Lesson 12: Look Both Ways, Narrative Writing, Part 2

The launch should help students recognize that voice is what makes each character distinct, setting the foundation for narrative writing. Students should focus on how differences in word choice, tone, and detail reflect identity. Emphasize that voice is not just how something is said, but what a character chooses to notice and how they interpret experiences, preparing students to apply this thinking to their own writing.

Say these Directions: Different characters sound different, in the same way that you and your friends do not speak exactly the same. You have a unique voice. The way that Jason Reynolds writes is different from the way any other writer writes. Listen to two excerpts from Look Both Ways that show how Reynolds gives his characters a voice, too.

Read two excerpts from Look Both Ways to demonstrate differences in voice (e.g., Jasmine’s description of her parents’ separation, TJ’s hypothesis of boogers, or Bit’s calculations of what to charge for candy).

• Ask: What differences do you notice in how these characters speak?

  • Fatima is very precise in her language. She follows all the rules of grammar. Ty’s story has more figurative language.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Your voice is different from anyone else’s. As you write today, think about what makes your voice unique.

This section builds students’ control over sentence clarity and style by practicing how to set off nonrestrictive information. Reinforce that punctuation choices are not just about correctness—they shape voice, pacing, and emphasis in writing. Students should begin to see how adding or removing extra details can subtly influence how a reader experiences a sentence.

Grammar Usage

Say these Directions: Writers sometimes include extra information in their sentences. While these can be informative, the sentence would still make sense without them. Today, we’ll practice using punctuation to convey that extra information clearly.

Write this sentence: “Maria who is nervous keeps checking the clock.”

• Ask: Do we need the words “who is nervous” to know who or what this sentence is about? (No. It is about Maria checking the clock.)

Explain that if you can remove information and be left with a sentence that still makes sense, the information needs to be set off with commas. This is called a nonrestrictive or nonessential clause.

Write this sentence, using commas around the nonrestrictive clause: “Maria, who is nervous, keeps checking the clock.”

• Say: Here are other examples of nonrestrictive clauses.

  • The short student, unable to see the board, asked for a seat up front.

  • Oliver Twist, a classic novel, was written by Charles Dickens.

  • My new lamp, a gift from my Aunt Bessie, is blue and bright.

• Say: Talk with a partner to create your own sentences with nonessential clauses. Be creative!

Students Practice:

• Say: Now rewrite and correct the following sentences using commas.

Sentence 1:

The bell a loud and sudden noise rings early. (The bell, a loud and sudden noise, rings early.)

Sentence 2:

The school building which is very old creaks in the morning. (The school building, which is very old, creaks in the morning.)

Transition: Explain to students that they can use nonrestrictive clauses when they write their descriptive paragraphs.

Part A: Modeled Writing (W.6.3.a) (15 minutes)

In this modeled writing sequence, students are introduced to Stages 1–3 of SRSD, focusing on how writers plan before drafting. The emphasis is on understanding how ordinary moments can reveal identity through voice. Guide students to notice how the planning questions (moment, who, action, revelation) directly shape the final paragraph and how first-person narration, imagery, and pacing work together to convey voice.  

Say these Directions: Refer to the “How to Look (Both) Both Ways” vignette in Look Both Ways. Independently read the paragraph that begins “Pay attention, or you’ll lose your life!” and ends with “Not at all.”

Stages 1 and 2: Develop Background Knowledge and Discuss It

Check student comprehension of the passage by asking the following questions.

• Ask: What do we learn about Fatima in this passage?

  • Fatima notices small details, like the spit that flies from the kid’s mouth. She is detail-oriented and has a vivid imagination.

• Ask: What words or phrases teach us about the character’s voice?

  • “. . . thick ropes of hair sprouting from his head like antennae.”

Explain that readers need to build background before they can understand a character’s voice. Lead a brief discussion on what students have learned from the vignettes and other stories about how authors build a character’s voice.

• Ask: What have you learned from the vignettes about how authors build characters’ voices?

  • The vignettes show the differences among characters’ voices. The characters’ voices are used when they explain the world from their perspectives. Word choice, dialogue style, inner thoughts, actions, and personality can all help an author build a character’s voice.

Explain to students that they will write their own descriptive paragraphs. Tell students that before they can write, they will need to make some decisions.

• Say: What you need to decide before writing:

  • What moment are you describing?

  • Who is having the moment?

  • What does the person do or say in the moment?

  • How does that show their voice and identity?

• Say: The answers to these questions will depend on what you want to write about. Let’s look at the answers for the passage about Fatima. Fatima describes the moment after she falls down. Fatima is having the moment. Fatima is on the ground, observing the people on the bus. This moment shows how observant she is. It reveals what she notices in a moment of pain and embarrassment.

Stage 3: Model It

• Say: Now, I want to write my own paragraph. I need to answer these questions for myself.

Write where all students can see:

• Who is having the moment? (I am writing about myself.)

• What does the person do or say in the moment? (I am tired after a long day, and I drop my keys somewhere in the grocery store and stand at the checkout without moving.)

• How does that show their voice and identity? (Time slows down when a stressful thing happens; I freeze and try to retrace my steps.)

• Say: I’m going to use this information to write a short paragraph.

Write where all students can see:

• People continued to swirl around me, and I felt like one leaf caught up in a gust of wind. I wished I could retrace my steps. Where had I dropped my keys? The sounds of people and the glare of bright lights swept me up and up and up until I felt as light as air itself. I started rewinding my grocery trip in my mind. I followed myself through the aisles: bread, milk, canned peaches. I could remember every detail except where I left my keys!

• Say: Now let’s check to make sure that I covered all the questions I decided on before writing.

By the end of this section, students should understand how a writer moves from planning to drafting using SRSD. Check that students can identify how specific craft moves (imagery, repetition, pacing) reveal something about the narrator’s identity. If needed, reinforce that effective narrative writing goes beyond describing events to showing how the writer experiences and interprets the moment. You may choose to have students go through the paragraph and ensure that you’ve covered all the questions in your model writing.

Part B: Students Memorize Steps (Stage 4 of SRSD) (W.6.3.a) (15 minutes)

This section focuses on Stage 4 of SRSD (Memorize It and Plan), supporting students in internalizing the planning framework. Students should translate the planning questions into clear, first-person statements that reflect their own experiences. Emphasize that strong plans include a specific moment and a clear idea of what that moment reveals about identity or voice, setting up successful drafting.

Students use the remaining time to memorize the framework the teacher used to prepare and plan for a personal narrative paragraph.

Stage 4: Memorize It and Plan

Say these Directions: Use the remaining time to memorize the framework. You can create a mnemonic device, a chat, or a sound to help you remember the frame. After you memorize the steps of the framework, plan your own narrative paragraph.

Provide sentence frames for students as needed.

• What you need to decide before writing:

  • What moment are you describing?

    • “The moment I’m describing is ____.”

  • Who is having the moment?

    • “This moment is happening to ____.”

  • What does the person do or say in the moment?

    • “In the moment, ____ says/does ____.”

  • How does that show their voice and identity?

    • “This reveals that [person] is ____.”

  • The moment I’m describing is one morning when my sister drove us to school. I am having the moment. In the moment, I start to fall asleep, but then I jerk awake because I forgot my science fair project. This reveals that I can be forgetful.

Students should leave this section with a complete and focused plan for their narrative paragraph. Review whether students have identified all four elements (moment, who, action, revelation) and whether their ideas are specific and meaningful rather than broad or general. Use this as a checkpoint to ensure students are ready to draft with a clear sense of purpose and voice.

Scoring Rubric

Turn and Talk

This routine encourages students to think about their own developing voice as writers. Students should consider not only what they plan to write, but also how they will make their writing engaging and authentic for a reader. Prompt them to reflect on how specific details, perspective, and language choices contribute to voice.

Say these Directions: Reflect on questions you still have about developing your voice in your narrative writing.

• Ask: What other questions do you still have about yourself and your moment? What do you need to do to make sure readers connect to your writing?

Optional Sentence Starters:

“I’m still wondering about ____.”

“One question I have is ____.”

“I need to make sure I ____ to help readers connect to my writing.”

I’m still wondering about how to express a feeling in my writing. I need to make sure my readers feel an emotion to connect to my writing.

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

• Begin to draft a personal narrative paragraph using the plans you made in class today.