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Unit 10.

3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks Stage 1 - Desired Results Unit Summary
In this unit, students will explore how choices affect our lives. They will read narratives in which characters are faced with choices and they will have the opportunity to examine and discuss the choices made by the characters. They will also have the opportunity to examine their own lives and write about a choice they have had to make and the effect it has had on their lives. Students will also study word choice by authors and the impact it has on the text. Transfer goal: Students will leave the class able to use their learning about personal narratives and choices to better understand their own choices and experiences and those of others.

Content Standards and Learning Expectations


Listening/Speaking L/S.10.1 Listens and responds during a read aloud, presentation, or performance from a variety of literature, periods, genres, and styles to analyze character development, setting, tone, voice, and mood; makes connections to the text. L/S.10.3 Uses appropriate language structure to state opinions in discussions and presentations, to problem solve, and to explain a process integrating comparison and contrast statements. L/S.10.5 Explains the main idea or topic and important details from learned concepts or readings, and summarizes, analyzes, and compares and contrasts a topic from a variety of text using appropriate language structure. Reading R.10.1 Analyzes context clues, uses reference sources and other vocabulary expansion strategies to assess word meaning and to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using prior knowledge to relate to new meaning; identifies Greek and Latin root words. R.10.2 Analyzes character traits and setting; classifies point of view in fiction and nonfiction. Writing W.10.2 Applies appropriate grammar, structure, and syntax; analyzes word choice to convey intended meaning.

Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings:


Our sense of self is influenced by relationships, conflicts, choices, and experiences. Words powerfully affect meaning. Readers use language structure and context clues to identify the intended meaning of words and phrases as they are used in text and in spoken language. Narratives allow us to share observations, perceptions, or personal experiences to connect with and influence the world.

Essential Questions:
How do our experiences, relationships, decisions and actions change our lives? How does word choice affect meaning in text? How do root words and context clues help us discern meaning of unknown words? How can we relate a personal experience through writing?

June 2012

Unit 10.3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks Content (Students will know)
Main idea or topic sentence and important (supporting) details Ways to summarize (structure) Greek and Latin root words Point of view in fiction Appropriate use of adjectives and adjective placement Structure for compare and contrast sentence Context clues, multiple word meanings Root word, prefix, suffix Context clues LP3R strategy for context clues Protagonist Antagonist

Skills (Students will be able to)


Analyze character development & setting. Use appropriate language structure to state opinions in discussions and presentations. Use appropriate language structure to problem solve. Summarize and analyze a topic from a variety of texts using appropriate language structure. Analyze context clues, use reference sources and other vocabulary expansion strategies to assess word meaning and to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Analyze word choice to convey intended meaning.

Content Vocabulary

Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence Performance Tasks


Personal Experience Narrative Students will create a personal narrative. The narrative will include the writers effective use of narrative structure, correct grammar, and appropriate elements of narrative prose. Throughout the unit, students will gather ideas to guide them in formulating their narrative about a choice they have been faced with, how they made a/that choice, and the affect that decision has had on their lives. During the writing process, the students will refine the essay using suggested ideas generated during peer editing, teacher conferences, and self-assessments (see attachment: 10.1 Learning Activity Editing Marks, if needed as well as 10.3 Performance Task Personal Narrative Revising). The finished composition will be evaluated on how well the elements of the narrative genre and appropriate grammar incorporated into the students paper. A teacher-generated rubric (see Additional Resources for links to rubrics sites) should be used for evaluation.

Other Evidence
Word Wall of new vocabulary learned during the unit students will keep a personal word wall in the reading logs. Reading Log students will keep a running record of reading done throughout the unit. The student will record title and pages read. The teacher may choose to add reflection statements to the daily reading log regarding conflict and resolution. Reflection Journals Students will complete a daily quick-write journal entry (5 minutes) on a self-selected or teacher-provided topic (depending on the teachers preference for the day). Story Elements graphic organizer about Readaloud novel Story Elements graphic organizer about Personal Experience Narrative Context Clues Four-Column Chart with the column headings Unknown word, Page number, Possible Meaning, Verification. (The teacher should fill in the first two columns with challenging words from the current read2

June 2012

Unit 10.3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks


Presentation of the personal experience narrative1 Students will present their personal narratives with visual aids to the class. In this presentation, integration of oral presentation skills with use of visuals along with fluency and prosody will be evaluated. Author/presenter must be prepared to answer questions related to the narrative, as well as effectively deliver the presentation. The audience members will generate and pose questions during presentations for areas where clarity might be needed. A teacher generated rubric (see Additional Resources for links to rubrics sites) should be used for evaluation. Students will choose one journal entry concerning choices (see Learning Activities) that they have written during the unit and expand upon it to write a narrative essay. Students will share their drafts with a peer. The peer-editing teams will edit each others essays, paying special attention to word choice, in an exercise similar to what they did with Hello, Harvest Moon (see Learning Activities). Students should include some words with Greek and Latin roots, using the word wall built during the unit as support. The essays will be assessed using a teachercreated rubric focusing on main idea and details, word choice, and adherence to the assignment requirements. aloud novel.) Students should use context clues and a dictionary to complete the other two columns of the chart. Anecdotal Evidence during discussions the teacher will keep a running record of student responses during class discussions to assess their comprehension of the topics as well as their ability to participate in discussions in English. Greek and Latin root words Word Wall (personal word list kept in Reading Log) Story Map and Analysis of Personal Narrative Students will examine and analyze the personal narrative they wrote in the first performance task.

Choices Essay with Word Choice Peer Editing

Source: https://www.georgiastandards.org/Frameworks/GSO%20Frameworks/Grade6_Unit2_making_choices.pdf

June 2012

Unit 10.3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks Stage 3 - Learning Plan Learning Activities
Unit Introduction Choices Reflection The teacher will lead a discussion about the difference between critical choices (whether or not to get involved in a certain activity) and day-to-day choices (what to eat for lunch) and guide the students to write in their response journals/notebooks about critical choices that they have made in the past or about choices they think they will have to make in the upcoming years, and/or about how they came up with the choice they made when faced with making a big decision. The students will read novels throughout the unit from the suggested list provided by the teacher. The students should be given a chance to preview the novels and choose something that interests them. This silent reading will take place during assigned times during class (perhaps first 10 or last 10 minutes of class) and outside of class. Students should complete a reading log with titles of texts and pages read. The teacher may also assign reading response questions to be answered in the reading log. Sentences frames can be provided to the students if they need scaffolding. (Example: The main character is ________. The protagonist had to make a difficult choice in this chapter. He/she had to decide between _______________.) Reading Log response questions o Identify/describe the main characters using characterization techniques; identify the protagonist, antagonist. o Identify the problem(s). o While reading, document any sensory details, figurative language, examples of effective connotation that is noticed. o Identify the elements of the story: setting, plot, climax, etc. o While reading, identify/describe situations when the characters must make important decisions/choices. o Describe how the character makes the decisions. Identify if the character has a process or procedure for making decisions. These questions should be answered in the reading logs when appropriate and then compiled as the student completes each novel, expanded upon, and turned in for evaluation by the teacher. Attachment 10.1 Learning Activity Story Map should be completed by the students for each story they read. The teacher will choose a personal narrative novel with a strong theme of choices made by the main and other characters as a read-aloud in class (see Literature Connections below for other suggestions). The read-aloud novel and accompanying activities should be run concurrently with other lessons in the unit. If time in the unit allows, a second novel could also be read. The teacher should model fluency in oral reading, thinking aloud about the story elements (such as pausing to think about characters choices or to lead discussions or debates about the choices characters make), and using context clues to discern meaning of unfamiliar words. The students should complete attachment 10.1 Learning Activity Story Map after the class finishes the novel. 4

Student-Chosen Reading Selections

Choices Novel Read Aloud

June 2012

Unit 10.3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks


Greek and Latin roots The teacher will introduce and discuss at least one word family each week. The teacher should allow students to brainstorm different words that contain the word family. Students can keep the list in their reflection journals on their personal word wall and continue adding words they find in the readings during the unit to their lists. The class should also work together to add words from read-alouds and other class readings to a class word wall (see attachment: 10.3 Learning Activities Greek and Latin Derivations). The teacher should introduce the concept of word choice to the students, explaining that it is the use of interesting, creative, and effective vocabulary or words in a piece of writing. The teacher should ask the students to provide their idea of word choice by asking specific questions such as: o How would you describe word choice? o What are some things that we might see in a piece of writing that demonstrate good word choice? o How might you think about word choice when you are writing? The teacher should read the story Hello, Harvest Moon by Ralph Fletcher to the students. During the read-aloud, the students should be instructed to think about effective nouns, verbs, and adjectives that the author uses throughout the story. o Why did you like the noun/verb/adjective that the author used? o What made that noun/verb/adjective stand out for you? The teacher will explain adjective placement in English and compare and contrast it with adjective placement in Spanish. The students will complete attachment 10.3 Learning Activity Adding Adjectives to review adjectives and adjective placement. The teacher will introduce the LPR3 mnemonic as a useful aid for figuring out unknown words from context. o Look-before, at, and after the new word o Predict-quickly predict the word's meaning, remembering that a wrong prediction is often a good start o Reason-think more carefully about the word's meaning, trying to be as precise as the context clues permit o Resolve-recognize that you may need to take other steps (e.g., look it up, ask someone) o Redo--go through the steps again if necessary The teacher will model the LP3R process, by writing the following sentence on the board or overhead: "Billy's reply was incoherent." The teacher should think-aloud through the LPR3 mnemonic to solve the meaning of the word incoherent as follows: "First, I need to look before, at,

Word Choice2

Adjectives and Adjective placement

Introducing Context Clues3

Source: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/cooking-with-words-creating1018.html?tab=4#tabs 3 Source: www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/solving-word-meanings-engaging-1089.html

June 2012

Unit 10.3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks


and after the unfamiliar word incoherent. Then I need to predict what the word might mean by substituting other words that could make sense in the sentence, like funny, stupid, clever, or wrong. When I try to reason or look more closely at the context, all I know is that incoherent is being used to describe Billy's reply. I think I need more help to resolve the meaning of this word." The teacher will then add to the sentence on the board to make it say, "Due to a severe lack of sleep and extreme nervousness, Billy's reply was incoherent." The teacher will think aloud while modeling the LPR3 mnemonic again. "When I look this time, there are no words after incoherent, but I can figure out a lot from what's before the word. I'm going to predict that it means does not make any sense.' My reason is that it says severe lack of sleep and extreme nervousness.' I think I can resolve the meaning based on this context because I know what it's like when I'm overtired and nervous." The teacher will lead the class in a discussion about how the context clues in the sentence and the LPR3 mnemonic helped to solve the meaning of the word incoherent. The students will work in pairs to practice applying the LPR3 mnemonic with a few unfamiliar words found in a text they are reading in class. The teacher should be sure they are able to explain their thought process as they work through each step. The teacher will provide students with attachment 10.3 Learning Activity Get a Clue Bookmark, which can be cut out and folded to be used as a bookmark for reference. The Big Bad Wolf: Analyzing Point of View in Texts: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroomresources/lesson-plans/wolf-analyzing-point-view-23.html Attachment 10.3 Sample Lesson Three Lessons on Word Choice Full-text short stories, novels, poems, etc from a variety of genres: http://www.searchlit.org/elibrary.php Great tutorial for writing personal narratives includes many graphic organizers: http://www.greatsource.com/iwrite/educators/e_pers_narr_pre.html Rubrics - http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/sixtraits.php or available to personalize online at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/ ; http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org ; https://www.eeducation.psu.edu/facdev/id/assessment/rubrics/rubric_builder.html Think Aloud http://www.justreadnow.com/strategies/aloud.htm http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think_alouds Adjective Placement in English http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/adjectives-order.htm Steal Away by J. Armstrong The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi The Seer of Shadows by Avi Weasel by C. DeFelice Red Kayak by P. Cummings Surviving the Applewhites by S. Tolan Sixth-Grade Glommers, Norks, and Me by L. Papademetriou 6

Sample Lessons

Additional Resources

Literature Connections

June 2012

Unit 10.3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks


Esperanza Rising by P.M. Ryan No More Dead Dogs by G. Korman Weedflower by C. Kadhota Stargirl by J. Spinelli Love, Stargirl by J. Spinelli Small Steps by L. Sachar Stowaway by K. Hesse The Milly Stories by J. Lindsay Shiloh by P.R. Naylor In Care of Cassie Tucker by I. Ruckman For Your Eyes Only! by J. Rocklin When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago Hard as Nails by Russell Baker (theme) Talent by Annie Dillard (first person narrative) Feathered Friend by Arthur c. Clarke, Childhood (narrative) Childhood and Poetry by Pablo Neruda (Narratives) Boricuan Times: A Fine Collection of Puerto Rican Short Stories and other Genres by Anibal Munoz Claudio Literature Timeless Voices, Timeless Theme, Copper o The Sound of Summer Running by Ray Bradbury page 5 (Story: Characters) o Stray by Cynthia Rylant page 16 (Story: Surprise Ending) o Jeremiahs Song by Walter Dean Myers , Talent by Annie Dillard page 34 (Story: First-Person Narrator) o The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez page 80 (Story: Theme) o Hard as Nails by Russell Baker page 86 (Story: Theme) o Aarons Gift by Myron Levoy page 116 (Story: Climax) o Water by Helen Keller page 122 (Story: Climax) o Old Ben by Jesse Stuart page 164 (Nonfiction: Narrative) o Feathered Friend by Arthur c. Clarke page 168 ( Short Story: Narrative) o Childhood and Poetry by Pablo Neruda page 172 (Nonfiction: Narrative) o Thunder Butte by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve page 200 (Short Story: Atmosphere) o Be Like the Bird by Victor Hugo page 214 (Poem: Level of Meaning) o Dream Dust by Langston Hughes page 214 (Poem: Level of Meaning) o Stage Fright by Mark Twain page 215 (Nonfiction: Narrative) o Alone in the Nets by Arnold Adoff page 214 ( Poem: Level of Meaning) o Mowglis Brothers by Rudyard Kipling page 238 (Short Story: Animal Characters) o Lou Gehrig: The Iron Horse by Robert Considine page 292 (Short Story: Biographical Narrative) o Lobs Girl by Joan Aiken page 292 (Short Story: Compare and Contrast Characters, Foreshadowing) o The Tiger Who Would Be King by James Thurber page 302 (Short Story: Compare and Contrast Characters, Foreshadowing) o The Lion and the Bulls page 303 (Short Story: Compare and Contrast Characters , Foreshadowing) June 2012 7

Unit 10.3: Choices English as a Second Language 8 weeks


o o o o o o o o Breakers Bridge by Lawrence page 420 (Short Story: Determine Cause and Effect: Character traits) Dragon, Dragon by John Gardner page 461 (Short Story: Plot) Overdoing It by Anton Chekhov page 482 (Short Story: Identify with Characters: Characterization) Eleven by Sandra Cisneros page 488 (Short Story: Identify with Characters: Characterization) The Lawyer and the Ghost by Charles Dickens page 506 (Short Story: Setting) The Wounded Wolf by Jean Craighead George page 510 (Short Story: Setting) The All-American Slurp by Lensey Namioka page 518 (Short Story: Theme) The Stone by Lloyd Alexander page 526 (Short Story: Theme)

June 2012 Adapted from Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

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