Keep ‘em Honest: Teaching Paragraph Structure through Play

1. Keep ‘em Honest: Teaching Paragraph Structure through Play Lindsay Perkins Teacher Inquiry Workshop University of Maryland Writing Project Summer Institute 2010

2. Please pull the comic strip paper out of your folder. Take about three minutes to: describe Jeremy’s mom.

3. With your partner, please share what you wrote about Jeremy's mom.

4. Background

5. Introduction

6. So today, we’re going to . . . play the game! Keep ‘Em Honest

7. Keep ‘em Honest: Prompt • Prompt: Write an explanation of what the reader can infer about a major character based on his or her actions or how others in the text react to him or her. • Translation (What does the prompt mean in your own words?): • I have to write a paragraph about what the reader (or I) can__ assume or conclude about a main character using what he_ or she does or how another character responds to the main___ character. I must use an example directly from the_________ text.__________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Keep ‘em Honest: paragraph structure

9. In The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, the reader can infer that Steve Randle is self-centered based on his own actions. Steve, who is Sodapop’s best friend, explains to the gang that he and Sodapop will be going out with their girlfriends instead of going to the drive-in with Dally and Ponyboy. For example, Ponyboy reports that Steve “didn’t need to look at me the way he did right then. I wasn’t going to ask if I could come.” (pg. 14) This example means that while Steve enjoys hanging out with Soda, he doesn’t want to spend time with Ponyboy, and he is not afraid to make this fact known to Ponyboy through his glare. This example shows that Steve is self-centered because he doesn’t care what Sodapop or Ponyboy wants. As long as he has his way, Steve doesn’t mind if he hurts other people’s feelings. Steve’s behavior is selfish. Thesis Statement Transition Text Support “This Means” “This shows. . . because” Conclusion Keep ‘em Honest: Model Paragraph

10. Keep ‘em Honest: MaterialsPlease take out the following items from your folder. • Play Cards • Scorecards • Character Trait List • “Zits” comic

11. Keep ‘em Honest: Example

12. Keep ‘em Honest: How to Play • How to Play: • There will be two teams: the Insiders and the Outsiders. • You will have one and a half minutes to write the first sentence of your paragraph. • You may not start writing before the count down begins. This infraction will result in a penalty for your team. • If you finish writing the assigned sentence before the time has expired, you may not begin writing the next sentence. This infraction will result in a penalty for your team. • Once time is up, switch papers with your partner. Use the scorecard to check your opponent’s paper. Circle “yes” or “no” for each question asked. • If all of the answers to the questions about that sentence are “yes,” your opponent has earned a point for his/her team. • If any question about that sentence is answered with a “no,” your opponent has not earned a point for his/her team. • Once the score is recorded, please pass the play card back to your opponent, and prepare for the next round (sentence).

13. Keep ‘em Honest: Let’s Play

14. Keep ‘em Honest: Next Step • The day after we played the game, my students wrote the final drafts of their paragraphs. They used their playing cards as their rough drafts. • While my students were writing their final drafts, I worked one-on-one or with a small group of students whom I noticed were having difficultly with the game.

15. Students ask, “Why?”

16. To illustrate how structure leads to creativity, we’ll end this workshop describing Jeremy’s mom in a cinquain.Please take the cinquain paper out of your folder. You may work with your partner for this activity! From: http://www.writingfix.com/left_brain/cinquain1.htm

17. Keep ‘em Honest: Your Experience • Please think about the two paragraphs I asked you to write today, the one at the beginning of the workshop and the one that you wrote during the game. • How were your two paragraphs and/or experiences similar and/or different? • What was the effect of using this structure on your thinking? How was this change reflected in your writing?