Understanding By Design Unit Template

(Revised & adapted)

Title of Unit / Thematic Unit: Compare & Contrast Themes/Author’s Approach to Themes: “Growing Pains” / Grade Level / 5
Subject / Reading / Time Frame / 1/26/15 – 3/13/15
Developed By / Anna D’Agostino & Stephanie Bass
Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results
Narrative about this Unit of Study: (including the Big Idea)
Through interactive read alouds, shared reading, guided reading and book groups, students will have the opportunity to delve deeply into books that explore what makes growing up such a confusing and overwhelming time and how young people can handle those times. Students will critically evaluate the various authors’ themes and characters, consider the implications of the authors’ messages on their own life, and compare and contrast what different authors have to say about this unique but challenging time in life. They must be able to identify what specific techniques were used in order to convey this message. This unit will be integrated into the writing unit on response to literature.
Students will see how authors use all the story elements to convey a message or theme*, looking in particular at how the characters in different texts respond to the challenges they’re faced with. They’ll experience how readers draft and revise their understanding of a text as they develop theories about the characters and what the author might be trying to show them through the character’s journey. They’ll keep track of their thinking about individual books and compare and contrast the themes and characters of different books through the use of a Thematic Unit Chart. In addition, they’ll use their discoveries to write a response to literature in which they compare and contrast what two different authors approach or treatment to the themes were. At this point, students will be looking very closely at different techniques the author used in order to convey his/her theme.
The unit will last for four weeks, including the administration of a pre-assessment. During the final week students will complete an on-demand task about the theme that requires them to read two grade-level texts and write a response.
* Theme is defined not just by what big one- or two-word abstraction a text might be exploring, but what a particular author in a particular text might be staying about that abstraction. (Or as Janet Burroway says, “What about what it’s about?”)
Learning Outcomes – Identified Primary Standards
What relevant goals will this unit address?
RL5.1 Quote accurately from the text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL5.2 Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text
RL5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
RL5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
a. Recognize and describe how an author’s background and culture affect his or her perspective.
RL5.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
Standards that are addressed in an ongoing way throughout the year:
RL5.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts
and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable
pace.
Understandings / Essential Questions
What provocative questions will foster inquiry into the content?
Students will understand that...
·  Literary elements work together to convey themes in fiction
·  Different authors have different perspectives on the same theme
·  Different authors use different techniques in order to convey his/her message/theme
·  Texts can have more than one theme and can be subject to the reader’s interpretation
·  Conflict is essential to fiction
·  Fiction explores character’s motives and actions as they deal with conflict
·  Reading fiction can be a means of self-discovery / ·  What did the author want me to get out of this piece? (Theme)
·  What techniques did the author use to get his/her point across?
·  How were those techniques used to develop theme? Character? etc...
·  How were those techniques used to manipulate the reader?
Knowledge:
What knowledge will student acquire as a result of this unit? / Skills
What skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know...
Reading:
·  The meaning of a theme
·  What are the different literary devices and how they are used in texts
·  Authors can convey the same things in different ways using different techniques / Students will be able to…
Reading:
·  Read closely to consider what the writer might be trying to tell us through the details of the story (literally, inferentially and thematically)
·  Cite evidence to support ideas, thinking, interpretations and conclusions during text-based discussions
·  Ask why and how questions to develop hunches, theories and eventually conclusions about why the characters are acting and responding the way they are and how that may change over time
·  Use talk to grow and develop ideas
·  Critically evaluate an author's theme
·  Make significant comparisons across texts
·  Identify different literary devices used in a text
·  Analyze author’s craft
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task
Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate the desired understandings, knowledge, and skills?
Brief Written Description of the Performance Task
Pre-Assessment
Task:
In each passage the author communicates a clear theme (message) to the reader. Write a response comparing and contrasting the theme of each passage. Explain what decisions the authors made in order to make the message clear. Use details from both passages to support your answer.
In your response, be sure to:
·  Provide an introductory and concluding paragraph.
·  Compare and contrast the theme of each passage
·  Describe what the author did in order to communicate the theme (message) to you
·  Use details from both passages to support your answer
Materials
·  “Five Dollars” by Jean Little
·  “Shells” by Cynthia Rylant
·  Response to Literature Graphic Organizers/Templates
Post-Assessment
In each passage the author communicates a clear theme (message) to the reader. Write a response comparing and contrasting the theme of each passage. Explain what decisions the authors made in order to make the message clear. Use details from both passages to support your answer.
In your response, be sure to:
·  Provide an introductory and concluding paragraph.
·  Compare and contrast the theme of each passage
·  Describe what the author did in order to communicate the theme (message) to you
·  Use details from both passages to support your answer
Texts:
·  “Five Dollars” by Jean Little
·  “Shells” by Cynthia Rylant
·  Response to Literature Graphic Organizers/Templates
Other Evidence
Through what other evidence – student work samples, observations, quizzes, tests, self-assessment or other means – will students demonstrate achievement of the desired results?
Formative Assessment- Information will be gathered through
·  Small group and individual student conferences
·  Teacher observations
·  Student responses during read aloud, shared reading, guided reading and book groups
·  Thematic Unit Chart contributions
·  Thematic Unit Response Notebooks
·  Responses as culminating projects
Objective(s)
Related to knowledge, skills or both? / Listed Aim or Learning Intention of Each Lesson. / Assessment / Resources
1.  Determine Theme / -Anchor Chart: Different themes and explanation (Vocabulary development) Some examples: courage, equality, dreams, family, Growing up, loneliness, friendship, acceptance, death
-“3 Step Process” to Find the Theme:
1- What is the subject or big idea?
2-What do the characters do or say that is related to the subject?
3-What do these things tell you that is important to learn about life?
-Analyzing Characters: How do the characters respond to the challenges? How do the characters change throughout the course of the story?
-How there can be different themes in text as long as a reader can justify his/her thinking
-Determining the theme of a poem / Theme Graphic Organizers
On-going Checklist
Conference Notes / -See Reader’s Handbook pg. 280
-See Teacher’s Guide of Reader’s Handbook pg 196
·  The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
·  One Green Apple by Eve Bunting
·  Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
·  Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting
·  Gleam and Glow by Eve Bunting
·  Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
·  The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco
·  The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
·  Bully by Patricia Polacco
·  The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman
·  Red Kite, Blue Kite by Ji-li Jiang
·  The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland
·  The Key Collection by Andrea Cheng
·  Only One Year by Andrea Cheng
·  Tight Times by Barbara Shook Hazen
·  A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
·  Nim and the War Effort by Milly Lee
·  The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo by Judy Blume
·  Crow Call by Lois Lowry & Bagram Ibatoulline
·  The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
·  Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
·  Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
·  Donuthead by Sue Stauffacher
·  How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
·  The Report Card by Andrew Clements
·  Ida B, and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and Possibly Save the World by Katherine Hannigan
·  Wonder by R.J. Palacio
·  Sun & Spoon by Kevin Henkes
3.  Analyzing Author’s Craft
*Teacher’s will choose what aspects of author’s craft to cover* / -Some examples of author’s craft: tone/mood, figurative language, imagery, word choice, sentence structure, symbolism…etc.
-Define meaning of technique and read different examples
-Model/identify techniques
-interpret author’s choice of words (figurative language, descriptive words) and what they might suggest
-revisit mentor texts to show students how the author used the technique (close reading)
-How does the author use this technique to convey his/her message?
-Why does the author use this technique? / -Student annotations and notes
-Completion of Author’s Craft Charts
-Reader’s Response Notebooks (journal entries)
-Conference/Observation notes
-On-going checklist / Author Study Craft Charts (see attached)
http://www.glencoe.com/sites/north_carolina/student/languageart/assets/binders/readstrat3534055.pdf
http://tworeflectiveteachers.blogspot.com/2013/03/social-issues-book-club-unit.html
http://literaturek6.weebly.com/authors-craft--author-study.html
http://www.maupinhouse.com/media/upload/GHR_sample.pdf
http://udleditions.cast.org/craft_intro.html
4.  Compare/Contrast themes from two different texts and how the author conveyed the theme through author’s craft / -How are the themes similar/different?
--What techniques does each author use in order to make the message clear for you?
-How are these techniques similar and different?
-Which writer is most effective in conveying their purpose or meaning? / -Completion of venn diagram or compare/contrast t-chart
-Conference/Observation notes
-On-going checklist
Universal Design for Learning
REPRESENTATION
The ‘what’ of teaching & learning.. / ACTION & EXPRESSION
The ‘how’ of teaching & learning… / ENGAGEMENT
The ‘why’ of teaching and learning…
A text-based know/wonder chart / Read Aloud/ Shared Reading / Students will contribute their ideas verbally and by using Post-it notes.
Thematic Unit chart / Guided Reading / Students will formulate text-dependent questions that arise while reading the texts.
Venn Diagram / Book Clubs / Students will use accountable talk when conversing with their book club members to share what they are wondering, what they have learned, and what they are still wondering. Students will work together to clarify ideas about the text.
T-chart to show similarities and differences
Checklist for depth in student conversations / Independent Reading with support / Students will read books at their level and/or write in their theme response notebook.
Partnership for assessing partnership or small group conversations

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (pbk)