My life/your life: A look at your parents' past
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=947
A lesson plan for grades 6–8 English Language Arts
The goal of this lesson is to help students make connections between their experiences and those of their parents through reflection and writing. After students become familiar with the format of interviews by evaluating sample questions and answers of popular international figures, they practice interviewing one another in pairs. Once the class has had the opportunity to think about effective strategies for the process, they generate a list of guidelines to be used for the project. Using the guiding questions provided by the lesson, students interview a parent or someone else that is older about what life was like when they were teenagers. Then, students use an online interactive Venn diagram tool to compare their lives with the person they interviewed. After discussing their interviews in small groups, students write imaginary journal entries describing events that might have occurred in their parents’/guardians’ lives as middle school students. Then, returning to their groups, students use their journal entries to create a skit to be performed for the class. Students work together to research and include historical information and a musical context in their skits, as well as the similarities and differences described in their Venn diagrams. Once students evaluate their work, they perform the skit for the class as a final activity. Readwritethink provides links to sample interviews of well-known people on the Academy of Achievement website. This lesson suggests extension activities and provides opportunities for student assessment and reflection.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 6
- Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives drawn from personal or related experience.
- Objective 1.01: Narrate an expressive account (e.g., fictional or autobiographical) which:
- uses a coherent organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.
- tells a story or establishes the significance of an event or events.
- uses remembered feelings and specific details.
- uses a range of appropriate strategies (e.g., dialogue, suspense, movement, gestures, expressions).
- Objective 1.04: Reflect on learning experiences by:
- describing personal learning growth and changes in perspective.
- identifying changes in self throughout the learning process.
- interpreting how personal circumstances and background shape interaction with text.
- Objective 1.01: Narrate an expressive account (e.g., fictional or autobiographical) which:
- Goal 2: The learner will explore and analyze information from a variety of sources.
- Objective 2.01: Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- monitoring comprehension for understand of what is read, heard, and/or viewed.
- studying the characteristics of informational works.
- restating and summarizing information.
- determining the importance and accuracy of information.
- making connections between works, self and related topics/information.
- comparing and/or contrasting information.
- drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
- generating questions.
- Objective 2.01: Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
Grade 7
- Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives in response to personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.
- Objective 1.01: Narrate an account such as a news story or historical episode which:
- creates a coherent organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.
- orients the reader/listener to the scene, the people, and the events.
- engages the reader/listener by establishing a context and creating a point of view.
- establishes the signficance of events.
- Objective 1.04: Reflect on learning experiences by:
- analyzing personal learning growth and changes in perspective.
- examining changes in self throughout the learning process.
- determining how personal circumstances and background shape interaction with text.
- Objective 1.01: Narrate an account such as a news story or historical episode which:
- Goal 2: The learner will synthesize and use information from a variety of sources.
- Objective 2.01: Respond to informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
- analyzing the characteristics of informational works.
- summarizing information.
- determining the importance of information.
- making connections to related topics/information.
- drawing inferences and/or conclusions.
- generating questions.
- Objective 2.01: Respond to informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
Grade 8
- Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives through analysis of personal, social, cultural, and historical issues.
- Objective 1.01: Narrate a personal account which:
- creates a coherent, organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.
- establishes a point of view and sharpens focus.
- uses remembered feelings.
- selects details that best illuminate the topic.
- connects events to self/society.
- Objective 1.04: Reflect on learning experiences by:
- evaluating how personal perspectives are influenced by society, cultural differences, and historical issues.
- appraising changes in self throughout the learning process.
- evaluating personal circumstances and background that shape interaction with text.
- Objective 1.01: Narrate a personal account which:
- Goal 2: The learner will use and evaluate information from a variety of sources.
- Objective 2.01: Analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
- monitoring comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard and/or viewed.
- recognizing the characteristics of informational materials.
- summarizing information.
- determining the importance of information.
- making connections to related topics/information.
- drawing inferences.
- generating questions.
- extending ideas.
- Objective 2.01: Analyze and evaluate informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by:
