ELA 8, UNIT TWO: “SURVIVAL BY TRAVELING THE ROAD NOT TAKEN””
UNIT DURATION: NINE WEEKS— OCTOBER 29, 2018 — JANUARY 11, 2019.
KEY QUESTION: “HOW DOES ONE SURVIVE IN ADVERSE CONDITIONS?”
STANDARDS ADDRESSED
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.5
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.6
Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.1
Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.2
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.5
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.8.6
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.a
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.b
Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.c
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.d
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.e
Establish and maintain a formal style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2.f
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.6
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.7
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.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.8
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.
UNIT VOCABULARY
ACADEMIC—COMPARE AND CONTRAST, TEXT STRUCTURE, KEY CONCEPT, EVIDENCE, TECHNIQUE, COLLABORATE, CHRONOLOGICAL, DEVELOPMENT, PERSPECTIVE, SIGNIFICANCE, SOURCE, CITE/CITATION, PLAGIARISM, RELEVANT/IRRELEVANT, PARAPHRASE, GENERATE.
CONTENT– STYLE, POINT OF VIEW, INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY, AUTHOR’S PURPOSE.
RESOURCES/TEXTS: UPDATED LISTS TBD DUE TO INFLUX OF NEW AND REASSIGNED STAFF. IN THE PAST, SELECTIONS FROM THIS UNIT HAVE INCLUDED, “ROUGHING IT” , “CUB PILOT ON THE MISSISSIPPI”, AND “A FABLE” BY MARK TWAIN, MARK TWAIN “TIME MAGAZINE ARTICLES”, “THE STORY OF AN EYEWITNESS” BY JACK LONDON, “A GLOW IN THE DARK” BY GARY PAULSEN.
UNIT OVERVIEW:
STUDENTS WILL READ WORKS FROM VARIOUS GENRES AND COMPARE AND ANALYZE TEXTS RELATED TO INDIVIDUAL AND CHARACTER SURVIVAL. STUDENTS WILL FOCUS ON THE IMPACT A HISTORICAL TIME PERIOD HAS ON INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, AND IDEAS, AND COMPARE THE WAYS DIFFERENT AUTHORS SHAPE SIMILAR STORIES IN WHICH CHARACTERS MUST SURVIVE. STUDENTS WILL ALSO ANALYZE HOW DIFFERENCES IN THE POINTS OF VIEW OF THE CHARACTERS AND AUDIENCE CREATE EFFECTS (HUMOR AND SUSPENSE) AND WILL DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THESE LITERARY DEVICES. STUDENTS WILL USE TEXT EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE ANALYSIS OF THE TEXT AND WILL CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY THEME AND CENTRAL IDEA. THE WRITING FOCUS FOR THE SURVIVAL UNIT WILL BE CONSTRUCTING INFORMATIVE/EXPLANATORY TEXTS RELATED TO THE THEME OF SURVIVAL. STUDENTS WILL CONDUCT A SHORT RESEARCH PROJECT ON A HISTORICAL FIGURE THAT HAS DISPLAYED THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SURVIVOR. THIS WILL SERVE AS THE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT AND PORTIONS OF THE TASK SHOULD FEATURE COLLABORATIVE ELEMENTS.
STUDENT LEARNING TARGETS:
I CAN CITE TEXTUAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT INFERENCES THAT I MAKE.
I CAN ANALYZE TEXT STRUCTURE AND DETERMINE HOW IT IMPACTS MEANING.
I CAN IDENTIFY THE CENTRAL IDEA OF A TEXT AND ANALYZE ITS DEVELOPMENT.
I CAN IDENTIFY AND ANALYZE POINT OF VIEW AND DETERMINE ITS EFFECT ON THE OVERALL MESSAGE.
I CAN CREATE AND ORGANIZE AN INFORMATIVE TEXT USING VARIOUS SOURCES, PRESENTING RESEARCH IN THE FORM OF A SHORT RESEARCH PROJECT USING TECHNOLOGY.