English Language Arts, Expository Writing Unit



Freshman English Language Arts, Word Roots as the Building Blocks of Vocabulary, Overarching Unit Plan Common Core Standards Met (Grades 9-10):Standard (RI.9-10.1)-Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inference drawn from the text.Standard (SL 9-10.1)-Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.Standard (SL 9-10.1a)-Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched materials under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.Standard (SL 9-10.1b)-Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g. informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.Standard (SL 9-10.1c)-Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.Standard (SL 9-10.4)-Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.Standard (W.9-10.1d)-Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.Standard (W.9-10.2d)-use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic. Standard (W.9-10.2e)-Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.Standard (W.9-10.4)-Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above).Standard (W.9-10.5)-Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grades 9-10)Standard (W.9-10.6)-Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.Standard (W.9-10.7)-Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry where appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.Standard (W.9-10.8)-Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.Standard (l.9-10.1)-Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.Standard (l.9-10.1a)-Use parallel structure.Standard (l.9-10.1b)-Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent, noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.Standard (l.9-10.2)-Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.Standard (l.9-10.2a)-Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive adverb) to link two or more closely related independent clauses.Standard (l.9-10.2b)-Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.Standard (l.9-10.2c)-Spell correctly.Standard (l.9-10.3)-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.Standard (l.9-10.4)-Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.Standard (l.9-10.4a)-Use context (e.g. the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.Standard (l.9-10.4b)-Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g. analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).Standard (l.9-10.4c)-Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g. dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.Standard (l.9-10.4d)-Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g. by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary)Standard (l.9-10.5)-Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.Standard (l.9-10.5b)-Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.Standard (l.9-10.6)-Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.Standard (R.4) Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.Standard (R.4) Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.Habits of Mind Activated (All High School Grades):*Persisting *Managing Impulsivity *Listening with Understanding and Empathy *Thinking Flexibly*Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition) *Striving for Accuracy *Questioning and Posing Problems *Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations *Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision*Creating, Imagining, Innovating *Responding with Wonderment and Awe *Taking Responsible Risks *Thinking Interdependently *Remaining Open to Continuous LearningBig Ideas: adaptation, balance, continuity, connections, cooperation, correlation, culture, cycles, diversity, equilibrium, evolution, exploration, harmony, interactions, interdependence, invention, order, patterns, perspective, repetition, symbol, system, variance. This lesson aims to assist students in developing their own understanding of how Greek and Latin word roots are at the basis of many English words, that such words occur in relatively predictable patterns, and that this method of word study is an efficient means of building their vocabulary. This lesson activates prior knowledge of words and their meaning, the use of a dictionary to define words, Students will be able toClassroom Aim/Essential Questions: What is a word root? How can we “grow” words from word roots? How can our knowledge of word roots help us to recognize the basic meanings of families of words that grow from those roots?Do Now: Each lesson in this unit uses a context clues worksheet, with a word closely connected in meaning to the word root under study in that lesson, For example, for the lesson on the Latin word root ver, which means true and truth, students will complete, as a do-now exercise for that lesson, a context clues worksheet on the noun integrity.Class Work: Class work for each lesson in this unit is a word root worksheet that presents students with either a Greek or Latin word root followed by six to eight words in English that “grow from them. Students will use either an analogue or digital dictionary to define those words; in so doing, they will be able to infer the fundamental meaning of the root from the definitions of the words. Students may work by themselves or in a group, as they please. As below, students will use five of the words on each worksheet in declarative sentences they will compose as independent practice (i.e. homework).Independent Practice: Independent practice for each lesson in this unit consists of writing five complete declarative sentences using any five of the vocabulary words on that day’s worksheet.Methods and Materials: There are 37 lesson in this unit, one for each Friday of the school year, plus one extra for good measure.Lesson 1: agr/o agri (crop production, field): LatinLesson 2: ann (year): LatinLesson 3: anthrop/o (man, human): GreekLesson 4: bell (war): LatinLesson 5: bene (good, well): LatinLesson 6: bi, bin (two, twice): Latin Lesson 7: bibli/o (book) GreekLesson 8: bio (life): GreekLesson 9: cent (hundred): Latin Lesson 10: circum (around): LatinLesson 11: cred (belief, believe): LatinLesson 12: deca, dec, deka (ten); deci (tenth): LatinLesson 13: graph, -graphy (writing, written, recording, drawing, science): GreekLesson 14: hetero (different, other): GreekLesson 15: homo, homoio, homeo (same, similar, equal): GreekLesson 16: lingu (language, tongue): LatinLesson 17: magn, magna, magni (great, large): LatinLesson 18: mal, male (bad, evil, ill, wrong): LatinLesson 19: man, mani, manu (hand): LatinLesson 20: matr, matri, mater (mother): LatinLesson 21: medi (middle): LatinLesson 22: mill (thousand): LatinLesson 23: neo (new, recent): GreekLesson 24: pale/o (ancient): GreekLesson 25: patr, patri, pater (father, fatherland): LatinLesson 26: port (to carry): LatinLesson 27: psych-o (false): GreekLesson 28: quadr, quadri, quadru, quadra (four): LatinLesson 29: retro- (back, backward, behind): LatinLesson 30: scrib, script (to write): LatinLesson 31: sept- (seven): LatinLesson 32: sex- (six) LatinLesson 33: terr, terra, terri (earth, land): LatinLesson 34: trans (across, through, change, beyond): LatinLesson 35: uni (One): LatinLesson 36: ver (true): LatinLesson 37: aqua (water): LatinAs any linguist teaching at the college level will tell his or her students, one sure way to learn a language is to begin with word roots. This unit and all of its lessons proceed from this axiom of language. Ergo, this unit will teach students word roots and the means by which to use knowledge of word roots to recognize and form a basic understanding of words they may not otherwise know.Hence, the essential question this lesson asks (consistent with the planning principles outlined in Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design) is: How can knowledge of word roots most widely broaden students’ vocabularies in the shortest amount of time?The worksheets for this unit and its lessons will be teacher-created, and will stem from Roger S. Crutchfields’s book of word roots, English Vocabulary Quick Reference: A Comprehensive Dictionary Arranged by Word Roots (Leesburg, VA: Lexadyne Publishing, 2009), which arranges word roots alphabetically and is structured to emphasize those words, in its author’s words, “…very likely to appear on the SAT and other college entrance exams.”These lessons will be presented as a game, and students, assembled in teams, by “playing” the game, will drive each lesson. Students will receive a teacher-made worksheet with the word root, and its Greek or Latin origin, given; students will also be provided with a set of five words and their definitions—from the Crutchfield book. Students will also be given two words springing from the day’s root to define. Students will then engage in some fundamental linguistic analysis: they will define their words, use each of the given defined words in a declarative sentence. It’s worth noting here that in order to define the words that grow from the day’s given root, students will need to use a collegiate dictionary, which the teacher will provide. For most if not all students playing the Word Root Game, this will be their introduction to the use of this advanced dictionary.After 15 minutes or so of group work, students will reassemble as a full class and use the writers’ workshop model to analyze and edit one another’s sentence. After five to ten minutes of this, students will be asked to conclude the fundamental meaning of the word root, and they must name it as it is given in the Crutchfield book. Finally, students will be given another word that they have not seen, but which contains the day’s root, and work to define it with only the bare minimum of assistance from the teacher. Finally, the game ends with a word that stems from the day’s root, and in this check for understanding, students will be expected to use the day’s knowledge to defined the word unaided by a dictionary.Successful completion of the game, i.e., naming the correct meaning of the root, earns the team a point. When one team has earned 10 points, the entire class will earn a lunch party of the winning team’s choosing. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download