Learning Competency: EN7wc-IIId-2.2.

13: Compose an Anecdote Based on

Significant Personal Experience

Topic: Compose an Anecdote

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES:

At the end of the lesson, students shall have:

A. Identified the purpose of anecdotes through a speaking activity;

B. Presented a role playing activity describing the types of anecdotes; and
C. Related the importance of anecdotes to their personal experiences in the
society.

TIME FRAME: 2 hours

II. Learning Content

Subject Matter

A .Topic: Compose Anecdotes

B .Skills focus: (Social Skills) Effective Communication and Active Listening
C. Reference:

 Fineman, J. (2013). The history of the anecdote: fiction and fiction. In The
New Historicism (pp. 65-92). Routledge.

 Charlton, M. (2007). that’s Just a story: Academic genres and teaching

Anecdotes in Writing-Across-the-Curriculum Projects. The WAC Journal,
18, 19-29.

D. Materials: Teacher-made visual aids (PowerPoint presentation, activity

sheets,) laptop, blue tooth speaker, projector, bond paper, marker, tape,
internet/ Wi-Fi connection, mobile devices.

III. Teaching-learning Proceedings:

A. Routine Activities

Opening A personal prayer to be lead by one of the students. This may take up to
Prayer one (1) minute.

The teacher and the students will greet each other. This may take up to
Greetings
two (2) minutes.
 After the greetings, the teacher will now request the students to compose
Classroom themselves, arrange the tables and chairs and pick up trashes in the
Managemen classroom. Then the teacher will ask them to sit down, clear off their
t tables and keep away the things which are not related to the subject.
After that, the teacher will call them one-by-one to check the attendance
and to make sure that they are in their proper arrangement.

Activity: “Speak Up!”

The teacher builds students’ interest in learning by grouping them into five (5).
The teacher will give them activity sheets containing three (2) topics with two
(2) questions each. The members should share their thoughts about the given
topics and questions one at a time, and everyone must listen. The group
members could also ask some follow-up questions relating to the topic or
questions presented. After the sharing session, the group will have to
consolidate their ideas/answers. Each group must choose one (1)
representative to present their consolidated answers in the class.

Note: The groups will be given the same activity sheet, like the one provided
below.

GROUP ACTIVITY SHEET

Directions: Your group will have to answer the questions provided below.

Topic 1: Gender Inequality

Questions:

 What do you think is the biggest issue concerning gender in the present time?
 What are your thoughts about gender inequality?

Topic 2: Cultural Diversity

 Does culture play an important role in our society? Why?

 How does culture shape our moral behavior?
 Analysis: Let’s think about it.

The teacher will ask the following questions:

1. What have you noticed about the activity?

2. Do you find the topics and questions interesting?Why?

Why is it important to give your personal perspective about a

3. significant topic at hand?

As a student, how important is it to illustrate your point effectively?

4.

Are you familiar with anecdotes? If yes, can you give me some
5. examples?

Abstraction: Let’s Explore!

I. WHAT IS AN ANECDOTE?

An anecdote is a very short story that is significant to the topic at hand;

usually adding personal knowledge or experience to the topic. Basically,
anecdotes are stories. Like many stories, anecdotes are most often told
through speech; they are spoken rather than written down. The term
“anecdote” originally comes from the Greek phrase ἀνέκδοτα , meaning
“things unpublished.”
The purpose of writing anecdotes

Anecdotes are used to give a personal perspective, illustrate a point, make

people think about something, or make them laugh. One of the places where
you might find anecdote writing useful is when writing a personal essay.
Perhaps something that happened in your life inspired you to study in a
certain direction, and you’d like to share the story to show why you are highly
motivated to do well.

Non-fiction, informal essays can also be livened up with anecdotes that show
how the information you’re sharing works in practice, and why people need to
know about or think about the topic.

Moreover, anecdotes, or short personal stories, have many uses: They create
a world of diversity in experience and perspective. They are important
because they emphasize the usefulness of personal experience, next to that
of facts or professional perspectives. Anecdotes represent the variation of
experience and inspire compassion. Storytelling is an art form that everyone,
even if unknowingly, participates in.

II. Examples of Anecdotes

Example 1

Picture a mother and a father discussing whether or not to get a dog for the
family. The father says:

You know, when I was a kid, my dog was my best friend. My childhood was
better because of him.

The mother contemplates his story—a.k.a. his anecdote—and then agrees

that they should get a dog.

Example 2

Sometimes anecdotes are funny or effective because they interrupt an

important moment. Imagine a big wedding dinner on a TV sitcom. The best
man is giving a speech, when suddenly another guest, clearly drunk, stands
up and yells:

That reminds me of a wild party I went to with the groom, before he got that
new ball and chain! If you had told me back then that he would choose just
ONE woman, I never would have believed it!

The audience laughs at his drunken anecdote, while the bride looks at the
groom in anger. Here, the anecdote brings both humor and tension to the
moment.
Example 3

Anecdotes can be as simple as a relative joke. Picture a group of friends

discussing their Halloween costumes for this year. One friend says:

I was an owl last year—it was a real hoot!

Her friends groan and giggle. Here, the anecdote is told just to bring laughter.

Example of an Anecdote in Literature

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Albus Dumbledore is having a

conversation with a visiting headmaster about the knowledge they have of
their own castles. Dumbledore then says:

Oh, I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts’

secrets, Igor. Only this morning, for instance, I took a wrong turn
on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully
proportioned room I had never seen before, containing a really
rather magnificent collection of chamber pots. When I went back
to investigate more closely, I discovered that the room had
vanished.

Dumbledore’s brief story is related to their conversation; it gives a personal

example to support his view on the topic, and provides something for Igor to
ponder. Furthermore, the anecdote makes Dumbledore appear humble
against his visitor’s prideful attitude.

Example of an Anecdote in Pop Culture

Sometimes anecdotes can bring up the past while also foreshadowing the
future. In the movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,
Gandalf shows the Fellowship the mines in Moria, where they tirelessly mined
for Mithril, a valuable metal. He then shares a short relative story—an
anecdote—about how Bilbo once had a shirt made of Mithril. The audience
already knows that Frodo now has that very shirt, thus Gandalf’s anecdote
teaches the Fellowship something about Mithril while simultaneously
foreshadowing that the shirt will be important in the future

III. Types of Anecdotes

Anecdotes can be presented in an endless number of forms. Below are

several typical types of anecdotes.

a. Humorous

An anecdote that adds humor to the topic at hand. For example, two friends
are arguing about driving directions. The driver tells the passenger to turn off
the GPS, insisting that he knows the way. The passenger replies, “oh, like the
time we turned it off and ended up out in the middle of that cow farm?!”   We
then see a flashback of their car surrounded by loudly mooing cows.

b. Reminiscent

A story that remembers something general about the past or a specific event,
expressed in ways such as “that reminds me of…”, “when I used to…”, “I
remember when…”, and so on. For example, a child asks her grandmother for
$2 to buy candy at the store, and the grandmother says, “you know back in
my day, all you needed was a penny to go to the candy shop! My
grandmother would give me a nickel and I’d be a happy clam!”

c. Philosophical

An anecdote expressed in order to make others think more deeply about the
topic at hand. For example, a group of college students are discussing the
morality of lying; most are arguing that it is never okay to lie. One student
offers an anecdote to the others: “what about families who lied to German
soldiers, you know, about hiding Jews in their homes during World War II? Do
the lives saved justify the lies they told?” The students then contemplate the
validity of their prior arguments.

d. Inspirational

An anecdote that is told in order to inspire hope or other positive emotions.

They are often about not giving up, achieving goals or dreams, making the
impossible possible, and so on. For example, a doctor talking to a group of
war amputees tells them about a soldier who came in with no hands and no
hope—but left the hospital holding his newborn baby in his prosthetic hands.

e. Cautionary

Stories that warn others about the dangers or negative consequences

surrounding the topic at hand. For example, a speaker is giving a talk to
teenagers about the risks of using drugs. During his presentation, he reminds
them of a well-known straight-A student who died of a heroin overdose a few
years before; warning them that it could happen to anyone.

IV. Importance of Anecdotes

Anecdotes, like other forms of stories, are common and highly effective
devices found throughout literature, film, television, theater, and even real life.
Anecdotes make conversations or dialogue more personal and interesting.
Usually, they are employed in a way that will make the audience and/or other
characters laugh or think more deeply about a topic.

Moreover, anecdotes are valuable literary devices because of their diversity in

style, tone, and utility—they can be used by almost any person, in any
situation, in any genre. Like any story shared with others, anecdotes serve
countless purposes and make situations more interesting for both the
 characters and the audience. An anecdote is a timeless device that is used
across literature, film, television and theater, and has been benefiting
storytellers across all cultures and societies for centuries.

Application: Let’s do it!

The class will be divided into three (3) groups. The teacher will instruct the
students to describe the different types of anecdotes through a role playing
activity. The types of anecdotes include: humorous, reminiscent,
philosophical, inspirational, and cautionary. The group will also have to
present some examples using their own personal experiences for each type.
The presentation will be graded using the rubrics below:

4 Points 3 Points 2 Points 1 Point

Always willing and Usually willing Sometimes Rarely willing and
Participation and focused during the and focused willing and focused during the
group work. assigned tasks and during assigned focused during the assigned tasks and
presentation. tasks and assigned tasks and presentation.
presentation. presentation.
Convincing Competent Adequate Limited
Speaking with communication of communication communication communication
conviction character’s role, of character’s of character’s of character’s role,
feelings and motives. role, feelings role, feelings and feelings and motives.
and motives. motives.
Presented all the Presented many Presented some Did not presented any
Content and relevant information relevant relevant relevant information
relevance to the about the types of information information about about the types of
topic anecdotes. about the types the types of anecdotes.
of anecdotes. anecdotes..
An impressive variety A good variety An acceptable Limited variety of non-
Use of non-verbal of non-verbal cues were (3 or more) non- variety of non- verbal cues were used
cues used in an exemplary verbal cues were verbal cues were in a developing way.
way. used in a used in an
competent way. adequate way.

Evaluation:

This will be an individual task. Each student must compose an anecdote

about a particular issue or problem in the society within his or her area of
concern. Guide questions are provided below:

1. Why did you choose to tackle this topic?

2. What makes it alarming? Do you have personal experiences about it?
3. What particular group or groups were affected by this issue?
4. How will this be resolved? What action or interventions are needed?
5. As a student, what can you do to alleviate the situation?
 The task will be graded according to this criteria:

Content and organization -10

Grammar used - 10
Relevance to the topic - 10

Total Points - 30

1. Initiating This skill has been integrated in the group activities, particularly the
Conversation speaking activity. In order to carry on conversation and solicit ideas
for the activity, students should initiate and keep the conversation
going. It involves active listening, turn-taking and reciprocity, that is
why the teacher encouraged the students to listen to their group
mates and ask follow-up questions if necessary.

2. Problem-Solving This skill was incorporated also during their group tasks. There
may have been disagreements in terms of ideas, but the students
managed to discern what ideas should they incorporate to be able
to come up with an effective and interactive presentation.

3. Empathizing During the sharing session in the first activity, students were able
to know the thoughts and viewpoints of their group mates about
the topics and questions provided. With that, they were able to
empathize and share their thoughts as well.

Integration of Social Literacy Skills

Prepared and Submitted by:

Mereyl T. Del Puerto

Checked and Observed by:

Dante O. Calamba, PhD