A. Engage the Learner - W.7.3b (5 minutes)

• Repeated routine: students respond to a question posted on Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 7. Students will review their responses to the entrance ticket in Work Time B.

• Repeated routine: follow the same routine as in previous lessons to review the learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any similarities between these learning targets and those from previous lessons.

• With student support, record the meanings of the words dialogue (a talk between two or more people in a play, film, or novel), description (the act of using words to tell what something is or was like), pacing (the speed of a story), engage (to gain or hold the interest), and transitions (changes from one topic to another) on the domain-specific word wall and academic word wall, with translations in students' home languages. Consider writing synonyms or sketching a visual above each key term to scaffold students' understanding. Have students record these words in their vocabulary logs.

A. Mini Lesson: Pacing – W.7.3b (15 minutes)

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share to grapple with the following questions:

“Why do authors increase or decrease pacing in a story?” (to make a story exciting, to focus the readers on an important part, to build suspense)

“What are some ways an author can increase or decrease pacing?” (by using lots of short sentences together, by using lots of long sentences together, using dialogue and description, adding detail to a scene)

• During the share, record correct responses on the board to support all students with understanding pacing. ▲ If all students have trouble grappling with pacing, explain that they will now look at a model text to see how an author changes the pace of a story.

• Display the ebook Nasreen’s Secret School on the device and read it aloud, inviting students to interrupt the reading when they identify instances where the writer has increased or decreased the pace of the narrative.

• After students have a chance to grapple, explain to them that they will focus on an example of the author using pacing to focus the reader on particular moments in Nasreen’s Secret School, which will provide them with models of how to change the pace in their own narratives.

• Display the following section from Nasreen’s Secret School:

  • “I was fearful that the soldiers would discover the school. But the girls were clever. They slipped in and out of school at different times, so as not to arouse suspicion. And when boys saw soldiers near the green gate, they distracted them.
    
    I had heard of a soldier who pounded on the gate, demanding to enter.
    
    But all he found was a room filled with girls reading the Koran, which was allowed. The girls had hidden their schoolwork, outwitting the soldier.”

• Ask students to Think-Pair-Share about the following questions: ▲

“How did the author change the pacing in this section?” (The author described the soldiers coming to the school and others’ reactions to the soldiers in detail. The description slows down the pace.)

“Why did the author slow down the pace in this passage?” (Slowing the pace shows that this part is important. It also helps build suspense because it takes several long sentences for the reader to know that the girls are safe.)

“What would be the effect if the author were to write the same scene in the following way?: ‘I was fearful that the soldiers would discover the school. But the girls were clever and tricked them every time’?” (The reader wouldn’t spend as much time focusing on it. This section of the text would go by much more quickly.)

• Confirm for students that describing something in detail, such as an action or a scene or a character, is a way for an author to draw attention to this part of the story and show the reader that it is important. Describing something in detail is also a way for an author to slow down the pacing at important parts of the story. Be sure to record this on the board or on a chart paper to support all students in understanding that long, detailed descriptions slow down the pace of a story.

• Explain to students that adding dialogue can also slow down the pacing and help the reader focus on an important part of a story. If time allows, work with students to identify a part of Nasreen’s Secret School to which dialogue can be added to slow down the pacing. Develop a dialogue as a class, recording it on the board and discussing how it makes the scene more interesting and slows down the pacing.

B. Plan Pacing, Dialogue, and Description - W.7.3b (15 minutes)

• Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can write dialogue and description to change the pacing during action to engage the reader."

• Tell students that they will now identify a place to decrease the pace in their narratives using the two techniques, description and dialogue, they just discussed in Nasreen's Secret School. Remind students of the entrance ticket activity they completed for inspiration on an important part of the story where they would like to focus on slowing down the pacing.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, when students fill in the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer and plan descriptions that slow down time for the reader, allow them to sketch and label their descriptions before summarizing them in the graphic organizer. This presketching activity allows ELLs to generate the language they will need for their descriptions in the more concrete context of a picture before using it in the more abstract context of a graphic organizer.

• Invite students to take out their Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizers, and refer to their plot maps from the previous lesson. Explain that they will review the events they have outlined and choose one that they can expand upon and slow down for the reader using description and/or dialogue. Direct students' attention to the section labeled "Part IV: Pacing." Ask students to examine this section and share out their understanding of the purpose for each row and column. Consider asking students to Turn and Talk:

"What will you write in each column? How will this help you plan your narrative?" (In the left-hand column, I will write the events from my story that I want to slow down. In the middle and right-hand columns, I will write ideas I have for description and dialogue I can add to slow down the events.)

• Have students copy the events they've identified from their plot into the section of the graphic organizer in the left-hand column labeled "Events." In the right-hand columns, invite students to draft descriptions and dialogue that will encourage the reader to pause at those moments.

• Circulate throughout the room and monitor student progress, answering questions as necessary.

• Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

In Work Time B, when students fill in the Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer and plan dialogue that changes the pace of a moment, allow them to speak or make up possible dialogue with a partner before writing their dialogue down individually. Allowing ELLs to orally rehearse made-up dialogue before writing it enables them to collaboratively generate language through discussion which may be richer and more extensive than they could generate in isolation, working without the opportunity for the kind of conversation and exchange that pushes students to keep extending their language skills.

A. Transition Words and Phrases Role Play - W.7.3c (10 minutes)

• Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can use transitions to convey shifts from one time frame to another."

• Remind students that they have another important tool to tell their stories and control the pacing: transition words and phrases. Ask students to Think-Pair-Share to recall their work with transitions from previous lessons and writing in the module:

"What do you remember about why writers use transition words and phrases?" (They help to move between ideas and connect one part of an essay to another.)

• Inform students that transitions in narratives also help to move from one event (or one space) to another. Distribute the Narrative Transition Words and Phrases handout. Note that there are transitions for time and space. Point out that some of the transitions, such as later on, can help them speed up the narrative by skipping over time. Invite students to underline some of the transitions on the list that can be used to "speed up time."

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

To make the process of using the Narrative Writing checklist for partner feedback more manageable for ELLs, who may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of language and unfamiliar terminology on the chart, have students focus their feedback around one point most relevant to the development of a plot outline, such as the point below. Also, before releasing students to discuss the point on their own, quickly define potentially unfamiliar vocabulary—such as sequence—even if it has already been introduced in the opening of a previous lesson.

“I organize events in a sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.” (W.7.3a)

• Invite students to review the handout and ask any questions they have about the words or how to use them.

• Ask students to improvise sentences in which they may use the words to move quickly from one event to another. If necessary, guide students through an intentional Role Play to act out some of these time and space transitions:

1. 1. Determine groupings. (In this activity, work as a whole class.)

   2. State the concept or reread the text aloud. (In this activity, state a transition such as in the distance.)

   3. Invite students to silently think and then talk with a partner about how they will act out the given scene or concept, what they will say and do.

   4. Give the signal "Action!" so students can act out the scene or concept. (In this activity, shading eyes to show distance.)

   5. Give the signal "Cut!" so students can stop acting out the scene or concept.

   6. As necessary, repeat steps 2-5 for new concepts, scenes, or allowing students to switch characters.

• Inform students that they will add transitions to their Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer for homework.

MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS

When using the suggestion for more focused feedback presented in the Lighter Support column, also provide sentence frames tailored to the feedback requested, and model how to use the sentence frames. As pointed out in previous supports, sentence frames support ELLs by giving them some of the generic language they need to initiate and respond to a question, freeing them up to think more about the specific words they may need to elaborate on or extend what they are saying.

What is the sequence of events in your plot outline?

First . . ., second . . ., third . . ., etc.

Why did you use that sequence of events?

I used that sequence to show . . .

How is your plot outline organized?

My plot outline is organized around . . .

Can you say more about that? (Goal 1 Conversation Cue)

Sure, I think that . . . (Goal 1 Conversation Cue)

• Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.