Thematic Unit Plan Guidelines - Faculty Web



Thematic Unit Plan Guidelines

English 3391

Your thematic unit plan will consist of two parts, a six-week overview of literary instruction and five consecutive days of lesson plans from somewhere in the six week period. The six-week period can be at any point in the school year. The overview will consist of following:

I. Narrative: The narrative should contain an overview of the major features and structure of your unit as well as the educational philosophy behind their inclusion. The narrative should include (in no particular order) the following information:

A. The main theme explored as well as any sub-themes.

B. Grade and ability level the unit plan is designed for. (Note, your unit should be built on the 90-minute block schedule.)

C. An overview of the literature that will be taught during the six weeks, why it was chosen, and how you will teach it (what will be the focus of instruction: i.e. response journals, literature circles, minilessons on literary concepts, etc. and how the literature will be read: i.e. aloud by teacher, silently in class, for homework, etc.) Keep in mind the levels of instruction when discussing how you will teach. Remember that the goal is to move students beyond knowledge level learning.

D. How independent reading will be dealt with during the unit and why you’ve chosen to do it this way.

E. To give the Narrative a philosophical organizational structure, cite class texts and outside resources to support both the how and why of your teaching. Make the unit an opportunity for applying course notes and readings.

F. QCC’s – Describe the QCC’s (give their numbers and written descriptions) that will be covered in the unit and briefly explain how they will be met. Be sure to include at least two ways that you will meet each QCC. Since this unit deals with the teaching of literature, focus on the QCC’s for Literature/Reading in high school and Literature and Reading in middle school. You may use QCC’s from other areas (like composition), but you are not required to. You may weave your discussion of QCC’s into the narrative, or you may place them in a separate section at the end of the narrative.

G. Works cited Page: Include a complete Works Cited Page of all materials used. This Works Cited Page must include a) Text(s) used in the unit and b) sources from which ideas or exercises were derived. The Works Cited Page should be formal and should follow MLA or APA formatting. Keep in mind that the purpose of this project is for you to learn and practice the nuts and bolts of putting together a unit plan. Good teachers are usually independent of the textbook, but they do not reinvent the wheel. Be a tasteful thief, but give credit to those whose ideas you are adapting. In your five days of lesson plans, be sure to accurately document all outside sources using in-text documentation. This doesn’t have to be formal like the Works Cited Page.

A calendar of the literature covered that includes at least one novel, some short stories, some poetry, and (optional) some drama.

11th Grade American Literature, College Prep.

Year-long Theme: The American Dream; Unit Theme: The Inner Struggle

Unit Techniques: Conflict, Climax, Moment of Illumination

|Unit Intro. “Goin’ Fishin’|“Balances” Giovanni and “A |“I looked into my open grave |“A Summer’s Reading” Malamud |“The Story of an Hour” |

|Crutcher and “Parting |Horseman in the Sky” |. . . “ J.F. Kennedy and “A |and “The Pardon” Wilbur; |Chopin and “The Death of|

|Without a Sequel” Ransom; |Bierce; Independent Reading|Little Uncomplicated Hymn for|Independent Reading |the Hired Man” Frost; |

|Independent Reading | |Joy” Sexton; Independent | |Independent Reading |

| | |Reading | | |

|“Stopping by the Woods on a|“Solo on the Drums” Petry, |“Bartleby the Scrivener” |“Fire and Ice” Frost, Running |“Richard Cory” and |

|Snowy Evening” Frost, Intro|Running Loose continued; |Melville, Running Loose |Loose continued; Independent |“Miniver Cheevy” |

|to Running Loose; |Independent Reading |continued; Independent |Reading |Robinson, Running Loose |

|Independent Reading | |Reading | |continued; Independent |

| | | | |Reading |

|“The Hollow Men” Eliot, |“The Conscientious |“Soldier’s Home” Hemingway, |“I am learning to abandon the |“Winter Dreams” |

|Running Loose continued; |Objector” Shapiro, Running |Running Loose continued; |world” Pastan, Running Loose |Fitzgerald, Running |

|Independent Reading |Loose continued; |Independent Reading |continued; Independent Reading |Loose concluded; |

| |Independent Reading | | |Independent Reading |

|ABR’s, Intro. The Chosen; |ABR’s, The Chosen |ABR’s, The Chosen continued; |ABR’s, The Chosen continued; |ABR’s, The Chosen |

|Independent Reading |continued; Independent |Independent Reading |Independent Reading |continued; Independent |

| |Reading | | |Reading |

|“EPICAC” Vonnegut, The |The Sculptor’s Funeral” |“The Minister’s Black Veil” |“They Say That ‘Time |“Chrysanthemums” |

|Chosen continued; |Cather, The Chosen |Hawthorne, The Chosen |Assuages’”/ “My Life Closed |Steinbeck, The Chosen |

|Independent Reading |continued; Independent |continued; Independent |Twice Before Its Close”/” |continued; Independent |

| |Reading |Reading |Because I could not Stop for |Reading |

| | | |Death” Dickinson, The Chosen | |

| | | |continued; Independent Reading | |

|“In the Time I Get” |Work on group novel |Work on group novel projects,|Work on group novel projects, |The Chosen wrap-up; |

|Crutcher, The Chosen |projects, The Chosen |The Chosen continued; |The Chosen continued; |Independent Reading |

|continued; Independent |continued; Independent |Independent Reading |Independent Reading | |

|Reading |Reading | | | |

DAILY LESSON PLANS: The five daily lesson plans should come from somewhere in your six-week overview. This unit is meant to be used at sometime--so don’t merely provide some fragmentary skeleton of a unit. Each Daily Lesson Plan should include the following:

Day: # Teacher:

Subject: Grade: QCC(s)

GENERAL OBJECTIVE(S): Students will: General Objectives should be written in a student-centered format using the joint NCTE/IRA objectives. (See attachment) The same General Objective(s) could be used for several days or for an entire unit.

INTRODUCTION: (Anticipatory set, focus, relate to previous learning.)

In short, the Introduction should preview the day’s lesson and a brief discussion of what the day’s lesson is about and how it connects to previous learning.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: Students will: Specific Objectives should take specific QCC’s and write them in a student-centered format using the QCC's.

Procedures: The teacher will: These are the things you will be doing to help students meet the specific objectives.

CLOSING: The Closing should wrap-up/review the day’s lesson and connect it to or preview the next lesson(s).

EVALUATION: The daily evaluation may include ungraded evaluation such as observing students’ participation in discussion, graded participation, a grade for composition, reading workshop, etc. You may simply state “See handout” or some other document that describes your evaluation.

MATERIALS: All the materials you will need to conduct the lesson (i.e. magazines, scissors, VCR, video, pickled monkey feet, etc.

ASSIGNMENTS: Homework for the next day’s lesson or larger projects that are due soon.

EXTENDERS/BACK-UP ACTIVATES: An activity(ies) you have ready in case the planned lesson ends early.

TEACHER NOTES: Teacher Notes include any notes you need for conducting mini-lessons, starter questions for starting and maintaining a discussion, notes for the chalk board, etc. Do not skimp in this area!!!! Please type your Teacher Notes.

***Please place all handouts, quizzes, etc. with the Teacher Notes on the day they will be used rather than all together in the front or back of the Unit Plan. Handouts include the following types of information as well as anything else you give to the students:

A. Writing assignments: a good one is a complex piece of writing in itself.

B. Group activities (may be composition, drama, media, or literature activities) that include clear, concise written instructions that include how the activity will be evaluated.

F. Whole class activities (may be composition, drama, media, or literature activities) that include clear, concise written instructions that include how the activity will be evaluated.

G. Individual activities (may be composition, drama, media, or literature activities) that include clear, concise written instructions that include how the activity will be evaluated.

**All written directions for any activity or project that will receive a grade should include the criteria that will be used for evaluation and how much each criteria will be weighted.

***Remember that a good lesson plan a) has very specific behavioral objectives b) breaks the task or material down into manageable steps, c) offers specific strategies for doing each step, d) models each strategy before expecting the student to do it alone, e) gives plenty of practice , and f) provides feedback, preferably while the work is in progress.

Unit Plan Check/Grade Sheet

Use the following check sheet while you are constructing and after you have constructed your unit plan to make sure you are including all of the necessary information.

I. Narrative: X .40% =

A. The main and sub-themes explored.

B. Grade and ability level

C. Overview of the literature taught, why it was chosen, and

how it will be taught.

D. How independent reading will be dealt with and why.

E. Major Feature and Educ. Phil. based on Course Readings

F. QCc’s Covered

II. Works Cited and In-text Citations X .5% =

III. Daily Lesson Plans: X .45% =

A. Overview:

1. Whole group activity

2. Small group activity

3. Individual activity

B. Specific Sections:

1. General Objectives are correct (follow IRA/NCTE guidelines and

are student centered)

2. Introduction: previous lesson(s) and previews

3. Specific Objectives/QCC's.

4. Procedures

5. Closing: wraps-up lesson and previews next lesson(s)

6. Evaluation:

7. Materials

8. Assignments

9. Extender/Back-up Activity(ies)

C. Teacher Notes and Supplementary Materials: Thorough, thorough, thorough, thorough,

Grade & Ability Level Appropriateness X 5% =

Presentation/Format/Correctness X 5% =

GRADE

IRA/NCTE STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

The vision guiding these standards is that all students must have the opportunities and resources to develop the language skills they need to pursue life's goals and to participate fully as informed, productive members of society. These standards assume that literacy growth begins before children enter school as they experience and experiment with literacy activities--reading and writing, and associating spoken words with their graphic representations. Recognizing this fact, these standards encourage the development of curriculum and instruction that make productive use of the emerging literacy abilities that children bring to school. Furthermore, the standards provide ample room for the innovation and creativity essential to teaching and learning. They are not prescriptions for particular curriculum or instruction.

Although we present these standards as a list, we want to emphasize that they are not distinct and separable; they are, in fact, interrelated and should be considered as a whole.

1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

9. Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

10. Students whose first language is not English make use of their first language to develop competency in the English language arts and to develop understanding of content across the curriculum.

11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

................
................

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

Google Online Preview   Download