English Units
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
My favorite novel I read in high school was To Kill a Mockingbird. I used this novel and several poems and newspaper articles to create a practical unit plan, appropriate for 9th and 10th graders, titled "What Does It Take?" in which I outlined major themes to discuss and projects to give to students.
The major themes discussed in this unit are
For this unit, the culminating project involves creating a newspaper about the various events in the book from the point of view of a reporter. Within the articles, students are expected to integrate the themes discussed in class while working in groups to complete their entire newspaper.
My favorite novel I read in high school was To Kill a Mockingbird. I used this novel and several poems and newspaper articles to create a practical unit plan, appropriate for 9th and 10th graders, titled "What Does It Take?" in which I outlined major themes to discuss and projects to give to students.
The major themes discussed in this unit are
- What does it take to show and have courage?
- What does it take to understand others?
- What does it take to make choices?
For this unit, the culminating project involves creating a newspaper about the various events in the book from the point of view of a reporter. Within the articles, students are expected to integrate the themes discussed in class while working in groups to complete their entire newspaper.
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
Although this book can be somewhat controversial, I believe it has a lot of good messages, and it is a book I am very enthusiastic about and can really "get behind." I created a unit plan appropriate for 11th and 12th grade students focused on this book and its themes.
The broad scope of this unit plan is to talk about the different influences everyone has in their lives. In the book, characters are influenced by people, government, and technology, just as today's students are. I think it is important to discuss the idea of influence with high school students, like how and why it happens, and how to ensure that influences are positive. This novel would be paired with several newspaper articles involving social influence through the ages, as well as songs and other multimedia pieces.
The culminating assignment for this unit involves creating an obituary for one of the characters, in turn describing the influences on that person's life. The obituary could be in written form or recorded as a news segment.
Although this book can be somewhat controversial, I believe it has a lot of good messages, and it is a book I am very enthusiastic about and can really "get behind." I created a unit plan appropriate for 11th and 12th grade students focused on this book and its themes.
The broad scope of this unit plan is to talk about the different influences everyone has in their lives. In the book, characters are influenced by people, government, and technology, just as today's students are. I think it is important to discuss the idea of influence with high school students, like how and why it happens, and how to ensure that influences are positive. This novel would be paired with several newspaper articles involving social influence through the ages, as well as songs and other multimedia pieces.
The culminating assignment for this unit involves creating an obituary for one of the characters, in turn describing the influences on that person's life. The obituary could be in written form or recorded as a news segment.
Tangerine (Edward Bloor)
Tangerine is a young adult novel appropriate for middle school students. The unit plan I created for this novel focuses on its themes of nature, teamwork, and secrets. Each of these aspects has an influence on our lives, especially for students at the middle school level.
Because there are so many characters and things going on in the novel, Tangerine is ideal for learning about plot structure and how all of the elements work together to create a coherent story. Students will likely find at least one character with which they can identify. Additionally, the journal style of the novel makes the novel a quick and easy read for any level of reader.
Tangerine is a young adult novel appropriate for middle school students. The unit plan I created for this novel focuses on its themes of nature, teamwork, and secrets. Each of these aspects has an influence on our lives, especially for students at the middle school level.
Because there are so many characters and things going on in the novel, Tangerine is ideal for learning about plot structure and how all of the elements work together to create a coherent story. Students will likely find at least one character with which they can identify. Additionally, the journal style of the novel makes the novel a quick and easy read for any level of reader.