My Second Writing For Understanding-The Book Thief

Writing for Understanding Instruction Stephanie Karabaic

copyright by Stephanie Karabaic July 2011

The Book Thief

CENTRAL IDEAS Content: The Nazis manipulated, incited fear and aggression and instilled a need for the German people to follow the tenets of the Nazi party. Reading: To understand the lessons about Nazis, how people treated other people during the time of the Holocaust, and the evidence of that treatments as found in The Book Thief Writing: Students will write a Descriptive Essay using evidence from The Book Thief and other background knowledge they learned from their 7th grade social studies class.

* Focusing Question	Focus (answer to focusing question)
How did the Nazi’s control people through instilling fear and using manipulation?	They mistreated, tortured, manipulated through fear and reprisals the German people. They brainwashed them into believing or at the very least, following the tenants of the Nazi party.

* Building and Processing Working Knowledge
• vocabulary • guided reading-book chat-virtual • text mapping0using graphic organizers/my readers guide to assist them in grabbing those big ideas • paraphrasing • summarizing • visualizing/ • imaging Book chat-using reading guide and individual student notest• constructed response • experience • debating • taking notes (graphic organizers)	• background knowledge: prior knowledge based on the 7th grade curriculum • read text silently-join book chats-refer back to the pages/ideas/supportive evidence in the text • paraphrase text • Using “I noticed, I wondered, I thought about-to discuss the book The Book Thief, and the big ideas

structures:

• teacher-written model • various types of templates or frames (ex: Painted Essay)Descriptive Essay.

•Book chat Reader’s guide notes template to guide thinking)

Writing / Revising How will students draft / revise so that their final writing is clearly focused, organized, and developed to show understanding of the central ideas?
• • write section at a time-share with me via email or in real class time-depending on when the project runs • write parts- • revise and proofread with me via-chat/googledocs share-in person or via homework-flexibility WEB 2.0 offers	• write next three paragraphs in chunks, stopping after each

Lesson Sequence What steps will I follow so that students are able to effectively show their understanding in writing?

• activate prior knowledge: What you already know-from 7th grade curriculum regarding the Holocaust-done already in class. • begin reading The Book Thief-Teacher designed/student interactive/Reader’s Guide for specirfic pages Student notetaking-adding to my notes for the section read-indicate their name in color with their notes-send back to me via email students use these notes for our book chats ª “I notice, I wonder”in book chat-google chat • introduce focusing question “How did the Nazi’s control people through instilling fear and using manipulation? • introduce writing piece using Reader’s Guide notes-and student altered Reader’s Guide as-notes as guide • write piece in chunks

* Assessment: How are students doing? What are my next steps as a teacher?

• students self-assess against constructed response rubric • teacher assess, students share their essays in googleshare • formative assess narrative leads, content chunks as they’re being written

Common Core Writing Project

CENTRAL IDEA:

Many people still wonder how the Nazis were able to control millions of people and cause them to do unthinkable things to other beings.


Focus Question:

How did the Nazi’s control people through instilling fear and using manipulation?

BUILDING AND PROCESSING WORKING KNOWLEDGE

HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THIS SUBJECT BY THE END TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO WRITE ABOUT IT?

Since this project spins out of the reading of The Book Thief, students will be looking for evidence of how the Nazi’s mistreated and manipulated people. As they read, they will be directed to note the specific evidence in the text, the page where it is found and the student’s interpretation of that evidence-in a one short sentence.

A Three column graphic organizer will be used to keep track of these examples of the evidence, that will be later used in their expository essay.

STRUCTURE:

HOW WILL MY STUDENTS KNOW HOW TO CONSTRUCT/BUILD THIS PIECE OF WRITING

SO THAT THEIR THINKING IS CLEAR, BOTH TO THEM AS WRITERS AND TO THE READERS OF THEIR WORK?

I will provide at least one example, model of a Descriptive essay format they are going to design.