Grade: 4

Subject: Language Arts

Length of Lesson: 50 minutes; Overall - 3 to 4 days

Topic/Theme: Style Study

Submitted by : Marcy Van Snick

Purpose:

This lesson is meant to aid the students in their creative writing. They will look at passages form a book which we have read together as a class and analyze certain stylistic features in these - using short sentences, mundane details and repetition to convey a sense of time passing slowly and waiting; and weaving description of location into the text to give the reader a feeling of being there. Once the students have identified these techniques and understand the author’s reasons for using them, they will then have these methods to use in their own creative writing.


Materials:

A copy of the Newbery Medal-winning book, Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan and copies of the required passages for each student are all that is necessary for this lesson.


Background Knowledge:

Before reading the story, the students should be told that they will be looking at some of the author’s stylistic techniques and how these make them, as a reader, feel. Encourage them to be looking for passages which make an impression on them.

This lesson could also be used in conjunction with a social studies unit on settlers and/or the North American Prairies. It could serve as an introduction to early prairie life or social studies lessons could serve as an introduction to the story. If a unit on eastern settlers was being studied, this book could serve as an interesting contrast to life in different rural geographical locations during the same time period.


Background Knowledge:

Before reading the story, the students should be told that they will be looking at some of the author’s stylistic techniques and how these make them, as a reader, feel. Encourage them to be looking for passages which make an impression on them.

This lesson could also be used in conjunction with a social studies unit on settlers and/or the North American Prairies. It could serve as an introduction to early prairie life or social studies lessons could serve as an introduction to the story. If a unit on eastern settlers was being studied, this book could serve as an interesting contrast to life in different rural geographical locations during the same time period.

Body of Lesson:

After introducing the idea of a style study to the students, as mentioned above, I will read the book aloud. This will take a little over an hour, so it could preferably be done over two days. The first three-quarters can be read the first day and the conclusion read the following day. I would not spread it out over more than two days as I want the story and style fresh in the students’ minds.

Upon completing the book, I will remind the students of what I asked them to think about before we began. Did they notice anything special about the book? What parts/passages made an impression on them? I will explore any ideas they present and may be able to incorporate them into the writing assignment. If they do not mention the techniques which I have earmarked, I will hand out the copies of passages I have prepared and direct them to specific stylistic methods with questions, such as:

  • How do you think Anna and Caleb felt when they were waiting for Sarah to arrive?
  • How do you know how they felt?
  • Does the author do anything special in this passage?
  • What language does she use to make you feel this way (words or phrases)?
  • When you read this passage, how does it make you feel?
  • Close your eyes while I re-read this passage and tell me what you see or feel. Does the author do anything to help you see what the characters see?

As a class, we will identify the use of short sentences with minute details and repetition, and the use of description of surroundings. We will discuss possible reasons for these techniques to have been used. For example, short sentences and dull details give the reader a sense of time passing slowly. Repetition gives a sense of impatience. When these are used in conjunction, the reader is able to feel like he/she is also waiting. When the author describes Sarah’s home, the reader can picture the beauty of it and sympathize with her home-sickness. When the squall is approaching, the author’s description allows the reader to enter the book, seeing, feeling and smelling the ominous atmosphere, and sensing the urgency and fear.

Once the students are clear on the two new stylistic techniques and why they are used, they will be given a creative writing assignment in which they incorporate one or both. Possible options are:

1) Write a real or imaginary story about a time when you were impatiently waiting for something, such as early Christmas morning, waiting for a friend or relative to arrive, waiting for the bell to ring at school, or something else of your choice.

2) Write about a real or imaginary meaningful event in which your surroundings played a key role, such as a family vacation, something that happened in your backyard or the schoolyard, or something else of your choice.

3) Write a continuation of this story, such as Sarah and Jacob’s wedding, a trip into town, a visit from Sarah’s brother, a winter storm, or something else of your choice.

The students should be encouraged to write these in the third person, even if they choose one of the first two options. This will allow them to write a piece which is more like a story than a journal entry, making them more open to sharing their stories with the rest of the class later.


Closure of Lesson:

Once they have completed their writing tasks (having been given one to two classes to work on them), the students will be put into groups of four to five students. Here, they will read their stories aloud for the rest of their group, who will identify the stylistic techniques used and share how the story makes them feel. (Be sure to go over rules for group work first - listen quietly to the speaker, always have something positive to say, be sure to stay on track, and remember that everyone’s opinion is valuable.) This will reinforce the new techniques learned in the body of the lesson.

Assessment:

The students will hand in their stories so that I can check to see that every student has used at least one of the methods learned. The stories will be marked for this, not for their creativity. The practice in writing and experimentation with new styles is more important than the content. I will be sure to point out any problems with the format of the story, but this will not be marked. The students will have the option of including their stories in their portfolios.

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