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The Unit Preface

School, Class, and Student Profiles
This was written in collaboration with Christina Sohn. School: Buford Middle School is a Charlottesville City School that serves grades 7-8. The average class-size is 19.5 students and one teacher. The Charlottesville City Schools are 50% female and 50% male. 42% of the students are black, 36% are white, 10% are Hispanic, 6% are Asian/Pacific Islander/Hawaii, and 6% are classified as other. Gifted education students make up 29% of the population, special education students make up 12% of the population, and ESL students make up 13% of the population. There are more than 45 languages spoken in the Charlottesville City School system. Approximately half of the students at Buford Middle School participate in at least one school sport, and 75% of students participate in an extra-curricular activity during the school year. This would be a good place to describe the schedule the students follow, the types of classes offered (are they tracked in any way), and if there are any special programs offered by the school. You have done an excellent job providing the demographics; now try and show the character of the school. Class: The class that this unit plan is developed for is a seventh grade class at Buford Middle School. There are 20 students in this class, Period 3. Period 3 features racial diversity and many male students. This class has great variety in students dedication to learning. Some students get by with as little work as they can, while others overdo it, and there are several students reading below grade level. A lack of motivation as a common problem. Period 3 also has a few more rowdy students who often laugh at one of their more socially awkward classmates. This class struggles with having all of the students voices heard; in this class, there are only a few more extroverted students who contribute to the discussions while the rest of the class remains silent. Student Profiles: Dimitri is a 7th grader in the English class at Buford Middle School. He is an ELL student who has basic communication skills but has limited vocabulary and does not speak up in class very often. He moved to the U.S. three years ago and has less exposure to reading in English than other students might have. Dimitri thus reads two grades below his reading level. Dimitri, quiet and dedicated, needs help in finding more literature and vocabulary to keep him up to speed. Paris is a 7th grade African-American student in the English class at Buford Middle School. She had to repeat the grade so this is the second time taking this class. Paris struggles more with writing than reading. She has never been taught grammar successfully, and this often sabotages her grade. Paris, generally an outspoken student who is well liked by her classmates in social settings, sometimes comes into class with aggression or anger that can disrupt the classroom setting. When asking or answering questions of others, she often exhibits a negative attitude and expresses frustration at having to repeat activities that she has already taken last year. Paris sometimes launches into tirades about how lame school is. Sometimes this mood turns into apathy and withdrawal from learning. Eli is a 7th grader in the English class at Buford Middle School. He comes from a background of poverty and does not have a computer or printer at home. His parents also do not attend parent-teacher conferences or back-to-school night because they are often working and have busy schedules. Ignoring the teacher, Eli sometimes seems distracted or unfocused during class and often tries to talk and joke with his classmates rather than doing work. Eli, fingers tapping, seems to learn better when there is more movement in the classroom. though. Eli is only slightly below average in both reading and writing.

Big Idea & its Rationale

Primary Focus: Adversity Secondary Focus: Reflective narrative writing Middle School is a time in which students become increasingly aware thatas their parents and teachers have been saying for yearslife isnt fair. Students like Paris dont know how to appropriately react to adversity. When feeling hurt, these students frequently lash out to hurt others. In this unit we will address the different kinds of hardships that people face and acknowledge that the adversity students face is real. In addition, students will examine adversity in literature in order to develop coping strategies for their real lives. What a fantastic concept for this class! Students will be interested in this unit because we will focus on issues and problems that they will find relevant. This unit will be taught at the beginning of the year because addressing adversity early on will indicate that tough subjects will not ignored and that students problems are valid. This unit uses narrative writing as a mode of expression for students. Other features of this unit are discussions, reflection, and sustained silent reading.

Backwards Design Template

ENDURING UNIVERSAL UNDERSTANDINGS (Generalizations about the overarching concept/objective) * Consider: Are the targeted understandings enduring, based on transferable, big ideas at the heart of the discipline and in need of un-coverage? * Four is a reasonable number for a 3-week unit, though you may have fewer or more. * Students will understand that... 1. __There are many different kinds of adversity. 2. __There are both positive and negative ways to deal with adversity. 3. __They can handle adversity and even triumph over it. CRITICAL CONCEPTS (This is the conceptual vocabulary necessary for arriving at the enduring understandings) Identify the number of concepts you feel you can reasonably teach in the length of your unit. 1. Injustice 2. Survival 3. Community 4. Expression

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS (These are the overarching questions that drive teaching and learning within a course/unit; they represent the questions for which you want students to formulate answers over the course of the unit.) * Consider: Are these questions provocative, arguable, and likely to generate inquiry around the central ideas (rather than a pat answer)? Are they kid-friendly? Will students view them as relevant? * The number of questions is negotiable; keep in mind the length of your unit!

1. __What is adversity?

2. __What are the kinds of adversity youve seen or faced?

3. __How have you seen others react to adversity, or how have you reacted to adversity yourself? 4. __How do you survive adversity? Can you do more than survive it?

CRITICAL STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES These reflect the big (i.e., general) student learnings (and what you will eventually assess): cognitive (to know and understand) affective (to feel/value) & non-cognitive performative (to do) *With the exception of the affective goals, these correspond to the KUD model for developing objectives you practiced in EDIS 5401. Select up to 3 cognitive, 3 affective, and 4 performative critical learning objectives, i.e., what I want my students to learn. This is the most you would want to tackle in a 3-week unit. COGNITIVE (to know and understand) 1. Students will know that creative acts are a way to express feelings and share AFFECTIVE (to feel/value) & NON-COGNITIVE 1. Students will feel that their experiences are useful and unique. The Unit Plan Project The Unit Preface

4 2. Students will feel comfortable sharing their experiences and thoughts. 3. Students will value the community of their peers.

PERFORMATIVE (to do) 1. Students will be able to explore the concept of adversity in writing. 2. Students will be able to write about adversity in a number of formats. 3. Students will be able to reflect on their own experiences with adversity through personal writing. Standards: Select at least 2 related SOLs and CCSs (at your units grade level) that fit into your learning framework. Give them the numbers that they carry in the State Department SOL document/CCS Website. SOLs Communication 7.1 The student will participate in and contribute to conversations, group discussions, and oral presentations. a) Communicate ideas and information orally in an organized and succinct manner. Reading 7.5 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of fictional texts, narrative nonfiction, and poetry. a) Describe the elements of narrative structure including setting, character development, plot structure, theme, and conflict. c) Identify conventional elements and characteristics of a variety of genres. Writing 7.7 The student will write in a variety of forms with an emphasis on exposition, narration, and persuasion. d) Establish a central idea and organization. k) Use computer technology to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writing CCS Speaking and Listening: In General 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly. b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. Writing: The Narrative Essay 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences. a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. The Unit Plan Project The Unit Preface

5 b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated experiences or events.

The Unit Plan Project The Unit Preface

6 D: Texts (Primary and Supplementary) - Main Text o Black Boy excerpt by Richard Wright - Supplementary Texts o memory by Lucille Clifton o Knock, Knock by Daniel Beatty o Angry Young Man- Billy Joel:
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Angry-Young-Man-lyrics-BillyJoel/86A973E0FB610D0A482568700025B91D

o On the Sunny Side of the Street- Billie Holliday: o Brave- Sara Bareilles:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/on-the-sunny-side-of-the-street-lyrics-billieholiday.html http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/sarabareilles/brave.html

o You Gotta Be- Desree:

young.html

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/desree/yougottabe.html

o Voices- Chris Young: http://www.metrolyrics.com/voices-lyrics-chris-

The Importance of Creativity & Its Role in this Units Learning

As children grow older, they become more self-conscience, less willing to share their thoughts, and more reluctant to reveal that they are different. All of these habits squelch creativity. But creativity is a wonderful thing. In the modern world, creativity and imagination are highly rewarded as revealed in the success stories of tech start-ups and creative geniuses. Thinking outside the box is a sought-after attribute. As a teacher, it is our job to cultivate students creativity. Literature allows students to see the world from another persons perspective. Through literature, we can encourage students to imagine new worlds, and through writing, we can encourage students to express their creativity. However, the ELA curriculum should not be limited to reading and writing. Multiple modes of expression should be offered to students in order to nurture their creativity. In this unit plan, students create poetry, narrative, and reflection writing. In this unit, I want my students to pen their thoughts through journal entries. Through poetry, Id like for them to share their memories. And through a narrative essay, I want my student to reflect upon their experiences and reimagine a world in which those experiences do not need to be painful. Both poetry and narrative writing are both very creative writing forms, and I hope this will inspire my students creatively.

Technology Use & its Rationale

A functional understanding of technology is necessary in modern literacy. There are few jobs left in which technology does not play a crucial role. In the class this unit is intended for, the students have some variation of the iPad, and the teacher has a projector and a smart board. I plan on using the smart board during a think-aloud while writing a poem based on Daniel Beattys Knock, Knock. Students watch many videos via the Smartboard, laptops, and tablets. The Unit Plan Project The Unit Preface

7 During the writing process of the narrative essay, the teacher and students use google docs in order to receive feedback instantly. Google docs can make feedback more conversational and frequent.

The Unit Plan Project The Unit Preface