Unit Developed by Diane Luken

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night

The old moon laughed and sang a song,

All night long their nets they threw

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,

Eugene Fields

1850-1895

Is The Moon Tired?

Christina Rossetti

Fog

The fog comes 

It sits looking 

Instructional Purpose: To introduce the vocabulary of characterization through writing

Indiana Standards: 3.W.2, 3.L.1, 3.L.2, 3.SL.1, 3.SL.3, 3.SL.4

Materials: Paper and Pencil

Grouping Arrangements: Students will work in pairs, independently, and then as a class

Activities with Embedded Discussion Questions

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  Opening Activity: Describe each other
  
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    Instruct and practice interview techniques:
    
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      Discuss what questions a person would ask another person if they wanted to write about that person. Make a list of questions on the board or on chart paper.
      
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        Remind children to use question asking words that will elicit more than a simple “yes” or “no”.
        
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        Encourage children to create questions that might dig for unusual kinds of information (without invading privacy).
        
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      Instruct students to choose five questions from the class list to ask their “subject.”
      
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    Pair students. They are to interview each other with the end goal of writing a descriptive paragraph about the subject. Students may ask clarifying questions.
    
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    Instruct students to write descriptive paragraphs. They are not to name the person anywhere in the paragraph. They are not to write anything negative about the person.
    
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    Share the paragraphs anonymously and ask classmates to guess the person who was described.
    
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  De-brief:
  
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    Which essays were the clearest descriptions?
    
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    What made those essays clear?
    
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    What words did the authors use to help you visualize the person being described?
    

Instructional Purpose: To introduce the language of characterization

Indiana Common Core Standards: 3.RF.4, 3.RI.4, 3.RL.3

Materials:

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  Character trait worksheets (Included)
  
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  The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum (If possible, please include this text. It is available through Project Gutenberg.)
  

Activities with Embedded Discussion Questions:

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  Brainstorm words that describe character (“nice” and “good” are not allowed!) List the words on chart paper or on the board.
  
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    Book search: How do authors describe characters?
    
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    Distribute and discuss “Understanding Characters by Understanding Traits”
    
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      Quickly read through the list of trait words.
      
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      Ask the children to lightly star words they think they know.
      
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      Pair students to discuss starred words. What do they know about the words?
      
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      Whole class, fast-paced discussion to verify the meaning of the words students already known. Students are to highlight the words they know.
      
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      How would your description of your classmate change if you had used any of the words we just discussed?
      
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        (Revise quickly by crossing out words and using editorial symbols)
        
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  Introduce the book
  
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    Name the characters students are to write as column titles on the worksheet: Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion
    
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      What do you know about the book we are to read based on the names of the characters?
      
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      What do you know about the characters, setting, or plot? How do they know these things?
      
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      Challenge students’ understanding of the book. Tell them that some say this is actually a story about an American president and the America he led into war.
      
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    Preview the book by looking through it. (The book can be used in hard copy or online. This is a public domain story that can be found online. Sources for text include:
    
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      http://wwww.gutenberg.org/ebooks/420
      
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      http://www.enotes.com/wonderful-wizard-text/
      
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    Begin reading the book.
    
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  Homework assignment that needs to be completed before the next book discussion: Read to the end of Chapter 6
  

This Lesson is based on Words, Words, Words: Teaching Vocabulary in Grades 4-12 by Janet Allen. Stenhouse Publishers. York, Maine. 1999.

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