LESSON THREE: Mannerly Writing

LESSON DESCRIPTION

Students discuss comparing and contrasting, create a graphic organizer after listening to the poems Learning and Thank-You Note students write a paragraph comparing and contrasting two nonfiction text If We Had Lunch at the White House and Mind Your Manners.

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS

W3C       Write expository and persuasive paragraphs.

LESSON MATERIALS

§         Sources of literature

o           Learning by Judith Viorst

o           Thank-You Note by Judith Viorst

o           If  We Had Lunch at the White House

o           Mind Your Manners

§         Supplies

•   Copies of the poems Learning, Thank-You Note, and If We Had Lunch at the White House or other related poems may be used
• Copies of the nonfiction article Mind Your Manners (other related nonfiction texts may be used) http://www.fatherhood.about.com/cs/discipline/a/mind_manners.htm

§         Handouts provided

o        Copies of the article Mind Your Manners from website

§         Words to know

o        expository

o        graphic organizer

o        persuasive

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT 

You received an invitation to have lunch with the President and his wife. You are unsure how to act, so you research the subject. Read the poem If We Had Lunch at the White House and the article Mind Your Manners. Write a paragraph that includes at least two similarities and two differences between the poem and the article.  Scoring guide provided.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

1.        Review comparing and contrasting by displaying two items (such as a hamburger and a hot dog, etc).  discuss the characteristics of each.

2.        Lead discussion toward the theme of etiquette by comparing and contrasting a fast-food restaurant and an dine-in restaurant. Write a comparison-contrast paragraph on the board. Read and discuss the components.

3.        As a class read the poems Learning and Thank-You Note aloud. Create a graphic organizer comparing and contrasting the author’s viewpoint in each poem. In cooperative learning groups, write a paragraph comparing and contrasting the author’s viewpoint of manners. Discuss the paragraphs.