bellevue high school curriculum 8th grade english...

Bellevue High School Curriculum

8th Grade English / SpringBoard

Sarah Kunnen

Notes:

- The SpringBoard curriculum is a scaffolded sequence of instruction. I follow

SpringBoard’s pacing and complete four units over the course of the school year.

- SpringBoard authentically embeds grammar throughout the units. I add a daily bell

ringer that focusses on grammar to reinforce what is being addressed in

SpringBoard.

- Due to the recurring/overlapping nature of many of the English/Language Arts

standards, many of these standards are represented multiple times across several

units – each standard is addressed at least once, and will be associated with the unit

in which that standard is first addressed, but many standards can be addressed in

multiple units.

- I have attached the SpringBoard curriculum for access to all activities listed as well as

assessments and scoring rubrics.

- High end learning activities are bolded.

Unit 1: The Challenge of Heroism

This unit introduces the Challenge theme by examining heroes: in our personal lives, in literary work,

and in the world at large. Students will be introduced to the archetype of the hero’s journey and will

view various examples of heroes through that archetypal lens. After exploring heroes, students will then

examine the challenges of society as they encounter texts in which individuals take great risks as they

struggle to do what they think is right.

Standards

RL 8.01 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly

as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RL 8.02 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the

text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the

text.

RL 8.03 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal

aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

RL 8.04 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and

connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including

analogies or allusions to other texts.

RL 8.05 Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing

structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.

RL 8.06 Analyze how differences in point of view of characters and the audience or reader (e.g. Dramatic

irony) create such effects as suspense and humor.

RL 8.09 Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types

from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible including how the material is

rendered new.

RL 8.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems in

the grades at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

RI 8.02 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text;

including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text

RI 8.03 Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or

events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

RI 8.04 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,

connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone,

including analogies or allusions to other texts.

W 8.02 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and

information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into

broader categories; include formatting (e.g., heading) graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia

when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other

information and examples.

c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas

and concepts.

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or

explanation presented.

W 8.03 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,

relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequence.

a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a

narrator and or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, to develop

experiences, events and or characters.

c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts form

one time frame or setting to another, and show the relationships among experiences and

events.

d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture

the action and convey experiences and events.

e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

W 8.04 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are

appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W 8.09 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

a. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how …).

b. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument

and specific claims …).

W 8.10 Writing routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and

shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes,

and audiences.

SL 8.01 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher

led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing

their own clearly.

Learning Activities

1.1 Previewing the Unit

1.2 Challenges Word Wall

1.3 Tone: Word Sort

1.4 Emotional and Physical Challenges

1.5 Facing Challenges

1.6 Defining Heroic Qualities

1.7 Heroes in Action

1.8 Historical Heroes

1.9 The Challenge of the Hero’s Journey

1.10 The Refusal of the Call

1.11 The Road of Trials

1.12 A Different Kind of Heroine

1.13 Creating a Different Kind of Heroine

1.14 An Everyday Hero

1.15 Reading Utopia

1.16 Precise Words

1.17 Reading the Opening

1.18 Babies and Birthdays

1.19 Characterization

1.20 The Circle of Life

1.21 Essential Attributes

1.22 Rules in Society

1.23 Coming to Your Senses

1.24 Marking the Text

1.25 Evolution of a Hero

1.26 An Epilogue for The Giver

1.27 Author’s Purpose: Lowry’s Newberry Acceptance Speech

1.28 Alien Escape

1.29 Graphic Novels: Visualizing an Incident

Learning Targets

Students will

- Contextualize prior knowledge

- Examine challenge as the conceptual focus for the year

- Distinguish between connotation and denotation

- Identify personal challenges

- Define and categorize tone words

- Analyze tone in a text

- Relate physical challenge to the idea of heroism

- Analyze poetry for theme

- Write an interpretive statement about theme that can act as a topic sentence

- Examine a real-life hero in nonprint text

- Define words that identify heroic traits

- Practice multiple strategies of definition

- Distinguish between main ideas and details

- Summarize and paraphrase text

- Analyze poetry through examination of specific literary elements

- Recognize heroism in historical figures

- Understand the archetype of a hero’s journey

- Identify concrete examples of the hero’s journey

- Develop the definition of a hero

- Apply a reading strategy to a nonfiction text

- Practice incorporating and properly punctuating quotations in a text.

- Create a well-developed paragraph in a writing group

- Examine a challenging text through a close reading

- Examine diction and recognize the importance of precise diction

- Identify technical terms used in filmmaking

- Analyze the effect of film technique

- Recognize how a director and an author create a tone

- Compare details about a fictional society to those of a real society

- Use compare/contrast organizational structure in writing

- Analyze character

- Compare and contrast a fictional society and a real society

- Compare and contrast organizational structure in writing

- Construct intertexutal connections

- Illustrate character attributes

- Recognize sensory details and imagery, illustrate sensory details for description

- Interact with the text by annotating it.

- Participate in a Socratic seminar

- Analyze a character’s development

- Use compare/contrast organizational structure in writing

- To write an imaginative narrative

- Analyze author’s purpose

- Examine an extended metaphor

- Apply the hero’s journey archetype to nonprint text

- Examine a graphic novel; compare the graphic novel form to prose, list characteristics of a

graphic novel

Resources

- October Sky 1999

- Batman Begins 2005

- Star Wars 1: The Phantom Menace 1999

- Mulan 1998

- E.T. 1982

- The Giver by Lois Lowry

Technology

- Smartboad

- Dvd player

- Computer / internet access

Reading

- “A Man” by Nina Cassian

- “Moco Limping” by David Nava Monreal

- “Love Triumphs: 6 year old Becomes a Hero to a Band of Toddlers, Rescuers,” by Ellen Barry

- “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman

- “Fredrick Douglas,” by Robert Hayden

- “Epic” From the Odyssey, by Homer

- “Woman Warrior” by Corie Brown and Laura Shapiro

- Excert from “Utopia” by Thomas More

- The Giver by Lois Lowry

- “The Heartiest of Greetings” by Carl Nelson

- Newberry Acceptance Speech by Lois Lowry

Writing

- Quick Writes

o What do you see as the most significant challenges facing the world, this country, and

your community?

o Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of More’s utopian society. What would a

perfect society look like today?

o What does the Chief Elder say about the last Receiver of Memory? What do you think

happened? How do you think the attributes you listed will assist Jonas in his new

position of Receiver of Memory?

- Writing Prompts

o Using your TP-CASTT notes, write a literary analysis paragraph. Address the following

questions. Use textual evidence to support your analysis

What traits do Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas exhibit to be considered

heroes?

How does the tone of the poems support the percepts of a hero?

o Describe how Odysseus is a heroic figure. In your response, use words from the word

wall that describe heroic traits or qualities. Include specific evidence from the text to

support your assertions.

o Write a thesis statement explaining whether Mulan’s faults help her to become a hero

or hinder her. Then, write two to four sentences that support your thesis statement

with evidence from the film.

o Write a brief narrative about an atypical hero.

o Write a paragraph comparing or contrasting either the way Jonas’ society and our

society create families or celebrate birthdays.

o Write two well-developed paragraphs arguing that one society, ours or Jonas’, handles

the circle of life better. Support your argument with textual evidence. Use correct

compare/contrast structure and transitions in your writing.

o Write a reflective paragraph explaining your choices of color and detail within your

visualization. Analyze how Nelson conveys a particular tone through his use of sensory

details. How did you convey this same tone in your visualization?

o Write a well-developed paragraph comparing and contrasting Jonas from the beginning

of the novel until now. Be sure to support your argument with textual evidence, and

use comparison organization and appropriate transitions. Once you have drafted a

paragraph, exchange your draft with a partner. Evaluate whether your partner’s

organization is consistent. Highlight one sentence that could benefit from more detail

or explanation.

o Draft a letter to Lois Lowry interpreting the ending of her novel The Giver. Pose

questions about the novel that linger after your reading.

o Select one step from each stage and create a visual representation that establishes the

connection between the film and the hero’s journey. Include captions with your visual

representations to explain to your audience what is happening. Use framing, angles,

and color for effect in your visual.

Speaking / Listening

- Writing groups

- Socratic Seminar

- Share illustrations

Formative Assessments

- Bell Ringer: Daily Oral Language

- Exit slips

- Quick writes

Summative Assessments

- Writing a Definition Essay

o Your assignment is to write a multi-paragraph essay that defines your concept of herois.

You will use various strategies of definition (definition by function, example, and

negation) to explain your unique opinion on the topic.

- Visualizing an Event in Jonas’s Journey

o Your assignment is to work with a partner to create a visual representation, in the form

of a graphic novel, illustration Jonas’s journey in relationship to the hero’s journey

archetype. You will also write a reflective text analyzing how Jonas’s journey fits into

the archetypal pattern of the hero’s journey and explaining the choices you made in

creating the text. You will present your text to the class.

UNIT 2: Real Life Challenges

As life continues to grow more complex and challenging, students will need to continue to develop your

critical thinking skills. By focusing on nonfiction texts, this unit will teach students to ask insightful

questions, to develop clear and logical arguments, and to express those arguments in both written and

oral texts. It will also equip students with the tools to unlock other people’s arguments, to evaluate

their positions clearly, and to support or oppose other views in an appropriate manner. In addition, the

unit will guide students to become a more critical consumer of media messages as they examine the

effects on their lives

Standards

RL 8.01 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly


RI 8.05 Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the role of particular

sentences in developing and refining a key concept.

RI 8.06 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author

acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.

RI 8.07 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text,

video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

RI 8.08 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the

reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is

introduced.

RI 8.09 Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the same topic and

identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.

W 8.01 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and

organize the reasons and evidence logically.

b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and

demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s),

counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

W 8.06 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the

relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with

others.

W 8.07 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question),

drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple

avenues of exploration.

W 8.08 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms

effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and

conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that

preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under

discussion.

b. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and

deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

c. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and

comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.

d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own

views in light of the evidence presented.

SL 8.02 Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats and evaluate the

motives behind its presentation.

SL 8.03 Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning

and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying when irrelevant evidence is introduced.

SL 8.04 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with

relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear pronunciations.

Learning Activities


2.2 Defining Media

2.3 Creating Media Awareness

2.4 The Media and Commercialism

2.5 Advertising and Representations

2.6 Brands and Media

2.7 Thinking About Ideas

2.8 Debating Ideas

2.9 Identifying Issues

2.10 Writing a letter About an Issue

2.11 Introducing RAFT

2.12 Issues at School

2.13 An Idea for Derek Jeter

2.14 Issues in the World

Learning Targets

Students will

- Define media and media channels

- Develop an awareness of the influence of media in daily life

- Recognize media viewing habits

- Identify the role and number of advertisements in students’ lives

- Recognize that media are constructed for commercial purpose

- Recognize the techniques that advertisers use for persuasion

- Analyze how advertisements are intended to affect emotions

- Recognize the representations of males and females in advertising

- Identify the roles that brands play in teenagers’ lives

- Identify similes and metaphors

- Recognize persuasive appeals: logos, pathos, ethos

- Identify debatable issues and apply debating skills

- Recognize two sides of an issue

- Write in the voice of another

- Analyze how audience and purpose affects in writing

- Use quotations to support a position

- Identify and apply persuasive appeals

- Write concluding paragraphs

- Identify and explain the main ideas of a text

- Recognize the structure and purpose of a persuasive essay

- Analyze how an author uses persuasive appeals to achieve a purpose

- Brainstorm and research topics, evaluate online resources, annotate sources

-

Resources

Various types of magazines that show males and females used in advertising.

Reading

“Just the Facts About Advertising and Marketing to Children” by Betsy Taylor

“The Buying and Selling of Teenagers” by Alissa Quart

“How Advertisers Persuade”

“How do Tweens Feel About Brands” by Patricia Seybold

“Uniform Opinion” Dallas Morning News

“Student Dress Codes” by Lyne A. Isaacson

“Uniformity” Anonymous

“A Blessing in Disguise” Anonymous

“Jeter: Put Your Money Where Your Fans Are” by Michael Lupinacci

Writing

- Quick Writes

o Discuss your overall feelings about the media. Do you see any positive or negative

effects that media exposure might have on you or others? Explain

o How do you think the RAFT strategy might help you with your persuasive writing?

o Write about your school dress code and the idea of mandatory uniforms.

o Write a letter to a celebrity about an idea you have that you like him or her to support

- Writing prompts

o Most media are brought to you by paid advertisements In a well-developed paragraph,

identify your concerns, and provide specific examples to show why your concerns are

significant.

o What are your feelings about the representations of males, females, and or teenagers in

the media? What changes would you like to see?

o Write a letter to your parent or guardian, trying to convince him or her to change a rule

or restriction. For example, you might ask to extend your curfew by one hour or

increase your allowance. Draft your response to include a clear position, and maintain a

consistent point of view as you structure your argument. Be sure to include all three

types of appeals (logos, pathos, ethos) in your argument.

Speaking / Listening

- Writing groups

- Debate



- Exit slips

- Quick writes


- Writing About the Media

o Your assignment is to write a reflective analysis about your relationship with the media.

In your essay, identify a particular problem that you find in the media. Explain your

personal feelings about or experiences with the problem, and offer some type of

solution or action that you or others could take to address the problem.

- Writing a Persuasive

o EssayYour assignment is to write an essay that persuades an audience to support your

opinion about a particular issue. You will conduct research, use the information you

find to craft a convincing essay, and cite your sources properly in an annotated

bibliography.

Unit 3: Reflecting on Challenges

Every year brings challenges. In the first two units, students encountered individuals, both real and

fictional, who have faced obstacles and challenges, and have found ways of mastering or triumphing

over their limitations. Midway through the year is a good time to pause and reflect on the work

students have done during the past months and a good time to revisit and revise some of their earlier

work. Students will investigate further the many kinds of “intelligences’ people possess, which will help

them determine how they can accomplish challenging tasks more successfully.

Standards

W 8.05 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as

needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose

and audience have been addressed.

L 8.01 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing

or speaking.

a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in

particular sentences.

b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.

c. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional and subjunctive mood.

d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.

L 8.02 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and

spelling when writing.

a. Use punctuation (commas, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or a break.

b. Spell correctly

L 8.03 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

a. Use verbs in active and passive voice and in the conditional and subjunctive mood to achieve

particular effects. (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state

contrary to fact).

L 8.04 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on

grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a

sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word

(e.g., precede, recede, secede).

c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both

print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its

part of speech.

d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the

inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

L 8.05 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word

meanings.

a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.

b. Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words.

c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar denotations (definitions)

(e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).

L 8.06 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and

phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension

or expression.

Learning Activities


3.2 Challenges in Life

3.3 Challenge Quotes

3.4 Challenges in Learning

3.5 Multiple Intelligences – An Introduction

3.6 Multiple Intelligences – A Snapshot

3.7 Strategies for Reflection

3.8 Using Multiple Intelligence Types

3.9 Multiple Intelligences – Beyond Academics

3.10 Reflection on Yourself as a Learner

3.11 Setting a Focus for Revision

3.12 Revising for Coherence

Learning Targets

Students will

- Revisit and reflect on prior work.

- Engage in prewriting strategies.

- Collaborate with peers on a task.

- Paraphrase and visualize metaphorical language.

- Personally connect with and respond to a quotation.

- Revisit and reflect on prior work.

- Connect the thematic concept of challenges to completed academic assignments.

- Discover an alternative way of thinking about learning.

- Reflect on selves as learners.

- Realize that intelligences are preferences toward a particular learning style.

- Consider how the theory of multiple intelligences can enhance learning.

- Make connections between assignments, strategies, and intelligence types.

- Apply intelligence types to school and real-world situations.

- Draft a reflective essay in response to a timed writing promt.

- Reflect upon how intelligence types affect academic performance, outside activiites, and future

aspirations.

- Analyze strengths and weaknesses in writing skills.

- Describe a goal for essay revision.

- Achieve coherence in an essay and strengthen global revision skills.

Resources

- Prior pieces

- Props for group teach

Technology

- Computer lab access

Reading

Independent Reading- Biography or autobiography

Writing

- Writing Prompts

o Select two challenges you listed in your chart – one you met easily and one you found

difficult to meet successfully. Why are some challenges easier to face than others?

Consider the two challenges you selected and describe the factors that helped or

hindered you as you attempted to meet the challenges. Explain why you responded the

way you did. Consider using figurative language such as metaphor or simile to help your

reader understand your response.

o Which area (writing, reading, speaking/listening, collaboration) gives you the most

difficulty in language arts? Which area is the easiest for you? What are the obstacles or

challenges that you face in each area?

o Based on the survey and your own experience, explain and provide specific examples of

your most developed intelligence and least developed intelligence. Then, in a concluding

paragraph, discuss how these strengths and preferences have affected your learning

and how they may affect your future.

Speaking/Listening

- Writing Groups

- Group teach



- Exit slips

- Writing Prompts

Summative Assessment

- Revising and Editing an Essay

o Deeply revise an essay to improve its coherence. Then thoughtfully reflect upon the

changes you make.

Unit 4: Voices and Challenges

Students will study narratives about the Holocaust, whether nonfiction accounts or fictionalized

accounts based on true events. Students will apply the lessons of the Holocaust and take action about a

challenging issue in their school, community, or world.

Standards

RL 8.07 Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or

departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

RI 8.01 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly


RI 8.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6-

8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

SL 8.05 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen

claims and evidence, and add interest.

SL 8.06 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English

when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)

Learning Activities


4.2 An Allegory

4.3 Literature Circle Roles

4.4 Learning About the Holocaust

4.5 The Holocaust in Film

4.6 Effective Discussions

4.7 Exploring the Books

4.8 Establishing the Groups

4.9 Beginning the Books

4.10 Favorite Passages

4.11 What We’ve Learned So Far

4.12 Book Club Discussion

4.13 Understanding the Books

4.14 Never Again

4.15 Recognizing Problems and Generating Solutions

4.16 From Dream to Reality

4.17 Celebrity Causes

4.18 Nobel Contribution

4.19 Students Taking Action

4.20 Getting the Word Out

4.21 Media Channels

Learning Targets

Students will

- Be introduced to the Holocaust through allegory.

- Discover the roles and format of literature circles.

- Apply double – entry journal skills.

- Develop background knowledge of the Holocaust.

- Establish a context for the Holocaust, including the time frame and major events.

- Organize information in chronological order.

- Access information about the Holocaust through the medium of film.

- Listen carefully and follow directions, take notes to assist listening.

- Listen actively for information

- Evaluate information provided and use it to request a book for a literature circle.

- Identify elements of successful group communication.

- Establish the structure and direction of literature circles.

- Respond to selected passages.

- Select passages and present talking points about it.

- Practice oral reading skills.

- Take notes during a presentation.

- Analyze themes and compare themes in Holocaust texts.

- Identify author’s purpose.

- Discover text to text connections.

- Generate connections to contemporary texts and issues.

- Identify significant problems in society and generate realistic solutions.

- Reflect on the importance of taking action.

- Conduct a survey and draw conclusions.

- Understand the process and impact of celebrity endorsed campaigns.

- Identify the effectiveness of media channels for a particular message.

- Explore issues of local and global importance.

- Investigate adults who have been recognized for taking action.

- Evaluate online sources.

- Identify social issues and determine ways of taking action.

Resources

Movies:

- The Diary of Anne Frank 1959

- Life is Beautiful 1997

Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting

Variety of Children’s picture books relating to the Holocaust

Book Club Sets

- Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

- The Upstairs Room – Johanna Reiss

- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne

- Night by Elie Wiesel

Technology

- Smartboard

- Internet access

- Power point

Reading

Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting

Variety of Children’s picture books relating to the Holocaust

Book Club Sets

- Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

- The Upstairs Room – Johanna Reiss

- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne

- Night by Elie Wiesel

“First they Came for the Communists” by Martin Niemoller

“When Stars Align: Behind the latest barrage of celebrity activism to end poverty in Africa,” by Brian

Braiker

“For some, it’s food for thought,” by La Monica Everett-Haynes

“Making a Difference, One Child at a Time,” by Annie Wignall

“Science Hero: Beth Rickard, Environmentalist,” by Wendy Jewell

Writing

- Quick Write

o After sharing, draft a paragraph about the effectiveness of your group’s communication.

Refer to specific speaking and listening skills you identified in activity 4.6.

o Summarize your survey results and draw conclusions about the issue of bullying in your

school.

o Explain your immediate reaction to the ONE campaign, as you understand its goals and

the way its leaders have set about achieving them.

o Remember that tone is the attitude an author has towards his or her subject. Analyze

Brian Braiker’s tone and provide support from the article for your response.

- Writing Prompt

o Write a paragraph discussing Bunting’s message. Use evidence from the story to

support your assertion.

o Use your prewriting and discussion notes to write a thoughtful reflection to the

question: “Why should students learn about the Holocaust?”

o Using your selected statements as a thesis, write a brief essay in which you argue your

position. Be sure to support your ideas with information from one or more of the

articles.

o Write an interpretive response about the article. While drafting, be sure to vary

sentence structure by adding subordinating clauses where appropriate.

Speaking/Listening

- Literature Circles

- Group project (Assessment 2)



- Exit slips

- Writing Prompts


- Presenting Voices of the Holocaust

o Your assignment is to conduct a coherent book club discussion in front of your peers.

- Taking Action About an Issues

o Your assignment is to create an informational/persuasive campaign about an issue of

community, state, national, or world significance that will convince your audience that

the issue you have chosen is significant and that they have the power to take action and

make a difference.

bellevue high school curriculum 8th grade english...

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