Kay's+Thematic+Unit+Wiki

I will be meeting with my CT on Friday 10/29 during the teacher workday to discussing the pace of the rest of the school year, in order to generate a Thematic Unit for next semester.


 * Step 1 ** : Possible Unit Topics/Themes

Possible Unit Topics -Poetry -The Outsiders -Narrative Writing *The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963

Possible Themes for The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 -Who am I? Self-Identity -Overcoming personal struggles/adversity -Racism / Prejudism -Family/friend relationships -Civil Rights


 * Step 2 ** : Brainstorming

General Objectives SWBAT: Comprehend literature through reading The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 Analyze characters and situations in the novel to gain a deeper understanding of the culminating theme of the unit Develop writing skills through creative writing activities Respond to different forms of literature Collaborate with peers in structured forms of groupwork Express their creativity through several engaging activities embedded within the unit Relate their lives with characters in The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963 Design their own creative writings Demonstrate creative movement for the transformation of their writings

Possible Materials · Class set of The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis · Movie Version of “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963” · One-to-one Student Laptop environment · Pete Seeger’s Song “We Shall Overcome” · Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Speech “I Have A Dream” · Document Camera / SmartBoard / White board / dry erase pens · Class set of Flip Cameras · Vokki · Marble Composition Notebooks for each student

Activities · Reader-response journals · Literature Circles · Place-Based Learning – Fieldtrip to the NC Museum of Art · Swagger Portraits · Daily Reflections · Interview the Author · Creative writing in the form of collection of letters, journal entries, CD compilation · Small group vs. whole class discussions

// I like the different forms of learning activities, as we talked about in class on Tuesday, November 16, 2010, students won't be interested unless it is relatable and fun. I think the learning activities you have picked will engage students! They will be having so much fun they won't even know they're learning! //

// Keep up the good work KAY! I think you've got a great start! //


 * Step 3 **

Organizing Questions 1. What is the Civil Rights Movement? 2. How has civil rights affected America? 3. What does it mean to overcome challenges? 4. How can overcoming adversity positively affect your life? 5. How might you overcome obstacles in your life? 6. What obstacles did the Watson family have to overcome? 7. What are the differences between the north and the south? 8. How did Kenny and Byron Watson change throughout the novel? 9. What experiences fostered the Watson siblings’ change? 10. What is the importance of reader-response journals?

Unit Goals 1. Students will discover the power of reflection in terms of reading literature. 2. Students will explore challenges and triumphs in their life. 3. Students will construct a deeper understanding of themselves, as students and as adolescent individuals. 4. Students will engage in technological resources to transform their writings into a digital video.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Step 4

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> NC Standard Course of Study Objectives: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">English Language Arts – Grade 7: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· Competency Goal 1: The learner will use language to express individual perspectives through analysis of personal, social, cultural, and historical issues. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">· Competency Goal 5: The learner will respond to various literary genres using interpretive and evaluative processes.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ROUGH DRAFT of Unit Narrative Overview

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">*Day 1 Lesson Plan: WELCOME TO BIRMINGHAM! I would like to play “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynrd Skynrd as students enter the classroom. In their journals, students will reflect on the song- how they experienced it, what thoughts come to mind when thinking about Alabama, any facts/emotions/interests in Alabama. We will then have a discussion on their reflections. (10 minutes.) I will then distribute a KWL chart regarding Flint, Michigan and Birmingham, Alabama. We will discuss what students know about the two different cities. We will then move on to exploring what we would like to know regarding Flint and Birmingham. This activity will suffice for students’ deeper understanding of the two different settings of the novel, The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963. (5 minutes) The classroom will be set up with two different stations: one side will have a panoramic poster of Flint, Michigan, and the other will have a panoramic poster of Birmingham, Alabama. At each station will be artifacts and pictures regarding each city, as well as six laptops on three desks, with different websites already set on each computer. Students are to explore the two different cities, as if they were actually there, and take notes on what they have learned through this activity under the “L” column of the KWL chart. (20 minutes) We will then report back as a class and discuss what we have learned about the two cities. Now that students have explored the two locations, I will explain that they have gained new insight on the two different settings for the novel that we will be reading- The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963. I will distribute a copy of the novel to every student, and I will begin by reading the back cover of the book. I would like to ask students how they can connect this novel to the activities we did earlier in class. I will then begin with a read-aloud to Chapter One. I will periodically stop to ask questions, to enhance students’ comprehension of the text. Exit slip – students will write a response to Chapter One. Homework – students must

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Day 2: GoogleLitTrip to accompany reading. INCORPORATE THEME OF UNIT TODAY!!!

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Day 3: Journal – write about your experiences as a certain character. Your thoughts and feelings / emotions, as you read along with book. Also, introduce literary elements, POV, etc.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Day 4: I will divide the class into three preselected groups of eight, carefully considering who should work together in groups and not. Each student will have a specific role to fulfill – Supreme Summarizers, Passage Masters, Conscientious Connectors, Illustrious Illustrators, Word Wizard, Discussion Director, Instinctive Investigator, Astute Archeologist. I will give the class 20 minutes to investigate on their roles and work on their assigned duties. Literature circles will then commence, with an allotted 35 minutes to discuss with their groups. ** __Day 5__ **: Finish Lit. Circles. Afterwards, I will give students 3 minutes to reflect on their work in their journals. ** __Day 6:__ **narrative/creative writing in the form of journal entries, newspaper article, letter ** __Day 7__ **: workshop writing assignments ** __Day 8__ **: FINISH BOOK / LITERATURE CIRCLES! –different format ** __Day 9__ **: Movie Day ** __Day 10__ **: Movie Day, making connections between Movie and Text ** __Day 11__ **: Workshop #2 for creative writing ** __Day 12__ **: Crafting narrative writing into a VIDEO! ** __Day 13__ **: Rehearsals/filming ** __Day 14__ **: Filming/ groupwork to continue crafting introduction for video ** __Day 15__ **: Celebration Day!