Supplementary texts:

Julius Caesar- William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet- William Shakespeare
This Star Wont go Out- John Green
The Fault in Our Stars- Film Adaptations
John Green Vlog Brothers videos on YouTube

Do the stars make us who we are?

We are all living a life. Some of us are privileged,
some of us are sick, some of us want love, some want
money, some want power. Are the people we are already
decided for us? Do we have the power to shape ourselves?
How can we leave an impact on this world? How do we
want to be remembered?
Demographics:
Booneville Middle School
Small town dropping number of students
Non diverse
Teacher with cancer
Classroom
Two windows
Table desks that sit four people
SmartBoard
Set of IPads
Access to library
Heavy parental involvement
Students
Ninth grade

 14-15 years old

22 student class. 9 boys 13 girls
2 bilingual Hispanic students, 1 African American student, 1
exchange student from France (fluent), 18 white students from
Arkansas
Instructional Implications- To engage all students I must make
this text accessible. Almost if not all students will have been exposed to
cancer in one way or another. The boys will be harder to reach with this
text so I must make it mean something them. I will make this
environment open to discussion and comfortable. I must be prepared to
handle the students as the text is very emotional. They need to know
that this is a safe space.
Setting- Regular Classroom
Unit Goals: see objectives and standards.
Rationale:
The theme of my unit is: Do the stars make us who are? This title plays off
of the novel title and also asks a very important question especially in the
case of ninth grade students. Students are finding themselves. They are
coming of age. It is very important that the students learn their material to
meet common core standards, but also learn knowledge that can be
applied to real life. This novel teaches us about coming of age, growing up,
dealing with loss, young love and so much more. Young Adult literature is
popular and relatable to students so this novel is perfect. The goals and
standards I have set are appropriate because they have been defined my
Common Core State Standards and they fit with my text. They align with
my objectives which I have chosen because they are things that the
students need to know for testing purposes, but can also be useful in real
life. For example, in the intro lesson they are asked to take a Shakespeare
quote and make assumptions which they can do in the real world. Take
what they know to infer the rest. In the second lesson students are asked to
characterize with backup of quotes. This will help students prepare for
college as everything must have evidence and also to help them read the

characters of people in their lives. It also connects with the theme because
it asks the questions of what makes a person a person. In the third lesson
students must write a paper. The prompts that go with this paper ask
questions that connect back to the theme and also ask them to assess
themselves. I want the students to get the knowledge that they need both
for academics and for personal life. Research shows that it is harder to
engage males in the text than females. I will have to make sure that the
male readers connect to the text. Research also shows that young adult
literature is more accessible to students this age. It is relatable. This is why
I have chosen this text and paired it to the harder texts, like Shakespeare.
Part of my pedagogy is to take a harder concept with an easier text.
Unit content and skills:
Concepts central to unit theme: Coming of age, dealing with grief,
becoming comfortable with yourself, changing lives, becoming a better
person, young love.
Generalizations: Its a book so it doesnt matter. We cant do anything.
Nothing matters.
Biographical information: John Greens text on Esther which is who the
novel is based on ( listed in supplementary text )
Key questions: Who am I? Can I change? Does fate predetermine who we
are? What impact do I have on the world?
A list of unit skills: analyzing, being neat, writing, working with groups,
doing things on time, respect group discussions, stay engaged in reading.
Unit Overview: Students will start this unit with my introduction lesson
where we discuss the title in regards to its illusion and how this affects
things. Students will then get a copy of the book. The unit will last four
weeks. We will read out loud in class almost everyday with occasionally
assigning readings for homework. Students will be given an exit ticket in
this case where they state a theme that they got out of the reading and
why. We are about the big picture here not the tiny details they may have
forgotten. Students will have mini writing assignments, journals, and

supplementary texts, discussions, and videos to watch in between these

three lessons. On the fourth week students will do body biographies in
groups with all of the notes that they have kept. At the end of the fourth
week students will do the final lesson in which they respond to a writing
prompt. After this is complete students will watch the movie and we will
discuss.