Six-Trait-Overview
The focus trait for this lesson is idea development;
students will use the pre-determined structure of a "poem for two
voices" to explore unique ideas. The support trait for this lesson is voice;
student writers will convey the opposite points of
view--convincingly--even though both P.O.V.s come from the same
character's head.
Description
Have you ever had an argument with yourself? We can sometimes find ourselves taking two different sides of an argument or having various opinions about an idea. Students will read about the opposing characters, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and create their own opposing characters. Teachers: click here to read the entire lesson plan.
Author
This lesson was built for WritingFix after being proposed by Nevada teacher Temoca Dixon.
Materials
Lesson plan
graphic organizer
Poem for Two Voices
Comparison & Contrast Page
Student Instructions Page
graphic organizer
Sheet of 6 Idea Development Post-It Notes
Sheet of 6 Voice Post-It Notes
Editing Post-it
Pre-step...before sharing the published model
Have students listen to the song, "Two Lovers" by Mary Wells which shares the opposite character traits of what sounds like two different
men both of whom she loves. The end of the song reveals the "Two
Lovers" as actually being one in the same person. Discuss the character
traits described in the song that build the image of her two lovers.
Website(s)
The Northern Nevada Writing Project: WritingFix
Step one (sharing the published model)
Students will read and discuss the idea development and voice used in three excerpts about the character, Mr. Hyde:
- From chapter 1, where the text starts, He is not easy to describe..., ending with ...and yet I really can name nothing out of the way.
- From chapter 2: Mr. Utterson stepped out and touched him on the shoulder..., ending with ...he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house.
- From chapter 4, starting with He had in his hand a heavy cane..., ending with ...the maid fainted.
Then, students will read and discuss the idea development and voice used in two excerpts about the character, Dr. Jekyll:
- From chapter 3, where the text starts To this rule..., ending with This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop.
- From chapter 6, starting with, Now that that evil influence..., and ending with ...and the knowledge is more than he can bear.
Students will use the first page of the graphic organizer
to record the characterization examples from the excerpts they
read/hear. Your class can discuss the character traits and share the
examples of showing verses telling about the character in the author's
writing.
In
small groups or pairs, have students compose a poem for two voices for
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Before writing, you can show students examples
of published poems for two voices from Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman.
You can also use WritingFix's Poem for Two Voices handout, which is just one of the excellent resources that can be accessed from our Comparison & Contrast Page.
Step two (introducing models of writing)
In small groups, have your students read and respond to any or all of the
student models that come with this lesson. The groups should certainly talk about the idea development, since that's the focus of this writing assignment, but you might prompt your students to talk about each model's voice as well.
Step three (thinking and pre-writing)
The Interactive Button Game on the Student Instructions Page
is designed to get your students thinking about different voices that
might exist inside one person's head, or two voices that might have
contrasting views.
Students will use the second page of the graphic organizer
to record the characterization ideas for a dual-personality character
or for two contrasting voices they will invent for their original
poems.
Once
students have brainstormed voice elements and ideas, they are to begin
drafting a poem that celebrates two voices. Their poems should show the
character(s) and let us hear the voices inside his/her head.
Step four (revising with specific trait language)
To promote
response and revision to rough draft writing, attach WritingFix's
Revision and Response Post-Its to your students' drafts. Make sure the
students rank their use of the trait-specific skills on the
Post-Its, which means they'll only have one "1" and one "5." Have
them commit to ideas for revision based on their Post-It rankings. For
more ideas on WritingFix's Revision & Response Post-Its, click here
Step five (editing for conventions)
After students apply their
revision ideas to their drafts and re-write neatly, require them to
find an editor. If you've established a "Community of Editors" among
your students, have each student exchange his/her paper with multiple
peers. With yellow high-lighters in hand, each peer reads for and
highlights suspected errors for just one item from the Editing Post-it
Extension of Lesson (publishing for the portfolio)
When they are finished revising and have second drafts, invite your
students to come back to this piece once more during an upcoming
writer's workshop block. Their stories might become a longer story, a
more detailed piece, or the beginning of a series of pieces about the
story they started here. Students will probably enjoy creating an
illustration for this story as they get ready to publish it for their
portfolios.
Content Provider
The Northern Nevada Writing Project: WritingFix
