Unit Plans
Unit 1: The Challenge of Heroism
Length: 9 weeks
In this unit students will focus on:
- Define the concept of change through the reading of a narrative.
- Apply understanding of narrative elements to reading and writing.
- Write a narrative using sequence of events.
- Examine ways to choose a literary text for independent reading.
- Set goals in an independent reading plan.
- Analyze how the response in a personal narrative contributes to the development of the story.
- Identify and use an organizational structure to develop ideas and events in a personal narrative.
- Make inferences about a character and provide textual evidence in a short, written response.
- Explain how an author develops the point of view of characters.
- Practice the use and conventions of pronouns and dialogue.
- Understand the difference between complete sentences and fragments.
- Revise writing to use fragments appropriately for effect.
- Analyze the author’s use of descriptive language in a personal narrative and its effect on the reader.
- Brainstorm a personal incident about change to develop a narrative.
- Establish a sequence of events and use organization to plan the details for a narrative.
- Write dialogue and commentary to help establish the context of an incident.
- Apply an understanding of narrative elements, including characterization and an effective sequence of events, by drafting a narrative.
- Apply the writing process while drafting a personal narrative.
- Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to create coherence in a narrative.
- Reflect on prior learning and identify the skills and knowledge necessary to complete Embedded Assessment 2 successfully.
- Reassess knowledge of academic vocabulary and literary terms in the unit.
- Compare and contrast writing a personal narrative and writing a short story.
- Identify the theme of a short story by analyzing narrative elements.
- Use narrative writing to develop a character and transform a story from third-person into first-person point of view.
- Explain how a character responds to change.
- Describe how a well-structured story plot develops.
- Identify the elements of the exposition of a story by accurately recording textual evidence that supports interpretation.
- Identify and utilize varied sentence patterns in writing.
- Analyze how conflicts in a story advance the plot’s rising action and climax.
Content Standards
(List of standards and where they are used in the 8th grade textbook)
ELAGSE8RL1, ELAGSE8RL2, ELAGSE7RL3, ELAGSE8RL5, ELAGSE7RL6, ELAGSE8RL4, ELAGSE8RL10
ELAGSE8RI1, ELAGSE8RI2, ELAGSE8RI3, ELAGSE8RI4, ELAGSE8RI5, ELAGSE8RI6, ELAGSE8RI10
ELAGSE8W2 A–F, ELAGSE8W3 A–E, ELAGSE8W4, ELAGSE8W5, ELAGSE8W6, ELAGSE8W7, ELAGSE8W8, ELAGSE8W9, ELAGSE8W10
ELAGSE8SL1 A-D, ELAGSE8SL2, ELAGSE8SL3, ELAGSE8SL4, ELAGSE8SL5, ELAGSE8SL6
ELAGSE8L1 C and D, ELAGSE8L5B-C, ELAGSE8L6
Unit 2: THE CHALLENGE OF UTOPIA
Length: 9 weeks
Expectation:
· Students will write each day of class (constructed, extended, and/or essay).
· The pacing guide will be adjusted according to student needs as determined by the Teacher.
Focus Standards for Unit II:
Reading Literature
ELAGSE8RL1, ELAGSE8RL2, ELAGSE7RL3, ELAGSE8RL5, ELAGSE7RL6, ELAGSE8RL4, ELAGSE8RL10
Reading Informationals
ELAGSE8RI1, ELAGSE8RI2, ELAGSE8RI4, ELAGSE8RI5, ELAGSE8RI10
Writing
ELAGSE8W2-B-C, ELAGSE8W5, ELAGSE8W10
Language (Conventions/Grammar)
ELAGSE8SL1 C, ELAGSE8SL2, ELAGSE8SL3, ELAGSE8SL4, ELAGSE8SL5, ELAGSE8SL6
ELAGSE8L1 C, ELAGSE8L84C-D, ELAGSE8L5A-B, ELAGSE8L6
Listening/Speaking/Viewing
ELAGSE8SL 8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners
ELAGSE8RL3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
ELAGSE8RI2: Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text
ELAGSE8L1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
ELAGSE8L2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
ELAGSE8L6: Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Writing and Research:
Goals:
· To analyze a novel for archetype and theme
· To analyze and evaluate a variety of explanatory and argumentative texts for ideas, structure, and language
· To develop informative/explanatory texts using the compare/contrast organizational structure
· To understand the use of active voice and passive voice
· To develop effective arguments using logical reasoning, relevant evidence, and persuasive appeals for effect
Focus Areas: Argumentative, Explanatory/Informative
Essential Questions:
What are the main characteristics of an explanatory/informative essay?
What are the main characteristics of an argumentative essay?
How do we effectively compare and contrast texts?
How do we effectively analyze a novel for archetype and theme?
How do we determine the correct form of voice in a text?
The Giver Learning Goals:
· Students will understand the theme of memory in The Giver.
· Students will understand the theme of conformity in The Giver.
· Students will understand how dialogue and events in The Giver propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, and provoke decisions.
· Students will understand the concepts of utopia and dystopia.
· Students will determine the meaning of vocabulary words and of euphemisms in The Giver.
· Students will understand and apply narrative techniques to create their own representation of a memory.
· Students will understand and use media literacy skills to convey their message in the form of a video narrative.
Academic and Literary Vocabulary:
Academic: compare/contrast, perspective, Socratic, seminar, argument, debate, controversy, research, search terms
Literary: antagonist