Building Thematic Units from Bookroom Offerings

Surrey Teachers Association Convention 2014

Presented by: Jonathan Vervaet & Cori Penner

Enduring Understandings are the “big ideas” of the curriculum. They are

more than goals for a unit or grade; they are the rationale for engaging in

discipline.

Enduring Understandings: From ELA Curriculum

- A good thinker uses interpretations, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation to deepen and enhance understanding.

- Meaning making is a constructive and creative process; the quest for meaning is never complete.

- We need to reflect on, monitor, and regulate our own learning in order to improve.

Essential Questions“The best questions serve not only to promote understanding of the content... they also spark connections and promote transfer of ideas.”

- Wiggins and McTighe

An Essential Question will be successful if it meets two criteria:

If it is phrased in a way to be interesting or compelling to

students.

If it gets after enduring understandings from the

discipline(s) being studied.

When we organize our curriculum conceptually around enduring understandings and/or

inquiry questions, we create a context for learning about ideas, concepts, and

interpretive literacy processes students need to become accomplished readers, writers, and

thinkers.

In our session we will cover:

• Possible Themes to Develop Units Around

• Essential Questions to Promote Thinking• Recommended Texts / Novels

What themes do you already

introduce your students to in your

English classes?

• Some themes:• Holocaust• Humanity /

Man• Tolerance• Tales of Terror• Dystopia• Vampires• Aboriginal

Education – Residential Schools

• Truth and

Reconciliation• Happiness• Justice and

Morality• Identity• Personal

Struggles (Substance Abuse, Anorexia etc.)

• Survival• The American

Dream

• Heroes• Journey• Rejection of

Society

• Some themes:• Power and

Authority – Mob Mentality

• Relationships• Revolution /

Change in Society

• Relationship with Technology

• Social Media• Body Image

• Existence• Death and the

After Life • The Dead and

the Undead• The Power of

Language / Word Choice

• Justice and Morality

• Finding One’s Voice

• Expression

• Spoken Word – Empowerment

• Moving Beyond Generational Guilt

What essential questions could you ask students to help them begin to think

about or engage in each of these themes?

Is the American dream poisonous?Is human nature inherently dark?Are humans good or evil?Man is a wolf to his fellow man…What makes a good story?Is there a ‘canon’ of literature?Will endure?What makes works of literature / music endure?What makes us who we are?

What is impact of absence?How does belief / non belief in an afterlife effect the way you live?What makes a complete / full life?How does the inevitability of death change the way one lives?

What is at the root of a contributing member of society?What is the impact of empowerment?What are the underlying powers in society?

What makes humans do inhumane things?

What texts are you currently using that can inform the

themes used in our classes?

- Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian – Sherman Alexie- Where the Spirit Lives – Youtube – Removal of Children for Residential Schools- They Came for the Children- Inconvenient Indian- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee- Rabbit Proof Fence- An Anthology of Canadian Aboriginal Literature in English- Best Little Girl in the World – anorexia- Winter Girls – Laurie Anderson- Touching Spirit Bear- There Will Be Wolves- Everyday – Identity- Graphic Novels: Seven Generations- Fatty Legs – ABED- Fearless Warriors – ABED Short Story

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- The Wave- The Reader- Learn then Burn – Slam Poetry- TED – Slam Poetry- Hatchet – Survival- The Book Thief - Theory of Relativity – homeless youth- Varient

Contact Information

Jonathan VervaetEmail: jonathanvervaet@gmail.com

Twitter: @jonathanvervaet

Cori PennerEmail: coripenner@gmail.com

Twitter: @CoriPenner