Journeys:  Overcoming Obstacles
Themed Literature Unit
Charlene Kennedy
Seattle University Master in Teaching Program
TEED 521
Fall 2007


Learning Targets:

1.  Students will demonstrate an understanding of what it means and what it takes to over come obstacles that come up in life journeys.
2.  Students will be able to accurately summarize with evidence from the book that they have chosen to read.
3.  Students will be able to make inferences based on the information provided in the text and personal experiences.
4.  Students will be abe to make cause and effect connections between parts of the text.
5.  Students will be able to gain insight and understanding through group work.  Additionally students will be able to actively participate in small group and whole class discussion.

Content Generalizations:

1.  Life is full of journeys and within those journeys are different obstacles we must learn to over come.
2.  It takes perseverance and patience to over come obstacles.
3.  In order to over come obstacles, one must have confidence in oneself.
4.  It is easier to over come obstacles when you have support from people that you care about.

Annotated Book List:

Gardiner, J.R. (1980). Stone Fox. New York:  HarperCollins Publishers.
        This book is about a boy named Willy that needs money in order to save his house from the tax collector.  Willy decides to try and win a dog race in order to raise the money he needs to save         his house.
MacLachlan, P. (1991). Journey. New York:  Dell Publishing
        This book is about a boy and girl who face the obstacle that their mother has left them with their grandparents.  They are not sure if their mom will ever come back.  In the mean time, the new         family finds an old camera and learns what pictures can reflect, and what they can hide.
Greenburg, P. (1997). My Son the Time Traveler. New York:  Macmillan Children’s Books 
        This book is about a boy named Zack who loves baseball cards.  He went to the baseball card store to by a baseball card he had been saving for.  When he got there he found out that another         boy had already bought the card and there wasn’t any left.
Whelan, G. (1995). Silver. New York:  Random House Books for Young Readers 
        This book is about a little girl named Rachel whose father who was a dog breeder.  Rachel wanted a puppy so her father gave her the runt of the litter, Silver.  Once day silver ran away so             Rachel went to find him.  Once she found him, she couldn’t find her way home. 

Helpful Links and Websites:

www.litcircles.org
www.readersworkshop.net
www.readingrockets.org
Themed Literature Unit Parent Letter