Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETSSTemplate I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Template with guiding questions
Teacher(s)
Name
Tina Brantley
Position

7th Grade Language Arts Teacher

School/District

Jeff Davis Middle School/Jeff Davis County

E-mail

Tina.brantley@jeff-davis.k12.ga.us

Phone

(912) 375-6750

Grade Level(s)

7th

Content Area

Language Arts

Time line

1 week

Standards

Content Standards

ELAGSE7W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using

effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing
a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and
logically.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop
experiences, events, and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal
shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to
capture the action and convey experiences and events.
ELAGSE7W4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
ELAGSE7W5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
ELAGSE7W6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and
link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking
to and citing sources.

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NETS*S Standards:

1.Creativity and innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology.
2. Communication and collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of
others.
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve
problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

Overview
This lesson plan will be used as the culminating task after we learn about narrative writing, transition words, and
figurative language/imagery. Students will work in pairs and first choose a photo from Flickr that they have
permission to use and cite. (We will discuss copyrights and permissions.) They are free to choose any
appropriate photo; this is to give them opportunity to write about anything that interests them such as Science,
History, or other cultures. They will use this photo as a writing prompt for a narrative and work together to
brainstorm the plot using GoConqr (a mind mapping tool). The thinking map they create must include all pieces of
the plot (inciting incident, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution) as well as the characters,
conflict, and setting. They can create their map in any form they wish to get the writing process started.
Then the partners will begin typing their story into Google Docs. They must include transition words and figurative
language/imagery. Once finished, they will share it with another team to proofread and comment/offer
suggestions for editing and revision. Then they will correct the errors and share with me. I will check it and give
feedback for revision also. When all changes have been made, they will create a Google Slides presentation
which includes their chosen picture and the story with any other illustrations they want to add. They will use the
Slides to create a screencast on Screencast-O-Matic. These will be shared on Google Classroom and their peers
will review and answer questions about the narrative. Students will be graded on their narrative (Google Doc) and
on the screencast and presentation.
Essential Questions
How can I interest others through my writing?
How can I use transition words to help my writing flow and be easily understood?
How does figurative language and imagery improve my writing and how can I use it effectively?
How can my writing skills affect me in the future?
How does peer collaboration benefit the writing process and how can I best take advantage of this support?

Assessment

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Students will create a thinking map to demonstrate their knowledge of story elements and the plot of their
narrative. They will rely on previous lessons and knowledge to complete this. This will be a formative assessment
through teacher observation as they progress through the construction of the story parts.
Students will type their narrative in Google Docs which they will share with other peers for proofreading and
suggestions and then with me. The final story will be graded based on a rubric (attached).
Students will produce a Google Slides presentation and screencast for their story. They will post it on Google
Classroom for feedback from their peers. The peer feedback will answer the following questions:
To what audience will this narrative appeal?
Do you think this narrative is real-world or fantasy?
What could the writers do to improve the telling of this story so it is more engaging to the reader?
The Slides/screencast and peer feedback will also be graded on a rubric (attached).
Resources
This project will allow students to use their Language Arts content knowledge to produce authentic writing using
technology. They will use several Web 2.0 tools including Flickr, GoConqr (mind maps), Google Classroom,
Google Docs, Google Slides, and Screencast-O-Matic. The students are already familiar with Google Classroom
and Docs but the teacher will offer assistance as needed and explain how to use any new tools beforehand.
Students are allowed the use of their Interactive Notebook to review previous lessons and tips on narrative
writing, transitions, and figurative language/imagery, and will collaborate together to write their story. Rubrics will
be provided on Google Classroom so they can assess themselves as we move through the project.

Instructional Plan
In the weeks leading up to this culminating project, the students will learn about narrative writing, transition
words, figurative language, and imagery. Several formative and summative assessments will be given during this
time period to check understanding and mastery of these content standards. This writing project will allow
students to apply what they have learned by producing their own narrative which includes transitions and
figurative language/imagery. Students will also need to employ correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and
spelling in their writing.
Students may have difficulties with sentence structure and grammar. We will address this through
proofreading/editing/revising.
Management
Students desks are paired up to facilitate partnerships and communication in this project. We have a 1:1 student
to Chromebook ratio, so access to technology will be equitable. This project will be done solely in the classroom
so no student will have to worry about internet access at home.
We will set up student access to GoConqr and Screencast-O-Matic prior to starting this project and ensure that all
students are able to log in. Students are already on my Google Classroom and know how to use Google Docs
and Slides. If any other technology problems arise, we will troubleshoot as they occur.

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Instructional Strategies and Learning Activities

The teacher will facilitate throughout this project, asking questions to encourage thinking and guiding discussions
as needed. The students will be the producer, writing a story that demonstrates understanding and application of
the narrative writing process, figurative language/imagery, and transition words. With the use of technology,
students will reach the highest level of Blooms Taxonomy using Google Docs, Slides, and Screencast-O-Matic to
create a product. Students will also peer-review/analyze their writing for errors and sentence format. All of this will
be closely monitored by the teacher to ensure that cyber safety is followed. The teacher will model and review all
peer comments and make sure that students follow the rules of digital citizenship. Student desks are paired for
close proximity and communication throughout the project.

Differentiation
I have 2 inclusion classes, one regular class, and an accelerated class. Students have diverse learning styles and
various learning levels. I will provide a template on GoConqr for students who struggle to organize their thought
process and create their own. For students who have difficulty in written expression, l will pair them with someone
who can assist when needed. They will still be required to contribute equally, but the partner may help them get
their thoughts on paper. I will allow usage of Google Translate for ELL students as necessary. For any vision
impaired students, they may use Voice Typing. For hearing impaired students, I will be using my classroom
microphone and they may use headphones as needed for the creation of the screencast. If they have trouble
speaking, their partner may do the actual reading of the story. For my accelerated students, I will require the use of
varied sentence structure (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) in their final essay. For enrichment,
they can also use StoryBuddy to take their narrative to the next level and produce an illustrated book.

Reflection

I created a Google Form for my students to complete a brief survey to reflect on the project. This gave me some
feedback for next year and allowed them to offer some ideas that will make it more engaging.
Overall, they most enjoyed trying new web tools that they had never used before and using pictures to help them
get started. They said the most difficult part of narrative writing is deciding what to write about and coming up with a
good plot so the pictures offered suggestions and gave them ideas. They suggested that we try using video
presentations to tell their stories, but did like Screencast-O-Matic. They stated this project made writing more
interesting and they liked being able to help each other with revisions and editing. Since some students are
stronger at spelling and grammar/mechanics, they said they learned from each other.
Closure:
In planning this lesson, I was able to use some new Web 2.0 tools to help my students with writing. Writing is
sometimes overwhelming for students, especially those with disabilities or ELL students. These tools make it
simpler to get their thoughts organized and typed correctly. Implementing new technology always has its
challenges, but students seemed to enjoy it and be more engaged. I feel that this lesson plan and project
encourages students to use technology to their advantage and makes writing more exciting, and less daunting.

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