B E N C H M A R K E D U C A T I O N C O M P A N Y Skills and Strategies Anchor Comprehension Strategies • Make judgments • Draw conclusions Genre Study • Recognize genre features • Analyze genre texts • Make text-to-text genre connections Tier Two Vocabulary • See book’s glossary Word Study • Superlatives Fluency • Read with Inflection/tone: stress Writing • Writer’s tools: Writer’s voice • Write a movie review using writing- process steps E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Star Wars: A New Hope TEACHER’S GUIDE Level R/40 Unit at a Glance Day 1 Prepare to Read Day 4 Reread “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All”* Day 2 Read “E.T. is Extra-Terrific” and “E.T. is N.G.”* Day 5 Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce Skills* Day 3 Read “Star Wars: Predictable Entertainment” and “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All”* Days 6–15 Write a movie review using the writing- process steps on page 10 *While you are meeting with small groups, other students can: • read independently from your classroom library • reflect on their learning in reading response journals • engage in literacy workstations Genre: MOVIE REVIEWS
Transcript
B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y
Skills and Strategies
Anchor Comprehension Strategies• Make judgments• Draw conclusions
Writing• Writer’s tools: Writer’s voice• Write a movie review using writing-
process steps
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Star Wars: A New Hope
Teacher’S Guide
Level R/40
Unit at a Glance
Day 1 Prepare to Read Day 4 Reread “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All”*
Day 2 Read “E.T. is Extra-Terrific” and “E.T. is N.G.”*
Day 5 Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce Skills*
Day 3 Read “Star Wars: Predictable Entertainment” and “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All”*
Days 6–15 Write a movie review using the writing-process steps on page 10
*While you are meeting with small groups, other students can:• read independently from your classroom library• reflect on their learning in reading response journals• engage in literacy workstations
will look for how these features appear in each movie review we read.
• Ask students to turn to pages 4–5. Say: The reviews in this book evaluate two science fiction movies that were directed by famous Hollywood directors. Let’s read about the directors.
• Have a student read aloud the background information about Spielberg and Lucas while others follow along.
• Say: Both Spielberg and Lucas have made movies that audiences love. What can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow responses. Prompt students to understand that both men know what elements make a movie that appeals to a wide range of people.
Introduce the Tools Writers Use: Writer’s Voice• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5.• Say: Each writer has a distinct voice. When a movie
reviewer creates a strong voice, readers are more likely to be persuaded by his or her opinions. The authors who wrote the reviews in this book used certain techniques to create a strong voice. Let’s practice identifying these techniques so we can notice them in the reviews we read.
• Model Analyzing Writer’s Voice: The first sentence gives the writer’s reaction to the animated movie Up. She offers a strong emotional response (“heartwarming”) and a personal judgment (“shining example,” “fine”). The word choices and style of the sentence help create a positive voice that gives vigorous, complete approval of the movie.
• Together, read the bulleted list in the at the top of the page. Then, ask students to work with a partner or in small groups to identify examples of writer’s voice in the remaining sentences and rewrite the paragraph at the bottom of the page using a strong voice.
• Bring the groups together to share their findings. Remind them that writers use many techniques to create a strong voice.
• Ask the groups to read one of the sentences they revised. Use the examples to build students’ understanding of how writers create voice. Remind students that a writer’s voice helps readers become involved in the review and trust the writer’s judgments.
• Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer student-written sentences to chart paper, title the page “Writer’s Voice,” and post it as an anchor chart in your classroom.
Reviews of Two science ficTion Movies2
Prepare to ReadBuild Genre Background• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who
can explain what the word genre means? Allow responses. Say: The word genre means “a kind of something.” Just as there are different kinds of res tau rants and stores, there are different kinds, or genres, of literature. Each genre has its own characteristics that we can use to identify it. As readers, we pay attention to the genre to help us know what to expect. Recognizing the genre helps us anticipate what features the author has included or what we will learn. As writers, we use our knowledge of genre to help us develop and organize our ideas.
• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make a list. Allow responses. Post the list on the classroom wall as an anchor chart.
• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the chalkboard. Write Movie Reviews in the center circle of the web.
• Say: Movie reviews are one example of a literary genre. Think of any movie reviews you know. How would you define what a movie review is?
• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a classmate and jot down any features of a movie review they can think of. Then bring students together and ask them to share their ideas. Record them on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all movie reviews have certain common features.
Introduce the Book• Distribute a copy of the book to each student. Read
the title aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the cover and table of contents.
• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week we are going to read movie reviews that will help us learn about this genre. First we’re going to focus on this genre as readers. Then we’re going to study movie reviews from a writer’s perspective. Our goal this week is to really understand this genre.
• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3 while others follow along. Invite a different student to read the web on page 3.
• Point to your Movie Reviews web on chart paper. Say: Let’s compare our initial ideas about movie reviews with what we just read. What new features of this genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new information to the class web.
• Post this chart in your classroom during your movie reviews unit. Say: As we read movie reviews this week, we will come back to this anchor chart. We
Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following
questions on chart paper. What is a literary genre, and how can understanding genres help readers and writers? What did you learn today about the movie review genre? What are some ways that a writer creates a strong voice? Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas and report them back to the whole group as a way to summarize the day’s learning.
Before ReadingIntroduce “E.T. Is Extra-Terrific” and “E.T. Is N.G.”• Reread the Movie Reviews anchor chart or the
web on page 3 to review the features of a movie review.
• Ask students to turn to page 6 and page 10. Ask: Based on the titles and photographs, what do you predict these movie reviews will be about? Allow responses.
• Invite students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced terms (most appealing, most hilarious, silliest, most disappointing, dullest). Say: As you read, pay attention to these terms. If you don’t know what they mean, try to use clues in the surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll come back to these terms after we read.
Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the movie reviews, focusing
on the genre elements they noted on their anchor chart. They should also look for evidence of writer’s voice and think about how the voice helps them understand and appreciate each writer’s point of view.
Read “E.T. Is Extra-Terrific” and “E.T. Is N.G.”• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to read the movie reviews silently, whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and their use of fix-up strategies.
Management TipAsk students to place self-stick notes in the margins where they notice examples of evidence of writer’s voice or features of the genre.
After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Make Judgments• Lead a student discussion using the “Understand
the Reviews” questions on page 13. Then, use the following steps to provide explicit modeling of how to make judgments about a movie review.
• Explain: We learned yesterday that a movie review evaluates a movie. The reviewer discusses the positive and negative points about the writing, plot, pacing, actors’ performances, setting, and special effects and uses details from the movie to support his or her judgments. Readers, in turn, can evaluate these judgments
Writer’s VoiceDirections: The list shows some of the ways writers create a strong voice. Read each sentence below the list. Underline the words the writer uses to create a strong voice.
Directions: Rewrite the paragraph below using a strong voice.
The��Wizard��of��Ozhasbeenaroundforalongtime.ButIstillwatchitoften.Itscharactersandplotnevergetold.ThecharactersmustgotoOz.Theymustbesmartandbravetosucceed.Possible Revision: Last night, I watched The Wizard of Oz for the umpteenth time. Although it’s a very old movie, its characters and story are timeless and enchanting. As Dorothy, her little dog Toto, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion make their way to Oz, they face terrifying dangers. They succeed by using their wits and facing their fears, and they learn important lessons along the way.
• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies folders.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Remind students that when they answer questions
on standardized assessments, they must be able to support their answers with facts or clues and evidence directly from the text.
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small groups of students to practice answering text-dependent comprehension questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is right in the book. You can find the answer in one place in the text.
• Model. Read the second Find It! question. Say: When I read the question, I look for important words that tell me what to look for in the book. What words in this question do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I’m looking for the words Elliott, helps, E.T., and create. On page 9, I read, “Elliott helps E.T. create a phone that can send signals deep into outer space.” This sentence answers the question.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Find It! questions.
Focus on Vocabulary: Superlatives • Explain/Model: Writers use superlative forms
of adjectives to compare three or more things. A superlative is formed by adding -est to the end of the adjective or placing the word most before it. For example, if I say, “That was the scariest, most shocking movie ever,” the superlatives scariest and most shocking tell how scary and shocking the movie is compared to all other movies. Readers can figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar superlative by identifying its base adjective and looking for context clues.
• Practice. Ask students to brainstorm adjectives that could describe a movie and form the superlative of each, such as exciting/most exciting, loud/loudest, funny/funniest, and confusing/most confusing. Record their ideas on the board.
• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced terms in these movie reviews. What can you do if you don’t know what these terms mean? Allow responses. Say: Besides using the glossary or a dictionary, you can look for clues in the text to help you define the unfamiliar term. One strategy is to look for context clues such as descriptions, synonyms, antonyms, or explanations.
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the “Focus on Words” activity on page 13 using BLM 3 (Focus on Superlatives). Explain that they should find the base adjective in each superlative form. Remind them that some adjectives change spelling when the ending -est is added.
Day 2 (cont.)based on the supporting details the author provides and their own ideas, and then they may choose to agree or disagree.
• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Make Judgments) and/or draw a chart like the one below.
Author’s Judgment Details to Support Judgment
E.T. Is Extra-Terrific
This movie opens with a thrilling scene.
A spaceship lands. Some men are chasing a scared little alien. The spaceship gets away, but the alien is left behind. A boy hears a noise in his backyard and comes face to face with the alien. They both scream in terror!
Elliott is one of the most appealing movie-kid characters I’ve ever seen.
He is sad because of family problems and needs a friend. He proves his bravery, earns respect, and makes a lifelong friend.
You’ll be holding your breath and biting your nails during this movie.
Scientists and government agents track E.T. Elliott must help him. Will E.T. escape?
E.T. Is N.G.
This is the slowest, most disappointing science fiction movie you could imagine.
It has no laser weapons, battles, or evil aliens with superpowers. Action never leaves Earth.
It’s a promising beginning, but the rest of the movie doesn’t deliver.
Elliott treats the alien like a pet. E.T. watches television, plays with Elliott’s sister, and hides from adults. He is one of the dullest space aliens I have ever met!
The movie gets interesting only when government scientists break into Elliott’s house to capture E.T.
Finally, some action and suspense! It was definitely fun watching Elliott and his siblings when they outsmart the adults, and the bike escape was brilliant.
• Model: In the first review, the author says, “E.T. has everything a movie should have. There’s a strong plot, lovable characters, and plenty of suspense.” She then supports her judgment by describing the movie’s plot, characters, and suspenseful scenes in the rest of the review. Based on these supporting details, I think I would like E.T., too.
• Guide Practice. Work with students to find judgments the authors make in both movie reviews and locate details from the movie that support the judgments. Point out that readers can judge the movie review by evaluating the supporting details. Explain that an author may make a judgment in one part of a review and give supporting details later.
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups of students to share their findings. Then challenge individual students to use the words in new sentences comparing sets of people, places, or things. Ask other students to listen carefully, identify the base adjective, and explain what the sentence compares.
• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.
Page Superlative Base Adjective
7 most appealing appealing
8 most hilarious hilarious
9 silliest silly
11 most disappointing disappointing
12 dullest dull
Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
reread the “Features of a Movie Review” web on page 3 and decide whether all of these features are present in “E.T. Is Extra-Terrific” and “E.T. Is N.G.” Ask groups to share and support their findings.
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress• You may wish to have students reread the movie
reviews with a partner during independent reading time. Have them focus on reading with appropriate stress. Model reading aloud the third paragraph on page 7 without emphasizing any words. Then reread the paragraph, emphasizing the words thrilling and spaceship, the exclamations Yay! and Oh no!, and the phrases face to face with an alien and scream in terror. Point out that the author is describing an exciting scene from the movie, which helped you figure out which words to emphasize. Then ask students to choose a paragraph from one of the reviews and plan which words they will stress based on the events and emotions portrayed.
Before ReadingIntroduce “Star Wars: Predictable Entertainment” and “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All” • Ask students to turn to page 14 and page 16.
Say: Today we are going to read two more movie reviews. The last review is written in a different format from the others. Notice the notes in the margin. First, we will read to understand the review. Tomorrow, we will read this review like a writer and think about the notes in the margins to help us write our own movie reviews.
• Say: Let’s look at the titles and photographs of these movie reviews. What do you predict they might be about?
• Ask students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced terms (most awesome, most menacing, wackiest, most compelling, most dazzling, cruelest). Ask: What do you notice about these terms? Why do you think they appear in boldfaced type? (All of these terms are superlative forms of adjectives.)
• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings of these terms. Look for the base adjective in each superlative form. Look for clues in the text.
Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the movie reviews, focusing
on the authors’ judgments and the details that support the judgments. Encourage students to notice the writer’s voice in each review.
Read the Star Wars Reviews• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to read the movie reviews silently, whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and their use of fix-up strategies.
After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Make Judgments• Say: Yesterday we analyzed judgments the
authors made when reviewing E.T. What judgments do the authors express in the Star Wars reviews? What details do the authors use to support each judgment? Record responses on a whole-group chart like the one below.
• Discuss Making Judgments Across Texts. Lead a discussion using the following questions: How are the reviews of E.T. similar to those of Star Wars? How are they different? Which judgments do you find convincing? With which judgments do you disagree? Why? How do the summaries and details about the movies help you judge the reviews? What are some word choices that create
for details about how the Rebel Alliance can succeed. On page 20, I read that the Rebels must fly a crucial mission to destroy the Death Star. They must shoot a torpedo to hit one exact spot. I have found the answer in the book. I looked in more than one sentence to find the answer.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Look Closer! questions.
Focus on Vocabulary: Superlatives • Ask students to work with a partner to complete the
“Focus on Words” activity on page 21 using BLM 3.• Transfer Through Oral Language. Invite pairs of
students to discuss the part of the review in which each superlative is used. They should decide what the author is comparing and how the comparison expresses his or her opinion. Then have students use the superlative in a sentence to describe a character, setting, or event in a movie they know well.
Page Superlative Base Adjective
15 most awesome awesome
15 most menacing menacing
15 wackiest wacky
17 most compelling compelling
17 most dazzling dazzling
18 cruelest cruel
Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
discuss the following questions: Do you agree with the second reviewer that Star Wars: A New Hope is “the absolutely best science fiction movie ever”? If so, what details convinced you? Think of a movie that you loved and watched again and again. What made you love it?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress• Have students reread the movie reviews with a
partner, focusing on reading with appropriate stress. For example, ask students to consider how they might read aloud the first paragraph on page 14. Model emphasizing the words just, age-old, and rocket scientist to show the writer’s negative attitude toward the film. Then reread the paragraph stressing plenty, fun, and nice to emphasize what the author likes about it. Ask students to read aloud the first paragraph on page 17, emphasizing words that show the writer’s attitude and ideas.
Day 3 (cont.)strong writer’s voice in the reviews? At what points did you feel the writers were speaking directly to you? What emotions did the writers express?
Author’s Judgment
Details to Support Judgment
Star Wars: Predictable Entertain-ment
The bad guys in this movie have the most awesome weapon.
The Death Star destroys an entire planet.
Darth Vader is one of the most menacing villains in the history of villains.
He appears to be half machine and half human. He wears a creepy black helmet. He talks with a threatening hiss.
Too many of the characters border on the silly.
Chewbacca looks like a giant monkey. Jabba the Hutt is a big, brown blob. Ponda Baba is walrus-like. Bug-eyed alien musicians are laughable.
Star Wars: A Blastoff for All
It has the most compelling characters.
Luke, a young farmer, must learn to use the Force. Obi-Wan Kenobi trains Luke. Han Solo is a slick pilot who risks his life to help Luke. Chewbacca looks like a 7-foot-tall dog. Princess Leia, a Rebel leader, is skilled with a laser blaster. R2-D2 is a smart, cute robot.
Darth Vader is the ultimate scary bad guy.
He has a horrible helmet, armor, and long robes (all black). His deep, powerful voice makes him sound like an evil machine.
The special effects still have a big “wow” factor.
There’s a three-dimensional hologram of Princess Leia that R2-D2 has hidden inside his memory system, a Jedi lightsaber, spectacular battles, and a planet blown apart by the Death Star.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card to practice
answering text-dependent questions.• Say: Today we will answer Look Closer! questions.
The answer to a Look Closer! question is in the book. You have to look in more than one place. You find the different parts of the answer. Then you put the parts together.
• Model. Read the second Look Closer! question. Say: This question asks me to identify cause and effect. I know because it has the clue word how. Now I need to look for other important information to find in the book. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I’m looking
Before ReadingSet a Purpose for Rereading• Have students turn to page 16. Say: Until now, we
have been thinking about movie reviews from the perspective of the reader. Learning the features of movie reviews has helped us be critical readers. Now we are going to put on a different hat. We are going to reread “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All” and think like writers. We’re going to pay attention to the annotations in the margins. These annotations will help us understand what the author did and why she did it.
Reread “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All”• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to reread the movie review silently or whisper-read.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and annotations.
After ReadingAnalyze the Mentor Text• Explain to students that the text they have just read
is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches. This text is designed to help them understand what writers do to write a movie review and why they do it.
• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with students. Encourage them to comment on the writer’s style, voice, and judgments and the details that support the judgments.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering text-dependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Prove It! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question is not stated in the book. You have to look for clues and evidence to prove the answer.
• Model. Read the first Prove It! question. Say: I will show you how I answer a Prove It! question. This question asks me to draw a conclusion. I know because it says, “What information supports the conclusion . . . .” Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to reread page 17. The author says, “This film has nonstop action and adventure. It has the most compelling characters and most dazzling special effects, too. Plus, it’s a classic tale about good and evil. Kids and adults can watch this movie over and over and never get tired of it.” I have located the clues I need.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Prove It! questions.
Analyze the Writer’s Craft• Ask students to turn to page 22. Explain: Over
the next few days, you will have the opportunity to write your own movie reviews. First, let’s think about how the author wrote “Star Wars: A Blastoff for All.” When she developed this movie review, she followed certain steps. You can follow these same steps to write your own movie reviews.
• Read steps 1 and 2. Say: The first thing you’ll do is decide on a movie to write about. Then you’ll decide on the audience that would be most interested in the movie. The reviews we read were for movies students your age might enjoy. Who would the audience for your movie be? Let’s make a list of movies and the people who might like each one. Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 3. Say: In the reviews we read, the authors gave brief summaries of the movies’ plots. A plot summary helps readers understand what the movie is about so they can decide if they want to see it or not. What details would you include in a summary of your movie? Remember, you don’t want to tell too much or give away important parts of the plot. Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.
• Read steps 4 and 5. Say: The main part of your review will consist of your judgments of the movie backed up by supporting details. For example, in the second review of Star Wars, the author says Darth Vader is “the ultimate scary bad guy.” She supports this judgment by describing his black costume, powerful voice, and “evil machine” sound. When you write your review, think about the movie’s strengths and weaknesses and look for details to support your judgments. What judgments will you include in your movie review? Choose a movie and a summary the class has brainstormed, and work as a group to write strengths and weaknesses with supporting evidence and a conclusion.
Build Comprehension: Draw Conclusions• Explain: The author of a movie review
describes the movie’s characters, setting, and plot. However, readers must figure out some things on their own based on clues and evidence in the text. For example, the author of “Star Wars: Predictable Entertainment” says the stormtroopers are “supposed to be scary, dressed up in their white metal armor. Despite their superior weapons and numbers, they can’t seem to defeat the rebels.” Negative words and phrases such as “supposed to be,” “despite,” and
Analyze & SynthesizePractice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering text-dependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take It Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to a Take It Apart! question, you must think like the author.
• Model. Read the second Take It Apart! question. Say: This question asks me to think about the author’s purpose. I know because I must determine why the reviewer included certain questions. Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to reread the final paragraph on page 20. The author asks questions about what will happen to resolve the conflicts. I think the author wants to get readers curious about what happens in the movie. Thinking about the author’s purpose helped me figure out the answer.
• Guide Practice. Use Power Tool the Flip Chart to help you develop other Take It Apart! questions.
Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts• Engage students in a discussion about the four movie
reviews in this book. Invite a different student to summarize each review. Encourage other students to add their ideas and details.
• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the book. Say: Good readers think about how literary works are related. We know, for example, that all of these movie reviews share certain features. They all tell about the characters, setting, and plot in the movie. They all include judgments about the movies’ strengths and weaknesses. What else do they have in common? Allow responses. Say: Today we will summarize the judgments in the movie reviews. Then we will make our own judgments about the movies.
• Ask students to work individually or in small groups to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).
• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a whole-class discussion or keep students in their small groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good discussion below. Each group should discuss and be prepared to share its ideas about the following prompts. Which reviewer makes the most convincing arguments for her opinions? Why? Do you strongly disagree with any of the reviews? Which ones? Why? Which movie review do you find most entertaining? Why?
“can’t seem to” lead readers to conclude that the author doesn’t feel these characters are effectively portrayed in the story.
• Model: In “Star Wars: Predictable Entertainment,” the author describes Luke as a brave learner; ObiWan Kenobi as a selfless martyr; Princess Leia as a feisty, courageous leader; and Han as a moneygrubber who proves himself a fine pilot and good friend. These clues allow me to conclude that the author finds the “good guys” in the story engaging and likeable. Drawing conclusions helps me understand the author’s attitudes as well as think about my own evaluation of the review and movie.
• Guide Practice. Invite students to work in small groups to draw conclusions from each movie review. Ask the groups to share their conclusions and identify the clues and evidence they used.
Reflect and Review • Ask and discuss the following questions.
How is thinking about a movie review as a reader different from thinking about it as a writer? How is it similar? What new words have you added to your vocabulary this week? Which is your favorite? Which review made you want to watch the movie it described? Why? How can you establish writer’s voice and use superlatives to make a movie review effective?
Fluency: Read with Inflection/Tone: Stress• You may wish to have students reread the movie
reviews with a partner during independent reading time. Have them focus on reading with appropriate stress to help make meaning clear. For example, ask students to consider how the meaning of the last sentence on page 17 changes if they emphasize the word now in one reading and the word tough in another. Then invite pairs to show how they would read aloud the second paragraph on page 18, considering what the author says about Darth Vader and stressing the appropriate words to convey that meaning.
• The first student chooses a word and makes up a sentence using the superlative to compare one person, place, or thing to two or more others. For example, a student drawing silliest might say, “My Mother the Car was the silliest TV show I ever saw.”
• Group members decide whether the adjective is used correctly. If so, the student gets a point. Play continues until one of the students reaches an agreed-upon score.
Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance• Discuss with students the tones expressed by the
movie reviewers. • Say: In these reviews, the authors’ tones, or
attitudes, toward the films range from complete admiration to grudging respect to frank dislike. When you read the reviews aloud, you can demonstrate your understanding of these attitudes through your expression. This helps your listeners appreciate the authors’ judgments and better understand their comments.
• Invite individual students to read a section of one of the movie reviews with expression that helps listeners understand the author’s tone.
• Encourage students to have fun with their readings and to make them as compelling as possible.
• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s interpretation. Think about alternate ways to interpret the reviewers’ attitudes.
Review Writer’s Tools: Writer’s Voice• Ask students to look for other examples of
writer’s voice in titles from your classroom library or the school’s library. Each student should select one title at his or her independent reading level. Ask students to read pages specifically to find an example of writer’s voice.
• Invite students to share their examples with the class. Encourage students to discuss how the voice helps them understand the writer’s views and get a sense of his or her likes and dislikes. Point out that every writer has a voice, but some writers’ voices are stronger and more engaging than others.
• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you will ask them to share the important text-to-text, text-to-world, and text-to-self connections they have made.
• While each small group of students discusses the book, confer with individual or small groups of students. You may wish to revisit elements of the genre, take running records, or model fluent reading skills.
Directions: Fill in the chart. Use it to compare and contrast the movie reviews.
Cynthia Swain’s Judgment
Lucy Forte’s Judgment
My Judgment
Evidence
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
A must-see for all ages. Funny, thrilling, sad, heartfelt.
Slow and disappointing. Lacks battles, action with weapons, evil aliens. E.T. is a dull alien.
(Possible Answer: A moving story of friendship that transcends differences.)
(Possible Answer: E.T. and Elliott move from fear to learning and liking to loyalty and love.)
Star Wars: A New Hope
An okay movie as it has action, fun battles, and nice special effects. But you know the good guys will win. Too many silly characters.
Nonstop action and adventure, compelling characters, and dazzling special effects. A classic tale of good and evil we never tire of watching.
(Possible Answer: A masterpiece with ground-breaking special effects.)
(Possible Answer: Holograms had not been used in films in 1977; robots with AI; doing battle with lasers; spaceships and aliens on a galactic scale.)
Rules for Good Discussion• Pay attention to the person who is talking and
do not interrupt him or her.
• Think about what others are saying so you can respond and add to their ideas.
• Allow and encourage everyone in the group to speak.
• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.
Reinforce SkillsIf time permits, choose from the following activities to reinforce vocabulary and fluency.
Reinforce Vocabulary: Superlatives • Place students in small groups. Have volunteers write
each superlative from the glossary on a scrap of paper and place the papers in a box.
Write a Movie Review• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide
students through the writing-process steps. Allow approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students work independently, circulate around the room and monitor student progress. Confer with individual students to discuss their ideas and help them move forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre Models to Teach Writing for additional support.
• Before students begin planning their movie reviews, pass out copies of BLM 5 (Movie Review Checklist). Review the characteristics and conventions of writing that will be assessed. Tell students that they will use this checklist when they complete their drafts.
• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six traits of writing as they pertain to movie reviews.
Days 6–7: Plan • Ask students to use BLM 6 (Movie Review Planning
Guide) to identify a movie and its audience, summarize the movie, note its strengths and weaknesses, and write a conclusion.
• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a Movie Review” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The Writer’s Craft” on pages 22–23 of the book.
• Confer with individual students and focus on their ideas. Did students begin their movie review with an opinion in mind? Did they include supporting evidence for their judgments?
Days 8–9: Draft • Tell students that they will be using their completed
Movie Review Planning Guides to begin drafting their reviews.
• Say: Remember that when writers draft their ideas, they focus on getting their ideas on paper. They can cross things out. They can make mistakes in spelling. What’s important is to focus on developing your judgments and supporting evidence. You will have an opportunity to make corrections and improvements later.
• Confer with students as they complete their drafts. Use the Movie Review Checklist to draw students’ attention to characteristics of the movie review genre that they may have overlooked. Focus on how students have organized their ideas and the voice of the writer. Did students provide a brief summary of the movie without giving away too many details? Did they support their judgments about the movie with details? Does the review have a strong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?
• Pair students for peer conferencing.
Days 10–11: Edit and Revise • Based on your observations of students’ writing,
select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing.• Remind students to use the Movie Review Checklist
as they edit and revise their reviews independently.• Confer with students focusing on sentence fluency,
word choice, and conventions. Did students include both long and short sentences? Do the sentences read smoothly? Have students used interesting words and phrases? Did they create a strong voice? Did they use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and grammar?
• You may want students to continue their editing and revision at home.
Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations • Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their
movie reviews.• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with one
or more drawings that depict specific characters or scenes from the movie they reviewed.
• Confer with students about their publishing plans and deadlines.
Days 14–15: Publish and Share• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop
their works. You have worked very hard. And one of the great joys of writing is when you can share it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They publish their books so that people can buy them. They make their work available on the Internet. They hold readings. We can share our writing, too.
• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing students’ work: Make a class display of students’ completed movie reviews. Hold a class reading in which students can read their reviews to one another and/or to parents. Create a binder of all the reviews and loan it to the library so that other students can read them. Create a binder of all the reviews for your classroom library.
Writer’s VoiceDirections: The list shows some of the ways writers create a strong voice. Read each sentence below the list. Underline the words the writer uses to create a strong voice.
