Lesson 11 - Using Adjectives

🕐 Lesson Overview

Bellringer
STEAL
Read: Chapter 11
Words for describing characters

⭐ Objectives

I can use descriptive language (adjectives).
I can use textual evidence to support character analysis.

📏 Standards

🗽 NYSNGSS

7R1:
Cite textual evidence to support an analysis of what the text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences.
7W5:
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
7L6:
Acquire and accurately use general academic and content-specific words and phrases; apply vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

🗒️ Lesson Plan

Anticipatory Set

Students will respond to the following prompt in their class journals.

Pick an important person in your life — your best friend, a parent, a teacher, a coach — and write a few words you would use to describe them. Think about both their physical appearance and their personality. Write down as many words as you can.

The teacher will allow students a few minutes to write. After sufficient time has elapsed, the teacher will invite a few students to share their responses.

Developmental Activity

The teacher will explain that the class will be focusing on analyzing Salva as a character as he is about to undergo major changes in the next few chapters. The teacher will introduce the STEAL strategy, an acronym that helps readers understand characters better.

STEAL:

Speech - What does the character say? What do others say about the character?

Thoughts - What does the character think about? How are they feeling?

Effect - What effect do others have on the character? What effect do they have on others? Do they have power or control (over themselves or over others)?

Actions - What does the character do? What do others do to the character?

Look - What do they look like? How do others perceive their appearance?

The teacher will ask that, as they read, students pay attention to these items — both what Salva says, thinks, etc. and how other characters react to him.

The class will then read aloud Chapter 11. The teacher will use the Equity Sticks strategy to select readers on a paragraph-by-paragraph basis. The teacher will pause the reading to check for understanding, introduce new vocabulary, or explain unfamiliar concepts.

Closure

After reading, students will participate in a Turn & Talk to share ideas about Salva's character.

What words would you use to describe Salva in the early chapters (1-3) of the book?

What words would you use to describe Salva where are now (Chapter 11)?

How has Salva changed over the course of the book so far?

After discussing, the teacher will introduce the assignment Character Analysis - Salva. Students will need to provide two words (adjectives) they would use to describe Salva in the early chapters of the book (1-7) and two words to describe him later in the book (Chapters 8-11). They must provide a quote for supporting evidence and identify which letter(s) of the STEAL acronym the quotes fit into.

🧠 Rationale

The character analysis assignment acts as pre-writing for a paragraph students write in a later lesson; students will have prepared describing words and found supporting evidence that may be useful to them in future writing tasks.

⚙️ Modifications

The teacher may provide a word cloud of adjectives for students to select from.