Standard Lesson Plan Template

Wasatch Writers in the Schools

Lesson Name:

Grade Level: 8

Example text (if any): Excerpt from Severance by Robert Olen Butler (“Dragon beast, beheaded by Saint George, 301)

Time: ~30 minutes

Objectives:
Concrete skills or concepts that students will master by the end of class.
*students will use specific, concrete, and fun descriptions*students will
create a unique voice specific to their chosen characters*students will
experiment with writing from the perspective of someone/thing that is
not them
Do-Now:
An optional opening activity that engages students’ attention and
connects to the day’s objectives.
Introduce that we’ll be talking about dragons and discuss descriptions
briefly—emphasize why they are important and fun in writing. As a class create a list of ~10 words/phrases that we think of when we think about dragons. Provide a few sample words like: fiery breath, scales, long teeth
Guided Practice:
Students working with teacher guidance. Both teacher and students
participate in guided practice.
*Teacher reads excerpt or full section of Severance. Point out key dragon words (fleshy jitteries).*With students choose another creature (super
hero, animal, celebrity). As class, come up with sample words for that
new creature.*Guide students through a few sentences as that creature.
Ask: what does creature X want? What are they thinking about?
Independent Practice:
A task students complete on their own, which was scaffolded in guided
practice.
*Have students choose their own creature to write about.*Use handout
for prompt and suggestions of what to write about.
Closure:
An opportunity for brief assessment, review, and connection to other
lessons.
*Ask students to share their paragraphs with their neighbor.*Ask if
anyone wants to share phrases, words, sentences or possibly their whole story with the class.*Write the shared descriptions on the board. Briefly review the importance of descriptions in writing.

Sample handout for lesson:

Dragons and Descriptions!

This story is narrated by a dragon. This dragon is chasing humans to eat them. The humans catch the dragon and then behead it.

*The dragon calls humans “fleshy jitteries” (jitteries is a made up word from jittery, which means to be nervous).

*When the dragon bites on of the humans and they bleed he calls their blood “the pulpy oozy of them” DRAGON beast, beheaded by Saint George, 301 from Severance by Robert Olen Butlerfly and land and run upon the pale fleshy jitteries I breathe hot upon them their wailing comes then and in my mouth the soft flail of their limbs the pulpy oozy of them and the cracky breaking, this body I eat nice body, oozy too this blood I drink nice blood, I settle my legs and I fold my wings the quieting comes upon me now after the bodies and the blood, all the rushy sputtery in my center is gone, the flying and landing and running all done, more of the fleshies dashing off I watch them and they seem now much like my eggy littles come forth, my wings are still, I close my eyes and open them and all around are the quivery greentops and the great ball of breath above, I will fly up that high sometime but now I am in a peaceful dawdle that I don’t understand, full in the center and sweet heavy in my legs and fluttery of the wingtips and I lick the air and again and one of these I eat is before me just a dashy-run across the way I ask my center if it wants this bit more and I rise and I rush and this one looks not soft but glinty all over him with the light and he sits on a long-face creature and he makes a sign at me up and down and across

fly and land and run upon the pale fleshy jitteries I breathe hot upon them their wailing comes then and in my mouth the soft flail of their limbs the pulpy oozy of them and the cracky breaking, this body I eat nice body, oozy too this blood I drink nice blood, I settle my legs and I fold my wings the quieting comes upon me now after the bodies and the blood, all the rushy sputtery in my center is gone, the flying and landing and running all done, more of the fleshies dashing off I watch them and they seem now much like my eggy littles come forth, my wings are still, I close my eyes and open them and all around are the quivery greentops and the great ball of breath above, I will fly up that high sometime but now I am in a peaceful dawdle that I don’t understand, full in the center and sweet heavy in my legs and fluttery of the wingtips and I lick the air and again and one of these I eat is before me just a dashy-run across the way I ask my center if it wants this bit more and I rise and I rush and this one looks not soft but glinty all over him with the light and he sits on a long-face creature and he makes a sign at me up and down and across

Prompt:

1.)   Pick someone or something fantastic you want to pretend to be. Become that creature!

2.)   Come up with a list of 5-7 words you think of when you think of the creature you have chosen.

3.)   Now use some of those words in a story! You can write about any story you want, but if you’re feeling stuck write about the creature running away from a normal human. Your life is in danger!

If you need help starting, try this!

I am NAME. I am a CREATURE TYPE. As I run away, I feel AN EMOTION. I am running away from a person because….

Example:

I am Lilly-Loo! I am a super hero with wings! As I run away, I feel my wings stretching and catching the breeze. I am running away from a person because I stole their beloved diamond.