Project Overview: Students will participate in a unit that explores a historical tragedy by reading a historical fiction book from the series “I Survived…”.and comparing/contrasting it with a non-fiction text on the same topic. They will explore text features and structures along with the author's purpose. Students will research and complete a STEM project for their tragedy, along with their Bottle Buddy (Book Tasting) to Showcase at conferences. They will end the unit by writing their own opinion/argumentative writing piece on whether or not they feel their tragedy could have been prevented.
Part I: Reading
R.1.A Comprehension: Develop and demonstrate reading skills in response to text by drawing conclusions, inferring by referencing textual evidence of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences are drawn from the text
R.2.A. Fiction: Read, infer, analyze, and draw conclusions :
a. compare and contrast the roles and functions of characters in various plots, their relationships, and their conflicts b. explain the theme or moral lesson, conflict and resolution in a story or novel c. describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences events d. recognize foreshadowing e. explain the effect of a historical event or movement in literature f. introduce origin myths, and culturally significant character/ events in mythology g. introduce different forms of third person points of view in stories
R.3.A. Text Features: a. use multiple text features and graphics to locate information and gain an overview of the contents of text information b. interpret details from procedural text to complete a task, solve a problem, or perform an action c. interpret factual or quantitative information
R.3.B. Literary Techniques: a. evaluate if the author’s purpose was achieved, identify reasons for the decision, and provide evidence to support the claim b. analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent c. verify facts through established methods d. identify the author’s viewpoint or position, supporting premises and evidence, and conclusion of a persuasive argument e. recognize exaggerated, contradictory, or misleading statements f. explain the type of evidence used to support a claim in a persuasive text g. use reasoning to determine the logic of an author’s conclusion and provide evidence to support reasoning
R.3.C. Text Structures: a. identify devices used in biographies and autobiographies, including how an author presents major events in a person’s life b. explain the difference between a stated and implied purpose for an expository (provide facts by educating its reader) text c. analyze how the pattern of organization of a text influences the relationships d. analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting similarities and differences in the point of view e. integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably
Part 2: Writing Argumentative/Opinion
Apply a writing process to develop a text for audience and purpose through…
W.1.A Prewriting: Follow a writing process to plan a first draft by: a. Selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the purpose to an intended audience b.formulating questions related to the topic c. accessing prior knowledge or building background knowledge related to the topic d.using a pre-writing strategy
W.1.B Draft: Appropriate to genre type, develop a draft from prewriting by: a. Generating main idea to support a multiple paragraph text, using a variety of sentence types, including compound b. Establishing and supporting the main idea with an overall topic sentence at, or near, the beginning of the first paragraph c. categorizing, organizing, and sequencing facts, details, and/or events (from sources when appropriate) into clear introductory supporting, and concluding paragraphs applicable to the organizational structure d. Restating the overall main idea in the concluding statement e. Addressing an appropriate audience, organization, and purpose W2A-c
W.1.C Revise/Edit:Reread, revise and edit drafts with assistance to: a. Develop and strengthen writing by revising the main idea, sequence (ideas), focus, organizational structure, beginning/middle/end, details/facts (from multiple sources, when appropriate), word choice (related to the topic), sentence structure, transitions, audience and purpose, voice, b. Edit for language conventions
W.1.D Produce/Publish and Share Writing: With assistance from adults/peers: a. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing b. Demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages, ideally in a single sitting
W.3.A Research Process:
Apply research process to:
Generate a list of subject appropriate topics
Create a research question to address relevant to a chosen topic
identify a variety of relevant sources, literary and informational
Use organizational features of print and digital sources efficiently to locate information
convert graphic/visual data into written notes
Determine the accuracy of the information gathered
Differentiate between paraphrasing and plagiarism when using ideas of others
Record bibliographic information from sources according to a standard format
Present and evaluate how completely, accurately, and efficiently the research question was explored or answered or answered using previously established teacher/student criteria
W.2.A Argumentative/Opinion:
Write opinion texts that:
introduce a topic or text being studied using an introductory paragraph that clearly supports the writer’s purpose
state an opinion or establish a position and provide relevant reasons for the opinion supported by multiple facts and details
use specific and accurate words that are related to the topic, audience, and purpose
contains information using the student’s original language, except when using a direct quotation from a source
reference the name of the author(s) or the name of the source used for details or facts included in the text
use transitions to connect opinion and reason.
organize the supporting details/reasons into introductory, supporting, and concluding paragraphs