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50 min
Student Lesson
Lesson 45: Stories for the Future, Presentations
Content
Students will present their narratives to their peers.
Language
Students will adapt pacing, volume, pause, emphasis, and reflective language to present a narrative clearly to peers.
How does memory help us understand who we are, and what is lost when memory disappears?
How do stories help communities survive change and imagine a future worth building?
Knowledge-Building:
Students showcase their knowledge of narrative writing craft by sharing their own original narratives aloud.
Enduring Understanding:
Stories shape how humans remember the past and imagine the future.
Unit Performance Task:
Today’s presentation concludes the end of the unit and students’ official publication of their narrative writing.
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch5 Minutes | Students consider the differences between presenting research and telling a story to a live audience. |
Literacy Lab10 Minutes | Students learn how presenting a narrative differs from presenting research. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Small-Group Story Showcase (SL.8.4.a, SL.8.6) Students will present their narratives in small groups. |
Material List
Unit 4 Lesson 45 Student Edition
Routines
Turn and Talk
Quick Write
Students prepare to present their narratives to their peers.
Transition students into partners and have students recall the oral presentations they delivered for the Unit 3 Performance Task.
Say these Directions: Today is the day you present your narrative to your peers. Think about the oral presentation you delivered for Unit 3’s Performance Task. Turn and talk with your partner about the following question.
Which one or two presentation skills (pacing, volume, pause, or eye contact) will you focus on today, and why?
I am going to make sure I speak at a slow enough pace so my peers can understand my story. Also, I’m going to make eye contact so I don’t just read off the paper the whole time.
Say: Now we will discuss how presenting your narrative may sound different from presenting informational research.
Display the chart:
Say: Presentations of writing and research are different because of the purpose. When I present research, I am sharing information I learned. When I present a narrative, I am sharing a story in which I want listeners to follow along and visualize what I am describing. Unlike the presentation in Unit 3, your presentation today is not to report data; it is to communicate a story clearly to an audience of peers.
Presentation Type | Purpose | How It Sounds |
|---|---|---|
Research-based presentation | Present information that was learned during research | Clear, organized, informative, often more explanatory |
Presentation of a story | Help listeners experience a story and its meaning | Expressive, paced, image-rich, emotionally aware |
Ask: What is one way a narrative presentation should sound different from a research presentation?
A narrative presentation should sound more like storytelling, with pauses and expression that help the audience feel the scene and visualize the events and characters. A research presentation would be more focused on explaining information clearly and directly.
Say: Today, when you are presenting your narrative, don’t be afraid to slow down to emphasize certain character reactions or to speak with expression based on the context of what is happening. Let’s remember that we have been taught to tell stories by one of the best cuentistas of them all: Petra!
Teacher Tip |
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Strategically organize students into small groups to present their narrative. Depending on the needs and abilities of your students, consider:
Regardless of grouping strategy, aim for small groups (three or four students) so each student has sufficient time to present and receive feedback. |
Say: You will now apply these ideas by presenting your own stories to a live audience.
Transition students into small groups to present their narratives. Instruct students to decide who will tell their story first and begin.
Teacher Tip |
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Some student narratives may draw from personal, family, or cultural experiences. Set a respectful tone before presentations begin: listeners should respond to the craft and meaning of the story, not judge the student’s lived experience. If a student prefers, allow them to present a selected excerpt rather than the full piece. |
Say these Directions: Move into your small groups. Decide the order of presenters and begin.
For the presenter:
State your title
Present your narrative or selected excerpt
End with one sentence that tells listeners what you hope they think about
For the listeners:
Listen attentively without interrupting
Be prepared to share one specific moment that stood out and why
Circulate as students present to monitor pacing, volume, and clarity. Offer quick, in-the-moment prompts if needed (“Pause there,” “Slow down,” or “Emphasize that line”). Take note of strong delivery moves to highlight during whole-class reflection.
Sample Student Narrative Writing: Continuation or Companion Story (Novel Continuation)
“What is that?” Astra pointed toward the far end of the turquoise lake. She stopped braiding the saplings and focused on the large black dot in the sky. Did she hear a motor?
The colonists looked in that direction. Sol was the first to talk. “The Second Ship is here!”
“I’ll get the others,” Sirius shouted as he ran toward the cavern behind the waterfall. Astra and Sol ran the opposite way. As the colonists poured from the cavern, the drones began to descend.
“That’s odd,” Nyx strained her eyes to better see. “It looks like they’re spraying
something—something green.”
Astra and Sol ran back toward the group. The drones dipped lower, releasing a fine green mist.
“Take Cover!” Astra shouted, but her warning was cut short as she coughed and gagged.
The First Arrivers ran into the cavern, choking and spitting, thirstier than they had ever been before in their short lives.
“Why would they do that? They were supposed to bring help not poison us!” Astra blinked hard, but the tears slipped through anyway. Doris wiped her cheeks with cool water.
“I have no idea, dear,” Doris said. Could they be under attack from another species? From the Second Ship?
Safely behind the waterfall, Sirius watched the drones disappear. Then he spied the Pleiades Ship in the distance. “They are here!” he called into the cavern.
A loud hum reached their ears, louder than the waterfall, louder than anything they had ever heard. Then, WOOSH! The ship was gone. The colonists gasped, voices rising with questions no one could answer.
That night, the community gathered in shock; the oldest members bordered on despair. Astra brought dinner to Doris, the eldest resident in the colony, at 88.
“What’s the matter, Ms. Doris?
You seem so sad.”
“Child, I have been waiting for 80 years for that ship. . . . And now it’s gone. And with it goes my best friend. We were your age when we left Earth.”
Astra didn’t know what to say, so she gave Doris a hug, which made the woman smile. The after-dinner music had just begun. It always cheered Doris, so she stayed in the common room until late that night.
The next morning, everyone returned to the usual tasks, but Astra could not concentrate. As she gazed off in the direction of the drones, a flash of light caught her eye.
“I see something over there! What is it? Sirius, can you see anything?”
“People are coming.” Sirius sounded apprehensive given yesterday. “Let’s head in, kids.”
Astra and Sol looked disappointed. They kept looking back, and so did Sirius.
“Wait. . . .” he paused. “They are so small. . . . They’re children.”
Within minutes, they reached the newcomers, with Astra in the lead.
“I’m Astra. I live in Colony 1. Who are you? I like your shirt,” she said as she took in Suma’s unicorn sweatshirt. Suma smiled. “And why are you wearing a space suit? Boy, you are sure pale.” Voxy giggled in return.
“I’m Petra. And this is Suma, Voxy, and Zeta . . . Well, they were called Zeta-3 and Zeta-4. They need help remembering their names.” Petra looked like she might collapse.
“Let’s get back to the cavern. Now,” Sirius said.
“We have company,” Sirius announced as the group walked into the cavern.
Everyone circled around the newcomers, who introduced themselves. Feathers said, “I’m Zeta-4, at least for now. I guess I have to pick a new name.”
“Sarah?” Doris whispered, as if saying it too loudly might break something fragile.
“Sarah?” Doris’s hands trembled at her sides. “Is it possible?” Her excitement was bubbling up and spilling over into her voice.
Feathers looked confused. “Do you not remember? It’s Doris.” She started humming a familiar tune.
“The Collective wiped all memory of Earth,” Petra explained. “Names, families, . . . everything that made us us.” Doris gasped. “But it can come back. With stories,” Petra assured her.
“Doris? Sarah?” Feathers asked. On the tips of her toes, she stretched her arm to tap Doris on the head and place a hand on her shoulder, as Doris did the same. The two spun in a circle and sang,
All around the cobbler’s bench
The monkey chased the weasel, . . .
When they reached the chorus, the two hopped and shouted, “Pop! Goes the weasel.”
Doris swept her 8-year-old best friend into her arms. “You’ve made it! You’re home!”
Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.
Reflection |
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Reflect on your ability to present your narrative clearly and engage an audience using the Reflection routine.
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Instruct students to reflect on their narrative writing and their learning from the unit in a Quick Write response.
Display the Essential Questions from the unit:
Investigation 1: How does memory help us understand who we are, and what is lost when memory disappears?
Investigation 2: How do stories help communities survive change and imagine a future worth building?
Say these Directions: In three to five sentences, explain which essential question from the unit your narrative connects to. Use at least two specific details from your narrative to show the connection.
Which essential question does your narrative connect to, and how did your presentation help communicate that idea?
My narrative aligns most with the essential question about how stories help communities survive change and imagine a future worth building. In my story, the grandmother records seed songs before her town evacuates, and later the children use those songs to rebuild their food system. During my presentation, I slowed down during the song scene and paused before the final line so listeners could hear that the songs were really a form of memory and survival.
Have students read their independent reading book for 20 minutes and complete a reading log entry.
Read your independent reading book for 20 minutes. In your reading log, record the date and pages you read, write 1–2 sentences about what happened or what you learned, and respond to this week’s prompt using evidence from the text.