Glastonbury Foreign Language Program
Curricular Unit: The Little Prince (French)
Lesson Title: Written Creations
Grade: 8
Subject/Topic Area(s): Expository & Creative Writing
Key Words: Expository, writing, little, prince, creative, skits
Time Frame: 120 min
Designed by: Scott A. Minnick
Standards:
Major Standards -- 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 4.2
Supporting Standards --
Materials:
Sketchbook paper
"Plan for Epository Paragraph" from "Writing the First Draft", by Robert A. Pauker
Colored pencils or crayons
Brief Summary of Lesson:
Students will write a structured expository paragraph about the story or a part of the story. Groups of students will then use the same format to create their own story describing a planet that the Little Prince did not visit in the original work.
Activities:
1) (45 min) Teacher hands out "Expository Writing Plan" (see resourse file, "Expository Wksheet") to students and expains that the purpose of this exercise is to create a logical, organized and structured paragraph, and that this way of paragraph writing can and should be used in their writing style in English as well.
Teacher goes over each sentence with the class one at a time and provides examples (i.e. The Lion King) to give students better idea of what to write for each sentence. Be sure students look only at the prior sentence to answer the next question word. When 6 sentences are completed, students will add additional sentences and transition words to make paragraph flow better.
2) (75 min) Students will get into groups of four. Teacher hands out lined paper and blank sketch paper. Students must create a new chapter of an adventure on a planet that he did not visit in the original story using the "Expository Writing Plan" as a model. They will do their best to stay true to the themes of "foreign" that are in the novel.
Students must also make a drawing containing a title at the top and a cartoon-like caption similar to the calendar pages from lesson plan #2 at the bottom (see resourse file, "student work"). Finally, student groups will write a script in French, memorize it, and present their stories in the form of a skit to the class.
Identify Desired Results
What do they already know that will help them learn new information? Where and when did they learn it?
Students have studied paragraph writing in English class.
Students will understand...
that good writing skills in one language can be transferred into another.
Student will know...
a new structured process of expository writing that can be used to improve their writing skills in other disciplines.
Student will be able to...
- use their imagination to write good quality expository and narrative paragraphs in the target language.
- use their speaking skills to act out original skits stemming from their written narratives.
New vocabulary, structures acquired:
vocabulary generated from students' authentic scenarios of the travels of the Little Prince.
Determining acceptable evidence
Performance Tasks:
- To follow structured pattern of thought to create written paragraph
- To create original thematic story
- To relate that story clearly to fellow students in oral discourse
Other evidence: group cooperation, organization and productivity
Examples of Student Work: