Empowerment as Writers

The writing program described in this lesson plan asks students to look closely at their writing, marking speaking parts, and then to return to the beginning to find any places where the "characters clash." During the one 50-minute lesson, students will: explore paragraphing conventions for dialogue; examine their own writing closely using a self-editing activity; and work toward their own empowerment as writers by correcting their own writing. The instructional plan, lists of resources, student assessment/reflection activities, and a list of National Council of Teachers of English/International Reading Association (NCTE/IRA) Standards addressed in the lesson are included. "Collaborating to Write Dialogues" (Janis Cramer) is attached.