Teacher(s) Tijwana Nesbary

Subject group and discipline Language and literature: Language and literature

Unit title

MYP Year

Who Am I? Who Are We?

Year 4, Year 5

Unit duration 5 weeks (25 hours)

Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit

Key concept

Related concept(s)
Language and literature
Character

Communication

Identity

Global context
Point of view

Perspective

Identities and relationships

Exploration to Develop: Identity formation, selfesteem, status, roles and role models

Statement of inquiry
Authors use point of view to communicate status and identity.
Inquiry questions
What is identity? What is perspective?
Character creates status and identity.

Factual

How do individual experiences shape a

person's identitiy? How can relationships change
perspective over time?
Conceptual

Objectives

Summative assessment

A: Analysing
analyse the effects of the creators choices on
an audience
justify opinions and ideas, using examples,
explanations and terminology
evaluate similarities and differences by
connecting features across and within genres and
texts.

Outline of summative assessment task(s) including assessment

criteria:

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

What impacts a person's identity the

most: positive or negative influences? When is it
acceptable for a person to change relationships
in order to develop her or his own identity? Can
an indivdual possess a healthy life perspective
without experiencing an
Debatable

Relationship between summative assessment task(s) and

statement of inquiry:

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Essay
September

26
Friday

9:00 AM

Essay
September

26
Friday

9:00 AM

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

Nesbary and Davenport (A)

Goal: Argue your response to the
debatable line of inquiry.
Role: You are the spokesperson for
a major soda company.
Audience: International and
national consumers of your
beverage.
Situation: You have been asked to
respond to the press regarding a
chemical in your soda that causes
paralysis and 12 documented
deaths in America and the United
Kingdom.
Product/Performance & Purpose:
Press conference notes of 500-700
words
Standards: Analysis i,ii,iii
Nesbary and Davenport (A)
Goal: Argue your response to the
debatable line of inquiry.
Role: You are the spokesperson for
a major soda company.
Audience: International and
national consumers of your
beverage.
Situation: You have been asked to
respond to the press regarding a
chemical in your soda that causes
paralysis and 12 documented
deaths in America and the United
Kingdom.
Product/Performance & Purpose:
Press conference notes of 500-700
words
Standards: Analysis i,ii,iii

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Essay
October

3
Friday

9:00 AM

Nesbary and Davenport (A)

Goal: Argue your response to the
debatable line of inquiry.
Role: You are the spokesperson for
a major soda company.
Audience: International and
national consumers of your
beverage.
Situation: You have been asked to
respond to the press regarding a
chemical in your soda that causes
paralysis and 12 documented
deaths in America and the United
Kingdom.
Product/Performance & Purpose:
Press conference notes of 500-700
words
Standards: Analysis i,ii,iii

Approaches to learning (ATL)

Language and literature
A: Analysing
analyse the effects of the creators choices on an audience

Communication

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

I. Communication skills
Exchanging thoughts, messages and information
effectively through interaction
Give and receive meaningful feedback
Use intercultural understanding to interpret
communication
Negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and
teachers
Reading, writing and using language to gather and
communicate information
Read critically and for comprehension
Make inferences and draw conclusions

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Thinking
Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry
Content

Learning process

Knowledge & Skills:

Knowledge & Skills TBD
Standards:

Reading: Literature
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a
text and analyze in detail its development
over the course of the text, including how it
emerges and is shaped and refined by
specific details; provide an objective
summary of the Text.
3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g.,
those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact
with other characters, and advance the plot
or develop the theme.
Reading: Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

Describe how you will differentiate teaching & learning for this unit?
The teacher will read aloud directions to students and explain them.
The teacher will give step-by-step instructions and outline the steps in writing.
Assessments will be provided in larger print for those students that struggle to read small print.

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2. Determine a central idea of a text and

analyze its development over the course of
the text, including how it emerges and is
shaped and refined by specific details;
provide an objective summary of the text.
Writing
Text types and Purposes
1. Write arguments to support claims in an
analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient
evidence.
a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish
the claim(s) from alternate or opposing
claims, and create an organization that
establishes clear relationships among
claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and
evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims
fairly, supplying evidence for each while
pointing out the strengths and limitations of
both in a manner that anticipates the
audiences knowledge level and concerns.
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. (Grade-specific expectations for
writing types are defined in standards 13
above.)
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
9. Draw evidence from literary or
informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
Speaking & Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Initiate and participate effectively in a
range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse
partners on grades 910 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

Lengthy assignments will be separated into parts; a separate due date for each part.
Reduce the total amount of work for students that have trouble keeping track of assignments.
Allow students to use resources and instructional materials outside of class.
Allow students who are struggling to work with a peer or elbow partner.
Provide students with visual aids.

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a. Come to discussions prepared, having

read and researched material 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.
b. 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.
Language
Conventions of Standard English
1. Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
a. Use parallel structure.*
b. Use various types of phrases (noun,
verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial,
prepositional, absolute) and clauses
(independent, dependent; noun, relative,
adverbial) to convey specific meanings and
add variety and interest to writing or
presentations.

Learner Profile
Thinkers: Students will generate questions from readings, discussions, print and non-print to analyze information. Students will use Metagonitive Logs to independently
understand material.
Communicators: Students will collaborate in order to build a community of listeners, speakers, analyst and evaluators of knowledge. Students will participate in Read?Thinl
Alouds to construct meaning and evaluate purpose.
Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry
Prior to teaching the unit

During teaching

Why do we think that the unit or the selection of topics

will be interesting?
What do we know about students preferences and
patterns of interaction?

What student inquiries are emerging?

What is happening in the world right now with which we
could connect teaching and learning in this unit?

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

After teaching the unit

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I predict that the students will be able to understand

the theme and this will impact their reading
comprehension and overall success with this unit.
This unit and the topics therein will be interesting due
to the nature of the reading content.
Students like to make decisions regarding
perspective and enjoy discussions about real-life
applications.

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

So far, students are exhibiting the following IB

characteristics: reflective and inquirers.
The connections of teaching and learning that we
have made so far that pertain to the world are the
White House gate breach, ISIS, random police
shootings, and student perspective.

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