Author’s Purpose Comprehension Unit

Madison Steele

EDU 582

April 29, 2014

The Author’s Purpose Comprehension UnitDescription of Unit

Students are required to learn how to read and comprehend many dif-

ferent types of writing. For this unit, the teacher will focus on teaching the

students how to gather the author’s point of view or purpose from a text. The

text that will be used is the Gettysburg Address written by Abraham Lincoln.

Four class periods will be used to teach students strategies for determining

an author’s point of view or purpose.

Unit Essential Questions• Does the way we read and write change depending on who the audience is?

Unit Understandings (Objectives)• Students will understand that the author of any piece of writing has a

purpose or point of view.• Students will be able to determine an author’s point of view or purpose

Assessment Evidence (Summative Assessment to be used at the end of the Unit)

Name__________________

1- What is Abraham Lincoln’s purpose within the Gettysburg Address? (3pts)

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

2- Using the table below, write a speech with the same purpose as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. You may use words and phrases from the original address.Points: Spelling - 2pts, Grammar - 2pts, Organization of writing - 3pts, Clear and correct Purpose - 10pts

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the propo-sition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final rest-ing place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remain-ing before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that gov-ernment of the people, by the people, for the people,

shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham LincolnNovember 19, 1863

Lesson One - Familiarizing Students With The Gettysburg Address and Types of Writing Purpose

Where am I going

Essential Questions Does the way we read and write change depending on who the audience is?

Lesson Objectives - Students will begin to notice that authors have a point of view or purpose when speaking or writing (question of the day)

CCSS Connection CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and ex-plain how it is conveyed in the text.

What do my students need to be able to do?

- read and comprehend difficult text

What do my students need to know?

- Who Abraham Lincoln was- Basic information about the American Civil War

How will I get there?

Materials - 18 copies of entrance slips- 18 copies of exit slips- Question of the day written on the board- daily schedule written on the board- computer hooked up to projector- 18 copies of Gettysburg Address

- 18 copies of article (appendix B)

Opening/Hook (15 min)1- Students will come into classroom and get settled into their regular seats. Question of the day will be written on the board. This question will read, “Were you ever given a pep talk or have you given someone else a pep talk?”2- Students will be given three minutes to settle into class and think of an answer to this question in their heads. (3 min)3- Discussion will begin as an entire class. I will ask the stu-dents, “Raise your hand if you would like to share your answer to the question of the day.” Students who raise their hand will be chosen to share. Depending on length of stories, five stu-dents may be picked. (5 min)3b- Ask students to name their purpose for giving the pep talk. Inform students that a good author or speaker has a purpose or point of view behind what they say or write. Three typical pur-poses can be determined from writing. Entertainment, persua-sion, or informational. We are going to spend the next four days discussing these writing purposes, and how they relate to one of the most famous pieces of writing, The Gettysburg Address. (2 min)3c- Write entertain, persuade, and inform on the board4a- Pass out “Entrance slips”5- Students will complete entrance slips which read “Write one thing you already know about The Gettysburg Address. What is the author’s purpose (take a guess if you don’t know)”5a- While students are completing entrance slips, I will hook up up the computer to the projector. (3 min)6- When students are finished, I will collect the entrance slips then go over the day’s schedule. The day’s schedule will be written on the board and will include the sequence of events and what they should know after each activity. The schedule will read: - Read “Researchers Claim that Biting into Whole Foods Can

Lead to Bad Behavior?- Read Gettysburg Address (start to notice the author’s purpose)- Watch video of Gettysburg Address- Class Discussion on possible points of view or purpose (begin

to understand the different points of view or purposes that are possible in writing or speaking) (5 min)

Process 1- We will begin by reading “Researchers Claim That Biting into Whole Foods Can Lead to Bad Behavior,” as a class. We will briefly discuss the author’s purpose for writing the article.2-We will then read the Gettysburg Address. Hand out copies of Gettysburg address. Allow students time to read independently. Instruct students to underline interesting or confusing lines or words as they read. Also instruct them to think about what the speaker is trying to say. (5 min)2- Direct students to projector screen. Show video of the Get-tysburg Address being read.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvA0J_2ZpIQ (3 min)3- Open up for class discussion to discuss questions such as “What is Abraham Lincoln saying in this speech? Who is he speaking to? Compare and contrast the different writing we just read.” etc.and 3a- Start discussion by going around the entire class to given everyone a chance to speak. All students have the option to pass as well. After the initial circle around the classroom, students may add their comments in by raising their hands. (10 min)4- End class with an exit slip. Hand out the exit slips to stu-dents. The exit slip will read “Why did Abraham Lincoln de-liver the Gettysburg Address? What are two other purposes for writing you can think of?” Students may leave after they have filled out the exit slip and have given it to the teacher. (5 min)

How will I know when my students have arrived?

Assessment Formative: entrance and exit slips

Differentiation Strate-gies

Content: A piece of the Gettysburg Address may be provided to students who are not strong with independent readingProcess: A transcript of the video being played may be provided to students who are more visual with comprehensionProduct: Students may produce exit and entrance slips verbally as well as contribute to the discussion in writing

Additional Considera-tions

When discussing Abraham Lincoln, his assassination may come up during discussion. One should be prepared to answer ques-tions regarding this topic. One should also be prepared to sup-port students who feel emotional towards this topic.

Second Lesson: Deconstructing the Gettysburg Address

Where am I going?

Essential Question Does the way we read and write change depending on who the audience is?

Lesson Objectives - Students will understand that the author of any piece of writing has a purpose or point of view.

- Students will begin to be able to determine an author’s purpose.

CCSS Connections CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and ex-plain how it is conveyed in the text.

What do my students need to be able to do?

- use a dictionary- use an ipad to look up words

What do my students need to know?

- the purposes of writing

How will I get there?

Materials - 18 copies of deconstruction worksheets (appendix a)- 18 copies of Gettysburg Address worksheets used in previous

lesson- 6 ipads- 6 dictionaries- 18 exit slips- link for homework emailed to students

Opening (5 min)1- Students will enter room and be asked to sit in their normal seats. 2- A quick review will be done with the class. The class will be instructed to give a thumbs up if the answer is yes to a question and a thumbs down if the answer is no.3- Review questions will be asked: “ Does all writing have a purpose or point of view?” (yes)“You can always determine the author’s point of view just by reading the text” (no) and “Abra-ham Lincoln’s purpose for delivering the address was to make the country sad about everyone who died? (no) “ There are three main purposes of writing. (yes) One of the main purposes is en-tertainment (yes)

Process 1- Go over the day’s schedule. (2 min)2- Pass out Gettysburg Address worksheets used the day before as well as Gettysburg Address Deconstruction worksheets.3- Give instructions: Students will use Deconstruction work-sheets to re-write the Gettysburg Address into a way we can easily comprehend. Each table will work together in a group of three. Each group will need an ipad and a dictionary in order to look up the definition of words. Each table will be assigned a different section. (5 min)3a- assign sections to tables. (1 min)4- Allow students to begin work. During this time I will circle around the classroom to help individual tables. (15 min)5- After students have completed rewriting the section assigned to their group, they may go on to play author’s purpose matching game http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/match/term/matchgeneric2.asp?filename=kderitteauth6- When every group is finished, we will break into a jigsaw ac-tivity. One member from each group will join one member from each of the other groups. Students will be instructed to teach the other members of the group what their section of the address means. Groups will also be instructed to discuss the author’s purpose in their groups, remembering the three main kinds of purpose. (10 min)6- Homework will be assigned to students after jigsaw activity. Students will be instructed to visit this website http://re-viewgamezone.com/games/supershooter/index.php?7998&title=Authors+Purpose&id=7998 and play the author’s purpose game for fifteen minutes. The link will also be sent to them through their e-mail.7- Class will end with an exit slip which will read, “In one sen-tence, explain what Abraham Lincoln’s purpose was in the Get-tysburg Address. and What is one type of writing purpose you are having difficulty with?”

How will I know when my students have arrived?

Assessment Formative Assessments: exit slips, entrance review, matching game

Differentiation Strate-gies

Content:Process: Students may work individually if they have a hard

time working in a group.Product:

Additional Considera-tionsExtensions - Matching game

Third Lesson: Reconstructing the Gettysburg Address

Essential Question Does the way we read and write change depending on who the audience is?

Lesson Objective Students will be able to determine an au-thor’s point of view or purpose

CCSS Connection CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

What do my students need to be able to do?

My students will need to be able to use a google document to write collaboratively as a group.

What do my students need to know?

For this lesson, my students will need to have a basic un-derstanding of what the Gettysburg Address’s meaning is. To determine this, I will use the exit slips from the end of lesson two. If a basic understanding is not had by 80% or more of my students, more time will be spent on decon-structing the address and figuring out the meaning of spe-cific words and phrases.

Materials - day’s schedule written on board- 18 ipads- computer hooked up to projector- students’ deconstruction graphic organizers from yesterday’s

class- 6 sets of yellow, green, and red cups

Opening 1- Go over the day’s schedule2- Introduce cup system for working classroom. Each group of students will receive three cups, a green, a yellow, and a red. The groups will use the cups to indicate to the teacher that they need help. A red cup indicates, “We are stuck and can’t move on until we receive help from the teacher,” yellow indi-cates, “we are having trouble but can keep going on our own, and green indicates, “we are doing fine.” The colors and what they indicate will be written on the board.

Process 1- For the activity today, students will be broken into four groups of four and two groups of five. (groups will be prede-termined) (2 min)2- Students will be instructed to get their ipads from the cart. Tables will called two at a time to get their ipads. (3 min)3a- Once all students have their ipads, the class will be in-structed to go to their google drive and open up the google document I shared with them.3b- The google document was created prior to this class and shared with group member only. Six total google documents have been made and shared with the students in their respec-tive groups. This will allow the students to work on one docu-ment within their group as well as allow myself to view the document.4- I will show the students how to use the google doc by pro-jecting my own document onto the projection screen. For this lesson, I have deconstructed the Gettysburg Address myself, and will use my own deconstruction graphic organizer to be-gin writing the address in order to show students how to do this activity.I will show them that they will write their group's version of the Gettysburg Address on the google doc using the deconstruction graphic organizer they used in yesterday’s class. This version of the Gettysburg Address will be written in a “2014” manner, with words and phrases they are able to personally understand. They are using the google doc to be able to finish their document outside of class, if need be. (7 min)5- Specific rules for using the document will be gone over: 1- communication of what is written needs to be done as a group. One member is not to go onto the document and delete some-thing without speaking to the other members of the group first. 2- The document is to be used for school purposes only, it is not a social media site. 3- The final document will be turned in by the beginning of tomorrow’s class. (5 min)6- Students will be instructed to retrieve their deconstruction graphic organizers and begin working on their reconstruction of the Gettysburg Address in their groups. (20 min)7- During this “working classroom” time, I will be moving around the room, helping groups who have indicated they need help using the cup system.8- Groups that do not finish during class will be instructed to finish their address tonight for homework.

Assessment - Formative: anecdotal notes of how well students are working in groups, and how they are comprehending the material

Differentiation Strate-gies

Content:Process:Groups will be chosen to be of a fair heterogeneous nature, taking into account any students who may have dis-abilities and may need accommodationsProduct: Students will be able to use a dictation software if writing or typing is difficult

Additional Considera-tions

- Noise level may be too high for some students, and some groups may be permitted to work in separate areas such as the hallway

Extension - If groups finish before the end of class, they may use their ipads to play this author’s purpose practice gamehttp://www.westrusk.esc7.net/authorspurpose.html

Fourth Lesson: Creating Individual Address

Essential Question Does the way we read and write change depending on who the audience is?

Lesson Objective Students will be able to determine an author’s point of view or purpose

CCSS Connection CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

What do my students need to be able to do?

- write in an organized fashion- present to a large group

What do my students need to know?

- The purpose of the Gettysburg Address- how to organize their thoughts into a coherent short essay

Materials - Abraham Lincoln costume- 18 copies of assessment

- quiet reading books in case students forget their’s

Opening 1- Students will be instructed to enter the classroom and sit with their group members. 2- Once everyone is seated, I will introduce the students to the Abraham Lincoln costume. Students will be informed that they will determine, in their groups, which groups mem-ber will wear the costume and present the speech they have compiled. Expectations to choosing a group member will be set, and I will inform students that if they do not agree on a member, I will help the group choose. (3min)3- Groups will proceed to read their addresses as if deliver-ing the speech to a real audience. Each group will take a turn. (15 min)

Process 1- Students will be able to take a quick break (3 min) to go to the bathroom, get a drink, get a quiet reading book, and move around. After the break, they will complete their sum-mative assessments.2- Pass out summative assessments. Explain directions, and answer any questions. 3- Students will have the rest of the class period to complete their assessment. If they finish before the end of class, they may read quietly at their seat.

Assessment Summative assessment

Differentiation Strate-gies

Process: some students may need to take test in an alternative space to eliminate any distractionsProduct: Students may use dictation software to write for as-sessment or have assessment delivered orally

Additional Considera-tions

- Students who finish test early who also have trouble with reading may use an electronic device that reads aloud with the use of headphones

Extension Reading until the end of class period to eliminate test taking stress

Reflection

During the Civil War unit I designed and implemented for my solo week

of teaching, I taught the first three lessons of this unit. My initial lessons

were very different from the lessons I put together for this unit. I have

tweaked every lesson in this unit to encompass more emphasis on the com-

prehension and understanding of an author’s point of view and lesson em-

phasis on the historical importance of the speech itself. Throughout this year

I have learned that creating a good unit can not happen in one sitting. It

must be thoroughly planned out, implemented, reflected on, and changed for

the better. The developing of quality lesson plans is an artistic ability I look

forward to strengthening throughout my career.

Appendix A

The Gettysburg Address

Paragraph 1

Part 1: Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this conti-

nent, a new nation,

Rewritten Part 1: __________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 2: conceived in Liberty,

Rewritten Part 2: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 3: and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Rewritten Part 3:__________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

The Gettysburg Address

Paragraph 2

Part 1: Now we are engaged in the great civil war, testing whether that na-

tion, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

Rewritten Part 1: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 2: We are met on a great battle-field of that war.

Rewritten Part 2: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 3: We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting

place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.

Rewritten Part 3: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 4: It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Rewritten Part 4: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

The Gettysburg Address

Paragraph 3

Part 1: But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate- we can not consecrate-

we can not hallow- this ground.

Rewritten Part 1: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 2: The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have conse-

crated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.

Rewritten Part 2: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 3: The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it

can never forget what they did here.

Rewritten Part 3: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 4: It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished

work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

Rewritten Part 4: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 5: It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining be-

fore us- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that

cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-

Rewritten Part 5: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 6: that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in

vain- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-

Rewritten Part 6:__________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Part 7: and that government of the people, by the people, for the people

shall not perish from the earth.

Rewritten Part 7: _________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Appendix B

Researchers Claim That Biting Into Whole Foods Can Lead To Bad Be-havior In KidsBy Meera Dolasia on April 24, 2014

CCSS NAS-6 Grades: 3-8 Word Search

The next time you are chided for bad behavior, blame it on the whole apple, pear or pretty much any uncut food that your par-ents packed in your lunch box. That's because biting into anything that requires the use of the front teeth, is likely to cause rowdy behavior in kids! At least that's the conclusion some researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, have reached, after observing the behavior of 12 elementary school students at a summer camp.The study whose results were published last month in the scien-tific journal, Eating Behavior, was led by Brian Wansink, Professor and Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. The researchers began by dividing the 6-10 year-olds into two groups.On the first day, one group was given chicken on the bone - a food that they had to lift and bite into with their front teeth. The other was provided with the same chicken, except it was cut into dainty, bite-size pieces so that the only way to consume it, was with a fork. The following day, the foods were switched, so that the first group received the small pieces and cutlery, while the

second, enjoyed the poultry on the bone. Each day, the camp counselors also gave the kids strict instructions to remain within a circle with a 9-foot radius.

The researchers diligently videotaped both the meal sessions and then asked behavioral experts, as well as, the camp counselors who were supervising the kids, to evaluate what ensued.  Both agreed that the kids that were asked to bite the foods were twice as likely to exhibit aggressive behavior and disobey the adults, than those that were focused on eating their food with cutlery. If that isn't bad enough, the former group was also more likely to leave their assigned circle and even, stand and jump on the picnic tables!This has led Mr. Wansink and his team to conclude that for some reason, kids that bite into their food are more likely to exhibit bad behavior than those forced to eat with cutlery. Hence, he advices parents that wish to enjoy a peaceful meal to cut up any foods they serve to their kids!