UNIT 1: Personal Journey: Who am I?

Estimated Time Range

7-8 weeks

CSDE Standards:

1.2 Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend understanding and appreciation.

2.2 Students explore multiple responses to literature.

2.4 Students recognize that readers and authors are influenced by individual,

social, cultural and historical contexts.

3.1 Students use descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive and poetic modes.

3.2 Students prepare, publish and/or present work appropriate to audience, purpose and task.

4.2 Students speak and write using standard language structures and diction appropriate to audience, purpose and task.

4.3 Students use standard English for composing and revising written text.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS

The student will understand that:

1.	There are certain elements that define who we are by interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating text in order to define who we are.
2.	There are things that cause people to change by exploring multiple responses to literature.
3.	Who we are affects/impacts the world around us by recognizing that readers and authors are influenced by individual, social, cultural and historical contexts.

SAMPLE ASSESSMENTS

Students take a skills pretest at the beginning of the unit.
Students write an expository essay about their multiple intelligences strengths using standard language structures and diction appropriate to audience and task.
Students complete individual story assessments.
Students distinguish between fact and opinion within selections of literature.
Students write a persuasive letter mid-unit.
Students create and present a poster project from a selection that shows awareness of audience, purpose and task.
Students take a skills posttest at the end of the unit.

1.	How do we know who we are?
2.	What effect does environment have on who we are?
3.	What devices does an author use to acquaint us with his/her characters?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The student will be able to understand how humans determine who they are by:

1.	Reading and responding to the various selections within the unit through read-alouds, shared reading, guided reading, interactive reading, and independent reading.
2.	Students will recognize that readers and authors are influenced by individual, social, cultural and historical contexts through creating their own critical thinking questions.
3.	Taking an online test and writing an expository essay on their multiple intelligences.
4.	Distinguishing between fact and opinion within fiction and nonfiction selections of literature.
5.	Using standard English for composing and revising written pieces.

Grade Level Anthology including intervention resources

The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake

The Cay

“Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto

CDs and DVDs of the above novels

Geography—cross cultural studies of various ethnicities

Technology—online Multiple Intelligences test, word processing

Music, Art, Physical Education—projects aligned with students’ multiple intelligences