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Pay It Forward 1

Pay It Forward: A Unit on Self-Empowerment Through Kindness


and Relationships
For Ninth Grade

Note: The following unit plan has been adapted in large chunks from Ronnie Ficco’s
“Negotiating Boundaries: Making it Through Adolescence Alive” located at
http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/Ficco.pdf with consent given at that website.
Also the unit plan has adapted chunks from Jason Whitney’s “Science Fiction and Social
Commentary” with consent given by him.

Rationale

If one were to look up the term “adolescence” in most dictionaries, he or she would probably
find a variation of the phrase: “the state that someone is in” or the “time period between” “…
puberty and adulthood” (American Heritage, 2005). In the realm of the educational world,
however, the effects of adolescence upon education go much deeper than its dictionary
definition. The secondary teacher has the difficult responsibility of working with, guiding, and
relating to students who, in many ways, have no real, consistent, or solid sense of self. These
teenage students are not just caught in physical juxtaposition between puberty and adulthood
during the time that we have them—they are trapped between the innocence and wonder of
childhood and the confusion and complexity associated with the struggle to become an adult. It
is that exact difficulty of moving from one life stage to the next that so often leads adolescent
students to drop their focus off of academic pursuits in the interest of attempting to manage the
societal difficulties and complexities associated with being a teenager.

As prominent social psychologist C. Stevenson suggests:


Every child wants to believe in him or herself as a successful person; every youngster
wants to be liked and respected; every youngster wants physical exercises and freedom to
move; and youngsters want life to be just (1992).
If these needs are continually not met during the influential adolescent years (which,
unfortunately, is often the case in one sense or another during the teenage years), then adolescent
repercussions are often “alienation from school, loss of general self-esteem and a sense of
belonging, and destructive methods of coping, including delinquency and drugs” (MNSA, 1996).

The aforementioned characteristics of adolescence are all unfortunate realities associated with
this confusing time period of life. It is therefore the secondary English teacher’s role and
responsibility to engage students in learning and literature by very deliberately selecting books to
study that both capture student interest and uphold high learning standards at the same time. It is
for these reasons I chose to use Markus Zusak’s novel, I am the Messenger, as the central text for
my unit.

Meet Ed Kennedy: he is nineteen years old, has no real career, no aspirations, no respect from
the community, nothing. Throughout his life Ed has been told he has no potential resulting in the
loss of his self-esteem and self-worth. As a result, he slowly takes on life one day at a time—
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never thinking ahead. Ed Kennedy, like many adolescents, constantly had oppressive forces
telling him he could not succeed. These oppressive forces were family members and peers who
never believed in him. Yet, this all changes when he receives his first “message” in the mail.
With these messages Ed begins a trying and fantastic adventure helping various people. It is
through these acts of kindness, however, that Ed becomes empowered and realizes his true self-
worth.

Throughout my unit my students will explore the benefits of kindness and how it promotes self-
empowerment. Many adolescents feel they lack a purpose and sense of identity. Through acts of
kindness a purpose is gained. By helping others people begin to feel they can make a difference
in this world. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (2009) listed health benefits from
studies:
Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience, and vigor, and can
reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation...An increased sense of self-worth, greater
happiness, and optimism, as well as a decrease in feelings of helplessness and depression,
is achieved (para. 5-9).

Moreover, by reaching out to people and the community valuable connections are made. In I am
the Messenger Ed Kennedy begins to make connections with people during his missions. The
power of genuine human companionship and relationships are another force that result in his
personal triumph. Adolescents equally recognize the importance of relationships with their
heightened need for acceptance. As Rosenblatt explains:
The adolescent becomes more conscious of himself as a member of a family and a
community. He becomes eager to impress others, to gain their friendship and, and to be
admitted into special groups, particularly of his peers. This often leads to intense self-
consciousness about his own personality and to great interest into the ways in which
people influence one another (p. 86)
Through acts of kindness adolescents will not only feel empowered, but will also form deep
connections with others.

The unit also contains a service-learning component. In small groups students will propose
different ideas for community service projects. After receiving approval from the teacher, they
are free to complete the community service project at anytime during the duration of the unit. As
stated in Eckstein and Nelson’s “A Service Learning Model for At Risk Students” (2008) service
learning “showed positive impact on students’ academic domain, civic domain, personal/social
domain, and career exploration skills” (p. 226). According to the American School Counselor
Association there are three competencies students must fulfill to excel as citizens in their life.
The service-learning model satisfies the three content areas (academic development, career
development, and personal and social development) (Eckstein & Nelson, 2008, p. 226). Most
importantly, students become empowered by having a voice in the school and the community.

References

Eckstein, D. & Nelson, J. (2008). “A Service-Learning Model for At-Risk Adolescents.” Education &
Treatment of Children, 31(2), 223-227. Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals.
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National Middle School Association (1996). Young Adolescents' Developmental Needs.


Westerville, OH: NMSA.
Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. (2009). Health Benefits of Kindness-Abbreviated.
Retrieved from http://www.actsofkindness.org/benefits/1
Smagorinsky, Peter. (2002). Teaching English through principled practice. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Smagorinsky, Peter (2008). Teaching English by Design. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Stevenson, C. (2000). Teaching ten to fourteen year olds. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Goals and Accompanying Rubrics


The purpose of this unit is to promote self-empowerment in my students through acts of
kindness. Keeping in line with my purpose, my ultimate goal of this unit is to show my students
the many benefits of helping others. In accomplishing this task, students will understand that
they have a pivotal role in the lives of themselves and others. Through helping others students
will gain autonomy and understand that they alone can affect change in their life and the world.
In designing goals for this unit, I have constructed ways of assessing students’ learning
throughout the unit, including a final project, which will allow them to go out into the
community and complete a service project.

Goal #1: Reading Quizzes. Every night for homework students will be assigned reading from
our unit book, I am the Messenger. It is their responsibility to get this reading done for the next
class day. To enforce these homework readings I will have three reading quizzes on three
random days at the beginning of the class period. Reading quizzes will be summary quizzes (see
Smagorinsky, 2002, p. 184) in which students will be asked to write a brief summary of the
reading. Besides proving to me that they did the reading, these quizzes help bring it into
students’ memory. Quizzes will be graded on a pass/fail basis, and at the end of the unit, these
reading quiz grades will be averaged in with other short assignment grades as 30 points out of
the 250 of the unit grade. The next page provides a generic template for the reading quizzes,
including the rubric students will receive when they get the first quiz.

Reading Quiz (Title of reading goes here)

For the reading I assigned you as homework, I want you to write a brief summary of the
story that proves to me that you read it. The following tips may help you generate a
summary that provides ample evidence of your reading:
• Who were the characters / people in the reading?
• What did they do?
• What was/were the setting(s)? Describe some key characteristics of the setting.
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• What else happened in the reading that may not have involved the characters?
• What are some key details in the beginning, middle, and end of the reading?

Rubric for Reading Quizzes

You will receive a grade of pass for your reading quiz if it proves to me that you did the
reading by providing evidence of relevant details (characters, setting, plot) throughout
the entire reading (beginning, middle, end). Some details may be sketchy or confused,
but there is evidence that they were discovered through reading.

You will receive a grade of fail for your reading quiz if it is returned to me blank, it has
material that is clearly made up (i.e. inventing a character that doesn’t exist), or it
provides insufficient evidence that you did the entire reading.

Goal #2: Journals. 50 points out of the final 250 will be dedicated to student journals. This
journal will be used to store writings developed both inside and outside of class. In class
writings include students’ free-writes, responses to discussion questions, and other topics. This
writing should express their personal opinions and explore the themes being discussed in class.
Outside of class students will use the journal to document random acts of kindness bestowed
upon them or performed by them. In these entries the student must describe in great detail the
setting, people involved, and feelings felt. Students need to document one random act of
kindness a day. The journals will be collected at the end of the unit, with each “installment”
being graded by the accompanying rubric. The final grade for this goal will be assessed by
averaging the overall effort put into the writings during the unit. On the next page is the handout
that will be passed out near the beginning of the unit:

Writing Journals

Throughout our unit on self-empowerment, you will keep a journal that stores both in-class and
out-of-class writings. This journal is worth fifty points. In-class writings should focus on ideas,
opinions, and topics that come up in our reading, in our class discussions, and in any current
events. Your thoughts can originate from anywhere: from yourself, from the reading, from your
classmates, or from me! Your writing is an open-ended response to all our experiences
throughout the unit.

Outside of class you will use the journal to document random acts of kindness bestowed upon
you or performed by you. You will need to document one random act of kindness a day. These
random acts of kindness can be as small as opening a door for someone. In these entries you
should fully describe the event. Discuss the setting, the people involved, and feelings felt.

The following tips will help you organize your journal. Also included are some factors that will
affect the way I grade it. Please read the accompanying rubric! There’s no reason why everyone
can’t earn an A for this assignment!

• Your journal doesn’t have to follow conventional, textbook English—neither usage


(grammar) nor mechanics. I’m more concerned with getting an idea of the things you’re
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thinking about. However, keep in mind that I must at least be able to understand it, and I
must be able to read it. Be neat!
• Your response may consist of personal opinions, related issues, related experiences, and
criticism of the reading, and it can be drawn from the reading and from class discussion.
• You will be sharing your Random Act of Kindness entries with a partner near the end of
the unit
• Label each journal entry neatly with the date and a descriptive title.
• I will be collecting your journals at the end of the unit.
• I will be reading your journals, not merely skimming them. Keep in mind that I am
required to report any thoughts of or suggestions of violence, suicide, substance abuse,
family abuse, or other harmful behavior with the school counselors.

Rubric for Journal

Please pay careful attention to the following requirements as you write in your journal!

A journal earning a grade of “A” will:

-Consistently respond in a manner that is highly productive and that uses class time effectively.
-Consistently documents random acts of kindness outside of class
-Represents a thoughtful response to all texts we cover in class by showing ample evidence of
engagement with the material (this evidence can include opinions, related issues or experiences,
criticisms, or reflections from discussions, and it responds to most of the readings of the week).
-Every entry is neat and labeled

A journal earning a grade of “B” will:

-Show that you were almost always consistently productive. Represent a thoughtful response to
all texts we cover in class by showing some evidence of engagement with the material, though it
only responds with less than the excellence that might have been possible with one’s best effort.
-Almost daily record random acts of kindness outside of class
-Most entries are labeled and neat

A journal earning a grade of “C” will:


-Be less than fully legible.
-Represent a response to all the texts we cover in class, but it struggles to demonstrate
engagement with the material.
-Be missing documentation of random acts of kindness

A journal earning a grade of “D” will:


-Is illegible, sloppy, and/or is difficult or impossible to understand.
-Demonstrate no engagement with the material, or will only demonstrate scant engagement with
texts
-Have little to none entries about random acts of kindness
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A journal earning a grade of “F” will be one that isn’t turned in, or one in which there are gaps
because of class cuts representing more than two days worth of in-class writing assignments.

Goal #3: Small Group work. 40 points out of the final 250 will be dedicated to small group
work. Throughout the unit, students will have to break up into pairs, into fours, and into a
writing workshop, peer-editing format. Sometimes the goal will be writing, and sometimes
feedback on writing, and other times the groups will be for discussion purposes.

Small Group Work: Roles and Responsibilities


Whenever we get into small groups of any kind, even pairs, there
are certain behavioral expectations:
1. Everyone must be involved and actively listening. No copping out or laying back.
2. Everyone must be allowed to participate and no one should dominate and squelch others’
participation. No excluding any member of a group for any length of time.
3. You must be proactive and not need prompting to begin or to stay on task.
4. You must stay on topic – no discussions of outside matters, chitty chat, socializing.
5. No interfering with other groups.
6. You must be considerate of others and their feelings and needs
7. Be productive. Use the time well.

Rubric for small groups:


For all your group work in this unit, I have observed that overall your group work fits the
following descriptor:
A= Consistently follows the above expectations.
B= Very occasionally falls short on one or more of the criteria.
C= One of the criteria characterizes your involvement in group activity.
D= Most of your involvement is violating an expectation
F= You were an antisocial presence or entirely unproductive

Goal #4: Narrative Text. 65 points out of the final 250 will be dedicated to a narrative text.
Throughout the unit students will be recording random acts of kindness performed by them or
bestowed upon them. They will be sharing these experiences with a journal partner at the
beginning of each class period. With the help of their partner, students will choose one random
act of kindness to use in their narrative text. In the narrative text students must describe in great
detail the setting and circumstances of the event. The student must also focus on the relationship
between the “main characters.” More importantly, the narrative should include the feelings felt
by the student throughout the experience. The narrative text should be in a story format and
include dialogue and characterizations. This final project will be introduced to the students at the
beginning of the unit, in case some of them might be interested in working on a much longer
final project (such as a short story).

Narrative Text—Random Act of Kindness Story

For your final writing project, you get to assume the role of storyteller. With the aid of your
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journal partner you will look back at your random act of kindness journal entries and choose one
as the focus of your narrative story. These random acts of kindness can be very small or very
big. You have the freedom to be as creative as you’d like. However, there are a few guidelines:

-It must include narrative conventions (characterization, point of view, dialogue, setting, and plot
structure)
-It must express the feelings felt during the experience
-It must develop relationships between characters
-Anything containing sexually explicit material or excessive profanity will not be accepted.
-I am required to report any thoughts of or suggestions of violence, suicide, substance abuse,
family abuse, or other harmful behavior with the school counselors.

You can run ideas by me whenever you want, or bring it up when we talk about the project in
class. If you should need help, see me; I have thought of a few suggestions to help orient you in
some sort of direction of your own.

Rubric for Narrative

A Narrative earning a grade of “A” will:


• Demonstrates self-empowerment through act of kindness and relationships formed
• Develops a meaningful, unique, effective story written in an engaging narrative style with
evocative moment-by-moment detail. Features narrative conventions such as original and
compelling characters, dialogue, setting and a meaningful theme.
• Provide evidence of having been revised through each of the stages including the rough
draft that has been reviewed by peers
• Have a few minor grammatical errors that do not interfere with the author’s
communication of ideas.

A final project earning a grade of “B” will:


• Develops a clear, coherent, intelligent story written in a narrative style with some moment-
by-moment detail
• Contains all or most of the elements of an effective story, though some may not be fully
realized or developed.
• Demonstrates a some understanding of self-empowerment through kindness and
relationships
• Provide evidence of having been revised through each of the stages including the rough
draft that has been reviewed by peers, or may be shy of one of the stages.
• Have a few noticeable grammatical errors, some of which might interfere slightly with the
author’s communication of ideas.

A final project earning a grade of “C” will:


• Develops an interesting but perhaps simplistic story written as a plot summary or essay,
with little moment-by-moment detail.
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• Story may be derivative or formulaic; plot, characters and conflicts lack development.
• Demonstrates little understanding of self-empowerment through kindness and relationships
• Missing crucial steps in the writing process
• Have some significant grammatical errors that make the author’s communication of ideas
difficult to understand.

A final project earning a grade of “D” will:


• Provides an especially short, limited, unclear or confusing story, written with no moment-
by-moment detail, no development of characters, plot, conflicts or theme.
• Demonstrates no understanding of unit concepts
• Provide evidence of peer review, but it appears that no attempt at revision has been made.
• Have several significant grammatical errors, some of which make the author’s
communication of ideas impossible to understand, or be significantly short of a thousand
words, or provide no evidence of participating in the process – an active avoidance of the
project or a lot of missed classes in general. Or the grade must be made from what little
of the process was completed.

A final project earning a grade of “F” will:


• A student fails to submit a draft of the narrative in the allotted time of the project

Note: Rubric adapted from “Assessment Rubric for Narrative Writing Projects” located at
http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/wp2.htm with consent given at that website.

Goal #5: Final Group Project. 65 points out of the final 250 will be dedicated to the final group
project. At the beginning of the unit students will be split into groups of four or five people.
These groups will be given a day in class to brainstorm a community service project they will
complete before the end of the unit. These service projects can be imaginative, creative, and
simple—they just need to involve helping the community or people. I will provide a list of
suggestions and let them use the computer lab to come up with further ideas. After an idea is
selected, they will present a written proposal to me explaining their service project. They have
the duration of the unit to complete this project (a little under 3 weeks). The group will present
their service project to the class in an iMovie multimedia presentation. This project can be
presented as a newscast or a montage of pictures, videos, quotes, and music, which express the
nature of the service activity and how it helped others and the group.

Final Group Service Project

For your final group project you will be teaming up with 3 or 4 other classmates to complete a
service project around our community. You can be as creative, imaginative, or simple with this
project as you want. Your only requirement is that it helps the community or a group of people.
Below is a list of suggestions for service projects.
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-Volunteer to read/act out a story to children at a local library


-Volunteer at a Nursing Home
-Tutor younger students
-Make cards for a local children’s hospital
-Make food kits or personal care kits for a local shelter
-Bake cookies for a volunteer staff (i.e. local firefighters)
-Clean up a local park

You also have the class period today in the computer lab to brainstorm what your group would
like to do. Tomorrow you will each hand in a written proposal, which briefly explains your idea.
You have the freedom to be as creative as you’d like. However, I must approve your project.
Also, you can run ideas by me whenever you want. I am here as a resource to you!

After completing your service activity you will present them to the class with an iMovie
multimedia presentation. This project can be presented as a newscast or a montage of pictures,
videos, quotes, and music, which express the nature of the service activity and how it helped
others and the group. Every group will have time to work on these presentations in the computer
lab. Here are a few guidelines:

-The iMovie must demonstrate what you did for your service project
-Try to include quotes from the experience and the people you helped
-The presentation must demonstrate how the experience affected the group
-The iMovie cannot contain any sexually explicit material or excessive profanity

The multimedia presentations will be presented in class at the end of our unit and is worth 65
total points.

Rubric for iMovie

An iMovie earning a grade of “A” will:


• Demonstrates self-empowerment through act of kindness and relationships formed
• Use images to display a clear, coherent story whether it be a montage or newscast
• Demonstrates service learning
• The project shows originality and ingenuity. Project employs the use of song and/or
effects, images, video, and interview quotes to create a message
• Project effectively uses iMovie technology. Cinematic techniques (titles, transitions,
zoom, audio, etc.) are used to enhance video. There are no technical difficulties when
viewing project.

A final project earning a grade of “B” will:


• Demonstrates a some understanding of self-empowerment through kindness and
relationships
• Demonstrates an understanding of the purpose of service learning
• Use images to display a somewhat clear and coherent story
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• The project shows some evidence of originality and ingenuity. Project employs the use of
song, images, and quotes to create a message.
• Project mostly uses iMovie technology. Cinematic techniques (titles, transitions, zoom,
audio, etc.) are used to enhance video. Little to no technical difficulties happened while
viewing project.

A final project earning a grade of “C” will:


• Demonstrates little understanding of self-empowerment through kindness and relationships
• Images are disjointed
• The project shows little evidence of originality or new ideas. Project does not employ use
of song, images, and quotes to create a message.
• Project employs very little use of cinematic techniques to enhance video. Minor technical
difficulties when viewing project.

A final project earning a grade of “D” will:


• Demonstrates no understanding of unit concepts
• Images display a fragmented story and no understanding of service learning
• The project shows little evidence of originality or new ideas. Project does not employ use
of song, images, and quotes to create a message.
• Project ineffectively uses iMovie technology. Little to no cinematic techniques are used.
Many technical difficulties when viewing project.

A final project earning a grade of “F” will:


A student fails to submit a draft of the narrative in the allotted time of the project

Daily Lesson Plans

Homework:
The reading assignments average around 20-23 pages a night. The book is a quick page-turner
and has a larger font.

For Day 1: 3-23


For Day 2: 24-43
For Day 3: 44-65
For Day 4: 65-91
For Day 5: 95-114
For Day 6: 115-134
For Day 7: 135-160
For Day 8: 160-180
For Day 9: 183-208
For Day 10: 208-235
For Day 11: 235-259
For Day 12: 259-283
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For Day 13: 284-310


For Day 14: 311-336
For Day 15: 336-END

In addition to assigned readings, students will record random acts of kindness in their journals
for homework.

Under the system for which I am planning, my class will meet every day for about 50 minutes
with 30 minutes of homework each night. Students are encouraged to read ahead if they would
like. There will be sixteen periods included within this unit. Therefore, this conceptual unit will
last for about three weeks meaning I have sixteen 45-minute periods for which to plan.

All handouts that I have made for the unit are included in the daily lesson plan that requires
them. However, all prompts and rubrics are listed in the goals section above. Class discussion is
intended to be student led; yet I have developed several open-ended questions if discussion
should falter.

Day One: (Detailed Lesson Plan #1)


Title: Pay it Forward: A Unit on Self-Empowerment Through
Kindness and Relationships, Lesson 1 of 16
Class: English 9

Objectives of lesson:
• To introduce unit concepts
• To introduce the text, I am the Messenger
• To introduce concept of free-writing
• To access prior knowledge
• To participate in service learning
• To learn to “publish” one’s writing by reading it allowed to a partner
• To practice listening skills
• To introduce journal assignment
• To introduce narrative writing assignment
• To offer a chance to write about one’s own experiences

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on finding self-empowerment through acts of
kindness and forming relationships. At a time when students have low self-esteem and image
issues it is important that they find ways to be empowered. By performing acts of kindness and
forming bonds with other human beings students will gain purpose and feel like they are
“making a small difference in the world.” This lesson is also designed to give them practice
learning skills such as reading novels, writing responses to topics, listening to others,
collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing creative non-fiction. Also, I am
attempting to incorporate service learning into the curriculum. By having the students give back
to the community and others they will feel the sense of empowerment discussed in class.
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PA State Standards:
1.3.11 A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all
academic areas
1.3.11 C. Produce work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of that genre
1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate for the topic
1.5.11 G. Present and/or defend written work for publication when appropriate
1.6.11 A. Listen to others
1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussion and presentations

Materials:
-Construction Paper
-Glue
-Markers/Crayons/Colored Pencils
-Ribbon
-Glitter
-Christmas Wrapping Paper
-Stickers
-“Santa visits boy, 5, with cancer” article
-Journal Assignment
-Journal
-Narrative Writing Prompt
-Narrative Writing Rubric
-Computer
-Internet Connection
-Computer Screen
-Papers, Pens/Pencils

Activities/Procedures
Introductory Activity (21 minutes)
1. Open the class by telling students the story of Noah Biorkman. Noah Biorkman was
diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma (a rare cancer of the sympathetic nervous
system) in February 2007. He went into remission in August 2007. In September 2008,
Noah relapsed with lesions in his right arm and right leg. After going through six
different trials, the cancer continues to spread. He is now on hospice care and may not
make it until Christmas and, therefore, his family is celebrating Christmas for him next
week. Noah’s only request for presents is to get a lot of Holiday cards. (1 minute)
2. Show them a short news clip, which shows Noah and his family:
http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/21525126/index.html (2 minutes)
3. Inform the class that we will be participating in a service activity and making Noah
holiday cards. I will pass out supplies, the newspaper article, and guidelines for the
holiday cards. (1 minute)
4. Students will work at their desk to create a card for Noah using the supplies given to
them. While they are working on cards I will have an iMovie slideshow of pictures of
Noah in the background. (15 minutes)
5. Students will clean-up supplies (2 minutes)
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Free-write Activity (8 minutes)


1. Pass out journals and ask students to write for 5 continuous minutes about a time when
they performed an act of kindness or received an act of kindness. What was their
motivation behind this random act of kindness? Why do you perform random acts of
kindness?
2. When time is up, students must read every word they wrote to their partner (don’t just
talk through it—read it)
3. Students will listen to their partners free-write
Large Group Discussion (10 min)
1. After the whole class has finished discussing their free-write with a partner we will come
together for a large group discussion
2. Ask if any student would like to share their free-write with the whole group
3. Pose questions: Why do we perform acts of kindness? What do we get out of it? Are
acts of kindness performed for intrinsic motivations? I will try to generate student-led
discussion
• As students answer questions I will write responses on the chalkboard
Introducing Conceptual Unit (10 min)
1. Briefly introduce the unit as a whole: Finding Self-Empowerment Through Acts of
Kindness and Development of Relationships
2. Introduce our main text, “I am the Messenger” by Marcus Zusak and the main character,
Ed Kennedy
3. Pass out and discuss journal assignment and narrative writing assignment
4. Assign first reading assignment (pg. 3-23) and first journal entry

Assessment: Students’ writing will be assessed later in their journals when they are collected at
the end of the unit. Students can also be assessed from their participation in large group
discussion or in small group discussion. Observing their listening skills and their use of time
during the class period can assess their small group work.

Day Two: (Detailed Lesson Plan #2)


Title: Pay it Forward: A Unit of Self-Empowerment Through
Kindness and Relationships, Lesson 2 of 16
Note: This lesson was adapted from Smagorinsky’s “Collaborative Webquest” located in
Teaching English by Design

Class: English 9

Objectives:
• To enforce unit concepts
• To explore different acts of kindness and service activities
• To practice reading media and non-fiction texts
• To analyze a work of non-fiction
• To practice surfing the Internet
• To learn to work in small groups
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Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on finding self-empowerment through acts of
kindness and forming relationships. At a time when students have low self-esteem and image
issues it is important that they find ways to be empowered. By performing acts of kindness and
forming bonds with other human beings students will gain purpose and feel like they are
“making a small difference in the world.” This lesson is also designed to give them practice
learning skills such as reading novels, writing responses to topics, listening to others,
collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing creative non-fiction. Also, I am
attempting to incorporate service learning into the curriculum. By having the students give back
to the community and others they will feel the sense of empowerment discussed in class.

PA State Standards:
1.2.11 A Evaluate text organization and content to determine the author’s purpose and
effectiveness according to the author’s theses, accuracy, thoroughness, logic and reasoning.
1.2.11 B Use and understand a variety of media and evaluate the quality of material produced.
1.4.11 D Maintain a written record of activities, course work, experience, honors, and interests
1.5.11 B Write using well-developed content appropriate for topic
1.6.11 A Listen to others
1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations
1.8.11 A. Select and refine a topic for research
1.8.11 B. Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies
1.8.11 C. Organize, summarize, and present the main ideas from research

Materials:
-Computers
-Internet Connection
-Activity Prompt
-Journal
-Pens/Pencils

Activities/Procedures
1.Attendance, Housekeeping (3 min)
2.Walk to the computer lab and get seated and settled (I will reserve the lab ahead of time) (5
min)
3.Provide a hard copy of prompt to students and review assignment (5 min):

For the next couple of weeks we will be exploring acts of kindness between human beings all
over the world and how it has empowered both the giver and the receiver. To begin our
consideration of kindness and the importance of developing relationships, we will go to the
computer lab and do collaborative webquests. The procedure is as follows:
1. Each of you will get into a group of no more than five students. In your groups you
must find three articles that display completely different acts of kindness. After selecting your
articles you will let me know, so that I can make sure each group has different articles.
2. After you have selected your articles you will write in your journal about the article and
why it stood out to you. What did you like best about the article? Break down the story of the
article: who are the main characters? What was the setting? Did the characters know each other?
Pay It Forward 15

What were their motivations? You will use the remainder of today’s class period and the
beginning of tomorrow’s class period to finish this assignment.

37 minutes: Students will work on their webquest article search until the bell. Teacher circulates
to make sure that students are on task and working according to the webquest requirements.

Assessment: Students’ writing will be assessed later in their journals when they are collected at
the end of the unit. Students can also be assessed from their participation in small group
discussion. Observing their listening skills and their use of time during the class period can
assess their small group work.

Day Three: (Detailed Lesson Plan #3)


Title: Pay it Forward: A Unit of Self-Empowerment Through
Kindness and Relationships, Lesson 3 of 16
Note: This lesson was adapted from Smagorinsky’s “Collaborative Webquest” located in
Teaching English by Design

Class: English 9

Objectives:
• To enforce unit concepts
• To introduce several service learning ideas for final group project
• To introduce the final group project
• To assign groups
• To analyze non-fiction media
• To practice publishing your work to your peers
• To learn to work in a small group
• To practice surfing the Internet
• To learn to participate in a discussion

Rationale: This lesson is part of a larger unit on finding self-empowerment through acts of
kindness and forming relationships. At a time when students have low self-esteem and image
issues it is important that they find ways to be empowered. By performing acts of kindness and
forming bonds with other human beings students will gain purpose and feel like they are
“making a small difference in the world.” This lesson is also designed to give them practice
learning skills such as reading novels, writing responses to topics, listening to others,
collaborating with partners, analyzing texts, and writing creative non-fiction. Also, I am
attempting to incorporate service learning into the curriculum. By having the students give back
to the community and others they will feel the sense of empowerment discussed in class.

PA State Standards:
1.2.11 A Evaluate text organization and content to determine the author’s purpose and
effectiveness according to the author’s theses, accuracy, thoroughness, logic and reasoning.
Pay It Forward 16

1.2.11 B Use and understand a variety of media and evaluate the quality of material produced.
1.4.11 D Maintain a written record of activities, course work, experience, honors, and interests
1.5.11 B Write using well-developed content appropriate for topic
1.6.11 A Listen to others
1.6.12 E. Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations
1.8.11 A. Select and refine a topic for research
1.8.11 B. Locate information using appropriate sources and strategies
1.8.11 C. Organize, summarize, and present the main ideas from research

Materials:
-Computers
-Internet Connection
-Final Group Project Prompt
-Journal
-Pens/Pencils

Activities/Procedures:
1.Housekeeping, Attendance (3 min)
• Note: The class will meet in the computer lab
2. Groups will continue to work on their webquests (10)
3.I will assign each group member a number and explain jigsaw discussion as follows (5
min):
• In each group of five, assign each student a number from 1 to 5
• Those assigned 1, assemble in one corner; those assigned 2, assemble in the next
corner going clockwise; those assigned 3, assemble in the next corner going
clockwise; those assigned 4, assemble in the next corner going clockwise, those
assigned 5, assemble in the center
• Each group now includes one person from each webquest group. Your task is for
each student to discuss the stories they found from their webquest.
4. Jigsaw Discussion (20 min)
5. Introduce final group assignment (15 min)
• Hand out rubric and prompt
• Have students quickly choose group

Assessment: Students writing can be assessed by reading their journals, and by seeing them
publish what they have written to the members of their small group. By mixing up groups I can
see the students take responsibility for their information. In addition, by watching their listening
and other behaviors I can observe their participation in small group work.

Day 4: (from this point forward, I sketch the main points of lessons 4-16, just
enough to act as a useful and practical guideline to proceed.)

1. Housekeeping (3 min)
2. Group meeting (7 min): They must present a short paragraph proposal to me by next
class period.
3. Character Adjective activity: Students will get into groups of four or five people. I
Pay It Forward 17

will randomly and secretly assign them each a character from I am the Messenger. In
their groups they must list ten adjectives that describe that character. They must also
document support from the novel. After compiling a list of ten adjectives, students
will decorate a small piece of poster board with the adjectives and post them at the
front of the classroom. (20 min)
4. Guess and Presentations. After all of the poster boards are visual the class will get
together and try to figure out what list represents what character. Once all guesses are
made the lists are revealed and each group presents their list and their reasoning. (20
min)

Day 5:

1. Housekeeping (3 min)
2. Pop Reading Quiz (5 min)
3.Free-write: Ed Kennedy has finished the Ace of Diamonds. Which of his three encounters
did you enjoy most? Why? Make sure to include support and detail from the novel. (10
min)
4.Pair and Share (4 min)
5.Whole Class Discussion: Have students share their opinions from their free-write (10 min)
6. Character Ranking Activity (15 min)
• Poorest-Richest
• Unmotivated-Motivated
• Lazy-Hard worker
• Closest to Ed- Least Close to Ed
• Students will come up with more ranking scales

Day 6

1.Housekeeping (3 min)
2.Mapping my Identity Worksheet- Choose any character in I am the Messenger and use
the worksheet and crayons to map their identity (25 min)
3.Present these to small groups (10 min)
4.Free-write: Now that you have explored that character write an internal monologue that
conveys their feelings about a conflict or another character—work on this until the end of
class

Day 7:

1.Housekeeping (3 min)
2. Continue Working on inner monologue Free-write (10 min)
3. Present Inner Monologues- (30 min)
4.Meet with Group for remainder of time (7 min)

Day 8:
Pay It Forward 18

1.Pop Reading Quiz (5 min)


2.Free-write: Ed Kennedy has finished the Ace of Clubs. Which of his three encounters did
you enjoy most? Why? Make sure to include support and detail from the novel. (8 min)
3.Pair and Share (4 min)
4.Whole Class Discussion: Have students share their opinions from their free-write (8 min)
5. Freeze frames: In a group of four people, choose a scene from a part of the novel we’ve
read so far (pg180), and arrange yourself so that you are acting out a part of that scene,
but you freeze and stay silent and still. The class will have to figure out what scene from
the book we are doing. (25 min)

Day 9: Introduction to narrative writing assignment

1.Housekeeping (3 minutes)
2.Topic Generating (8 minutes): Look through your random acts of kindness journal. Pick
out three different events that stand out to you. Share in pairs
3.Developing Characters (8 minutes): this narrative writing assignment focuses on narrative
conventions, so characterization is key to doing well. Physically and emotionally
describe each character. Share in pairs
4.Setting (5 minutes): Where is the story set? Set the stage for the scene by developing your
setting. Share in pairs
5.Breakdown the event (8 minutes): Look at the plot structure of your random act of
kindness. Does this particular event have enough storyline to be good for the narrative
piece? Share in pairs
6. Tense (2 minutes): What tense are you going to use? Share in pairs

Keep thinking of ideas for our upcoming writing day in two days.

Day 10:

1. Pop Reading Quiz (5min)


2. Deleted Scene: Get together in groups of four or five. Write a very short (2 min) deleted
scene in which Ed cannot help someone. How will that affect him and his personality? Will he
go back to the way he was? (20 min)
3. Present scenes (20 min)

Day 11: Writing Day

This day will be used as a writing day. The writing partners will meet again to go over their
writing plan. After each partner has discussed his or her idea, they will begin to continuously
write for twenty-five minutes. Students will then pair share.

Partners will tell each other one thing they liked and did not like in the narrative piece. Students
will then continue to write for the remainder of the period.

Day 12: Writing Day 2


Pay It Forward 19

Meet with your partner and go over your expectations for your paper. Map out what you would
like to get accomplished with writing during the class period. Write continuously for twenty
minutes. At the end of twenty minutes meet with your partner and read over each other’s
narratives. Tell them at least one thing you liked and did not like in their current draft. Write for
the rest of the period and finish the first draft of the paper.

Students will type of paper at home and bring it to the next class.

Day 13: Workshop

Students will workshop the piece in groups of four. One person is the spell checker and
punctuation/dialogue checker. Another person will watch for sentence fluency and tense errors
and to make sure that any unclear sentences make sense. One person writes down one thing they
didn’t understand about the story and they’d like to see improved, and the last writes down some
aspect they would like developed with the characters.

Final Drafts will be due in two days.

Day 14: Computer Lab iMovie Presentation

Students will get into their final project groups and work on their multimedia presentation.
Students will have freedom to develop either a newscast exploring their service project or a
montage of images and sounds. I will be circulating the lab to make sure each group stays on
task and is completing the requirements of the final project.

Day 15: Culminating Disucssion

1.Housekeeping (3 minutes)
2.Free-write: What act of kindness do you think most affected Ed Kennedy? Why? Also,
how has he changed? (8 minutes)
3.Discussion Web: Students will share their free-writes with a partner and then pair up with
another partner pair. In these small groups they’ll discuss their views on the subject (10
minutes)
4.Final Whole Group Discussion (20 min): Students will all come together and we will
discuss our general feelings about the book as a whole. Here are questions in case
discussion falters: What does Ed learn about his friends and how does that change how
he relates to them? Do you see a correlation in how you see your friends? How do Ed’s
family relationships evolve? Do you think the Doorman is an important element in the
story? What do you think is store in the future for Ed? Etc.

Final draft of Narrative writing is due!

Day 16: Presentations (These will occur the Monday after the culminating
discussion)
Pay It Forward 20

Note: If more time is needed on multimedia presentations I will make adjustments.

1.Discussion-Why does Ed not believe in himself? What oppressive forces hamper him?
How is his family life? What does Ed’s future look like? Why? (10 min)
2.Read and hand out copies of “Ex-Basketball Player” by John Updike (5 min)
3.Discussion- What are your impressions of Flick Webb—who was he in high school and
who is he at the time of the poem? I will then guide students to look at the vivid setting
description. What lines do you find most vivid and interesting? Why? (10)
4.Free-write- What are you doing with your life in five years? How do you see yourself
spending your 9–5 time? What is the biggest physical change in you from your high
school self? In other words, at your high school reunion, what will people notice first
about you? What is your general attitude toward life? Are you happy? depressed?
confused? dissatisfied? What do you miss most about your high school self and/or your
high school life? (20 min)

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