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Garrett’s Unit Plan I.

Thematic Planning a. Overall theme of unit plan: Coming-of-age & Friendship b. Grade Level: 10th Grade c. Overall objectives for this unit: i. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of Coming-of-age and Friendship as it applies to literature, themselves, and the world around them. ii. Students will be able to use effective reading skills by consistently reading and privately interacting with texts that deal with the overall thematic elements. iii. Students will be able to use effective writing skills through participation in daily writing exercises (prompt writes, free writes, etc.) and formal essay writing. iv. Students will be able to use effective speaking skills through participation in formal and informal conversations/discussions with instructor and peers concerning the required literature readings and various activities. v. Students will be able to use effective listening skills through participation in class discussions/lectures and demonstrating listening/understanding of peers’ views and opinions during formal and informal conversations/discussions. d. TEKS Connections i. §110.32. English Language Arts and Reading, English II (One Credit), Beginning with School Year 2009-2010. 1. (b) Knowledge and skills. a. (2) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Theme and Genre. Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about theme and genre in different cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. Students are expected to: i. (A) compare and contrast differences in similar themes expressed in different time periods ii. (C) relate the figurative language of a literary work to its historical and cultural setting. b. (5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to: i. (A) analyze isolated scenes and their contribution to the success of the plot as a whole in a variety of works of fiction; ii. (B) analyze differences in the characters' moral dilemmas in works of fiction across different countries or cultures c. (13) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to: i. (A) plan a first draft by selecting the correct genre for conveying the intended meaning to multiple audiences, determining appropriate topics through a range of strategies (e.g., discussion, background reading, personal interests, interviews), and developing a thesis or controlling idea; ii. (C) revise drafts to improve style, word choice, figurative language, sentence variety, and subtlety of meaning after rethinking how well questions of purpose, audience, and genre have been addressed;

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iii. (E) revise final draft in response to feedback from peers and teacher and publish written work for appropriate audiences. d. (25) Listening and Speaking/Speaking. Students speak clearly and to the point, using the conventions of language. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to advance a coherent argument that incorporates a clear thesis and a logical progression of valid evidence from reliable sources and that employs eye contact, speaking rate (e.g., pauses for effect), volume, enunciation, purposeful gestures, and conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively. e. (26) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to participate productively in teams, building on the ideas of others, contributing relevant information, developing a plan for consensus-building, and setting ground rules for decision-making. e. ELPS Connections i. §74.4. English Language Proficiency Standards. 1. (c) Cross-curricular second language acquisition essential knowledge and skills. a. (2) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/listening. The ELL listens to a variety of speakers including teachers, peers, and electronic media to gain an increasing level of comprehension of newly acquired language in all content areas. ELLs may be at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high stage of English language acquisition in listening. In order for the ELL to meet grade-level learning expectations across the foundation and enrichment curriculum, all instruction delivered in English must be linguistically accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with the student’s level of English language proficiency. The student is expected to: i. (C) learn new language structures, expressions, and basic and academic vocabulary heard during classroom instruction and interactions ii. (G) understand the general meaning, main points, and important details of spoken language ranging from situations in which topics, language, and contexts are familiar to unfamiliar iii. (I) demonstrate listening comprehension of increasingly complex spoken English by following directions, retelling or summarizing spoken messages, responding to questions and requests, collaborating with peers, and taking notes commensurate with content and grade-level needs. b. (4) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/reading. The ELL reads a variety of texts for a variety of purposes with an increasing level of comprehension in all content areas. ELLs may be at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high stage of English language acquisition in reading. In order for the ELL to meet gradelevel learning expectations across the foundation and enrichment curriculum, all instruction delivered in English must be linguistically accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with the student’s level of English language proficiency. For Kindergarten and Grade 1, certain of these student

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expectations apply to text read aloud for students not yet at the stage of decoding written text. The student is expected to: i. (E) read linguistically accommodated content area material with a decreasing need for linguistic accommodations as more English is learned ii. (G) demonstrate comprehension of increasingly complex English by participating in shared reading, retelling or summarizing material, responding to questions, and taking notes commensurate with content area and grade level needs iii. (J) demonstrate English comprehension and expand reading skills by employing inferential skills such as predicting, making connections between ideas, drawing inferences and conclusions from text and graphic sources, and finding supporting text evidence commensurate with content area needs iv. (K) demonstrate English comprehension and expand reading skills by employing analytical skills such as evaluating written information and performing critical analyses commensurate with content area and grade-level needs. c. (5) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/writing. The ELL writes in a variety of forms with increasing accuracy to effectively address a specific purpose and audience in all content areas. ELLs may be at the beginning, intermediate, advanced, or advanced high stage of English language acquisition in writing. In order for the ELL to meet grade-level learning expectations across foundation and enrichment curriculum, all instruction delivered in English must be linguistically accommodated (communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded) commensurate with the student’s level of English language proficiency. For Kindergarten and Grade 1, certain of these student expectations do not apply until the student has reached the stage of generating original written text using a standard writing system. The student is expected to: i. (D) edit writing for standard grammar and usage, including subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and appropriate verb tenses commensurate with grade-level expectations as more English is acquired ii. (F) write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths, patterns, and connecting words to combine phrases, clauses, and sentences in increasingly accurate ways as more English is acquired iii. (G) narrate, describe, and explain with increasing specificity and detail to fulfill content area writing needs as more English is acquired

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f. CCRS Connections Standards Needs I. Writing A. Compose a variety of texts that demonstrate clear focus, the logical development of ideas in well-organized paragraphs, and the use of appropriate language that advances the author’s purpose. 1. Determine effective approaches, forms, and rhetorical techniques that demonstrate understanding of the writer’s purpose and audience. 2. Generate ideas and gather information relevant to the topic and purpose, keeping careful records of outside sources. 3. Evaluate relevance, quality, sufficiency, and depth of preliminary ideas and information, organize material generated, and formulate a thesis. 4. Recognize the importance of revision as the key to effective writing. Each draft should refine key ideas and organize them more logically and fluidly, use language more precisely and effectively, and draw the reader to the author’s purpose. 5. Edit writing for proper voice, tense, and syntax, assuring that it conforms to standard English, when appropriate. II. Reading A. Locate explicit textual information, draw complex inferences, and analyze and evaluate the information within and across texts of varying lengths. 1. Use effective reading strategies to determine a written work’s

Standards Achievements I. Writing A. Students will achieve this through informal daily writes in their writer’s notebooks, Cornell notes, occasional summary/responses, and writing one formal research paper, all of which will help students improve in these areas. 1. Through prompted daily writes and summary/responses, students will learn and be able to demonstrate understanding in these areas. 2. Students will generate ideas for their research papers and be given time to find and organize sources on media center days. 3. During research processes, students will analyze their ideas and gathered information for papers, decide what they want to address most, then formulate theses for their papers. 4. A couple of weeks before final drafts are due, students will be given opportunity to complete strictly guided peer reviews in class in which the importance of logical and fluid organization to help reader better understand his/her purpose is stressed. 5. After peer reviews, students will have time to fine-tune their papers for organization and appropriate use of English. II. Reading A. Students will be given tasks, such as various textual elements to look for and what conclusions or assumptions can possibly be made based on the presence of those elements. 1. Students will be instructed to speculate about purpose and

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purpose and intended audience. 2. Use text features and graphics to form an overview of informational texts and to determine where to locate information. 3. Identify explicit and implicit textual information including main ideas and author’s purpose. 4. Draw and support complex inferences from text to summarize, draw conclusions, and distinguish facts from simple assertions and opinions. 5. Analyze the presentation of information and the strength and quality of evidence used by the author, and judge the coherence and logic of the presentation and the credibility of an argument. 6. Analyze imagery in literary texts. 7. Evaluate the use of both literal and figurative language to inform and shape the perceptions of readers. 8. Compare and analyze how generic features are used across texts. 9. Identify and analyze the audience, purpose, and message of an informational or persuasive text. 10. Identify and analyze how an author’s use of language appeals to the senses, creates imagery, and suggests mood. 11. Identify, analyze, and evaluate similarities and differences in how multiple texts present information, argue a position, or relate a theme. B. Understand new vocabulary and concepts and use them accurately in

audience, basing assumptions on the time and place certain pieces were written. 2. Students will use text features and graphics in their writer’s notebooks during brainstorming activities. 3. Students will formulate opinions about main ideas and authorial intent during class discussions. 4. During class discussions of readings, students will be able to demonstrate ability to back up assertions and opinions by pointing out textual evidence. 5. Students will demonstrate ability to sort out quality of evidence and judge coherence and logic of “presentation” as well as credibility of argument as they analyze sources for their research papers. 6. Students will analyze imagery in texts during class discussions. 7. Students will evaluate use of literal and figurative language, particularly when we read poetry in class. 8. Students will grasp what certain elements or features mostly all of the texts have in common. 9. Students will identify audience, purpose, and messages of the texts from their sources. 10. Students will be expected to examine their sources closely enough to identify the authors’ appeals to pathos. 11. Students will be able to identify the differences and similarities in the information, positions, and thematic relations presented by sources. B. During class discussions, new vocabulary and concepts will be addressed and discussed as they read

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reading, speaking, and writing.

the novel and short stories and poems. 1. Throughout the course of the 1. Identify new words and unit, certain words and concepts concepts acquired through will be recorded and brought up study of their relationships to again as needed for discussions. other words and concepts. 2. For “key” words that are 2. Apply knowledge of roots and unfamiliar, students will learn affixes to infer the meanings of derivations and meanings. new words. 3. Students will know where 3. Use reference guides to confirm dictionaries are in class and be the meanings of new words or asked to refer to them when concepts. needed. C. Describe, analyze, and evaluate C. Thematic elements and other literary information within and across literary info will be addressed by reading a and other texts from a variety of novel, short stories, and poems from cultures and historical periods. various cultures and time periods. 1. Students will read short stories, 1. Read a wide variety of texts poetry and a novel from from American, European, and America, Europe, and other world literatures. parts of the world as well. 2. Analyze themes, structures, and 2. Students will consistently elements of myths, traditional identify and address primary narratives, and classical and themes in the various readings. contemporary literature. 3. Students will analyze historical 3. Analyze works of literature for and cultural context as they read what they suggest about the literature such as Boy in the historical period and cultural Striped Pajamas, original contexts in which they were Grimm fairy tales, and other written. works of literature. 4. Students will compare and 4. Analyze and compare the use of contrast the use of language language in literary works from throughout the various readings. a variety of world cultures. D. Explain how literary and other texts D. Students will think about how the readings apply to themselves and their evoke personal experience and reveal personal experiences before writing character in particular historical them down on writer’s notebooks. circumstances. 1. Through summary/responses 1. Describe insights gained about and daily informal writes, oneself, others, or the world students will describe insight from reading specific texts. gained through readings. 2. Analyze the influence of myths, 2. During class discussions, folktales, fables, and classical students will analyze how older literature from a variety of readings in class have world cultures on later literature influenced the more modern and film. readings, movies, and music.

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III. Speaking

III. Speaking A. Students will learn to understand the A. Understand the elements of sort of language skills needed for communication both in informal group informal and formal group and in-class discussions and formal presentations discussions and how to employ those (e.g., accuracy, relevance, rhetorical language skills as well. features, organization of information). 1. Through activities such as 1. Understand how style and Socratic seminars and lit circles, content of spoken language students will learn how to adapt varies in different contexts and their style of speaking to best influences the listener’s promote understanding. understanding. 2. Students will have chances to 2. Adjust presentation (delivery, speak formally and informally vocabulary, length) to particular and understand how to adjust audiences and purposes. presentations accordingly. B. Students will understand appropriate B. Develop effective speaking styles speaking styles to use during group for both group and one-on-one work and one-on-one conferences. situations. 1. Students will be able to 1. Participate actively and articulate ideas, thoughts, and effectively in one-on-one oral concerns during one-on-one communication situations. conferences about papers. 2. Participate actively and 2. Students will demonstrate effectively in group participation during Socratic discussions. seminars and lit circles. 3. Plan and deliver focused and 3. Students will understand what is coherent presentations that expected of them in planning convey clear and distinct and eventual delivery of formal perspectives and demonstrate and informal presentations. solid reasoning. IV. Listening IV. Listening A. Students will apply effective A. Apply listening skills as an individual and as a member of a group listening skills during class discussions, Socratic seminars, literature circles, and in a variety of settings (e.g., lectures, story reports. discussions, conversations, team 1. Students will analyze what projects, presentations, interviews). others are saying during story 1. Analyze and evaluate the reports and evaluate the effectiveness of a public effectiveness of speaker’s presentation. fluidity and ideas. 2. Interpret a speaker’s message; 2. Students will listen for and take identify the position taken and notes of speaker’s ideas and the evidence in support of that positions about story during position. scheduled story reports. 3. Use a variety of strategies to 3. Students will be required to take enhance listening notes during story reports and

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comprehension (e.g., focus attention on message, monitor message for clarity and understanding, provide verbal and nonverbal feedback, note cues such as change of pace or particular words that indicate a new point is about to be made, select and organize key information). B. Listen effectively in informal and formal situations. 1. Listen critically and respond appropriately to presentations. 2. Listen actively and effectively in one-on-one communication situations. 3. Listen actively and effectively in group discussions.

V. Research A. Formulate topic and questions. 1. Formulate research questions. 2. Explore a research topic. 3. Refine research topic and devise a timeline for completing work. B. Select information from a variety of sources. 1. Gather relevant sources. 2. Evaluate the validity and reliability of sources. 3. Synthesize and organize information effectively. C. Produce and design a document. 1. Design and present an effective product. 2. Use source material ethically.

identify what speakers are talking about. They will also be required to take Cornell notes during class discussions. This will encourage students to listen carefully in order to accurately describe what speakers are addressing and why and the effectiveness of these formal and informal presentations. B. Students will be given opportunities to practice listening skills for formal and informal classroom situations. 1. Students will listen and take notes during formal and informal presentations 2. Students will fully participate during one-on-one conferences and activities that require pair or small group work. 3. Students will fully participate in activities that require group work: Socratic seminars, lit circles, etc. V. Research A. Students will have one week after essays are assigned to come up with a topic and questions to research. 1. Students will formulate questions to research for their papers. 2. Students will be instructed to read into their topic questions via internet and/or books, etc. 3. Students will have an idea of how long it will take them to write paper by time of due date. B. Students will have every resource possible to generate viable sources. 1. Students will be instructed how to sift through their sources to find most relevant information. 2. Students will be instructed how to evaluate the reliability of their sources. 3. Students will gain better

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understanding on how to synthesize and organize information during workshop and media center days. C. Students will be required to write their essays electronically. 1. Students will be instructed on how to format and design their documents appropriately. 2. Students will learn the importance of fairly and accurately representing the viewpoints and positions of their sources. g. Rationale There are several reasons why I felt inspired to create this unit, and particularly in using Coming-of-age and Friendship as my overall theme. Speaking from a more human nature point of view, as is my wont to do as a lover of the humanities, I feel that this overall theme is important for my classroom because it teaches students about growing up and learning the importance of dependable, solid friendships in which trust and loyalty never have to be questioned. And through the various types of literature we read, my students will begin to grasp that the term “friendship” can be used to describe any close relationship one has with someone else: a friend, a cousin, a father, etc. I feel that at these points in kids’ lives (high school years especially), they are of course struggling to understand themselves as growing, maturing individuals as well as struggling to maintain old friendships and begin new ones, and these particular phases of the growing experience can be daunting, if not downright scary, for many kids. So personally, I think that having a whole unit in the English classroom that deals with such issues head-on can be very beneficial, because it teaches them to value their close friendships and learn to not take them for granted. In their worlds where things change as quick as they come, I think for them to understand on a deeper level how their friendships can offer stability in their ever-changing worlds is something worth teaching. In choosing the literature for this unit, I decided upon pieces ranging from a short story by a grad student to a poem by Shakespeare to a young adult novel about a young German boy in the 1940s whose father is a chief commander at a concentration camp. My goal in choosing this selection of literature is to cover a wide array of subjects that all eventually tie in to the primary thematic concepts of this unit: friendship and coming of age. There is a lot of reading, particularly short stories, but I feel that it’s important to cover a larger quantity of shorter readings as opposed to a short quantity of large readings (at least for this unit) so that students have more opportunities to develop deeper meanings from multiple perspectives and points of views. As for the novel, my hope in handing the copies out so early in the six weeks is that students will begin reading early, finish early, and maybe even review the material for more meaning before literature circles. However, I’m not entirely naïve; I know a large majority of students (if not all) will wait until the very last minute to read the novel, but I also feel it’s important for

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them at this age to begin exploring the concept of taking personal responsibility for things one has to do. For those who wait until the last possible minute, they’ll more than likely realize their mistake once their decision shows up in their grades. The CCRS II C.1, 2, and 3 require that students read a wide variety of texts from American, European, and world literatures; analyze themes, structures, and elements of myths, traditional narratives, and classical and contemporary literature; and analyze works of literature for what they suggest about the historical period and cultural contexts in which they were written. The CCRS II.D requires that students be able to explain how literary and other texts evoke personal experience and reveal character in particular historical circumstances, and one way that is achieved is by describing insights gained about oneself, others, or the world from reading specific texts. I feel that by having my students read the wide variety of texts for this unit, and by having them analyze these works by focusing on the thematic elements therein, they will be given numerous opportunities to gain potentially remarkable and much deeper insights about themselves, others, and the world surrounding them. I think to have students read and seek out these primary thematic elements by reading from such an extensive inventory of literature will increase their chances of truly gaining the understanding I wish for them to gain in this unit. As you’ll notice in my calendar, students will be required to write a warm-up exercise in their writer’s notebooks almost every class session as well as frequent debriefing exercises, almost all of which will be prompted to the extent that they are tied in with the thematic elements. For example, a warm-up exercise prompt might ask the students to briefly write about a time they helped a friend or vice versa when it was least convenient. Or they may be asked to briefly respond to a quote that addresses coming of age and/or friendship in some way. My primary intentions in requiring these daily informal writes are to help them improve and expand upon their writing abilities (mechanically, stylistically, etc.), and also to help them think critically about these thematic elements from more personal perspectives—not just through seeing how various characters throughout the readings respond to certain situations. Of course the formal research paper and the occasional summary/responses will help the students expand upon their writing abilities as well, but I feel that the more informal writing done (informal to a point that students aren’t penalized for mechanical mistakes), the more students will step out on limbs and try new things in their writing—they’ll begin to grasp a sense of personal writing styles that work for them. The CCRS requires that students compose a variety of texts that demonstrate clear focus, the logical development of ideas in wellorganized paragraphs, and the use of appropriate language that advances the author’s purpose. I think through these varieties of texts students compose in my class, they will begin to grasp what it takes to be logical and well-organized in writing and they’ll also develop personal senses of style that help them determine for themselves (with help from their instructor as needed, of course) how best to formulate their papers in ways that advance their purposes in writing. Two other very important reasons I’m carrying out the unit in this way is to give my students opportunities to both better their skills in listening and to better their skills in speaking as well. One reason I chose literature that is not so concerned with covering the canon is so that students have something more contemporary to “listen” to, something that is capable of speaking to them more in depth than a text that, to the average fifteen or sixteen year old, appears indecipherable. During class discussions and especially during

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activities that require peer-to-peer collaboration, I want my students to want to listen. I want them to feel that what’s being said is worth listening to, which happens more when they’ve digested text and understood it on deeper levels. It’s not about dumbing down the reading material—it’s about finding more contemporary (yet sophisticated) voices that are capable of relating to teenagers today. With that in mind, I feel that students will key in and listen more sufficiently during class discussions about those works of literature, which will also encourage them to participate more during group discussions such as Socratic seminars and philosophical chairs. And I think their abilities to voice their own opinions effectively will improve as well. If they understand the literature better, which will make them more apt to listen during discussions and group work, then students will feel far more comfortable with their own voices when it comes time for them to voice their opinions and defend their positions. On the flip side, if they don’t understand the literature, that foundation will not be built as easily and they will resist further engagement in the classroom activities. The CCRS III.B requires that students develop effective speaking styles for both group and one-on-one situations and the CCRS IV.B. requires that students listen effectively in informal and formal situations. Personally, I think this part of the unit will help students more easily meet those requirements and still learn everything that I want them to learn. II.

Assessment o The ultimate assessment for this unit is a research paper (no more than 4 pages in length) that students will work on gradually throughout the duration of the unit. The paper will be due on the last scheduled day of the unit itself. As for how I want the essay written, my thinking is that I want students to examine a piece or a couple of pieces of reading we’ve covered in class (or something they’ve read outside of class as long as they clear it with me first), analyze the text(s) for the primary elements of friendship and coming-of-age as we’ve discussed in class, find sources that address these elements for those specific texts, and then write a research paper stating a claim about the chosen text(s) in light of the thematic elements of the unit. o The main reason the major assessment is an essay—and not some multiple choice test—is because I feel that kids can most easily demonstrate the skills they have acquired throughout the class and the content they’ve learned from the class by writing. After all, reading and writing are two of the most fundamental aspects of the English classroom, so a major formal assessment that requires them to write about what they’ve read from their personal perspectives is, in my opinion, the best way to assess them. I think what I like best about the research paper idea is that kids are tackling the whole process (reading articles, books, magazines, etc.; formulating questions; developing topics; gathering sources; creating drafts, etc.), but all of it in gradual steps where they can each get help when needed and still have plenty of time to write both a rough draft and then eventually a final draft. I feel that the process is where most of the real learning happens—not through regurgitating information by taking a multiple choice test. Namely, engaging in the process is how they acquire or improve upon the skills I want them to learn. For this unit, everything is designed to help the students better their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening—those

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are my primary objectives, just as CCRS, TEKS, NCTE, and ELPS name these their primary objectives—and the process requires students to engage in all four activities consistently in some form or fashion to eventually meet the end goal. Everything they learn in the classroom can only stand to help them as they work on these essays and I feel that the essays will demonstrate not only how much they’ve learned, but also how well they’ve harnessed the ideas presented to them through the extensive readings and various classroom activities. The reason I don’t feel led to create a specific prompt is because I want my students to have to think outside the box in order to complete the task. I don’t want them using only half of their potential because of my telling them not only what specifically to write, but how specifically to write it. No, my goal in this is to give them a starting point, i.e., the thematic elements plus plenty of texts to choose from as well as suggestions for resources, and then I will help them in any way possible as they develop claims and reasons of their own and move through the process of finding sources to back up those claims and reasons. I would never expect them to be perfect, but I believe that because the English class is supposed to teach students to think for themselves and to think outside the box, this formal assessment would give students the opportunity to exercise that skill. o Informal assessment will take place in many forms. For instance, during class readings, I’ll be informally assessing the participation levels of each student. Are they following along with the reading? Are their eyes moving along with the words being read aloud? Are they busy staring out the window instead? Are they asking questions or voicing opinions? Other examples would be activities such the Socratic seminar and literature circles. Are students fully engaged in the activities? Are they indicating with bodily gestures that they are listening to whoever is speaking? Are they too busy doodling on notepads to pay attention? Those are the sorts of informal assessments I’ll employ in my classroom. The end goal is that my students acquire or expand upon their skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking. To reach that end goal, students have to be engaged and they have to put forth the effort to participate in class. If they understand from the beginning that their participation and level of engagement in class counts, I think many of them will take it more seriously. Personally, especially after having witnessed the effectiveness of informal assessment in your classroom (like during the Socratic seminar), I feel that casually monitoring and assessing the students’ levels of engagement in the classroom will help me as the teacher understand the directions we should take for future class sessions, what materials and/or activities are inspiring the most overall engagement, what overall strategies are being done right and helping, what needs improvement, which students need more attention, which students are on the right track or even exceeding expectations, and which students need extra accommodations to help them reach the end goal.

III.

Content, Skills, & Timing a. Literature for this unit: o Novel: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

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o Poem: All the World’s a Stage by William Shakespeare o Poem: Federico’s Ghost by Martín Espada o Poem: My Mother Taught Me Purple by Evelyn Tooley Hunt o Short film: A&P (based on the short story by John Updike) o Short film: “The Kiddush Man” by Yitz Brilliant and Joshua Greenberg o Short story: A&P by John Updike o Short story: Araby by James Joyce o Short story: Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan o Short story: The Drummer by the Brothers Grimm o Short story: Girl by Amanda Holzer o Short story: The Master Thief by the Brothers Grimm o Short story: Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin o Short story: The Flowers by Alice Walker o Short story: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates o Short story: Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald 1. Just in case… a. Poem: “Intimations of Immorality” by William Wordsworth b. Poem: “A Prayer for My Daughter” by William Butler Yeats c. Poem: “The Sin of Omission” by Margaret E. Sangster d. Short story: Hansel & Gretel by the Brothers Grimm e. Short story: Reunion by John Cheever f. Short story: The Cub by Lois Dykeman Kleihauer b. Writing for this unit: o Research Paper o Daily warm-up exercise in writer’s notebook o Frequent debriefing exercises in writer’s notebook o Cornell notes for discussions/lectures (taught at beginning of unit) o Summary/response paragraphs for poems and short stories o Self-assessment forms for group activities (to be discussed with students) c. Time allotted for unit: I expect this unit to take six weeks. d. How this unit addresses WICOR: i. Writing – For this unit, students will spend a great deal of time writing. I will have them write warm-up exercises in their writer’s notebooks nearly every day, I will have them write summary/responses to most of the readings (either inside or outside the classroom), I will frequently have them write debriefing exercises of various sorts towards the end of class sessions, and of course the students will spend the duration of the unit preparing and writing their research paper. ii. Inquiry – Students will be encouraged (because I’m giving them participation grades) to ask questions during class discussions throughout the duration of the unit, and they will be required to write down potential questions that will lead to their research paper topics and then write down the questions they want to address within their papers. I will also

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encourage them to annotate and write questions in the margins of their readings or on notebook paper to address during class discussions or for summary/responses. Furthermore, they will be required to write Level 2 and Level 3 questions for group activities such as the Socratic seminar and literature circle. iii. Collaboration – Teamwork will be heavily encouraged (and also graded for participation) throughout the duration of this unit. There will be many opportunities for formal and informal collaboration among the students: Socratic seminars, literature circles, philosophical chairs, pair work, peer reviews, informal reading discussions, etc. My main goal in this particular area is help students (especially the quiet ones) break out of their shells and work with their peers to create meaning, discuss literature, joke around about various literary elements found within the readings, anything that helps the students learn the importance of teamwork. iv. Organization – Because I will tell them constantly and because they will have a calendar with everything on it, students will always know far ahead of time what activities are coming up, what readings are due, when various due dates occur, and what’s required of them for any given day. For example, they will know more than a week beforehand their positions for Socratic seminars and literature circles so they have sufficient time to prepare. They will also be required for the entire semester (not just for the duration of the unit) to keep portfolios that contain their calendars, their syllabi, their graded works, their works in progress. v. Reading – Since this is an English class, there will of course be a huge emphasis on reading, not only because it is required, but also because reading acts as a medium throughout the learning process. Students will read literature from different parts of the world, from various cultures, and from various time periods. All the readings—short stories, poetry, and the novel—focus primarily on the subjects of coming-of-age and/or friendship and loyalty and will lead students to think about these elements in ways that do not necessarily reflect upon what they already know and understand about them. The goal is to set students on a path through which they can see these same elements in every piece they read but from very different points of view or different perspectives, because I think giving them the opportunity to examine these elements from multiple angles will only stand to increase their overall understandings. e. Special Needs & Accommodations i. For my ELL students, there will most likely be some areas of the reading selection that give some of them trouble. When such events arise, I will try to provide them with supplementary materials that make the reading process somewhat easier. For example, when they’re reading the poem written by Shakespeare, I’ll download and print out a modernized version that they can read alongside the original. They will have plenty of time to plan ahead for harder readings and/or activities, because everything is already listed and dated on their personal class calendars. For activities that give them trouble, they may work with students who speak their

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language (if there are any) or they may work with one or two English speaking students in the classroom who can help them. ii. For my students who need a little extra attention, i.e., resource students, they will have some of the same advantages as ELL students in that they will be allowed to work with one or two other students who can help them in the classroom during group activities. Also, I will provide certain supplementary materials for harder readings, just as I will for ELLs, so that they can better understand the readings. Now, as will all other students, resource students will have personal classroom calendars that tell them what readings are due and what activities are coming up and they will have been notified much earlier before formal activities about what is expected of them specifically—literature circle rolls, Socratic seminar positions, etc. iii. I will have high expectations for my gifted students. I will expect them to exceed the standard expectations and strive for higher goals. Granted, this unit starts at the beginning of a semester, so I may not know most of the students in the beginning and it will take some time for me to figure out who my gifted students are and what they will require academically so that they can live up to their full potentials. Once I have those students pegged, however, I will give them suggestions throughout the developments of their research papers that lead them to step up to the next level of writing. I will also expect them to develop more highly sophisticated questions about the readings for Socratic seminars and the literature circle. For story reports, I will help them find pieces that are more challenging. iv. Other accommodations would have to be made on the spot for the most part. On my calendar, you’ll notice that each day is loaded. Again, I’m not naïve. I know things will inevitably happen—fire drills, rowdy students, problem students, teacher conferences, miscellaneous issues that consume class time—that will force me to change things up, drop entire reading selections from the calendar along with corresponding activities, and rethink what to do about the lost time. And there will occasionally come times when I have an absolutely brilliant classroom of students who breeze through everything on the calendar quick enough for me to have to pull out my handy-dandy “just in case” file to find more things for them to do just to fill the extra time. Yeah, you don’t have to tell me—that’s more of an exception than a reality. But as my father has always told me, it’s better to have more and not need it than to need more and not have it. I would much rather err on the side of having far too much planned out for my students than to run out of things to do altogether.

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IV.

Calendar a. Six weeks: January 7, 2013 – February 15, 2013 Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday: 7 - Class introduction - First warm-up exercise - Syllabus - Portfolio discussion - Complete short Anticipation Guide - Class reading and discussion of The Flowers by Alice Walker - Summary/response paragraph about The Flowers. Turn in at end of class - No homework

8

14

15 - Warm-up exercise - Intro to Costa’s Levels of Thinking - Examples of Level 1, 2, and 3 questions - Discuss second half of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates. Take Cornell notes. - Debrief exercise - Pass back/turn in notes. - HW: Write two Level 2 questions and one Level 3 question in preparation for Socratic Seminar. - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay

9 - Warm-up exercise - Very brief intro about The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Pass out copies. - Intro to taking Cornell notes - Class reading and discussion of Girl by Amanda Holzer. Practice Cornell notes. - Summary/response paragraph about Girl (HW if we run out of time) - Turn in notes - Hand out copies of next reading - HW: Read first half of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates - HW: Begin reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 16

Friday: 10

11 - Warm-up exercise - Intro to Socratic Seminars - Assign Socratic Seminar positions - Discuss first half of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates. Take Cornell notes. - Essay assigned - Discussion about researching/citing sources for essay - Pass back/ turn in notes. - HW: Read second half of Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay

17 - Warm-up exercise - Socratic Seminar over Oates reading - Complete Socratic Seminar SelfAssessment sheets and turn in. - Turn in Costa questions - Pass back notes - Hand out copies of next reading - HW: Read The Drummer by the Brothers Grimm - HW: Two paragraph summary/response to Grimm reading - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay

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P a g e | 17 21 - Warm-up exercise - Turn in summary/ responses - Discuss The Drummer. Take Cornell notes during discussion. - Class reading of All the World’s a Stage by Shakespeare. - Intro to One-Pagers - Pass out copies for next reading - Turn in/pass back notes - Debrief exercise - HW: Create OnePager for Shakespeare poem - HW: Read Araby by James Joyce - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay 28

4 - Warm-up exercise - Sign off/discuss students’ three Level 3 questions for Lit

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23 - Warm-up exercise - Turn in One-Pagers for Shakespeare poem - Discuss Araby by James Joyce. Take Cornell notes during discussion - Intro to Literature Circles - Turn in/pass back notes - Hand out lit circle packets - Debrief exercise - HW: Review Lit Circle positions - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay

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25 - Essay workshop in media center - Ensure sources are cited properly - Rough draft due Tuesday - Lit Circle positions assigned - Pass out peer review guide - HW: Study peer review guide - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay

29 - Warm-up exercise - Peer review for rough drafts. - One-on-one conferences during peer review - Final drafts due Tuesday 14th - Pass out copies of next reading - Debrief exercise - HW: Read A&P by John Updike - HW: Two paragraph summary/response of reading - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay

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31 - Warm-up exercise - Turn in summary/ responses - Watch short film version of A&P. - Discussion of A&P by John Updike. Take Cornell notes during discussion. - Turn in/pass back notes - Pass out copies of next reading - Debrief exercise - HW: Read Winter Dreams by Fitzgerald - HW: Prepare three Level 3 questions for Lit Circle - HW: Keep reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - HW: Work on essay

1

6

7

8 - Warm-up exercise - Turn in summary/ responses - Discuss Doe Season

5 - Warm-up exercise - Literature Circles over The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

P a g e | 18 Circles - Discuss Winter Dreams by Fitzgerald Take Cornell notes during discussion - Debrief exercise - Turn in/pass back notes - Debrief exercise - HW: Complete Lit Circle positions. Come prepared with questions and novel. - HW: Finish reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. - Work on Essay

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V.

- Complete Lit Circle Self-Assessment form - Debrief exercise - Pass out copies of next reading - Pass back notes - HW: Read Doe Season by David Michael Kaplan - HW: Two paragraph summary/response over reading - HW: Work on essay

12 - Warm-up exercise - Philosophical Chairs over The Master Thief by Brothers Grimm - Complete short Philosophical Chairs Self-Assessment form - Turn in/pass back notes - Pass out copies of poetry reading - Debrief exercise - HW: Read My Mother Taught Me Purple by Evelyn Tooley Hunt and Federico’s Ghost by Martín Espada - HW: Finish essay

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14 - Turn in essay - Warm-up exercise - Discuss poetry readings - Watch short film “The Kiddush Man” by Yitz Brilliant and Joshua Greenberg - Discuss film - Pass back any notes - Sign off on portfolios for grade - Debrief exercise

by Kaplan. Take Cornell notes during discussion. - Intro to how philosophical chairs works - Assign positions for philosophical chairs - Turn in/ pass back notes - Pass out copies of next reading to be used for philosophical chairs - Debrief exercise - HW: Read The Master Thief by the Brothers Grimm - HW: Write two Level 3 questions about reading - HW: Work on essay 15

Lesson Plan Grade Level: 10th Grade Duration of Class Session: Block schedule – 90 minutes

Summary: This lesson plan will take place about three-quarters of the way into my unit on coming-of-age and friendship, not too long before a formal exam. By this point, they will have just finished reading a full length novel (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas), and they will

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engage in group reading circles in which everyone will have a role assigned to them. Regardless of their roles in the literature circles, each student will have been previously instructed to arrive on this day with a list of five questions they’ve developed based on their readings of the text. Objectives: 1. Students will be able to use effective reading and writing strategies in order to develop up to five in-depth questions about the novel they have read. 2. Students will be able to use effective speaking strategies with which to ask their questions in the literature circle conversations with their peers and respond to the questions their peers ask. 3. Students will be able to use effective listening strategies in order to perceive the questions being asked by their peers as well as the responses of other peers throughout the duration of the literature circles. Standards Connections: 1. TEKS a. §110.32. English Language Arts and Reading, English II (One Credit) b. (b) Knowledge and Skills i. (5) Reading/Comprehension of Literary Text/Fiction. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from text to support their understanding. Students are expected to: (A) analyze isolated scenes and their contribution to the success of the plot as a whole in a variety of works of fiction; and (B) analyze differences in the characters' moral dilemmas in works of fiction across different countries or cultures. ii. (26) Listening and Speaking/Teamwork. Students work productively with others in teams. Students will continue to apply earlier standards with greater complexity. Students are expected to participate productively in teams, building on the ideas of others, contributing relevant information, developing a plan for consensus-building, and setting ground rules for decision-making. 2. CCRS a. II. Reading i. A. Locate explicit textual information, draw complex inferences, and analyze and evaluate the information within and across texts of varying lengths: 1. 1. Use effective reading strategies to determine a written work’s purpose and intended audience. 2. 3. Identify explicit and implicit textual information including main ideas and author’s purpose. 3. 6. Analyze imagery in literary texts. b. III. Speaking i. B. Develop effective speaking styles for both group and one-onone situations.

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1. 2. Participate actively and effectively in group discussions. c. IV. Listening i. B. Listen effectively in informal and formal situations. 1. 3. Listen actively and effectively in group discussions. 3. ELPS a. §74.4. English Language Proficiency Standards. i. (2) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/listening. 1. (I) demonstrate listening comprehension of increasingly complex spoken English by following directions, retelling or summarizing spoken messages, responding to questions and requests, collaborating with peers, and taking notes commensurate with content and grade-level needs. ii. (3) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/speaking. 1. (G) express opinions, ideas, and feelings ranging from communicating single words and short phrases to participating in extended discussions on a variety of social and grade-appropriate academic topics iii. (4) Cross-curricular second language acquisition/reading. 1. (G) demonstrate comprehension of increasingly complex English by participating in shared reading, retelling or summarizing material, responding to questions, and taking notes commensurate with content area and grade level needs Instructional Materials: 1. A list of questions on the board to help spark conversations that have yet to start or are beginning to stall—questions such as: What makes Bruno a good friend? In what ways does Bruno differ from his older sister and parents? Do Bruno’s differences make him more or less capable of being a good friend? How? 2. The students must have their novels with them for the literature circles, as well as their five questions, or they will be penalized by receiving a much lower participation grade. 3. The students must have their completed literature roles to refer to during the literature circles, or they will be penalized by receiving a much lower participation grade. 4. The students need to have their notebooks out as well as pens or pencils with which to take brief notes throughout the duration of literature circles.

Content: 1. WICOR a. Writing – For this lesson plan, students will be required to write both a warm-up exercise at the beginning of class and a debriefing exercise at the end of the class. During literature circles, students will be required to take notes and write down any questions or comments they may have with which to help them fill out their self-assessment forms later on.

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b. Inquiry – By the beginning of this class session, students will be required to have already written down five questions about/concerning the novel and they will ask and answer each other’s questions in their groups. c. Collaboration – The literature circles will provide the opportunity for students to work together in asking/answering questions to eventually, as a team, find overall meanings based on their readings of the text. Their collaboration is part of their participation grade. d. Organization – Literature circle groups will be predetermined with students assigned to specific groups. Furthermore, each student will have been given a specific task to have completed by the time they join their groups for the literature circles. e. Reading – Students will have already read the novel in order to participate in the literature circles. 2. Burke, pg. 16: “Use literature circles to teach [students] to occupy a specific role in the group; also use this technique to help students read more closely from different perspectives.” 3. Burke, pg. 19: “Students participate in a Socratic Seminar or literature circle in which they work with each other to negotiate topics and responsibilities, as well as conclusions.” 4. Burke, pg. 57: “Use literature circles.…When the lit circles meet during designated class time, the teacher monitors the discussions, asking questions that grow out of the students’ search for personal meaning and comprehension.” Accommodations & Modifications: 1. I will have already given students ample time to read the book, but for ELLs or students with specific learning disabilities, I will expect them to participate, but they will have been given tasks for the literature circle that are more suited to their specific levels of understanding. For example, I would have such students take the parts of illustrator or something similar that requires them to be more hands-on and less written and/or verbal so they can still participate and understand what’s going on. 2. For groups who finish up their literature discussions too early, I will have a variety of other questions I’ve created based on my reading of the book and then assign these questions to those students to think about and discuss. They will not be finished until the allotted time for literature circles has ended. 3. If for some reason the literature circles take longer than expected or there is a fire drill or something else that interrupts the class period, I will have a plan B (to eliminate the debriefing exercise and/or warm-up exercise to gain a few extra minutes) or, for worst case scenario, plan C (to have students be ready to engage in literature circles for the next class period and, instead, have them use whatever class period we have for a general class discussion of the book and probably a prompt to have them write about in their writer’s notebooks about the book). Instructional Procedures & Time Frames: 1. 8:35 – 8:45 (before class starts): As students arrive, I will stand at the door signing off on their completed literature circle roles. Those who have not

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

completed their roles will not receive their full participation grade and will likely be asked to sit down and wait for an alternative assignment which must be completed before class ends. 8:45 – 8:50: Class begins. Students will complete their quick warm-up exercise— a journal entry assignment in which they write about their personal feelings concerning the reading assignment. 8:50 – 8:55: I will use this time after the warm-up exercise to break down how the reader circles will work. I’ll recap the roles and the names of those students who are completing those roles. With that, I’ll have them break into their assigned groups (six students for each group) and then we’ll arrange the desks into circles so that the groups can face one another. 8:55 – 9:50: Students will participate in the literature circles, each student displaying his or her role as assigned, each group working together to create as much meaning as possible from the reading assignment based on their personal feelings on the book and on the work they’ve each put into their roles. As the students converse in their groups, I will walk throughout the room and listen to the individual groups to make sure everyone is participating and that their conversations remain fixed on the objectives. I will have my notepad with me and take note of student participation throughout the entire fifty-five minutes. I will also provide support for anyone with questions. 9:50 – 10:05: The literature circles will come to an end and I’ll have everyone rearrange the desks (if necessary) and have everyone return to their assigned seats. At this point, I will hand out self-assessment forms with which the students will evaluate their own literature circle performance as well their group members’ performances and they will discuss in writing the high points and low points of their individual group conversations. 10:05 – 10:15: I will collect the self-assessment forms from students as well as their completed roles and any notes taken. At the same time, I will explain what is due for the next class session and what other things they need to think about for the upcoming days. Then they will spend the last few minutes quickly debriefing in their writer’s notebooks about what friendship and growing up means to them based on their personal readings of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and previous texts we have studied in class.

Assessments: Formal: 1. The completed literature circle roles and each of their five questions (as well as literature circle notes) will be taken up for a grade. 2. The self-assessment forms will also be taken up for a grade. Informal: 1. Student participation in warm-up exercise. 2. Student participation in literature circle. Did students engage in the conversation as directed? If so, how well? Did students follow their roles as directed? If so, how well? 3. Student participation in debriefing exercise.

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Rationale for Lesson Plan: This lesson plan is a very important aspect of the unit plan because, as you notice in the calendar, students are scheduled to spend a great deal of time reading and preparing for this particular day, and they are given more than ample time to read the novel required to participate in the literature circle. This lesson falls rather late in the six week period (on the fourth to the last day of the unit, specifically), which I think is necessary for the students to have time to read and gather their thoughts for the questions they are required to develop for the literature circle. My main goal in this is for my students to be able to apply as many of their newly acquired/expanded-upon skills during the literature circles, the activity itself giving the students an opportunity to practice effective listening skills and effective speaking skills in response to the reading they had to do (with which they had to use effective reading skills), and then everything wraps with the students using effective writing skills to evaluate their performances as well as the performances of their peers in the literature circles.