High School designated eld Units of instruction

Who am I? What makes me who I am? Answering these essential questions is among the goals of this 2-week unit. Through community building activities, an introduction to language associated with personal identity, and an exploration of poetry as a medium for personal expression, students will learn about their classmates while engaging in routines and norms that will be utilized throughout the school year. For teachers who would like to expand this unit beyond two weeks, many rich additional materials are provided.

Through collaborative reading and discussion routines and scaffolds that support comprehension and analysis of a novel, students will gather evidence to use in argumentative writing & a final visual project about how a character’s actions impact a community of neighbors and their communal garden project.

All of us wish to communicate effectively. One way we are able to communicate is through our writing. In order to improve our writing, we have to practice frequently. In this unit, students  will join a focused student writing community, increasing their speed and skill as well as their excitement for the written word.