Teacher: Jennifer Owen & Christine Bebout

Date: 02/03/15
School: Walt Clark Middle School
Grade Level: 8th
Content Area: English Language Arts
Title: Elements of Purpose: Whats the Point?

Lesson #:_2_ of _11_

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from the
standard)
Standard 3: Writing and Composition
Concepts and skills students master: 1. Stylistic devices and descriptive details in literary and
narrative texts are organized for a variety of audiences and purposes
Students can:
v. Establish and maintain a controlling idea appropriate to audience and purpose

Standard 2: Reading for All Purposes

Concepts and skills students master: 2. Quality comprehension and interpretation of
informational and persuasive texts demand monitoring and self-assessment
Students can:
c. Use Integration of Knowledge and Ideas to:
i. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or
digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea. (CCSS: RI.8.7)

Understandings: (Big Ideas)

Students will understand how having a clear purpose impacts the effectiveness of their writing.
Students will be able to identify the purpose of communicated works.
Students will be able to distinguish the difference between purposes: to inspire, to argue, to
persuade, and to inform.
Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction,
select applicable questions from standard)
1. What is purpose?
2. Why is it important to have purpose?
3. How does knowing your purpose effect your writing?
4. Can I recognize purpose in a variety of contexts?
Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)
Every student will be able to: Identify purpose in a variety of contexts and create purpose
within their own writing.
I can: Identify purpose within a variety of contexts and apply a clear purpose in my written
works.

This means: Correctly identifying the purpose of others and conveying purpose within my own
writing.
List of Assessments: (Write the number of the learning target associated with each
assessment)
1. At the beginning of the lesson we will be asked to identify the purpose of a variety of
examples (social media, blogs, speeches, instruction manual, dictionary, etc.). Their
ability to demonstrate their understanding of what purpose is will allow us to navigate
necessary instruction for remainder of lesson.
2. Groups will complete a task as assigned by unique prompt. They will complete the
prompt for their assigned purpose and target a specific audience and present their
results with the class (scaffolding).
3. Students will complete individual purpose statements for items presented throughout
guided instruction. This will provide for individual assessment/check for understanding.
4. Students will complete a Ticket out the Door where they describe a time when theyve
composed something for a purpose other than school. They will include what they did
and why they did it. This will allow us to check for understanding on the concept of
purpose and its use within students writing.

Planned Lesson Activities

Name and Purpose of Lesson
Should be a creative title for you
and the students to associate with
the activity. Think of the purpose
as the mini-rationale for what you
are trying to accomplish through
this lesson.
Approx. Time and Materials
How long do you expect the
activity to last and what materials
will you need?

Elements of Purpose: Whats the Point?

To practice identifying and understanding the purpose
behind composed works. In understanding the
purpose behind works, students can apply their
knowledge to purposes within their own works.
Approximately 47 minutes
Students will need:
A writing utensil
Daily writing journal
A handout they will receive in class (teacher
provided)
Prompts for each station (6-8, teacher
provided)
Sample around the room for individual
identification (teacher provided)
iPads, laptops, or cell phones (student choice)
Textual materials used: Barack Obamas A
More Perfect Union State of the Union
Address speech, infomercial, blog post,
Facebook update, cartoon, image, planner

entry (teacher provided)

Anticipatory Set
The hook to grab students
attention. These are actions and
statements by the teacher to relate
the experiences of the students to
the objectives of the lesson, To put
students into a receptive frame of
mind.

To focus student attention on

the lesson.

To create an organizing
framework for the ideas, principles,
or information that is to follow
(advanced organizers)
An anticipatory set is used any
time a different activity or new
concept is to be introduced.

Class will start with our daily warm up in student daily

writing journals. Todays prompt will be:

Procedures
(Include a play-by-play account of
what students and teacher will do
from the minute they arrive to the
minute they leave your classroom.
Indicate the length of each
segment of the lesson. List actual
minutes.)
Indicate whether each is:
-teacher input
-modeling
-questioning strategies
-guided/unguided:
-whole-class practice
-group practice
-individual practice
-check for understanding
-other

1. We will start class with our daily warm up. Students

will freewrite for 3 minutes before a brief 3 minute
discussion on what students wrote 6 minutes,
individual work, group discussion
2. Once we start our lesson, we will begin with the
anticipatory set (Hands Up) calling for student
participation 2 minutes, whole class participation
3. Provide a brief introduction to purpose with a
examples 5 minutes, teacher input, modeling
4. Discuss activity and hand out guided notes for
students to practice while going through more
examples 3 minutes, teacher input, guided
individual practice
5. Model the station activities that students will do as
a group and go over options available to them.
Deconstruct the prompt as a group 5 minutes,
modeling, questioning strategies, whole-class
practice
6. Students will complete activity in their table groups
responding to their individual prompts and prepare to
present to the class 18 minutes, group practice
7. Students will present their completed prompts to
the class and turn in completed work 5 min, group
and whole-class practice

Freewrite (write without stopping) for the next 3

minutes on the topic of courage.
Start the lesson by showing a clip:
Ask the following questions:
1) What was the purpose of that?
2) What was the purpose of my showing that to
you?
3) Whats the point?
Introduce students to topic of purpose and
introduction of concepts (how purpose shapes and
alters the composition process).

8. Wrap up Students will do a quick Ticket Out the

Door describing an instance where they have
composed something for a purpose other than school.
What they did and why they did it. 3 minutes,
individual practice, check for understanding
Closure
Those actions or statements by a
teacher that are designed to bring
a lesson presentation to an
appropriate conclusion. Used to
help students bring things together
in their own minds, to make sense
out of what has just been taught.
Any Questions? No. OK, lets
move on is not closure. Closure is
used:

To cue students to the fact

that they have arrived at an
important point in the lesson or the
end of a lesson.

To help organize student

learning
To help form a coherent picture
and to consolidate.

After having completed the group prompt and have

presented to the class, we will call the class back to
attention and ask students to turn in their work. We
will then ask students to participate in a Ticket Out
the Door, describing an instance where they have
composed something for a purpose other than school.
They should include what they did and why they did it.
This will be individual practice and a check for
understanding

Differentiation
To modify: If the activity is too
advanced for a child, how will you
modify it so that they can be
successful?
To extend: If the activity is too
easy for a child, how will you
extend it to develop their emerging
skills?

Students who are struggling with the concept can take

additional time to work on their assignment sheets
and may also work individually rather than in groups
and turn it in the following day as homework. During
circulation, we will assist students who are struggling
with concepts in order to offer additional instruction
and modeling.

Assessment
How will you know if students met
the learning targets? Write a

Monitoring the class, we will be able to stop and not

only answer questions, but also quickly review
students comments on their worksheets. We will also

For students who have already grasped the concept

and finish early, we can extend their skills by asking
additional questions and examples for them to identify
or other ways to present the idea they constructed.
For instance, instead of creating a blog, what other
medium could be used to convey the same purpose?

description of what you were

looking for in each assessment.

monitor participation in class discussion during

modeling and discussion during the group activity.
Our Ticket Out the Door will allow us to see if
students were able to determine how purpose is used
in the composition process.

Post Lesson Reflection

1.
To what extent were lesson objectives achieved? (Utilize assessment data to justify
your level of achievement)

2.
What changes, omissions, or additions to the lesson would you make if you were to
teach again?

3.

What do you envision for the next lesson? (Continued practice, reteach content, etc.)

Daily Writing Prompt: Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Freewrite (write without stopping) for the next 3 minutes on the topic of courage.

Identifying Purpose: Whats the Point?

Guided Notes
Identify the PURPOSE for each of the examples shown during instruction and a brief description as to
how you determined that purpose:
1) Infomercial

2) Dictionary Definition

3) Blog

4) Facebook Post

5) Obamas State of the Union Address

6) Cartoon

7) Planner Entry

8) Image

Prompts for Activity (in table groups, one prompt per group given on index cards)
Sample Prompt for Modeling: Create a Facebook post describing a movie you saw this
weekend. The movie was terrible and you want to share your critique with others.
1) Write a blog post about the fluctuating weather in Colorado. Your post should be reflective,
engaging, and appeal to an adult audience who frequently visits the popular weather blog to
which your response could be posted.

2) Compose a new dictionary definition for the word practice that could appear in an online
dictionary. Include pronunciation, definition, and examples of its use in a sentence, typical with
a dictionary definition.

3) Create a summary for a film, video game, or book of your choosing. This summary should be
composed in a way that it could be included on the film, video game, or books Wikipedia page.

4) Create a mock-advertisement for a popular toy. This can be print-based or a commercial. You
will be responsible for presenting how you would create this or acting out the action for the
class. If doing a print-based advertisement, descriptions of images and slogans should be
included.

5) Create a how-to-guide instructing your classmates how to make the perfect banana split. This
should include a brief introduction and a step-by-step process.

6) Imagine you are the coach of a girls soccer team. Your team is currently down by 2 points.
Prepare a motivational speech to rally them into putting in their best effort to gain the win.

7) Write a letter to your parents explaining your actions and/or apologizing for a recent
transgression. It is your intent to have your parents reverse their decision to ground you.

8) Pick your favorite game (either board game, video game, etc.) and explain to your grandparents
why that game is better than any others.