Students will contemplate who deserves status as heroes. Then, they will write a multi-paragraph essay that develops their definition of heroism by using strategies of definition (function, example, and negation) to guide their writing.
Unit Overview
The word heroism is often used yet rarely defined. We hear it on the news, read it in newspapers, and see it in movies. We are bombarded with the media's version of heroism, and we accept it as truth. This unit shows students how to take a concept such as heroism and think about it analytically and creatively from diverse perspectives. Students study heroes from across time and cultures to discover similarities and differences between mythological, literary, and real-life heroes and to distinguish the media's heroes from their own.
Embedded Assessment 1: Writing an Informational Essay
Students will communicate their understanding of the concept of dystopia or the concept of the Hero’s Journey by writing an informational essay on one of the following prompts:
Compare and contrast life in the dystopian society of the novel you read with modern-day society.
Explain how the protagonist (hero) in a novel changes due to conflict with their dystopian society and how this change connects to the novel’s theme.
Unit Overview
This unit gives students the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the world. Through their study of utopian societies, students see that life cannot be perfect, no matter how hard we try, but they also see that without hardships, heroes would not exist. Through their study of argumentation, students realize they have the power to convince others to do what is right, to make a change, or to see from a new perspective.
Embedded Assessment 2: Presenting a Multimedia Campaign
Students will work collaboratively to develop a multimedia presentation that informs their peers about an issue of national or global significance and convinces others to take action.
Unit Overview
This unit invites students to study the past as a way to act on their future. By reading texts from the Holocaust, students will grapple with significant challenges from history and then examine and evaluate current national or global issues by analyzing and synthesizing a multitude of ideas from literature and informational texts. Through critical reading, collaborative discussion, and explanatory and argumentative writing, students will research, create, and communicate ideas to positively influence others inside the classroom and outside in our contemporary world.
Embedded Assessment 1: Writing an Analysis of a Humorous Text
Write an essay that explains how an author creates humor for effect and uses it to communicate a universal truth.
Unit Overview
Students have learned that overcoming challenges is not easy, but they have also experienced that finding humor in life can help along the way. In Unit 4, students identify and analyze the elements commonly found in humorous writing and visual media. Students will examine the ways authors create humor for effect and will demonstrate their understanding by writing a literary analysis essay examining a humorous text and by analyzing and performing scenes from a Shakespearean comedy.