(Part Two) Planning a PoP Lesson for Grades 6-8

Welcome to the second part of our two-part series on planning a Patterns of Power lesson for middle school students! In our previous episode, Whitney and I began planning a lesson focused on advanced compound sentences with coordinating conjunctions. We explored focus phrases, selected our mentor text "Farms of the Future," and examined compare and contrast options.

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Travis: Welcome back, listeners and viewers, to PoPCast Reboot! This episode is part two of our planning work with a middle school-focused Patterns of Power lesson. In the first part of our planning found, in episode 20, Whitney and I keyed in on a focus phrase of connecting sentences with a comma and one of the FANBOYS, also known as coordinating conjunctions.

We chose a model from the text "Farms of the Future," which is available on CommonLit, that highlights two coordinating conjunctions, connecting three independent clauses (or standalone sentences) into one. We also shared options for comparing and contrasting this advanced compound sentence. If you haven't yet checked out part one of this planning work, we suggest you take some time to do so before joining us for this episode.

If you have, and you're ready to join us for planning through the rest of this lesson set, then let's get this party started with the invitation to imitate. And here we go!

Travis: All right. Let's look at imitation. My thinking around this is that my students are gonna need a little bit more prompting and support to get to imitation because this is one of the more complex patterns that they are going to be studying. So with that in mind, I thought about prompting them toward generating content that then we could do some playing around making these connections.

The option that I would like to use is starting by brainstorming as [00:02:00] a class topic we might be able to write about that we know things about. After that, generating three or more sentences about this chosen topic and then revisiting that group of sentences to try to connect the ideas together to make an advanced compound sentence.

So in the class we might brainstorm. Here are some things that we could write a lot about. 

I would then choose one and I would write about it. I would model that for my students, so I might choose shoes. Then I would write a few sentences "I want a new pair of dress shoes. I want them to be comfortable and stylish. The brand I want is too expensive. I might buy a cheaper pair. This pair isn't my favorite style." From here, I could go back and play with how I might connect these ideas together. I could play with it on the whiteboard. I could put all of these onto note cards or sticky notes, and then practice in front of students by just adding a comma in a conjunction and talking about how that connects ideas together.

Yeah. For example, I want them to be comfortable and stylish, comma, BUT the brand I want is too expensive. To me, those are contrasting ideas. So comma, SO I might buy a cheaper pair. 

Whitney: I like it, right? 

Travis: That's the cause and then the effect that happens, the causal relationship. So from there we're gonna let students lose either on their own or remember. A scaffolding option that we always suggest is pairing students up, letting them write together, and then play together in connecting these ideas. What do you think about this, Whitney? Thoughts? 

Whitney: I love it. I love it. I like the brainstorming of topics 'cause that just instantly gives them ideas of what they could write about, and it's not curriculum related. [00:04:00] And sometimes they forget that they can write about things that are not curriculum related. So this gives them that energy to write when it's. When they see, oh, I can write about anything. I don't have to keep it all about what we're studying in class because really the point of this is just to take something that you know a lot about, write about it, and write within that structure.

So then when it is time to write about the content how to write within that structure. I think that's something really important to remember.

Travis: Great. Okay. So there it is. Take it and use it. Let's talk about sharing options. Something that I like to elevate with my PLC with my group is creating a menu of options for sharing.

Some things that I might think about, and this I might do at the beginning of e, of a new grading period. I might do it at the beginning of a semester or the school year, ways that we can work together to generate novel ideas, so I don't always feel like I'm creating something new from scratch. But when I find new and fun ways of getting kids to connect, to be able to share their ideas, there's time for me to come back and kinda revisit, oh I, tried this, this was really cool. I want to share it with my group so that we all have an ever-growing list of cool ways to share.

There are times where I might want to maximize student movement, depending on the class period, the time of day, how my students are. I know they learn better when they're up and moving. There also might be times where I might want to minimize movement for various reasons. And so we might talk about how we can get kids to share just paired seats. We might already have desks set up in a certain way where kids can just easily, efficiently share with each other without having to get up, move and rotate.

I also think about ways that I might wanna maximize or minimize conversation, so [00:06:00] maximizing it, we might talk about conversation starters that we might give students or that we might set up for the whole class and suggest that they follow. We also, there are times, my last period of the day sometimes is all athletes who are all excited about the period after is athletic, so they're all revved up and they just want, if any conversation time is gonna devolve into chaos. So we might do a gallery walk, where their conversation might be writing back and forth with sticky notes. It might be nonverbal, but there are also times where I want to have options and the choice between the two.

Other things we want to think about digital sometimes is great. There are some things that we lose if we're always putting things on a digital whiteboard like a Padlet. Or there are times where we might just wanna make it this, sharing our imitation analog. We might put it on a sticky note to be able to move it and use it.

And then I think about other things that are simple that we don't always think about or maybe get lost when. In the grind of the school year, sometimes just novelty in the materials that we use can really spark students in feeling like, oh, okay, this is worthy of my time and something that I want to use.

Gimme a scented marker. Give me a scented strip. Things that they might not always mess with. Yeah. 

Whitney: Different shapes sticking out. 

Travis: Yes. Yes. 

Whitney: Yeah. So true. Yeah, so true. And that's, at every age. It doesn't matter what age, when it's something that's new or different, you catch their attention. 

Travis: Absolutely.

So this is what we would suggest. There are options if you are, if you have the middle school book in your possession and you've. Already experienced some of the lessons in the book. You know that there are novel sharing ideas that exist. You might put those into this curated list, your menu of [00:08:00] options.

But this is something that we would both strongly suggest that you put together a list of options so that you feel like you can make this as efficient as possible, while also infusing novelty, fun, joy into this aspect of the process. 

All right. We feel good moving into application. 

Whitney: Oh, let's do it.

Travis: All right. Let's talk about how we might apply. So one option, I'm gonna give you two options here, and one of them is a quick revision. So we might revisit some writing that we've done or. Create some just-in-time writing and then reread it to look for our sentence to sentence connections. 

Whitney: Will you just clarify for me the, just in time, not Justin time, but just-in-time writing in time.

The, Justin writing. 

Travis: Yep. Not, only for Justin, not, we're not just doing just in time. This is for some, yeah. This is a clarifier we're reading Farms of the Future, the text. Okay. This would be a, let's do some response writing post reading. That will be our, just-in-time to move us into application.

We're gonna have that writing fresh. We all have the same foundational task with writing, and then we're gonna revisit that specific piece of writing that we've all generated together. Because writing, it can be low stakes writing that we go back and revise. This does not have to be a graded major grade assignment to do a quick revision. It could be a, our warmup choice writing, it could be a response to our reading that we just go back and let's revisit four sentence-to-sentence connections. 

Whitney: I love it. Thank you for that. 

Travis: For sure 

Whitney: Justin writing.

Travis: I know all our Justins writing for Justin. 

Whitney: Okay. 

Travis: Yep. We're gonna write. [00:10:00] And then our other option would be something that if we wanted to create maybe a little bit of a touch back to a narrative style writing, something that maybe we do I find that we do it. Often at the start of the school year as a getting to know you activity for students to get them comfortable with each other.

As the year progresses, we don't always Seem like that feels like the most impactful piece of writing. To go back to another option here, that could be an easy entry point for writing and something that is a great way to check in with students personally is what's happening in this picture. They bring a picture up, do some writing on that picture, and follow the pattern as a way to connect their ideas together.

I think it's a great way to check in, especially after a break. Hey, where were you on break? What's something interesting that you saw or that you did that you could highlight and elevate or, it's a great way from the beginning to the, toward the end of the school year, I feel like kids grow so dramatically in who they are, what their tastes and interests are. It's a great way to check in: oh, let's remember when or let's highlight something new in your life. So that's another option into application.

Whitney: Yeah. Love it. 

Travis: Great. 

Whitney: I'm all about writing about a picture. I just think giving that stimulus just provides the content and they can just roll with it. 

Travis: As we think about moving into editing that editing conversation, some things that I took a look at, this is a, this is again, a great efficiency hack, we highlighted a conversation. We talked a little bit about it in our last episode, but to really dig into it again in this episode, some things that we took a look at to create our editing conversation options here. We took a look at lesson 5.3 and we reverse [00:12:00] engineered some of the options that we already created in this lesson.

To cross those over into this specific editing conversation. So we have an advanced compound sentence in lesson 5.3, we did some of the same moves. So that first one we changed one of the commas and the conjunction to a period. This is a great way to talk about the difference as we break it up into two separate sentences. Both are grammatically appropriate options, but what is the effect as we break off one of those very specific connecting words that we've used, from BUT to just the period.

As we take a look at the second we have removed the coordinating conjunctions. This is a great way to discuss a little bit more in depth what a comma splice looks like and how it feels to us as readers. This is a great way if we experience it first as readers and are able to talk about it, that we can then cross it over into a little bit more of a deeper conversation around our work as writers. Why we don't use comma splices because of the effect. What does that affect our reader? 

Whitney: I love doing it this way too, 'cause the standard often says avoid comma splices.

So we don't wanna teach them how to write in a comma slice. We want to teach them how to avoid that by writing more grammatically standard, using grammatically standard language and conventions. So this is a way to have a conversation as to why we avoid splices rather than teaching them to avoid it. We're naturally doing that when we're teaching the standard correct way to write. And then in this case, we can have those conversations about why this can be confusing for, why would, why we would want to avoid this type of writing. 

Travis: We're living in that [00:14:00] feeling a little bit as a reader and reading this and then, okay, so this is why as a writer we try to avoid this. It makes sense.

And then the third option is changing one of the connection points from a comma and a conjunction into a semicolon. 

Whitney: Mm. 

Travis: Another more 

Whitney: complexity there. 

Travis: Yeah. Another grammatically appropriate option that could happen here. For me, this is a great way to either check in on student understanding if we've already had a conversation around semicolons. I want to know what do students still remember and what have they retained via conversation.

Or, this is a great way to preview, get some formative assessment data around what it is that students know about the semicolon that it's there. If we haven't talked about it yet and they are coming with a lot of great background knowledge, we might be able to do a little bit more advanced work as we bring this up to highlight in a next lesson set. 

Whitney: Hmm. 

Travis: So 

Whitney: great little way to introduce something. 

Travis: Yeah. So there it is. I'm going to stop sharing. You better Just not, and here we are, we're back. There's our lesson. 

Whitney: Okay. Created 

Travis: from scratch. Yeah. 

Whitney: So when planning that, like how long did it take you to find that sentence? How long did it take you to prepare for our conversation today? 

Travis: Yeah, that's a great question. I think the first read it probably took me a good hour to find this specific, 

Whitney: right. 

Travis: This specific pattern because it's a little bit more advanced. Something that I used as an efficiency hack as I was already thinking about gathering text that I might be [00:16:00] using from CommonLit. Having that up digitally as I'm reading through it and thinking about it, okay, I'm gonna use this for this purpose in the class if I want to use this Also as a pop lesson. I just did the control F to find specific elements within the text. Mm-hmm. So I looked for a comma and a BUT. Comma and an AND. That was an easy way to do a fast efficient preview to number one C, does this exist?

Whitney: I didn't, does this structure exist? Didn't do that. 

Travis: Yeah. So it was, that is awesome 

Whitney: actually. Just thinking if I'm looking for something specific in that article, that's an easy way. To see does this even have it? 'cause it's definitely an article I wanna use, right? How else could I maximize my time with this article?

Love 

Travis: it. Absolutely. So then when it exists, then there's the hierarchy of, is this specific example interesting? Is it an important filler, but it's, does it have a lot of flare or is it something that if we stood alone and elevated it, it would be worthy of discussion? So that was my second run through. I found two options in different texts. This one, to me, just felt a little bit meatier to be able to have a conversation around.

Okay, so that does, it does take a long, it does, it did take a bit of time, but for me, I felt like it was time while spent because I was already looking through that teacher planning lens of how I'm, gonna use this to help with the broader umbrella of this unit that we're working on.

Whitney: When I'm searching for text to use, not for Patterns of Power, but for a lesson. And I will often, because I'm so used to finding Patterns of Power sentences, they'll stick out at me. It's oh my goodness, I can use this for that as well. So the more that you do this type of planning, the more these patterns stick out to you as a teacher too.

Travis: Yeah, I have a, [00:18:00] this specific "Farms of the Future" text. I printed a copy so that I could read through and just also capture all of the other possibilities for patterns of power lessons that exist. And there are a lot, that's what I love about we call that more complex. 

Whitney: It's often called mining a mentor text. That's what you did. You mined it for what else it has in it that could be used. Yeah. Yeah 

Travis: So, if you're already grabbing a text, "Hey, I'm gonna mine this to look at genre characteristics of informational text." This one already has great characteristics of the genre.

A second layer is, okay, let's look at the craft moves that the author is making. What is the author doing? And then we could think about, okay, what are those grammatical structures of those craft moves? I'm already putting in the time with this text. Now I don't have to go separately to find. Now I'm on search just for grammar work. I'm already looking based on what I've got in front of me.

Whitney: Yeah, 

Travis: Great question. 

Whitney: Thank you for 

Travis: That and thanks for being a planning buddy today. 

Whitney: Sure. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. If I were on your team, I'd be excited to now take this in and give it a go. 

Travis: Thank you. I 

Whitney: I think my kids would enjoy it. 

Travis: Alright, so listeners, all of these resources should be connected in the show notes.

You should be able to access those to be able to take the, not only the text, but also the slides presentation that you saw being shared here. If you are watching, or as you were listening, we had a slides presentation, so you can access that in the show notes to be able to take that and use it directly in your classroom.

Whitney: If you're listening to this, yes, it's also a slideshow. So if you have a professional development day coming up or you have something coming up or you need a filler for that time, this is like free professional development too. So just [00:20:00] , a little thing that you could use there too.

I know there were times where we had a district professional development day, and we had to write down what we were doing during that time, and we were on our own to figure out what it was like, what webinar we were gonna watch or anything. And I would've loved having something like this where it really dove into, not only was I getting an additional plan, but it really walked me through this planning process that I could turn around and do on my own too.

So it's always an option. 

Travis: All right. Move forward. Have fun. And we hope that this is a helpful resource for you in many ways. 

Whitney: Absolutely. Have a great one. 

Travis: All right. Take care y'all.

Let me take you through highlights of the rest of our planning process:

Invitation to Imitate: Supporting Complex Pattern Work

When teaching more complex patterns like advanced compound sentences, we find students need additional prompting and support during the imitation phase. Here's one approach we found success with:

1. Brainstorm topics as a class - Start by generating a list of subjects students know well and could write about easily

2. Generate multiple sentences - Have students write three or more sentences about their chosen topic

3. Connect ideas into compound sentences - Show students how to revisit those sentences and connect them using commas and coordinating conjunctions

For example, if I choose "shoes" as my topic, I might model writing:

• "I want a new pair of dress shoes."

• "I want them to be comfortable and stylish."

• "The brand I want is too expensive."

• "I might buy a cheaper pair."

• "This pair isn't my favorite style."

Then I demonstrate connecting these ideas: "I want them to be comfortable and stylish, BUT the brand I want is too expensive, SO I might buy a cheaper pair."

This shows how different conjunctions create different relationships between ideas - "but" for contrast and "so" for cause/effect. As Whitney pointed out during our planning:

"I like the brainstorming of topics because that just instantly gives them ideas of what they could write about, and it's not curriculum related. And sometimes they forget that they can write about things that are not curriculum related."

From there, students can work individually or in pairs to try out imitating the pattern. The key is giving them freedom to write about topics they're genuinely interested in, which helps them focus on mastering the structure rather than struggling with content.

Creating a Menu of Sharing Options

One efficiency hack we love is collaborating with my fellow grade level team or department to create a menu of sharing options that we can reuse throughout the year. This prevents the feeling of constantly creating something new from scratch while still keeping lessons engaging.

When building your sharing menu, consider:

• Movement levels - Options that maximize movement for energetic classes vs. minimizing movement when efficiency is key

• Conversation levels - Structured conversation starters vs. quieter options like gallery walks with sticky note feedback

• Digital vs. analog - Digital platforms like Padlet vs. physical options like sticky notes

• Novel materials - Sometimes just switching up materials (scented markers, unusually shaped paper) adds excitement

We recommend creating this menu at the beginning of a new grading period or semester, so you don't always feel like you're creating something new. Having this curated list ready allows you to match the sharing activity to your specific class needs while maintaining novelty and engagement.

Application Strategies

For application, we discussed two practical options that allow students to apply their learning about compound sentences:

Option 1: Quick Revision

Revisit writing that students have already done or create some "just-in-time" writing (like a response to "Farms of the Future"), then reread to look for sentence-to-sentence connections.

"This does not have to be a graded major grade assignment to do a quick revision," we noted during our planning. "It could be a warmup choice writing, it could be a response to our reading that we just go back and revisit for sentence-to-sentence connections."

This approach reinforces that revision doesn't always have to be a high-stakes activity; it can be a quick skill practice using writing students have already produced.

Option 2: Picture-Based Writing

Have students write about a picture - either one they bring in or one you provide. This works especially well after breaks ("What happened in this picture from your vacation?") or as a check-in throughout the year.

Whitney was particularly enthusiastic about this approach: "I'm all about writing about a picture. I just think giving that stimulus just provides the content and they can just roll with it."

The picture provides instant content inspiration, allowing students to focus on applying the compound sentence pattern rather than struggling with what to write about.

Engineering the Editing Conversation

For our editing conversation, we reverse-engineered options from Lesson 5.3 in the middle school PoP book that already featured advanced compound sentences. We created three variations to discuss:

1. Changed one comma + conjunction to a period - This allows us to discuss how breaking a compound sentence affects meaning while maintaining grammatical correctness

2. Removed the coordinating conjunctions - This creates comma splices, letting students experience as readers why we avoid them as writers

3. Changed one connection from comma + conjunction to semicolon - This offers a chance to either assess prior knowledge of semicolons or preview this more advanced punctuation

Planning Efficiency Hacks

When Whitney asked about my planning process, I shared that finding the perfect sentence example took about an hour, but I used several efficiency hacks that any teacher can apply:

• Using Control+F to search digital texts for specific patterns (comma + "but" or comma + "and").

• Mining mentor texts for multiple teaching opportunities - When I find a text I want to use for one purpose, I immediately look for other patterns it contains. As Whitney noted, "The more that you do this type of planning, the more these patterns stick out to you as a teacher too."

• Printing copies to mark up with all the potential patterns for future lessons. For "Farms of the Future," I captured all the possibilities for future Patterns of Power lessons in one reading.

This approach allows you to maximize your planning time. If you're already reviewing a text for genre characteristics or craft moves, you can simultaneously identify grammatical patterns that might make good Patterns of Power lessons. The more you practice finding these patterns, the more naturally they'll start jumping out at you in any text you read with your students.

Putting It All Together

There you have it - a complete middle school Patterns of Power lesson plan for teaching students to connect ideas with commas and coordinating conjunctions! The full lesson follows this sequence:

1. Introduce the mentor text: "Farms of the Future" from CommonLit

2. Guide students through the invitation to notice our model sentence

3. Share the focus phrase after students have noticed and discussed it in the model sentence

4. Explore compare and contrast options to deepen understanding

5. Support students in imitating the pattern with their own topics

6. Provide an engaging sharing option from your curated menu

7. Apply the learning through quick revision or picture-based writing

8. Wrap up with an editing conversation to refine understanding

All the resources mentioned in this post are available in the show notes, including the slides we shared during the episode.

As Whitney pointed out, these episodes can double as free professional development for those self-directed PD days: "If you have a professional development day coming up or you have something coming up or you need a filler for that time, this is like free professional development too."

Not only do you get a ready-to-use lesson plan, but you also get insight into the planning process that you can apply to creating your own lessons.

Happy teaching!