Characterization of Community Leaders

Aims:

• IWBAT identify internal and external traits of a character from his/her biography, in order to complete a character graphic organizer.
• IWBAT brainstorm ideas for my Bayview Seedfolks memoir. 

If we write carefully, we can give an excellent idea of who a character is and what he/she is like, with very few words.
In your memoir, your job is to make your character come to life, to describe who he/she while telling his/her story.

Tasks:
1. Do Now: Identify Parts of Speech (seventh grade standard):

• Complete all of these activities:
• Nouns #1
• Verbs #1
• Adjectives & Adverbs
• Prepositional Phrases
• Finished early? Complete these activities (your choice):
• Nouns #2
• Nouns #3
• Nouns #4
• Nouns #5
• Nouns #6
• Verbs #2
• Verbs #3
• Noun Dunk Game
• Grammar Gorillas Game

2. Bayview Seedfolks Project Overview and Timeline:

• In Seedfolks, 13 diverse individuals tell their stories, and together, these stories create a larger story of how a vacant lot was turned into a thriving community garden.
• We will select positive leaders in the Bayview community and tell their stories in our own version of Seedfolks.
• These stories are not biographies. They are short memoirs that show who the character is by how he/she interacts with a larger plot. 
• We will write these memoirs from the perspective of our community leaders.
• When we compile our stories of these leaders, we will be able to tell a larger story and how each of the leaders played a role in the story.
• During the last week of school, we will publish our book, and (hopefully!) each student will receive a copy of the finished product.
• Timeline:
• last week: interview a community leader
• yesterday: write a biography of community leader
• today: characterize a community leader, choose common ground, brainstorm ideas
• Thursday-Friday: draft narrative
• Monday: revise narratives
• Tuesday: revise, edit, and publish - narratives due by end of day
• Wednesday: publish books, reflect on growth

3. Determining Our Common Ground: In our book, we could tell the story of how we create a community garden, or we could tell a different story--from the different perspectives of our community leaders. What ideas do you have for the common ground of our story?


4. Characterization of Community Leaders:

• About three different teammates will read your biography.
• Your reviewers will complete and add to a characterization graphic organizer based on what you wrote in your biography.
• Your reviewers will also give you feedback and ideas to use when writing your narrative.
• View the classwork form: click here

5. Select Our Common Ground: Vote on your teammates' ideas for the common ground for our book

6. Brainstorm Ideas for Your Narrative


Homework: Final Draft of "Where I'm From" Poem