Lesson Plan List for: Writing and Speaking

Analyzing an Issue From Three Perspectives - Smoking in Public Places
Students note various perspectives on the debate about smoking in public places in NYC and create an interview to research the perspectives of peers and community members. They write a report to present their findings and opinion on the issue.

A Character's Perspective - Colonial House
Students watch a video segment that shows the reactions of colonists and native people when they encounter one another for the first time during a colony settlement reenactment. Students then select a character and write a letter from that character’s point of view that describes the meeting.

Character Motivation - Sapelo Island Culture
Students write a poem (using simile and flashback) about the culture of Sapelo Island. They read their poems for an audience.

Compare and Contrast Information from Multiple Sources - Wolong's Pandas
Students compare and contrast information from three sources to determine the reasons that contributed to panda population decline.  They draw conclusions from these sources by writing their own paragraphs.

Comparing and Contrasting Information and Forming an Opinion - Santiago and Morris
Students use a T-Chart to take notes and then write a compare/contrast paragraph about a therapy dog.

Connections Between Texts - Maya Lin and Jane Jacobs
Students write and perform a Readers’ Theater script in which two characters, Maya Lin and Jane Jacobs, talk to each other about their ideas about architecture and life.

Creating a Hypothesis - The Intelligent Robot
Students watch a video segment that discusses developing intelligent robots, and then write paragraphs that provide detailed hypotheses of results that could come from this endeavor.

Describing Characters - Cloud Grows
Students learn about characterization by studying and taking notes on the growth of a white stallion.

Developing Supporting Ideas - A Garden Grows in Brooklyn
Students design and draw a garden and give reasons to support why their garden is important to the neighborhood.

Drawing Conclusions and Comparing/Contrasting - The Everglades
Students take notes to determine the most important information given in a video segment and written text. They compare the information and draw written conclusions about the importance of studying the pig frog and the Everglades.

Forming an Opinion with Organizational Elements - Cats, Yesterday and Today
Students use a graphic organizer to list facts about the role of cats throughout history. They then write a paragraph stating an informed opinion about cats' most important role.

Identify Cultural Influences - Hiawatha
Students identify aspects of Native American life represented in the poem Hiawatha.

Identifying Cultural Influences - City Horses
Students determine how culture influences a group of people’s involvement with horses and write a story in response to the video.

Identifying Important and Unimportant Details - An Ornithologist's Job
Students distinguish between important and unimportant details and, acting as news reporters, write an article about the job of an ornithologist.

Identifying Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives - Dogs That Changed the World
Students identify social, cultural, and historical perspectives regarding the importance of dogs in the past and present. They write and illustrate list poems that incorporate each perspective.

The Importance of Setting to a Story - Pesky Critters
Students take notes on a video segment and write an essay detailing how setting (time, place and environment) influence a story.

Making Predictions - The Injured Otter
Students watch a video segment that shows a young injured otter’s attempts to locate his missing family. Then they predict what happens next and then write a narrative account of these events from three possible points of view: the injured otter, the filmmaker or an animal behaviorist.

Point of View - Sharing a Perspective on Music
Students share their opinions on music and write two critiques of a band playing the “St. Louis Blues,” one from their own point of view and one from that of a music critic. They reflect upon how their point of view influenced their opinion.

Producing Clear Directions - Trackers
Students write directions for how to make and use a tracking stick. Peers test and assess the clarity of the directions.

Reading Charts and Tables – Garden Spiders
Students read a chart that reflects information about garden spiders in the segment and then answer a series of questions using the chart.

Reporting from Multiple Sources - The Roles of Dogs in Three Societies
Students take notes to organize relevant facts and ideas from three video segments about the roles dogs play in different cultures or societies. They use their notes to write a multi-paragraph essay.

Summary, Symbolism and Levels of Meaning - The Healing Totem
Students write a summary of a video segment and then rewrite it after a discussion of the video’s symbolism. They reflect on how an understanding of the symbolism influenced their ability to summarize and comprehend the segment.

Use of Symbolism to Convey the Author's Message - The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Students identify and interpret literary devices, symbolism and first-person narration as well as answer critical thinking questions and write a paragraph about a Langston Hughes poem.

Writing a Biography - Ask Someone to Tell Their Story
Students interview a family member or friend and write a short biography of that person.

Writing a Fantasy - Creatures in the Sea
Students watch a video featuring various sea creatures, assign special characteristics to the sea creatures they see and use their make-believe or fantasy ideas to write an underwater sea fantasy.

Writing an Interpretive Essay to Describe a Theme - The Red Shoes
Students practice identifying themes and write about friendship from their personal experiences. They draw conclusions about what makes a person a friend.

Writing Original Literary Texts - The World of Volcanoes
Students will watch a video that shows scientists collecting lava samples from an active volcano. They use similes and A Different Kind of Fuelmetaphors to write an original poem about the segment.