way in logical or expected order, and
which they are
this distracts the reader.
presented/introduced
sometimes makes the
writing less interesting.

Obituary Specific
Content

All supportive facts

specific for an obituary
are reported or inferred
accurately.

Almost all supportive facts Most supportive facts specific No supportive facts specific for
specific for an obituary are for an obituary are reported or an obituary are reported or
reported or inferred
inferred accurately.
inferred accurately.
accurately.

Editing
Response

Carefully addressed Carefully addressed Carefully addressed

all issues raised
almost all issues raised some issues raised
during peer editing. during peer editing.
during peer editing.

Ignored most issues

addressed by peer editors.

Word Choice

Writer uses vivid

words and phrases
that linger or draw
pictures in the
reader's mind, and
the choice and
placement of the
words seems
accurate, natural
and not forced.

Writer uses a limited

vocabulary that does not
communicate strongly or
capture the reader's
interest. Jargon or cliches
may be present and
detract from the meaning.

Writer uses vivid

words and phrases that
linger or draw pictures
in the reader's mind,
but occasionally the
words are used
inaccurately or seem
overdone.

Writer uses words that

communicate clearly,
but the writing lacks
variety, punch or flair.

Writer makes more than 4 errors

in grammar or spelling that
distract the reader from the
content.

Many details are not in a logical

or expected order. There is little
sense that the writing is
organized.

TOTAL:
Date Created: December 06, 2014
RubiStar ( http://rubistar.4teachers.org )
Comments:

TOTALS