Unit 1: Advertising, Happiness, & The End of the World

Big Ideas To Explore: *The ways in which the interaction between text, audience, and purpose impacts meaning.

*The ways in which language and meaning are shaped by culture and context.

*In order to actively engage in learning, it is valuable to respond to messages in the text through oral and written expression.

Essential Questions:

*What does advertising reveal to us about our society?

*How does technology and media affect our quality of life?

**How can we use and produce media to affect the quality of our lives in a positive way?

*How do you make people agree with you?

Weekly assessments & Ongoing Learning Activities:

· Close reading and questioning activities (includes annotating a passage and answering questions using evidence from the text to support response/claim).

· Double Entry Journal (Entries stem from “Strategies for understanding fiction” handout)

· Weekly blog posts (Text-centered and/or context-centered, the posts are a culmination/critical reflection of the work students did in their journals in response to the week’s assigned reading).

· Shared Inquiry Discussion: Every Friday.

Long-term Assessments:

Further Oral Activity w/reflective statement following completion of either:

· Description of Further Oral Activity, Quarter 1 IB Assessment