CLASSROOM LESSON 3:
Traveler in Time
BOOK TITLE: The Merchant of Death
AUTHOR: D.J. MacHale
LESSON PLAN AUTHOR : Becky Carr
GRADE
LEVEL: 6-8
LESSON DURATION: 90 Minutes
OBJECTIVE
- Students will examine the reasons for travelers & explorers to document their journey.
- Students will identify 1st versus 3rd person point of view and compare it to novel format.
- Students will research and paraphrase historical texts.
- Students will apply 1st person narrative in creative writing.
MATERIALS
- Social Studies or other history books
MOTIVATION
- Pre-activity discussion questions: When traveling, how important is it for explorers to write down what they observe? Is being a “traveler” like or not like being an explorer?
- Most of the novel is in the form of Bobby’s journal. Re-examine the text where the journals are discovered in this novel and the next one. Re-read page 18 – appearance of the scroll. Re-read page 374 – roll of paper found to introduce next novel. How important are the journals to Bobby’s communication with Second Earth?
NEW INFORMATION
- Define point of view for students as the perspective from which the story is told. There are three types of point of view: The two that we will study in this lesson are: 1st person and 3rd person. Explain the following:
- 1st person = told inside story using I, we, us, etc.
- 3rd person = told inside the story using he, she, they, etc.
- Examine the journal entries to the Second Earth entries and ask students to determine the point of view for each.
- Explore the following questions: How are they the same? How are they different? What pronouns are being used in each? How did you like these two different forms in the novel? Would the story have been as good is the journals from Denduron were in third person? Which point of view should be use when writing about historical events? Discuss both.
PRACTICE/APPLICATION
- Provide students with a copy of Historical Research Sheet. Explain that they will be picking a period in history and researching it. They should complete this sheet as they gather information. Remind the students that paraphrasing should be done, not copying from sources.
- Allow students to explore social studies textbooks, encyclopedias, and other resources to choose an event and take notes.
- Students should be given time to brainstorm on writing sheet and write a rough draft. Remind students that their journal should be written in 1st person point of view.
- Optional extension activity --- Students will write final copy on a created scroll that can be rolled and tied. Students will determine how to create scroll to represent their time period and or event.
EVALUATION
- Informal evaluation should be used during class discussions and work times to determine participation points.
- Review research not e sheets for completion and accuracy.
CLOSURE
- Have students review rubric to evaluate if their paper is aligned. Collect papers.
NCTE STANDARD 1
Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
NCTE STANDARD 2
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
NCTE STANDARD 5
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
NCTE STANDARD 6
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
NCTE STANDARD 7
Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
