This Lesson's Title:

Down on
the Farm

the place where
dreams come to life

This lesson was created by Northern Nevada teacher Ronald Hearn.

The ideal "mentor text" that can be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the chapter book Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author, especially from chapter 4 of the book.

Click here to view this book at Amazon.com.

If you are a Washoe County teacher, click here to search for this book at the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

After reading from the book Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen, the writer will imagine being a young child growing up on a farm with no one to play with. The writer will create a short story in which they have to use their imagination to take them to far away places. The interactive button game on the Student Instructions Page will give writers many interesting options for this creative writing activity. Teachers: click here to read the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is voice; the writer’s goal is to give the audience a first hand account of the daily life of a young child on a farm. The support trait in this assignment is word choice; strong word choices will be brainstormed before writing their rough drafts.