Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: Text Structures Name: Daniel Hasbun

Content Area: English Language Arts Grade Level: 6-8
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
 CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.5: Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections
contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.

 CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of
a text.

 CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

 CCSS. ELA-Literacy.CCRA.W.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

 How does a text’s structure influence the way we read a text?
 How can we tell whether a text is a work of fiction or nonfiction?
 What are some ways in which fiction/nonfiction texts are usually structured?
 How do authors go about the process of writing a story?

Unit Summary:
In this unit, students will learn the building blocks of text structure for both fiction and nonfiction texts. The ability to break a
novel or article down into its most basic parts is critical for any thorough understanding of a text.

First, students will learn that nonfiction texts are usually structured in one of five ways – sequentially, descriptively, as a
comparison or contrast between two or more things, as an explanation of cause and effect, or as offering a solution to a problem –
and that each of these structures can be identified by their own set of signal words.
Later, students will learn the basic elements of a fiction story by becoming familiar with Three-Act Story Structures and Story
Circles. Finally, students will compose their own stories under the guidance of one or both of these methods.
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: Formative: Summative:

 Text Structures Quickwrite  Nonfiction Structures Quickwrite  Group Presentation:

& Group Discussion Nonfiction Structures on the
 Nonfiction Structures Quiz Web
 Fiction Structures Webercise  Creative Essay: Structures &
 Fiction Structures KWL Chart Stories

Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence (Assessments): Lesson Activities:
Objective:
In a Quickwrite, students will generate After testing students’ prior knowledge of text structures
Students will their own sample sentences which with a Quickwrite, this lesson will introduce the first half of
understand the five correspond to the five different this unit with a brief PowerPoint Presentation on nonfiction
most common ways nonfiction text structures. They will write text structures. During the presentation, students will be
that nonfiction texts these sentences and, in a subsequent expected to fill out their guided notes, which they will turn in
are structured, as Group Discussion, correctly identify their later. The presentation will also include frequent
well as their peers’ sentences through the use of signal opportunities for group discussion and question-posing.
corresponding signal words. After the presentation, students will utilize their new
words. knowledge to write their own sentences which will
correspond to the five different nonfiction text structures.
These sentences will then be shared and discussed in table
groups.

This activity, as well as students’ presentation notes, will

serve as excellent preparation for the Nonfiction Structures
Quiz and the Group Presentation.
Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)
Student Learning Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
Objective:
Using their Webercise sheet, students will The Webercise activity will introduce students to Three-Act
Students will learn to sufficiently describe the essential Structures and Story Circles, two methods of structuring
map out the basic plot components of Three-Act Structures and fiction texts. In the activity, students will use their computers
elements of fiction of Story Circles. Students will also be able to watch one instructional video about each method, then
texts by using two to match sentences or plot points with answer a series of questions about both methods on their
methods of story their likely place in a given story. Webercise sheets. These questions will range in purpose and
structuring: the quality: some will merely ask students to recite essential
Three-Act Structure features of one fiction structure method, while other
and the Story Circle. questions will ask students to compare and contrast both
methods, and so on. Lastly, students will complete two online
graphic organizers to demonstrate their ability to apply both
Three-Act Structures and Story Circles to fiction texts.

This activity will serve as a helpful foundation for the Fiction

Structures KWL Chart activity.

Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence:
Objective:
Through their KWL Chart, students will
Students will explicitly articulate their prior knowledge
understand how story of story structures and use this
structures are utilized knowledge to pose further, imaginative
practically by questions about stories and the practical
professional authors process of how they’re created. Finally,
and filmmakers. students will take their knowledge from
this lesson and connect it back to their
prior knowledge and/or questions in a
meaningful way.
Lesson Activities:
In this lesson, individual students will use an online KWL
Chart to record their prior knowledge of story structures,
emphasizing the points that stuck out to them most
powerfully in previous lessons. Next, students will use this
prior knowledge to pose new questions which have not yet
been addressed in the unit. In the next step, students will use
their computers to watch a series of Pixar videos, getting an
inside look into the minds of professional story-writers. Once
finished, students will state what they have learned from the
video series, also being sure to connect this knowledge back
to the other two sections of the KWL. After each step,
 students will discuss their insights and/or questions with
one another in table groups.

This activity will serve as a means to personalize students’

knowledge of story structures, and will hopefully provide a
good segue into the Creative Essay, where students are
expected to create their own personal stories.

Unit Resources:
 Digital Unit Plan Site
 Lesson 1: Lecture
o Nonfiction Structures Prezi
o Nonfiction Structures Quiz
 Lesson 2: Webercise
o Video 1
o Three-Act Structure Interactive
o Video 2
o Story Circle Interactive
 Lesson 3: Graphic Organizer
o Online KWL Chart
o Pixar Video Series

Useful Websites:
 Nonfiction Text Structure Rap
 Hoopshoot Nonfiction Structure Game
 Nonfiction Text Structure Jeopardy
 Nonfiction Structure Quizlet Deck
 Why is Text Structure Important?
 Elements of a Story Game