Beacon Lesson Plan Library

Let's Just Dialogue!

Dianne Parks

Description

After reviewing the use of conventions through teacher directed experiences, students complete a cartoon drawing containing dialogue that shows an understanding of the conventions used in dialogue by using the bubble form.

Standards

Florida Sunshine State Standards
LA.B.1.2.2.4.7
The student generally follows the conventions of punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate at fourth-grade or higher level (See benchmark LA.B.1.2.3 for specifics.)

LA.B.1.2.3.4.2
The student uses conventions of punctuation (including but not limited to commas in a series, dates, and addresses; beginning and ending quotation marks).

Florida Process Standards
Information Managers
01 Florida students locate, comprehend, interpret, evaluate, maintain, and apply information, concepts, and ideas found in literature, the arts, symbols, recordings, video and other graphic displays, and computer files in order to perform tasks and/or for enjoyment.

Effective Communicators
02 Florida students communicate in English and other languages using information, concepts, prose, symbols, reports, audio and video recordings, speeches, graphic displays, and computer-based programs.

Materials

- Copy of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman, White Wolf, 1997
- Transparencies from book pages
- Examples of cartoon dialogue bubbles (your local paper cartoon section is a great source)
- Drawing paper
- Pencils
- Crayons or markers

Preparations

1. Obtain a copy of the book The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman.
2. Make transparencies of several pages of the book.
3. Provide examples of cartoon dialogue bubbles from the newspaper.
4. Get samples of other books with dialogue.

Procedures

1. Ask students, "What am I doing?" Then proceed to have a one-sided conversation with yourself.
(Students will think you're nuts, but some students will say you are having a conversation.)
2. Let students respond, and list answers on the board.
3. Explain to students what conversation is by saying it is dialogue between two or more people. Review punctuation and capitalization skills to help students draw on their prior knowledge of these skills for this lesson.
4. Ask students, "Why are conventions important in dialogue?" Wait for responses.
5. Show examples of cartoon dialogue bubbles. Discuss why they are used and their purpose and what punctuation is used in the dialogue such as periods, commas, question marks, exclamation marks, etc.
6. Tell students that the class is going to read the book The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish. Their task is to listen and follow along by watching the overhead display.
7. Put the example pages on the overhead as you read the story aloud and point to the conversation as you read it.
8. Discuss the way the author chooses which words are in the bubble and which are not.
9. Tell students that they are now going to create their own cartoon. They are to use the bubble format. color their illustrations, and their cartoon must make sense.
10. After the students have finished their cartoons, have them turn the cartoon bubbles (on a separate sheet of paper) into standard dialogue complete with quotation marks and other punctuation as appropriate.

Assessments

Each student creates a cartoon with dialogue showing the correct use of conventions. Each student will also write out their cartoon bubbles in standard dialogue complete with quotation marks and other punctuation. A rubric isused as a formative assessment of the student's learning. (See Attached Files.)

Attached Files

Formative Assessment Rubric File Extension: pdf