Lesson 1: Introducing Imaginative Response and Character Voice
Objective: Students will explore the concept of writing from a character’s perspective and practice adopting a character’s voice.
Materials
- Whiteboard/Smartboard
- Clips or still images from Madagascar (featuring key characters)
- Worksheet: Understanding Character Perspective (sections for emotions, motives, actions)
Introduction
1. Introduce the concept of an imaginative response, explaining that students will write a journal entry from the perspective of one of the characters in Madagascar.
2. Show a clip or still images from the film to reintroduce the characters and remind students of their traits, emotions, and actions.
3. Ask students: What makes each character unique? How do they express their emotions? Write some of their responses on the board.
Activity 1: Exploring Character Voice
- Distribute the “Understanding Character Perspective” worksheet.
- In pairs, students will choose a character from Madagascar (e.g., Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria) and fill in the worksheet with:
- Emotions: What is this character feeling in different parts of the film?
- Motives: What drives the character’s actions?
- Actions: How does the character behave, and how does that reflect their feelings and motives?
- Once completed, students will share their responses with the class, focusing on how each character’s perspective could shape how they would write a journal entry.
Activity 2: Writing Practice
- Ask students to write a short journal entry from the perspective of the character they chose. Encourage them to adopt the character’s voice, using language that reflects their personality, emotions, and perspective. For example:
- Marty might write in an excited, adventurous tone.
- Alex might express frustration or confusion about being away from his usual life.
- Students should focus on expressing the character’s emotions through their writing.
Conclusion
- Recap how writing in a character’s voice helps create an authentic imaginative response. Explain that in the next lesson, students will begin planning their full online journal entry from their character’s perspective.
Lesson 2: Planning the Online Journal
Objective: Students will plan their online journal, focusing on structure and voice, while considering the character’s emotions, motives, and actions.
Materials:
- Worksheet: Journal Entry Planner (sections for introduction, key events, reflections)
- Whiteboard/Smartboard
Introduction (5 minutes):
1. Review the key elements of journal writing, emphasizing that journals are reflective and personal. Explain that students will need to write their journal entry as though they are the character, reflecting on emotions, actions, and motives.
Activity 1: Journal Planning
- Distribute the “Journal Entry Planner” worksheet.
- Students will plan their journal entry by:
- Introduction: How will they begin their entry? What event or situation will they be reflecting on?
- Key Events: What specific events from Madagascar will the character reflect on? How did these events make them feel?
- Reflections: What thoughts or emotions will the character explore? What are their hopes or fears for the future?
- Character Voice: What tone and language will they use to match the character’s personality?
- Encourage students to use quotes or events from the film to ground their writing in specific moments.
Activity 2: Peer Review of Plans
- In pairs, students will share their journal entry plans and provide feedback on:
- Whether the character’s voice is clear and consistent.
- How well the emotions, motives, and actions are reflected in the plan.
- Encourage students to make revisions to their plans based on feedback.
Conclusion
- Recap the importance of planning before writing, especially when adopting a character’s voice. Explain that in the next lesson, students will begin drafting their online journal entry.
Lesson 3: Writing the Online Journal
Objective: Students will draft their online journal entry, focusing on maintaining the character’s voice and reflecting on key events from the film.
Materials:
- Journal Entry Planner from Lesson 2
- Access to computers or tablets for writing (if possible)
Introduction
1. Review the structure of a journal entry, reminding students to focus on the character’s voice and reflections. Encourage them to think about how the character would feel in specific moments and how they would express those feelings.
Activity 1: Drafting the Journal Entry
- Using their Journal Entry Planner, students will begin writing their journal entries.
- Encourage them to:
- Stay in character: Write as though they are the character, using language that reflects their personality.
- Reflect on emotions: Focus on how the character feels about the events and why.
- Use specific moments: Ground the journal entry in key moments from the film, adding personal reflections.
- If students are working on computers, have them draft their journals in a digital format to later publish online.
Activity 2: Peer Review
- Once students have written a draft, they will exchange their journals with a partner. Encourage them to provide feedback on:
- How well the character’s voice is captured.
- Whether the journal reflects the character’s emotions and motives.
- Suggestions for improving clarity or consistency in tone.
- Students should use the feedback to revise their drafts.
Conclusion
- Recap the importance of adopting a character’s voice in imaginative writing. Explain that in the next lesson, students will edit and publish their journals online.
Lesson 4: Editing and Publishing the Online Journal
Objective: Students will revise, edit, and publish their journal entries online, focusing on grammar, spelling, and maintaining the character’s voice.
Materials
- Drafted journal entries from Lesson 3
- Computers/tablets for editing and publishing
- Editing Checklist (sections for grammar, spelling, punctuation, character voice)
Introduction
1. Discuss the importance of editing and revising writing before publishing it online. Remind students that their final version should reflect the character’s voice and emotions clearly, without errors that distract from the message.
Activity 1: Self-Editing
- Distribute the “Editing Checklist.”
- Students will use the checklist to revise their journal entries, focusing on:
- Grammar, spelling, and punctuation: Ensure that the writing is clear and free of errors.
- Character voice: Double-check that the language and tone reflect the character’s personality and emotions.
- Consistency: Ensure the journal flows logically and stays consistent in tone throughout.
- Encourage students to make any necessary changes to their draft before publishing.
Activity 2: Publishing the Journal Online
- Students will use the computer to publish their final journal entries on a shared platform (e.g., Google Classroom, a class blog, or another online platform the teacher chooses).
- Encourage students to format their journal entries with appropriate titles, dates, and any additional elements that add to the realism of the character’s voice (e.g., writing as if it’s an actual blog post).
Conclusion
- Recap the process of writing, editing, and publishing an online journal. Ask students to reflect on how adopting a character’s voice changes the way they think about storytelling.
Lesson 5: Reflecting on the Writing Process
Objective: Students will reflect on their imaginative writing process and the challenges of writing in a character’s voice.
Materials:
- Reflection Worksheet: My Writing Process (questions on challenges, successes, and learning)
Introduction
1. Explain that today’s lesson will focus on reflecting on the writing process. Ask students to think about the challenges they faced while writing from a character’s perspective and how they overcame them.
Activity 1: Writing Reflection
- Distribute the “My Writing Process” reflection worksheet.
- Students will answer questions such as:
- What was the most challenging part of writing in your character’s voice?
- How did you ensure that your journal reflected the character’s emotions and motives?
- What feedback did you receive, and how did you use it to improve your writing?
- What did you learn about imaginative writing through this task?
- Encourage students to write thoughtful responses, focusing on how the process helped them develop their writing skills.
Activity 2: Class Discussion
- Hold a class discussion where students share their reflections on the writing process. Use the following prompts to guide the discussion:
- How did writing from a character’s perspective change the way you thought about the story?
- What did you learn about the character by writing as them?
- How could you apply the skills you learned in this task to other types of writing?
Conclusion
- Recap the key skills learned throughout the unit, including character analysis, writing in voice, and online publishing. Encourage students to think about how they can use these skills in future writing tasks.
Assessment:
- Assess students’ ability to adopt a character’s voice and reflect on the character’s emotions, motives, and actions.
- Evaluate their use of language features and how effectively they capture the character’s personality in their journal entries.
- Review their reflection on the writing process, considering how well they understood and applied feedback.
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