Teacher(s) Zach Chamberlain Subject group and discipline English Language and Literature

Unit title Contemporary Novels: Speculative Fiction MYP year 4 Unit duration (hrs) 20-24

Inquiry: What can fiction teach us about our planet?

Key concept Related concept(s) Global context

Communication Style + Purpose Human Impact on the Environment

Statement of inquiry

Style can support the purpose of communication when exploring human impact on the environment.

Inquiry questions

Factual— What does style do for communication? What does purpose do for communication?
Conceptual— How does style and purpose aid communication?
Debatable- Is it possible to identify the human impact on the environment through communication?

Middle Years Programme Unit planner 1

Objectives
Criterion A: Analyzing
I. Iii. justify opinions and ideas, using
examples, explanations and
terminology
II. Ii. analyse the effects of the creator’s
choices on an audience
Criterion B: Organizing
i. ii. organize opinions and ideas in a
sustained, coherent and logical manner
ii. Iii. use referencing and formatting tools to
create a presentation style suitable to
the context and intention.
Criterion C: Producing Text
i. ii. make stylistic choices in terms of
linguistic, literary and visual devices,
demonstrating awareness of impact on
an audience
Criterion D: Using Language
i. use appropriate and varied vocabulary,
sentence structures and forms of
expression
ii. write and speak in an appropriate register
and style
iii. use correct grammar, syntax and
punctuation
iv. spell (alphabetic languages), write
(character languages) and pronounce
with accuracy
Middle Years Programme Unit planner
Summative assessment
Outline of summative assessment task(s) including Relationship between summative assessment task(s)
assessment criteria: and statement of inquiry:
Goal: There are many crises in California that demonstrate
The Goal of this assessment is to demonstrate how that devastating effect that humans have on the
style can support the purpose of communication when natural environment around them. Students will be
exploring human impact on the environment. crafting a persuasive speech, using different
style such as rhetorical appeal to the specific
audience of mega-donors who can change the state
Role: of being. Students will also learn about the power
Your character is a politician running on a platform to “testimonials, personal stories, social proof, data and
fix the crises that are occurring in California in the statistics, and the call to action,” as they explore
(fictional) year 2024. You are dedicated to fighting ethos, pathos and logos.
crime, the rise in drug addiction, as well as tackling the
environmental policies that have hurt California for so
long. You are preparing to give a big speech to a room of The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate
that our words carry meaning and that we have the
donors who can make or break your candidacy.
power to make change through communication.
Audience:
Your audience are a group of mega-donors with billions
of dollars who are willing to donate.... to the right
person.
Situation:
The situation you find yourself in is that tackling too
many of these issues at once may make you seem overly
ambitious. You must instead choose one global issue
that is affecting California to make the main focus of
your speech.
Product:
Write a persuasive speech using ethos, pathos and logos
to convince the mega-donor billionaires to endorse you
2
 for Governor of California. Create a slideshow,
analyzing images and photography to enhance your
pathos.

Standards for Success:

Your speech must be persuasive, touch on how each of
the issues that you are passionate about are related, with
the majority of the focus being on ONE major issue. The
speech should not exceed more than 5 minutes in length.
Your slideshow must demonstrate an understanding of
rhetoric, appealing to the empathy to the donors through
your analysis of the images.

Approaches to learning (ATL)

Middle Years Programme Unit planner 3

 Objective Strand A: Analyzing iii: justify opinions and ideas, using examples, explanations and terminology

The ATL Skills needed to master this strand are the following:

1. Use a variety of speaking techniques to communicate with a variety of audiences.

2. Share ideas with multiple audiences using a variety of digital environments and media.

3. Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers.

4. Make connections between various sources of information.

5. Present information in a variety of formats and platforms

6. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and make informed decisions

The most important strand is number 6: Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and make informed decisions. I believe that this is the most important since students are
tasked with creating a persuasive speech using information that they must research and collect to help relate to a crisis happening to the natural environment in California. In
order to do this, they need to discern between information that will be persuasive to their target audience and analyze the data that provides a practical solution for their
chosen audience.

Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry

Content Learning process

Middle Years Programme Unit planner 4

ATL Skill: 1. Use a
variety of speaking
techniques to
communicate with a
variety of audiences.
Middle Years Programme Unit planner
Learning experiences and teaching strategies Formative Assessment Differentiation
1. 30 Second Speech (Commemorative 1. Pretend that you have been 1. Students who are nervous to
Speech) nominated for the Nobel Peace present in class may submit
Prize for your work on fighting their speech digitally on Google
climate change in your state. Classroom.
Your task now is to write and
2. All students will be presented
practice your acceptance
with a graphic organizers to
speech in case you win!
guide them in this process.
You will go through three rounds in Definitions for words like
class: “cadence” and “delivery” will
be placed at the bottom and the
I. First Round: Peer Review:
different styles that have been
After writing your speech,
discussed will be on a handout.
you will share your speech
(on paper) with one another. 3. Students will be group
Your job is to look for any heterogeneously and random to
grammatical errors and to ensure that there is a diverse
make sure the speech is group of learners for all.
coherent.
II. Second Round: Practice
Speech: You will be placed
into groups of 4. Within
those groups, you will take
turns practicing your
speech. Your smaller
audience will give notes to
you on what you can
improve with your cadence
as well as your delivery.
III. Third Round: The acceptance
speech: Congratulations!
You won the Nobel Peace
Prize. You should be so
proud of yourself. Now, you
will present in front of the
whole class for (30
5
 seconds) each. It is required
to applaude after each
person presents.

Improv Differentiation: Not all students

will feel passionate about a topic. In this
2. The class is split into four case, students will have the opportunity
corners. In each corner, there to create their own.
are controversial but fun debate
2. Improv Time! (Persuasive Speech) topics. The task is to create an
improvised speech related to Each group will need assigned
each topic. Students can either speakers, researchers, and writers. If a
be for the topic or against the student does not feel comfortable
topic. The goal is to convince as speaking in front of the class, they can
many people in the class as take on a written role instead.
possible that your side is
correct.
Here are the possible topics: Students will be allowed to write down
their speeches instead of presenting
a. Is a hot dog a sandwich? them to receive credit.
b. What is the best dip for French
fries and why?
I will need a panel of judges. Four
c. Which is better: Music in the students can volunteer to opt out of
21st Century or the 20th Century? presenting to instead write ONE speech
and judge their classmates ability to
d. Is travelling back in time or
use ethos, pathos and logos in their
forward in time better?
persuasion instead.
e. Which is better: Being viral on
TikTok or viral on YouTube?
f. Which offers more: Camping at
the beach or camping next to a
lake in the monutains?

Pet Peeve Differentiation:

3. In a world where we consider
our pet peeves and “ick,” it is 1. Not all students will have a pet

Middle Years Programme Unit planner 6

 3. The Pet Peeve Speech (Informative now time that you hop on your peeve. Have them instead
Speech) soapbox and explain why. You follow the same directions but
are tasked with writing an base it on something that
informative speech, using both annoys them.
personal opinion and
2. Students will be given a graphic
researched fact to inform the
organizer with a definition of an
class as to what annoys you the
informative speech as well as a
most.
layout of how to construct their
Some topics to think about: speech.
1. People talking during movies. 3. Students will be encouraged to
present, but those hesitant can
2. Interrupt (wait a minute Mr.
submit their speech online
Chamberlain) -ing
through video instead.
3. Clicking a pen non-stop.
4. Chewing gum non-stop.
5. Eating with your mouth open.
6. Leaving a person on “read.”
7. Wearing shoes without socks.
8. Lying about your height.
9. Literring.

You will have 45 seconds to present to

the class the information explaining
what your “ick”/pet peeve is.

Resources

Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry

Prior to teaching the unit During teaching After teaching the unit

Middle Years Programme Unit planner 7

Middle Years Programme Unit planner 8