Creating Aspects based on Legion by Brandon Sanderson

Learning Objectives & Utah ELA Standards

Reading: Literature Standard 5

Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the
choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution)
contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact

Reading: Literature Standard 4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative
and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or
informal tone).

Required Materials & Resources

Reading journals, Legion by B. Sanderson, printed Aspect worksheets & teacher examples,
computer and internet access.

Academic Skills & Vocabulary

Language skill: Summarize, analyze, describe

Discipline Vocabulary: Descriptive language, characteristics, character mapping

Instructional Procedures

First class period

5 MIN Welcome to class and discuss announcements and good news from students.

5 MIN Split class into small groups for a small group discussion.

15 MIN Small group discussion. Students will focus on questions like, Which Aspect is
their favorite? Did the first novella end like you thought it would? What was different?
What did you think of Stephen creating a new Aspect? Did you think that Stephen
made good decisions?

10 MIN Class discussion. Summarize the comments made in the small group
discussions and focus on highlights from different groups.

15 MIN Introduce Assignment: Creating your own Aspect

● Explain how students will create their own aspects

● Show teacher examples and read quote from second novella (pg 92)
 ○ “They aren’t personalities,” I said. “They’re separate from me. I
don’t have dissociative identity disorder. If anything, I’m
schizophrenic.”
● Hand out papers
● Answer any questions
● Allow students to work quietly

Students can take their Aspect worksheet home to continue to work on it if they
want.

10 MIN Record in their reading journals until class ends. Have them record some of their
own thoughts from reading and also their favorite comments and thoughts from the
discussions.

Second class period

5 MIN Have students pick up a computer on their way to their desk, then finish up
reading journals from last class or read quietly

20 MIN Discuss Aspect creation from last class. How did it go, any parts that were
particularly difficult, did the experience grant any additional insights into the novel or
Stephen’s experience? Transition from the assignment to descriptive language. Ask
students to consider how they would describe their Aspect. Introduce references
such as https://7esl.com/describing-people-appearance/, Google, or a thesaurus that
students may use for the next section.

10 MIN Have students write an in-depth description of their Aspect, encourage the use of
as many adjectives as possible. They may work in groups or individually, address
any questions or concerns as they arise.

10 MIN Using https://www.artguru.ai, have students input their descriptions to create an

image of their aspect. Have students copy the image they create and the descriptors
they used into a blank Google Doc. Have students change at least one descriptor
and repeat the process four more times. Students should have a total of 5 images
with accompanying descriptive text.

10 MIN Have students discuss with each other how changes in the descriptive text
changed the resulting image, then have students write a brief summary of their
discussion in the Google Doc below the images. Students will submit this document
online through Canvas.

5 MIN Students will turn in Reading journals, put away computers, and read quietly until
class is dismissed.

Assessment
Assessment will be their reading journal entries, the bottom question from the Aspect
worksheet, and the results from the image generation assignment. This will show the teacher
how they are analyzing the story that we are engaging with as well as how well they understand
the use of descriptive language as it pertains to people/characters.

*Adaptations/Accommodations

Instead of participating in discussions, students may turn in a written assignment answering the
questions we discussed. Headphones, text-to-speech and speech-to-text functionality available.
Other accommodations available on an individual basis.
Name___________________________________ Date__________________ Period_______

Aspect creation
Name: Age: Gender:

Nickname (if any):

Eye color: Hair color: Height:

Distinguishing characteristics:

Personality:

Interests:

Likes and dislikes:

What part of your personality is this aspect embodying?

On the back, write how this process has helped you understand Stephen’s mindset as he
deals with his multitude of aspects.
Instructional design

I created this lesson using backward design, aiming to give students a practical understanding
of how descriptive language shapes clear imagery and how its misuse can lead to confusion.
Backward design is my preferred instructional method as it can be applied to nearly any
teaching scenario. It helped me provide structure to an idea and integrate it into the learning
process, transforming an abstract concept first into a concrete action plan, then into a
meaningful assignment that not only educates but also advances the entire unit.

I began with an examination of a previously created unit centered on Brandon Sanderson's

"Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds." By building upon the existing framework of this
unit, I streamlined the process of creating this lesson, allowing me to focus solely on its content
without getting entangled in external complexities. The provided worksheet was my starting
point. I originally designed it as a take-home assignment to foster students' connection with the
text, but for this assignment I expanded the scope, integrating exploration of descriptive
language and introducing the use of generative AI technology as a tool to analyze and
experiment with descriptive language.