Unit Lesson Plans

UNIT 1: Rites of Passage

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What are some milestones on the path to growing up?

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT: Nonfiction Narrative

Unit 1 Overview

In this unit, students will explore milestones and rites of passage that pave the way to adulthood.

Unit Goals

Students will be able to:

· Read and analyze how authors express their points of view in nonfiction narrative.

· Expand your knowledge and use of academic and concept vocabulary.

· Write a nonfiction narrative in which you develop experiences or events using effective technique.

· Conduct research projects of various lengths to explore a topic and clarify meaning.

· Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including the usage of the different moods of verb.

· Collaborate with team to build on the ideas of others, develop consensus, and communication.

· Integrate audio, visuals, and text in presentations.

Selections & Media

Launch Text

• Red Roses (560L)

Whole-Class Learning

• Anchor Text: Short Story: The Medicine Bag, Jacqueline Woodson (920L)
• Media, Video: Apache Girl’s Rite of Passage, National Geographic

Small-Group Learning

· Letters: You Are the Electric Boogaloo, Geoff Herbach (760L)

· Letters: Just Be Yourself!, Stephanie Pellegrin (680L)

· Poetry Collection: Hanging Fire, Audre Lorde (NP)

· Poetry Collection: Translating Grandfather’s House, E.J. Vega (NP)

· Short Story: The Setting Sun and the Rolling World, Charles Mungoshi (800L)

Independent Learning

· Memoir: Cub Pilot on the Mississippi, Mark Twain (890L)

· Autobiography: from I know why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou (1030L)

· News Article: Quinceanera Birthday Bash Preserves Tradition, Marks Passage to Womanhood, Natalie St. John (1290L)

· Reflective Essay: Childhood and Poetry, Pablo Neruda(910L)

· Short Story: The Winter Hibiscus, Minfong Ho (990L)

Performance-Based Assessment

Part 1 – Writing to Sources: Nonfiction Narrative

Students will write a nonfiction narrative answering:

What rite of passage has held the most significance for you or for a person you know well?

Part 2 – Speaking & Listening: Oral Presentation

Students use their nonfiction narrative as a foundation for a brief presentation.

Unit Reflection

Students will reflect on the unit goals, learning strategies, the texts, and rites of passage.

UNIT 2: The Holocaust

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How Do We Remember the Past?

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT: Explanatory Essay and Oral Presentation

Unit 2 Overview

In this unit, students will read many texts relating to the Holocaust.

Unit Goals

Students will be able to:

· Read and analyze how authors discuss a cause, event, or condition that produces a specific result.

· Expand your knowledge and use of academic and concept vocabulary.

· Write an explanatory essay in which you show connections between historical events and a dramatic adaptation of a historical document.

· Conduct research projects of various lengths to explore a topic and clarify meaning.

· Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including correct usage of verbs and conjunctions.

· Collaborate with your team to build on the ideas of others, develop consensus, and communicate.

· Integrate audio, visuals, and text in presentations.

Selections & Media

Launch Text

• The Grand Mosque of Paris (990L)

Whole-Class Learning

· Anchor Text, Drama: The Diary of Anne Frank, Act I, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (NP)

· Anchor Text, Drama: The Diary of Anne Frank, Act II, Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (NP)

· Media, Timeline: Frank Family and World War II, Timeline

Small-Group Learning

· Diary Entries: from Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank (1010L)

· Speech: Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, Elie Wiesel (770L)

· Medio, Graphic Novel: from Maus, Art Spiegelmen

Independent Learning

· Television Transcript: Saving the Children, Bob Simon (740L)

· Reflective Essay: A Great Adventure in the Shadow of War, Mary Helen Dirkx (1260L)

· Informative Article: Irena Sendler: Rescuer of the children of Warsaw, Chana Kroll (1130L)

· Historical Writing: Quiet Resistance, from Courageous Teen Resisters (910L)

· News Article: Remembering a Devoted Keeper of Anne Frank’s Legacy, Moni Basu (950L)

· First-Person Account: I’ll go Fetch Her Tomorrow from Hidden Like Anne Frank, Bloeme Emden with Marcel Prins (800L)

Performance-Based Assessment

Part 1 – Writing to Sources: Explanatory Essay

Students will write an explanatory essay answering the following question:

How can literature help us remember and honor the victims of the Holocaust?

Part 2 – Speaking & Listening: Oral Presentation

Students will use their explanatory essay as the foundation for an oral presentation.

Unit Reflection

Students will reflect on the unit goals, learning strategies, the texts, and how literature can help us remember and honor the victims of the Holocaust.

UNIT 3: What Matters

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: When is it right to take a stand?

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT: Argumentative Essay and Oral Presentation

Unit 3 Overview

In this unit, students will read examples of what matters in people’s lives.

Unit Goals

Students will be able to:

· Evaluate written arguments by analyzing how authors state and support their claims.

· Expand your knowledge and use of academic and concept vocabulary.

· Write an argumentative essay in which you effectively incorporate the key elements of an argument.

· Conduct research projects of various lengths to explore a topic and clarify meaning.

· Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including correct usage of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, clauses, and sentence structure.

· Collaborate with your team to build on the ideas of others, develop consensus, and communicate.

· Integrate audio, visuals, and text in presentations.

Selections & Media

Launch Text

• Freedom of the Press? (1000L)

Whole-Class Learning

· Anchor Text, Magazine Article: Barrington Irving, Pilot and Educator, National Geographic (1110L)

· Anchor Text, Opinion Piece: Three Cheers for the Nanny State, Sarah Conly (1180L)

· Anchor Text, Opinion Pieces: Ban the Ban!, SidneyAnne Stone (930L)

· Anchor Text, Opinion Pieces: Soda’s a Problem but… Karin Klien (1250L)

Small-Group Learning

· Persuasive Speech: Words Do Not Pay, Chief Joseph (830L)

· Nonfiction Narrative: from Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence, Doris Pilkington (1160L)

· Media, Video: the Moth Presents: Aleeza Kazmi

Independent Learning

· Memoir: from Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges (920L)

· Poetry: The Unknown Citizen: W.H. Auden (NP)

· Biography: Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, Ann Petry (1000L)

Performance-Based Assessment

Part 1 – Writing to Sources: Argument

Students will write an argument answering the following question:

Is it important for people to make their own choices in life?

Part 2 – Speaking & Listening: Oral Presentation

After writing their argument, students will use it as the foundation for a brief oral presentation.

Unit Reflection

Students will reflect on the unit goals, learning strategies, the texts, and what taught them the most about standing up for what matters.

UNIT 4: Human Intelligence

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: In what different ways can people be intelligent?

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT: Informative Essay and Speech

In this unit, students will read texts about wisdom and what it means to have practical knowledge.

Unit Goals

Students will be able to:

· Gather information and ideas from a variety of texts.

· Expand your knowledge and use of academic and concept vocabulary.

· Write an informative essay in which you examine a topic and covey ideas, concepts, and information.

· Conduct research projects of various lengths to explore a topic and clarify meaning.

· Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage, including correct agreement of nouns and verbs.

· Collaborate with your team to build on the ideas of others, develop consensus, and communicate.

· Integrate audio, visuals, and text in presentations.

Selections & Media

Launch Text

· The Human Brain (1120L)

Whole-Class Learning

· Anchor Text, Short Story: Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes (830L)

· Script: from Flowers for Algernon, David Rogers

Small-Group Learning

· Memoir: from Blue Nines and Red Words, from Born on a Blue Day, Daniel Tammet (1200L)

· Media, Infographic, The Theory of Multiple Intelligences Infographic, Howard Gardner

· Poetry Collection: Retort, Paul Laurence Dunbar (NP)

· Poetry Collection: from The People, Yes, Carl Sandburg (NP)

Independent Learning

· Argument: Is Personal Intelligence Important?, John D. Mayer, Ph.D. (1230L)

· Blog Post: Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important for Teens?, Divya Parekh (1120L)

· Explanatory Essay: The More You Know, the Smarter You Are?, Jim Vega (1190L)

· Expository Nonfiction: from The Future of the Mind, Michio Kaku (1190L)

Performance-Based Assessment

Part 1 – Writing to Sources: Informative Text

Students will write a answering the following question:

In what different ways can people be intelligent?

Part 2 – Speaking & Listening: Speech

Students will use their informative essay as the foundation for a short speech.

Unit Reflection

Students will reflect on the unit goals, learning strategies, the texts, and human intelligence.

UNIT 5: Invention

INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: Are inventions realized through inspiration or perspiration?

PERFORMANCE BASED ASSESSMENT: Argumentative Essay and Debate

Unit 5 Overview

In this unit, students will read many examples about invention and how they were realized through inspiration and perspiration.

Unit Goals

Students will be able to:

· Read a variety of texts to gain the knowledge and insight needed to write about inspiration and invention.

· Expand your knowledge and use of academic and concept vocabulary.

· Write an argumentative essay in which you effectively incorporate the key elements of an argument.

· Conduct research projects of various lengths to explore a topic and clarify meaning.

· Improve your writing by using gerund phrases and participial phrases to combine short, choppy sentences.

· Collaborate with your team to build on the ideas of others, develop consensus, and communicate.

· Integrate audio, visuals, and text in presentations.

Selections & Media

Launch Text

· Inspiration Is Overrated! (850L)

Whole-Class Learning

· Anchor Text, Novel Excerpt: Uncle Marcos, from The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende, translated by Magda Bogin (1420L)

· Anchor Text, Essay: To Fly, from Space Chronicles, Neil deGrasse Tyson (1220L)

Small-Group Learning

· Biography: Nikola Tesla: The Greatest Inventor of All?, Vicky Baez (860L)

· Novel Excerpt: from The Invention of Everything Else, Samantha Hunt (880L)

· Science Article: 25 Years Later, Hubble Sees Beyond Troubled Start, Dennis Overbye (1320L)

· Media, Video: Sounds of a Glass Armonica

Independent Learning

· Web Article: Ada Lovelace: A Science Legend, Amitai Etzioni (1320L)

· Web Article: Fermented Cow Dung Air Freshener Wins Two Students Top Science Prize, Kimberley Mok (1460)

· News Article: Scientists Build Robot That Runs, Call it “Cheetah”, Rodrique Ngowi (1380L)

· Novel Excerpt: from The Time Machine, H.G. Wells (830L)

· Myth: Icarus and Daedalus, retold by Josephine Preston Peabody (1100L)

Performance-Based Assessment

Part 1 – Writing to Sources: Argument

Students will write an argument addressing the following question:

Which invention described in this unit has had the biggest impact on humanity?

Part 2 – Speaking & Listening: Speech

Students use their argument as the foundation for a three- to five-minute debate speech.

Unit Reflection

Students will reflect on the unit goals, learning strategies, the texts, and which activity taught them most about invention.