Unit 2 ELA 8GT

ELA 8 GT Unit 2: Viewpoint and Community

DURATION:

This unit has been designed to last approximately 1 quarter.

UNIT OVERVIEW:

The unit "Viewpoint and Community" allows students to explore how differing perspectives and points of view shape the viewpoints of a community. During this unit students will read and analyze a variety of texts including poetry, short stories, and informational articles. The texts analyzed in this unit challenge students to determine how an author's use of the point of view affects the reader's experience with special attention to suspense and humor. Students will make connections between the techniques the author uses and what they reveal about society and community. Students will also practice research skills during a Slam Dunk Research Module in which they explore how monsters reflect the fears and viewpoints of the societies in which they were created. For the Performance Based Assessment, students will reimagine a suspenseful or humorous narrative and retell the narrative in a different point of view in order to create a different effect and convey a different theme or perspective about society.

Students will also engage in a "Whole Novels" study of a book that creates humor or suspense. The teacher or student can choose from Dracula, The Princess Bride,The Book Thief*, or Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. See the Whole Novel Resources folder for student and teacher resources for teaching these novels using a Whole Novels approach (including suggested reading calendars for each novel). In addition, separate Slam Dunks for three of the novels have been created that focus on genre study (Gothic literature for Dracula, historical fiction, magical realism, and postmodernism for The Book Thief, and the frame story and satire for The Princess Bride). See the Slam Dunk Index page for links. Individually or in small groups, students will present the elements of their genre to the class. The teacher can decide when these presentations will take place, and can use the Grade 8 SL Rubric to score their presentations.

*Note: The Book Thief contains some mature language that may require parent approval before reading.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• How do viewpoints shape a community's beliefs?

TARGET STANDARDS:

For further clarification, teachers may consult the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for Clarifications.

RL.8.6: Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.

W.8.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.