benjaminsavory.weebly.com€¦ · Web viewSavory Unit Plan-Themes 16. Theme Unit. Fall 2013. Mr. Benjamin Savory’s 10th Grade English Class. Essential Questions. What does mean

Essential QuestionsWhat does mean to be different?What is it like to be “disabled”?

Why are other perspectives important?Why does it mean to be human?

PurposeTo provide students an opportunity to become better citizens by learning about

Love, Loyalty, Family, and Pride.

Theme Unit

Fall 2013

Mr. Benjamin Savory’s 10th Grade English Class

Savory Unit Plan-Themes 2

Class Description:

The classroom is a 10th grade (sophomore) English classroom. The classroom consists of 21 students, 12 female and 9 male. The classroom is set in a small town in Illinois. The majority of the students are at or slightly below the required reading level; a few students are above average and one student is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. The students live in a town where everyone knows everyone else, where the town shuts down for Friday Night football games and everyone goes to the same church. The school system runs on the traditional scheduling where our classroom meets every day for 50 minutes. The school does not provide laptops, tablets, etc. for the students but the school is equipped with a computer lab of roughly 40 computers that are available to all students an hour and a half before school and is open to student 2 hours after school as well as during all school hours. The classroom itself is also equipped with 25 stationary computers will full internet access. The vast majority of the students in the school are white. The classroom thrives when students are given the opportunity to express themselves. Several students in the classroom are student-athletes; however, there is a strong desire in the school to learn about the arts (music, literature, and artwork). The majority of the students do well when working within a group but are very capable of completing tasks on their own. These students are very comfortable with each and this is relevant; they have grown up together in a small town and most of the students have been together in the same classroom for most of their lives.

Rationale:

This unit plan will span over the course of 4 weeks with each week focusing on a different theme. The four themes are as follows: Love, Loyalty, Family, and Pride. Each week will be relatively similar to week before it. Every Monday I will introduce the new theme, provide supplemental readings for that theme and introduce new aspects of the unit plan. Every Tuesday is group reading day. Students will get into groups and read the novel together as a small group or silently. Every 10 minutes or so I will have the students stop reading and discuss within their small group for 5 minutes and then continue back to reading. Also on Tuesdays, students will receive back their weekly journals as well as fill out an exit slip that has students write down what they read. This is done so that I know they are reading the required chapters. Throughout the rest of the unit there are various work days in the computer lab for their final paper and presentations. Furthermore, there is an organization that provides service dogs to wounded soldiers in the United States. I thought bringing in a guest speaker to talk about how an animal affects their life on a daily basis would bring life to this novel for the students.

My classroom description is largely based on my current Co-Op placement at East Dubuque High School. I chose this group of students because I had never been in a public high school setting, especially in a small town like this before. I decided to create this particular unit for this particular classroom because these students are very interactive with one another and are very welcoming of every idea. These students are very good at doing their assigned outside reading and are open to a wide variety of subjects. I chose this particular novel and the weekly themes because The Art of Racing in the Rain is my


favorite book but it does deal with some controversial topics. The novel deals with death, tragedy, frustration, rape, custody battles, and perseverance. While the majority of students have faced some tough times in their lives, I believe that it is rarely talked about in the classroom. I believe students will be more apt to pay attention and learn in class during controversial topics because they will be curious as to see what their peers have to say.

At first I had some trouble organizing this unit. I really wasn’t sure when to include each theme and during what week. I got the idea of having a different theme every week from Loras College All-Sports Camp. This summer I worked All-Sports camp as an athletic coach. Each day had a different theme where coaches, counselors, and athletes were asked to share personal and religious stories that involved every theme. Campers were engaged to hear personal stories and to hear outside stories about each theme, so I decided to create my lesson plan around it. I decided to keep the majority of this unit plan calendar to be pretty consistent with each week. By doing this, students will know what is expected of them day in and day out. The novel incorporates all four themes (Love, Loyalty, Family, and Pride) in every section of the novel. I am still unsure why I did these themes in this order but I knew I wanted to do these themes. I thought it was important to instill these virtues into young students because around this time in their lives, many students begin to question themselves and question what is right in the world. I think these four themes are important for everyone to know.

This unit shows my educational philosophy as student-orientated and that I am here to provide students an opportunity to grow on their own while giving valuable life lessons. One of my biggest fears about teaching high school is that I am not that much older than my students, with this unit plan I find my age as a blessing and not a burden. I believe students, especially high school students are more willing to discuss difficult matters with younger teachers rather than older ones. I believe students will feel more comfortable talking to me rather than an older teacher because they are aware that I am not that much older than them. With a unit like this, students will have the opportunity to write down their feelings about a novel and relate it to their own lives in a safe manner. This unit gives me an interesting opportunity to get to know my students on a personal basis while also giving them a chance to feel comfortable around me. My educational philosophy is to create an environment for students to develop life skills and interpersonal communication tools that will one benefit all students. I believe this unit plan does this and will create a positive classroom environment. I believe that 10 years down the road, a student may not remember the book The Art of Racing in the Rain, but they will remember writing in a weekly journal that may turn into a personal journal for the rest of their life, or that students will remember me as a teacher who is approachable and personal. I think this unit plan challenges students to work hard on a project but also to not be afraid to be personal with their peers and elders.

Goals:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to…..

Write from another perspective besides their own (Garth Stein writing from the perspective of a dog)

Understand what it is like to be without one of the 5 major senses Will be able to connect different themes through literature Will gain an understanding of what it is like to be a human

Assessment:


250 Total Points Possible!

Students will be assessed in a variety of ways…

Weekly Journals- 20 points each: Students will need to write 1-2 pages, single spaced, their reactions to the novel, the supplemental readings, and about that week’s theme. Students will need to show how the theme is incorporated in the novel and how that theme is present in their own life or they student will need to discuss how or why the theme is not relevant to their own life. Students will continue to write in the same journal each week and will be given back their graded journals, every Tuesday at the start of class. These Weekly Journals will be handwritten.

Tuesday Group Reading Exit Slips- 5 Points each: Students will be broken up into group of 3-4 and read the novel together in their small groups. Each member of the group will be asked to write 3-4 sentences on an exit slip on what happened in the chapters they read. This will be collected at the end of every class on Tuesday. Students should be able to get through 2-3 chapters during this time.

Mural.ly Presentation- 100 points cumulative assessment: Students will need to create a mural.ly presentation. Students will create a presentation based on 1 theme over the unit. Students should incorporate quotes from the novel, supplemental readings and how it is connected to their own life. The mural.ly will be due at the end of the unit plan. Students will have 3-5 minutes to present. Students will be graded on their oral presentation skills and their mural.ly itself. 50 points for the mural.ly and 50 points for the presentation.

Unit Plan Final Paper- 50 points cumulative assessment: Students will need to write a 3-4 paper, double-spaced. Students will be asked to re-write or write an additional chapter to the novel. This final paper will be due the Monday after mural.ly presentations (mural.ly presentations will be held on Thursday/Friday of the final week of the unit, students will be introduced to this paper during the second week of the unit and will be informed of the deadline).

Calendar:

Themes: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday FridayWeek 1-Love Introduce

Theme of the week, Introduce novel The Art of Racing in the Rain, background of Garth Stein (Lesson Plan 1)

Group Reading of the novel, Students break off into groups every Tuesday and read the novel, exit slip required

Prep students for Hero Dogs guest speaker,

Hero Dogs Guest Speaker day***

Weekly Journal at the end of the class period, Journal writing day, Reading when finished(Lesson Plan 2/Handout)

Week 2- Loyalty

Introduce Theme, Introduce Mural.ly presentation and final paper

Group Reading, Pass back Weekly Journal**, exit slip due

Lack of senses activity, partner reading description (Lesson Plan 4)

Silent Reading Day, exit slip (0 points)

Weekly Journal due, Journal Writing Day, reading when finished


(Lesson Plan 3/handouts)

Week 3- Family Introduce Theme, Graphic Organizer about novel, supplemental readings(Lesson Plan 5)

Group Reading, Pass back Weekly Journal, exit slip due

Silent Reading Day, exit slip (0 points)

Mural.ly/Final Paper work day in the computer lab

Weekly Journal Due, Journal Writing Day, reading when finished

Week 4- Pride Introduce Theme, Mural.ly/ Final Paper work day in the computer lab

Group Reading, Pass back Weekly Journal, exit slip due, Students should finish novel today

Mural.ly/Final Paper conference, every student meets with me to discuss questions

Mural.ly Presentations

Mural.ly Presentation, Weekly Journal Due, Final Paper due Monday

***Hero Dogs is an organization that provides service dogs to Wounded Soldiers. On this day, a guest speaker will come in and talk to students about their dog, their life and what it is like living post-war and with a service animal. Students will be given the chance to speak with. http://www.hero-dogs.org/veterans-resources.html

** First Journal will be due Monday and passed back by Wednesday at the latest, Friday the weekly journal will be introduced

Lesson Plans:

Lesson Plan 1Class: English Literature

Grade Level: 10

Unit: Themes

Teacher: Mr. Benjamin Savory

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

http://www.hero-dogs.org/veterans-resources.html


o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1b Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.

o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

21st Century Skill(s)

Make Judgments and Decisions • Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs • Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view • Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments

Essential Question What is Love? How can love be shown? Who is Garth Stein

Objectives By the end of class today, students will…

o Have an understanding of what love iso Have an understanding of who Garth Stein is

Anticipatory Set (3-4 minutes):. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZm3HFhUxTc

After playing the video clip, transition into the teaching activities

Teaching: Activities (40 Minutes): Ask students to silently write down their own definition of love, after a few minutes have a few

students write down their definition of love on the board and have those students explain their definition.

Provide students background on different types of love (Power Point) Provide students general background on Garth Stein

o Born 12/6/1964o Studied at Columbia Universityo American (Seattle, WA) author and film producer, director, and screen writer for

documentary films.o The Art of Racing in the Rain is his 3rd novel, became a New York Times best seller, a #1

BookSense Pick, and winner of a 2009 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award.o Stein wrote the novel after leaving a semi-professional racing accident, while he was

racing in the rain Introduce students to the novel


o Then have students give their predictions on the book as a whole discussion At this time, break students up into their Tuesday Reading Groups

o Students will be broken up through playing cards (Ace, King, Queen, and Jack)o Students will be broken up into group of 3-4 and read the novel together in their small

groups. Each member of the group will be asked to write 3-4 sentences on an exit slip on what happened in the chapters they read. This will be collected at the end of every class on Tuesday. Students should be able to get through 2-3 chapters during this time.

Closure: As a closing activity, students will write down on an exit card their predictions for the novel. This

will be collected as students walk out the door.

Independent Practice

There will be no independent practice for this lesson plan.

Assessment

Students will be assessed through observation, feedback during the classroom discussions as well as the exit slips they turn in at the end of this class.

Materials

Students will need to have pen/pencil, notebook paper, and their copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Duration

This lesson should last roughly 50 minutes in length.

“I Can” Statement

“I can describe the different types of love and I know who Garth Stein is.”


Grade Level: 10

Unit: Themes




CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 9–10 here.)


Think Creatively • Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming) • Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts) • Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize creative efforts

Essential Question

What is Journal Writing?

Objectives

By the end of class today, students will… Gain a new perspective through writing Be able to do Journal Writing

Anticipatory Set http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vkVHijdQk

After the video, explain to students that journals can come in very different forms; explain to students that a goal for this unit is to get students interested in writing personal journals outside of class.

Teaching: Activities

Facilitate a discussion on what Journal Writing means to the studentso Ask questions like:

What do you think of when you hear the word “Journal”? How many of you write in a personal Journal? Why would someone write in a journal?


Provide students with examples of Journal Writing, advise students that something like this will be asked of them.

By now, students should be fairly familiar with the two main characters, Enzo and Denny. At this point, pass out the handout on Weekly Journals, go over the handout thoroughly and

urge students to ask as many and any questions they have about the unit assignment. Students will then have the rest of the class period to work on their Weekly Journals. **Be sure

that students know that every weekly journal will be due on Friday at the end of class with the exception of today. These journals will be due on Monday and will be passed back to them on Wednesday at the latest. After today, every journal will be due Friday and will be returned to them on Tuesday.

Closure

There will be no closing activity for this lesson plan


Students will need to turn in their Weekly Journals at the start of Monday’s class.

Assessment

Students will be assessed through their Journals as well as through observation.

Materials

Students will need a pen/pencil, loose-leaf paper for Journal Writing, and their copy of The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Duration

This lesson plan should last roughly 50 minutes.


“I can write in a journal and I can write from a perspective other than my own.”

Lesson Plan 3

Class: English Literature

Grade Level: 10

Unit: Themes




CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1a Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

o CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1b Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.


Reason Effectively • Use various types of reasoning (inductive, deductive, etc.) as appropriate to the situation • Use Systems Thinking to analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce

overall outcomes in complex systems

Essential Question

What does it mean to be loyal? How can I express a theme?

Objectives

By the end of class today, student will… Understand what it means to be loyal Understand what is expected of them at the end of this unit (mural.ly and final paper)

Anticipatory Set

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmVHxta8m3M Now that you have seen some definitions of loyalty from Marines, please go to a computer in

the classroom and tweet your definition of loyalty. Remember, there is no wrong answer to loyalty, what one person says is not always the right

answer

Teaching: Activities

“Tweetin loyalty” (10-15 minutes)


Students are now asked to go to a computer in the classroom and go to the Google Doc that I have created for this class.

Each student will write their name on the left column and then compose a “tweet” which should be 140 characters or less and must contain the hashtag #Loyalty

Students will need to compose a tweet about their definition of loyalty or what loyalty means to them

Every student will then have an opportunity to talk about their tweet as it is displayed through the Google doc on the overhead projection

Once all the tweets have been read we will then transition to the cumulative assessment handouts

Cumulative Assessment (10-15 minutes)

At this point, students will be given the assignment sheet for their mural.ly presentations as well as the final paper.

Students will then be given a crash course on mural.ly (how to use it, what is expected of them, etc.)

Students are then encouraged to ask any and all questions that they may have about their mural.ly, their mural.ly presentation, and their final paper.

As the assignment sheets are being handed out, students will then sign up for a presentation day. Presentations will be held on Thursday and Friday of the last week of the unit, students will need to sign up for either day.

Closure

There will be no closure activity for this assignment.


There will be no independent practice for this assignment

Assessment

Students will be assessed through their tweets on the Google doc as well as through their discussion on the cumulative assessment handouts.

Materials

Students will need a pen/pencil, paper for notes

Duration

This lesson plan should last roughly 50 minutes.



I can be loyal and I can show my loyalty through multiple outlets.

Lesson Plan 4

Class: English Literature

Grade Level: 10

Unit: Themes



CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3c Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

21st Century Skill(s)Civic Literacy • Participating effectively in civic life through knowing how to stay informed and understanding governmental processes • Exercising the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state, national and global levels Work Creatively with Others • Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively • Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work • Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real world limits to adopting new ideas • View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation is a long-term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes

Essential Question

What does it feel like to be without a major sense? How do I communicate with someone without verbally speaking to them?


Objectives

By the end of this class, students will… Be able to communicate with one another without speaking Have an understanding of what it is like to solve a problem while having/working with someone

who has a disability

Anticipatory Set (0 minute)

There will be no anticipatory set due to the length and nature of today’s teaching activities. Jump right into today’s activity!

Teaching: Activities (40 minutes)

At the beginning of class, break up students into groups of 2. Each student should have a partner that he or she will work with to solve a problem.

Once students have their partners, they will then be informed that the younger of the two people is now deaf. The deaf student cannot hear anything and cannot speak.

Each group is now given one of the following scenarios:o The two of you are stranded on a desert island, neither of you have cell phones, paper,

or pens and swimming is not an option; you know that boats will be around tomorrow morning but until then you are stranded. You need to survive the night by making shelter and food, your life is in danger and neither can survive without the other. The two of you need to create a 1 page plan of how you will communicate with each other on how you will survive without speaking by the end of today’s class.

o The two of you are paramedics. You have just been assigned to the same firehouse and are now working together. One of you is deaf, and the other one does not know sign language. In this field, this may be a serious problem. Paramedics feed off of each other and rely on one another to help victims. Your job is to work together to create a 1 page system on how you are going to communicate with each other on a daily basis to help those in need.

Each group will then present their plan to the rest of the class. On the back of each group’s 1 page plan, students will need to write down what they think the

purpose of this assignment was and how it relates to The Art of Racing in the Rain. These 1 page plans are due at the end of class period; groups will have 40 minutes to work on

their plan and 1 minute to present their plan to the class. The final 10 minutes of class will be devoted to Plan Presentations

Closure (10 minutes):

Closure activity will consist of the 1 minute Plan Presentation by each individual group.


There will be no independent practice for this activity but reminds students that their Weekly Journals will be due on Friday.


Assessment

Students will be assessed through their Plan Presentations and their ability to work with one another.

Materials

Pen/Pencil, Paper

Duration

This lesson will last roughly 50 minutes.


I can effectively communicate to solve a problem without speaking verbally.


Grade Level: 10

Unit: Themes


Common Core State Standards (CCSS):

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.


Global Awareness • Using 21st century skills to understand and address global issues


• Learning from and working collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue in personal, work and community contexts

• Understanding other nations and cultures, including the use of non-English languages

Essential Question:

What is family?

Objectives:

By the end of this lesson students will.. Understand that a family does not necessarily constitute of a Mom, Dad, and Children.

Anticipatory Set (10-15 minutes):

Provide students with a personal story about family and college football career. In the following story touch on the following points:

College is a time when students are away from their immediate family for an extended period of time

Many students feel a sense of family through friends, neighbors, and significant others Many students are also student-athletes which require students to spend a lot of time with a

team in meetings, practices, film rooms, and in the weight room. Playing a college sport is a serious time commitment and not for the weak of heart.

During my time (Mr. Savory) at Loras College I was a member for the Loras College football team, I was a transfer student to Loras and didn’t know many students at Loras

The football team welcomed me into their close-knit family This team was my home away from home, any school or personal stress I had was immediately

gone the instant I walked into the locker room Members of this team would pick up anybody that would be down and would praise anybody

that deserved it. Over my college career I have spent more time with the Loras College football team than I have

with my own immediate family I believe a family is a group of individuals that look out for and care for another under any

circumstance. During college, many students lack this and I felt truly honored to have such a strong family

environment in the Loras College football team ** this story will be much more detailed when telling to students but these are some of the

main points. This story is a chance for students to get to know their teacher better and also provides students an opportunity to see a different kind of family

Teaching: Activities (30 minutes):

After the story, demonstrate to students that The Art of Racing in the Rain provides readers with a non-typical family; the dog plays a crucial role in the family.

Students will then move to a computer in the class room and go to the following linko http://www.storystar.com/php/list.php?theme_id=3


o Students are asked to find 1 short story, read it entirely in class, and complete a graphic organizer/worksheet about the short story that they have read

o Students will need to turn in this graphic organizer at the end of the class period

Closure

Students will be asked to fill out an exit slip as they leave class answering the questiono “After today’s lesson, how has your viewpoint, if at all, changed about family?”


There will be no independent practice except for the Journals, Final Paper, and Mural.ly Assignments

Assessment

Students will be assessed through their completed graphic organizers as well as their exit slips

Materials

Students will not need any materials for this assignment except for a writing utensil to complete the graphic organizer

Duration

This lesson should last roughly 50 minutes


“I can understand that there are several types of family in this world and I can make connections between short stories and my own life.”

Handouts:

Weekly Journal Hand-out:

Weekly Journals While you are reading The Art of Racing in the Rain it is crucial that you understand you are being placed into the mindset of another being. Garth Stein writes from the perspective of Enzo, the clever dog who can only use his body language and gestures to communicate with Denny.

What you need to do?


You are now placed inside the mindset of Denny. You have a dog; you are a mechanic, and a cool racecar driver. Over the next four weeks you need to write in a journal as if you are Denny. You need to write down the emotions you are feeling if you were Denny. You need to incorporate the weekly theme and correlate it between the novel and what Denny could possibly be feeling. Each journal entry need to be handwritten and should be between 1-2 pages, single-spaced.

When do you need to do these journals?

Each journal entry will be due on Friday at the end of the class period, **with the exception of the first one due on Monday. Your graded journals will be returned to you every Tuesday at the end of the class period.

How will you be graded on these journals?

Journals that are turned in on time, with legible writing, the appropriate length, and that provides insight to your interpretation of Denny as well as evidence that shows a correlation between the weekly theme and the story will be graded high. Journals that do not meet these standards will suffer in points. Since this is journal writing, there will be no rubric for these assignments. You will be deducted points for not meetings any of the criteria.

Weekly scores

Week 1 __/20

Week 2__/20

Week 3__/20

Week 4__/20

**Please attach this paper to the front of your journal. Each week’s journal should have the previous week’s journal in front (i.e. this page as cover page, then week 1 journal, then week 2, and so on.)

Mural.ly Presentation Handout:

Mural.ly PresentationThroughout this unit we will be covering four major themes that are present throughout every section of the novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain. These themes are Love, Loyal, Family, and Pride. You have been asked to write about each theme, you have been asked to discuss each theme and the novel with select groups of students. Now is your time to show the rest of your peers your knowledge.

What you need to do?

You will need to create a Mural.ly presentation. This presentation is entirely up to you. You will need to do a presentation one of the four themes we have covered. You will need to incorporate quotes from


the novel, the short story or from your journal into this mural.ly and relate it to your own personal life. Your mural.ly should include pictures of your theme, of yourself, and of your quotes. On the last Thursday and Friday of the unit plan, you will present these mural.lys. You will have 3-5 minutes to present your theme.

Grading

This presentation is worth 100 points. You will be graded on your oral presentation skills (attire, demeanor, eye contact, knowledge of the theme, and overall performance) as well as your mural.ly itself (construction, theme incorporation, relevance of pictures/quotes). This is a fun assignment but it will be challenging so do not take it lightly. You will have class time to work on it as well as a conference day to get a little feedback from me. I am free to hear all questions, comments and suggestions so do not hesitate to ask me.

Good Luck!

Unit Plan Final Paper Handout, Short Story Graphic Organizer and Love Power Point are all attached.

Final Reflection:After completing my unit plan for this English Methods class I am pretty happy with it. There are

some parts that I am very proud of and there are some parts that I am a little unhappy with. This is the second unit plan that I have created at Loras College and this time I was a lot less stressed over it. I found myself writing this unit plan in a shorter time and I found my ideas to come much easier.

I would say that I am pretty happy with it; however, like many things in education there are some things I am not happy with. I am not too thrilled about my 5th lesson plan. It took me a while to write and I struggled trying to supplemental readings that pertained to The Art of Racing in the Rain. I chose this book because it encompasses many themes, a strong narrative, and gives students the ability to write and read from another perspective; perhaps one that they may hasn’t thought about before. I struggled with this final lesson plan because the novel by Garth Stein is one that is commonly taught in schools and so I had trouble trying to incorporate outside reading into the unit plan. However, this novel did provide me with an opportunity to create one of my favorite lesson plans ever. The lesson plan where I have students work together in order to solve a problem is one that I am very excited for. I believe students will be very challenged by it but I also think it will be a fun and exciting class period. I believe students will very quickly realize the challenges of working with and dealing with someone who has a disability. I believe students will have a new found respect for their own ability to speak, hear, see, and communicate easily with little to no problem. I think this lesson plan is one of my stronger aspects of this unit plan. Also, I think the weekly themes along with the weekly journal entries are one aspect of my unit plan that is very strong.


When writing this unit plan, I was pretty skeptical. I was unsure on how well this novel would do in a classroom. There is a lot expected of students and the novel is a good read but can be difficult to get through. When I say difficult to get through, I mean there are some controversial topics that could be difficult for some students to read. There are elements to this novel that include rape, loss of a parent, custody issues and other themes that may cut too close to home for some students. I am unsure if I would teach this novel in classroom below sophomore year of high school because of these elements. I think a teacher really needs to know his or her students well before they introduce this unit plan. However, once you know your students I am confident that this unit plan is effective for all students.

When writing this unit plan, I focused more on student’s ability to write from another perspective and having students tap into their creative side more rather than having students read, complete a lot of graphic organizers and have large classroom discussions on a novel. I feel that this unit plan is much more student-centered. I think this unit plan would need some more work in order to be used for an actual classroom. I think some of the activities and lesson plans need some trial and error before this unit plan can be perfected. Also, I was unsure whether or not how long it would take students to read this book and whether or not the Tuesday Reading Groups would be successful or not. I believe that in order for these groups to work, the teacher would need to make the groups that included hard-working, diligent students with those who may struggle at times. This would prevent friends from being in the same group and accomplishing nothing. My biggest fear is that these groups would put the entire work one on individual and would then get credit for their work. Once again, I would need to ‘feel’ some things out before putting this unit plan into action.

Finally, I do see myself using this unit plan or at least aspects of this unit plan in my lesson plans. I am fairly confident in this unit plan and have put an extraordinary amount of work into it and I believe my efforts are reflective of my work.

Documents

benjaminsavory.weebly.com€¦ · Web viewSavory Unit Plan-Themes 16. Theme Unit. Fall 2013. Mr. Benjamin Savory’s 10th Grade English Class. Essential Questions. What does mean