This Lesson's Title:

What Your Room Says about You!

showing character through a crafted setting description

This lesson was built for WritingFix after being proposed by NNWP Teacher Consultant
Karen McGee during a workshop for teachers.

The intended "mentor text" to be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the chapter book Boy's Life by Robert McGammon. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author, especially from chapter 1 of the book.

Check out Boy's Life at Amazon.com.

If you are a Washoe County teacher, click here to search for this book at the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

Robert McCammon’s book--Boy's Life--captures the magic of everyday life, filled with adventure, discovery, fear, joy, and heartache. In the opening pages of the book, we meet Cory, an eleven year old boy, whose character we begin to understand from the setting of his room. This on-line prompt encourages students to reflect on their own rooms and write narratives which will allow readers to know the writers by the details they choose to show about their rooms.   Teachers: click here to read the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is idea development; the writer’s goal is to “show himself” through the specific, relevant details he chooses to “show his room.” .  The support trait in this assignment is organization; the writer will follow the model of Robert McCammon, using the lead and conclusion exactly and following the form of the mentor text.