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How do you make a good impression? In the short story "Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto, Victor and Michael enter seventh grade a little anxiously~maybe with a little trepidation. Their conversation steers itself toward making a good impression on the girls~for Victor there is one girl in particular whom he wants to impress: Theresa. Michael and Victor each have different ideas on how to impress girls. Like seventh graders everywhere, Victor and Michael are trying to fit in like everyone else.
For this lesson I will focus on the Common Core Standard RL (Reading Literature) 7.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text. This story lends itself well to this particular standard because it will be easier for the students to compare and contrast the characters' actions and their development. This lesson will take anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes to teach allowing time for silent reading and writing.
Before the students begin reading "Seventh Grade" ask them to write a response to the essential question: How do you make a good impression? Allow the students at least ten minutes to write a response (remember quiet writing time is very important for students to develop the ability to write for extended amounts of time). After the students have written a response, allow them time to "turn and talk for two" with their writing partner (I usually assign students a writing partner that they will keep for the first half of the year).
Because the Common Core stresses that students should be reading complex text independently, the students will then read the story silently. I usually build in SSR (silent sustained reading) time in the structure of my block classes. As the students read, I will instruct them to create a T-chart on which they can record evidence from the text on each characters' actions and words. For "Seventh Grade", each student should be able to have at least ten traits or qualities for each character. As you can see, this is not just sit and read time. Students must be paying close attention to the text~thus its name "close reading".
After completing the silent reading of the story, the student will then use his notes to write a compare and contrast essay~the student will be comparing and contrasting how each boy, Michael and Victor, attempt to impress girls. Remember that the CCSS put quite a bit of importance on citing textual evidence, so require that your students cite their notes and the story when making their assertions.
The length of the essay should be at least four paragraphs~ the first paragraph is the introduction with a stated thesis; the student needs to name the story and the author and the two characters specifically. The second and third paragraphs should be the comparison and contrast of the two characters (I find that it is much easier for students to write in this "block" style when writing this type of essay). And of course the final paragraph is a strong conclusion in which the student re-states his thesis. I strongly recommend that you share your rubric with the students before you begin the lesson.
For this lesson I will focus on the Common Core Standard RL (Reading Literature) 7.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text. This story lends itself well to this particular standard because it will be easier for the students to compare and contrast the characters' actions and their development. This lesson will take anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes to teach allowing time for silent reading and writing.
Before the students begin reading "Seventh Grade" ask them to write a response to the essential question: How do you make a good impression? Allow the students at least ten minutes to write a response (remember quiet writing time is very important for students to develop the ability to write for extended amounts of time). After the students have written a response, allow them time to "turn and talk for two" with their writing partner (I usually assign students a writing partner that they will keep for the first half of the year).
Because the Common Core stresses that students should be reading complex text independently, the students will then read the story silently. I usually build in SSR (silent sustained reading) time in the structure of my block classes. As the students read, I will instruct them to create a T-chart on which they can record evidence from the text on each characters' actions and words. For "Seventh Grade", each student should be able to have at least ten traits or qualities for each character. As you can see, this is not just sit and read time. Students must be paying close attention to the text~thus its name "close reading".
After completing the silent reading of the story, the student will then use his notes to write a compare and contrast essay~the student will be comparing and contrasting how each boy, Michael and Victor, attempt to impress girls. Remember that the CCSS put quite a bit of importance on citing textual evidence, so require that your students cite their notes and the story when making their assertions.
The length of the essay should be at least four paragraphs~ the first paragraph is the introduction with a stated thesis; the student needs to name the story and the author and the two characters specifically. The second and third paragraphs should be the comparison and contrast of the two characters (I find that it is much easier for students to write in this "block" style when writing this type of essay). And of course the final paragraph is a strong conclusion in which the student re-states his thesis. I strongly recommend that you share your rubric with the students before you begin the lesson.
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