Lesson Plans


Lesson Plan #3

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Using Writing to Explore the Importance of Pastimes for Personal Growth

GRADE LEVEL
Grades 7 to 12

CURRICULUM
Language Arts, Social Studies, Health

OVERVIEW OF LESSON PLAN
In this lesson, students take part in writing exercises about the most important pastime or activities in which they participate and the personal growth gained through this participation Students will participate in this activity discussing what a particular sport or activity have taught him or her. Then, incorporating this work, each student writes a descriptive/profile story about an experience with this activity that made him or her particularly proud of possessing these skills or of participating in this activity.

SNN can assist teacher and student with learning more about journalism skills, provide student and teacher interaction with other student/teachers throughout Canada and provide a safe, structured environment for students to publish their writing.

MATERIALS AND PREPARATION

  • SNN Writing Guide (for reference)
  • Description article on a sport or activity selected by Teacher

ACTIVITIES/PROCEDURES

1. WARM-UP/ DO-NOW: In their journals, students respond to the following (written on the board prior to class):

  • List your favourite activities in which you participate outside of the school day (sports, playing music, group activities, hobbies, etc.).
  • Circle those that require you to have specific skills. Then, after each of these circled items, jot down a few of the skills one must possess to be successful at this activity.

Students can then share their responses.

2. Teacher will then read and discuss a profile of their choice re: physical sports (hockey, karate, baseball), art (singing, music, painting) or other activity. Discuss activity with class focussing on the following questions:

  • Based on the article, how does the writer feel about this activity? How do you know?
  • What "lessons" about one's self and about others can one learn through this activity?
  • What skills, both physical & mental, can one acquire through learning the activity?
  • Do the lessons & skills in this activity apply to any of the activities in which you participate? Why or why not?


3. Ask students to return to the original journal-writing exercise completed at the beginning of the class, and tell each student to select the one activity on the list that they feel is most important to them. Each student then titles a new piece of paper with this hobby and makes note on the following information for the chosen activity.

  • Who introduced you to this activity?
  • Has someone taught or is someone currently teaching you the skills you need, and what do you know or remember about this person? If you taught or are teaching yourself, who or what inspired you to learn this?
  • What tools or instruments do you use in this activity, and how is each important?
  • What important words or vocabulary are involved in this activity?
  • What "lessons" have you learned from this activity? What has your participation in this activity taught you about yourself?


4. WRAP-UP/ HOMEWORK: Each student writes a descriptive article recalling an experience with the activity that he or she wrote about in class that made him or her particularly proud of possessing these skills or of participating in this activity. Students should incorporate as much of the information they have noted previously in class.

REMEMBER THE FIVE W's of WRITING: Who, What, When, Where, Why (and sometimes How). Use the inverted pyramid style. This means that articles should be written with the most important information first and the least important last. Use SNN's Writing Guide for further information on journalistic writing.


5. When students have completed their descriptive article on their activity, they should share their stories with their classmates, either by passing them out for others to read silently or by reading them aloud, in a future class. These stories can submitted to your school newspaper or an online youth ezine for publication.

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on written journal response, participation in class discussion, and descriptive story based on free-writing work.

 

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