UNIT PLAN Grade Level: Subject: ELA Unit #: 1 Unit Name: Understanding and Writing Literary Texts and Personal Narratives 6 th Big Idea/Theme: The elements of fiction work together to develop a narrative text. Culminating Assessment: Present the information in the following way: Writing Students will publish a personal memoir based on seed ideas collected in their writer s notebook. Reading Based on fictional elements studied during the unit students will write and present a project using PowerPoint, drama/skits, role plays, writing the next chapter of a novel, artwork, written report, etc For suggested readings and authors for this unit study see attachment. Unit Understanding(s) Students will understand that Author s purpose affects narrative writing. A narrative is not complete without the fictional elements of setting, character, plot, point of view, theme, and tone. Similar main ideas run through various narrative texts. Being able to draw conclusions and make inferences adds to the understanding of a literary text. Fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and drama are the major types of literary texts. Unit Essential Question(s): Writing Focus : How do personal experiences affect how a writer develops the elements of a narrative? Why are tone and voice important aspects of the writer s craft? How does an author prepare a final piece of writing for publishing? Reading Focus: How do I differentiate among first person, limited-omniscient (thirdperson), and omniscient (thirdperson) point of view? When analyzing a character, what traits do I look for? What does the setting of a story tell me about a reading selection? When I am reading a story, how do I analyze the plot? What affect does conflict have on the plot of a literary text? How does understanding an author s craft, including tone, flashback, and foreshadowing, help me interpret the meaning of a narrative text? What details do I look for when 1
comparing and contrasting main idea within and across literary texts? How do I draw conclusions and make inferences when reading a narrative text? What specific types of texts fall into the category of literary texts? What are the characteristics of the major types of literary texts? Students will know / Students will be able to Analyze a story and locate the literary elements Utilize the writing process and correct Standard American English while composing their own narrative pieces. South Carolina Academic Standards: Standard 6-1 The student will read and comprehend a variety of literary texts in print and nonprint formats. 6-1.1 Analyze literary texts to draw conclusions and make inferences. 6-1.2 Differentiate among the first person, limited omniscient (third person), and omniscient (third person) points of view. 6-1.3 Interpret devices of figurative language (including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole) 6-1.4 Analyze an author s development of characters, setting, and conflict in a given literary text. 6-1.5 Interpret the effect of an author s craft (including tone and the use of flashback and foreshadowing) on the meaning of literary texts. 6-1.6 Compare/contrast main ideas within and across literary texts. 6-1.7 Create responses to literary texts through a variety of methods such as written works, oral presentations, media productions, and the visual and performing arts. 6-1.8 Understand the characteristics of poetry (including stanza, rhyme scheme, repetition, and refrain) and drama (including stage directions and the use of monologues). 6-1.9 Analyze works of fiction (including legends and myths) and works of nonfiction (including speeches and personal essays) by characteristics. 6-1.10 Predict events in literary texts on the basis of cause-and-effect relationships. 6-1.11 Read independently for extended periods of time. Standard 6-3 The student will use word analysis and vocabulary strategies to read fluently. 6-3.1 Use context clues such as those that provide an example, a definition, or a 2
restatement to generate the meanings of unfamiliar and multiple meaning words. 6-3.2 Analyze the meaning of words by using Greek and Latin roots and affixes within texts. (See Instructional Appendix: Greek and Latin Roots and Affixes). 6-3.3 Interpret the meaning of idioms and euphemisms encountered in texts. 6-3.4 Distinguish between the denotation and the connotation of a given word. Standard 6-4 The student will create written work that has a clear focus, sufficient detail, coherent organization, effective use of voice, and correct use of the conventions of written Standard American English. 6-4.1Organize written works using prewriting techniques, discussions, graphic organizers, models and outlines.. 6-4.2 Use complete sentences in a variety of types (including simple, compound, and complex sentences) in writing. 6-4.3 Create multiple paragraph compositions that include a central idea with supporting details and use appropriate transitions between paragraphs. 6-4.4 Use the conventions of written Standard American English (including those regarding main and subordinate clauses, indefinite pronouns, pronoun antecedent agreement, and consistent verb tenses). 6-4.5 Revise writing to improve clarity, tone, voice, content, and the development of ideas. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.) 6-4.6 Edit for correct use of written Standard American English, including punctuation. (See Instructional Appendix: Composite Writing Matrix.) 6-4.7 Spell correctly using Standard American English. Standard 6-5 The student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences. 6-5.2 Create narratives that have a fully developed plot and a consistent point of view. Standard 6-6 The student will access and use information from a variety of sources 6-6.4 Use vocabulary (including Standard American English) that is appropriate for the particular audience or purpose. 6-6.5 Use appropriate organizational strategies to prepare written works and oral and visual presentations. 6-6.6 Select appropriate graphics, in print or electronic form, to support written works and oral visual presentations. 3
Interim Assessment (formative) Homework Daily Classroom Skills Practice Quizzes Reading Response Journals Graphic Organizers/Thinking Maps Edited and Revised Rough Copies Key Criteria (to meet the standard) Rubric *See Unit 1 References Below 4
Unit 1 Narrative Resources Authors Specific Titles Teacher References Avi Lousia May Alcott Natalie Babbitt Eve Bunting Beverly Cleary Kate DiCamillo Gordon Korman Lois Lowry L.M. Montgomery Scott O Dell Katherine Patterson Gary Paulsen Cynthia Rylant Louis Sachar Crispin by Avi Poppy by Avi Little Women by Lousia May Alcott Little Men by Lousia May Alcott Family Tree by Katherine Ayres Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Dicamillo The Pinky and Rex Series by James Howe Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt Jacob, Have I Loved by Katherine Patterson A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls Holes by Louis Sachar Black Beauty by Anna Sewell Flipped by Wendlin Van Draanen Limony Snicket Series The Cay by Theodore Taylor Surviving The Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan A Long Time Ago Today by Sally Warner The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss 25 Fun and Fabulous Literature Response Activities and Rubrics by Christine Boardman Moen Reading Response Trifolds for 40 Favorite Novels by Jennifer Cerra-Johansson Writing to Prompts in the Trait-Based Classroom Literature Response by Ruth Culham and Amanda Wheeler Graphic Organizer Booklets for Reading Response by Rhonda Graff Silver Graphic Organizers and Activities for Differentiated Instruction In Reading by Nancy L. Witherell and Mary C. McMackin Reading & Writing Graphic Organizers & Mini-Lessons by Susan Van Zile 50 Reproducible Strategy Sheets That Build Comprehension During Independent Reading by Anina Robb Awesome Hands-On Activities for Teaching Literary Elements by Susan Van Zile Teaching Reading by Laura Robb 5