Unit+Plan+-+Example+2

//F. Scott Fitzgerald: // //A Thematic Genius of the 1920’s //

// As you, the students, are well aware, we have just concluded our mini-unit on reading poetry. If you can recall, we dealt with some themes that kept showing up in the poetry we studied. These themes, as we as a class determined, can be termed: // // Tainted Love // // Revenge // // Bitterness // // Disillusionment // // Age/Agelessness // // As we continue our comprehensive study of literature, we will now transition into a close look at short stories, using the famous 1920’s writer F. Scott Fitzgerald as our model. We will be tracing these same five themes throughout his literary work and we will decide how such themes evolve in a short story as opposed to the way we observed them at work within poetry. //

This unit will include the following works by Fitzgerald: “Winter Dreams” “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” “The Off-Shore Pirate” “Head and Shoulders” “Absolution” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” “The Ice-Palace” “The Jelly Bean” Excerpts from //The Great Gatsby// You will be involved with several projects and assignments during this unit. Some highlights include:
 * These readings will be supplemented by other poetry, short stories, and novels from the 1920’s, but Fitzgerald will be the bulk of our literature.

You will be receiving detailed information about each of these things and more when the time comes, but for now we will start by reading the first three stories on the list up above. Do not worry about anything but doing a close read of the stories by one week from now. Using the reading guide I handed out, take careful notes and be prepared for a reading quiz, which will be worth five points. There will be a quiz each time reading is due, so do the reading and be prepared.
 * Creating a visual presentation over a particular aspect of the history of the 1920’s
 * Writing an essay about the theme of one of Fitzgerald’s short stories
 * Writing you own creative short story based on one of Fitzgerald’s stories.
 * Working as a class to create a clean, published copy of all of your hard work at the end of this unit.

PLEASE feel free to share this explanation with your parents. This is meant to give you a quick look at the next few weeks of class, and your parent might be interested in this information as well. If you, or you parents, have any questions, I’d be happy to help at any point throughout the unit.

Objectives: 2) Students will create a visual representation of the data they have collected about an aspect of the 1920’s. 3) Students will teach their peers what they have learned by presenting their visual representations and performing a mini-lesson. **
 * 1) Students will research one aspect of the history of the 1920’s and learn about how music, art, politics, etc, contributed to the overall climate of that time.

Differentiated Instruction:
 * This lesson has built in opportunities for different skill levels, at least in terms of technology. Being that this lesson leads to an introductory activity, the actual product will be graded with medium stakes. Students have a choice of how to represent their specific historical aspect, ranging from more difficult things like iMovies, to easier options like a poster or collage. This will help differently skilled students choose the mode that best suits their needs and abilities. Also- I am going to try to group students by the interests that I believe them to have, being sure to put students who would be more interested in politics versus fashion in the appropriate groups. My hope is that any other problems will be met by the group setting, that any shortcomings of one student will be aided by the strengths of another. **

Assessment: The summative assessment will be over their performance of their topics for the rest of the class. Each group will teach their part of history, using their visual aid as their tool, and I will grade them based upon a rubric I will have made. Generally speaking, they will be graded on content, clarity, visuals, participation, and preparation. This grade won’t be huge in the grand scheme of the quarter, but it will be significant enough that each group will need to be very organized and prepared in order to pass. **
 * There will be no formal formative assessment since this is an in-class, two-day project simply intended to get students involved with the unit they are beginning. However, after the first day, dedicated to research and outlining notes, each group will hand in their findings so that I can look them over and make any suggestions that will strengthen their final visual products.

Teaching and Learning Sequence: After I show the students my sample project, I will hand out the assignment sheet for this mini-project. We will go over the sheet as a class, and I will take questions and make sure that everything is clear. Then, I will break the class up into groups, based upon groupings I will have made previously. The groups will be: fashion, politics, music, movies/theatre, and art. The students will rearrange their seats so that they are sitting with their groups and begin research on their assigned topics. Each group will have access to a selected library of books that I will make available in the classroom, as well as at least one laptop computer. They will have the remainder of this period, approximately one hour, to do the bulk of their research, create an outline of information, and pass it in to me at the end of the class. My main concern during this work period will be to spend at least ten minutes with each group, guiding them and helping them in any way that I can, whether that be with content, technology, or the obtaining of more materials. I will then be sure to give feedback on all of the group’s outlines in time for them to continue their work at the beginning of the next class time. That eighty-minute period will be all of the in-class time they get to create a visual aid and prepare a presentation. This may seem like a short amount of time, but I planned in that way purposefully to encourage short, simple products that get right to the point and provide basic historical contexts for the rest of the class members. The following class period will be spent on each ten-minute presentation, during which the other students will take notes and I will grade them by my rubric.
 * I will begin this lesson with a student sample of my own creating. Using “literature of the 1920’s” as my exemplary topic, I will show the students a PowerPoint that I will have made. This way, the first ten minutes of class will be fun and interesting for the students and they will hopefully be hooked by my example and be more prepared and excited to start their own projects.

The Roaring Twenties: An Introduction

Context: The 1920’s were a turbulent period in our nation’s history, as the social climate of the United States was completely revolutionized. These changes were represented in every facet of society, be it fashion, the arts, movies, or politics. Everywhere you looked, a change was happening and people were beginning to realize that social oppression was out and was in fact quickly being replaced by modernism; a breaking of the traditional and classical forms of art and expression. This short project should help you to get a better sense of this meaningful transition in history…

A Historical Perspective: Now that you have seen my example Power Point, you will embark on your own historical task. In the groups I have assigned you to, you will work for one class period to gather information about your assigned topic (fashion, music, etc) as it influenced that decade. Using the Internet as well as the books I have selected for you, you will create an outline of interesting ideas and hand it in to me at the end of the period. I will then make comments and suggestions on these outlines and hand them back to you the next class in order for you to move onwards and complete the task. During this time, your group must decide on a visual tool to use (poster, Power Point, iMovie, collage, etc) and create it based on the ideas you outlined for me. This does not have to be especially fancy or polished, just make sure that you have pictures and text and that the information is pertinent and clear. A good project will include the following:

ü At least ten images that reflect your topic well. These could be of musicians, movie posters, fashion trends, political propaganda posters, or anything else you can think of. Try to find some sort of thematic way to order the images so that they match what you are going to be saying during your presentation. ü Written text. No matter what you choose as your visual, I need to see some text as well. You can either present everything you are going to say (as in a Power Point) or create bullet points to help your audience follow. You will not be graded on the length of the writing, just be sure to include some text. ü When appropriate, include sound. This could be music, recorded interviews, or clips from a movie. Talk to me if you feel you cannot include this item and we will come up with a good alternative requirement for your group.

***Each of these items will need to be utilized by your group APPROPRIATELY. Do not simply include something to meet a requirement, put some amount of thought into each element, and your grade will surely reflect that effort. Remember, this is just an introductory project to this unit so don’t worry about being graded, just have fun and enjoy getting to know the 1920’s! 1) Students will learn about one short story concept (voice, setting, conflict, etc) by researching it thoroughly in small groups. 2) Students will be able to show their learning by becoming an expert on that topic and teaching it to a small group of their peers. 3) Students will become familiar with all of the concepts by learning from their peers and taking comprehensive notes.
 * Objectives: **

Again, because of the group setting and in-class support that this lesson provides, I hope that any needs will be met by the students’ peers and myself. However, this project is flexible and can be lengthened or shortened as needed. I will be creating notes based off of the students’ work and can make copies for any student who needs the extra assistance in recording the data.
 * Differentiated Instruction: **

This lesson is really intended to allow for the gathering and sharing of necessary skills and data as well as peer collaboration. Thus, there are no real instances of assessment. However, each student will be informally graded for ten points of class participation. Through observation, I will decide which students have been present for the work and have effectively taught their peers about their area of expertise. This is a chance for students to participate in something for the betterment of themselves and their peers, rather than to be graded.
 * Assessment: **

I will begin this lesson by showing a clip from the movie adaptation of either //The Great Gatsby// or //The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.// I will select a scene that portrays voice, setting, conflict, climax, and plot. I will probably have to make a montage of scenes but this is mostly intended to hook the students and get them interested in the elements of a good story. After this opening activity, students will break themselves into five groups. I will then assign a topic (voice, setting, conflict, climax, or plot) to each group. The groups will have two in-class periods to research their topic and come up with a short lecture about it, as well as find two examples from literature to read aloud. Each group member should be prepared, possibly with cue cards, to share this data with a different small group of their peers. Once the groups are prepared, I will reconfigure the students so that one expert from each topic is in the group. Then, each member will teach the others about their concept. This way, each student will get a concise lesson on the concepts and be able to move forward confidently in the unit. The students should take notes as necessary and be able to recognize these features of a story. My main task during this time will be to assist the students in any way that I can. I believe heavily in hands on learning and group collaboration, therefore I aim to become a part of the learning atmosphere rather than stand at the front of the class lecturing. I will, of course, interject where I feel necessary and make sure that all students leave will a solid understanding of the concepts. Otherwise, I will make my rounds to each group and listen for participation and clarity, giving credit where credit is due.
 * Teaching and Learning Sequence: **

1) Students will learn to take the knowledge they have acquired through reading and researching and apply it to fictional writing of their own. 2) Students will work together in groups to practice writing creatively in the style of Fitzgerald.
 * Objectives: **

This lesson is designed as a fun experiment for the students to take a break from the more stressful, intense work of the unit and play around with the ideas they have been learning. I don’t anticipate a need to differentiate much, but as always I will make my notes available to any student who needs the extra help recording information. Also, students have the option to work individually if they would rather that than participate in groups. I am aware that I tend to lean towards group work to lessen the load on each student but I am open to individual work when a student expresses interest in that.
 * Differentiated Instruction: **

This is a major day for class participation. Students will be given notice that this class period will be counted double for attendance and participation. The nature of the activity allows for students to show me that they can express ideas in a group of their peers and accomplish a task within one class time. I will be looking for students that are willing to try, eager to share their ideas, and present for the entire activity. I don’t believe in forcing kids to talk, but in a group setting I would expect each member to contribute in one way or another.
 * Assessment: **

I will begin this eighty-minute period with a mini-lesson that will draw from the work with short story concepts that the students already did. This time, I will show them a brief PowerPoint that details the elements of plot, being exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. I will ask that the students take notes as necessary but will also make the PowerPoint available to them on our class web page. I want to be sure that every student has a good grasp of these elements as they will soon be writing their own short stories. Once I have been through my mini-lesson and taken clarifying questions, I will proceed to the day’s activity. At this point, I will write each of the elements on the white boards around the classroom (or large pieces of paper if necessary). I will then assign students to each element, having at least three students at each station. Within those groups, the students will use what they just learned to come up with a definition of that concept, one that is in their own words. Then, they will play around with creating their own exposition, rising action, climax, etc. I will a lot about twenty minutes for this. Then, we will go around the class in order reading the students’ work out loud. Although none of the stories will match, I think this will be a humorous way to make a point about these ideas. The last twenty minutes of class will be spent doing this same activity again. This time, however, we will do it as a whole class. The students will physically remain with their groups, but we will work as a class, going around the concepts, creating another basic plotline. This is a chance for students to talk out of turn and get excited and energetic about an in-class activity. I am not so much worried about the end product or having an organized activity. Rather- I simply want students to enjoy learning about these concepts and leave the period confident that they can imitate what they have seen in a more serious fashion within their own short stories, to be assigned at the next class meeting. Again, I will serve to keep the peace and make sure we are on schedule. I want this to be highly student driven, as they need space to be creative. However, I will teach for the first ten to fifteen minutes and then supervise the activity from
 * Teaching and Learning Sequence: **