WRITING CURRICULUM

9th Grade - Our Narratives Unit

Unit Overview 

The Our Narratives Unit was created for two reasons: 1) to provide students the space to write about themselves in fun and creative ways for a personal narrative and 2) for students to look at the writing of others and learn different writing strategies to influence their narrative writing. Adapted from PEAR’s Our Stories Unit and strategies and skills utilized in the Writers’ Workshop Model, students will be encouraged to write about their identities and interests to share with their peers. The unit will culminate with a final narrative product of the student’s choosing. 

Resources: 

Our Stories Unit - PEAR: Partnerships in Education and Resilience

Bomer, Randy. Building Adolescent Literacy in Today's English Classrooms. Heinemann, 2011.

Bomer, Randy, and Katherine Bomer. For a Better World: Reading and Writing for Social Action. Pearson Education Canada, 2001.

Unit Learning Outcomes 

Students will be able to: 

• Become comfortable and confident when writing about themselves. 

• Read the narratives of other writers. 

• Learn strategies to help them brainstorm writing ideas. 

• Practice narrative writing in preparation for college entrance essays.

• Go through the writing process and publish their own narratives.

Resources

• Facilitator Guide 

• Curriculum-based BIT 

• Walkthrough Video 

• Unit Lesson Plans 

Below you can find the Breakthrough National Writing Curriculum, sorted by grade and by unit.  CLICK HERE for General Curriculum Resources. 

NOTE: These resources were most recently updated in 2018. Updates will be taking place over the next year, and this website will be updated with new resources as they become available. All new resources are highlighted in YELLOW. 

Writing Curriculum User's Guide - This guide is intended for site directors, instructional coaches, and teaching fellows - read before you teach any Breakthrough writing unit.

Short Response Rubric - Editable sample rubric for short-response questions.

7th GRADE

7th Grade Writing - A 20-lesson unit focused on the elements of a drafting a strong informational essay. Includes adjustable unit map.

7th Grade Writing Summer Data Tracker - Use this tool to track student data throughout the summer. Included: daily assessment mastery tracker, homework tracker, and Kid Talk tracker.

7th Grade Writing Unit Map - Edit this unit map to reflect your students' needs.

8th GRADE

8th Grade Writing - A 20-lesson unit focused first on the elements of a drafting a strong persuasive essay, then focused on elements of a strong narrative essay. Includes adjustable unit map.

8th Grade Writing Summer Data Tracker - Use this tool to track student data throughout the summer. Included: daily assessment mastery tracker, homework tracker, and Kid Talk tracker.

8th Grade Writing Unit Map - Edit this unit map to reflect your students' needs.

9th GRADE

9th Grade Writing - A 20-lesson unit focused on evaluating arguments and counterarguments through the lenses of fake news and social justice. Includes adjustable unit map.

9th Grade Writing Summer Data Tracker - Use this tool to track student data throughout the summer. Included: daily assessment mastery tracker, homework tracker, and Kid Talk tracker.

9th Grade Writing Unit Map - Edit this unit map to reflect your students' needs.

Curriculum Extension Road Map - A 5-lesson extension unit exploring poetry concepts. Can be added to any grade to extend unit.

ASSESSMENTS

Pre-Post Assessment Guide - This guide was designed in conjunction with our updated literature and writing assessments. Please read before administering a BT writing or literature pre/post assessment.

Writing Assessments - These are the pre- and post-tests for each grade (7,8, and 9).

Writing Assessment Scoring Guides - This folder contains scoring guides and rubrics for each pre and post-test, as well as sample scored essays.