Overview and Background: Unit: Friends Indeed

Name: Peggy Jones

Communications : Reading, Writing

Cheney Middle : Grades 6 :: Aug. - May.

Title:	Friends Indeed
Topics:	Communications – Reading, writing, & literature genres
Time Frame:	3 weeks of 85 minute blocks
Start Date:	-

Other Designers:

Summary: The portrayal of relationships humans have with their pets will be explored through a variety of literature selections, non-fiction essays, and composition activities.

Print Materials Needed: Short stories “Feathered Friend,” by Arthur C. Clark, “Stray” by Cynthia Rylant, “Zlateh the Goat” by Issac Bashevis Singer; Non-fiction essay “TV’s Top Dogs” by Deborah Starr Seibel; Novel The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.
Resources: Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes, Copper Level, 2000. The Incredible Journey: Bantam Doubleday Dell. Movie The Incredible Journey, Disney.
Resource Attachments:
Internet Resource Links: www.aspca.org
Notes:

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

State:

Title:

Communications – Reading & Writing

Standard(s):

· 1:4:7 The student reads and comprehends text. The student comprehends a variety of texts (narrative, expository, persuasive, and technical). The student determines main ideas and details.

· 1:4:9 The student reads and comprehends text. The student comprehends a variety of texts (narrative, expository, persuasive, and technical). The student makes inferences and draws inferences from text.

· 1:4:10 The student reads and comprehends text. The student comprehends a variety of texts (narrative, expository, persuasive, and technical). The student links cause and effects in text.

· 3:2:1-4 The students write effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, and contexts. The students use a writing process that includes preparing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing to produce a written text. The student generates ideas and selects one topic on which to write. The student organizes their thoughts about the selected topic. The student writes a draft about the selected topic. The student generates a final copy.

Understandings:

Literature mirrors life, allowing us to reflect on our experiences, values, and life situations.

Essential Questions:

1. How do the elements of fiction help us understand the whole novel better?

2. What inferences about life can we gain from connecting a work’s literary elements to our own experiences?

3. How do we reach conclusions about the benefits of and understand the effects of owning pets from reading a variety of short stories and novels about pets?

Knowledge and Skills:

Reading Strategies :QAR, Think Aloud. Short Story terminology, Novel terminology.

Make inferences from text. Draw conclusions based on supporting details in a text. Link causes and effects in a written text. Answer written study questions on a novel. Identify plot, theme, characterization in stories and novel. Comprehend vocabulary in context.

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

Assessment Summary:
Taking on the role of the Public Relations person for the Humane Society, students will create a public service announcement to encourage community members to adopt an animal from a local animal shelter. The announcement should be in the form of a text-based written advertisement found in a magazine or newspaper and should inform the public of the benefits of animal adoption. Any artwork or photograph is to be minimal. Students will use the novel and stories they have studied in class as a basis for comparison with the information gathered from their research on animal overpopulation. The focus and goal is for them to recognize how life’s situations are portrayed with accuracy in literature and to use this as a brainstorming technique for their advertisement. Students will research for factual information to use in the announcement.

Student Directions:

You are the Public Relations person for the Humane Society. Create a public service announcement to encourage community members to adopt an animal from a local animal shelter. You will research library and online sources for evidence to include in your announcement. In addition, include positive and negative effects gathered from the works of fiction studied in class. The announcement should be in the form of a text-based advertisement similar to one found in a magazine or newspaper. Any artwork or photograph is to be minimal. The focus and goal of your advertisement is to inform the public of the benefits of animal adoption. You will begin by brainstorming positive and negative effects of pet overpopulation and adoption. You will utilize stories and the novel (The Incredible Journey) read in class for comparison to researched information concerning the benefits of animal ownership. Your advertisement will be computer generated and may or may not include a small photo or illustration. The following criteria should be met: all text and any graphs should be accurate, informative, well organized and understandable.

Rubric:

http://www.cheney268.com/MSCom/Jones/IncredibleJourneyRubric.htm

Other assessment evidence to be collected:

1. Quizzes over stories, essay, and novel.

2. Essay: Each student will, upon reading the short stories and essay, reflect on one of their own pets, present or past. They will compose an essay in which they describe the pet and share stories about the pet. The essay will contain a thesis and supporting details and be written according to the six-trait model.

3. Graphic organizers on characters in the novel and causes and effects in the novel.

4. Vocabulary study from all literary selections.

5. In reading the novel The Incredible Journey, students will respond to each chapter through the independent completion of study questions. These will then be shared in cooperative learning groups. A final test, in the format of the KS state reading assessment, will end the study of the novel.

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Learning Activities:

Show pictures of variety of types of pets. Ask: “Which of these looks like the type of pet you would like to own? Why?”

Discussion of who owns pets. Explain that the reading selections we will be reading all have to do with the effect of owning pets.

Read three fiction selections about animals as pets. Discuss and relate to our own lives as pet owners. Students take quizzes on each story. Brief discussion of cause/effect text structure. Students do graphic organizers on causes and effects found in each short story concerning a pet.

Students brainstorm a list of responsibilities of owning a pet. From this list, students will compose a paragraph explaining the responsibilities. The paragraphs will have a solid topic sentence and at least five to seven sentences for support.

Read the non-fiction selection on the use of dogs in television media. Discuss how some animals can be both a pet and a source of income. Share personal stories in class discussion.

Students write a personal narrative describing a pet they have, utilizing the 6-trail model.

View The Incredible Journey Disney video (original version) and fill in graphic organizer (Venn diagram) on similarities and differences between video and novel. The results of the Venn will be a basis for a journal entry comparing and contrasting the two.

Journal about how they will look at their pets the next time they recognize the importance of an animal as a friend.

A final reflection journal entry will be written on the following topic: How did you use the literature selections to help you format the public service announcement? What inferences did you make based on the literature selections that provided insight into the positives of pet adoption? Include an explanation of how your feelings on the benefits of pet ownership have been affected by the reading of the selections.