I Say

Lesson:

1.     To reiterate from yesterday, "if there is one thing you learn this year, it is the importance of not only expressing your ideas (“I say”) but of presenting those ideas as a response to some other person or group (“they say”).  It is important to listen closely to others around us, summarizing their views in a way that they will recognize, and responding with our own ideas. To argue well, you need to do more than assert or state your own position. You need to enter a conversation, using what others say as a launching pad for your own views" (Graff). 

2.     Ways of responding on the sentence level. These are "templates." They help you articulate your position as part of a larger conversation. As we look at these templates, what might be some ways we could use these considering Jones and Bushman? 

a.     _________________argues, and I agree because __________________________

b.     _________________’s argument that ____________________ is supported by research showing that ________________________________________.

c.      __________________claims that ___________________, and I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I agree that ________________________. On the other hand, I still insist that _________________________________________.

3.     Ways of responding on the paragraph level. For this part, I don't want to give you an example, because I don't want to influence you, but let's talk through what might be some ideas to include in this template. :

In recent discussions of ____________________, a controversial issue has been whether _____________________________. On the one hand, some argue that _______________________________. From this perspective, ________________________________. On the other hand, however, others argue  that ____________________________________. In the words of ___________________________, one of this view’s main supporters, “_________________________________________________________.” According to this view, ________________________________. In sum, then, the issue is whether ______________________________or ___________________________.

 My own view is that ________________________. Though I concede that ______________________________________, I still maintain that _________________________________. For example, _________________________________________________________. Although some might object that _____________________. I would reply that ________________________. The issue is important because __________________________________________________________________.

Writing Time: 15 minutes, NO WALK, NO TALK
Using the template, now write what you say.

Share: Author's Chair or Peer Reading

They Say

           Lesson:
           Using the notes from yesterday's venn diagram, we can now write what "they say." From  
           Graff's book, They Say, I Say: 

      If there is one thing you learn this year, it is the importance of not only expressing your ideas (“I say”) but of presenting those ideas as a response to some other person or group (“they say”).  It is important to listen closely to others around us, summarizing their views in a way that they will recognize, and responding with our own ideas. To argue well, you need to do more than assert or state your own position. You need to enter a conversation, using what others say as a launching pad for your own views. 

Thus, today is all about what "they say."

Together, let's write what Brad Bushman says: 

Writing Time: 10 minutes, NO WALK, NO TALK

Write what Gerard Jones says. 

Sharing Time: partners share summaries: like/question in response

The Larger Conversation

Lesson:
Because video games came up yesterday, I thought today would be a good day to get into how our unit Intervening: Writing and Media is going to work. We will usually start off class with a media clip and then write in response to that. Then, after doing some writing on a media topic, we will write a more structured essay.  So, today, we are going to talk about a hot topic related to media, and that is whether or note violent video games make kids violent.

Before we can say our opinion, we have to know the larger conversation, and, more specifically, what the two sides of this topic already say.

In the WRITING NOTEBOOK, make a large venn diagram:

We will listen to two clips, one from each side of the story. As we listen, take down notes. What information is important? Who is speaking? What are his credentials? What is the setting of the talk? What is the title? What is his position on this topic? Why? What are the facts that support this position?

1. Gerard Jones

2. Brad Bushman


No Writing Time:
Sharing Time -- compare notes

Parental Guidance

Lesson:
Yesterday, we talked about how media may shape our identity, how media might influence aspects of our personality or even, in my situation, help us imagine a future self. What about the media that we did NOT see or have access to?

My parents had a lot of rules about media when I was growing up -- mostly it was around TV. Today I want us to write about the way parents or guardians try to influence our identity, by keeping media from us or by putting restrictions on media.

Here is the question to which you will respond:
 1.Did your parents or guardians have any rules or guidelines for watching TV, playing video games, and using the computer? If not, did you know anyone who had these rules? Or why your parents didn’t. For example,  what you could watch and when and how much time? Try to be specific.

2. How did you react to the rules at the time? Give an example.

3. Why do you think parents have these kinds of rules?  Give an example.

Let me model how I think about this as I write: 

                When I was young, we had pretty clear rules about watching TV. First, it had to off at dinner unless it was a special occasion like a movie was on that we could all watch. Next, we were not allowed to watch it after 7pm. That was when the “adult” or grown-up shows were on. We could watch TV later on Friday nights. In the morning, we usually had to wait until 7am, but we would sneak downstairs and watch it really softly. They did have these rules about not sitting too close to the TV.

                I usually reacted by sneaking to watch TV when my parents were not home or not following the rules if they were not around. When my mom would call me for dinner, I would always say, “Just a minute,” and she would say, “Now!” in a really angry voice. She was annoyed that we paid more attention to the TV than our siblings and was always mad when she talked to us but our eyes would drift back to the TV.  I don’t think my mom really cared about TV because she would always fall asleep when she sat down.

                 The reason I think parents have rules is first because they are annoyed by it and might feel competition for our attention. I also think that they hear stories about how it makes us stupid or blind. In truth, however, I think my parents wanted to protect me from content that I just was not mature enough to handle (and my mom knew I had really vivid dreams, so perhaps she wanted to protect me from my dream). 

Writing Time: 10 minutes, NO WALK, NO TALK 

Sharing Time: Author's Chair worked well for this one. 

Does media shape our identity?

Returning to the previous day's topic of what media we consume, ask students to think about what media they consumed when they were young, say kindergarten or early elementary school.

Students can make the same chart in their WRITING NOTEBOOKS as yesterday, but they should label it "my young self."

Movies	TV shows	Newspapers Magazines	Books
Video games	Apps	Websites	Music

Students can talk a little bit about what they watched or listened to as a youngster, and then the teachers should share.

I shared this video from a program I watched a lot in early elementary school.

Once students go over the video, I asked them to watch it one more time and consider whether or not they see any of Wonder Woman in me. In other words, what aspects of her character do they think caught my eye as a little girl? Once students respond, I talk to them a little bit about my childhood, being one of eleven children and feeling quite invisible. Linda Carter's character in civilian clothes was somewhat overlooked. Of course, there are some gender issues here, but there was this sense of the possibility of being transformed that gave me hope. More importantly, Wonder Woman stood for justice, strength, and truth, and I felt quite strongly about justice even as a little girl. After talking about this, I included other ways media can influence us -- the humor we use, the language we use, the way we dress, and then, of course, our values.

Writing Time. 10 minutes, No Walk, No Talk
 So, now I asked students to write in their WRITING NOTEBOOK a response to this question: What media did you watch and listen to when you were young that might have shaped or at least influenced parts of who you are today (your identity)?

Sharing Time:
This can be author's chair or partner share. For author's chair, here are some guidelines, but you would likely need to do a mini-lesson on this:

IDEAS FOR A SUCCESSFUL “AUTHOR’S CHAIR”

Preparing:

*Set clear norms for classroom behavior and expectations before you start. Ex: During 

Author’s Chair all pens/pencils are down, heads are up off desks, etc.

*Pre-select student to read – ask student ahead of time – you may choose someone who 

has demonstrated a skill from the day’s writing lesson well.

*Keep track of who has been in the author’s chair – you may want to make this visible to 

the students as well.

*Teach students how to read their work loudly, slowly, and clearly. You may want to let 

readers practice before reading to the class.

*Model how to be in the author’s chair for students

*Encourage students to read their own work

*Optional – having a microphone is fun and can work well

Facilitating:

*You may focus the class before they listen to the reader: tell them what to pay attention to 

in the piece.  

*The audience can listen carefully and give a silent thumbs up when they hear a particular 

skill that the class is studying at that time. Ex: metaphor or simile, transition words or other 

vocabulary, etc.

*After students have listened to the piece, you can guide their responses with sentence 

starters Ex: “When you described ____________ I felt….” Or  “I thought it was interesting 

when…”

*Give students a menu of ways to respond to the writing: Ex: personal connection, 

academic connection, compliment, etc.

*As students are making comments about the piece they just listened to, write them down 

on the board or on a piece of paper. Read these back to the author/class.

*When the reader has finished sharing the writing, and listening to the comments of the 

group, invite him/her to share how it felt to share and to listen to the comments afterwards.

Results:

*The sense of community is reinforced

*Writers know that others value what they have to say

*Writers have an opportunity to hear their own work

*Students know what everyone else is writing

*Students practice active listening

*Students hear new words

*Writers build confidence through the comments afterwards

*Writers see how the techniques they hear used and complimented might apply to their 

own writing

*Writers find mistakes when they hear themselves and their manuscripts

*Teachers have brief, on the spot opportunities for on the spot lessons

*A foundation has been laid for the transition to peer conferencing

Beginning the Conversation

Using the Writing Workshop framework of lesson, writing time, and sharing time, Intervening: Writing and Media seeks to teach students how to critically read media, extract the arguments from the media, and then responding to what media is attempting to do. This way of doing writing is about developing a critical eye to deduce any argument and building the writing and thinking skills to participate and intervene in that argument. 

Lesson: 

Today, we started a section in our Writing Notebooks for Media and Writing. I asked students to write down this definition: "Media is all the ways of communication that provide the public with news and entertainment (e.g., TV, newspapers, magazines, apps, music, video games, movies, and websites).  Next, I asked students to make a chart similar to this and brainstorm all the different media from which they gain information about news or from which they are regaled, or entertained. 

Movies	TV shows	Newspapers Magazines	Books
Video games	Apps	Websites	Music

Writing Time: 10 minutes of NO WALK, NOT TALK

After the lesson brainstorm, as students to write a response to this: Take a look at all the media you consume. Discuss if you notice similar themes or topics in your media or if there is a lot of variety. Then, talk about whether or not you think the media you consume is a good representation of who you are? 

Sharing Time: 

Trade papers with a partner. Write on the paper, one like and one question. Return.