Identity 9: My Neighborhood

Title:My Neighborhood

Author: M. Hill

Week: 2

Unit/Lesson Plan #: Identity 9

Unit theme: Identity

Textbook references:

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros: "The House on Mango Street" (p. 3), "Those Who Don't" (p. 28), "A House of My Own" (p. 108)

Learning objectives:

To explore how place influcences identity; to examine descriptive language and descriptive paragraphs by describing our neighborhoods; to use the 5 senses to describe a scene

Key Questions, Concepts, or Themes:

What kind of language makes the best description?

How does place influence identity?

Stage 1:

JOURNAL: Imagine you are looking at a photograph of your neighborhood. Describe what you see!

A. Imagine you are loooking at a photograph of your neighborhood, street, or home. In your writer's notebook, brainstorm a list of characteristics that describe the scene you are picturing. Include as many elements as you can so that someone who has never seen your neighborhood could picture it after reading your list!

Stage 2:

1. Read "The House on Mango Street" (from The House on Mango Street). Give students' copies to read quietly again. Students may underline descriptive language that strikes them as they read.
   1. DISCUSS: What are some examples of descriptive language that the speaker uses to show us what her home/neighborhood are like? (Chart responses on the board, focusing on examples of what description strikes students as being particularly vivid)
   1. DISCUSS: How can using the Five Senses be used to generate descriptive language?
   2. Give students worksheet that includes the Five Senses. Students should go back to picturing the image of their nighborhood/home, and describe how it feels to each of the 5 Senses (How does it look? Feel? Smell? Taste? Sound?)

Stage 3:

Have students revist their initial brainstorms and add in more vivid language using the 5 senses.

If time permits:

1. Neighborhood walk - go on a short walk through the immediate school neighborhood, asking students to be very aware of what they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Afterwards, students freewrite on the surrounding school neighborhood, describing it with as much descriptive language as possible.
2. Review the elements of a descriptive paragraph. Model collaborative class descriptive paragraph on the board using the 5 senses (and other descriptive langauge) to describe the school neighborhood. (see Write Source 2000, page 100)

Homework: (attach/link digital resources): Add to brainstorm of your neighborhood in 5 senses, being very aware of these things as you travel home. Think about how creatively you can craft your descriptions!

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

- Imagining Mango Street (attached)

- Collaborative project: ELA and Geography (attached)

Assessments: (attach/link copies)

_x_ Group assessment

_x_ Observation of process/student work

__ Self-assessment by student

__ Teacher generated assignment

__ Written project

__ Test/Quiz

__ Other: ____________________________________