Jacob Chessrown

09/23/16
Nothing But the Truth
Age/Grade Level: 8th Grade
Common Core Standards:
Reading Standards for Literature 6-12 for Grades 9-10
Key Ideas and Details:
1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary
of the text.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2
3. Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action,
reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3
Craft and Structure:
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases of words and phrases as they are used in a text;
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on
meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4
Writing Standards 6-12 for Grades 9-10
Production and Distribution of Writing:
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are
defined in standards 1-3 above.) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.4
Lesson Objective: The students shall gain a deeper understanding of the characters present in
the novel Nothing but the Truth by taking part in a writing activity as well as a class discussion
that will allow the students to grasp a better understanding of such things as each characters
personality and goals.
Description of Lesson:
1. Writing activity= 10 minutes: To start off the lesson, I will have the students
write two paragraphs about a time they received a poor grade on a test or assignment and
how they responded to the bad grade. Did they blame their teacher; or, did they accept
responsibility for their mistakes and learn from them. Following Kelly Gallaghers
approach, I will utilize an ELMO Projector or a Smartboard to project my own response
to the writing prompt. By doing so, I can better explain and model the content so that the
students can grasp a better understanding of the writing prompt presented to them. The

writing prompt in particular will help in regards to better understanding Philip Malloys
character and how his experiences in the book may connect with the experiences of the
students.
2. Class Discussion=10 minutes: After a few students have been provided with an
opportunity to share their written responses with the class, I shall lead the students in a
class discussion which will be based on what they have read thus far in Nothing but the
Truth. During the discussion, I may ask questions such as what line of dialogue stuck
out to you or what did this passage tell us about Philips inner conflict? By doing so, it
is my hope to facilitate a productive class discussion that will encourage the students to
offer strong evidence and insights that can be supported by the text.
3. Read-Aloud=10 minutes: Once we have concluded our class discussion, I will
have the students take turns reading aloud passages from Chapter 11 of Nothing but the
Truth. After I start off the activity by reading the first passage, I will ask for the students
to volunteer to continue reading. I would have the students raise their hands if they want
to volunteer and if no one were to raise their hand, I would use the seating chart sheet to
call on a random student to read aloud. By having the students read aloud, it will help
ensure that each student is on the same page in the novel (no pun intended).
Assessment: I will be able to assess whether or not the learning objective has been met by my
students by utilizing informal assessments. For example, I would informally assess whether or
not they have met the part of the learning objective that pertains to the writing prompt by
walking around the classroom and checking to see that each student has participated in the
writing activity. As for the class discussion, I will be able to informally assess whether or not the
students are meeting my learning objective by gauging the quality of their responses during our
discussion.