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 Printable Version for your convenience!
Title - Writing Character Editorials
By - Marcy Winograd
Primary Subject - Language Arts
Secondary Subjects -
Grade Level - 4-8
Standard: Write a multi-paragraph composition with a controlling thesis.
Objective: Students will write an editorial defending or challenging the protagonist's decision in a story.
Anticipatory Set: Should Goldilocks have trespassed in the bears' home? Should Little Red Riding Hood have talked to the wolf in the forest?
Materials Needed: Overhead projector/sample newspaper editorials
Procedure:
(1) Discuss decisions made by well-known characters.
(2) Discuss and chart the pro's and con's of at least one decision made by the protagonist in the text the class is reading.
(3) Explain that students will be writing an editorial defending or challenging the character's decision.
(4) Share sample newspaper editorials and ask students to "construct" the elements of the writing. How did the author begin the editorial? What argument did s/he argue? What supporting evidence did the author provide in the editorial? Can you find an opinion statement? A factual statement? What is the difference? How did the author end the editorial?
Check for Understanding
(5) Create a criteria chart for an editorial. What is the key criteria for an editorial? (possibilities: background on the topic; an opinion or thesis; supporting evidence; persuasive language; a call to action)
Guided Practice
(6)Choose a popular children's story, such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears and model/engage the whole class in collaboratively writing an editorial on an overhead transparency.
Independent Practice
(7) Ask students write their own editorial challenging or defending the protagonist's decision in the grade-level text the class is reading.
Assessment/Rubric
4- Clearly stated an opinion defending or challenging
the protagonist's decision
- Provided detailed background on the text/decision
- Provided detailed supporting evidence from the text
- All of the editorial was logically organized
- Strong persuasive language was used
- Few grammatical errors
3- Stated an opinion defending or challenging the
protagonist's decision
- Provided background on the text/decision
- Provided supporting evidence from the text
- Most of the editorial was logically organized
- Persuasive language was used
- Errors in grammar did not interfere with
understanding
2- Stated an opinion defending or challenging the
protagonist's decision
- Provided limited background on the text/decision
- Provided little supporting evidence from the text
- Only some of the editorial was logically organized
- Little persuasive language was used
- Errors in grammar may have interfered with
understanding
1- May not have clearly stated an opinion defending or
challenging the protagonist's decision
- Provided little, if any, background on the
text/decision
- Not logically organized
- Little, if any, persuasive language was used
- Errors in grammar interfere with understanding
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