Task 1 - Reading Enrichment Unit

Black History Month

Stage 1: Analyze

Goals:

ELAGSE8W6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to
interact and collaborate with others.

ELAGSE8RI10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the
high end of the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

I STE3: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct
knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for
themselves and others.

Learners:

My students will be comprised of all the 8th grade English/Language Arts classes at
East Laurens Middle School in Laurens County. The school is in a rural community
where many students do not have access to technology tools; therefore, lack of these
tools at home hinder outside assignments being given and poor mastery of needed
technological skills are evident as they enter 8th grade. These students are mostly
13-14 year olds with little self-control. They require constant supervision to keep them
on task as they collaborate. Most are average in their ability with a small percentage
testing as gifted and special. Special consideration will need to be given to both ends of
this spectrum. When I met with the content teachers, they said behavior problems
existed in most all of their classes. They said that one advantage I would have is that
these students enjoy working with technology. Even though they will be working
together and helping one another as they research, I will have to maintain a structured
lesson to help keep everyone on task. The content teachers stated that information
skills is an area where more authentic practice is needed.

Stage 2: Design
Learning Objectives:

Students Will:
1. Understand that biographies give an account of a person's life and achievements
2. Explore several different types of biographies to help determine their area of
interest
3. Use Destiny to choose one notable person they would like to learn more about
4. Use written and Internet resources to research one person
5. Fill out a biography template on selected biography and publish on media
website
6. Read independently

Outcomes:

Students will watch the biography slide presentation with interest.

Students will bring me their chosen biography for approval.

Students will locate needed template information using a variety of research

sources.

Students will complete template with suitable information to be published.

Students will checkout a biography to read independently.

Stage 3: Develop

Facilitation:

Research shows that teacher integration of literacy-related instructional strategies

facilitates student learning across all content areas. With the use of content-specific
information, it is through the literacy skills of reading, writing, listening, speaking,
viewing and presenting that students acquire and retain content knowledge and
content-specific abilities.

For this reason, I have constructed an active lesson that is project-based where
collaborative research strategies will be used. Students helping students provides a
nurturing atmosphere where learners feel less anxiety allowing them to take greater
risks as they research and complete their biography template. These activities will
address and accommodate various learning styles and abilities. Students will be given a
choice of which person they will research and read about. This choice gets them to buy
into the process and using the technology tools enhances the commitment.

Logistics:

Students will be allowed to sit at the library tables of their choice since they will only be
there for a short time. I will remind them that normal library behavior will be expected.
They must stay on task and communicate in an inside voice as they research their topic.
The fact that they know they will need the information to complete their template that is
to be published on the media website should keep them busy. Students will be using
various resources throughout the media center such as the Destiny lookup stations, the
checkout station, the print resources, and the digital resources workstations.

Stage 4: Implement

(Day 1)

Introduction:

Segment 1: What Is a Biography?

Using my PowerPoint presentation, I will explain the 10 characteristics of a biography to

the respective language arts class in the media center.

Segment 2: Booktalk (Hook and Biography Example)

I will motivate the students for the work section by presenting my video booktalk using
YouTube and the biography Hank Aaron and the Home Run that Changed America
by Tom Stanton.

Work Section:

Segment 3: Famous Black Historians

Each student will use Destiny to pull up biographies about black historians located in
our library by subject. Out of the group of book titles, each student will choose a person
to research for completion of a Google slide template. The student will then locate and
checkout the chosen biography from the stacks. Students must get their biography
approved by me.

(Day 2)

Students will use a teacher-created rubric to collect the needed biographical facts and
other production details for their PowerPoint. They will use online encyclopedias,
biographical reference books, and factual Internet sites to research their famous person.
Collaboration will be encouraged during all activities. Discussion about evaluating
websites for factual accuracy will take place during this research phase.

Conclusion:

Segment 4: Completing Template and Sharing Favorite Book

Each student will fill in the teacher-provided template with pertinent information on their
chosen black historian. All project presentations will be placed on the media center's
website to enhance checkouts during Black History Month at the completion of the unit.

Extended Activity: Students will read their chosen biography for simple enjoyment.
(Content teachers will require students to take AR test covering their biography since
this is the usual procedure.)

Resources:
Biography Introductory PowerPoint
Hank Aaron Video Booktalk
Google Slide Template
Hank Aaron and the Home Run that Changed America by Tom Stanton
Teacher-Created Rubric
Internet Websites

Stage 5: Evaluate

Formative Assessment:

I will observe to see how interested my students seem in the biography PowerPoint.
Their questions as we discuss the information on the slides will also indicate if learning
is taking place.

Each student will be given a printed copy of the rubric to be used for evaluation so they
can use it as they plan their project as well as a list of what they need in order to
complete each slide successfully.

I will use my gradebook as a checklist to see who has gotten their biography approved.
Empty spaces will tell me who may need additional help.

I will run a checkout report from Destiny to see who has checked out their book to be
read independently.

Informal discussions and observations will help me know how well my lesson is
progressing and if changes are needed in some areas.

Summative Assessment:

Each student will complete the teacher-created biography Google slide template with
their respective research information. The rubric will be used for both formative and
summative assessment.

AR test results will indicate level of success when reading independently.