Brooke Jones

Elena Sanchez

Winter 2005

Themed Literature Unit:

FACING CHANGE WITH INTEGRITY

Educating students about change and the positive ways to face change with integrity are our main purposes for teaching this unit. By keeping this theme in mind, students will explore various texts, including fiction and nonfiction, to discover what integrity looks like through characters’ responses to life changes. By making real-life and text to self connections, students will find the theme to be applicable to their own lives and futures. With the focus of seeking out the theme in texts, students will increase their capabilities as a reader for knowledge and fun. Through focus lessons and integrated projects, students will begin to use what they have read to apply to their personal development and recognize the examples others have set.

Learning Targets	Type	EALRs Addressed	Evidence of Achievement
Students will understand that when change is faced with integrity there is often a positive result. Integrity involves be willing to take risks and maintain a sense of optimism, despite not knowing the end result. Working together with others and having support helps one adapt to change in a positive way. People face change with integrity by being hopeful, confident, and making wise choices.	Concept/ Generalization	Reading 2.2.3 Understand story elements. Writing 2.2 Write for different purposes. Writing 2.3 Write in a variety of forms. Communication 3.2 Work cooperatively as a group member.	Personal Communication: Pre-assessment Students will describe a time in their life when they were faced with a change and how they handled it. Students will also describe characteristics that they think are important to have when faced with a change. Performance Assessment: Formative Students will choose a book from the library that illustrates our theme, Facing Change with Integrity. They will present their findings to the class highlighting the change and the examples of integrity shown by the characters. Performance Assessment: Summative (Self-Evaluation) Students will choose two characters from two separate books, and they will have one character write to the other about the new changes in their lives and how they reacted to them. They will also add examples of the character’s integrity when handling change (Pages 20-21). Performance Assessment: Post-Assessment Drawing upon what they have learned throughout the unit, students will make a list of qualities they will display when facing future changes in their lives (Page 10-11). Extension Project: ABC Book

Thematic Book/Resource List

Bennett, W. (1995). Children’s Book of Virtues. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Divided into sections including “Courage,” “Responsibility,” “Compassion,” and “Responsibility,” this book provides stories and poems from around the world that illustrate these values. According to Bennett, the stories teach “children the essentials of good character.” Because our unit focuses on facing change with integrity, the values and morals illustrated through these short stories and poems will show examples of integrity and good character. We will use this book as a resource in the beginning of our unit when our focus is on “What is integrity?” This book relates to the generalization, “Students will understand that when change is faced with integrity there is often a positive result.”

Boulton, J. (1997). Only Opal. New York, NY: PaperStar Books.

Adapted from the diary of Opal Whitley, this story will be used as a read aloud to aid in students’ concept development. Opal’s story is a fine example of dealing with change while displaying the virtues and characteristics that compile integrity. From these readings: People face change with integrity by being hopeful, confident, and making wise choices.

Freedman, R. (1992). Children of the Wild West. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

This nonfiction book contains numerous photographs and factual information about the children who were pioneers, and it will be supplemental in this unit. Because it is based on children, our third grade students will connect more with the material and relate to the children their age who were facing changes with integrity. This book illustrates the generalization that “Integrity involves being willing to take risks and maintain a sense of optimism, despite not knowing the end result.”

Hermes, P. (2001). My America: Westward Home. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

Hermes, P. (2002). My America: A Perfect Place. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

McMullan, K. (2002). My America: As Far as I can See. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

McMullan, K. (2003). My America: A Fine Start. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

The My America series will be used as read aloud and personal reading books. The books are compiled of journal entries of fictional characters, Joshua and Meg. From their writing, students will encounter real life obstacles of the time and see how the main characters and their families struggle to overcome these challenges. Moreover, they will see the integrity that characters draw upon to combat the changes that occur in their new lives. From these readings: Students will understand that when change is faced with integrity there is often a positive result, integrity involves be willing to take risks and maintain a sense of optimism, despite not knowing the end result, working together with others and having support helps one adapt to change in a positive way, and people face change with integrity by being hopeful, confident, and making wise choices.

Turner, A.W. (1997). Mississippi Mud: Three Prairie Journals. New York, NY: Harpercollins.

A Pioneer story about a family on a wagon train from Kentucky to Oregon. The story is told through three siblings’ journals, allowing the reader to have insight into three different perspectives of the same journey. Through read aloud of the journals students will examine the obstacles that the family faces on their trip and see the changes that come from the decisions they make along the way. From this reading: Working together with others and having support helps one adapt to change in a positive way and integrity involves be willing to take risks and maintain a sense of optimism, despite not knowing the end result.

Van Leeuwen, J. (1994). Bound for Oregon. New York, NY: Puffin Books.

From the perspective of a ten year old child, this historical novel details the account of a young girl moving from Arkansas to Oregon in the 1850s. The family is faced with many changes and hardships. Because the father handles the changes with faith and determination, his actions produce positive results and success. Students will understand how people face changes, and they will see how changes faced with integrity are more positive than changes faced without integrity. This book will serve as the primary novel in the unit, and students will write in their journal from the perspective of a character in this novel.