Lesson 44: Ordinary Moments, Author's Chair

Tell students that they will present their revised excerpts to the class today. Ask them to discuss the homework from the previous lesson and reflect on what it feels like to read an excerpt from their stories out loud.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Turn and Talk to respond to the following questions.

• Ask: What are some challenges that could make it difficult to share your story?

• Ask:Why is it important to share stories?

• Ask:What is one thing you can do to overcome the challenges to sharing your story?

  • A challenge that could make it difficult to share my story is feeling self-conscious about reading aloud in front of a group. It is important to share stories because it helps us relate to one another and understand each other. I can practice reading so that I feel more comfortable sharing my story out loud.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Throughout this unit, we have been talking and thinking about sharing our stories and how this builds empathy and community. Now it’s your turn to share your story.

Fluency Practice

Tell students they will practice reading their revised sections aloud—with expression. This means speaking or presenting in a way that conveys emotion and carefully draws the listener’s attention to important moments. Explain that public speaking often becomes easier each time a piece is read to someone else.

• Say: After yesterday’s lesson, you practiced reading your revised section out loud. Today, you’ll practice a bit more before presenting your excerpt. First, let’s think about what we are presenting and why. Who are you presenting to? (me—your teacher—and your peers) What is our purpose in presenting these excerpts? (to share our writing with our peers) You want to present your writing in the best way possible so we can all appreciate the hard work you’ve put in. Practicing reading in front of an audience is the best way to get better at it! As you practice today, focus on experimenting with different ways to read your section. Does your section describe a very dramatic moment full of action? Is it a quiet moment of reflection? Does it describe the setting? Think about what kind of voice you should use to convey the moment appropriately. When should you look up at the audience to make eye contact? Let’s practice with our revised sections from yesterday’s lesson.

Display the section from yesterday’s lesson and read it:

I walked home after school, feeling the heat from my embarrassed cheeks. Angela didn’t sit with me at lunch, and that stuck in my brain like a splinter in a piece of wood. The walk home seemed so much longer.

• Ask: What is the focus of this section?

  • (It provides context for what the character is doing and how she is feeling.)

• Say: When I read this time, I’m going to focus on adding emotion based on the words in the section. I’ll focus on any emotion words, like embarrassed. The simile, stuck in my brain like a splinter, also conveys a lot of emotion. I also want to pick places where I should look at the audience. I think I should look up after my first sentence so my audience can really take in the context of my excerpt. I’ll also look up after “at lunch” because that feels like a significant moment. And I’ll make sure to look up after “piece of wood” to make sure my audience is with me.

Read the selection again, adding emphasis to the chosen sections and looking up where indicated above. Be slightly more dramatic than might seem called for to encourage students to experiment with expression.

• Say: What did you notice about how I read the section? How did the reading make you feel? (Take student answers, encouraging them to see that more emotion engages the audience with the story.) This time, I want to read as if I am the narrator telling this story to a friend. I’ll try to embody the tone of how the narrator feels.

Read the selection in a sad, slow tone. Again, be overly dramatic to encourage students to experiment when they practice their own sections.

• Ask: What did you notice this time? Did you have a different reaction than the first reading? Which reading do you feel better conveys the meaning of the section?

Pair students and have them take turns reading their excerpts in different ways. Ask students to give each other pointed feedback on their readings. Display the following sentence frames:

• When you emphasized _______, it made me feel ________.

• When you focused on _______, I noticed more about the _______ of your writing.

• You looked up _____ and _______. Have you considered looking up after ______as well? I think it would help emphasize ______.

Allow time for students to discuss their perceptions and interpretations of different reading styles.

• Say: There is not one correct way to read your writing. You get to decide how you want to present your work. Have fun with it!

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: “We’re ready to begin our presentations. Be sure to follow the presentation guidelines, being an active and respectful listener.”

Excerpt Presentations (SL.6.1.a, SL.6.1.d, SL.6.4, SL.6.6, L.6.3, and L.6.3.a) (30 minutes)

Today’s Learning in Action is not separated into Part A and Part B.

Use this time to clearly establish expectations for both presenters and listeners. Students are responsible not only for sharing their work but also for actively engaging with peers’ presentations. Ground them in the Performance Task Handout so they understand what strong speaking and listening look like.

Emphasize that presentations are brief but purposeful. Students should introduce their excerpt, read with clear pacing, volume, and expression, and make intentional choices to convey meaning. Listeners should focus on specific speaking moves and provide evidence-based feedback. Preparing students this way ensures presentations are focused, efficient, and academically rigorous.

Provide students with the Performance task Handout and review the rubric for the presentation.

Display the Speaking and Presentation Checklist and Active Listening Checklist, alongside the Performance Task Handout. Remind students that they will be evaluated on both their presentations and their active listening as their classmates present.

Speaking and Presentation Checklist 

• Face the audience and make eye contact whenever possible.  

• Speak loudly and clearly.  

• Read at an appropriate pace that is not too fast and not too slow.  

• Refer to visuals as needed and pause to allow classmates to follow along.

• Show confidence through posture and voice.  

Active Listening Checklist  

• Face the speaker and show interest and attention.  

• Sit still and avoid distractions.  

• Listen without interruptions.  

• Wait until the speaker is finished to ask questions or make comments.  

• Ask thoughtful, respectful questions. 

• As you listen, jot down the speaker’s name, one effective speaking move (pause, tone, emphasis), and one moment that stood out and why. 

• Say: Each student will have about two minutes to share their excerpt. Let’s review what is expected as you present your excerpt. You should speak clearly at an appropriate volume, with appropriate emotion. You should make eye contact with the audience regularly and not just look down at your paper the whole time. Before you begin reading your excerpt, you must introduce it to your audience. This helps your listeners understand what they are about to hear. What you do as a listener is also important. As listeners, your job is not just to be quiet—it is to actively think about what the speaker is doing well and how their choices affect you as an audience. You should be actively listening to the presenter. Face the speaker and listen without interruptions. Wait until the speaker is finished to ask questions or make comments. Ask thoughtful, respectful questions if there is time. Lastly, be sure to jot down notes on their presentation to discuss.

• Ask: Would it be appropriate for me to raise my hand while a classmate is presenting?

  • No. I should wait till my classmate is finished to ask a question.

• Ask: Where should I be looking while my classmate is presenting?

  • At the speaker, or your paper as you take notes.

Say these Directions: After each presentation, you will briefly reflect with a partner.

• What is one effective delivery choice the speaker made? Use evidence.

• What is one moment that stood out to you and why?

By the end of this section, students should be able to highlight effective speaking and listening behaviors observed during presentations. Praise specific examples, such as strategic pauses, eye contact, or expressive tone. As needed, reinforce that both presenting and listening are skills that improve with practice and strengthen communication for future lessons.

For Additional Student Support: Reading with Expression

If students need more support with:  

• Expressing emotion:  

• Have students underline at least two emotion words in their excerpt (or two of the most “important” words). Have students mark the punctuation, reminding them to pause when necessary. This will give students a visual reminder of what to emphasize as they present their work.

If students need an extension opportunity:

• Experimenting with expressive and audience-aware delivery:

  • Ask: Can you try incorporating two different delivery techniques in your presentation—such as pacing, tone, or gestures—to see how they change the audience’s understanding?

    • SAMPLE RESPONSE: I think revising sentence lengths throughout my narrative would help make the pacing even stronger. I also think I could add in more gestures or facial expressions to show more meaning.

Reflection

Praise students for sharing their writing. It can be scary, and they did it! This is an opportunity for students to engage in self-reflection on what it takes to be both an active listener and a presenter.

Say these Directions: Use your listening notes to reflect on today’s presentations.

• Ask: What is one speaking move you used (or saw someone else use) that made a presentation effective?

  • Optional Sentence Starter:

    • “One effective speaking move was ____.”

    • One effective speaking move was to use intentional pauses after emotional words, which helped the audience feel the character’s embarrassment.

• Ask: What is one thing you could do next time to be a stronger presenter or listener?

  • Optional Sentence Starter:

    • “One thing I could improve next time is ____.”

    • One thing I would improve next time is making more deliberate pauses after important words to make my meaning clearer.

Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• How does your narrative show something about belonging or identity?