ALEX Lesson Plan

Students will be drawn in by a classic story of guilt or innocence as they discover the Western town of Moon Dance, Montana, home of Al, a young man who begins to doubt the innocence of his mentor and father figure. Could Mr. Baumer be guilty of murder? In this lesson, students are introduced to all the elements of a short story and forget that they are learning how to write an argumentative essay in their zeal to defend their opinion with evidence from the text. 

Students will need paper and writing instruments. If internet access is a problem for students, paper copies of "Bargain" by A. B. Gutherie, Jr., will be needed, as well.

Ideally, students will need devices to access the story "Bargain" by A. B. Gutherie, Jr. via the internet.

Often, students are not familiar with the Western genre of short stories. 

Prior instruction might include plot elements, characterization techniques, and the argumentative essay. However, this lesson is a great way to introduce an argumentative essay assignment, whether students have learned how to write one in the past or not. 

The importance of the close read will be enhanced if the first reading of the story is oral, but the teacher does NOT draw out the inferences as they read.

The teacher should be thoroughly familiar with the text, knowing which parts to call on students to read and which portions should be read aloud by the teacher. 

Before

1. Introduce the concept of the Western genre through pictures of old western towns. Activate prior knowledge by showing the PowerPoint "Bargain" Images. Discuss informally the images and what they represent.

During

2. Introduce the short story "Bargain" by A. B. Gutherie, Jr., 

3. Review point of view, dialect,  characterization techniques, simile, and metaphor.

4. The text is a difficult read for some 8th graders. Chunk the text calling on better readers to read some portions and have the teacher read other parts, particularly those with dialect. The reading might be best split over two days - the end of the first day and the beginning of the second day. 

5. It is best if the teacher doesn't "overteach" the inferences within the text about the guilt or innocence of the main character. 

6. Allow the students to read silently the last 2 pages but warn them to be aware of the details. 

7. Ask students to do a quick write (no more than 2 minutes) of what actually happened to Freighter Slade. Allow students to share briefly. 

8. Say to the students, "I believe that Freighter Slade died of poisoning. "Ask them to go back into the last two pages of the story and find the details that prove that inference.  

9. Students can point out specific phrases by having a class secretary write them on a board or chart paper.

10. Give students the Bargain Significant Quote chart. Students should close read the story and find a quote for each term. The second page is the reverse. Quotes are given and their significance should be explained in terms of literary definitions and the story content. 

11. Begin a class period with the "Bargain Letter: Dear Students." Allow students to read the letter silently before answering their questions about the assignment. Review the terms: argument, claim, and counterargument. Allow students to use a t-chart and the story to list quotes from the story to use as evidence to support their findings. 

After

12. Students could present their writings on the following day and evaluate the evidence their peers reference, particularly those students who are on opposite sides of the case.

Student close reading will be summatively assessed via the Bargain Significant Quote pages and the final student writing. 

Formative assessment will take place via the discussion of the last two pages and the student quote pullouts to support the reason for the demise of Freighter Slade. 

Students can use their writing as the basis for a class debate on the guilt or innocence of the main character. Students can be assigned the roles of the characters and research all the details that characters would and would not know. 

Students can video their own presentation of their opening argument via their smartphones.

Advanced students could create a recording of the story enabling special education students to fully access the story.

Special education students will need support in the reading of the story. Reading aloud and explicit vocabulary instruction is necessary, particularly for dialogue containing dialect. 

Special education students writing the opening argument may need a graphic organizer with the opening sentence at the top and the closing sentence at the bottom. Space in the middle could be bulleted with students supplying quotes from the story to prove their belief.