DAY OF UNIT &

NAME OF
LESSON/ACTIVITY
Day #2: Intro to book groups, blogging, and the unit of
Identity Through Narrative
By: Katie Sovine
FEATURED
STANDARD

Common Core
State Standard
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared
writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Corresponding CCR Anchor Standard
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and
collaborate with others.



PURPOSE OF
ACTIVITY
Day #2 of our unit will be spent introducing the Identity Through Narrative unit. I will first
explain to the class our rationale behind the unit. Then, book club novels will be introduced
and students can begin thinking about what book they want to read and why. Finally, day #2
will also commit time to setting up Wordpress accounts so that students can begin blogging.
Other than getting our ducks in a row, I want students to begin thinking about the
concept of identity. Why is identity significant to humans? What is their identity?
How can we explore human and self-identity through both reading and writing?
The activities completed on day #2 are crucial to getting the unit going. We must
introduce the unit, discuss book clubs, and setup blogs very early on.
Connected Learning Principles: 1) Interest-driven (choosing books in book clubs),
2) Peer-supported Learning (working in book clubs), 3) Openly-networked (blogs)
Because book club groups and blogs will be formed, we as teachers can differentiate
for different students with specific needs on a personal level. Skill will help determine
which book club group each student is in. We can put students in groups according to
interest and skill. Also, expectations of blogging can be individualized, especially for
ELLs.


MATERIALS Perspective: Identity and the search for a common human purpose article:
http://www.onecountry.org/story/perspective-identity-and-search-common-human-
purpose
Day #2 PowerPoint Presentation
(See PowerPoint)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Computers
Internet Access
Wordpress.com


PROCEDURES

1. DO NOW (See PowerPoint)- Students read and respond to the One Country article on
human identity, (18 Minutes)
2. Have a class discussion about the DO NOW. Talk about how identity is described
and portrayed in the article? In the eyes of students? (10 Minutes)
3. Lead in to introducing Unit #1 through class conversation. (Further elaboration in
class #3) (10 Minutes)
4. Have students pull out something to take notes on and with. (2 Minutes)
5. Show students the book club group novels to choose from. Walk them through the
PowerPoint and discuss each of the four books. I will be sure to express the heaviness
of some of these books and to also explain to my students that there are some
controversial themes to each of the four works. (30 Minutes)
6. I will allow a few minutes for students to ask questions about the books. (5 Minutes)
7. Then, I will assign the homework for that evening. (3 Minutes)
8. The remainder of the class is time for students to set up their Wordpress accounts
activated and to begin blogging about their ranking of the four possible books. (12
Minutes)








ONGOING
ASSESSMENT
I will look at the students DO NOW responses to gage students understandings of
identity. The DO NOW activity will also allow for me to pick up on reading skills of
each student.
By allowing for students to set up their blogs in class, I am guaranteeing that they will
be openly-networked
The blog posts that students will be completing allow for us to begin forming book
groups. These blogs also are a catalyst of getting to know our students and their
interest (interest-driven).

REFERENCES
1. http://www.onecountry.org/story/perspective-identity-and-search-common-human-
purpose (Identity Article)
2. Google Images
3. Wordpress.com
4. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22628.The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower
5. http://www.shmoop.com/perks-of-being-a-wallflower/themes.html
6. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99561.Looking_for_Alaska
7. http://www.shmoop.com/speak-anderson/themes.html
8. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/439288.Speak




9. http://www.shmoop.com/lookingforalaska/themes.html
10. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6288.The_Road
11. http://www.shmoop.com/the-road-mccarthy/themes.html