Rising Above Life’s Challenges With Integrity

Themed Literature Unit Plan

Prepared by Jennifer Widden February 26, 2007

Theme: Rising above life’s challenges with integrity Topic: Revolutionary War Unit Process: One read aloud, My Brother Sam is Dead, and six literature circle groups with student choice of the six books in the bibliography.
Learning Targets: Concepts/Generalizations, Skills, Dispositions	EALRs/GLEs	Evidence of Achievement
1. Generalizations: Understand what it means to rise above life’s challenges with integrity: 1. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity means finding the strength to do what you believe is right, even if there are negative consequences. 2. All people face challenges in their lives, and it is up to you to decide how you will react to and rise above those challenges. 3. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity often requires standing up for others in the face of consequences. 4. When people face life’s challenges, they can’t choose their emotional reactions to those challenges, but people can choose to control their behavior.		Pre-assessment: Students will answer the question: “What does it mean to rise above life’s challenges with integrity?” Students will individually create a graphic organizer with as many ideas as they can come up with. Formative: While reading students will use Post-Its to mark at least 3 passages in their books where characters rise above challenges with integrity. Students will use these markers as starting points for their literature circle discussions. Post-assessment: Students will again answer the question: “What does it mean to rise above life’s challenges with integrity?” Students will individually create a graphic organizer with as many ideas as they can come up with, but specifically including each of the four unit generalizations.
1. Skill/Process: Students will apply reading comprehension to initiate and participate in meaningful dialogue about their books.	Reading 2.1 Demonstrate evidence of reading comprehension. Communication 2.2 Uses interpersonal skills and strategies in a multicultural context to work collaboratively, solve problems, and perform tasks. Reading 2.4 Think critically and analyze author’s use of language, style, purpose, and perspective in literary and informational text.	Anecdotal Notes: Observe students’ comprehension and use of reading strategies during discussions. Student contributes at least one unique idea to the group’s dialogue. Students respond to a minimum of three group member’s ideas.
2. Skill/Process: Students will understand how to use the reading strategies of predicting and summarizing to improve reading comprehension. 3. Skill/Process: Students will be able to define the literary concepts of point of view, external conflict, internal conflict, suspense, and irony.	Reading 1.1 Use word recognition skills and strategies to read and comprehend text. Reading 2.3 Expand comprehension by analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing information and ideas in literary and informational text.	Pre-assessment: Teacher will conduct an informal reading conference to understand the reading strategies students are currently using. Reading Strategies: With our class read-alouds and literature circle texts we will learn and practice the comprehension strategies of predicting and summarizing. Students will demonstrate predicting skills through the use of two journal entries and placement of at least three Post-Its on book pages. Students will demonstrate summarizing by participating in group discussions and by correctly writing answers to response questions for My Brother Sam is Dead. Small Group Discussion Questions: Students will contribute at least one idea to the small group discussion and complete a periodic self-evaluation Focus Lessons: Point of view, external conflict, internal conflict, suspense, and irony. Using the text My Brother Sam is Dead, students will contribute opinions either in their small group tables or when we come back together as a whole group.
4. Skill/Process: Students will increase comprehension by analyzing and interpreting text, answering comprehension questions, and presenting their literature circle books to the class during a presentation project.	Reading 4.2 Develop interests and share reading experiences. Writing 1. The student understands and uses a writing process.	Journals: During this unit students will respond to prompts related to life’s challenges and integrity in their regular daily journal writing with writing partner share. Students will first brainstorm important personal experiences related to the topic, then choose a topic to free write, plan with a timeline, draft, revise/edit, and publish. These writing activities will be compared and contrasted to the unit’s generalizations, but will be in response to personal life events rather than to the book character’s life events. Comprehension Questions: Students will reread portions of the text (if necessary) and work in groups to correctly write answers to three sets of comprehension questions for My Brother Sam is Dead. Group Presentations: Each literature circle group will create at least one prop and one visual, and then present their book to the rest of the class.
5. Disposition: Students will value the ways in which they and their classmates have risen above their own life’s challenges with integrity. 1. Concept: Students will understand how their books characters’ experiences relate to their own lives.	Communication 3.1: Uses knowledge of topic/theme, audience, and purpose to plan presentations	Synthesis Project: Literary weaving. Students will brainstorm to find ways in which they have already risen above life’s challenges with integrity. Students will use at least one repeating symbol to artistically express one of these personal events on a strip of paper. On a second strip of paper, students will use at least one repeating symbol to artistically express a similar event from their books on a strip of paper. Students will write a short summary of each event on the backs of both strips. Each student will tape his or her strip to the character’s strip and then present their artwork to the class while reading the summaries. After reading, each student will weave his/her strips with the rest of the class’ strips (Schlick Noe, 2007).

THEMATIC BOOK AND RESOURCE LIST

Amstel, M. (2000) Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride  Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group. Read Aloud

-During the Revolutionary War, Sybil Ludington braved the rain to help gather her father's troops when no one else could help. Generalization: 1. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity means finding the strength to do what you believe is right, even if there are negative consequences.

Blos, J. W. (1990). A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-32. : Simon & Schuster. Literature Circle Option

- Catherine, a thirteen year-old girl growing up in pre-Revolutionary War times, overcomes the challenges of pioneer life while grappling with the issues of slavery and mistreatment of Native Americans. Generalization: 3. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity often requires standing up for others in the face of consequences.

Collier, J. L. & Collier, C., (1974). My Brother Sam Is Dead. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. Whole Class Read Aloud Chapter Book

Sam is forced to deal with the conflicting views and horrors of the Revolutionary War. Generalization: 1. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity means finding the strength to do what you believe is right, even if there are negative consequences.

Dalgliesh, A. (1954). The Courage of Sarah Noble. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks. Literature Circle Option

-Sarah travels alone to begin a new life in the Connecticut wilderness. She courageously stays behind with the Indians while her father returns for the rest of her family. Generalization: 2. All people face challenges in their lives, and it is up to you to decide how you will react to and rise above those challenges.

Forbes, E. & Ward, L., (1943). Johnny Tremain. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group. Literature Circle Option

-Johnny is faced with conflicting convictions as he finds himself immersed in the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. Generalization: 2. All people face challenges in their lives, and it is up to you to decide how you will react to and rise above those challenges.

Fuqua, J. S. (2002). Darby. Candelwick Press: Massachusetts. Literature Circle Option

-Darby is a nine year-old white girl growing up in 1926, struggling with the social pressures against having a black best friend. She rises above these challenges when she puts herself on the line to write a newspaper article against racism. Generalization: 3. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity often requires standing up for others in the face of consequences.

Gleeson, L. (1996). Hannah Plus One. Ringwood: Penguin Literature Circle Option

-Hannah, who already has older twin sisters, is worried her mother will have another set of twins, making her place in the house irrelevant. Through the process of making some poor decisions, Hannah comes to terms with herself and her family. Generalization: 4. When people face life’s challenges, they can’t choose their emotional reactions to those challenges, but people can choose to control their behavior.

Jefferson, T. & Fink, S. (2002) The Declaration of Independence: The Words That Made America. Scholastic, Inc. Read Aloud Picture Book

- This picture book has entertaining illustrations that help explain the text of the Declaration of Independence. Generalization: 1. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity means finding the strength to do what you believe is right, even if there are negative consequences.

Lemke, D. B., (2006). The Brave Escape of Ellen and William Craft. Mankato: Capstone Press Literature Circle Option

- Ellen and William Craft wanted to get married and have children, but they were afraid the their children would be sold because they were slaves. Ellen and William disguised themselves as master and slave in order to flee to Pennsylvania where they could be free. Finding strength to do what you believe is right.

Krensky, S., (2005). Dangerous Crossing : The Revolutionary Voyage of John Quincy Adams. Ringwood: Penguin. Introduction to Unit Picture Book

-A historically accurate description of John Quincy Adam’s voyage. Generalization: 1. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity means finding the strength to do what you believe is right, even if there are negative consequences.

Niz, X., (2006). Paul Revere’s Ride. Mankato: Capstone Press. Introduction to Unit Picture Book

-This informative, fun comic book includes accurate historical information about Paul Revere’s Ride. Generalization: 3. Rising above life’s challenges with integrity often requires standing up for others in the face of consequences..