Experience Overview page 1
Name of Project: / Guilty! / Duration: / 6 weeks
Subject/Course: / AP English IV / Teacher(s): Kimberly Svatek / Grade Level: / 12
Other Subject Areas: / Criminal justice, media studies
Unit Goal for Student:
Summary of the issue, challenge, investigation, scenario, or problem: / Students will analyze the roll of nature versus nurture and if our birth or society affects how we live and act. They will use the novel Frankenstein as a guide for this discussion and refer to textual evidence for support in their argument.
As a culminating project, students will put Frankenstein on trial. Students will “gather evidence”, conduct depositions, create arguments for and against guilt, write the argument in a persuasive paper and conduct an oral presentation in which they put Frankenstein on trial.
Enduring Understanding(s) / ·  Good and Evil are relative and man’s definition of them is determined by either his nature or his nurture.
·  There isn’t a definitive right or wrong in life. This is different for each person.
·  Man’s morals and decisions are created by multiple sources; however, he must make the decision of which ones to follow.
·  Authors use their texts to show readers the world they live within through fictional characters and events.
·  Readers learn to scrutinize and question the world they live within by examining texts for answers to universal questions and dilemmas.
Essential Question(s) / ·  Are morals innate from birth or do they come about from the teachings of others?
·  Are morals universal?
·  How are our morals developed?
·  How does the world a person live in affect how he/she acts?
·  What is the role of society in how we live our lives?
·  If morals are universal, why doesn’t everyone always do the “right” thing?
·  Is there a “right” thing for everyone and is it what society says it has to be?
·  If morals are universal, why do stereotype and make fun of people?
·  What is the effect on a person’s morals if he or she is stereotyped and made fun of by society?
·  Can a person go against the society he/she was raised in? For example, if a child grows up in a poor drug-filled neighborhood is he automatically going to become a drug addict or can he overcome these circumstances?
·  What guides man’s ability to overcome society, his nurture or his nature?
·  Should society be held responsible for a person’s actions because the person was mistreated?
·  What is the roll of a parent?
·  Should parent’s be held responsible for their children’s actions?
·  Is it nature or nurture that determines how a person turns out?
Curriculum Standards Bundle (Stage 1)
Content and Process Standards (TEKS) to be taught and assessed:
Highlight those targeted for depth. / 5B: analyze the moral dilemmas and quandaries presented in works of fiction as revealed the underlying motivations and behaviors of the characters.
6A: analyze the effect of ambiguity, contradiction, subtlety, paradox
9C: make and defend subtle inferences and complex conclusions about the ideas in text and their organizational patterns
15bi:write procedural and work-related documents that include a clearly stated purpose combined with a well-supported viewpoint on the topic
15biii: write procedural and work-related documents that include relevant questions that engage readers and address their potential problems and misunderstandings
15ci: write an interpretation of an expository or a literary text that advances a clear thesis statement
15cii: write an interpretation or an expository or a literary text that addressed the writing skills for an analytical essay including references to and commentary on quotations from the text.
16F: language attentively crafted to move a disinterested or opposed audience, using specific rhetorical devices to back up assertions
24A: listen responsively to a speaker by framing inquiries that reflect an understanding of the content and by identifying the positions taken and the evidence in support of those positions.
25A formulate sound arguments by using elements of classical speeches…
26A: participate productively in teams, offering ideas or judgments that are purposeful in moving the team towards goals, asking relevant and insightful questions…
RCB: make complex inferences about text and use textual evidence to support understanding.
Other Required Standards to be taught and assessed: (i.e. CCRS, Graduate Expectations, Local Objectives, etc.) / 21st century skills
Work Creatively with Others
·  Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively
·  Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and feedback into the work
Make Judgments and Decisions
·  Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs
·  Analyze and evaluate major alternative points of view
·  Synthesize and make connections between information and arguments
·  Interpret information and draw conclusions based on the best analysis
·  Reflect critically on learning experiences and processes
Communicate Clearly
·  Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
Collaborate with Others
·  Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
·  Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
·  Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member
Authentic Learning Elements to be integrated:
Check all that are targeted in this unit. / Provide authentic context that reflects the way the knowledge will be used in real-life / Provide multiple roles and perspectives / Provide coaching and scaffolding
Provide authentic activities / Support collaborative construction of knowledge / Promote reflection
Provide access to expert performances and the modeling of processes
21st Century Skills/NETS to be taught and assessed: / Creativity and Innovation (NETS 1) / Information, Media, or ICT Literacy (NETS 3)
Communication and Collaboration (NETS 2) / Life and Career Skills
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving (NETS 4) / Digital Citizenship, Technology Operations and Concepts (NETS 5and 6)
Assessment (Stage 2) page 2
Entry Event to
launch inquiry,
engage students: / 1.  Post pictures of natural disasters, world leaders both good and bad (such as Hitler, Sadaam Hussein, Ghandi, and Nelson Mandella), celebrities, national events, etc around the room. Leave up for a couple of days before beginning discussions.
2.  Have students make a list of which of the items or people are good and which are bad. Have them rank them in order from most terrible to least terrible and best to good. In small groups, have students discuss why they ranked them as they did? After small group discussion, have students report out to the class and ask if any other groups feel differently. Pose probing questions such as, “If God is at the top of your good list, how can the nature disaster be on your bad list since he created it? Wouldn’t that mean God is bad?” Or ask, “What good can come from the devastation of a forest fire or Hurricane Katrina?”
3.  Begin reading the non-fiction piece “Evil” with students. Stop and explain the allusions to events they may not know. Ask them what they need clarification on.
4.  Provide the connecting device to meaning directions to students. Model how to highlight and what types of comments to make in the margins. (Examples of directions and annotations provided.)
5.  Have students complete annotations for homework.
6.  When students return, put them in small groups to discuss their annotations. Have students discuss how the author’s word choice, syntax, use of literary devices, and tone affected their opinion about good and evil.
7.  Assign one literary element to each group to present. Have them explain examples of the element and how it affected their reactions and mood while reading. Then play “R U Nuts.” Once a group has finished presenting their findings, provide the other groups 2-3 minutes to create counter arguments based on their annotations. At the end of time, have the other groups shout out “Are you nuts?” Each group then provides counter arguments to the presenting group based on their annotations.
8.  Introduce the “Good vs. Evil” poetry assignment. (Example provided) Explain to students that you are going to begin reading the novel; however, there will be a poetry slam where they can compete against each other to determine the best “poet.”
9.  Introduce the novel. Explain that students will use the novel to evaluate the concepts of nature versus nurture and determine if and possibly how society affects them in their beliefs and actions.
Assessments / Summative Assessments:
Major Products and/or Performances / 1.  Students will create a trial folder. This folder will contain a copy of the team’s persuasive essay with margin notes on who wrote what section, copies of deposition questions, answers, and notes, as well as evidence used in the trial. This folder will be used to determine their written score on the project. (worth 60% of the final grade)
2.  Students also will receive a presentation grade. This grade is provided by the community lawyers or law students and is based on their participation in the team planning sessions and in the trial. Rubrics are used to determine both portions of the grade. (see rubrics provided)
Formative Assessments
(During Learning) / 1.  Checklist to make sure students are completing the steps of the final project.
2.  During reading, discussion and assignments to make sure students understand the theme and dilemmas being proposed.
Resources Needed / Materials: / 1.  Prior to reading items:
Copies of the non-fiction text
Directions for good vs. evil poetry
2.  During reading:
Copy of Frankenstein to read
Copies of two-page passages for annotation
Copies of directions for annotation
Copies of graphic organizers
3.  After reading: Directions for the project
Directions for deposition
Copies of blank depositions
Samples of evidence and essays
Resources: / Law students to help conduct depositions and observe trial and grade.
Copies of non-fiction
Courtroom or classroom set up as a courtroom
Reflection Methods / (Individual, Group, and/or Whole Class) / 1.  Teams sit and reflect on questions and process of putting Frankenstein on trial.
2.  Teams meet with professionals to ask questions and get assistance.
3.  Following trial, individuals reflect on what went well and what needs improvement.
Learning experiences(Stage3)
These lessons were for 50 minute classes; however, they can be easily modified for block schedule.
Before Reading (one week):
1.  Conduct entry event listed above. (Takes about 3 classes to complete)
2.  Review and post the inverted pyramid so students can see what the plan is for the six weeks. Explain that they will start with little things such as close reading and analysis in order to progress to the large project an oral debate over the topic of nature versus nurture.
3.  Assign a reading log so students know when to read what. They may read ahead if they would like. I usually have students complete chapters 1-10 during week one, 11-20 during week two, and 21-24 during the final week.
4.  Read opening letters together in class. (1-2 class periods usually the end of the week that I conducted the entry event) Explain to students that the novel is a frame tale and that the letters are meant to set the background for the tale. As you read, explain that the story is really a retelling of a retelling and that as they read they must consider who is telling which parts of the story since that could change the meaning.
During Reading (three weeks):
5.  Daily bell ringers: journal entries which answer the essential questions above. Students can use personal experiences, history and or the novel to support answers.
6.  Assignments: Reading quizzes, entry and exit tickets in which students must provide answers to questions about the text to show they are keeping up with the readings.
7.  While reading at home, have students practice close reading during class by working in small groups to analyze two-page sections of the text.
While reading the book, pick two pages from each chapter that you feel have a strong impact on the novel. These could be significant for their use of imagery and setting, their characterization, or their depiction of the moral dilemma.
8.  Use the same directions from the connecting device to meaning exercise used on the non-fiction piece Evil. Divide students into small groups and provide students with the two-page copies of text and ask them to annotate them making the notes. Students may discuss their annotations as they work, but make sure they are not using each other’s answers. If students do not finish the annotations have them finish for homework or have them finish during the next class.
9.  Next class period, pass out the connecting device to meaning graphic organizer and have the students work in their groups to pick the best three examples for each device. They should work together to fill in the graphic organizer. This can take one or two class periods.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for various chapters throughout the book. Do it at least once a week and make sure your two-page selections connect with the universal understandings and questions listed above as well as provide multiple literary devices to be analyzed.
11. At the end of the week, conduct whole class discussion of the assigned chapters.
You can consider using different discussion formats:
·  Inner/outer circle discussions. Place four to five students in the inside circle. Give them five minutes to discuss anything they want about the chapters. While they are discussing, have students in the outer circle take notes. After the five minutes, have outside students ask the inside students question. They can ask follow-up questions to comments the inside students made or ask new questions. They may also make their own comments and start a new time of discussion.
·  Toss the yarn. I provide a spool of yarn and ask a question. I toss the yarn to the student who raises his/her hand to answer the question. That student then tosses the yarn to the next student and so on and so forth. I warn students that whoever is not holding the yarn (ie: didn’t participate in the discussion) will be responsible for respooling the yarn for the next class. With about 5 minutes left have the student or students who didn’t participate begin collecting and respooling the yarn. Warning: make sure everyone has gone to the restroom or gotten water before you begin discussion. You often create a large web.