Units of Study 2012-2013
Mrs. Agyeman's Reading/ELA Class
I had a full time this summer trying to develop a curriculum that would be do-able for my class this year. I am in a unique position teaching Self-Contained middle school. With a range of grade levels (6-8) and abilities, sometimes I must be creative with my approach. This summer I atended a literacy conference in Saratoga, New York, I purchased the book, Common Core Curriculum Maps: English Language Arts: Grades 6-8. Of course I modified and adapted many of the lessons to meet the needs and abilities of my students. I've included multilevel texts and media for my students who are reading at primary levels so that they could have access to the texts.
So any lessons you see here come from this text, but I've also tweaked them to fit the needs of my class.
So any lessons you see here come from this text, but I've also tweaked them to fit the needs of my class.
Unit 1: "Capturing the Moment"
Genres: Realistic Fiction Essential Question:
Overview: Students will begin with reflections on childhood from literature and poetry to students' own experiences by exploring the theme of growing up. This unit ends with an informative/explanatory essay that addresses the essential question. |
Unit 2: Folklore - "A Blast from the Past"Genre: Traditional Literature Essential Question:
In this unit students will explore myths and legends from a variety of sources. In addition, students read informational text, listen to music, and focus on what folklore (myths, legends, tall and porquoi tales) reveals about the world cultures-- including our own. The goal of this unit is not only for students to find common themes across this genre, but to discover countries and cultures other than our own. The culminating project is creative writing piece (myth or legend) based on response to the essential question. |
Unit 3: "Courageous Characters"
Genres: Historical Fiction/ Biography Essential Question:
Overview: Students will select a fictional story with a character that acted with tremendous courage: in times of slavery, instances of shipwrecks, or during the days of unfair childhood labor practices. Students recognize that acts of courage may have lasting effects of others. In this unit, students have the opportunity to refine their definition of courage by examining how characters, real or fictional --grow by overcoming obstacles. After reading about outwardly courageous people, students consider quiet acts of courage, and class discussions reveal the importance of those people, who often remain unnoticed or behind the scenes. Students examine how language and vocabulary enhance the reader's experience, cite specific passages of text to justify their thoughts, and critically examine the artistic license often taken in historical fiction. In the culminating project for this unit, students write and publish their own stories of courageous characters. |
Unit 4: "Perseverance"Genre: Autobiography
Essential Question
Overview This unit builds on the study of character by examining those who persevered in a variety of challenging circumstances. Students will read an array of literature and informational texts to reflect on the impact that historical events have on people. Students will also delve more deeply into the internal and external conflicts that characters experience and the qualities they possess that help them overcome challenges. Students continue ti hone skills learned in the previous unit about how characters develop and compare their development to the development of ideas in an informational text. This unit ends with and informative/explanatory essay in response to the essential question: How do individuals, real and fictional, use words and actions to demonstrate perseverance? |
Unit 5: "Science or Fiction?"Genre: Science Fiction Essential Question
Overview In this unit, students will examine the genre of science fiction and related science. Science fiction examines humanity, but often approaches characters and experiences in a futuristic context. Science fiction often involves the imagining of ideas and technologies that haven't yet been invented; however, many of them may comport with our current understanding of science and technology, In addition to exploring classic and contemporary works of science fiction, students and astronomy. Student discussions trace the logic of various story lines, focusing on the believability of the stories read in class. This unit ends with the students' choice of writing an informative/explanatory essay in response to the essential question: What makes science fiction believable? |
Unit 6: "Literature Reflects Life: Making Sense of Our World"Genre: Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Poetry, Traditional Literature, Science Fiction, Biography, Autobiography Essential Questions
Overview in this final unit, students conclude their year-long study if the human condition by examining how a variety of genres can address the human condition: fantasy, comedy, tragedy, the short story, and poetry. Students will read from various genres, writing and class discussions focus on how literature can help us make sense of our world. In particular students will examine "point of view," analyzing how authors develop different points of view. The overall goal if this unit is for students to apply all the reading, writing, speaking, and listening strategies and skills they have learned up to this point in the year. The unit ends with an informative/explanatory essay in response to the essential question: Is literature always a reflection of life? |