This Lesson's Title:

"I Never Knew That!"

writing a revelatory narrative about a loved one

This lesson was proposed for WritingFix by NNWP Teacher Consultant Phil Harriman 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 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author, especially from chapter 10 of the book.

Check out To Kill a Mockingbird 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:

 In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout and Jem discover that their seemingly “feeble” father has an astonishing ability with a rifle.  For this assignment, writers will compose a letter to a parent or loved one, asking for a return letter that will reveal something they do not already know about that person.  After reading their individual letters, the students will write a narrative, showing what they thought they knew about their subject and how the new information changes their perception of the parent. Teachers: click here to read the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait for this writing assignment is idea development; the students will ultimately create an imaginative narrative about them discovering a previously-unknown fact about their parents or loved ones.  The support trait  for this writing assignment is organization; the graphic organizer will help them create a narrative that has three parts (though not necessarily three paragraphs):  an introduction of what the student thought they knew about the parent, a body which tells a story revealing something surprising about the parent and a thoughtful conclusion, with reflection about how their perception of the person changed.  .