High school teachers guide students towards writing an effective essay analyzing a literary character. Here is a sample lesson plan that provides motivation and support..
High school students often have difficulty starting to write an essay. They just can't seem to figure out where to begin. Structuring the essay can also be difficult, especially for students with learning challenges. By breaking down an essay into component parts and listing specific questions, teachers guide students in the writing process and help them quickly complete a rough draft. Here is an assignment you can give your students to help them understand the process of writing an essay.
1. Write a five paragraph rough draft by answering the questions below. This rough draft will be a separate grade from the final copy.
2. You will be working on the rough draft in class and use it to write a final character analysis essay. You will be expected to proofread your rough draft, edit your work by making revisions on the rough draft, and rewrite a clean final copy in class.
3. You will be graded on your rough draft, revisions and final copy of this essay.
Essay Assignment: Select a character from The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton [Puffin,1995] and write an essay answering the following questions about him or her. Be sure tospecifically answer each question in each paragraph.
Paragraph 1:
Paragraph 2:
Paragraph 3:
Paragraph 4:
Paragraph 5: (You have 2 options here; select only one.)
This assignment clearly has a primary goal of helping reluctant students write an essay as well as a secondary goal of helping students practice analyzing a character from several perspectives. This assignment requires students to give specific support for their thoughts. Backing up their opinions with support from the text helps validate their essay and prepare them for research writing.