Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Personal identity

Concept ("The student will understand") (The big idea, the "enduring understanding" [Wiggins, 1998]; a broad way of making sense of the world, or a life lesson) Our identities are shaped by a variety of factors, both internal and external.
--CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Subject: ELA
Facts ("The students will know") -- That identity can be defined as all of the components which make up who a person is. -- That this includes more than just shallow personal preferences (i.e. favorite food), physical features, and even personality, although these are parts of our identity -- That other people have ideas about our identity, with which we may agree or not -- That writing is an effective way to express identity Skills ("The students will be able to") -- Make inferences about characters from events in a fictional text -- Make text-to-self connections -- Express a variety of components of their identities through poetry -- Participate in structured but selfmanaged discussion about texts and ideas -- Construct an autobiographical essay with at least three body paragraphs -- Revise peers writing for grammar, spelling, and style

Name: Ryan Copeland

Problems to pose ("Guiding questions" or "unit questions") -- Are we born with an identity? If so, which parts can change over time and which are always the same? -- Do we have different identities for different settings, or do we just pretend in certain settings? --What do we do if were uncomfortable with parts of our identity? -- Why do our identities change over time? -- Brainstorming various components of identity using bubble chart -- Writing bio-poem -- Constructed responses to passages from two books --Read-alouds of Alexie -- Constructing metaphorical masks in response to Dunbar poem -- Writing autobiography -- Written or oral responses to two peers autobiographies Activities:

Standard

Assessment (How will you have evidence that they know it?) -- Additions to parts of identity bubble chart -- Shared readings with constructed response: The House on Mango Street and A Farewell to Manzanar -- Graded writing: Bio-poems, autobiography, response to others autobiography -- Participation in class discussion: students will be expected to express an idea or ask a question at least once per class discussion. Additionally, students will write short responses (1-2 paragraphs max) that show some engagement or thinking about the discussion.

-- CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

-- CCSS.ELACentral problem / issue / or essential question (intended to "get at" the concept; the motorvator) Why is it important to know yourself?
Literacy.W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

-- CCSS.ELALiteracy.W.6.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Racial identity and stereotypes

Concept ("The student will understand") (The big idea, the "enduring understanding" [Wiggins, 1998]; a broad way of making sense of the world, or a life lesson) Race is a significant factor in the way we perceive ourselves and others perceive us Central problem / issue / or essential question (intended to "get at" the concept; the motorvator) Why do we categorize people based on physical characteristics?
-- CCSS.ELALiteracy.W.6.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. -- CCSS.ELALiteracy.W.6.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources -- CCSS.ELALiteracy.W.6.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. -- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.68.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an authors point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts). -- CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they see and hear when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.

Subject: Social Studies

Skills ("The students will be able to") -- Make connections between periods of US history and present day -- Respond to visual media in written and oral form -- Analyze print and visual media for stereotypes and racial bias -- Use persuasive imagery and language to create an advertisement -- Compare and contrast the way that text and video convey similar ideas -- Express their opinion in a letter to the editor

Name: Ryan Copeland

Activities:

Standard

Assessment (How will you have evidence that they know it?) -- Daily journal responses to class activities & discussions -- Constructed response to Race: Power of an Illusion excerpt -- Create a magazine advertisement that depicts at least one stereotype -- Graded writing: letter to editor agreeing or disagreeing that we should/should not discuss race in public sphere, because racism no longer exists -- Participation in class discussion (see previous chart for expectations)

Facts ("The students will know") -- That race relations have changed since the Jim Crow era, but that does not mean racism no longer occurs -- That race is not biological -- That stereotypes are assumptions about people based on one aspect of their identity -- That the media continues to use stereotypes -- That the media does not always treat people of different races equally

Problems to pose ("Guiding questions" or "unit questions") -- Why and how did race become a major part of peoples identities in the United States? -- How have race relations changed since The Gold Cadillac (Jim Crow era)? -- Why and how do stereotypes develop? -- Does the media treat people equally? If not, then why not? -- Should we talk openly about race, or is it best that we not discuss it? -- What are the potential consequences to talking about race?

-- Class discussion: What is race? and Race: Power of an Illusion -- Comparing similar scenes in The Gold Cadillac and The Great Debaters -- What does racism look like? art activity and discussion, with video of doll experiment -- Analyzing magazines for stereotypes and unfair messages -- Letter to the editor

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Media literacy

Concept ("The student will understand") (The big idea, the "enduring understanding" [Wiggins, 1998]; a broad way of making sense of the world, or a life lesson) That media of all forms conveys emotions and ideas about people, events, and society. From Common Core:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they see and hear when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch. -- CCSS.ELALiteracy.RL.6.9 Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Subject: ELA/Social studies

Facts ("The students will know") -- That media refers to modes of communication that reach a large audience of people -- That print media includes books, magazines, and newspapers -- That visual media refers to media that you see or watch, including movies and television -- That visual media can be analyzed in a similar way to how we analyze fictional and informational texts -- That a movie is like a fictional text while a documentary is like an informational text Skills ("The students will be able to") -- Compare and contrast the effectiveness of print and visual media in conveying an idea or emotion -- Analyze characters identities in fictional text -- Determine key ideas from a documentary -- Identify messages about identity conveyed in magazine advertisements -- Create their own magazine advertisement that conveys a particular idea (or ideas) about identity

Name: Ryan Copeland

Problems to pose ("Guiding questions" or "unit questions") -- What makes a book good? What makes a movie good? Are the qualifications similar? -- What makes an informational text effective? What makes a documentary effective? Are the qualifications similar? -- Does analyzing media make its consumption less enjoyable? -- What are the strengths and weaknesses of different media forms? -- What makes you want to buy something? How is that related to identity? -- Shared reading: The Gold Cadillac -- Watching clip from The Great Debaters -- Watching clip from Race: The Power of an Illusion -- Looking at magazines to find messages in advertisements -- Art activity: creating an advertisement that conveys a message about identity Activities:

Standard

Assessment (How will you have evidence that they know it?) -- Constructed response: Comparing and contrasting similar scenes in The Gold Cadillac and The Great Debaters -- Oral and written response to Race: Power of an Illusion. What are three pieces of information that this documentary gives you? What do you think is the main idea? -- Creating magazine ad that visually expresses an idea about identity (e.g. Its important to be skinny and lightskinned)

Central problem / issue / or essential question (intended to "get at" the concept; the motorvator) What are the primary purposes of different media forms?

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Constructive discourse

Concept* ("The student will understand") (The big idea, the "enduring understanding" [Wiggins, 1998]; a broad way of making sense of the world, or a life lesson) Discussing ideas with others can result in important and surprising learning experiences Central problem / issue / or essential question (intended to "get at" the concept; the motorvator) What does a constructive discussion look and sound like? -- CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.6.1b Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. -- CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.6.1c Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

Subject: ELA/Social studies

Skills ("The students will be able to") -- Verbally express their ideas to their peers and the teacher -- Listen and respond to their peers comments or questions -- Self-manage their participation in the discussion by not talking too much or too little -- Determine and implement guidelines and rules for constructive discussion

Name: Ryan Copeland

Activities:

Standard

Assessment (How will you have evidence that they know it?) -- Creating classroom rules for discussion, with reasoning of why rules are useful or necessary -- Participation in discussions throughout the unit itself. Students should be able to adhere to rules established by class, which may include: speaking enough but not too much, listening while others speak, responding to what others have said.

Facts ("The students will know") -- A constructive discussion is one that serves to challenge or deepen understandings -- Being able to participate in classroom discussions is important in college courses -- Different people have different ideas about what a good discussion looks and sounds like -- Discussing ideas has been shown to have positive effects on learning

Problems to pose ("Guiding questions" or "unit questions")

-- How do we know when people are participating in a discussion? Does someone need to say something to show that they are following along? -- Can a group of students carry on a constructive discussion without a teacher facilitating? -- How should we respond when a discussion gets off track?

-- Class discussions will occur throughout the unit. The amount of time allotted for discussion will vary, although my plan is for the lessons to become progressively more discussion-based. -- They will take place after shared reading activities with The House on Mango Street and A Farewell to Manzanar, after comparing The Gold Cadillac to The Great Debaters, after watching Race: Power of an Illusion, for a few examples.

-- CCSS.ELALiteracy.SL.6.4 Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.