Part One: Lesson Plan

Title of the Lesson: Setting the Tone: Writing Fictional Narratives

NCSCOS Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.A
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its
significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or
characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.C
Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a
coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery,
suspense, growth, or resolution).

Central Focus:
Students will be prepared to create fictional narratives that feature a compelling plot line with
logical chronology, setting, conflict, and conclusion as well as a distinct tone.
Daily Objective(s):
Students will:
Understand and identify what features and aspects of a piece contribute to a tone
Understand the importance of a plot diagram
Understand the significance of setting
Identify various aspects of a plot
Language Demands:
Vocabulary: plot, plot diagram, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action,
resolution, tone, diction, character consistency
Syntax: Organization of narrative - organize sentences and events so they can be
understood effectively, clear transitional phrases
Discourse: graphic organization (plot diagram) and writing narrative texts
Language Function: identify, describe, sequence, imagine, express

Materials or technology resources:

Projector/slideshow
Pixar Short
Paper
White Board (& markers)
Camera/Tripod
iPad
Index Cards
Tone examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2qRDMHbXaM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me-VhC9ieh0
And Then There Were None poem
http://www.shmoop.com/and-then-there-were-none/epigraph.html
The School by Donald Barthelme:
http://literarydevices.net/tone/
Metaphors by Sylvia Plath
http://shenandoahliterary.org/blog/2012/01/metaphors-by-sylvia-plath
Information about Plot and Plot Diagrams
http://www.tameri.com/write/plotnstory.html
http://literarydevices.net/plot/
http://www.katiekazoo.com/pdf/KK_FiveEssentialElements.pdf
http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/weltys/502/conceptmap.html
http://www.bisd303.org/cms/lib3/WA01001636/Centricity/Domain/1342/Element
s%20of%20Plot.pdf
Writing Assignment: Write 2-3 pages to convey your tone, setting, and conflict - Tell
this Story: Tell This Story with the house as the narrator. Also, create a plot diagram for
your narrative with proper labels.
Writing Prompt Image and Prompt:
https://visualwritingprompts.wordpress.com/category/types-of-writing/fictional-narrativeshort-story/
Additional Student Resource:
http://txla.org/sites/tla/files/groups/YART/docs/2015SPOTHigh-Mathieu_Acade
micProgram_PointofViewWritingHandout.pdf

Instructional Procedures & Schedule for Class:

11:45-11:55 - Writing Warm-Up
Students are shown Pixar Short - link in on PP
Things students will be told think and write about:

 Sounds and images

Characters
Overall feeling
Feeling portrayed
Feeling felt by audience
What is the point of this video?
11:55-12:00 - Group Discussion of Writing Warm-Up
Students discuss in their seating groups what they thought best helped to convey tone and
conflict/tension
12:00-12:05 - Class Discussion of Writing Warm-Up
Class will discuss the role of tone in the short film, and how it is accomplished without
the use of words
Discussion question: What was the point of this video? How do you know that that is the
point? What is the problem and how is it solved (if it is solved)?
12:05-12:08 - Introduction: What is Fiction Writing?
Instructor will prompt students to reflect on their preconceived notions of fiction writing
Instructor starts direct instruction of Fictional: made-up or not true
Created through the use of the authors imagination to fabricate situations,
characters, and stories
What is the purpose?
Entertainment
To portray a bigger issue - Ex: Harry Potter is about grief, X-Men is about
prejudice, Spiderman in about entering adulthood
To encourage the audience to see the world differently
12:08-12:10 - Introduction: Tone - What is Tone?
Define: The attitude of an author toward a subject.The manner in which an author
approaches the theme of a work.
Discussion questions: What is tone? What do you think helps create a tone in a piece of
writing?
Students should be taking notes or engaging with tone questions.
Hannah should give some examples of tone: cheerful, sarcastic, frustrated, amused,
gloomy, spooky, resigned, formal, informal
Tone can be seen in conversation, film, music, literature, etc.
Frustrated, comical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2qRDMHbXaM
Tense, Scary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me-VhC9ieh0
Discussion question: what tone/s is/are being conveyed through these two media
forms?
12:10-12:22 - Tone: Teacher Modeled Tone Analysis Examples
Tone is conveyed through sensory images, action verbs and location of words/paragraphs

 Model this with students, modifying the sentence The dog ran into the house to be sad,
urgent and lazy (focus especially on changing sensory images and action verbs) (ex.
saunter instead of run)
Also read through And Then There Were None poem and Metaphors by Sylvia Plath. Ask
students to pay attention to sensory images and phrases that convey the tone in the works.
Also mention that by placing the poem at the beginning of a murder mystery, it sets the
tone for the entire book.
Discussion question: What tone do you think is conveyed through this piece of writing?
Why? What evidence supports that?
12:22-12:30 - Tone Student Activity - Pair Work
Students should break up into pairs. The teacher will pass out tone cards with these tones
(sadness, courage, tension, sympathy, love, happiness, pride, sarcastic, excitement, hate,
fear, anxiety). The students will write a short paragraph about the running dogs photo,
using their assigned tone card. Then students will switch papers, trying to guess the tone
in each paragraph.
12:30-12:35 - Tone Student Activity - Pair Share Work
The teacher should ask a group from each table to share their paragraph and have the
group guess what tone they were writing with. Ask them to identify what in the paragraph
gave the tone away (diction, sensory images, etc)
12:35-12:37 - Introduction: Plot - What is Plot?
Instructor will provide a definition of a plot and explain how it is an important feature of
a narrative iva PowerPoint
Students will take notes
12:37-12:38 - Address Setting within Plot
Students will be told of the role of the setting as the time and place
Tips to tell students on PowerPoint!
Try to establish in the beginning of your narrative. You dont want your readers
to be confused as to where the story takes place.
Examples: a barn in the winter of 1928; a Texas Target in 2050
12:38-12:42 - Address Conflict within Plot
The instructor will tell the students, using a PowerPoint, that the conflict is essential to
the plot in a fictional narrative and that the conflict is the situation of tension that the
character, the protagonist, is faced with.
Following along PowerPoint Presentation
Tips to tell student! Encourage students to write these down.
Conflict = gigantic meteor that falls out of the sky into your characters roof
Story captures how character overcomes or solves the conflict
Conflicts can be simple or very dramatic:
Mom with 3 kids snowed in - must think of how to entertain kids

 Mom with 3 kids finds a rainbow egg, a dragon hatches from it

12:42-12:50 - Plot Models/Diagrams/Strategies
Instructor will explain what a plot diagram is and the features of one - via. PowerPoint
As a class, the instructor and the students will diagram the clip from the Warm-Up
12:50-12:53 - Explanation of assignment guided by prompt
Instructor will give instructions for assignment to completed as homework
Assignment:
Write a 2-3 page fictional narrative from the perspective of this house.
The house must speak with a specific tone. Choose a tone and be sure to include it
in your setting and conflict.
Due: Oct. 18, typed hard copy of story, and hand drawn plot diagram.
12:53-1:00 - Students have remainder of class to work on Plot Diagram/Model
For the remainder of class, students generate a plot diagram for assignment. This can
follow the traditional plot diagram model.
Instructor aids students in brainstorming for assignment by playing various types of
music in background: spooky, old/vintage record player sounds, midwestern, etc.
Instructor encourages students to be creative and share ideas among classmates to aid in
coming up with unique ideas.
Students generate a tangible copy - can be made on notebook or printer paper
Please label the parts of your diagram/model!

Part Two: Instructional Materials

The School by Donald Barthelme:
And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I dont know why they died, they just
died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery
wasnt the best. We complained about it. So weve got thirty kids there, each kid had his
or her own little tree to plant and weve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking
at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.
http://literarydevices.net/tone/
Metaphors by Sylvia Plath
Im a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loafs big with its yeasty rising.
Moneys new-minted in this fat purse.

Im a means, a stage, a cow in calf.

Ive eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train theres no getting off.
http://shenandoahliterary.org/blog/2012/01/metaphors-by-sylvia-plath
And Then There Were None by Frank Green
Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were Nine.
Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were Eight.
Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;
One said hed stay there and then there were Seven.
Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.
Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;
A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.
Five little soldier boys going in for law;
One got into chancery and then there were Four.
Four little soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.
Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.
Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One little soldier boy left all alone;
He went and hanged himself
And then there were None.
http://www.shmoop.com/and-then-there-were-none/epigraph.html

 Writing Prompt Image and Prompt:

https://visualwritingprompts.wordpress.com/category/types-of-writing/fictional-narrativeshort-story/

http://healingrescuedogs.com/2013/01/03/never-stop-chasing-your-dreams/

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/reasons-why-joey-tribbiani-is-the-smartest-character-on-frien
ds
Tone Flashcards
12 flashcards, one for each word: sadness, courage, tension, sympathy, love, happiness, pride,
sarcastic, excitement, hate, fear, anxiety
Slides
https://docs.google.com/a/ncsu.edu/presentation/d/16yGG6KWhjKo05DW2LZwfpZB4r6YAn_7
YH-KByFrHSsQ/edit?usp=sharing
Supplemental Resource for Student Help
http://txla.org/sites/tla/files/groups/YART/docs/2015SPOTHigh-Mathieu_AcademicProgram_Po
intofViewWritingHandout.pdf
Part Three: Assessment Materials

Category

Did not Submit

(0)

Below
Expectations
(1)

Tone

Did not submit Narrative

the assignment features a
conflicting tone

Meets
Expectations
(3)

Exceeds
Expectations
(5)

Narrative
features a tone
that is present

Narrative
features a
distinct and

or lacks a tone
completely or
is not defined
well enough to
be detected by
the reader

throughout the
narrative

clear tone that

is present
throughout the
narrative and
enhances the
story and plot

Conflict

Did not submit Narrative lacks

the assignment a conflict or the
conflict is not
defined well
enough to be
detected by
the reader

Narrative
features a
conflict that is
clearly defined

Narrative
features a
conflict that is
clearly defined
and enhances
the story and
plot

Setting

Did not submit Narrative lacks

the assignment a setting or the
setting is not
defined well
enough to be
detected by
the reader

Narrative
features a
clear setting

Narrative
features a
clearly
expressed
setting that
enhances the
story and plot

Plot
Did not submit Diagram/Model
Diagram/Model the assignment does not follow
of Fictional
the written
Narrative
narrative or is
incomplete or
incorrect or is
not labeled

Diagram/Model
follows the
written
narrative and
is complete
and is labeled

Diagram/Model
follows the
written
narrative and
features an
exposition,
rising action, a
climax, and
falling action in
the logical
order and is
labeled
correctly

Form

Story is 2-3
pages, typed.
No spelling or
grammar
errors that
distract from
the story.

Story is 2-3
pages, typed.
No spelling or
grammar
errors.

Did not submit Story is

the assignment significantly
less than 2
pages, or
includes a
distracting
amount of

spelling and
grammar
errors.

Part Four: Commentary

1. Describe your central focus and the purpose of your lesson plan.
Central Focus: Fictional narratives feature a compelling plot line with logical
chronology and a distinct tone. Students will be able to write a fictional narrative that is
enhanced by establishing an overarching tone present throughout the narratives setting,
conflict, and conclusion.
Purpose: Giving students the tools and vocabulary necessary to write a story that is both
logical and interesting in plot. Students will see how tone affects the progression and
effect of a story and then be able to apply this to their own writing.
2. What skills and prerequisite skills must students have in order to meet your central focus
goal?
Students must know how to utilize basic grammar, syntax, diction, sensory imagery, and
character development in addition to generating writing ideas.
Additionally, must be able to read poetry and interpret images, videos, and music.
3. Describe the alignment of your activities and assignments to the Common Core
Standards.
Standards Used:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.A
Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its
significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator
and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.C
Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create
a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of
mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).

 Pre-write: (ELA-Literacy.W. 11-12.3.A) sets the scene for identifying the

problem and situation of the Pixar short. Students also work to identify the tone of
the short.
Tone activity: (ELA-Literacy.W. 11-12.3.C) Students write a paragraph based on
a neutral photo, utilizing sensory language and diction to set a specific tone.
This will solidify their concept of tone.
Plot diagram: (ELA-Literacy.W. 11-12.3: A, C) Students will create a plot
diagram based off of a photo. They will have to identify the elements of a plot
diagram, including the setting and conflict. The diagram will force them to
sequence the events and assign a significance to certain events of their story.
Fiction Narrative: (ELA-Literacy.W. 11-12.3.A, C) The narrative should
incorporate the tone and plot aspects of the lesson. There should be an identifiable
problem and setting, as well as the elements of a plot (exposition, rising action,
climax, falling action, resolution). These elements should incorporate a specific,
identifiable tone.
4. What prior knowledge should students have to be able to complete your proposed
assignments?
Students will have to have knowledge of word processors to complete the assignment.
They will also have to have knowledge of sentence structuring and flow, character
development, the role of the protagonist (and antagonist), and dialogue.
5. What language demands are in place for this lesson? Be sure to address the language
function, vocabulary, and syntax OR discourse in your response.
Vocabulary: fiction writing, plot, plot diagram, exposition, rising action, climax, falling
action, resolution, tone
Syntax: Organization of narrative - organize sentences and events so they can be
understood effectively, clear transitional phrases
Discourse: graphic organization (plot diagram) and writing narrative texts
Language Function: identify, describe, sequence, imagine, express
6. How are you supporting students through at least one of the aforementioned language
demands?
For vocabulary, we will addressing each of these terms in our slides. Additionally, we
will be asking students what they previously knew about terms such as fiction, plot, and
tone to understand and better gauge what our students already know and now need to
know. Additionally, in doing so we will be activating schemas.

 We have a whole slide discussing the purposes and uses of fiction writing. We address
how it can be used for entertainment purposes as well as to present a bigger issue in a
fictional context. We will ask students to express various types of tones - such as
anxious, excited, happy, stressed, etc. - through using various action verbs and sensory
language.
7. Describe your decision-making process regarding the design of your main writing
activity for this assignment.
We chose our Common Core standards, and decided to assign a fictional narrative that
focused on the sequencing of a plot and how that affects tone in the story. We also
wanted to theme the assignment somewhat seasonally, so we chose a photo prompt that
could be taken in a spooky way (for Halloween) but does not necessarily box students
creativity.
8. Justify your chosen support tasks. Why did you choose the two activities you chose?
We chose to have the tone activity to allow students to see that tone is communicated
through subtle language use instead of direct statement. We chose the plot diagram to
give students a way to solidify the logical order of a plot, as well as give them a way to
start thinking of ideas for their final homework assignment. Through both of these
activities we attempted to address the content of the standards.