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OVERARCHING (UNIT) UNIVERSAL CONCEPT

These are the overarching big ideas targeted for deeper understanding

1. Voices of Humanity in Literature_____________

(The BIG Idea at the heart of your unit, i.e., a concept or theme)
2. __Research and Making Connections Between Text and Real Life_________________
(The targeted essential skill; your secondary focus, e.g., persuasive writing, literary
analysis, plot structure, etc.)

ENDURING UNIVERSAL UNDERSTANDINGS

(Generalizations about the overarching concept/objective)
*
Consider: Are the targeted understandings enduring, based on transferable, big ideas at the heart
of the discipline and in need of un-coverage?
*
Four is a reasonable number for a 3-week unit, though you may have fewer or more.
*
Students will understand that...
1. literature expresses individual voices as well as the voices of humanity
2. reading a stronger insight into humanity
3. making personal connections with texts allows people to learn/grow.
4. literature is influenced by the context in which it is influenced
CRITICAL CONCEPTS
(This is the conceptual vocabulary necessary for arriving at the enduring understandings)
Identify the number of concepts you feel you can reasonably teach in the length of your unit.

1. historicism

5. individual

8. making con-

2. voice

6. collective

nections

3. influence

7. point of view

4. humanity

2
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
(These are the overarching questions that drive teaching and learning within a course/unit; they represent the
questions for which you want students to formulate answers over the course of the unit.)
*
Consider: Are these questions provocative, arguable, and likely to generate inquiry around the central ideas
(rather than a pat answer)? Are they kid-friendly? Will students view them as relevant?
*
The number of questions is negotiable; keep in mind the length of your unit!
1. What aspects of literature affect present day society?

2. What are multiple perspectives presented in literature?

3. How will literature written today affect people in the future?

4. How is literature influenced by the context in which is/was written?

5. How can literature matter outside of the context in which it is/was written?

UNIT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

These reflect the big (i.e., general) student learnings (and what you will eventually assess):
cognitive (to know and understand) affective (to feel/value) & non-cognitive performative (to do)
*With the exception of the affective goals, these correspond to the KUD model for developing objectives you
practiced in EDIS 5400.
Select up to 3 cognitive, 3 affective, and 4 performative critical learning objectives, i.e., what I want my students to learn. This is the most you would want to tackle in a 3-week unit.
COGNITIVE (to know and understand)
1. Who was/were involved in this historical event(s)
2. What effects did the event(s) have on that society and people
3. Why it is important to read literature
AFFECTIVE (to feel/value) & NON-COGNITIVE
4. feel confident in researching for background information
5. feel that literature helps them better understand humanity
6. feel confident in identifying different voices in literature
PERFORMATIVE (to do)
7. analyze the individual and collective voices in literature
8. reflect on their (personal) connector to literature and its role in their learning
9. research the context of literature
10. research/explain how literature is affected by its context
Standards: Select at least 2 related SOLs and CCSs (at your units grade level) that fit into your learning
framework. Give them the numbers that they carry in the State Department SOL document/CCS Website.
SOL#

SOL Objective

1. 10.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze literary texts of different cultures and eras
d) Analyze the cultural or social function of literature
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2. 10.1 The student will participate in, collaborate in, and report on small-group learning activities.
CCS#

CCS Objective

3. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of

what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
4. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific
details; provide an objective summary of the text.

ASSESSMENTS
[Note: Cite all sources for assessment tools.]
How will you assess students learning? Brainstorm possible assessment tools and approaches.
Each assessment is defined by rubrics, ideally some of which are co-created with students; the rubrics
developed form the basis of instructional focus so that students are assessed for what they have been taught.
(Assessment and rubrics will be discussed later; this represents your initial thinking only.)

Diagnostic

Dialogue Journals (lesson # 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, ) - Completion grade

Formative

Double Journal Entries (lesson # 3, 4, ) - Completion grade

Cold calling (lesson # 1- 9 ) - Participation grade
KWL charts (lesson # 1, 2, 7) - Completion grade
Anticipation guide (lesson # 3, 6) - Completion grade
Mini presentations (lesson # 2, 6 ) - Presentation grade, see rubric
Venn diagram (lesson # 5) - Completion grade
Guided Movie Questions (lesson # 7) - Completion grade
Summative
Compare and Contrast Essay (lesson # 5, 6 ) - See rubric
Final Project (lesson # 8, 9) - See rubric

Grade breakdown:
Participation 15%
Journals 15%
Presentations 15%
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Compare and Contrast Essay 15%

Guided Movie Questions 10%
Final Presentation 30%

5

COMPARE AND CONTRAST ESSAY RUBRIC

Elements

Clarity and
Supporting
evidence

Student
compares
and
contrasts
items clearly.
The paper
points to
specific
examples to
illustrate the
comparison.
The paper
includes only
the
information
relevant to
the
comparison.

Student
compares
and
contrasts
items clearly,
but the
supporting
information is
general. The
paper
includes only
the
information
relevant to
the
comparison.

Student compares
and contrasts items
clearly, but the
supporting information
is incomplete. The
paper may include
information that is not
relevant to the
comparison.

Student
compares or
contrasts,
but does not
include both.
There is no
supporting
information
or support is
incomplete.

Organization
& Structure

Point by
point
compare and
contrast,
similarities
and
differences
are made in
chronological
and logical
order. Order
of points
made is very
effective to
the
argument.

Argument is
point by point
structured to
compare
similarities
and
differences
but does not
follow a
consistent
order
throughout
the paper
when
discussing
the
comparison.

Some details
are not in a
logical or
expected
order, and
this distracts
the reader.

Many details
are not in a
logical or
expected
order. There
is little sense
that the
writing is
organized.

Transitions

Paper moves
smoothly
from one
idea to the
next. The
paper uses
comparison
and contrast
transition
words to
show
relationships
between
ideas. The
paper uses a
variety of
sentence
structures
and
transitions.

Paper moves
from one
idea to the
next, but
there is little
variety. The
paper uses
comparison
and contrast
transition
words to
show
relationships
between
ideas.

Some
transitions
work well;
but
connections
between
other ideas
are fuzzy.

The
transitions
between
ideas are
unclear or
nonexistent.

Grammar &
Spelling
(Conventions)

Writer makes
no errors in
grammar or
spelling that
distract the
reader from
the content.

Writer makes
1-2 errors in
grammar or
spelling that
distract the
reader from
the content.

Writer makes
3-4 errors in
grammar or
spelling that
distract the
reader from
the content.

Writer makes
more than 4
errors in
grammar or
spelling that
distract the
reader from
the content.

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FINAL PROJECT RUBRIC

Elements
Background
research

Organizatio
n and
Clarity

IdentiQicatio
n of Voices

Provides
abundant
background
information
about both
the topic
and era that
effectively
gage the
better
understandi
ng of the
text to
audience.
Extensively
researched
from
numerous,
varied
sources.
All aspects
of
presentatio
n is logically
organized
with great
clarity and
relevance to
the topic
presented.

Provides
abundant
background
information
about both
the topic
and era.
Good
amount of
research
from varied
sources.

Provides
sufQicient
background
information
about
topic/ era.
Adequate
amount of
research,
sources
could be
more
varied.

Provides
insufQicient
amount of
background
information
about topic
but not era;
limited
sources.

Most
aspects of
presentatio
n are
organized
logically
with clarity
and
relevance to
topic
presented.

Some
aspects of
presentatio
n are
missing
and/or not
organized
logically
with some
clarity and
relevance to
topic
presented.

Abundantly
identiQies
both
individual
voices and
collective
voices
presented
in the text
and
effectively
explains
reasoning.

IdentiQies
both
individual
voices and
collective
voices
presented
in the text
and
adequately
explains
reasoning.

IdentiQies
only
individual /
collective
voices, not
both,
presented
in the text
and
explains
reasoning.

Many
aspects of
the
presentatio
n are
missing
and/or not
organized
logically
with little to
no clarity or
relevance to
the topic
presented.
Does not
identify
voices.

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FINAL PROJECT RUBRIC

Creativity of
Presentatio
n

Making
Connection
s

Citations

Presentatio
n
demonstrat
es a high
level of
creativity,
and uses a
wide
variety of
appropriate
media to
enhance
learning of
audience.
Possible
media types
include,
sound,
video, and
photos.
Presentatio
n
thoughtfully
makes
connection
between
the past and
the present,
as well as
the future.
Shows in
depth
thinking
about the
importance
of studying
the piece of
literature
and its
relevance in
everyday
life.
Provides
correct
format for
citations for
all
references.

Presentatio
n
demonstrat
es a good
level of
creativity,
and uses a
limited
variety of
appropriate
media to
enhance
learning of
audience.

Presentatio
n
demonstrat
es a
moderate
level o
creativity.
Lacking in
variety in
its use of
media types
to enhance
learning of
audience.

Presentatio
n
demonstrat
es a poor
level of
creativity.
Meida types
used for
presentatio
n is lacking
in vaiety
and/or
appropriate
ness to
enhance
learning of
audience.

Presentatio
n
sufQiciently
makes
connection
between
the past and
the present,
as well as
the future.
Shows
sufQicient
thinking
about the
importance
of studying
the piece of
literature
and its
relevance in
everyday
life.
Provides
correct
format for
citations for
most
references.

Presentatio
n somewhat
makes
connection
between
the past and
the present,
but not the
future.
Shows
thinking
about the
importance
of studying
the piece of
literature
and its
relevance in
everyday
life.

Presentatio
n does not
make
connections
between
the past and
the present
and/or the
future.
Inadequatel
y reQlects on
importance
of studying
the piece of
literature
and its
relevance in
everyday
life.

Provides
correct
format for
citations for
some
references.

Does not
cite sources.

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