Whittaker 1

Rationale for Unit

The goal of this unit is to continue introducing students to various types of genres as well

as teaching them strategies to identify and categorize the books they are reading, as well as make

connections between the different types of genres. As students gain a better understanding of

what types of novels they enjoy and connect with, giving them technical names to discuss

literature will aid in their Language Arts development. The main goal of the unit is to expand

students knowledge of what elements make up historical fiction, improve their reading and

writing strategies through various applicable assignments, and expand vocabulary by connecting

information to other disciplines. Students will learn to write their own historical fiction piece at

the conclusion of the unit, solidifying their working knowledge of the elements making up this

genre by practicing how authors put together a historical fiction piece of literature.

The Common Core State Standards that are specifically implemented in this unit are

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.3 - Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact

(e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot), CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9 - Compare and

contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same

period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history, and CCSS.ELA-

LITERACY.RL.7.6 - Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of

different characters or narrators in a text. Using all three of these standards as the foundation for

this unit, students are exposed in the first semester to essential aspects of what will be expanded

on throughout the year. First, students will use elements of the mentor text to evaluate different

characters and time periods work together to create the particular genre of historical fiction. By

analyzing character decisions and placing them within a context of the 18th century time period,

students get a small glimpse into how the author chose to make certain writing decisions, pairing
 Whittaker 2

nicely with the other two foundational standards used. Each lesson throughout the unit leads

students directly back to each of these standards in order to make sure students have a complete

working knowledge of each. For example, students will spend time analyzing characters and

examining how the choices characters make fall in line with how they are characterized, students

will experience a field trip to Pennsylvania and track the historical spread of the yellow fever

disease with the modern day layout of the city, having a chance to track the movement of the

sickness, and students will evaluate the authors approach to writing the novel by writing their

own historical fiction piece as the summation of the unit.

The essential questions that the unit is based around include the following: What

elements make a historical fiction novel? What techniques must authors employ in writing

historical fiction? How do real life events shape other novels and can they influence history?

Why should students gain context of historical events and how does literature play a role? Why

is historical fiction relevant? The final question is vitally important for students to understand as

they gain appreciation and understanding for a broad scope of literature. As students continue to

develop their own preference and give a reason why they enjoy one type of novel over another,

creating relevance within their own lives will serve to make the greatest lasting impression. The

mentor text, Fever, 1793 is a personal favorite of mine, and letting students know that I enjoy

something being taught creates a greater connection to their own lives. These questions all work

together to achieve the overall unit goal of teaching students what elements comprise historical

fiction, how to recognize the genre, and most importantly encourage them to keep reading and

develop a deep appreciation for multiple genres.

School Calendar
This unit begins toward the end of November. The beginning of the semester expanded

on students knowledge of various genres as a part of the push to give students a complete
 Whittaker 3

working knowledge of what makes up the most basic genres. This unit fits perfectly in the first

semester as they gain understanding of what makes up non-fiction, fiction, historical fiction, and

science fiction, and biography before the semester ends. It is important that students have the

vocabulary and knowledge to name what they are reading and provide evidence for why they

like certain books over others. Students will continue learning about various types of genre

throughout the rest of the semester and will have a genre review before the semester break to

remind them of what they have learned.

 Whittaker 4

Methodology and Pedagogy

English Grade 7 Fact or Fiction?

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 7, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will practice composing their own short historical fiction pieces to gain a
better understanding of how authors put novels together by combining elements of fiction with
true events in history.
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.5, RL7.9
Essential Questions
1. What do students need to know about historical fiction as a whole genre?
2. What must students understand about the writing of historical fiction and what is
involved for authors to write this type of novel?
3. Why should students gain context of historical events and how literature plays a role?
4. How does historical fiction aid in students love for learning?
Introduction
- Students will be asked to begin their thinking in regards to what makes up the genre of
historical fiction. Because elements of history always play a role, they will be initially
challenged in their thinking to determine how an author compiles important facts while
weaving a fictional story. They will be encouraged to begin thinking of the impact of
story and how that element is able to tie in many facts on a timeline.
Anchor Text
- The anchor text of this unit and this specific lesson is Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse
Anderson. This particular novel is the ideal reading level for a seventh grade classroom as
it presents some challenging vocabulary will maintaining a pleasant readability and
compelling storyline. Fever, 1793 is a historical fiction novel detailing the yellow fever
pandemic in Philadelphia, told through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Matilda Cook.
Throughout the unit, students will connect to the novel through the social studies aspect,
the science aspect of the genetics and symptoms of the disease, and the correlation
between historical fiction novels and popular dystopian fiction with similar elements to
this real-life occurrence. I will make it a habit to read at least one or two chapters out
loud with the students everyday in class. Students will be asked to read much of the novel
at home over the course of the two-week unit. After the initial introduction to the book, at
least ten minutes everyday will be dedicated to in-class reading, whether I am reading
aloud or students are reading on their own.
Background Knowledge
- At the point of this lesson, students have been introduced to the importance of reading
and will have read at least a couple of novels at this point in the year. Though somewhere
in the middle of the first marking period, students will still have knowledge of different
genres, in particular what makes up the fiction and non-fiction genres. This is important
background information for beginning historical fiction as students must be aware of
what portions o the novel are distinctly fiction and which elements are influenced by or
true facts. If students do not already know the difference between these two types of
 Whittaker 5

novels, they will have trouble understanding that historical fiction is often a mix of the
two.
Frontloading Activity
- The lesson will be split into two portions in order to get students first engaged with the
importance of story and then gain a glimpse of insight at how authors might put together
historical fiction novels. The quick first activity of the day will take approximately fifteen
minutes. Each student will receive a card with a date and a short explanation of what
occurred in that year. The class will organize themselves into a visual timeline and will
read the factual dates in order from first to last. Students will then only have a few
minutes to do a speed write summary of all the dates they heard. They will then turn and
talk to a neighbor to discuss difficulty in writing a summary based on facts alone. The
goal with this short activity is to get all students engaged and quickly on the same page.
The importance of story will be discussed as well as the first introduction of the next
novel and the genre of historical fiction.
- Next, students will move into the main activity for the rest of the class period. In order to
further extend their understanding of how facts and fiction combine to create historical
fiction, students will be working within a group of three to create their own personal
historical fiction stories. Using the handout, students will be instructed to think of a true
event that occurred in their lives. They will be asked to write out five facts about the
event and include any dates they are able to remember. It will be important that the event
happened in the past, or in their personal history. They will then move their papers to
the right. The next member of the group will use the facts to create a fictional story. The
storywriter will be challenged to create an interesting story while still using the facts.
They are not allowed to ask the writer about any of the written facts, as they must treat
these as discovered history. The summary should be as creative as possible but must
include all of the facts somewhere in the story. They will trade one last time with the third
group member. The last task is to read through the short historical fiction story. The
student will then have a chart on the backside of the paper to write out what they
discovered as fact and what they identified as fiction. This simply allows students to
practice connecting to a story from someone they know, while still having the confidence
to separate what they know to be true and what they have discovered to be fictional. This
step will take the students through the end of the class, running approximately 30
minutes. We will follow-up with a brief discussion and I will read the first chapter of the
novel in class.
Student Instruction
Materials
- Date Cards: Each student will receive a Date Card with an event relating to the
timeline of the yellow fever disease path and the corresponding date. (Please see
Appendix A for an example). Cards will be handed out to each student when they are
sitting at their desks. The cards will be distributed randomly.
- Fact or Fiction Handout: Each student will receive a handout in order to perform the
reading and writing activity during class (Please see Appendix B). Handouts will be
passed out to all of the students as they are sitting at their desks.
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
 Whittaker 6

- Writers Notebook: Students will be required to begin writing a one-page summary

of the decisions they made as a group and finish the summary for homework
Intentional Word Choice
- Context: this is important for students to begin to understand not only why historical
fiction is important, but the overall positioning of the novel in history. This word and
concept will be introduced and repeated much more in the following lessons.
- Historical Fiction: while this may be obvious, I will be reinforcing this particular
word choice as we have not yet read the novel, but I want students to be comfortable
with the term. It is important they are able to accurately label this novel and other
historical fiction novels.
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute
3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
Today I will go over the assignment after I distribute the hand-out
o Class, please sit down and get ready for the day as I first take attendance.
Take a look at the board to get an idea of what we will be doing today and
think of any initial questions todays work may spark for you.
5 Distribution of Date Cards
- I will pass out the date cards to each of the students
o Each card has one date relating to the timeline of yellow fever as well as a
short one or two sentence fact about the disease
Ok, everyone will be receiving one of these date cards. Each card has
a specific date and a small fact that corresponds with that date. Each
date is part of a larger timeline of the spread of a disease called yellow
fever
Student question What is yellow fever?
Great question! I would love to answer that, but first we are going to
complete this little activity and then Ill make sure to give everyone
context for what we are discussing.
- Next, I will ask the class the organize themselves in order from earliest date to the
latest date
Alright everyone, now that you each have your own date card, your
job is to make a circle around the room in chronological order based
on the date you have in your hands. You only have a few minutes to do
this so make sure you work with your classmates and discuss who has
what date!
o They will be creating a visual timeline around the room
o Students will work to communicate and work together in order to sort
themselves in order of the dates
o To demonstrate good participation and modeling, I will also have a date card
 Whittaker 7

- After the class is in order from earliest date to latest date, each student will read the
short fact on their card, beginning with the earliest date
Student 1737, this summer begins seven consecutive years of
yellow fever epidemics in eastern seaports. After 1743, the disease will
not return to the region until 1762.
o To make sure the students get some adequate time to listen to each fact on the
cards, they will read through each fact twice
2 Explanation of Summary Activity
- Students will then return to their seats and will receive the next portion of their
instruction
Ok, everyone return to your desks. Awesome job reading these facts, I
know there were a few challenging words but thank you for helping each
other out. Next, pull out your notebooks. Your challenge is to do a speed
summary of the information you just heard. Remember, we practiced these
last week. A speed summary should include only essential information in a
way that makes the most sense to you and you alone.
Student What will we be doing with the writing?
After your two minute speed summary, youll have the chance to do a
turn and talk and discuss what you remember with your neighbor.
- I will ask students to write a speed summary in their reading notebooks of the
information they just heard. I will encourage them to try and remember as much of the
information as possible and write as detailed a summary as they can
Ready, set, go!
o I will be partaking in the speed summary exercise as well, always modeling the
activities that students are asked to do.
o Students will not likely be able to remember much of what they heard as is the
goal facts alone do not always tell a story and are sometimes difficult to
remember
5 Turn and Talk
- Students will then be allowed time to turn to a neighbor and discuss challenges they faced
when writing these summaries
Ok time! Please turn and talk to your neighbor now about the things
youll remember. And class, please note that while you may remember
these facts, it is up to you and your partner to decide whether or not they
tell a good story. Please reference the questions written on the board to
guide your discussion!
- I will make sure the questions they are to discuss are written on the board and will be a
couple of the essential questions as well
o Why are these facts difficult to remember?
o What would make it easier?
o What role does story play in helping remember facts and numbers?
o What benefit could historical fiction have in helping remember these types of
facts?
o Which is better? Fact or fiction?
 Whittaker 8

Student The facts are kind of tricky because they are all just on their
own and not really in a format thats simple to remember. I forgot a lot of
them already.
Student I agree, I wrote down the one that I read, but otherwise its kind
of difficult to get an idea of the big picture.
2 Groups Share Turn and Talk Discussions
- Students will have a couple minutes to share with the class the difficulties they discussed
as a group. Not all students will be required to talk, but it is important to share with the
group as a whole everything that they discussed
Student We wished it was easier to remember the facts and we talked
about how we only remembered what we read really and maybe the fact
that the person next to us read. We want to know how these facts fit in
with other things.
- The activity will be wrapped up and students will be introduced to the novel and genre
5 Introduction of Unit Study
- I will then introduce the unit of historical fiction to the class and share briefly a few
important details of the genre
As you all may remember, we are working this first semester through
various genres and working to get a complete understanding of the
different elements that make up each. So far we have done fiction and
non-fiction and today we begin our unit on historical fiction. I want to
point out that historical fiction can be thought of somewhat like a blend of
both of the previous genres we have reviewed. Historical fiction is perfect
for students who appreciate real-world context and students who like
exciting stories based in facts.
o I will discuss with students how authors typically have to take facts like they just
read but create fictional stories to make these events relatable to readers
o I will encourage them that they are capable readers to be able to understand this
type of genre and place the story in the context of history as a whole
- I will then introduce the novel, Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson and provide a short
description of what we will be reading
Today starts our journey reading a historical fiction novel about yellow
fever written by author Laurie Halse Anderson. This book takes place in
Philadelphia and takes us through the pandemic of the yellow fever
disease and what happened when it hit the city. Who can give me a brief
description of what pandemic means?
Student Something like how a disease comes in and makes a lot of
people sick. Its definitely something that affects a lot of people and its
usually a really serious sickness that is really contagious.
o I will let students know up front that they have no homework for the night
o I will also let them know I will be reading the first chapter to them at the end of
class
3 Explanation and Distribution of Fact or Fiction? Hand-out
- Next, I will let students know they will have the chance to figure out how authors go
through the process of writing historical fiction novels. They will also have the chance as
 Whittaker 9

a reader to figure out what is fact and what is fiction when they are reading through
information
Next you will have the chance to get a little experience of how authors go
about writing historical fiction. I will be handing out an assignment sheet
for you to read over. Make sure to turn to a new page in your writers
notebook. Read over the assignment sheet once I pass it out and please let
me know if you have any questions. First you will think of something that
has happened in your past. It must be the past as history has happened
previously. Next you will write down 5 facts about the event in list form.
After youve all written your facts, pass the paper to the partner on your
right. That person will be taking your story and will be writing a short
fictional story incorporating the five facts you have written down. After
the short story is written, pass the story to the right one last time. The
person reading the story will use the grid on this handout to try and
separate out what they believe to be fact and what they believe to be
fiction. Essentially you are assembling a story and then dissembling a
story. This is really good practice for when you read through a historical
fiction novel and you work to identify which portions are historically
accurate and which elements the writer took freedoms to create.
o I will pass out copies of the hand-out for each student to have one
o Students will then be instructed to form groups of three in order to complete the
assignment
o Each student will think of an event in their past that they dont mind sharing with
their partners. They will be asked to write down five facts from this event and
include dates if they are able
o After the five facts are written, students will pass their papers to the right. The
next person in the group will read through the facts and have time to write a
fictional story of their choosing that best highlights the five facts.
They are not allowed to ask the first writer for any additional details of the
facts. Instead they must treat the facts as historical data
o After the story has been written, the papers will again be passed to the write to the
third member of the group
o The third time the papers have been passed, students will use a grid on the hand-
out sheet to separate out the facts and fiction elements they see in the story
This allows them practice in reading through stories and knowing how to
spot each element of historical fiction genre
25 Students Complete Fact or Fiction? Assignment
- I will prompt students to make sure they are working through each portion of the
assignment
o Each student in the groups of three will have the opportunity to perform all three
portions of the hand-out
5 Read First Chapter of Fever, 1973
- To end the class, I will read the first chapter of the novel and remind students they have
no homework
 Whittaker 10

No homework tonight! But please pay attention as I read through the first
chapter. If youd like to get ahead in your book, you are more than
welcome to. Ok, please quiet down as we start reading.
Wrap-up/Post Reading
As today is the introduction to the unit on historical fiction, the following days activities will
begin to further unfold the main elements of the novel and what identifies a historical fiction
book. The next day will begin with a review of the hand-out and anything they identified as
important when writing the stories combining fact and fiction or any difficulties when
separating the elements. As there are several unique words used in the novel that distinguish
the time period, students will spend the first part of the next lesson looking at the vocabulary
words and becoming familiar with how language has changed and why knowing words from
specific time periods opens the window into the past a little further and helps provide
additional context.
 Whittaker 11

English Grade 7 Prediction!

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 8, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will practice remembering the 3 main elements of historical fiction as
well as make predictions of the novel after being introduced to the first chapter
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.4, RL7.5, W.7.1.C
Student Instruction
Materials
- White Board: Students will enter class and will see the white board filled with
possible answers to the three main elements of historical fiction
- Prediction Handout: Each student will receive a handout in order to work in groups
and make predictions based off of the three elements discussed and the information
received in the first chapter of the book the previous day (See Appendix C)
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
Today I will tell students to start looking at all of the information on the white board
and start deciding which three elements make up historical fiction. They will be
searching for the answers among many possibilities.
10 Discussion of Historical Fiction Elements
- Students will look at the board and will work to determine from their previous
knowledge about genre which three elements make the most sense in composing a
historical fiction narrative.
o Each option written on the white board are actual elements of other genres,
but students will be challenged with finding the three that best represent what
they believe to make up historical fiction. This encourages them to think like
an author and make inferences based on previous knowledge. This short
exercise in thinking and making guesses scaffolds on their ability to
understand literature.
- Next, I will ask the class for volunteers to tell me which items do or do not make up
historical fiction. They will have the choice of either. For example, a student
confident that only biographical information is not part of historical fiction has the
chance to tell me that written down sample does not belong and I will cross it out. On
the flip side, should a student identify that historical fiction has fictional events with
real people, I will circle that option.
 Whittaker 12

- After each item on the white board has either been crossed out or circled, we will
discuss as a class which items we believe should make the top three. I will continue to
steer the class toward the correct answers until the top three items reflect the
following elements and possibilities for the genre of historical fiction:
o Real events, fictional people
o Fictional events, real people
o Real events and real people
- I will ask students to write down these three possibilities in their notes and to
remember these are all possible avenues that teachers can take when writing historical
fiction.
o Reminding students of the previous days writing activity, I will ask for a
volunteer to give me a suggestion for what kind of writing they did in class
the day before.
3 Explanation of Prediction Activity
- We will then transition into working on a prediction of events activity. This is a smooth
transition to summarize what they have learned so far from the visual timeline, the first
chapter of the book, and a working understanding of what type of path the author could
have taken. By looking at the front of the book, the back of the book, and reflecting on
the first chapter, students will be instructed to fill in the prediction work-sheet in groups
of 3-4 people.
o Working in a group generates greater predictions and allows for a process of self-
correction. Students can bounce ideas off of each other and the predictions they
make will create more solid outcomes.
30 Predictions and Group Cross-Sharing
- Students will then be allowed time to work in a group of 3-4 students and begin filling in
their prediction worksheet. It will be important to fill in all aspects of the prediction
worksheet as each portion encourages them to delve a little deeper into their assumptions
and eventually provide a why for the reasons they believe certain things.
- After approximately 20 minutes into this particular exercise, students will be instructed to
go find a new group of 3-4 students, working hard to not have any of the same group
members. This activity is a variation on formal group discussion and gives students a
chance to discuss with other members of the class. This method is a way to move students
outside of their comfort zone and meet other classmates as well as get a broad
understanding of everyones predictions.
- I will be walking around to each group, working with any student who is having trouble
understanding the assignment and explaining any confusion.
4 Groups Share With the Whole Class
- Students will have a few minutes to share with the whole class any predictions they
made. This is a simple summary activity and is an easy way to transition into class silent
reading time until the end of the hour.
10 Silent Reading Time
- The remainder of class will be spent in silent reading time as students immediately
discover if some of their predictions were accurate. Silent reading time gives students
permission to spread out in the classroom and find their special reading place, however
they prefer to do so. At this point in the hour, students are permitted to remove their
 Whittaker 13

shoes, take out a snack, or find a cozy corner to read. This process of personal time will
be familiar to them and will hopefully be an event they sincerely look forward to.
- Students will turn in an exit slip by writing down the page number they got to on a scrap
piece of paper with their name on it and handing it to me on their way out of class. No
other classmate will see the page number, only me. This gives me context for students
reading speed without embarrassing them or forcing them to tell me in person.
Wrap-up/Post Reading
Students will be required to read chapters in their novel for homework, but will not be
required to do any writing for homework. The next day will begin with a review of the
previous nights reading and will have a fun day of learning 18th century vocabulary in a
balderdash type format.
Reluctant Reader
Reluctant readers will have the option to listen to the book on audio in a separate part of the
classroom. Students interested in doing this will be required to write a short essay on why
they feel this type of approach will benefit them, and only a certain number will be allowed
at a time, and only with good reason.
 Whittaker 14

English Grade 7 18th Century Balderdash

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 9, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will learn new vocabulary words by playing a form of the funny word
game Balderdash while using new technology in the classroom
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL 7.4, RL7.5, W.7.3.C
Student Instruction
Materials
- Tablets: Students will get into groups in the class and each group will have a tablet for
playing the game during the second part of the class
- Kahoot!App: Students will have the app downloaded and ready to go on the tablet.
This app will be used in the class for group activities often.
- 10 Slips of Paper: Students will be creating funny definitions for each of the words
reviewed in class
- Vocabulary Sheet: Students will receive the overall vocabulary sheet at the end of
class (See Appendix D)
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
5 Group Assignments and Activity Overview
- Students will get into groups of 5 students each. Each student will count off by 5s
and will get into groups accordingly.
o Students will be learning new vocabulary words by playing a game and
having fun using context alongside their imaginations to learn new words.
- Students will each get a tablet, 10 slips of paper, and will assign one group writer.
Students will be told that they will be shown 10 different vocab words. As a group,
they will make-up a definition for the word, without looking it up anywhere.
(Balderdash uses frequently unheard of words and players must make up a definition
and then work to determine which is the correct answer. Only the dasher knows the
correct answer.) Students will have 2 minutes per word to come up with a definition.
It will be their choice to either try and accurately define the word or make something
up entirely.
- After each vocab word is revealed, students will bring up their definitions on the slips
of paper and I will input their answers and create a class Kahoot! This app will be
installed on their tablets and students will use the app to participate in voting on
 Whittaker 15

correct definitions of the words. Kahoot! creates a type of quiz where each group will
participate and get points similar to the structure of the game Balderdash. I will input
each groups answer as well as the correct one. Students will not know the correct
definition and will be guessing as soon as all 10 words are complete.
- Students will have the points breakdown written on the board as follows:
o One point for the most votes of the definition, regardless of if its correct
o Two points for guessing the correct answer that was included by me
o Two points for writing an accurate definition
25 Vocabulary Writing
- Students will receive 10 vocabulary words taken from the novel that also lines up with
18th century language. At the end of the day, students will receive a complete list,
however for the purpose of the game, they will only be working on 10.
o As each word is shown on the screen, students in their groups of 5 will have 2
minutes to write down a definition of their choosing and bring it to me.
o I will then input their answers corresponding with the word on the Kahoot! app
while students are working on writing their next definitions.
15 Game
- After all 10 words have been added to the app, students will begin playing the game.
Using the tablets in each group, the app will take students through the game. The app will
always identify the correct answer, but I will aid in scoring by tallying up the group who
had the most votes, regardless of the correct answer.
- At the end of the game, students will have the chance to write down each correct
definition next to the word on their vocabulary sheet. It is important that they have the
correct definition to make sure they have learned the word.
10 Silent Reading Time
- The remainder of class will be spent in silent reading time as students immediately
discover if some of their predictions were accurate. Silent reading time gives students
permission to spread out in the classroom and find their special reading place, however
they prefer to do so. At this point in the hour, students are permitted to remove their
shoes, take out a snack, or find a cozy corner to read. This process of personal time will
be familiar to them and will hopefully be an event they sincerely look forward to.
- Students will turn in an exit slip by writing down the page number they got to on a scrap
piece of paper with their name on it and handing it to me on their way out of class. No
other classmate will see the page number, only me. This gives me context for students
reading speed without embarrassing them or forcing them to tell me in person.
Wrap-up/Post Reading
Students will be required to read chapters in their novel for homework, but will not be
required to do any writing for homework. They will also be asked to look up definitions for
an additional 10 words on the vocabulary sheet, giving them 20 total.
Reluctant Reader
The majority of this lesson is designed for the reluctant reader. Though somewhat
unorthodox in teaching method for introducing new vocabulary, students have the
opportunity to laugh together as a class, work on something creative with fellow classmates,
and use technology in the classroom. This lesson specifically will be entertaining and a nice
break for students from the rest of their typical class day, while still retaining new vocabulary
words. The reluctant or unwilling to read student will most certainly have a good time
 Whittaker 16

playing the game and the teamwork aspect allows students to play to their own strengths. Not
every student will be the one writing down the definition they selected on the slip of paper, or
even be the one coming up with the definition. But, this process definitely allows room for
each student to participate in a fun, original activity designed to build positive memories and
a safe atmosphere of learning, and even taking the risk of being wrong when trying to figure
out a tough word without any context clues.
 Whittaker 17

English Grade 7 Characterization

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 10, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will work on making characterizations and working on multiple
characters from the novel first individual and then with a partner
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL 7.7, RL7.9
Student Instruction
Materials
- Characterization Worksheet Packet: Students will each get a copy of the
characterization handout needed for the days activity (See Appendix E taken from
Middle School Matters Blog free download).
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
10 In Class Reading of Fever, 1793
- The class will begin with me reading aloud the next portion of the novel. This is intended
as a way to get students focused and is the perfect bell ringer for a Thursday in class.
Students are frequently tired at this point in the week and reading aloud to them is a nice
transition to pull students right into discussing the characters of the book. Allowing them
this brief time to relax and listen to someone else read will allow for some students to be
refreshed on material they have already read and for some students to hear something
they have not yet read if they are not ahead in the story.
5 Characterization Packet Handout
- Students will then receive a handout on characterization and will work to fill it in during
class time.
- Todays activity is simple to follow as students will simply fill in the worksheet provided
to them by working with a partner
- At the end of the game, students will have the chance to write down each correct
definition next to the word on their vocabulary sheet. It is important that they have the
correct definition
- Students will be assessed on their knowledge of the characters and will still be receiving
an individual grade on this paper despite working in partners. They will be turning in this
sheet of paper as their exit slip for the day.
 Whittaker 18

30 Worksheet Partner Work

- Students will then work with a partner of their choosing and will fill in the worksheets.
They will be getting graded on this assignment by showing evidence of their reading
progress in the book at this point and making observations about each of the characters.
- Students will be looking at the following characters and doing a separate worksheet on
each of them. Students will NOT have to complete all six characters. With their partner,
they will have the option of choosing whichever 4 characters they wish to write about.
While it might seem like a lot of work in class, students must practice figuring out how
the author portrays characters and what elements prove various aspects of their
personality. The following characters will be reviewed:
o Mattie
o Mother
o Grandpa
o Eliza
o Nell
o Physicians
Wrap-up/Post Reading
Students will be required to read chapters in their novel for homework, but will not be
required to do any writing for homework. They will also be asked to finished working on
their vocabulary worksheets as the in-class writing assignment the following day will involve
using this vocabulary. Students will be graded on their characterization packet but grades will
be given mostly based on completion of the worksheets and evidence of reading the novel.
Describing indirect and direct characterization will be difficult for students to fake.
 Whittaker 19

English Grade 7 Guest Speaker

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 11, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will hear from a certified microbiologist on how disease is spread and
will also be writing a letter to the doctors of 18th century using specified vocabulary and tips for
how to prevent the spread of the disease
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.9, W7.2.D, W7.3,
Student Instruction
Materials
- Writers Notebook: Students will have the opportunity to use their writers notebook
to make notes and keep track of the discussion for the day
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
- Letter Writing Assignment: Students will each receive a copy of the assignment that
will be started in class and finished over the weekend (See Appendix F).
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
3 Introduction of Class Speaker
- The class period today will begin with a guest speaker with a Ph.D. microbiologist rom
Van Andel Institute speaking to the class on disease and how yellow fever breaks down
the bodys immune system. The speaker will receive brief introduction from me and will
then proceed to speak to the class for 15 minutes.
15 Guest Speaker Talk
- Guest speaker will share with the students various elements of disease spreading and will
discuss such things as the common cold, yellow fever specifically, the spread of germs,
and recommended measures to staying healthy. The speaker will focus on the following
topics:
o How far a sneeze travels
o Preventative measures to stay healthy
o Weird techniques used in 18th century that are touched on briefly in the novel
o Pictures and descriptions of how infection works inside of cells
5 Questions
- Students have a chance to ask questions to the guest speaker and get answers to any extra
gross or unique questions that may have come up during the short lecture. Students will
have taken notes in their writers notebooks and should have ample opportunity to ask
questions.
 Whittaker 20

- If the questions appear to be slow, I will demonstrate for the students by making sure I
ask my own questions about disease and yellow fever specifically.
20 Letter Writing Activity
- Students will then be assigned a letter writing activity based specifically on the novel. As
students continue to read, they will have been exposed to the technique of leeching or
draining blood from patients that doctors of the time used to rid people of yellow fever.
Based on the notes they took during the presentation, students will be tasked with writing
a two page letter to an 18th century doctor with recommendations for disease prevention
and will share with the doctors tips for actually helping patients.
- Students will be asked to use a minimum of 3 vocabulary words from the sheet they have
been working on throughout the week. Though a seemingly small number, students
should not be entirely forced to alter their reading style in order to include vocabulary.
- The letters will be started in class and will be finished for homework and due the
following Monday at the beginning of class. The letters will be graded on criteria outlined
on the assignment sheet.
Wrap-up/Post Reading
Students will be required to read chapters in their novel for homework, but will not be
required to do any writing for homework. They will also be asked to finished working on
their vocabulary worksheets as the in-class writing assignment the following day will involve
using this vocabulary. Students will be graded on their characterization packet but grades will
be given mostly based on completion of the worksheets and evidence of reading the novel.
Describing indirect and direct characterization will be difficult for students to fake.
Reluctant Reader
This lesson is also designed for the reluctant or hesitant reader. Working to use some cross-
disciplinary techniques for this assignment and lesson, students interested in biology or
science will have the opportunity to really expand their knowledge and have a chance to
focus on something other than the strict historical fiction element. This lesson in particular
works to weave information learned throughout the week (vocabulary), share new knowledge
from a guest speaker, and practice a unique form of writing in the style of a letter. This lesson
incorporates Language Arts, history, and biology into one. Reluctant readers will find
something to identify with in this assignment and will find elements that make it relevant and
important to them.
 Whittaker 21

English Grade 7 Book Review

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 14, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will practice a new form of writing by putting together individual book
reviews of the novel
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.5, RL7.9, W.7.3
Student Instruction
Materials
- Writers Notebook: Students will have the opportunity to use their writers notebook
to make notes and keep track of the discussion for the day
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
- Final Assignment Handout: Students will receive the final assignment at the
beginning of class before moving into the days writing prompt (See Appendix G).
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
10 Introduction of Final Assignment
- The final assignment will be assigned at the beginning of class as students will have to
select a story from their family history and will have to start on the process of
investigating appropriate stories to write about.
- Students will be tasked with writing their own historical fiction piece, taking cues from
the first lesson of the unit. They will be asked to select a story from their familys history
and write about it in their own way, taking authorial liberties in creating dialogue and
other elements of the story. Students must research the time period their story is taking
place in and use concrete details and elements in their story as well. The combination of
practicing research with writing a family story in a fictional way sheds light onto an
authors process for writing a historical fiction novel.
- Students will be provided with in-depth information on the handout as well as assessment
guidelines also attached to the handout. Students will be using Fever, 1793 as a mentor
text to guide their writing process and understand how putting together the research with
fictional details creates a historical fiction piece of writing.
5 Final Assignment Questions
- As the final assignment is distributed to students, an opportunity for questions is
important. Since students are hearing the information for the first time, ample time to be
patient and allow students to absorb the assignment is necessary to make sure students are
comfortable with the criteria.
 Whittaker 22

- Students will be reminded that the last two days of the week will involve a research day
at the schools library and an in-class writers workshop day in order to conference and
peer edit on the stories being written.
o Both of these days are absolutely crucial to adapt to all students needs. Taking
into account students possible home lives, setting aside time to intentionally use
the internet allows time for those students who may not have an at home computer
or easy internet access to still have time to get points for the assignment and
complete the tasks delegated to them. The students who do have computer access
at home get the opportunity to practice time management and using in class time
wisely and efficiently. Students will know that lab research days and in-class
writing days involve important participation points as a way to keep everyone on
track and all students working toward the end goal.
20-25 Writing Prompt
- After the final assignment is distributed, students will be tasked with a writing prompt for
the rest of the class period.
- Using their writers notebooks, students will be asked to write a book review of the novel
so far. The novel will be completed the following day in class, so to prepare students for
evaluating their own personal opinion of the novel, they each have the chance to write a
book review.
- This practice will be extremely familiar to each member of the class as this process is
done with every book read. This allows for students to safely express how they feel about
the book as a whole, learning how to write out their opinion and provide explanation
why. Students will have experience in the class with always providing reason for why
they are say something in writing, subtly improving their research and persuasive skills
and allowing them to practice for future college-writing. The book review method differs
from a book report in that it has a short word limit and students have the chance to edit
their reviews in class. Book reviews are allowed to be between 50-100 words and no
more. Again, this difficult activity for a seventh grader teaches them to be persuasive
(regardless of their view on the book), write in succinct sentences, and improves word
choice as they selectively negotiate how they review the novel.
- This process improves my own teaching as I have the chance to see how students truly
feel about the book. If a majority of students dislike the content, it allows for personal
revision of lesson planning and future teaching. While historical fiction might always
need to be taught, the delivery and selected novel can be altered to meet students
interest.
15 Student Sharing
- Students will be asked to share with the class the book reviews they have written. Should
they need more time, there is flexibility in providing them with a few more minutes of
writing and refining what they wrote.
- In an effort to continually model my own writing and reading process, I will share my
own review of the novel first.
10 Questioning Exit Slip
- As the novel comes to a close, students will be asked to submit a minimum of one final
question they are hoping to have answered as the novel wraps-up. Before they are
allowed to leave the class, they must hand in at least one question, but are encouraged to
write many more.
 Whittaker 23

- This reading strategy reminds students to continue questioning and exploring their own
predictions up until the very end, always, always providing justification and evidence for
why they are curious or believe something will turn out a certain way.
Wrap-up/Post Reading
Students will be required to read chapters in their novel for homework, but will not be
required to do any writing for homework.
 Whittaker 24

English Grade 7 Virtual Field Trip

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 15, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will get a visual representation of how fever moved through the city and
will have a chance to take a field trip to Philadelphia using in class technology and exploring
current streets in the city and how they line up with the map and how the epidemic spread
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.5, RL7.9, W.7.6
Student Instruction
Materials
- Google Earth: Students will have the opportunity to use their writers notebook to
make notes and keep track of the discussion for the day
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
- Fever Progression Map: Students will receive the final assignment at the beginning of
class before moving into the days writing prompt (See Appendix H taken from the
Philadelphia Encyclopedia Archives).
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
10 Distribution of Fever Map
- Students will receive copies of the fever map and trace how the epidemic spread,
examining various paths and working to make connections with the novel.
- Spending time reviewing the map will make connections for where the coffee shop was
located and where the characters in the book approximately lived, worked, and moved
around throughout the story.
20 Field Trip in Philly
- Using Google Earth up on the screen, students will be treated to a field trip by virtually
exploring Philadelphia as it is today. This type of technology allows students to start
making connections with this story and the real-world, and will solidify the connection
between historical and fiction.
- Students will have the chance to compare current streets with historical streets and trace
the path in modern day Philadelphia with how the fever swept through the city long ago.
Again, this process is not only fun for students, but reminds them that what they are
reading is based in a real time period.
- Students will also have the chance to see other historical sites based on their own request.
A virtual field trip is an excellent way to incorporate technology into the classroom while
maintaining an affiliation with the novel and the topic at hand. While this form of
 Whittaker 25

teaching may not work with a strictly fictional text, using Google Earth to explore a city
within a historical fiction novel simply provides students with an additional visual and a
way to contextualize the information. This quickly and constantly reengages students
who may be on the verge of checking out or straying off topic.
15 Finish Novel
- As the field trip wraps up, the class will be finishing the novel together. Instead of just me
reading aloud to the students, volunteers will read the remaining pages and everyone will
complete the book together. It is important to let students read aloud in class and have a
role in finishing the novel.
- By completing the book as a whole class, it ensures that everyone arrives at the end
together. Regardless where some of the other students are at in their reading, finishing
together provides a sense of accomplishment and keeps everyone moving in the same
direction.
5 Immediate Reaction Statements
- Students will be asked to write down their I.R.S.s (Immediate Reaction Statements) to
the novel, not discussing how they feel about the end with anyone else. Reaction
statements do not have to be complete sentences. It is an exercise in writing down exact
thoughts as they are occurring and the emotions are still in play when reacting to the end
of a novel.
- Students will set these aside and review them first thing the next day, using a form of re-
reading strategy with their own writing and reactions. Immediate reaction writing allows
students to express themselves directly and re-reading their reactions allows for greater
insight and demonstrates students ability to think deeply and powerfully about what they
have just read.
 Whittaker 26

English Grade 7 What Would You Do?

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 18, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students use creative problem solving techniques to work in a group and decide
how they would handle an epidemic such as the one described in the novel. Students can use
other examples of epidemics to formulate their plans.
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.5, RL7.9, W.7.1.C
Student Instruction
Materials
- Notebook Paper: Students will work in groups and will write down their plan as a
whole group on one sheet of paper
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
- Computer: Students will have the chance to look at examples of disease in the news
and will decide if they are as serious as what happened with yellow fever. Looking at
examples will aid in their group project for the day
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
20 Examples in the News
- Students will be exposed to several examples in the news, detailing various recent disease
epidemics and challenging their thinking. They will be exposed to more recent serious
outbreaks such as Ebola, and will also be challenged with other examples of the spread of
disease such as obesity and will decide how these types of disease compare with yellow
fever, or simply if they do.
- I will spend time showing students articles on the overhead projector, detailing news of
various types of diseases and how they have increased over the past few years.
- Students will spend time in class discussion as a whole group, having a casual
conversation about the various examples shown. This exercise is a chance for the more
vocal students to chime in and for those students who are more on the shy side to listen
and relax. Not every lesson must be designed to constantly break kids out of their comfort
zone.
30 What Would You Do? Activity
- Students then move into groups of four, moving their desks to create a table format in the
classroom. Students desks move easily so forming groups of 4 will go quickly for the
students as they move their desks into tables.
- They will then be instructed to take out a piece of paper and work in a group to create a
plan of what they would do if faced with the yellow fever epidemic, or a similarly serious
 Whittaker 27

outbreak disease. Students will focus on figuring out as a whole group what steps they
would take in the following areas:
o Sharing the information with others how would technology play a role
o Health priority using information from the guest speaker and examples from
their own letter writing activity, students will generate ideas on how to stay
healthy in light of a disease outbreak
o Helping others students will come up with a plan of how to use the knowledge
they have learned from reading the novel and from reading examples online to
best help others who may not be as informed
o Personal role students will also have the chance to decide what type of role they
would like to play if they were in that situation (doctor, nurse, news anchor, etc.)
- This activity is designed to encourage kids to use their imagination and synthesize the
knowledge they have gained, even subconsciously. This fun activity is a way for kids to
put into words real advice from what they have read and observed, and will help solidify
concrete connections between the characters and events in the novel, and real-world
situations.
5 Group Sharing
- Students will end the class period with each group sharing at least one detail from the
plan they devised as a group. They will each turn in their papers with all group members
names on them, but will only share one example of what they worked on as a group with
the rest of the class. This activity will remind students of the real aspect of historical
fiction and how authors can use real life, tangible events to create interesting stories.
- As the day ends, I will remind students that the next day will be spent in the library
computer lab, doing research for the historical fiction stories they plan to write. I will
encourage students to think about how events that are happening in the world might
impact the story they are planning to write.
Wrap-up/Post Reading
Students must come to class the following day prepared to research and with a story from their
family history in mind. The research time spent in the lab will not be wasted and students will be
expected to find appropriate sources to weave into their stories.
 Whittaker 28

English Grade 7 Lab Research Day

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 17, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will be working in the computer lab on research to provide evidence for
their papers. This allows for all students to have the same opportunity to research important facts
regardless of computer or Internet access in their home lives.
CCSS Met Throughout Lesson:
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.5, RL7.9, W.7.2, W.7.2.B
Student Instruction
Materials
- Rough Draft/Story Ideas: Students will bring to class an idea written down of the
story they will be drafting in class during writers workshop the next day
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
- Computers: Students will be using computers in the lab to work on research for a
majority of the period in order to find material to compose their own historical
stories.
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
10 Questions and Review
- Students will review the previous days work and ask any remaining questions they may
have from the lesson taught before
- Students will also have a chance to ask any questions they may have pertaining to the
upcoming research day spent in the library.
- They will be reminded that important points will be applied to their final grade as they
use their time wisely in the library doing research
o Students will get a quick review of what it means to work wisely and use their
time. For example, it is suggested and strongly encouraged that they do not sit
next to their best friend as chattiness occasionally detracts from the overall goal of
researching and finding material to back up their stories. They will also be
reminded that recreational sites should not be visited at this time. Academic sites
must only be used.
40 Student Research
- Students will then spend the remainder of their class period in the lab doing research in
order to find concrete evidence to include in their stories.
o For example, if a student is writing about a story shared by their grandparent that
took place in the 1920s, students must find resources that describe the style of
 Whittaker 29

dress, type of food, type of cars, and other historical events that were happening
during that time period. This information provides facts and creates the historical
evidence necessary in a historical fiction piece.
- Students will be asked to find at least 3 sources to include in their papers. As these stories
are 3-5 pages long, including 3 sources should not be difficult, considering most students
will likely stick to 3 pages and avoid the longer 5 page option.
 Whittaker 30

English Grade 7 Writers Workshop Day

Labeling
Date to be Taught: November 18, 2016 (dates will correlate with end of the fever epidemic)
Grade Level & Subject Area: Seventh Grade Language Arts
Unit: Historical Fiction - Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Lesson Focus: Students will spend the day in class in a writers workshop working on their final
projects and conferencing with the teacher
Standards for Grade 7 students RL7.5, RL7.9, W.7.3, W.7.4,
Student Instruction
Materials
- Paper or Laptop: Students will have the option of bringing a laptop from home if they
have permission, otherwise they will be writing on paper during class time in order to
draft their paper
- Pen/Pencil: Students will be provided with a writing utensil if they do not have one.
Lack of writing tool should not hinder their learning.
- Computers: Students will be have access to computers but will have to sign up for the
ability to use them
Instructions and Procedures for Students
This section details the breakdown of what will be accomplished during the class period. It
includes both the instructions students will receive at the beginning of the lesson from me, as
well as the procedures they will be following. It includes the minute by-minute breakdown of
the lesson in the class period.
Minute 3 Attendance and Daily Work Overview
- Take attendance first at the beginning of class. Then review daily work. It will be
written on the board as it is everyday students will be familiar with this routine.
5 Workshop Format Assembly
- Students will move their desks in order to form tables of 4 students at a table. This format
makes it easy to discuss any writers block they are having or simply to ask for
suggestions regarding word choice and sentence structure. Though the majority of class
will be spent writing primarily independently, having the option to ask a fellow classmate
for help benefits students while others are conferencing with me.
40 Student Writing & Teacher Conferencing
- Students will then spend the remainder of their class period writing in class either at a
classroom computer, or at their desk with pen and paper or laptop. Students will have the
option to bring in a laptop, but will have prior approval and permission.
- Students will draft papers and begin writing up their finals while in class. This class time
is designed specifically to focus on writing and to allow students the same opportunities
as others to stay ahead of their homework. Students will be incorporating the research
from the prior days library research day with the story they selected to tell from their
own family.
- I will spend the class period meeting with each student and allowing for a few minutes to
address draft questions and issues and help students get started
o At this point in the year, students will be familiar with the conferencing procedure
and will know that I am available to help with draft issues even outside of this
time. The workshop day is a collaborative experience between students and
 Whittaker 31

teacher as they work hard to produce good writing, incorporating all the elements
learned throughout the unit.
5 Teacher Draft Sharing
- Keeping the practice of modeling my own drafting and writing process at the forefront of
the classroom teaching philosophy, I will spend the last few minutes of class sharing my
own drafts with students and allowing them the chance to conference with me as a whole
class, offering suggestions of word choice and areas that can be strengthened. Again, this
process encourages students who are struggling and establishes an example of continual
improvement over the course of a lifetime.
o For example, I might write a historical fiction piece about my great-grandfather
arriving in New York through Ellis Island in the early 1900s. I would research
information that would allow me to accurately describe what the city was like at
this time period, but might take authorial liberties to describe what he was feeling
or invent dialogue.
Wrap-up/Post Reading
Students will be tasked with turning in their typed rough drafts of papers on Monday for peer
editing day and the beginning of the next unit. Students will not spend the entire next class
period peer editing, but will walk through a peer edit form specifically designed to look at items
already outlined on the rubric. The drafting and editing experience is important to instill in
students at a young age and always demonstrate the process of refining. The unit wraps-up the
following Tuesday when students turn in final copies of their papers and continue on in learning
about their next genre, science fiction. Students will experience the transition to the next genre
by finding connections between the disease epidemic in Fever, 1793 and investigating how
similar plot structures are used in science fiction novels, along with other elements that comprise
the genre. After completing the unit on historical fiction, students will transition nicely into the
next unit.
 Whittaker 32

Reading Strategies Used

This lesson incorporates several reading strategies including prediction, questioning, and

several turn and talk time periods for students to embrace and engage in the novel. The variety of

reading strategies allows for students to spend time connecting with the novel at their own speed.

Students typically have reading homework assigned, but overall, they simply have an end date of

the when the novel will be finished. By providing time in class for reading, time for the teacher

to read aloud, and the chance to finish the novel by having students read out loud, each student

truly gets a chance to embrace their best reading strategy and connect with the novel at their own

pace. This format was done intentionally to demonstrate trust to students and to remind them that

the most important thing when reading a piece of literature is to find a personal connection.

Students will respond well to this format and the periodic times of reading in class will help

propel kids along, keeping them on much of the same path when going through the book.

Reflection on Unit Plan

This unit plan was a joy to put together. Throughout the semester, the exposure to authors

such as Donalyn Miller, Jeffrey Wilhelm, and the variety of authors from the book pertaining to

adolescent literature, the freedom that I felt in putting together more creative lessons was

exciting. Becoming a teacher is undoubtedly a journey, and having the support of other educators

and researchers in the field advocating for student choice and for new approaches to teaching

fuels my own imagination and encourages me to take risks and try new things.

While a few of my lessons may appear unconventional at first, each step was selected

with care and intentional planning to really bridge the gap between students consistently not on

board with literature and failing to see a reason to participate. Seventh graders especially need a

reason to buy into the daily work of the classroom, and with the inspiration of Donalyn Miller
 Whittaker 33

and her encouragement to get students reading at every chance, teaching them how to love

literature, including in class reading time instead of punishing capable students with busy work

was immediately something I wanted to incorporate. In the previous unit plan I spent time

putting together for the teaching writing portion of the English major came together more slowly,

following more conventional practices. While I do believe that each lesson matches the common

core standard associated with it, each lesson was easily thought of and I could feel the

momentum gaining as I put them together. All in all, this experience was one I cherished and one

I cannot wait to put into practice as I move one step closer to working in the field.