Standard/GLE

Alignment:

In keeping with the addendum of Gifted/Talented Instructional Strategies defined by the State of NH the following instructional techniques will be used in this class:

Directed Study Group (focus on comprehension, discussion and analysis of text)

Differentiated Instruction (individual choice of final projects based on student's strengths)

Higher Order Thinking Skills (making judgments, analysis, synthesis)

Focus

and /or

Essential Questions:

What do good writers do?

How do good writers find ideas to write about?

What are the elements of a good story?

How does a writer create situations that are believable?

How does a writer create strong characters?

Skills:

Students will write about topics they care about.

Students will focus on the six traits of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions.

Reading for fluency; reader’s theatre.

Comprehension, analysis, discussion of topic.

Final project: choice of writing – short story, report, letter, persuasive essay.

Content:

Students will practice writing quick pieces to get their ideas on paper.

Students will choose one of their short writing pieces to expand in to a finished piece of work.

Students will read a quality novel. Group discussions will focus on the events of the story and the characters’ actions and feelings, with analysis of how the writer creates a world.

Who are the main characters? What is the setting? What is the problem and what is the solution?

Describe how the story unfolds, and what the characters want.

Students will take turns reading the parts of the characters, and respond in writing to journal questions as we read. We will also reflect on whether the story is like any others we have read.

Students will choose a final product as a way to respond to the novel.

Students will research a topic of interest and write a persuasive essay, make a poster and write a letter about the topic.

Assessment:

Ongoing informal assessment of reading and journals.

Students will complete papers that assess above skills.

Formal assessment using a rubric for final project work.

Modifications:

Enrichment:

Remediation:

Support will be given to enable fluency in reading.

Higher level thinking skills will be explored.

Not applicable.