Lesson 32: A Single Shard, Informational Writing, Part 6

Think-Pair-Share

Unpack students’ prior knowledge of what design is, and create a definition.

Say These Directions: Turn to an elbow partner and Think-Pair-Share about this question:

• What is design? What does it mean to design something?

  • A design is a plan to make something. To design means to invent, create, or make a plan.

As partners share their responses with the class, record key words and phrases on the board. Then have students work collaboratively to develop a classroom definition of design.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Today, you will watch a video about design thinking. Design thinking is a process that people follow to solve problems. You’ll make connections between design thinking and A Single Shard. You’ll also continue building on what you learned in Lesson 27 to find evidence to support a topic sentence and write a body paragraph.

Language Study

Pronoun Case: Discuss pronoun case with students.

• Say: A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or noun phrase in a sentence.

• Ask: What are some examples of pronouns?

  • I, you, he, she, it, they, we, him, her, us, them, my, your, his, its, our, their, whose

• Say: Pronouns have three cases: subjective, objective, and possessive. A pronoun is in the subjective case when it is the subject of the sentence that performs an action, or “takes” the verb. A pronoun is in the objective case when it is the object of the sentence and receives an action; it does not “take” the verb. A pronoun is in the possessive case when it shows possession or ownership.

Present the following sentence:

• I carried the books in my backpack.

Read the sentence aloud to model fluency. Use the following “meaningful chunks” to lead a discussion about how this sentence is constructed and why.

• “I carried the books . . .”

  • Ask: What is the case of the pronoun I? How do you know?

  • Concept: The pronoun I is in the subjective case because it is the subject of the sentence. It is performing the action carried.

• “. . . in my backpack.”

  • Ask: What is the case of the pronoun my? How do you know?

  • Concept: The pronoun my is in the possessive case because it shows who the backpack belongs to.

Present the following sentence:

• Jolie visited us last weekend.

Read the sentence aloud to model fluency. Use the following “meaningful chunks” to lead a discussion about how this sentence is constructed and why.

• “Jolie visited . . .”

  • Ask: What is the subject of the sentence? How can you tell?

  • Concept: Jolie is the subject because she performed the action visited.

• “. . . visited us last weekend.”

  • Ask: What is the case of the pronoun us? How can you tell?

  • Concept: The pronoun us is in the objective case because it is the object of the sentence. It is receiving the action visited.

Present and review the table showing pronoun cases.

Say These Directions: Work with a partner to determine the correct pronoun case for the following sentences.

Invite partners to share their responses with the class and identify the pronoun case in each sentence.

• Lydie wanted to go to the museum with (they, them, their).

• (She, Her, Hers) is rarely late for class.

• Ms. Sharma stacked (we, us, our) essays on the desk.

• (He, Him, His) coat is hanging in the closet.

• Melina read (I, me, my) an article about pottery.

• (We, Us, Ours) visit that park at least once a month.

  • 1. them (objective) 2. She (subjective) 3. our (possessive) 4. His (possessive) 5. me (objective) 6. We (subjective)

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: As you write your body paragraphs today, think about ways to incorporate pronouns with different cases in your writing.

Part A: Design Thinking (RL.6.9, W.6.2.b, W.6.9) (15 minutes)

Briefly review with students what they learned in Lesson 27.

• Say: In Lesson 27, you read about different craftspeople and artists who learned through apprenticeship. As you read, you looked for evidence to support the topic sentence “Good craftsmanship and artistry require both skill and creativity.” Then you wrote a body paragraph using this topic sentence and the evidence that you found. You will continue developing this skill today.

Find and show a video about the design thinking process. Ideally, this video will connect to how artists solve problems.

Say these Directions: You will watch the video twice. The first time you watch, take notes on the steps of the design thinking process.

After students finish watching the video for the first time, lead a brief discussion using the following prompt:

• Ask: What are the steps in the design thinking process?

  • Steps might vary depending on the chosen video, but they should be pretty close.

    • 1. Define the problem.

      2. Research the problem.

      3. Generate ideas

      4. Prototype.

      5. Implement.

      6. Reflect.

• Ask: Which characters in A Single Shard use design thinking? What steps of the process do you recognize from the novel? Give specific examples to support your response.

  • Min uses design thinking by identifying a problem (using an unfamiliar technique to obtain a royal commission), researching the problem (asking Tree-ear what he knows about Kang’s work with slip to create inlaid designs), generating ideas (sketching designs with charcoal on pieces of wood), and implementing (creating multiple replicas of pots and vases with the new design). When the glaze is imperfect, Min repeats the implementing process to fire a new batch of vases.

  • Tree-ear uses design thinking by identifying a problem (carrying a single shard of pottery to Songdo so it doesn’t get damaged), generating ideas, and implementing (covering the edges with clay to protect it).

  • Crane-man, Min, and Ajima use design thinking to come up with a way to safely transport Min’s pottery to Songdo by weaving a special carrying basket and lining it with silk and straw.

Next, share with students the following topic sentence: “Art and design are deeply connected to problem-solving.” Have students watch the video a second time, and prompt them to record evidence using the Main Ideas and Details graphic organizer. Model adding the topic sentence to the Main Idea box.

• Say: As you watch the video a second time, use the Main Idea and Details organizer to write down three pieces of evidence that support the topic sentence “Art and design are deeply connected to problem-solving.”

Part B: Writing a Body Paragraph (W.6.2.b, W.6.9) (15 minutes)

After students finish watching the video and gathering evidence, direct them to write a body paragraph independently.

Display the Body Paragraph Checklist:

• A topic sentence (thesis) that states the main idea or claim of the paragraph

• Evidence that supports the main idea or claim

• Analysis that explains how the evidence connects to the main idea or claim

• A concluding sentence that connects the text evidence and analysis to the topic sentence

Say these Directions: Write a body paragraph using the topic sentence and the evidence you gathered. Remember, your body paragraph should include the four parts from the Body Paragraph Checklist.

Remind students to use transitional words and phrases to make connections between ideas and note that if they use pronouns in their writing, they should be sure to use the correct pronoun case.

Lesson 32 Writing Rubric: Writing Workshop 2 — Artist Observation Paragraph

Writing prompt: Write an explanatory paragraph explaining why artists use deliberate choices — materials, process, or technique — in their craft. Use at least one piece of evidence from A Single Shard and connect it to your claim using a verbal phrase.

Quick Write

Say These Directions: Respond to the following Quick Write prompt in one or two sentences.

• Ask: Why is design thinking important for artists?

  • Design thinking is important for artists because it can help them come up with innovative solutions to problems. This can lead them to solve problems using their art, so the solutions are both beautiful and functional.

Have students complete their body paragraphs if they did not do so in class.