creating a futuristic pet with Fahrenheit 451's inspiration
This lesson was created by NNWP Teacher Consultant Kim Cuevas and then presented at an AT&T-sponsored in-service class for teachers.
The intended "mentor text" to be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author, especially from chapter 1 of the book.
If you are a Washoe County teacher, click here to search for this book at the county library.
Teacher Instructions & Lesson Resources:
Pre-step…before sharing the published model: Discuss with students how authors create characters in literature. Students should be aware of indirect (physical descriptions, actions and behaviors, habits, what the character says, the character’s thoughts, and interactions with other characters) and direct (what others say about the character and insights or statements of character analysis made by the author) methods of characterization. Have students think about a dog, any dog, and then have students complete the “dog” portion of the F451 Characterization T-Chart, using words that they would use in writing a description of a dog. Encourage students to think about choosing great words to describe a dog.
Step one (sharing the published model):Bradbury uses traditional methods of characterization to create a living, breathing (sort of) character from a hunk of metal. Now that students have had to think about ways they may describe a dog, hand out copies of the text. You will be using pages 24-27, where the Mechanical Hound is first being introduced. Read the text out loud to the students. Then allow students to work in groups to complete the “mechanical hound” portion of the t-chart. Students should begin to think about how Bradbury plays on the features of a regular dog to develop the character of the mechanical hound. Discuss the t-chart as a group. Focus students on the great words that Bradbury uses to create the mechanical hound.
Step two (introducing a teacher or student model): In small groups, have your students read and respond to any or all of the student models that come with this lesson. The groups will certainly talk about the idea development, because of the post-it note that has been embedded on each model. Encourage students to think about how the students used methods of characterization to develop their characters. You may want to use a similar t-chart to discuss student models. You might prompt your students to talk about each model's word choice as well.
We're looking for student samples for all grade levels for this prompt! Help us get some, and we'll send you a free resource for your classroom! Contact us at publish@writingfix.com for details.
Step three (thinking and pre-writing): Either use the online interactive prompt or brainstorm a list of animals that students might use to create their own futuristic animals. Once students have decided on an animal, have them think about that animal in general. Then they should complete the t-chart describing that animal. Next students should take the characteristics of their animal and use the t-chart to determine the futuristic version of that animal. Again, encourage students to think about the words they are choosing when describing their characters. After students have completed the pre-writing, they can begin drafting their paragraph about their animal.
Step four (revising with specific trait language): The teacher model (from the overhead) has some obvious word revisions between its original and the second draft (at the bottom of the same overhead). Encourage revision between students' original, comma-spliced passages and their second drafts. Consider attaching a Word Choice Post-It to their rough drafts to encourage word revisions. For more ideas on WritingFix's Revision & Response Post-Its, click here.
Step four (editing for conventions): After students apply their revision ideas to their drafts and re-write neatly, require them to have a fellow editor check their punctuation. If you've established a "Community of Editors" among your students, have each student exchange his/her paper with multiple peers. With yellow high-lighters in hand, each peer reads for and highlights suspected errors for just one item from the Editing Post-it. The "Community of Editors" idea is just one of dozens and dozens of inspiring ideas that is talked about in detail in the Northern Nevada Writing Project's Going Deep with 6 Trait Language Workbook for Teachers.
Step six (publishing for the portfolio): When they are finished revising and have second drafts, invite your students to come back to this piece once more during an upcoming writer's workshop block. Their stories might become a longer story, a more detailed piece, or the beginning of a series of pieces about the story they started here. Students will probably enjoy creating an illustration for this story as they get ready to publish it for their portfolios.
Interested in publishing student work on-line? We invite student writers to post final drafts of their original at WritingFix's Community of Student Writers. This is a safe-to-use blog for students and teachers. No writing is posted until it is approved by the moderator. Contact us at publish@writingfix.com if you have questions about getting your students published.
