englishmethods.wikispaces.comp… · web viewin talking with my student teaching matchup teacher,...

Unit Plan “Human vs. Self”

10th Grade Composition4 weeks (50 minute classes)

Katelyn AustEDUC463, Fall 2010

Informative Introduction

Human vs. Self would be the first unit of the second term. I chose to begin with identity

as a main theme because I feel this will be a great way to get to know my students as well as to

create a safe and open learning environment, hopefully building a sense of community quickly. I

will be teaching this unit, among others, to sophomores (around the age of 15) at Fruita

Monument High School in Fruita, Colorado, starting January 4, 2011. FMHS is not far from

Grand Junction itself – a city that brings a diverse grouping of people to work and live there.

This area is full of nature and sports enthusiasts. It is a conservative town for the most part, and

people tend to be actively involved in the community. As I have not met these students yet, I

cannot accurately list their abilities and interests; but like any public, coed high school, I should

expect a variety of learning abilities and styles along with a plethora of diverse personalities and

interests.

In talking with my student teaching matchup teacher, we have briefly discussed the

overall plan for the year. Human vs. Self will be the Introductory Unit, covering identity and

perspectives among other ideas relating to what identity is. Human vs. Self will then lead into

Human vs. Society, with the authentic literature being Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango

Street. Since this piece also deals with identity, we thought it would be appropriate to preface

that with the reading of American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. I know I will be teaching

Mango Street as well as Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. In addition, there

will be a poetry unit and literary analysis will be a focus all semester, but the fine details for

those units still have to be drawn out.

Authentic Literature American Born Chinese – Gene Luen Yang

Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult, General Fiction

Supplementary Texts Good Grammar is Sweet Music to Any Language Lover’s Ears – Abigail Van Buren

Genre: Grammar Rant The Alligator River Problem – adapted from Joseph Fletcher's Situation Ethics, 1966.

Genre: Fiction, Morals & Ethics Twitterature (Harry Potter example) - Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin

Genre: “Twitterature”

Colorado State Standards (for Reading, Writing, and Communicating)Mesa County School District

Understanding by Design Unit Template

Title of Unit Human vs. Self (Identity) Grade Level 10th

Curriculum Area English/Composition Time Frame 4 weeks, 1 Unit

Developed By Ms. Katie Aust

Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)

Content Standards (Colorado Department of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, and Communicating)

List NOT INCLUSIVE - 10.1.1 Oral Expression & Listening – Content that is gathered carefully and organized well successfully influences an audience10.1.2 Effectively operating in small groups to accomplish a goal requires active listening10.2.2 Development of new ideas and concepts within informational and persuasive manuscripts10.3.3 Grammar (Conventions) are basis of ongoing refinements and revisions within writing process10.4.1 Collect, analyze and evaluate information obtained from sources to question, explain, etc…

Understandings Essential Questions

Overarching Understanding Overarching Topical

Analyzing different ‘identity crises’ in literature is beneficial to understanding and accepting your own and others’ identities.

How will understanding a person’s challenges with him/herself benefit students in individual growth and tolerance?

How does looking at identity add layers of meaning to literature?

Related Misconceptions

You cannot truly understand others, and no one really gets me and what I go through.

Knowledge Skills

Students will know… Students will be able to…

The importance in evaluating texts through different perspectives

Exploring individual conflicts with Human vs. Self will provide insight into more than just the human psyche.

Enhance reading and writing skills Gain experience in working in

teams Prefect their revising and editing

skills Research, and use creativity in

expressing themselvesAssessment Evidence (Stage 2)

Performance Task Description

GoalTo assess student growth on the topic of Identity – both in life and in literature.

Role Writer/Speaker

Audience Teacher & Peers

Situation Unit Final (Summative, Culminating Assessment for the Unit)

Product/Performance Reflective Essay on Identity

Standards 1, 3, 4

Other Evidence

Free Writing Journals, Identity Masks, Reading Reflections/Quizzes (formative assessments), Reflective Essay, checking for understanding daily, etc…

Learning Plan (Stage 3)

Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are going?

My students are headed towards becoming not only functioning, but also passionate members of society. They have already been through trials and tribulations and they will only know where they’re going once they know who they are.

How will you hook students at the beginning of the unit?

I hope to “hook” students by presenting the information on identity in a refreshing, original and exciting way.

What events will help students experience and explore the big idea and questions in

Reading the Authentic Literature, American Born Chinese, and having discussions on topics from racism to

the unit? How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge?

individuality among a plethora of other ideas will help them explore the big idea of identity and perspectives. Also, producing student-generated writing and creating projects will equip them with needed skills and knowledge.

How will you cause students to reflect and rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and refining their work?

Students will continually reflect on readings aloud in class discussions, as well as reiterating that knowledge and rethinking through approaching the information and concepts in various ways (worksheets, projects, writing/reading assignments, etc…)

How will you help students to exhibit and self-evaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and understanding throughout the unit?

Individual conferences with students will allow them to be aware of their progress throughout the unit. At the end of the unit, students will also evaluate their growth and

How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the learning plan to optimize the engagement and effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising the goals of the unit?

I will make accommodations and modifications as necessary for IEP’s, Emotionally Disturbed and Special Education students. I will also present touchy subject matter in a way that will not make certain students feel uncomfortable or ostracized.

How will you organize and sequence the learning activities to optimize the engagement and achievement of ALL students?

I will sequence the learning activities in an organized and progressive manner, gradually addressing more serious issues. I have tried to create each plan to “optimize the engagement and achievement of all students.”

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)

Rationale

The concept of identity – knowing what it means, how you find your own, and how to

understand others’ – is the main idea of the Human vs. Self Unit. It is also centered on the

psychology of the human brain, emotions, and feelings that each person has – all related to

literature. In reading great pieces of writing, students will discover more about what identity

means to each character they read about as well as what it means to themselves individually.

I am teaching this unit to explore diverse personalities in literature in order to help

students gain a greater meaning for what identity is to each individual. In teaching this unit,

students will know the importance in evaluating texts from different perspectives. This is my

favorite unit because of the bonds students make through the fun, interactive and sometimes very

personal activities and assignments.

There are many types of justifications that support this unit. Human vs. Self is

rationalized by the study of “Psychology and Human Development:” because of the obvious

study of the human psyche – both in life and in literature – throughout the unit. According to

Smagorinsky, “the field of developmental psychology has provided abundant descriptions of the

stages that most people go through…and can help a number of units that deal with youth culture

and the challenges of growing through it” (141). Also, studying Gene Yang’s American Born

Chinese will provide “Literary Significance” to the unit. This is a prestigious works that has been

recognized and awarded worldwide. It has “literary significance that makes it essential to any

kind of cultural literacy” (142). Studying and analyzing various identity crises in literature is

beneficial to understanding and accepting your own and others identities. This unit is also

“Relevant” to every student. Each one has an identity whether they’ve found it or not, so

spending time on Human vs. Self will be beneficial both to the student’s academic and personal

growth. Lastly, this unit is successfully “Aligned with Standards.” It completes standards 10.1.1,

10.1.2, 10.2.2, 10.3.3 and 10.4.1 from the Colorado Department of Education Language Arts

Standards for the 10th grade. Teaching a fun and compelling unit is better done when standards

are addressed so that both the students and the teacher may attain the goals they set.

Evidence of the Human vs. Self Unit’s success and importance can be found in past

student work, showing the completion and impact of various assignments and activities from

previous classes. It can also be found in the powerful lines of Yang’s stories. Understanding

various works will provide insight into human identity and its significance to each person. The

study and statistics of human psychology also support this unit. Each claim I make can be

supported with evidence on a more specific and detailed basis when needed as well.

I think most would be supportive of this unit, but I might expect some arguments against

it on the basis of age appropriateness. Some of the material may be sensitive to some for its

emotionally raw content. Parents may be worried that their child can’t handle such topics, but I

disagree. By the 10th grade, most students are 15 or 16 and are truly in need of open study and

discussion into some more controversial topics such as mental illness, depression, anxiety and

doubt, among other things. The fact that these children are now becoming adults should be

enough of a rebuttal that they are capable of dealing with and confronting more adult topics.

This unit is one of the most important in terms of student bonding and connections, as

well as one of the most interesting in terms of reading material and concepts. Students will not

only enjoy this unit, but it will greatly benefit them in personal and academic growth as well.

Weekly Planner

Class:10 th Grade Composition Dates: January 3-7, 2011 Teacher: Ms. Katie Aust

Monday Tuesday(Day 1)

Wednesday

(Day 2)

Thursday(Day 3)

Friday (Day 4)

Reading

NOSCHOOL –TEACHERWORK DAY

Introduction to Syllabus, Rules, Expectations…

Introduction to Identity Unit

Introduction to American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang-Background Information(Hwk: Read pgs. 1-20)

No Reading HWK

Writing X

Writing Prompt: Have you ever felt excluded or discriminated against because of your race, gender or any other central parts to your identity?

Free Writing Journals to music

Language X

“Faces/Perspectives” Introductory Activity & Lesson

Explanation, purpose of Graphic Novels…

Class Discussion on *ABC pgs. 1-20

Icebreakers Introduce Work Time Work Time

Other X

– Community Building Activities

“Identity Mask” Project

for “Identity Masks”

for “Identity Masks”

*ABC = American Born Chinese (Authentic Literature)

Weekly PlannerClass:10 th Grade Composition Dates: January 10-14, 2011

Teacher: Ms. Katie Aust

Monday(Day 5)

Tuesday(Day 6)

Wednesday

(Day 7)

Thursday(Day 8)

Friday (Day 9)

Reading

Homework: Read *ABC pgs. 23-40

Homework:Read *ABC pgs. 43-59

Homework: Read *ABC pgs. 60-84

Writing

Assign Character Profile Worksheet

Free Writing Journals to Music

Reading Reflection on pgs. 43-59

Grammar Pet Peeves Analysis Chart

Class Discussion on *ABC pgs 23-40

Grammar Rants

Lyrical

Lyrical Analysis findings –

Language

-Purpose of Storytelling- More than meets the eye-Mispronunciations-Introduction of Wei-Chen Sun

Analysis of “proper/improper” language

Discussion & turned in

Other

“Identity Mask” Presentations(performance assessment)

HWK: Listen to songs and write down examples of “proper/improper” language

Small group discussions of *ABC pgs. 60-84




Monday Tuesday(Day 10)

Wednesday

(Day 11)

Thursday(Day 12)

Friday (Day 13)

Reading

NO SCHOOL – HOLIDAY(MLK JR. DAY)

“The Alligator River Problem” Activity and discussion-HWK: Read *ABC pgs. 87-106

HWK: Read *ABC pgs. 109-130


Socratic Seminar

HWK: Read *ABC pgs. 163-181 over weekend

Character Profile Worksheet Checkpoint

Writin X

Questions Handout and Work Time

g

“Twitterature” *ABC

Free Writing Journals to Music

Language X

Lesson and Activity

Other X

Preparation for Socratic Seminar on Day 13

Socratic Seminar




Monday(Day 14)

Tuesday(Day 15)

Wednesday

(Day 16)

Thursday(Day 17)

Friday (Day 18)

Reading


Reading Quiz on

HWK: Read *ABC pgs. 201-233 (end)

END OF UNIT

Character Profile Worksheet due

*ABC pgs. 163-181

Writing

Introduce Reflective Essay due Day 18.(Begin brainstorming/prewriting handout)

Descriptive Writing Lesson

Work Time for essay

Work Day for Essay (Lab time)

Work Day/Peer Revision

Mini-lesson on revision, polishing, conventions, etc…

Free Writing Journals to Music, then due for checkpoint

Reflective Essays due

Language

Mini-lesson on commas, semi-colons and dashes

Final discussion of American Born Chinese

Other

Whip around activity for reading accountability

SuitcaseIdentityManipulati

ves

Jeopardy extra credit opportunity (reviewing terms, plot, concepts, characters, ideas, etc…)


Lesson PlansHuman vs. Self Unit

Day 1: Introduction to 10th Grade Composition, 1st day of the new semester

Instructional Sequence:(15 minutes) – Introductions, review of the syllabus (not yet created), rules and expectations.

(35 minutes) – Icebreakers, Community building activities.[15 minutes] – “2 Truths and a Lie” ~ In turn, teens each tell two true things and one false thing about themselves. The group tries to guess which one is the lie.[20 minutes] – “Famous Figures Guessing Game” ~ Each student will take a note card/sticky note with the name of a famous person on it (Oprah Winfrey, Albert Einstein, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Barack Obama, Madonna, Bob Marley, Eminem, ‘Lil Wayne, Sarah Palin, and so on…), place it on their back and ask one question to each classmate inferring from that person’s identity by process of elimination who their mystery character is. People being asked the questions may only answer with “yes” or “no.”

Closure/Homework: Dismiss the class. No homework.

Materials: Copies of Syllabi for students “Famous Figures” Notecards

Day 2: Identity, Perspectives

Instructional Sequence:(15 minutes) – Introductory/Lead lesson for Identity. Information, concepts, ideas,

examples, etc… [Attached]

(30 minutes) – “Faces” Lesson and Activity. [Attached] *From Language Exploration and Awareness by Andrews. Assessment: 2 points for each question. 6 pts total.

Closure/Homework:(5 minutes) – Briefly introduce and explain the “Identity Mask” project due on Day 5. Hand out

assignment sheet. [Attached] Homework: Suggest students start gathering materials for their masks. Dismiss class.

Materials: Identity PREZI “Faces” Assignment sheets for students “Identity Mask” Assignment sheets for students

Standards: [10.1.1.a] [10.1.2.c] [10.2.1.a] [10.3.1.b] [10.3.2.d]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “organizing a presentation that influences a specific audience,” “choosing specific words for an intended effect on a particular audience,” “generalizing about universal themes from multiple perspectives,” “writing through multiple genres using a range of stylistic devices to support the presentation,” and by “collecting, organizing and evaluating materials to support ideas.”

Link: Students are using prior knowledge to discuss their thoughts and make connections to ideas about identity.

Day 3: Authentic Literature Introduction – American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Instructional Sequence: (10 minutes) – Background Information on Yang, about the book. [Attached]

(10 minutes) – About Graphic Novels, their purpose, etc… [Attached]

(10 minutes) – In-class Writing Prompt: “Have you ever had judgments made/or made judgments about race, gender, physical representation or any other part central to your own or another person’s identity? How? When?” Assessment: Participation grade out of 5 for completion.

(5 minutes) – Take volunteers to share their experiences aloud.

(15 minutes) – Brainstorming/Pre-writing/Work time for the “Identity Mask” Project [Attached]

Closure/Homework: Assign reading homework ABC pages 1-20. Remind students to keep working on their “Identity Masks.” Dismiss Class.

Materials: Background Info on author, book Info on Graphic Novels Copies of brainstorming guides for students

Standards: [10.1.2.a] [10.2.1.d] [10.2.1.e] [10.2.2.b]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “listening actively in groups to accomplish a goal,” “analyzing how literary components affect meaning,” “explaining the relationship between author’s style and literary effect,” and by “analyzing how a concept is presented and developed in multiple texts.”

Link: Students will have in mind the identity concepts covered on Day 2. This should help them as I present information about the author and graphic novels. Students will also use prior knowledge to help them brainstorm and pre-write.

Day 4: Reading, Writing, Working

Instructional Sequence:(10 minutes) – Free Writing Journals to Music. [Attached] Assessment: will be collected later.

(15 minutes) – Class discussion on American Born Chinese pages 1-20. Questions to ask (Conversation Starters):

What did you think of the reading? Was it easy/difficult to read? First Impressions? Did you notice any stereotypical images? What can monkeys symbolize? Did you see any religious imagery? What is the importance of the lines: “You may be a King – You may even be a deity – but you are still a monkey” (15)? Why does he attack? What is he really smelling when he smells the scent of his own monkey fur?

(30 minutes) – Work Time for “Identity Masks.”

Closure/Homework: Remind students to complete their “Identity Masks” over the weekend in order to present them to the class on Day 5 (Monday 1/10). No reading homework. Dismiss class.

Materials: Song/iPod/stereos for Free Writing to Music Journals. Whiteboard/marker for class discussion questions, ideas, etc… Glue sticks, magazines, space available for work time.

Standards: [10.1.2.b] [10.3.1.c]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “contributing effectively in groups to accomplish a goal,” and by “enhancing the expression of voice” during their presentations. Free Writing also helps their writing skills, even if it isn’t directly aligned with the Standards.

Link: Students will activate prior knowledge while listening to the music presented for the writing journals to make connections about how they feel, what they remember when hearing the music, etc… They will also have to use previously learned speaking and conversationalist skills for the class discussion. They will have work time, which will also probably be positively linked to past classes where they were given time in class to work instead of being expected to finish it all in class.

Day 5: Identity Mask Presentations

Instructional Sequence:(45 minutes) – Students will individually present their “Identity Masks.”

Closure/Homework:(5 minutes) – Praise students. Collect masks. Assign reading homework – ABC pages 23-40.

Materials: Performance Assessment Checklists (for grading while the presentations are happening)

[Attached] Extra “brain busters” in case of some down time at the end of class. [Attached]

Standards: [10.1.1.b] [10.1.2.e]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “reflecting on the content and approach to a presentation,” and by “supporting others in discussions, activities and presentations through active listening.”

Link: Students will link how to present their masks to other classes where they’ve been asked to present something orally. Students should also be aware of proper classroom etiquette in order to give their classmates the respect they deserve.

Day 6: Dialogue, Dialogue, Dialogue

Instructional Sequence: (10 minutes) – “Whip Around” Activity – Ask each student to briefly say one thing they

remembered/liked/disliked about the reading. Checking for understanding, accountability for reading homework - (Mark participation points on class roster).

(30 minutes) – Class discussion on the reading – ABC pages 23-40. Questions to Ask (Conversation Starters):

What’s the purpose of storytelling? What is “more than meets the eye?” Why can mispronunciations be offensive? What do you think about the introduction of Wei-Chen Sun? Do you have any predictions about what’s going to happen next? Why do we keep seeing the “transformer?” Is this a common theme? What does the old woman mean on page 29? Assessment: EXIT SLIPS - To make sure students participate in the class discussion, have them turn in a half page of notebook paper when they leave with questions, comments, ideas, etc… which they will receive credit for.

(5 minutes) – Hand out the Character Profile Worksheet and explain that students will be expected to fill out the worksheet while they read ABC in order to improve descriptive writing and improve attention to detail and important character features. It will be DUE on January 28 (Day 18). [Attached]

Closure/Homework:(5 minutes) – Assign reading homework – ABC pages 43-59

Materials: Character Profile Worksheets to hand out to students

Standards: [10.2.2.a]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “providing a response to a text that expresses an insight (such as an author’s perspective of the nature of conflict) or using text based information to solve a problem not identified in the text.” They will be able to do this through class dialogue.

Link: Students will use information they’ve gathered while reading ABC to contribute to the discussion. Students will also use previous knowledge of the elements on the Character Profile Worksheet such as race, economic status, gender, family situation, etc… to fill it out correctly.

Day 7: Themes, Plot Lines

Instructional Sequence:(10 minutes) – Free Writing Journals to Music.

(10 minutes) – Assessment: Reading Quiz. [Attached]

(5 minutes) – Quick review of the reading – Take comments and questions from the class. Student-led discussion.

(15 minutes) – What is a theme? What are common themes in literature? In ABC? What are the elements of a plot line? Why is it important to know these things? Model example on board.

(10 minutes) – Hand out “Elements of a Plot Line” worksheet to students, explain directions and allow them the remainder of class to work on them. Students will be instructed to label and fill out the appropriate “elements” for American Born Chinese while they read it. It, like the Character Profile Sheet will be turned in on January 28 (Day 18) after the reading is complete. [Attached]

Closure/Homework: Conclude lesson with closing remarks and dismiss class. No reading homework.

Materials: Song/iPod/stereos for Free Writing Journals to Music. Copies of Reading Quizzes to hand out to students Information on themes, plot lines [Attached] “Elements of a Plot Line” worksheets for students

Standards: [10.2.2.c]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “comparing the development of an idea or concept in multiple texts supported by text-based evidence.” Students will also be improving their critical thinking and critical reading skills.

Link: Students will use their past knowledge of how the Free Writing Journals to music works to create another entry. Students will also use information I presented to them to successfully answer and fill out the Elements of a Plot Line Worksheet.

Day 8: Grammar Rants

Instructional Sequence:(5 minutes) – Explain grammar rants. Assess prior knowledge by asking for examples. What do

you think grammar rants are?

(10 minutes) – Hand out “Dear Abbie” Grammar Rant and allow time for students to read the examples of incorrect grammar. [Attached]

(25 minutes) – Assessment: Explain the “Grammar Pet Peeves Analysis Chart,” hand it out to students and allow them time in class to fill it out completely and turn them in. [Attached]

(10 minutes) – Explain “proper” and “improper language” (according to Standard American English and according to references from Language Exploration and Awareness - Andrews, Engaging Grammar – Benjamin, Oliva, and Woe is I – O’Conner) and explain the “Lyrical Analysis” Assignment. Listen to a few songs and pick out examples for students to model what they should do for homework.

Closure/Homework: Remind students that they will be turning in their lyrical analysis findings tomorrow (Day 9) and assign the reading homework – ABC pages 60-84. Dismiss class.

Materials: Copies of “Dear Annie Grammar Rant” for students “Grammar Pet Peeves Analysis Chart” handouts for students “Lyrical Analysis” Assignment and copies [Attached]

Standards: [10.3.3.b]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Identifying instances where sentences are not grammatically parallel and revising sentences to establish parallelism.”

Link: Students will use what they already know about grammar and writing for this lesson. They will also be perfecting their skills as writers. Students will also make connections to their own lives listening to different pieces of music.

Day 9: Findings & Small Group Work

Instructional Sequence: (20 minutes) – Have students share examples of their lyrical analysis findings to the class, and

collect “Lyrical Analysis” Assignment Sheet. (Assessment: Out of 10 points for completion).

(15 minutes) – Small group discussions on the reading homework – ABC pages 60-84. Assessment: Students will have to answer a few questions they will turn in, but mostly have the freedom to discuss what they’d like. (Out of 12 points – 2 possible for each question answered). o Why does the Monkey King change his name to “The Great Sage, Equal of

Heaven?” What does this have to do with identity?o Could you pick up any tones of racism, separation, or otherness in this reading

section? -“We just aren’t particularly fond of fleas” (62). o Why doesn’t the Monkey King want to be a monkey? Why is he fighting so

hard against who he is?o Could you pick up any religious symbolism from this reading section?

(Examples…)o Was it surprising to you that the five gold arches were Tze-Yo-Tzuh’s

fingers?o What did you think about the end of the chapter? What do you expect to

happen next? How are you liking ABC so far?

(15 minutes) – Collect group discussion answers and allow the students to play Scrabble for the remainder of the class. Scrabble is a fun, interactive game that helps students: build vocabulary and word skills, who are ELL students, and become interested in the words – helping with memorization and making connections. This also enables a student’s prior knowledge and is a social, community building, stress relieving activity. (T.G.I.F!)

Closure/Homework: No reading homework. Dismiss class.

Materials: Group work question handout sheets [Attached] Multiple games of Scrabble

Standards: [10.1.2.d] [10.2.1.b]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Facilitating (or leading) a group by developing an agenda designed to accomplish a specified goal” and by “Evaluating the contribution to society made by works of literature that deal with similar topics and problems.”

Link: Students will relate lyrical analysis to their own lives, helping make connections. Students will also use details from the reading to relate to the class discussion. Scrabble will also aid students’ vocabulary. They will also use words they already know – activating prior learning.Day 10: Morals & Ethics

Instructional Sequence:(10 minutes) – Hand out Values Survey and allow students to complete it– This is for their own

benefit – to see how they rank their values and be able to reflect on that. [Attached]

(5 minutes) – Read aloud “The Alligator River Problem” and explain directions to students. [Attached]

(10 minutes) – Allow students to complete their rankings.

(15 minutes) – Have a class discussion centered on the survey and how the students ranked things. Why are values and ethics central to a person’s identity? How are values and ethics formed? Take notes on the board. Assessment: Collect for completion grade.

(10 minutes) – Explain how a Socratic seminar works. Have students take notes to prepare for the Socratic discussion on Day 13. Pass out Socratic Seminar handout. [Attached]

Closure/Homework: Assign reading homework – ABC pages 87-106. Dismiss class.

Materials: Copies of “Values” Survey Copies of “The Alligator River Problem” to hand out to students Socratic Seminar handouts for students

Standards: [10.2.1.a] [10.2.2.a]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Generalizing about universal themes, cultural or historical perspectives from multiple texts,” and by “providing a response to a text that provides an insight (such as an author’s perspective or the nature of conflict) or use text-based information to solve a problem not identified in the text.” This will be done through class discussion and evaluation of the text by students.

Link: Students will be connecting to the text and to further ideas of identity through evaluating their own morals and ethics, and how this changes how a person thinks, feels, acts, etc… Students will use their own past experiences to take the surveys. This is very much a personal, (every student will have different rankings) kind of activity.

Day 11: Twitterature

Instructional Sequence:(10 minutes) – Introduction to "Twitterature." [This will also serve as part of the pre-

assessment, testing for understanding and prior knowledge.] This is also the lesson that specifically addresses 21st century skills, although many of my lessons already do that. Questions to address:

Language continually changes and varies. Do your parents or grandparents ever say anything outdated? Words or phrases? “My grandma always used to say ‘supper’ for lunch which was confusing, and my dad calls tennis shoes ‘tenny-runners! (ha!)’” [Take examples from students.] Just as the phrases they use have changed, my generation and your generation is involved in an entirely new and groundbreaking language change that has evolved from technology…it’s the text lingo/slang phenomenon!”

Does anyone in this class Twitter? Facebook? Text? Email? (raise of hands) Is anyone familiar with Twitterature? Write on board: Twitter+Literature=Twitterature What is it? Where did it come from? (College Students!) What’s the point? Have students spout off [school appropriate] text lingo while you write them on the

board. (EX: lol, omg, bff, wth, u, r, lmao, ttyl, brb, paw, nvm, etc…)

(5 minutes) – Read aloud [to model an example] from an actual "Twitterature" example from Harry Potter. [Edited version attached below]

Harry Potter (1–7) by J . K. Rowling-taken from Twit terature , by Aciman & Rensin

@NotoriousHP

“Hello everyone from under the stairs! Aunt and Uncle threw me under here again. Gosh, life is so hard.

That fat [jerk] Dudley stole all my food! I wish something good or at least interesting would happen to me. OMG I'm a WIZARD! And my parents are DEAD WIZARDS! Off to magic boarding school. PEACE [homies!]

OMG Hogwarts OMG I have two friends OMG magic OMG the Slytherins are Nazis OMG there is an EVIL WIZARD out to get me.

Snape is an [ass] ! Dumbledore a wise man, but [slightly creepy.] Voldemort tried to kill me! Flying broomstick! Battle over magic crack-rock!

OMG the year's over. Time goes fast when you're having fun. Goes slow if you have to read seven books with lots of adverbs.

Back to school! Should be a great year! I hope nothing crazy happens like last time.

No! Voledemort is trying to wreck my [shizz] up AGAIN!! I am TIRED of these [DAMN]

SNAKES IN THIS [DAMN] CASTLE!

Back to school AGAIN! This year definitely better! A dude who tried to kill me turned out OK. Sometimes misunderstandings happen. LOL.

Oh man, big tournament at my school this year!! PSYCHED! I hope nobody dies this year, and every year as if by clockwork.

Competing in a tournament. Also: is it just me, or should they really have a tougher vetting process for Dark Arts teachers?

OMGG VOLDEMORT AGAIN. Don't worry, I have the hang of this by now. Plus there's a secret society out to protect me. Give up already LV.

I AM UNDERGOING A LOT OF ANGST RIGHT NOW. And this Asian girl is giving me major [butterflies]….

Don't believe anyone who says Voldemort isn't back AGAIN. I KNOW WHAT I SAW!

Big brawl at Ministry of Magic! Sirius is dead. Super-pissed. I just used the torture spell, didn't I? I'm going to Azkaban now, aren't I?

Back to school again! Boy, everything better go well this year or I'm going to eat a wand.

Hey! My friend's sister is totally hot for me. Feels a bit dirty, but yeah baby, you like my scar, don't you? Wanna see my wand?

SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE [WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF?] THIS IS LIKE THE BIGGEST CLIFFHANGER EVER!!!

Sometimes this guy, Tom, keeps showing up. I don't want him around but I don't have the heart to tell him, because he killed my parents.

NVM last tweet. Killed him. Something about a prophecy. Who cares? Last seven years have felt like same one, over and over.”

(10 minutes) – Take comments and questions from the class. Explain the assignment orally: “You will have 15 minutes to work with a partner or a group (no larger than 4), to create your own tweet (in 140 characters or less) using text lingo to summarize any event thus far from ABC – or all of the events up to this point. Make sure to include important characters, events, plots, etc… to show your understanding of ABC’s plot as well as the use of changing language.”

(15 minutes) – Circulate the room answering questions [on-going assessment], helping studentsbrainstorm, etc… while allowing the students some time to work. Try to encourage the students to choose different events than their peers. After 15 minutes, ask students to volunteer (or "popcorn") their presentations/"tweets" aloud to the rest of the class, setting a casual atmosphere.

(10 minutes) - Oral presentations of ABC "tweets."

Closure/Homework: Reinforce idea of language changing and varying. Assessment: Collect "tweets" for a total score of 21. Assign reading homework – ABC pages 109-130. Dismiss Class.

Materials: “Twitterature” example Whiteboard/markers for modeling, information and instruction Rubric for performance aspect of the “tweets” [Attached]

21st Century Skills:o Think Creatively – Use a wide range of idea creation techniques, create new and

worthwhile ideas, while analyzing and evaluating their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts

o Work Creatively with Others – Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively, Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives, and incorporate group input and feedback into the work.

o Communicate Clearly – Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts, Listen effectively to decipher meaning, and utilize multiple media and technologies.

o Collaborate with Others – Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams and assume shared responsibility for collaborative work.

Standards: [10.3.2.b]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Selecting and applying the organizational pattern best suited to purpose and audience.” This will be done by creating their “tweets.” Students will also be using 21st Century Skills in this lesson, which many of the new Colorado State Standards adhere to.

Link: Students will be applying their natural language sense to this assignment. They will be using concepts they are familiar with to make connections to the text.

Day 12: Catch up Day

Instructional Sequence:

(10 minutes) – Free Writing Journals to music.

(10 minutes) – Have students bring their copies of the Socratic Seminar Handout that were handed out previously. Ask for questions students may have about the seminar.

(30 minutes) – Allow students time to work on their “Character Profile Worksheets,” “Elements of a Plot Line Worksheet,” catch up with ABC reading or work on make-up assignments.

Closure/Homework: Assign reading homework – ABC pages 133-160. Remind students to prepare for the Socratic Seminar on Day 13 (tomorrow!)

Materials: Song/iPod/stereos for the Free Writing Journals to music

Standards: [10.3.1.a] [10.1.2.f]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Using conventional structures and expectations of literary genres (such as short story, personal narrative, script, poem, or song) to select content, represent ideas, make connections, generate new insights, and develop an organizational structure for drafting” and by “participating in group activities through full engagement in individual roles and responsibilities that support the specified goal of the group.”

Link: Students will once again use prior knowledge of music and the Writing Journals to participate in the activity.

Day 13: Socratic Seminar


(10 minutes) – Character Profile Worksheet Checkpoint. Assessment: Mark checks on their sheets if they’ve made considerable progress.

(40 minutes) – Socratic Seminar led by students. Assessment: Students will keep track of the person to their right’s speaking, contributions and ideas added to the conversation which will be done on a separate handout and turned in at the end of the period. [Attached]

Closure/Homework: Ask the students how the discussion went, whether they thought it was helpful, beneficial, difficult, etc… Collect Seminar Handouts/Scoring Guides. Assign reading homework over weekend – ABC pages 163-181. Dismiss class.

Materials: Marker Socratic Seminar Handouts/Scoring Guides

Standards: [10.1.1.d] [10.2.2.d] [10.4.2.a]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Making decisions about how to establish credibility and enhance appeal to the audience,” “describing how the author’s use of persuasive vocabulary influences readers’ opinions or actions,” and by “analyzing the logic (including assumptions and beliefs) and use of evidence used by two or more authors presenting similar or opposing arguments.” This will all be accomplished through the seminar.

Link: Students will use the information previously given to them concerning Socratic Seminars and will learn from their own experience through the discussion. Students will have to use their knowledge of the reading to connect to and add to the seminar for points.

Day 14: Reflections


(10 minutes) – Assessment: Reading Reflection on ABC pages 163-181. This will be turned in. Thought- How is the word “reflection” an important concept to the idea of identity? [Attached]

(15 minutes) – Mini-lesson on expectations for paragraph structure for the class. [Attached]

(5 minutes) – Introduce Reflective Essay Handout & Culminating Assessment Tool [Attached]

(20 minutes) – Remind students of the brainstorming/pre-writing techniques previously discussed in class, and allow students the remainder of class to reflect on identity concepts, and American Born Chinese in order to start forming ideas for their essays due on Day 18 (Friday).

Closure/Homework: Assign reading homework – ABC pages 182-198. Homework – Create 2 new scenes adding or changing a scene in ABC. Make sure to use text, images…and explain why you chose to create that scene. Dismiss class.

Materials: Information on paragraph structure. Reflective Essay Instruction sheet and rubric for students

Standards: [10.2.2.b] [10.3.2.f]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Analyzing how a concept is presented and developed in multiple texts,” and by “explaining how writers use organization and details to communicate their purposes.” This will be done through the reading reflection and brainstorming for their essays.

Link: Students will use critical thinking skills to reflect on the reading as well as their upcoming essays. They will use past knowledge on their prewriting.

Day 15: Descriptives


(5 minutes) – Assessment: “Whip Around Activity” on ABC for reading accountability. “Share one thing you remember about the reading, were surprised about, what you think, etc…”

(10 minutes) – Hand out list of descriptives. Lesson on descriptive words, descriptive writing, speaking, etc…[Attached]

(15 minutes) – “Suitcase Identity Manipulative Activity”. Students will reach into a bag/suitcase and feel an item (related to a person’s identity) and describe it in a paragraph – what they think it is, how it might be related to identity, etc…This kind of descriptive writing should be used in their essays. Assessment: Collect for grade out of 10.

(20 minutes) – Work time for remainder of class for Reflective Essays (due Day 18 – Friday).

Closure/Homework: Assign reading homework – ABC pages 201-233 (end). Remind students to keep working on their essays, their “Character Profile Worksheets” and their “Elements of a Plot Line” Worksheet which is due on Day 16 (tomorrow!) Dismiss class.

Materials: List of Descriptive Words Suitcase & Manipulatives

Standards: [10.3.2.1] [10.1.1c]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Learning different purposes for writing - increasing effectiveness,” and by “selecting organizational patterns and structures and choosing precise vocabulary and rhetorical devices.”

Link: Students will have to access prior knowledge for the reading they were required to read and share about, as well as to use descriptive words for the writing activity.

Day 16: Work Day in Lab


(15 minutes) – Assessment: Collect “Elements of a Plot Line” Worksheet from students. Out of 15 possible points. Take comments from students about the conclusion of American Born Chinese.

(35 minutes) – Allow students the remainder of class time in the school computer lab to write their Reflective Essays.

Closure/Homework: Take questions about the essay. Encourage their hard work and dismiss class.

Materials: Reserved Computer Lab

Standards: [10.3.2.a] [10.4.1.a] [10.4.1.d]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Devising and adjusting a topic, claim, or thesis,” “defining and narrowing a topic for research, developing a central idea, focus or question at issue,” and by “using a variety of strategies to collect and organize relevant and significant information.” These, among other standards, will be met by the lessons taught, and worksheets and essay due at the end of the unit.

Link: Students will implement knowledge and skills they have learned in class.

Day 17: Work Day in Lab


(50 minutes) – Allow students the entire period in a computer lab to finish, edit, revise (and print, if necessary) their essays. Mini-lesson: polishing, peer-revision (have students peer revise each other’s essays when they’re done.)

Closure/Homework: Remind students that on Day 18 (tomorrow) they have due: their finished Character Profile Worksheets, their Free Writing Journals and their final Reflective Essays. Dismiss Class.

Materials: Reserved Computer Lab

Standards: [10.1.1.f] [10.3.1.d] [10.3.1.e]

Students are addressing the Standards by: “Using feedback to evaluate and revise the presentations,” “using a variety of strategies to evaluate whether the writing is presented in a creative and reflective manner (e.g., reading the draft aloud, seeking feedback, etc…)” and by “revising texts using feedback to enhance the effect on the reader and clarify the presentation of implicit or explicit theme.” All of these will be accomplished by students having peer revision done on their essays.

Link: Students will behave in the computer lab according to my expectations. They will use the time to finish their Reflective Essays and relate to prior experiences for their writing. They will know how to use work time wisely because of the times in class where I’ve made it available before.

Day 18: Last Day of Human vs. Self Unit


(10 minutes) – Free Writing Journals to music. Collect.

(10 minutes) – Assessment: Collect complete & final copies of Reflective Essays and “Character Profile Worksheets” from students. Essay assessment attached. Character Profile Worksheets will be scored out of 38 points.

(10 minutes) – Final class discussion on American Born Chinese. Return graded “Elements of a Plot Line” Worksheet.

(20 minutes) – Play Jeopardy as a class for Extra Credit Opportunities using terms and concepts from the “Human vs. Self/Identity” Unit. The terms and ideas which were discussed in class will be compiled at this time to create a comprehensive overview for the students – this is to allow them an opportunity for extra credit, while also proving to me that they learned the material they needed to, all while repeating it to enhance their continued memory of it.

Closure/Homework: Hand out cookies, congratulate students on their hard work over the Unit. No homework. Dismiss class.

Materials: Bins/buckets/bags to hold all of the material students will turn in Questions for discussion Jeopardy terms, characters, concepts, etc… Cookies/cupcakes/candy for a reward

Standards: Students will complete all of the standards previously listed for the assignment on that day.

Link: Students will use prior knowledge by reviewing terms from the class during the Jeopardy game.

Notes about Differentiation

For each day, I plan to use various teaching methods in order to adhere to the various

learning styles in my classroom. I hope to provide extra support for students who need it or ask

for it – students with IEP’s or any kind of student that requires modifications or accommodations

with lessons. I hope to differentiate learning by teaching to all kinds of learning styles, including

visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. I plan to do this by writing examples on the board,

modeling examples for students, asking students to listen to those instructions, while also asking

students to keep busy with their hands – writing notes, highlighting, etc…

I feel that teaching in this way provides a closer community, where no one feels ‘outed’

by the teachers strategy of teaching. The teacher should in no way detract from any learner.

Therefore, teaching to all students the way they need to be taught to (and not how the teacher

wants to teach) is essential. I didn’t point out these ways of differentiation in my lesson plans

because I figure it is a given (like taking attendance) that I will strive to differentiate every day.

My main mode of doing this, as mentioned before, is to teach in a way that is beneficial to all

three learning styles.

I will provide student choice by allowing students to self-advocate and communicate with

me about what they need, how they need it and why they need it. I will be happy to help each

and every student in their educational journey.

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