Celebrity Stew

Subject Area: Language Arts

Grade Level(s): 7

Duration of Activity: Three to five, 50-minute class periods

Description of Activity:

Students will research information about a chosen celebrity from book and multimedia sources. Students will use this information and incorporate what they have learned about the various kinds of nouns and pronouns by writing an informative paragraph about the celebrity using word-processing software.

Objectives:

• Through continued writing, students will reinforce their ability to write informative paragraphs.
• Students will correctly use various types of nouns and pronouns in writing an original informative paragraph.
• Students will research information on a selected celebrity and use this information as the basis for his / her paragraph.

Materials/Equipment:

• Computer with Internet access (1 per student if possible)
• Microsoft Word software or other word-processing software
• Projector system and screen or other suitable method of display
• Microsoft PowerPoint software or other presentation software
• Handout 1: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Paragraphs
• Handout 2: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Nouns
• Handout 3: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Pronouns
• Handout 4: Grading rubric for informative paragraph
• Library resources on various celebrities
• Language arts textbook (optional)

Prerequisites (skills or background needed):

• Teacher should tutor students on how to write informative paragraphs in order to reinforce their skills. Use Handout 1: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Paragraphs.
• Students need a basic knowledge of researching facts using Internet search engines and library resources.

Procedure

Teacher Component: The teacher will

1. review the process of writing an informative paragraph. Use Handout 1: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Paragraphs.
2. teach students the kinds of nouns: common, proper, collective, concrete, and abstract. Use Handout 2: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Nouns.
3. teach students the kinds of pronouns: personal, reflexive, intensive, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, and indefinite. Use Handout 3: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Pronouns.
4. guide students through the process of researching World Wide Web and book resources for facts about student-chosen celebrities. The teacher should oversee the selection process to insure that adequate and appropriate information can be found.
5. guide students through the process of writing and revising a rough draft and then composing a final copy. Teacher should guide students in incorporating specific nouns and pronouns into the paragraph.

Student Activities: The students will

1. study the process and develop the skill of writing an informative paragraph. Use Handout 1: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Paragraphs.
2. learn the kinds of nouns: common, proper, collective, concrete, and abstract. Students should be able to use them effectively in writing. Use Handout 2: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Nouns.
3. learn the kinds of pronouns: personal, reflexive, intensive, demonstrative, interrogative, relative, and indefinite. Students should be able to use them effectively in sentences. Use Handout 3: Microsoft PowerPoint Lesson on Pronouns.
4. research World Wide Web and book resources for facts about celebrities that they have chosen.
5. write and revise a rough draft taking care to effectively use nouns and pronouns.
6. compose final copy using word-processing software.

Accommodations:

• Reserve computers in Media Center or wireless laptop cart to insure adequate time for Internet research.
• To save time and insure availability of information, preview Web resources and library resources and select a list of celebrities from which students must choose.

Extension Activities:

• Students can write a "Book of Famous People" using their paragraphs with appropriate clip art or scanned photographs of the celebrities. If the book is to be used beyond the classroom as in being posted to a Web site, the students will need to obtain permission for any copyrighted photos.
• Create a wall display of "Celebrity Stew." Teacher will create a large background that looks like a stewpot. Have students write paragraphs and place them in the "stew."

Integration:

• Language Arts
• Social Studies
• Technology

Assessments:

1. Teacher observation to insure that each student is grasping the various skills and information effectively.
2. Use a rubric to grade the informative paragraph final copy. Use Handout 4: Grading Rubric for Information Paragraph is suggested as an assessment tool.

URLs:

• The Parts of Speech
  http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/partsp.html
• The Parts of Speech
  http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/OTHERREFERENCE/GRAMMARANDPUNCTUATION/PartsSpeech.html
• Biography .com – The World’s Best Bios
  http://www.biography.com/

Curriculum Frameworks

Mississippi:

Seventh Grade

1. Communicates for a variety of purposes through different forms of writing using processes of reading, writing, listening, and viewing for an expanding audience. (R, W, L, V)
   1. Accomplish a writing process through planning, drafting, revising, editing, publishing, and self-reflecting on written communications such as various types of paragraphs (narrative, expository, persuasive), essays, research papers, creative writing, etc. for different audiences and purposes with minimal guidance. (Each teacher will determine the appropriate number of products to be taken through a writing process.)

11. Demonstrate continuous progress toward control of penmanship, grammar, mechanics, sentence structure, and usage of standard English in the context of writing and speaking. (R, W, S, L, V)
    1. Demonstrate knowledge of grammar and usage, including, but not limited to, parts of speech, all punctuation marks, capitalization, verb tense, subject-verb agreement, subordination, pronoun reference, and basic sentence elements.
    2. Interact with increasing competency using standard English skills when writing and speaking in a variety of situations.
    3. Apply correct grammar skills in speaking and writing.
    4. Apply correct usage in speaking, writing, and editing/proofreading.
    5. Use correct sentence structure in speaking, writing, and editing/proofreading.
    6. Apply principles of cursive writing and penmanship in written products.

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS):

5. Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum. (3, 6)
8. Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems. (5, 6)

TerraNova:

07 Sentence Structure (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate an understanding of conventions for writing complete and effective sentences, including treatment of subject and verb, punctuation, and capitalization.

Demonstrate an understanding of conciseness and clarity of meaning in combining two sentences.

08 Writing Strategies (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate knowledge of information sources, outlines, and other pre-writing techniques.

Demonstrate an understanding of the use of topic sentences, concluding sentences, connective and transitional words and phrases, supporting statements, sequencing ideas, and relevant information in writing expository prose.

09 Editing Skills (Level 11-21/22)
Identify the appropriate use of capitalization, punctuation, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in existing text.

Demonstrate knowledge of writing conventions and sentence structure through identifying and connecting errors in existing text and in text written by the student.

Link and Feedback to Author(s):

Steven Hodgin, Booneville Middle School, Booneville, MS
steven_hodgin@hotmail.com or kudzu39@hotmail.com