Lesson Plan: Explode the Moment

Subject: Language Arts

Grade: 5th

Integration of Learning Outcomes

· Students will be able to use sensory details to improve writing pieces.

Standards

· 1.5.5.A: Write with a clear focus, identifying topic, task, and audience.
· 1.5.5.D: Write with an understanding of style, using a variety of sentence structures and descriptive word choices (e.g., adjectives, nouns, adverbs, verbs) to create voice. Include specific details that convey meaning and set a tone.

Procedures

Beginning

·     Pick student (preferably student who knows about baseball). Have them stand in front of the classroom and hold a baseball bat (wiffle ball bat). Ask student for favorite baseball team and use when setting the scene.

· Set the scene: It’s Game 7 of the World Series in (favorite team’s) home stadium. If your team wins, you are the World Series champions. It’s the bottom of the ninth inning, and you are batting. There are two outs with a runner on second base. Your team is losing, 4-3. A base hit will tie the game; a home run will give your team the victory. If you get out, the game is over and you lose. The count is full, 3 balls and 2 strikes. You stand in the batter’s box awaiting the pitch.

Middle

· Draw stick figure on board. Draw each “sense” one at a time. First do sight, have students describe in as much detail as possible what they see. Write information on board.
· Continue process for smell, hear, feel, and taste. Start with student with bat. Other classmates can add on. Students will get as much detail as possible. Write information on board.
· Model writing a short paragraph using the information that the students gave. Type on Microsoft Word and project on board.

End

· Students will take a piece of their own writing (narrative) and “explode the moment” and make their paragraph better.

Differentiation

· Stick figures on board as visual
· Model

Formative/Summative Assessment

· Observations
· Read paragraphs

Materials/Technology

· Microsoft Word
· Computer and projector
· Promethean Board
· Whiteboard and markers
· Baseball bat
· Students’ narrative pieces

Reflection of Instruction

I picked a student who claimed to know baseball, but she didn’t really know too much to describe sensory details.  The class was able to help out, luckily.  We were able to get a bunch of different sensory details.  I combined several to write a short paragraph.  Students were able to see how much better the paragraph would be through the implementation of sensory details.

I originally forgot to have students make their own stick figure for their own writing. My co-op added this in along the way, and that seemed to help students.