Unit Title: Short Story
Delaware ELA Curriculum Unit Template
Preface: Your peers have designed all units. Please thank them for their time and contribution.
Each unit is at a different stage of development. Some need revision on the transfer task options. Others need additional lesson ideas to helps students to reach the standards. Some other units need to have the focus changed from specific story to the more general skills and strategies.
Stage one is complete for all units and should be the focus of the work with students. Use the remainder of the unit as a guide to help you plan for your particular students. Please share lesson and assessment ideas with each other. Content Chairpersons should bring ideas to the content chair meetings each month so that the units can be enhanced for next year.
Thank you to those who have taken the risk and offered their ideas for each unit.
Jodi Forestieri, Instructional Coach ELA Middle School
Subject/Topic Area: Short Story
Grade Level(s): 8th grade
Searchable Key Words:
Designed By: Jodi Forestieri District: Christina School District
Time Frame: 4-6 weeks
Reviewed by: Date:
Brief Summary of Unit (This should include a brief unit summary including a description of unit goals, rationale for the approach taken, and where it appears in the course of study.)
Stage 1: Desired Results(Determine What Students Will Know, Do and Understand)
Delaware ELA Content Standards (This should include a list of the DE Content Standards for which instruction is provided in this unit and which are ultimately assessed in the unit.)
1.1 Writers will produce texts that exhibit the following text features, all of which are consistent with the genre and purpose of the writing: development, organization, style, and word choice.
1.2 Writers will produce texts that exhibit the following language conventions at all grade levels: sentence formation, conventions.
1.3 Writers will produce examples that illustrate the following discourse classifications: persuasive, informative, and expressive.
2.2a/2.2b Students will be able to develop an increasingly extensive vocabulary and actively seek the meaning of unknown words as an important facet of comprehending texts and messages by (a) using context clues to determine the meanings of words; (b) using reference works, technology, and human resources to learn the meaning of unknown words (e.g., glossaries, dictionaries, thesaurus, computer software).
2.3c Using appropriate texts, students will be able to self-monitor comprehension while reading by (c) taking appropriate actions (e.g., rereading to make sense, adjusting rate of reading, seeking the meaning of unknown vocabulary) to enhance understanding of oral and written text.
2.4a Students will be able to demonstrate an overall understanding of printed texts by (a) making…. predictions as needed.
2.4bL Students will be able to demonstrate an overall understanding of literary texts by (b) identifying the story elements (e.g., characters, setting, and plot) and story structures (conflict, resolution, cause/effect)
2.4bI/T Students will be able to demonstrate an overall understanding of technical and informative texts by (b) identifying text features and text structures
2.4c Students will be able to demonstrate an overall understanding of printed texts by (c) recognizing and interpreting figurative language and literary devices (e.g., simile, metaphor, allusion) and (e) differentiating between literal and non-literal meanings
2.4k/2.6b Students will be able to demonstrate an overall understanding of printed texts by (k) relating the content of the text to real-life situations and (b) applying information from printed, electronic, and oral texts to complete authentic tasks.
2.4g Students will be able to demonstrate an overall understanding of printed texts by (g) comparing information between and within texts.
2.5b Students will be able to critically analyze and evaluate information and messages presented through print by (b) formulating and expressing
4.2b Using literature appropriate for age, stage, and interests, students will be able to respond to literary text and media using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by (e1) understanding the differences between genres […].
4.2a/4.2d Using literature appropriate for age, stage, and interests, students will be able to respond to literary text and media using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by (a) making inferences about content, events, characters, setting, and author’s decisions.
Big Idea (This should include transferable core concepts, principles, theories, and processes that should serve as the focal point of curricula, instruction, and assessment. Ex: Manifest Destiny, fighting for peace.)
Good reader strategiesUnit Enduring Understandings (This should include important ideas or core processes that are central to the unit and transferable to new situations beyond the classroom. Stated as full-sentence statements, the understandings specify what we want students to understand about the Big Ideas Ex: Inverse operations are helpful in understanding and solving problems.)
Students will understand that…
1. Good readers may use many strategies that work, and they quickly try another one when the one they are using does not work. They not only know many different strategies, but they never get stuck in persisting with one that is not working.
2. Different readers may respond to the same text in different ways. The better responses are those that provide greater insight into the text and/or the issues that have been raised.
3. Sometimes the author makes his/her meaning plain; often however, a reader must dig beneath the “surface” of the text to find that meaning. (irony, mood)
4. Different types of text (e.g., narrative, mystery, biography, expository, persuasive) have different structures. Understanding a text’s structure helps a reader better understand its meaning.
Unit Essential Question(s) (This should include open-ended questions designed to guide student inquiry and focus instruction for “uncovering” the important ideas of the content. Ex: What is healthful eating? What is the relationship between fiction and truth?)
1. What do good readers do? What do they do when they do not understand? How do texts differ? How should I read different types of texts?
2. How does literature reveal us to ourselves? What is the relationship of reader to text?
3. What lies beneath the surface of the text? (in fiction: symbol and theme, in nonfiction texts: assumptions, biases, preconceptions) How much does this matter? How can I uncover it?
4. How do different genres affect the author’s message or meaning?
Knowledge & Skills (This should include key knowledge and skills that students will acquire as a result of this unit? Ex: Factors affecting climate, The causes of World War II.)
It should also include what students will eventually be able to do as a result of such knowledge and skill Ex: take notes, complete a bent-arm pull, compare fiction to nonfiction.)
Students will know….
1. irony
2. plot
3. plot diagram
4. setting
5. character
6. static character
7. dynamic character
8. protagonist
9. antagonist
10. character motivation
11. internal conflict
12. external conflict
13.
Students will be able to…
1. identify a character’s motivation
2. make predictions
3. make connections
4.
Stage 2: Assessment Evidence
(Design Assessments To Guide Instruction)
(This should include evidence that will be collected to determine whether or not the Desired Results identified in Stage One have been achieved? [Anchor the unit in performance tasks that require transfer, supplemented as needed by other evidence –quizzes, worksheets, observations, etc.]
Suggested Performance Task(s) (This should include suggested authentic tasks and projects used as evidence of student competency in the skills and knowledge deemed important in the unit. Ex: a written composition, speeches, works of art, musical performances, open-ended math problems.)
Consider the following set of stem statements as you construct a scenario for a performance task:
G – Goal—Ex: Reflect character’s motivation and predict his actions
R – Role—Ex: A character in Of Mice and Men
A – Audience—Ex: A family member or close friend
S – Situation—Ex: Creating a scrapbook chronicling a character’s life, real and inferred
P – Product, Performance, and Purpose—Ex: Scrapbook
S – Standards and Criteria for Success—Ex: Your scrapbook should include all components on included rubric
Note: There is no "district-wide" end of unit assessment; however, there should be agreement among your school staff as to what will be common across the school for each grade and each unit. The common aspect could be at least a single transfer task but may be more if your building colleagues wish. The data for the common item(s) should be analyzed across classrooms in your building and used to make curricular decisions for your building.
Transfer Task 1: Integrated Assessment for Unit One: Born Worker by Gary Soto pg. 1-6
Transfer Task 2: Responding to Literature – pgs. 94-98 (Model: Response to Stop the Sun) or Analyzing a Story – pgs. 694-698 (Model: Mood in “The Tell-Tale Heart”)
Rubrics/checklists for Performance Tasks (This should include holistic or analytic-trait rubrics used as a scoring guide to evaluate student products or performances.)
Student Self-Assessment and Reflection (This should include opportunities for students to monitor their own learning. Ex: reflection journals, learning logs, pre- and post-tests, editing own work.)
Stage 3: Learning Plan
(Design Learning Activities To Align with Goals and Assessments)
Key learning events needed to achieve unit goals
(This should include instructional activities and learning experiences needed to achieve the desired results (Stage 1) as reflected in the assessment evidence to be gathered (Stage 2).
The acronym WHERETO summarizes key elements to consider when designing an effective and engaging learning plan.
W – Help the students know Where the unit is going and What is expected? Help the teachers know
Where the students are coming from (prior knowledge, interests)
H – Hook all students and Hold their interest?
E – Equip students, help them Experience the key ideas and Explore the issues?
R – Provide opportunities to Rethink and Revise their understandings and work?
E – Allow students to Evaluate their work and its implications?
T – Be Tailored (personalized) to the different needs, interests, and abilities of learners?
O – Be Organized to maximize initial and sustained engagement as well as effective learning?
Reminder: All specific reading sections below are recommendations for new teachers. A veteran teacher may select a different selection as long as the focus is on the same skill or strategy that is the focus of the identified selection.
Lesson 1: Intro. Reading strategies – good readers use a variety of strategies (use throughout all lessons) Charles – Apply comprehension strategies pg. S21
Lesson 2: Nonfiction – types and reading nonfiction – “In this unit we will be reading some nonfiction pieces that are related to the short stories we read.”
1. Nonfiction pgs. 101-105
2. Reading Handbook lessons - Reading for Information (R4-R10) and Functional Reading (R15-R19)
3. See also: Reading for Information section of each part in a unit
a. Outlining Ideas – pg. 44
b. Drawing Conclusions from Sources – pg. 130
c. Using Text Organizers – pg. 211
d. Summarizing – pg. 283
e. Using Graphics – pg. 363
f. Forming, Revising, and Raising New Research Questions – pg. 386
g. Following Complex Directions – pg. 571
h. Reading a Newspaper Feature Story – pg. 634
i. Taking Notes and Paraphrasing – pg. 753
j. Making Generalizations – pg. 875
4. What is the difference between: memoir, biography, autobiography, informative nonfiction, essay, internet article, letter, magazine article, magazine news brief, speech, interview, newspaper article, nonfiction (Bolded items are connected to short stories)
a. Memoir (options) – The Great Rat Hunt (pg. 106), Flying (pg. 118), Diary Entry (pg. 126), from Something to Declare (pg. 302), Block Party (pg. 830), from Wait Till Next Year (pg. 861), from I Was Dreaming to Come to America (pg. 885)
b. Biography (options) – from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad (pg. 756); from Lincoln: A Photobiography
c. Autobiography (options) – from Still Me [see also Speech] (pg. 374), from All But My Life (pg. 522),
d. Essay (options) – from High Tide in Tucson (pg. 134), Mr. Misenheimer’s Garden (pg. 202)
e. Magazine News Brief/Articles (options) – Partners in Growing (pg. 211), Found Money (pg. 283), Bike a Historic Trail (pg. 733)
f. Speech (options) – Speech (pg. 374), One Million Volumes (pg. 851)
g. Interview (options) – Icing on the Cake (pg. 426), from The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank (used in Drama unit)
h. Personal Narrative – from Roughing It (pg. 794)
i. Journal – Mark Twain’s Comedy Knight (pg. 811), Civil War Journal (do not use)
Lesson 3: Intro. Story Elements: Character, Setting, Plot, Conflict, Theme; Literary Elements: Irony, Foreshadowing, Mood – introduce the terms
Lesson 4: Character – dynamic and static, anagonist/protagonist, character motivation
1. Checkouts – Character Motivation; Predictions – pg. 23
a. Learning the Language of Literature - Fiction pgs. 17-20
b. The Active Reader: Skills and Strategies - Reading Fiction pg. 21
2. The King of Mazy May – Antagonist and Protagonist; Monitoring Your Reading – pgs. 148-158 (compare to “The Call of the Wild” on the Video in Performance)
a. Related Nonfiction – Author study of Jack London pgs. 144-147
b. Informative Nonfiction – The Story of an Eyewitness pgs. 159-166
c. Letter to his Publisher [Letter] – pgs. 168-171
3. The Treasure of Lemon Brown – Dynamic and Static Characters; Connecting - pgs. 334-343
Lesson 5: Conflict – internal vs. external
1. Rules of the Game – Internal and External Conflict; Drawing Conclusions – pg. 348
a. From Searching for Bobby Fischer – Nonfiction pg. 359
b. “I’ve Been Rooked!” – Internet Article pg. 363
Lesson 6: Plot – exposition, rising action, climax, falling action (resolution) [consider this as an intro to be further explored in the DRAMA unit]
1. Raymond’s Run – Plot; Cause/effect
a. Reading for Information (real world link to “Raymond’s Run”) – Magazine Article: “Do Try This At Home” pgs. 44-47
2. Comparing Literature: Short Stories – pg. 670 (Plot) could use with Writing Workshop: Comparison-and Contrast Essay (Informative Exposition) pg. 536
a. The Third Wish – Plot and setting a purpose - pg. 672
b. The Monkey’s Paw (on Video in Performance) – Plot and Setting a Purpose - pg. 680
Lesson 7: Theme
1. Stop the Sun – Theme; Connecting – pgs. 48-58
a. Related Reading – Letter - from Dear America pg. 55
Lesson 8: Writer’s Workshop: Response to Literature pgs. 94-98 (Model: Response to Stop the Sun)
Lesson 9: Literary Elements: Mood, Foreshadowing, Irony
1. The Ransom of Red Chief – Irony; Predicting – pgs. 69-83 (on Video in Performance)
2. The Tell-Tale Heart – Mood and Visualizing - pg. 624
a. Learning the Language of Literature: Mood and Tone - pg. 622
b. The Active Reader: Skills and Strategies – Visualizing – pg. 623
c. Birthday Ritual a Grave Tradition [Newspaper Article] – pg. 634
3. The Hitchhiker – Foreshadowing and Predicting; preview for Drama – pg. 655
4. The Girl in the Lavender Dress – pg. 951 (Urban Legend – ghost story)
5. The Woman in the Snow – pg. 944 (Urban Legend – ghost story)
Lesson 10: Writer’s Workshop: Analyzing a Story - pgs. 694-698 (Model: Mood in “The Tell-Tale Heart”)
Lesson 11: Realistic fiction vs. Science Fiction
Science Fiction: (Mid-term story is a science fiction piece – do not read with students “Future Tense”)
1. Rain, Rain, Go Away – Science Fiction and Drawing Conclusion - pg. 554
a. Learning the Language of Literature: Science Fiction pg. 549
b. The Active Reader: Skills and Strategies pg. 55
Did you consider the following unit design principles?
IP – International education perspective
IL – Information Literacy
WR – Workplace readiness/21st century skills
FA – Formative assessment, used to check for understanding
DI – Differentiated Instruction
UDL– Universal Design for Learning
TL – Technology Literacy
Resources & Teaching Tips (Consider the two questions below when completing this section.)
o What text/print/media/kit/web resources best support this unit?
Other options:
- Born Worker (DO NOT use since this is the story for the assessment)
- Flowers for Algernon (pg. 220)
- The Bet (pg. 285)
- The Moustache (pg. 395)
- The Dinner Party (pg. 565
- The Lady, or the Tiger? (pg. 592)
- Future Tense (DO NOT use since this is used in the Mid term assessment)
- War Party (pg. 737)
- Civil War Journal (DO NOT use since this is used in the Final Exam)
- The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse (pg. 839)
- Oral Tradition
o Strawberries (pg. 908)
o Aunty Misery (pg. 912)
o Racing the Great Bear (pg. 918)
o Otoonah (pg. 925)
o Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox (pg. 934)
o The Souls in Purgatory (pg. 938)
o John Henry (pg. 956)
o Pecos Bill (pg. 959)
o What tips to teachers of the unit can you offer about likely rough spots/student misunderstandings and performance weaknesses, and how to troubleshoot those issues?
Accommodation/Differentiation ideas and tips (This should include a list or description of ways that you will differentiate instruction according to students' needs. This can include any curricular adaptations that are needed to meet special needs students. Ex: using reading materials at varying readability levels, putting text materials on tape, using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students, meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners.
Technology Integration
Content Connections
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