Unit Plan

Teachers: Baskins, Finnigan, Middleton

2005-2006 School Year
Unit Title

Elements of Literature

AOI/Guiding Question
How do stories help us learn about the world around us?
Identify Desired Results
What specific subject area
content will I teach in this
unit?

English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 1/Middle School

Benchmark 1
Use reading for multiple purposes, such as enjoyment, clarifying information, and learning complex
procedures.
Benchmark Clarification:
Read a variety of texts for pleasure and/or information with a purpose in mind. Select, organize, respond to,
and apply new information.

What state requirements

does this unit fulfill?

English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 1/Middle School

Benchmark 3
Employ multiple strategies to construct meaning, such as generating questions, studying vocabulary,
analyzing mood and tone, recognizing how authors use information, generalizing ideas, matching form
to content, and developing reference skills.
Benchmark Clarification:
Understand text by examining, identifying, practicing, and applying various strategies used by good readers.

Are there possible

connections to other
subjects?

English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 1/Middle School

Benchmark 5
Respond to a variety of oral, visual, written, and electronic texts by making connections to their
personal lives and the lives of others.
Benchmark Clarification:
Explore and respond to personal connections between a variety of media and students and others personal
lives. Support responses using examples within and across texts.
English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 1/Middle School
Benchmark 2
Read with developing fluency a variety of texts, such as short stories, novels, poetry, plays, textbooks,
manuals, and periodicals.
Benchmark Clarification:
Read various texts smoothly, with expression, pauses, and pacing. Understand what is read.
English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 3/Middle School
Benchmark 1
Integrate listening, speaking, viewing, reading, and writing skills for multiple purposes and in varied
contexts. An example is using all the language arts to prepare and present a unit project on career
exploration.
Benchmark Clarification:
Combine listening, speaking, viewing, reading, and writing skills for many reasons and in many situations.
English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 3/Middle School
Benchmark 3
Read and write fluently, speak confidently, listen and interact appropriately, view critically, and

represent creatively. Examples include reporting formally to an audience, debating issues, and
interviewing members of the public.

Benchmark Clarification:
Use all components of the communication process to gain meaning and share ideas with confidence and
creativity.
English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 3/Middle School
Benchmark 5
Select appropriate strategies to construct meaning while reading, listening to, viewing, or creating
texts. Examples include generating relevant questions, studying vocabulary, analyzing mood and tone,
recognizing how authors and speakers use information and matching form to content.
Benchmark Clarification:
Choose effective ways to build meaning while reading, listening, viewing, or writing.
English Language Arts/Strand I/Content Standard 3/Middle School
Benchmark 8
Express their responses and make connections between oral, visual, written, and electronic texts and
their own lives.
Benchmark Clarification:
Respond to oral, visual, written, and electronic texts. Connect these forms of communication with each other
as well as their own lives.
English Language Arts/Strand III/Content Standard 5/Middle School
Benchmark 2
Describe and discuss shared issues in the human experience that appear in literature and other texts
from around the world. Examples include quests for happiness and service to others.

Benchmark Clarification:
Recognize and discuss human experiences that are common throughout literature and other texts from around
the world and over the span of time.
English Language Arts/Strand III/Content Standard 5/Middle School
Benchmark 3
Identify and discuss how the tension among characters, communities, themes, and issues in literature
and other texts are related to ones own experience.
Benchmark Clarification:
Identify and discuss conflict in literature and other texts and how it relates to students lives.
English Language Arts/Strand III/Content Standard 5/Middle School
Benchmark 4
Investigate and demonstrate understanding of the cultural and historical contexts of themes, issues,
and our common heritage as depicted in literature and other texts.
Benchmark Clarification:
Search for and show understanding of cultural and historical themes and ideas in literature and how those
themes relate to our common heritage.
English Language Arts/Strand VIII/Content Standard 10/Middle School
Benchmark 1
Analyze themes and central ideas in literature and other texts in relation to issues in their own lives.
Benchmark Clarification:
Think about and respond to a variety of texts and relate themes and central ideas to issues in their own lives.

Subject Area Connections: Social Studies and Language Arts

Five years from now, what

do I want my students to
Students should be able to remember that stories are able to help us
remember and understand
understand the many cultures that make up our world and that there are
as a result of this unit?
many different traditions, lifestyles and even geography that make up our
small world.
What Area of Interaction
seems most appropriate?

Approaches to Learning

What assessment will I

expect students to engage
in to apply what they have
learned and to answer the
guiding question using the
content and the area of
interaction?

Approaches to Learning
Collaborative skills; literature discussion, group work
Communication; essay writing, journal writing, oral presentation
Information literacy; internet, judging and selecting appropriate
information
Reflection; self assessment, peer assessments
Problem solving and thinking skills; compare, contrast
Subject-specific and interdisciplinary conceptual understanding;
comprehension, thesaurus skills, elements of fiction, five themes of
geography, writing skills
Formative Assessments
1. Students will keep and turn in a reading plan sheet to track their
progress.
2. Students will create a Plot Line poster that includes the elements
of literature.
3. Students will work in groups to create a bulletin board that
depicts the culture they were exposed to in their book.
4. Students will complete a Theme Identification sheet.
5. Students will participate in Literature Circles
Summative Assessments
1. Students will take an Elements of Literature written test
2. Students will write a Compare & Contrast cultural paper

What assessment tool or

rubric will I use to mark the
student work?
When will it be due?
Who will mark it; teacher,
students?
How much will the mark
count in this marking

Assessment Rubrics:
1. Compare/Contrast paper- MYP Language Arts Criterion A
Rubric and the teacher will mark this paper.
2. Teacher will grade Powerpoint, Poster, Elements Assessment and
Reading Plan Packet using teacher-generated rubric.
3. Students will grade each other in Literature Circles with a
teacher-generated rubric.

period?

Are there additional skills

or habits of mind I must
teach to ensure student
success on this
assessment?
Sample for students?

Complete in the Approaches to Learning components listed above.

Students will be exposed to student work from previous years so they

have a grasp on what is expected of them.

Planning the Unit: working backwards from the final assessmentwhat will be my
evaluation activities each day of the unit (formative and summative)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Compare & Contrast Paper (Summative)

Final Quiz on Elements of Literature (Summative)
Reading Plan Check-In (Formative)
Plot Line Poster (Formative)
Character Poster (Formative)
Literature Discussion Peer Assessment (Formative)
Theme worksheet discussion (Formative)

Daily activities
-independent reading,
direct thinking skills,
subject specific skills,
Information gathering, note taking, organizing data, memorizing ideas
habits of mind, read- aloud,
and collaborative learning skills.
think- alouds, learning
journals, reflections

Quizzes, tests?
Written work
-journals, reports, essays,
research?
Oral work
-dialogues, group work,
reports,

1. Elements of Fiction quiz

1. Compare and Contrast Final Paper

2. Journal Daily activities in Weekly Reading Plan
1. Literature Circles
2. Theme discussion worksheet

debates
Materials needed
-resources, teaching aids,
manipulatives, etc.

Weekly Reading Plan Packets, Sets of Novels for students, Poster Board,
Internet and Media Center access, Copies of Assessments, Scissors,
Markers, Word Processing capabilities.

Next, plan the learning experiences and instruction:

Given the targeted understandings, other unit goals, and the assessment evidence
identified, what will I teach each day of the unit?
Outline for the Catalogue of Lessons

1. Introduce Reading Plan and do a

book talk. Students will decide
which book they would like to read
and introduce themselves to group
members. There are 7 books that
relate to three geographical areas in
the world (Europe, Latin America
and Canada) Teacher will speak
about the weekly responsibilities
and instruct students to divide their
book into four equal parts to match
the weekly expectations. Students
give three top choices, but teacher
will make final decision based on
student reading level and
availability of books.
2. First Week- students work
individually to read section and
complete Week One assignment
(focus area-setting). Students will
then get in groups to discuss with
their literature partner: vocabulary,
opinions, summary, and the main
idea of setting. Create a
comprehensive class vocabulary
chart.

3. Correlate the setting of their book

with the Five Themes of
Geography. Define and discuss the
Five Themes. Pass out graphic
organizer and have students locate
examples from their story that
match up with the Themes.
4. Informal Group Presentations:
Students answer the question,
Could this story happen here in
Bloomfield Hills? Students use an
overhead and world map to explain
if this story could happen here,
demonstrate the location on a map
and tell why the setting is important
to their story.
5. Week Two- students work
individually to read section and
complete Week Two assignment
(focus area-character). Students
will then get in groups to discuss
with their literature partner:
vocabulary, opinions, summary, and
the main idea of setting. Continue
to create a comprehensive class
vocabulary chart.
6. Character study: With partner,
brainstorm list of words that
describe a character; use a thesaurus
to expand your list; highlight words
that may describe your character.
Cite examples from the book that
support the descriptors. (Use sticky
notes to mark passages.)
7. Create Characterization poster:
with a partner, draw an accurate
picture of character; create at least
three descriptor headings; type up at
least two example passages from
the book.
8. Character Venn Diagram: How am
I the same and different from the
main character in my story?
9. Week Three: Continue format from
previous weeks. Focus area Plot
10. Plot Line Poster: introduce

terminology (exposition, rising

action, climax, falling action,
resolution); students will write
paragraphs explaining each area of
plot line as it relates to their book;
create a plot line poster including
artwork representing setting,
conflict.
11. Week Four: Continue format from
previous weeks. Focus area- Theme
12. Read and discuss the theme section
of Readers Express. Complete the
Elements of Fiction Focus on
Theme assignment in which they
create Summary Notes and Double
Entry Journal based on their novel.
Discuss theme with family and
friends and compile a list of books
and identify themes.
13. Students will compare and contrast
the region in their novel to their
own community and compose a
short essay that will include
physical geography and culture.
14. Introduce Powerpoint Activity
assessing the essential question,
How do stories help us learn about
ourselves and the world around us?
The Powerpoint will focus on four
key areas:
Setting: graphically display
information about the setting of the
story
Character: graphically display how
you are alike and different from
characters in the story
Plot: graphically display strategies
you learned for solving problems
Theme: graphically display lessons
learned from stories
15. Elements of Fiction assessment

REFLECTIONS- Mr. Finnigan

What worked or didnt work and why?
The discussion groups went well, as students looked forward to sharing their ideas about
the book. Selecting one topic to work on each week was very manageable. The teachers
involved in this unit continued to work when I was on medical leave, which I applaud
them for.
What did the students find compelling?
Students enjoyed discussing their novels in small groups. Many students liked sharing
their drawings in Sketchy on their PALMS.
From the evidence, what enduring understandings did the students construct?
Most had a good grasp on the Elements of Fiction and will hopefully apply this
information to novels they read in the future.
What, if anything, would I change next time?
I will stress to students that they need to answer questions in their packet with more
details. I will also speed more time on the Theme section, as students struggled with
writing a theme statement. However, the biggest change Id make would be: not be on a
medical leave during the end of the unit.

REFLECTIONS- Laura Baskins

What worked or didnt work and why?
The Powerpoints turned out better than I expected. The students were well prepared to
go into the lab and create their slide in one class period. Most students were very
responsible and had their graphics ready to go when they got to the lab. The graphic
organizer they completed prior to the lab was helpful.
At the beginning of the unit, I introduced the Five Themes of Geography. Students
studied the setting of their book in comparison with the Five Themes. I wish we had
more time to work on this, and that we were able to come back to it more often through
the unit.
What did the students find compelling?

Students enjoyed the creating the Powerpoint project.

From the evidence, what enduring understandings did the students construct?
It seems that students have a grasp on the importance of setting (and its relationship to
geography) in fiction novels.
What, if anything, would I change next time?
I would spend more time with the Five Themes of Geography and relating it to the setting
of their story. I would also like to complete this unit at the same time that my social
studies class is studying geography.