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Project GRAD Houston
3000 Richmond, Suite 400
Houston, Texas 77098
832-325-0325 (main)

Ann B. Stiles
Executive Director
832-325-0467
Email

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Download PDF file of the lesson

Name:  Mary Maness                                    

Grade Level: Grade 8

Content area(s):  ELA

Classroom Time:  Three 90 minute periods

Purpose:  Write a personal narrative with a clearly defined focus.

Skills Addressed:
ELA Skill—writing a personal narrative--includes planning, writing, and developing  
                    drafts, editing and revising drafts, and writing a final draft.
Visual Arts Skill—analyzing photographs

Supplies:  Blank 8’ x 10’ paper, markers, colored pencils, notebook paper, and pen

Lesson Process:

Warm-up –

1. Ask students what they think ghosts look like. – Ex. White creatures, see through, not real, etc.
2. Have students draw a picture that depicts how they would imagine either the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future looks.  - Dickens’s description of the Ghost of Christmas Past can be found in Stave 2. His description of the Ghost of Christmas Present can be found in Stave 3.  His description of the Ghost of Christmas Future can be found in Stave 4. http://books.google.com/books?id=ItM0AAAAMAAJ&dq=Dickens+description+of+christmas+ghosts&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=3lbRSjaIjk&sig=V5Icn2V8w0YsmNa3hzeDjjbwD3k&hl=en&ei=jxp3SqHKOOWRtgfLi9WWCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8#v=onepage&q=&f=false , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

Lesson procedure –

1. Ask several students to share their pictures of what the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future looks like and have them explain why they think the Ghost has those characteristics.
2. Show the students pictures of purported actual ghosts from the internet: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/5318/ghost.htm   
3. Introduce personal narrative to the students.  - A personal narrative is a paper in which the author writes about a given subject from his own personal point of view. 
4. Discuss that a paper of this type must be written in first person.  Review the characteristics of first and third person point of view. - First person is written using the pronoun “I.”  Third person is written using the pronouns “they” or “he,” or a specific character’s name.
5. Have students write an essay using the following essay topic:  Write a personal narrative in which you explain why you do or do not believe in ghosts.  You must have an introductory paragraph, three paragraphs each containing a reason and explanation for your belief or disbelief, and a concluding paragraph. – Attachment 1 – Rubric for paper
6. Put students into groups of two.
7. Students exchange papers.
8. Students read and “correct” their partner’s paper.
9. Select a couple of students to read their papers to the class.

Student assessment or final product to be developed:

1. Ghost picture
2. Class discussion
3. Teacher observation
4. Essay

Attachment 1
Essay Rubric

ACTIVITY	REQUIREMENTS	POSSIBLE POINTS	TOTAL POINTS
Picture of Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future.	--use color --show effort	20
Introductory Paragraph	--topic sentence --“grab” the reader	10
Explanatory Paragraphs	--must have 3 --reason/explanation in each	15
Conclusion	--restatement of topic sentence	10
Rough Draft	--skip every other line --blue or black ink	10
Revising and Editing	--revisions done in red --editing done in green	10
Final Draft	--blue or black ink --no skipped lines --no scratch-outs	25

NAME:  _________________________________________________

TOTAL POINTS:  ________________________________________

National Standards

ELA
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes.

Art

CHOOSING AND EVALUATING A RANGE OF SUBJECT MATTER, SYMBOLS, AND IDEAS: Students integrate visual, spatial, and temporal concepts with content to communicate intended meaning in their artworks and students use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks

MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN VISUAL ARTS AND OTHER DISCIPLINES: Students compare the characteristics of works in two or more art forms that share similar subject matter, historical periods, or cultural context  and students describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with the visual arts

TAKS Objectives (Subject area and Art)

ELA8.16 Write a personal narrative that has a clearly defined focus
ELA8.14A—plan a first draft
ELA8.14C—revises drafts to ensure precise word choice and vivid images, consistent points of view
ELA8.14D—edits drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling
ELA8.14E—revises final drafts

TEKS Art

Perception: The student develops and organizes ideas from the environment. The student is expected to illustrate ideas from direct observation, imagination, and personal experience and from experiences at school and community events

 

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The mission of Project GRAD is to ensure a quality public education for all students in economically disadvantaged communities so that high school and college graduation rates increase.