Understanding by Design

Unit 2 – You Live, You Learn

Unit Title: You Live, You Learn Grade Level(s): 7th

grade

Subject/Topic Area(s): Reading and Language Arts

Key Words: Conflicts, Summarizing, Characterization, Main Idea, Genre, Mythology,

Point of View, Folk Tales

Designed By: Jenny Bernardi, Julie

Giordano, Michele Jones, Lindsay

Heatwole

Time Frame: 10 weeks

School District: Wicomico

Unit Description (including curricular context and unit goals):

This unit flows from the focus of making choices to facing consequences. Students will

read various passages, journal, and reflect on the unit topic which will prepare them

for the performance task. As students continue going through the unit, they should

gain a greater insight to the overarching theme that growing up is challenging and

rewarding.

Suggested Texts

Short Works;

“Rikki Tiki Tavi” p. 140 (short story)

“Mongoose on the Loose” p. 638 (article)

“The Dinner Party” p. 136 (Short Story)

“That October” p. 270 (Short Story)

“Borders of Baseball: U.S. and Cuban Play” – p. 313 (Article)

“After Twenty Years” p. 388 (short story)

“Casting Call” p. 590 (article)

“Hollywood Beat” p. 594 (article)

“A Christmas Carol” p. 772 (play)

“Empress Theodora” p. 97 (article)

“The Hippodrome” p. 102 (article)

“Bargain” p. 398 (Short Story)

“How to Change a Flat Tire” p. 614 (manual)

“The Twelve Tasks of Hercules” p. 935 (Graphic Story)

“The Song of Trees” p. 42 (short story)

“from Long Walk to Freedom” p. 524 (autobiography)

“Elizabeth I” p. 508 (biography)

“Saving The Earth” p. 624 (article)

“Hearts and Hands” p. 346 (short story)

“The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” p. 832 (Play)

“King Midas and the Golden Touch” p. 908 (myth)

“Mason-Dixon Memory” p. 62 (essay)

“Tilting at Windmills” p. 619 (Article)

Extended Works

The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963

The Outsiders

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Call of the Wild

My Side of the Mountain

World Myths and Folk Tales

On My Honor

Breadwinner

Charlotte Doyle

Understanding by Design

Stage 1: Desired Results

What content standards are addressed?

1.C.1.a Read familiar text at a rate that is conversational and consistent

1.C.2.b Demonstrate appropriate use of phrasing

1.D.3.a Use context to determine the meanings of words (above grade-level words used in

context & words with multiple meanings)

1.E.4.a Identify and explain the main idea from the text or a portion of the text

1.E.4.b Identify and explain information already directly stated in the text

1.E.4.c Draw inferences and/or conclusions and make generalizations

1.E.4.e Summarize or paraphrase the text or a portion of the text

1.E.4.f Connect the text to prior knowledge or personal experience

2.A.1.a Read, use and identify the characteristics of primary and secondary sources of

academic information such as textbooks, trade books, reference and research materials,

periodicals, editorials, speeches, interview, articles, non-print materials, and online materials,

other appropriate content-specific texts

2.A.1.b Read, use, and identify the characteristics of workplace and other real-world

documents such as sets of directions, science investigations, atlases, posters, flyers, forms,

instructional manuals, menus, pamphlets, rules, invitations, recipes, advertisements, other

functional documents.

2.A.3.a Analyze organizational patterns of the texts (sequential order & cause/effect)

2.A.3.b Analyze the contribution of the organizational pattern to clarify or reinforce

meaning and support the author’s purpose and/or argument

2.A.4.c State and support main ideas and messages

2.A.4.d Summarize or paraphrase

2.A.4.e Identify and explain information or ideas peripheral to the main idea or message

2.A.4.f Explain relationships between and among ideas within a text or across multiple

texts

2.A.4.g Synthesize ideas from text

2.A.4.h Distinguish between fact and opinion

2.A.6.a Analyze the extent to which the text fulfills the reading process

2.A.6.b Analyze the extent to which the structure and text features clarify the purpose

and the information.

3.A.2.a Analyze text features that contribute to meaning

3.A.3.a Distinguish among types of grade-appropriate narrative such as short stories, folklore, realistic fiction, science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, essays, biographies,

autobiographies, personal narratives, plays, and lyric and narrative poetry

3.A.3.d Analyze characterization

3.A.3.i Analyze the point of view

3.A.3.h Analyze the author’s approach to issues of time in a narrative

3.A.3.j Analyze the interactions among narrative elements and their contributions to

meaning (plot elements and point of view)

3.A.5.b Analyze the action of individual scenes and acts and their relationship to the plot

3.A.5.c Analyze how stage directions affect dialogue, characters and plot

3.A.6.b Analyze similar themes across multiple texts

3.A.6.c Summarize and paraphrase

3.A.6.d Reflect on and explain personal connections to the text

3.A.6.e Explain the implications of the text for the reader and/or society

3.A.7.a Analyze how specific language choices contribute to meaning

3.A.7.b Analyze language choices that create tone

3.A.8.a Analyze the plausibility of the plot and the credibility of the characters

3.A.8.b Analyze the extent to which the text contains ambiguities, subtleties, or

contradictions

3.A.8.c Analyze the relationship between a literary text and its historical and/or social

context

What enduring understandings are desired

(and what misunderstandings will be addressed) Note: Should address essential question? The factors that influence a person‟s decisions include family, education, friends, culture,

religious beliefs, and/or the world around me.

The choices that I make shape who I become and also affect my family, education, friends,

culture, religious beliefs, and/or the world around me.

Reading allows me to connect with characters and their decisions, which causes me to

reflect on and evaluate my own decisions.

Good readers check for understandings and use appropriate strategies to clarify meaning.

What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning ? What factors influence a person‟s decisions?

How do the choices I make today affect me and the world around me?

How do the choices I make influence the person I become?

How does reading help me gain greater insight about the choices I make?

What topical questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning ? How do I know if I understand what I read? What do I do if I didn‟t understand the text?

How does identifying the main idea of a text help me to understand what I read?

How does summarizing check understanding?

Why is it important to distinguish between fact and opinion in a text?

How do conflicts in literature help a reader to make personal connections?

How does the organizational structure of a text help the reader better understand?

How does analyzing the relationship between story elements aid understanding?

Why should a reader make inferences and/or draw conclusions?

How does the author build a character?

How does point of view influence the story?

What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit? Knowledge of:

Main Idea

Details of the text (directly stated)

Summarize

Draw conclusions

Conflict (internal/external, specific types)

Character

Organizational Patterns

Characterization

Point of View

Skills:

Identify main idea

Identify and explain information directly stated in the text

Summarize and paraphrase the text or a portion of the text

Make inferences

Draw Conclusions

Identify and analyze the organizational pattern of a text

Identify and analyze conflicts

Analyze relationships between and among characters, setting, and events

Analyze characterization

Analyze point of view

Understanding by Design

Stage 2: Acceptable Evidence of Understanding

What evidence will show that students understand?

Performance Tasks*

You are a coroner at the local crime lab. In general, a coroner‟s job is to examine dead

bodies from crime scenes. However, you are a character coroner, which examines the “ins”

and “outs” of a character. PHEW! Today, the character investigation supervisor asked you to

examine one character from the chosen group of stories. You need to read one of the stories

and identify the big decision that the character had to make. While you are reading the story,

keep notes about the character‟s feelings, thoughts, things the character says, things said to the

character, and the outside forces that helped influence the decision. Also, record your

thoughts and reactions to the character‟s decision and explain why you agreed or disagreed

with it. Now that you have delved deep into the character and have a pretty good

understanding of what that character is like, identify a song, book, or movie that you believe

the character would like and an explanation of your choice. Finally, to demonstrate how other

people perceive the character, write a summary of the character‟s choice from another

character‟s point of view in the story.

After you have gathered all the important information from the character, you need to

present it! You will use that information to fill in a “chalk outline” of that character. The

information goes in certain places in or around the “chalk outline”:

what the character thinks, goes near the top of the head

what the character hears from another character, goes near the ears

what the character says, goes near the mouth

what the character feels, goes near the heart

the outside influences goes outside around the chalk line

the summary of the story goes in the gut area of the outline

your opinion and explanation of the character‟s choice goes in one leg

song, book or movie the character would like and why goes in the other leg

the summary of the decision from another character‟s point of view goes outside the

chalk line

**NOTE TO TEACHER: You can use a normal size sheet of paper, poster board,

or bulletin board paper (have students trace each other) to do this activity.

Students will select texts for this project from the short works in the Suggested

Literature section of Stage 1 for this unit.

*Complete a Performance Task Blueprint for each task (next page).

Other Evidence (quizzes, tests, prompts, observations, dialogues, work samples, etc.): See Standardized Test Preparation Workbook to select appropriate selections and

questions relating to the knowledge and skills of the unit

See Collection Resource workbooks to identify appropriate selection assessments

Use questions in the textbook.

See journal suggestions offered for each selection.

See side margins of teacher‟s edition for good discussions of the skills throughout

reading selections.

Story Maps

Graphic Organizers

Student Self-Assessment:

In a warm-up or for a journal topic, have the kids write about the performance task. Have

them explain what they liked about the task, didn‟t like about the task, and how/why it could

be changed. Ask students to include an evaluation of how well the performance task

demonstrated their understanding of the skills/standards of the unit.

Performance Task Blueprint

Task Title: Character Autopsy Approximate Time Frame: 3-5 days

What desired understandings/content standards will be assessed through this task?

Point of view

Characterization

Summarizing

Events of the plot (directly stated)

What criteria are implied in the standard(s) understanding(s) regardless of the task

specifics?

Time Management

Higher Order Thinking

Transfer of learning

Independent Task completion

Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding?

You are a coroner at the local crime lab. In general, a coroner‟s job is to examine dead

bodies from crime scenes. However, you are a character coroner, which examines the “ins”

and “outs” of a character. PHEW! Today, the character investigation supervisor asked you to

examine one character from the chosen group of stories. You need to read one of the stories

and identify the big decision that the character had to make. While you are reading the story,

keep notes about the character‟s feelings, thoughts, things the character says, things said to the

character, and the outside forces that helped influence the decision. Also, record your

thoughts and reactions to the character‟s decision and explain why you agreed or disagreed

with it. Now that you have delved deep into the character and have a pretty good

understanding of what that character is like, identify a song, book, or movie that you believe

the character would like and an explanation of your choice. Finally, to demonstrate how other

people perceive the character, write a summary of the character‟s choice from another

character‟s point of view in the story.

After you have gathered all the important information from the character, you need to

present it! You will use that information to fill in a “chalk outline” of that character. The

information goes in certain places in or around the “chalk outline”:

what the character thinks, goes near the top of the head

what the character hears from another character, goes near the ears

what the character says, goes near the mouth

what the character feels, goes near the heart

the outside influences goes outside around the chalk line

the summary of the story goes in the gut area of the outline

your opinion and explanation of the character‟s choice goes in one leg

song, book or movie the character would like and why goes in the other leg

the summary of the decision from another character‟s point of view goes outside the

chalk line

What student products/performances will provide evidence of desired understandings?

Product: Character Autopsy

Performance: Create an autopsy of the

character that shows what the character‟s like

and what factors influenced the character

when making the big decision. Also evaluate

the main character‟s decision from the point

of view of another character in the story.

By what criteria will student products/performances be evaluated?

3 2 1 0

Summary of

Story

The student wrote a detailed summary of the story that also

includes the decision

made.

The summary has some details, but some information

is missing.

Summary is vague providing little detail about the

story.

No summary

Characterization

The student filled in all 5 areas of

characterization with relevant information.

The student filled in most of the

areas with information that

was mostly relevant.

The student filled some of the areas with information

that was somewhat relevant.

The student did not fill in most of the

areas.

Applied

Characterization

The student gave a great example of a

song, book or movie as well as a great

explanation why the character would like

it.

The student gave an example and a good explanation.

The student gave an example, but the explanation

was weak.

The student gave a song

book or movie, but didn’t give

an explanation.

Decision

Evaluation

The student shared his/her opinion about

the character’s decision and gave a great explanation as

to why he/she thought so.

The student gave an opinion and a good explanation.

The student gave an opinion, but the explanation

was weak.

The student gave an

opinion, but did not explain

his or her

opinion.

Another

Character’s

Point of View

The student showed a strong

understanding of point of view when

summarizing the choice from another

character’s perspective.

The student understands point

of view.

The student’s understanding of

point of view is inconsistent.

The student doesn’t

understand point of view.

Understanding by Design

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

What sequence of teaching and learning experiences will equip students to develop

and demonstrate the desired understanding?

1. Introduction to the Unit: Use one of the Kinesthetic Anticipation Guide structures

(See Appendix C) to have students respond to the first three (3) Enduring

Understandings from Stage 1. Student responses are not necessarily critical; the

DISCUSSION about these ideas is important. Students will return to this activity

following the unit readings to assess whether or not their ideas about these topics

have changed. In their discussion at the end of the unit, students should use

details from the texts to support their answers. You might even have them respond

in this structure while role playing, from the point-of-view of a character.

The factors that influence a person‟s decisions include family, education,

friends, culture, religious beliefs, and/or the world around me.

The choices that I make shape who I become and also affect my family,

education, friends, culture, religious beliefs, and/or the world around me.

Reading allows me to connect with characters and their decisions, which

causes me to reflect on and evaluate my own decisions.

**NOTE: You might break these three (3) statements down into smaller

statements for students to respond to.

“Facing Consequences” Quote Interpretation activity. Show students the 7 quotes

based on Facing Consequences (Appendix D). Have students choose one quote

they relate to or find interesting. Have students complete the open mind

worksheet (Appendix B) to express their thoughts and feelings through drawings,

symbols, and words. Students can present their “Open Mind” to their classmates.

2. Explain to students that the stories that will be read in this unit all have a common

theme of making choices and facing consequences. Have students fill in the

center circle of the thematic web (Appendix E) with the unit theme of Making

Choices and Facing Consequences. As the stories are read and analyzed, have

students fill in the surrounding bubbles with their explanation of how the story

ties to the theme. Students should use details from the text to support their

explanation. Also, relating to the theme through literature will help the reader

relate to the overarching theme of the year. (Growing up is challenging and

rewarding.)

a. Have students explore the differences/similarities between a folktale and a

myth. Complete a Venn Diagram graphic organizer, either individually or

with a partner (Appendix F) Information can be found in Literature book

p.900-p.903 along with the presentation in Power Notes CD Collection 9

“Greek Myths and World Folk Tales.” Information could also be gathered

by completing a WebQuest activity using sites such as:

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/a/mythslegen

ds.htm

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/

b. Introduce/define the core vocabulary words to be used throughout the unit

as the story is read. These words can be found at the beginning of each

story under “Academic Vocabulary”.

3. Explain to students that they‟ll be focusing on specific characters and their traits

in order to evaluate their choices in the reading. To begin thinking about

characters, use a Think-Pair-Share format to have students explore what makes a

good friend. Then, have students create a “Friend Web.” In the middle should be

the phrase “good friend,” stemming out from this have the students brainstorm

qualities or traits that a good friend should have, and stemming out from this have

students brainstorm things that a good friend might do or say that would

demonstrate these qualities or traits. Explain that authors create or build

characters in a similar fashion. Show students a “Character Web” using the same

format as the “Friend Web” but with a character‟s name at the center, based on a

previously read story such as “Seventh Grade” or “An Unforgettable Journey.” In

your model, include direct and indirect characterization examples. Explain how

students use the things that characters say, do, think, and feel, as well as the things

other characters say about them and their physical descriptions to build a

character. As additional practice, you might have students practice completing a

similar web based on well-known children‟s stories or fairy tales such as

“Cinderella” or “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” You might also use the

suggested Guided Practice activity on Page 246 in the Teacher‟s Anthology where

students create a character description from a previously read text and have other

students guess the character based on their description.

a. Use the Literary Focus Essay, “How Do Writers Reveal Characters?” on

Pages 246-247 in the anthology and the Analyzing Visuals “How Can You

Determine Character from a Photograph?” activity to further develop their

understanding of characterization, specifically direct and indirect

characterization.

b. To have students distinguish between direct and indirect characterization,

have students complete the Characterization Practice worksheet

(Appendix G).

c. You might use the Collection 3 Literary Focus assessment on Page 3 of

the Collection 3 Resources book to assess students‟ understanding of

characterization, overall.

4. Have students complete a character analysis graphic organizer (a variety of

characterization graphic organizers can be found online at

http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/tools/character%20study.pdf) at

various points throughout the reading of the novel to further practice analyzing

characterization and/or to assess. You might also use a characterization BCR at

periodic points in the story to assess character analysis skills. Have students

complete characterization BCR‟s as practice, following discussion, and have them

complete “cold read” BCR‟s with selections they read independently for

assessment. (A public release of a characterization BCR can be found at

http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/pritems/reading/grade6/3A3d.html.)

a. If reteaching is necessary, you might use the lesson outlined on Page

1013E Characterization of the Teacher‟s Edition.

5. As an introductory lesson to a character‟s personal growth and development ask

students (individually) to write down the names of two favorite characters they

have encountered in books they have read. Next have them make a jot list of

specific reasons why they chose the characters as favorites. Then have students

make a list of what they remember about how the author developed each of the

two characters. Tell students, while they complete the above activities, to

consider ways the author makes the characters come to life, including each

character's:

physical characteristics

interaction with other characters

interaction with his or her environment

the character‟s thoughts

dialect or way of speaking

Divide the class into large groups and have students share their favorite

characters‟ names, why they chose the two characters, and details about the

characters that make them come to life. Have the students develop an in-class

written profile of a friend or family member that they are close to. The profile

should include information that describes their person from a range of

perspectives to capture as full a description as possible for the reader. Initiate an

open discussion of recurring patterns of characterization observed in the students'

favorite characters and/or techniques used in students' descriptions of a friend or

relative. Lastly, ask for volunteers to share "profile" responses.

Another activity that helps students understand the idea of character development

is having the students develop their own character. Bring in a bag of potatoes.

Divide students into groups of two or three. Give each group a potato and the

Potato Person Profile worksheet. (Appendix H) As a group, have students fill in

the profile thus developing a character. (This activity would also work as a

prewriting activity within the writing workshop)

By this time, students should have a good idea about character development.

Have students read “The Twelve Tasks of Heracles” p. 932. While reading the

story, have the students think about how the author develops the character. Also

introduce the idea of character motivation. This is a part of the development of a

character. Refer to the Literary Focus on p. 933 in Literature Book for more

information.

a. “King Midas and the Golden Touch” p. 908 (optional text)

b. “Orpheus, the Great Musician” p. 912 (optional text)

6. Throughout the unit, conduct mini-lessons, including direct instruction, modeling

with a previously read text or portion of a text, guided practice, independent

practice, and assessment on the following topics and have students complete

exercises that apply these skills to a story:

a. Point-of-view—Use the Literary Focus essay “What are Theme and Point

of View?” on pages 340-341. You might also use the Point of View

Reteaching Lesson on Pages 1013G-H. For additional practice, you might

create sentence strips with examples of different points of view from

previously read texts. To apply this skill to the novel, have students re-

write a portion of the text from a different point of view (i.e. 1st person to

3rd

person omniscient, 1st person to a different 1

st person narrator, 3

rd

person omniscient to 1st person, etc) and also write an explanation of

how/why the point of view changes the narrative.

i. “After Twenty Years” p. 388

ii. “Bargain” p. 398

b. Conflict—Review students‟ introduction to internal and external conflict

from Unit 1‟s work with plot. Create a web with the word “conflict” in the

middle; have students work in pairs to brainstorm different kinds of

conflicts that they might have experienced, read about, or seen on

television. Have students cut these words out and sort them into two

groups: internal and external. Now, within the external groups have them

look at the examples they‟ve listed. Have them identify who is involved

(should be two forces or entities) in the conflict. Now post or a pass out an

explanation of the three kinds of external conflicts, as well as examples of

each (See Appendix I). Based on this information, have students label the

external conflicts as either man VS man, man VS nature, or man VS

society. **NOTE: You might also prepare sentence strips with examples

ahead of time and place in sandwich bags and/or envelopes. Students can

complete the sorting activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups.

Have students justify their sorting in writing or through whole class

discussion. For additional practice, you might have students identify

movies that center on each kind of conflict with a summary and

classification of the conflict. To apply this skill to a story, have students

complete a simple conflict chart identifying, categorizing, and evaluating

the conflicts within the story. (See Appendix J).

i. “Rikki Tikki Tavi” p. 140

ii. “A Christmas Carol” p. 772

c. Problem/Solution Organizational Pattern—Introduce the problem/solution

organizational pattern (See

http://www.geocities.com/frankie_meehan/ProblemSolution.htm for an

explanation of a problem/solution essay which includes an example of the

organizational pattern.) You might also refer to the seeds for 2.A.3.a at

http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/lessons/reading/grade7/2A3a.html for

additional instructional ideas. To apply this knowledge to a story, have

students use a Problem/Solution organizer to identify a problem and the

solution to the problem within the text. You might then have them write a

newspaper article about the problem and solution using the organizational

pattern OR you could use an informational piece that is related to a

problem/solution within the text. Have students discuss how/why the

organizational pattern is important in this kind of text. **This mini-lesson

should be taught after the conflict work, preferably near a place in the text

that focuses on a significant problem and/or solution in the text.

d. Summarizing—Use the Reading Focus Essay “How Do You Predict,

Visualize, and Summarize?” on Pages 134-135. You might also use the

summarizing activities listed under the Guided Practice: Summarizing

notes in the Teacher‟s Anthology on page 135. You might also provide

students with specific summarizing strategies such as the “Sum It Up”

strategy. (See http://www.readingquest.org/strat/summarize.html or

Appendix K for clarification of the “Sum It Up” strategy.) Model the skill

or specific summarizing strategy with a previously read text or a well-

known children‟s story or fairy tale. You should include both good and

bad summary examples and have students evaluate them. You might also

have students practice summarizing with portions of a text they‟ve already

read. You might also refer to the Seeds for standard 3.A.6.c at

http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/lessons/reading/grade7/3A6c.html for

additional ideas for teaching/practicing summarizing. You can assess this

by having students read another portion independently and writing a

summary.

i. “Rikki Tikki Tavi” p. 140

ii. “The Hippodrome” p. 102

e. Also use literal and inferential questions throughout the unit to assess

student understanding of details directly stated or indirectly stated

throughout the unit. You can assess this through the summarizing

activities, as well.

7. You might consider using several thematically related informational texts (i.e.

“Saving the Earth” or “Mason Dixon Memory”) or literary texts from other genres

(i.e. “The Christmas Carol” or “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”) from

the Suggested Literature to demonstrate how the theme of All choices lead to

consequences is addressed in other literary forms. With the dramatic selections,

you will need to incorporate mini-lessons on dramatic elements as well. You will

need to have students continue to keep a running record of the choices made in

these texts, according to the Choices Chart, and should have students respond to

appropriate Essential Questions in small group/whole class discussions and/or

journal entries.

a. Have students return to the Kinesthetic Anticipation Guide activity from

the introduction to the unit, following the readings to assess whether or not

their ideas about these topics have changed. In their discussion, students

should use details from the texts to support their answers. You might even

have them respond in this structure while role playing, from the point-of-

view of a character or figure from a text.

8. Remind students that many texts include various features that make the text easier

to understand. Have students think, pair, share, about what an author may

include in an informational text to make it easier for the reader to understand.

(Features such as pictures, diagrams, maps, etc should be mentioned) Have

students read “How to Change Flat Tire” p.614. Ask students what text features

did the author use to make the passage easier to understand. Also conduct a class

discussion as to what features the author has included make this a real-world

document. Assessment for this standard can be found in the Other Evidence

section in stage 2, “How To” Pamphlet

a. The following website can be utilized to find various “How To” articles:

http://www.howtodothings.com/

i. “Casting Call” p. 590

ii. “Hollywood Beat” p. 594

9. Revisit the idea of inferencing, but focus on drawing conclusions and/or making

generalizations. Explain to students that drawing a conclusion in a story means

figuring out something about a character or an event. Use the following hyperlink

as a resource to help clarify the idea of drawing conclusions: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/resources/PDF/GOOD_TV_3_6_pdf_s/62177_InRCd_30.pdf Distribute the fable The Grasshopper and the Owl (Appendix L) and the Drawing

Conclusions Chart (Appendix M). Read the first four lines of the fable together.

Ask: What is making that „screech‟ noise? How do you know? Help students, as

needed, write the answers on their charts. Discuss how they formed their

conclusions. Allow students time to read the rest of the fable and complete their

chart based on the following questions:

How does Owl feel about Grasshopper‟s singing?

Why does Owl get a gleam in his eye?

What did Owl do just before he went to sleep?

As a class, discuss the answers that the students have come up with. Also discuss

why drawing conclusions is important in the reading process.

The suggested text to be used is “Echo and Narcissus” p. 434. The Drawing

Conclusions Chart could be used for this text as an assessment.

a. “The Flight of Icarus” p. 922 (optional text)

b. “The Crane Wife” p. 954 (optional text)

10. Have students begin the Performance Task, using the short works that have not

been taught. You might narrow these options down to 3-5 that you wish for

students to focus on.

11. After the Performance Task, have students respond to the Student Self-

Assessment task outlined in Stage Two (2) of this unit.

Character Autopsy A

outside forces that influence the decision

character’s thoughts

what the character is told

character’s words another point of view of

the decision made

character’s feelings

summary of the text

Personal evaluation of the character’s choice and why you think so

Choose a song, book or movie that this character would like and why

Character Autopsy B

Appendix C

Kinesthetic Anticipation Guides

DEFINITION/Rationale: Kinesthetic Anticipation Guides are a way of assessing students‟

prior knowledge and/or misconceptions about a topic. Just like written anticipation

guides, they consist of statements with which students can agree or disagree. The

differences between written and kinesthetic anticipation guides are:

1. Students are able both read and hear the statements and then respond through

movement. The movement element is important for stimulating endorphins

which increase authentic learning according to brain compatible research.

2. Students are able to use “shades of judgment” versus simple rights and wrongs

or agree and disagree.

3. The process requires students to justify their answers and then interact with

their classmates. Discussion prompts thought!

4. Caters to kinesthetic learners for whom there is little stimulation in the

traditional classroom.

5. Provides variety.

TYPES: Two basic types of Kinesthetic Anticipation Guides; both allow for movement

and are fairly simplistic once modeled for students.

1. The Rock and a Hard Place A. G.

2. The Clothesline or “Where are you hangin‟?” A. G.

Directions: The directions for both types of kinesthetic anticipation guide are essentially

the same. Both require only a little prep on the part of the teacher, and then an

explanation or model for the students. Once in place, they can be used repeatedly.

The Rock and a Hard Place Anticipation Guide 1. The teacher will need a picture or poster of a rock and some type of hard place

(i.e. mountain or cliff). Post these at opposite ends of the room with a cleared

space between them.

2. Explain to students what each of these pictures depicts, and proclaim one the

“absolute agree/right” and one the “absolute disagree/wrong”. Explain that the

space in between is the “gray area” which is not entirely right or wrong.

Explain about shades of gray and their personal judgment. During this

explanation the teacher should physically move along the spectrum to model

the process for students. Use simple statements as examples (i.e. the sky is

red).

3. Now display on the overhead the statements. **You might also pass out a

paper copy of the statements so that students have a chance to read and think

about the ideas. This is especially important for students who have more

difficulty processing ideas.

4. Now ask students to stand up. Read aloud each statement and direct students

to move along the spectrum to the location that best shows their personal

response to the statement. **You might time this for the sake of order (15-30

seconds), and tell students they have to move silently.

5. Now ask students to turn to the person nearest them and take turns explaining

their personal responses and why they chose their spot. After they have

shared, ask 2-3 volunteers at different spots along the spectrum to share their

responses and explanations. Caution students about the need to respect each

others‟ views even if they disagree. You might even model appropriate

responses the first couple of times you use this structure.

6. Repeat the process for each statement.

7. OPTION: Now post the “true” or “correct” answers to each statement, if

applicable. Allow students to discuss, and be prepared to share evidence or

even have a reading that addresses some or all of the ideas in the anticipation

guide. *You might even write a narrative giving information about each of the

statements mentioned in the anticipation guide that corrects any possible

misconceptions. Ask the students to read the narrative and revise their original

answers on the written copy of the anticipation guide.

The Clothesline or “Where are You hangin’?” anticipation guide 1. The procedure for this version is essentially the same as the Rock and a Hard

Place version, except in this version the teacher will hang a clothesline or rope

from one end of the room to the other with a clear space between the ends.

2. The teacher can also use clothespins to hang sheets of paper with the numbers

1-10 on each sheet. In the directions for the anticipation guide, have students

rate the statements on a scale of 1-10, 1 being absolute disagreement and 10

being absolute agreement. Again, the teacher should model this with

simplistic statements, and explain the individual spots along the spectrum.

3. Now the students will stand and move, essentially following the same steps as

3-7 of the Rock and a Hard Place version.

**These can also be used as after reading assessments by using the same process, except

completing the kinesthetic portion after the reading, instead of before.

D Facing Consequences (7)

Results are what you expect, and consequences are what you get. ~Anonymous In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are only consequences. ~Robert Green Ingersoll While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. ~Steven Covey

Every choice you make has an end result. ~Zig Ziglar Don’t you ever wonder maybe if you took a left turn instead of right you could be someone different? ~Unknown

We all have to decide how we are going to fail . . . by not going far enough or by going too far. ~Sumner Redstone Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape consequences of his choices. ~Alfred A. Montapert

E

F

Appendix G

Characterization Practice

Label each of the following quotes as either Direct Characterization (D) or

Indirect Characterization (I).

1. She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but

hammer and nails. _______________________

2. He looked as if he were fourteen or fifteen, frail and willow-wild, in

tennis shoes and blue jeans. _________________________

3. “ I would teach you right from wrong. Least I can do right now is to wash

your face.” ____________________________

4. Mrs. Jones stopped, jerked him around in front of her, put a half nelson

about his neck, and continued to drag him up the street. ____________

5. The boy wanted to say something else other than, “Thank you, m‟am,” to

Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldn‟t do so as he turned

at the barren stoop and looked back at the large woman in the door.

____________________

H

Potato Person Profile

Building Characterization

Name

Age

Male or Female

Education

Employment

(Job)

What motivates

the character?

Hobbies/Interests

Favorite Food

Favorite Color

Favorite Music

Talent

Interesting Fact

Appendix I

Types Of Conflict

There are four main types of conflict:

1. Man Vs. Man (external)

(problem with another character)

2. Man vs. Society

(external)

(problem with the laws or beliefs of

a group)

3. Man vs. Nature (external)

(problem with force of nature)

4. Man vs. Himself (internal)

(problem with deciding what to

do or think)

Review Activity:

Most challenges in life and literature involve a conflict of some kind. One form of

conflict is an _________________ conflict, involving forces or choices within the

person. Another form of conflict, an ___________________, is when someone wrestles

with forces outside him/herself, like another person, nature, or even a law/ rule of society.

In literature, there are 3 kinds of __________________ conflict: man VS

____________, man VS ________________, and man VS __________________ . A

man VS _______________ conflict is when a character (or person) has a problem with

another person, whereas a man VS ___________________ conflict is when a character

(or person) has a problem with a force of nature, like a storm or the extremely cold

temperatures of Alaska. A man VS ___________________ conflict, however, is usually a

bigger issue, where a person is challenging or is challenged by some law, rule, or belief

of society, like when abolitionists challenged people‟s right to own slaves.

Appendix J Pages Type of

Conflict

Protagonist Antagonist Summary Coping

Method

Adapt as necessary, based on the story.

Appendix K http://www.readingquest.org

Reading Quest

S u m I t U p TITLE of READING SELECTION: 1. Read the selection and underline the key words and main ideas. Write these in the blank area below where it says “Main Idea Words.” 2. At the bottom of this sheet, write a one-sentence summary of the article, using as many main idea words as you can. Imagine you only have $2.00, and each word you use will cost you 10 cents. See if you can “sum it up” in twenty words!

Main Idea Words:

“Sum It Up” for $2.00 ____________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ____________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ____________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ Adapted from Pat Widdowson Surry County (NC) Schools

L

"Grasshopper and Owl": Aesop's Fable

Screech, screech, SCREECH. A grasshopper sang all day long. "Would you please be quiet?" Owl asked. Screech, screech, SCREECH.

Noisy grasshopper kept singing. "What a bother!" said Owl to himself. "Be quiet down there! Please!" he said. "I need my rest!" But the rude insect just wouldn't stop. Screech, screech, SCREECH. Then Owl got a gleam in his eye. "Grasshopper," he said sweetly, "since I can't sleep, let's have some fun. Why don't you come up here and I will make a snack." Foolish Grasshopper thought that was a fine idea. Up, up Owl's tree he hopped. As soon as he got close, Owl grabbed him. "Delicious!' said Owl to himself. Then he fell asleep at last.

What's the moral of this story? Try your best to get along with your neighbors.

M Grasshopper and Owl - Drawing Conclusions Worksheet

Name ____________________________________ Date ___________

EVIDENCE CONCLUSIONS

Clues in the Story What I Already Know My Conclusion