• Printer Friendly Version
• Send to a Friend

Subject

English Language Arts (2005)

Assessment

• Dialogues are evaluated on basis of rubric.
• Teacher evaluates classroom participation and interaction with the teammate.

Duration

2–3 days

Description

Objectives:

• Students will write dialogues in the subject areas.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge in various subject areas in relation to a specific topic.

Activity:

• Teacher will review with the students the various aspects of writing good dialogue.
• Students and teacher will create a rubric for a content-based dialogue, addressing both writing and subject-specific criteria.
• Students will choose one of the suggested dialogue situations:
  • Write a conversation between a germ and a white blood cell.
  • Write a dialogue in which you explain the differences between a frequency histogram and a cumulative frequency histogram.
  • Write a dialogue between two people in a famous painting.
  • Thomas Jefferson has returned from the grave. Write a conversation he might have with one of his descendants.
  • Oedipus and Hamlet discuss how their relationships with their mothers have shaped their lives.
  • You are in a friendly debate with a friend on a current issue (e.g., gun control, death penalty, animal rights). Write a pro versus con conversation for that debate.
• Students will brainstorm ideas to develop the dialogue.
• Students will research the selected topic to obtain additional information to include in the dialogue.
• Students write dialogues, using appropriate punctuation and writing format.

Materials/Resources

Suggested dialogue situations

Comments/Modifications

• Students may work in teams or individually.
• English language arts teacher can work with subject area teacher to include this activity as part of the subject area unit of study.
• Subject area teachers could develop additional topics.

Source

CDOS Writing Team, Authors of Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) Resource Guide with Core Curriculum.

Related Academic Standards

New York State

CDOS.C.2.1.B Students use academic knowledge and skills in an occupational context, and demonstrate the application of these skills by using a variety of communication techniques (e.g., sign language, pictures, videos, reports, and technology).

CDOS.C.3a.TS.2.A Students demonstrate the ability to organize and process information and apply skills in new ways.

CDOS.C.3a.MI.6.A Students use technology to acquire, organize, and communicate information by entering, modifying, retrieving, and storing data.

ELA1.C.SW2B Students present a controlling idea that conveys an individual perspective and insight into the topic.

ELA1.C.SW2F Students use standard English skillfully, applying established rules and conventions for presenting information and making use of a wide range of grammatical constructions and vocabulary to achieve an individual style that communicates effectively.

ELA3.C.SW2A Students present orally and in writing well-developed analyses of issues, ideas, and texts, explaining the rationale for their positions and analyzing their positions from a variety of perspectives in such forms speeches, debates, thesis/support papers, literary critiques, and issues analyses.