Stuck in NeutralAn Integrated Language Arts Unit Plan

Alyssa Bailey

DisabilityAwareness

Stuck in Neutral 2

Outline of UnitDay One [page 3]Intro to Disabilities(Cerebral Palsy)

Day Two [page 7]Stuck in NeutralChapters 1 & 2With activities

Day Three [page 10]Stuck in NeutralChapters 3 & 4With activities

Day Four [page 16]Stuck in NeutralChapters 5 & 6With activities

Day Five [page 19]Stuck in NeutralChapters 7 & 8With activities

Day Six [page 20]Stuck in NeutralChapters 9 & 10With activities

Day Seven [page 23]Stuck in NeutralChapters 11 & 12With activities

Day Eight [page 24]Stuck in NeutralChapters 13 & 14With activities

Day Nine [page 25]Stuck in NeutralChapters 15 & 16With activities

Day Ten [page 26]Final Project & Wrap up

Reflection & Evaluation [page 29]

Stuck in Neutral 3

Day OneLanguage Arts Used:Reading and speaking

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Computers Jigsaw Activity

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1.ACome to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.2Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orallyCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Research using informational websites Present information to the class

Preparation Phase:Teacher will ask what students know about learning disabilities.

What is a disability? What disabilities have you heard of? What is the difference between an ability and a disability?

Lesson:Teacher will explain to students that they will be doing a jigsaw activity as a class. Up until this point, students have participated in small group jigsaws. A jigsaw activity is when students each

Stuck in Neutral 4

become experts on different pieces of a topic. They come together and teach one another about what they learned. Since there is a lot of information about Cerebral Palsy I would like students to become familiar with, each student in the class will pair up with a partner to research about a different topic and create a short product to teach the class about what they’ve learned. The teacher will assign pairs topics. Teacher will give tougher, longer topics to higher achieving students and shorter, easier topics to lower achieving students in attempt to differentiate instruction. We will use cerebralpalsy.org for all of our research. Students may look at other sites for additional research, but must list these sites in a bibliography. Topics include:

What is Cerebral Palsy? History and Origin Prevalence and Incidence Prevention Risk factors Signs and Symptoms Diagnosis and Tests Cause Types and Forms Associative Conditions Treatment Therapy Cure Life Expectancy Cost Research

Students will present on their topics after researching. Presentation products may include: Poster PowerPoint Prezi Brochure Game Any other product discussed and approved by the teacher

Students will be required to take notes using the note sheet provided, listing two “New Learning” points from each presentation. This will be turned in to the teacher and used as an evaluation for the day’s learning.

Stuck in Neutral 5

Name:

My Note Sheet on Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Directions: List two facts from each presentation about Cerebral Palsy.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

History and Origin

Prevalence and Incidence

Prevention

Risk factors

Signs and Symptoms

Diagnosis and Tests

Stuck in Neutral 6

Cause

Types and Forms Associative Conditions

Treatment

Therapy

Cure

Life Expectancy

Cost

Stuck in Neutral 7

Research

Stuck in Neutral 8

Day TwoLanguage Arts Used:Reading and writing

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Sticky notes Journal Worksheet

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive words in the story. Read with a partner to understand feelings

Preparation Phase:Teacher will hand back note sheets from the day before. Going around the room, students will share one interesting thing they learned the day before. Then, the teacher will read the back of Stuck in Neutral. Students will be asked to predict what the book will be about using information and facts from yesterday’s lesson on Cerebral Palsy.

I do:Chapter one will be read aloud to the class by the teacher using proper intonation, pace, pauses, etc. Students will be given sticky notes and will be writing down any connections, feelings, and questions while listening.

We do: From chapter one, we will choose one quote from the text as a class. Together, we’ll talk about what it means and how it might add to the text. Then students will get into partners and read chapter two together. They will continue to use sticky notes to write down any connections, feelings, or questions they have while reading.

Stuck in Neutral 9

You do:Students will list the feelings Shawn feels in these two chapters. “How does it compare to your feelings while listening and reading the first two chapters of the book?”

Closing:The teacher and students will come together. We will discuss what our post it notes say. We’ll put questions on one portion of the board as a “parking lot” and answer them as we read further into the book. Students will have the opportunity to elaborate on connections to the text. Finally, feelings while reading the book will be sorted into groups by emotions (good, bad, neutral, etc.) depending on the types of feelings students get when they listen and read. Evaluation:Students will receive a sheet with three discussion questions on it. They will choose one and write a response in their journals.

Stuck in Neutral 10

Name:

Directions: Summarize chapters 1 & 2 Choose one of the prompts and write a paragraph (five

sentences) in your journal.

Summary:

Prompts: What theme do you think the book has? Write about three connections you have with Shawn. Predict what will happen in chapters 3 & 4. Use evidence

from chapters 1 & 2 to support your thoughts.

Stuck in Neutral 11

Day ThreeLanguage Arts Used:Reading and writing

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Character Analysis Worksheet Poem Journal

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.7Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.9Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive words in the story. Read a poem aloud through choral reading

Lesson:Teacher will read chapter 3 aloud. In this chapter, Shawn, his sister Cindy and his mother experience the death of a dog after hitting it with their van. As the teacher reads aloud, students will fill out the Character Analysis Chart. Students will share what they wrote about one of the characters with their shoulder partner. Each pair will share one thing aloud with the class.

The teacher will then read chapter 4 aloud. In this chapter, we get more information about why Shawn believes his dad wants to kill him. At the end of the chapter, it is mentioned that there is a

Stuck in Neutral 12

poem written by his dad, Sydney McDaniel. Students will each receive a copy of the poem with a highlighted portion on it. We will then read the poem as a class, choral reading style.

For evaluation, students will write in their journal about the poem: What feelings did you have while reading the poem? How do you think Shawn feels knowing his dad is writing things like this about him? How do you think his parents feel raising a child with a disability? How would his siblings feel both being the sibling of someone with a disability and the child of someone who is actively thinking about killing his son? How does the poem relate to the book? Students will be graded on grammar, structure and spelling on all journal entries.

Stuck in Neutral 13

Name: Character Analysis Chart

Story Characters Kind of Person

Evidence from the Story That

Supports our Inference

Shawn

Cindy

Mom

Stuck in Neutral 14

Shawnby Sydney McDaniel

Lindy felt the early tugs,Her womb becoming tidal and loud,

the fetus, turning, crying out-a tiny beast, a braying sigh.

He calls to her. He calls to her...I dream hard the dream of knowing him,

this baby boy coming to us...A single bird, small, leaps inside my chest,

turning to pure spirit, to pure joy as we watch , crying.Shawn, he becomes Shawn now,

and that bird inside me wings free too,wings, wings its way inside me.

As days become weekand the week draws into a fortnight,

Lindy’s mother is holding Shawnwhen she sees a movement in his eyes....

I take him into my arms,stare into his face.

In his eyes there is a quivering,a strange crackling.I hold him close....

Everything that was ever going to be,everything that was going to become,

begins a slow unraveling.

Shawn does not grow,he stays the same. . . .

His arms and legsare overcooked spaghetti

laced with the bones of dead birds. . . .Behind his eyes it’s blank

as fog over snow.

I say,why is this happening to us?

Lindy shifts Shawn in her lap,slides her fingers across his cheek,

gently as soft as breathing.She doesn’t answer.

We sit in silenceand we wait.

Stuck in Neutral 15

Inside my chest,where my heart should be,

a ghost birdis flying into a terrible wind,

a frozen winter wind,and its eye is covered in ice,

and it has no voice,and its fading out of itself,

falling and falling

Something is happening;Lindy won’t look at me,

and I can’t look at myself. . . .Words,

once real as firewood and concrete. . .become meringue of dust.

Lindy and Shawn and I are alone,Her mother, gone,our friends, gone,

and I look at Lindyand she looks at me

and there is nothing leftfor either of us to see.

Months break over us.Shawn is dead,

only he eats, breathes, defecates,trapped inside some kind of being

that no one will everunderstand.

Shawn and Iare alone in the darkness.

Shawn and I are alone.

We are disappearing.We are disappearing.

In sleep, voice quiet, he breathes,hands still, in silence, slumbering.

His spirit is a feather on a quiet river. . . .

Inside me this moment changes

Stuck in Neutral 16

into something never felt before;a flutter of feathers as two birds, falling,pass down through a blind, silent prayer,whispering good-bye to dreams and hope,

pass down, falling, and whispering good-bye.

We sat in that silent darkness,I felt my baby dreaming.

His breath was Lindy and me saying good-bye.His breath was my grandfather’s breathing,

his breath was my father loving us,his breath was my breath, we breathed as one.

Stuck in Neutral 17

Day FourLanguage Arts Used:Reading, writing and speaking

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman A Guide for Analyzing Feelings in Stories Worksheet Poem Journal

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.5Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.5With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.6Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive phrases while the teacher reads aloud. Write a poem using similar structure as “Shawn.”

Preparation Phase:Teacher will review what was done on day three with the poem since students will be working with the poem after doing today’s reading. Teacher will read chapters five and six aloud. While reading, students will complete the guide for analyzing feelings worksheet. Afterwards, students will share one idea with their table of four. One person from each table will be asked to share

Stuck in Neutral 18

aloud to the class. Then, we will pull out the poem “Shawn.” We will review it after doing choral reading the day before.

I do:The goal of this lesson is to have students write their own poetry. Using the “Shawn” poem as a base, students will write their own poem about a topic of their choice. I will show students an example.

We do: Together, we will write a poem. As a class, we will decide on a topic. Each table will write one stanza of the poem. After sharing, we will put the poem together and revise it. Then, I will type the poem up and give a copy to each student.

You do:Students will use the “Shawn” poem and the class example to write their own poem. Poems should be 25 lines (about one side of a lined piece of paper, single spaced). Poems should be written about a topic of their own choice and be consistent throughout the poem.

Closing:Students will spend the evening finishing and revising their poems. Five students will be chosen at random (name popsicle sticks) to share their poems to the class. Evaluation:Students will turn in their poems for a participation and effort check as well as to check for understanding on free-verse poetry.

Stuck in Neutral 19

Name: A Guide for Analyzing Feelings in Stories

QUOTE FROM THE TEXT

HOW THE CHARACTER

FEELS

HOW YOU FEEL

1.

2.

3.

Stuck in Neutral 20

Day FiveLanguage Arts Used:Listening, viewing, and visually representing

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Seizure video Paper Markers

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.2Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive phrases while the teacher reads aloud. View a short clip of a child having a seizure. Visually represent the descriptive language of a seizure on paper.

Lesson:Teacher will read chapters seven and eight aloud to the class. In chapter six, Shawn talks about having a seizure and describes how he feels during one. In chapter eight, he has a seizure while his dad is doing a news broadcast on uneducable students.

Students will watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QlkgA08eIc , an informational video on seizures. Then, using the information they learned in the video and the descriptive language from Shawn’s experiences during seizures, students will visually represent what a seizure looks like using paper and markers.

For the evaluation piece, students will choose one quote from the chapters read today that explains their picture. They will be evaluated on participation and completion.

Stuck in Neutral 21

Day SixLanguage Arts Used:Reading, writing and enacting

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Notebook paper

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.BUse narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.6Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive phrases while the teacher reads aloud. Write a dialogue Present a dialogue to the class (speaking)

Lesson:Teacher will read chapter nine aloud to the class. A short discussion of thoughts that arose while listening will take place. Students will then read chapter ten on their own. In this chapter, Shawn’s mom tells all three kids that their dad is going on a talk show to talk about a man who killed his two-year old son the year before because he was severely cognitively impaired. He extends an invitation to the kids to join him to talk about their brother, but they refuse.

For the post-reading activity, students will work with a partner to write a dialogue that might occur while Shawn’s father is on the talk show. Students will present the dialogue to the class in

Stuck in Neutral 22

a talk-show format. Students should be appropriate with their language. Their questions and answers should be realistic and well thought out.

Students will be evaluated on the quality of their script. They may use the form on the next page or use lined paper to write their scripts out. They will have time in class to work on this tomorrow as well.

Stuck in Neutral 23

Alice Ponds:

Dad:

Alice Ponds:

Dad:

Alice Ponds:

Dad:

Alice Ponds:

Dad:

Alice Ponds:

Dad:

Stuck in Neutral 24

Alice Ponds:

Dad:

Alice Ponds:

Dad:

Stuck in Neutral 25

Day SevenLanguage Arts Used:Writing and speaking

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Dialogues Journals

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3.DUse concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive phrases while the teacher reads aloud. Write a dialogue Present a dialogue to the class (speaking)

Lesson:Students will finish working on their dialogues and practice for the first 45 minutes of class. Afterwards, students will present their dialogues to the class. Students will listen to each others presentations.

Then, the teacher will read chapters eleven and twelve aloud. Students will journal about three ideas they had while listening to the chapter. These will be turned in the following day and the teacher will write feedback on each student’s paper.

Stuck in Neutral 26

Day EightLanguage Arts Used:Reading, writing and visually representing

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Notebook paper

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive phrases while the teacher reads aloud. Write a dialogue Present a dialogue to the class (speaking)

Lesson:Students will work with a partner during this lesson. One student will read chapter thirteen and the other will read chapter fourteen. While listening, students will draw a picture that they imagine while listening. It can be anything from a simple smiley face to an intricate drawing. After reading, that student will look at their partners drawing and write an explanation of it. Why did your partner draw this while listening to this chapter? This will check for comprehension from both students. The teacher will be walking around the classroom ensuring each student understands the activity and making sure students questions are answered.

Stuck in Neutral 27

Day NineLanguage Arts Used:Listening, writing and/or visually representing

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Journals White paper Markers

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Listen for descriptive phrases while your peer reads aloud. Draw a picture representing the text. Write a summary of the chapter.

Lesson:Students will listen as the teacher reads the final two chapters aloud.

Students will take 10 minutes and journal about their reactions to the end of the book. Then, students will be given two options. They may choose to create a poster to hang in the hallways to promote the elimination of the “R” word OR they may write a continuation of the book. What happens next? Student’s journals will be read and the student’s assignment choice will be an evaluation of comprehension.

Stuck in Neutral 28

Day TenLesson Topic: Final Wrap Up

Grade Level: 5th

Materials Needed: Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman Project Menu Computers Posters Any other project materials

CCSS:CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.*More could fall into this category depending on what students choose to do.

Objectives: During the lesson, the students will demonstrate the ability to:

Show what they’ve learned throughout this two-week unit through a mode of their choice.

Preparation Phase:Teacher will show a calendar of everything the class has done with the book, Stuck in Neutral. Students will be able to talk about what their favorite parts of the unit was and why. This is remind students of all that they’ve done and what they liked about it and what they didn’t.

I do:I will show some examples of what students can do for their final project. Students will have the rest of the class period and the weekend to work on their projects. Presentations will be the following Monday (“Day Eleven”).

We do:

Stuck in Neutral 29

Together, we will come up with options students would like to do to represent the text. Visual representations, writing another poem about the book, or making a story line flow map will be options. Students can add any other ideas for our “project menu” for other students to choose as well.

You do:While walking around assisting students, students will choose an idea and begin working. Students should know what to expect from doing the same type of thing with other books throughout the year.

Closing:Students will present their projects to the class. Evaluation:Students will turn in their projects and a self-evaluation form. Students will be graded on effort put into the project.

Stuck in Neutral 30

Name: Self-Evaluation: Stuck in Neutral Product

Rank yourself on a scale of 1-5, 1 being Strongly Disagree and 5 being Strongly Agree.

I enjoyed the book, Stuck in Neutral.

1 2 3 4 5

My project shows what I’ve learned throughout the unit.

1 2 3 4 5

I have gained a new insight for people with disabilities.

1 2 3 4 5

I’m interested in reading more books about people with disabilities.

1 2 3 4 5

Overall, the Stuck in Neutral unit was intriguing.

1 2 3 4 5

Stuck in Neutral 31

Stuck in Neutral 32

Reflection & Evaluation

I think this lesson would be a valuable lesson to use in the fifth grade classroom so that

students understand disabilities. Using literature to do this can open students minds and allow

students to feel comfortable asking questions in a safe environment. Oftentimes, we either

assume all of our students know about disabilities or we ignore that students who have

disabilities are in our classes and we teach them no differently than we do our general education

students.

This unit allows for students to do a lot of listening to the teacher read for the reason that

I expect to have students who can’t read at grade level in my class. This is why when students

are required to do the reading on their own, they are paired with someone else in the class. As a

teacher, I would pair low-functioning students with high-functioning students so that learning is

taking place on both ends of the spectrum. I would modify any assignment needed depending on

the needs of the students I have in my classroom each year. I would also look at the common

core standards more closely and adjust assignments that may align with the Common Core State

Standards better.

I think this unit would be good to use in the classroom to introduce disabilities in general

to all students. As a teacher, I would need to be prepared to answer any questions that students

have or at least know where to find the information.