Unit Overview



|Unit Overview |

|Content Area: English Language Arts |

|Unit Title: Writing: Personal Narrative Timeline: 4 to 6 weeks |

|Target Course/Grade Level: Sixth Grade |

|Unit Summary: The Personal Narrative unit will convey the purpose of narrative writing through the deliberate use of literary elements and |

|narrative techniques. In addition to this, writers will practice the implementation of structured depictions of diverse experiences (real or |

|imagined) organized in a chronological structure. |

|Primary interdisciplinary connections: Vocabulary, Writing, Current Events, Social Studies |

|21st century themes and skills: Global Awareness, Environmental Literacy, Creative Thinking and Problem Solving, Communication and |

|Collaboration, Life and Career Skills: -flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social skills, productivity and |

|accountability, leadership and responsibility. |

|Anchor Standards: |

|Anchor Standards for Reading |

|Key Ideas and Details |

|2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. |

|3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. |

|Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity |

|10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. |

|Anchor Standards for Writing |

|Text Types and Purposes |

|3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured |

|event sequences. |

|Production and Distribution of Writing |

|4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. |

|5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. |

|6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. |

|Range of Writing |

|10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day |

|or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. |

|Anchor Standards for Language |

|Conventions of Standard English |

|2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. |

|Knowledge of Language |

|3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and |

|to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. |

|Learning Targets/Activities |

|Domain: Reading, Writing, Language |

|Cluster: Key Ideas and Details, Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity, Text Types and Purposes, Production and Distribution of |

|Writing Range of Writing, Conventional Standard of English, Knowledge of Language. |

|Standard # | Standards |

|RL.6.2. |Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the |

| |text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. |

|RL.6.3. |Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or|

| |change as the plot moves toward a resolution. |

|RL.6.10. |By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text |

| |complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. |

|W.6.3.a.-e. |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 introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event |

| |sequence that unfolds naturally and logically. |

| |b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.|

| |c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or |

| |setting to another. |

| |d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to convey experiences and events. |

| |e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. |

|W.6.4. |Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and|

| |audience. |

|W.6.5. |With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, |

| |editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. |

|W.6.6. |Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others;|

| |demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting. |

|W.6.10. |Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single |

| |sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. |

|L.6.2.a.-b. |Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. |

| |a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements. |

| |b. Spell correctly. |

|L.6.3.a.-b. |Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. |

| |a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. |

| |b. Maintain consistency in style and tone |

|Unit Essential Questions |Unit Enduring Understandings |

|Why do people tell/write real or imagined stories? |Narratives are carefully structured (real or imagined) depictions of |

|How do writers craft engaging, vivid narratives? |diverse human experiences. |

| |Time is the main organizational structure of narrative writing. |

| |A narrative writer conveys meaning through deliberate use of literary |

| |elements and narrative techniques. |

|Unit Learning Targets |

|Students will ... |

|Identify characteristics of a personal narrative by listening to or reading a variety of mentor texts. (RL.6.2, RL.6. 3, RL.6. 10) |

|Brainstorm potential topics and narrow focus for a personal narrative with a clear, significant theme (a “so what?”). (W.6.3) |

|Use an outline or graphic organizer to elaborate and organize ideas about writing. (W.6.3.a) |

|Write a narrative establishing a plot or conflict, setting, characters, theme, and point of view. (W.6.3.a-b, W.6.4, W.6.10) |

|Follow a plot structure with clear exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. (W.6.3, W.6. 4) |

|Break narrative into paragraphs and use effective transitions based on changes in action, dialogue, time and place. (W.6.3.C) |

|Elaborate on main events and ideas by adding thoughts and feelings, dialogue, and description. (W.6.3.b, W.6.3.d, W.6.4) |

|Punctuate dialogue correctly. (W.6.3.b, L.6.2) |

|Write an effective lead, trying a variety of strategies. (W.6.3.a, W.6.3.b) |

|Use vivid verbs and sensory details. (W.6.3.d) |

|Attempt compositional risks within the narrative. (W.6.3) |

|Utilize a writing rubric to revise narrative. (W.6.5) |

|Receive and possibly incorporate feedback on their writing from their peers and teacher. (W.6.5) |

|Review and edit their work for sentence construction, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, usage, and clarity. (W.6.5, L.6.2, L.6.3) |

|Use technology to produce a final product. (W.6.6) |

|Learning Activities |

|Mini-lessons |Brainstorm topics |

|Read alouds of picture books |Write narrative following the writing process: |

|Group Reads |Graphic organizer or outline |

|Independent Reads |Rough draft |

|Quick Writes |Peer revision/edit |

| |Publish revised copy |

|Evidence of Learning |

|Formative Assessments |

|Provide feedback on outline or organizer | |

|Comments on drafts | |

|Peer revising/editing conferences | |

|Do Nows | |

|Exit Cards | |

|Classroom discussions | |

|Summative Assessments |

| |

|Graded narrative based on holistic rubric |

|Rubrics |

|RESOURCES/TECHNOLOGY |

|Suggested Teacher Instructional Resources: |

|Mentor texts |

|Purdue OWL site |

|Lessons That Change Writers, Nancie Atwell |

|6 + 1 Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide, Grades 3 and Up by Ruth Culham and Beverly Ann Chin |

|Write Source 2000: a Guide to Writing, Thinking, and Learning by Patrick Sebranek, Verne Meyer and Dave Kemper |

|Write Source 2000: Student Edition Grades 6-8 by Patrick Sebranek, Verne Meyer and Dave Kemper |

|Write Beside Them by Penny Kittle |

|Mini-Anthology for Students, might include: |

|On Turning Ten by Billy Collins |

|Excerpt from Indian Education by Sherman Alexie |

|Eleven by Sandra Cisneros |

|Two Lies by Nancie Atwell |

|How Angel Peterson Got His Name: Introduction by Gary Paulsen |

|Totally Joe: Introduction & Chapter 1 by James Howe |

|Autobiography in Five Short Chapters by Portia Nelson |

|Where I’m From by George Ella Lyons |

|Michelle on Tape   |

|The Lunch Box by Craig James |

|Wheels by Jim Daniels |

|Autobiographia by G. E. Patterson |

|“Cookie” from My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen |

|“Orvis and the Circle of Death” from How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen |

|Stephen’s essay about Jeffrey from Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, by Jordan Sonnenblick (pages 4-12) |

|Various short essays from Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul, vol. 1 and 2.  (“A Little Coaching” and “I Flushed It” from the first volume are |

|good choices.) |

|The Great Mouse Plot” from Boy by Roald Dahl. |

|Integration of Technology: |

|SmartBoard |

|Elmo |

|Power Point Presentations |

|Word Processing |

|Technology Resources: |

|Click the links below to access additional resources used to design this unit: |

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|Opportunities for Differentiation: |

|Model the writing process |

|A variety of organizers/outlines |

|Small group mini-lessons |

|Teacher Notes: |

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