Lesson 4
 
   Topic: Activity center on symbols within the novel.
   Grade Level: Grade 8 (all tracks will be studying the novel Fahrenheit 451) 
    Instructional Objectives:
  • Students will gain a better grasp of the key elements within the story through manipulating pictures, items, and live creatures.
  • Students will experience the role and actions of selected characters and symbols through narrative, sensory, procedural, and situational writing.
  • Students will utilize their creativity to express a sensory view of the phoenix symbol.
  • Students will discuss the questions for each of the four activity stations while gaining information for personal use.
  • Students will utilize prior knowledge of imagery (similes and metaphors) to aid in their writing at the four activity stations.
 Materials:
  • Fake bottle of pills: actually containing M&M's
  • Rubric: breakdown of student grade
  • Salamander pictures (2)
  • Two live salamanders
  • Picture of the Hound
  • Picture of the Phoenix
  • White paper to draw 
  • Video camera 
  • Questions for each activity station:

    •  
    Concepts addressed: 
    Narrative writing, procedural writing, creative writing, imagery (similes and metaphors), situational writing, and sensory writing.
    Click here to view lesson alignment with Pennsylvania State Standards
    Engagement/ Anticipatory set :
    • Students will get right to the task at hand; the activity centers
    • I will instruct the students that they will be working in groups and individually. They will be allowed to discuss the questions presented at each station, but must produce individual pieces. 
    • Students will also be told that they will be video taped for portions of the period. 
    • Students who did not fill out the permission slip will be asked to move to another location while the taping is taking place.
    Procedure :
    • Four groups will be working at the activity stations while the other will be reading at their seats. 
    • Students will be divided into groups. Smaller sized classes will be divided into six groups. The largest class will be divided into groups of seven.
    • Groups not at an activity center will be reading the novel.
    • Click here to view the initial instruction for the activity: Instruction
    • Click here to view the Salamander portion of the activity:  Activity
    Key discussion questions:
    1. The questions are provided to the students at the various activity stations.
    2. Other questions will be dealt with on an individual basis as students progress through the stations.
    Closure:
    • Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about the material they had read last night for homework.
    • We will as a class review some of the points detailed in the activity stations.
    Extension activity/ Homework:
      Work on write up for each activity station.Next week we will be working on the writing of these answers along with reading further in the novel.