Overview and Background: Unit: She Only Wrote One--and it's Renowned

 

Melodie Hofer : Cheney USD 268

Communications : Literature : 8th Literature

Cheney : Grades 8 - 10 : May. - Mar.

 

Title:

She Only Wrote One--and it's Renowned

Topics:

inequality, sterotyping, prejudice, racism, the South

Time Frame:

 

Start Date:

Mar. - May.

 

Other Designers:

 

Summary:
Students will study the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the play. The focus will be on the common themes of prejudice, racism, stereotyping, and equality (or lack thereof).

 

Print Materials Needed:
Vocabulary for the novel
Lyrics to Michael W. Smith's Song, "Color Blind"
Copy of the short story, "After You, My Dear Alphonse" by Shirley Jackson
Study guide questions per chapter
Vocabulary games and activities for the unit

Resources:
Copy of the short story, "After You, My Dear Alphonse" by Shirley Jackson

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Teacher study guides & quizzes
Modified district speaking rubric
Teacher designed writing rubrics
Videotape of the novel
Scissors
Glue or Tape
Computer Printer
Markers or Colored Pencils
Card Stock
Poster Board
Construction Paper
Markers
Colored Pencils
Old Magazines

 

Resource Attachments:

prejudice checklist, lyrics to "Color Blind," table game checkbrick, table team critique sheet, 5-paragraph essay rubric

Internet Resource Links:
Link 1:http://www.hasbro.com/familygamenight/#scrabble
Link 2:http://www.sfsite.com/isfdb-bin/exact_author.cgi?Shirley_Jackson
Link 3:http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/xla/ela17d10.html%20(a%20webquest%20on%20equality)

 

Notes:

This unit needs to be taught during the 2nd semester after essay writing and research skills, and computer software programs have been taught.

 

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

 

State:

KS      

Title:

Communications

Standard(s):

State Reading Standards
Standard 1: Learners demonstrate skill in reading a variety of materials for a variety of purposes.
Benchmark 1: The proficient reader comprehends whole pieces of narration, exposition, persuasion, and technical writing.
Indicators:
The students:
1. make inferences from the text.
2. differentiate between main ideas and supporting details.
6. summarize the text.
11. compare and contrast ideas and concepts from multiple sources.
Benchmark 5: The proficient reader draws conclusions supported by the text.
Indicators
The students:
1. identify a theme in a narrative text.

State Writing Standards
Standard 2: Learners write effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, and contexts.
Benchmark 1: A proficient writer uses ideas that are well developed, clear and interesting.
Indicators:
The students:
1. produce compositions that have one main idea and support the main idea with details.
Benchmark 3: The proficient writer uses organization that enhances the readerÌs understanding.
Indicators:
The students:
1. write a coherent and cohesive piece with a clear introduction, supporting ideas, and a conclusion.
2. write introductions that draw the reader in.
3. write supporting details presented in a logical
order.
4. use transitions to allow ideas to flow smoothly within and between paragraphs.
5. write conclusions that provide a sense of resolution.
Benchmark 5: The proficient writer uses clear and fluent sentences.
Indicators:
The students:
1. vary sentence structure (simple, compound, and complex) and the length of sentences for more effective writing.
Benchmark 6: The proficientß writer uses standard American English conventions.
Indicators:
The students:
1. use complete sentences.
2. use appropriate paragraphing.
3. correctly use a wide range of conventionsß, such as spelling, end marks, commas, quotation marks, semicolons, colons, subject and verb agreement, and pronoun agreement.
4. write so that only light editing is needed to polish the text for publication.

State Viewing Standards
Standard: Learners will demonstrate skills in viewing for a variety of purposes.
Benchmark 4: The effective viewer remembers and applies the content of visual messages.
Indicators:
The students:
2. assimilate knowledge from viewing and use this knowledge in new contexts.

State Media Products Standards
Standard: Communicators effectively use a variety of media to create products to communicate for a variety of audiences, purposes, occasions, and contexts.
Benchmark 1: The effective communicator is knowledgeable about various methods that can be used to create aural and visual products.
Indicators:
The students:
1. know various methods to create media products, such as computer
applications, video and audio tapes, recordings, live presentations, and props.
Benchmark 2: The effective communicator creates single media and multi-media products.
Indicators:
The students:
2. create products that support/enhance a
message.
3. choose appropriate media for content, purpose, audience, occasion, and context.
Benchmark 3: The effective communicator uses appropriate content for purpose, audience, occasion, and context.
Indicators:
The students:
3. adapt content for the purpose, audience, occasions, and context.
State Literary Response Standards
Standard 3: Learners demonstrate knowledge of literature from a variety of cultures, genresß, and time periods.
Benchmark 1: The proficient reader demonstrates knowledge of the effects of cultures on literature.
Indicators:
The students:
1. analyze the impact of culture on a character.
Benchmark 3: The proficient reader demonstrates knowledge of the effects of time periods on literature.
Indicators:
The students:
1. connect main events in the literature to historical context.
Standard 4: Learners demonstrate skills needed to read and respond to literature.
Benchmark 1: The proficient reader uses literary concepts to interpret literature.
Indicators:
The students:
1. identify elements of fiction and drama, such as initiating event, character's goals, attempts, and outcomes.
2. make inferences and draw conclusions about story elements, such as theme, plot, setting, character.
3. recognize use of literary devices, such as foreshadowing, flashback, and figurative language.
Benchmark 2: The proficient reader evaluates literature with criteria based on purposes for reading and derived from time periods and cultures.
Indicators:
The students:
1. interpret connections between characters and events in literature and people and events in their lives.

State Information Retrieval Standards
Standard: The communicator will retrieve information from a variety of appropriate sources.
Benchmark 3: The effective communicator collects, sorts, and selects sources and information.
Indicators:
The students:
1. gather information from primary and secondary sources.
2. sort/select and narrow information using strategies, such as graphic organizers, note taking, and highlighting.
Benchmark 4: The effective communicator analyzes/ evaluates the sources and information.
Indicators:
The students:
2. analyze/evaluate the credibility of sources and accuracy of the information

 

Understandings:

user

Children learn how to treat people from watching adults.
The message of a novel set in a period of turmoil can continue to impact society decades later.
Even after slavery was abolished, separation and inequality remained between the races.
Part of growing up is losing one's innocence and naivety.

 

Essential Questions:

user

What is it about this novel that made it a Pulitzer prize winner?
What behaviors and attitudes does a parent live out that eliminate prejudice in a child?
How can anyone, even a small child, change society's viewpoint about a person or a topic?
What major events in the South have alleviated some of the racism that still exists today?

 

Knowledge and Skills:

Knowledge:
Students will know...

culture of the South during the time period of To Kill a Mockingbird
influence of this novel
how to recognize inequalities in all levels of society

Skills:
Students will be able to...

write a 5-paragraph essay on a theme or motif from a novel
synthesize information from research with the events in a novel
create higher level thinking questions based on readings

 

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

 

Assessment Summary:
You work for one of these three big game maker companies: Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, or Hasbro. A Prentice Hall Publisher marketing representative has approached your company to create a learning game for the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The publishers want the game to be 25% basic comprehension of the plot, 15% vocabulary related, 30% historical connections, and 40% of the game connected to the themes, lessons and morals of the novel. Your team will present the game to the class (it will be videotaped) and another class will act as the panel of Prentice Hall editors to pick the game they will publish. Your boss has added a twist to your assignment: the theme of equality and inequality must be felt by the players as they move on the playing board.

G
The goal is to design a game to demonstrate that you understand the deeper messages in the novel as well as comprehending the plot.
R
You work in educational art department of a game company.
A
The target audience includes students in grades 8-10 and English and social studies teachers.
S
You need to organize pick a theme/motif for your table game, create objectives, rules, playing pieces, questions and challenges. You need to decide the format in which the game will be played.
P
As the gameÌs designer, you will need to integrate content and design into your game. Remember, playing the game must put the players on unequal terms for the theme of this unit to come through.
S
Your product must meet the reading and literary response standards as well as media products standards.

 

 

 

Other assessment evidence to be collected:

Process check

 

Other assessment evidence to be collected: short essays and quizzes, question cards for game, vocabulary studies, 5-paragraph essay unit test
 

 

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

 

Learning Activities:

W & H
1. Students will silently read a list of different types of people and check those they believe they would discriminate against just because of what or who they are.
2. Students will share with each other their beliefs about what they checked. The terms prejudice, equality, bias, and stereotyping will be defined.
3. Students will read lyrics to Michael W. SmithÌs Song, "Color Blind" as the song is being played on CD. Then discussion of the theme will take place.
E
4. Students will read the short story, "After You My Dear Alphonse" by Shirley Jackson.
5. Students will identify examples of stereotyping in the story.
6. Students will receive a copy of the essential questions for the unit that the teacher put on bulletin. This sheet will also explain the table game project at the end of the unit.
7. Class will read the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
8. Students will be involved in various Kagan Cooperative Learning structures as the novel's plot and characters are discussed.
9. Students will take comprehension quizzes, do vocabulary activities, and study figures of speech, irony, and other literary elements as the novel is read.
10. Students will trace themes in the novel by completing a graphic organizer.
11. Students will trace who is discriminated against in the novel.
12. Students will view the video version of the novel and complete a Venn Diagram pointing out the differences.
13. Students will investigate and research the South at the time the novel was written. This will be coordinated with the social studies teacher.
14. Students will observe stereotyping on our society and complete a graphic organizer on the subtle findings.
R
15. Students will reflect on the importance of knowing other pieces of literature, mythology, history, or the Bible in catching allusions Harper Lee refers to in this novel.
16. Students will retake their prejudice checklist to see if their opinions have changed since the start of the unit.
17. Students will write a 5-paragraph essay on one of the motifs they've traced throughout the book.
E
18. Create a playable table game based on this novel and its themes.
19. Complete a journal entry which presents the subtle findings of stereotyping in our society today.