Grades 6-12 ELA Lesson Plan
Grade/Course: 8
Unit Title: Unit 1—Vantage Points: Multiple Perspectives / Corresponding Unit Task: Task 3Day 1: Creation Myths
Unit EQ(s): / How do authors use ideas from older, familiar texts to write modern stories?
Why do different texts provide conflicting information about the same topic?
Why do authors use different media formats and text structures to present different information?
Essential Vocabulary / Protagonist
Antagonist
Conflict: External Conflict, Internal Conflict
Plot: Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution
Theme, Universal Themes
Characterization
Evidence, Textual Evidence
Archetype: Hero, Villain, Parent, Child, Sage, Fool
Media
Medium
Materials/Resources / · Creation story or stories (“Pan Gu and Nu Wa”, Hopi Creation Myth, Egyptian Creation Myth, Creation story from Genesis)
o “Pan Gu and Nu Wa” from Creation Stories from Around the World - http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/CS/CSIndex.html
o Hopi creation myth - http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/umbriel.htm#HOPI
o Egyptian creation myth -http://www.theologywebsite.com/etext/egypt/creation.shtml
o Genesis account of creation - http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/KjvGene.html
· Creation myth comparison matrix
· Archetype graphic organizers: Parent & Child
· Archetype graphic organizer posters: Parent & Child
Activating Strategy/ Bell Ringer / Quick Write, Completed Individually. Choose a fictional parent from TV/movie. Compare this parent to your own parent. How are they similar or different?
Balanced Literacy Components Addressed:
□ Reading
□ Writing
□ Word Study
□ Speaking & Listening
Gradual Release of Responsibility:
□ Modeled
□ Shared
□ Guided Practice
□ Independent / Common Core State Standards:
· RL 8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
I Can Statements:
· I can determine the theme or central idea of a text.
· I can analyze the relationship of theme to characters.
· I can provide an objective summary of the text.
· I can describe the archetypes of good parent & good child.
Instructional Plan:
· Split students into small groups for reading, using reading levels/needs to determine groups.
· Students work together to read a creation myth (differentiate for specific student needs with length & text complexity).
· Dependent on class structure & needs, split questions between groups (for example group 1A responsible for #1-4, group 1B is responsible for #5-7). Utilize timer for group management, as needed.
· During reading, students work together to answer the following questions:
1. Why does the god or goddess make others?
2. What do they give to their creations or children?
3. Does anyone break the expectations of the god or goddess? If so, how are they punished?
4. In what way is the god or goddess like a parent? Are they referred to as such?
5. How much power does the god or goddess have?
6. How much power do their creations have?
7. What is the theme of this myth?
Students will highlight their evidence from the text for #1-6, and explain which pieces of text influence their understanding for #7.
Highlight options: one color highlighter per student (if need to hold each individual accountable) OR one color highlighter per question, making info visually discernible for students & teacher.
· After reading, students will jigsaw with a comparison group to share and compare their story with the other stories, recording similarities on the comparison matrix.
· Continue rotating pairings until all groups have filled in characteristics from each story/myth. Group members rotate the duty of spokesman, so that each member has a chance to share.
· Once the comparison matrix is complete, send students back to their original reading groups. Have students brainstorm & create descriptions of what makes a good parent and a good child, according to these early myths.
· Discuss group descriptions. Adapt the descriptions to fit into the good parent & child archetype graphic organizers. Record descriptions on whole class chart, as students fill in information on their individual charts.
Closing/Summarizing Strategy / Last word: Good Parent, Good Child.
Write good parent & good child vertically on a piece of chart paper. Students work collaboratively to write one descriptor of each archetype per letter of the words. Keep up on classroom walls for later comparison to bad parent, bad child.
Differentiation Strategies / Extension / Intervention / Language Development
· Have students read multiple creation myths in their groups.
· Have students read myths independently, then come into groups to summarize and complete creation myth matrix.
· Students discuss commonalities they see in the text, without use of the comparison matrix. Then they work together to create a matrix based on these commonalities. / · Review vocabulary specific to the task and that from the previous tasks.
· Pair students for reading of texts.
· Provide audio versions of text, if needed.
· Read one creation myth aloud to model thinking strategies. Complete questions for that myth. Then students work on the remaining myths.
· Paraphrase questions listed in this task, as needed. / · Parent/Child Archetypes – set the stage: give students a brief and simple idea of what parent and child archetypes mean so as to focus their search.
· Parent/Child Descriptions – The teacher should consider posting a copy of this chart in the classroom so he/she can refer to it frequently. Always use a basic adjective for the main description of the archetype so the students can easily identify the character trait.
· Analyzing Parent/ Child Archetypes –Provide support for ESL students with visuals and written notes. Paraphrase the questions listed on this task as needed according to the students’ proficiency.
Assessment(s) / · Circulate during group reading time to check for individual group understanding.
· Evaluate levels of understanding demonstrated in student responses to creation myth questions.
· Fill in a myth comparison matrix as a class, making sure all essential elements are covered.
· Monitor student understanding of good parent & good child archetypes, through oral checks, filling out archetype posters, etc.
Reflection
Grades 6-12 ELA Lesson Plan
Grade/Course: 8
Unit Title: Unit 1—Vantage Points: Multiple Perspectives / Corresponding Unit Task: 3Day 2: Evil Step-Mothers, Fairy Tales
Unit EQ(s): / How do authors use ideas from older, familiar texts to write modern stories?
Why do different texts provide conflicting information about the same topic?
Why do authors use different media formats and text structures to present different information?
Essential Vocabulary / Protagonist
Antagonist
Conflict: External Conflict, Internal Conflict
Plot: Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution
Theme, Universal Themes
Characterization
Evidence, Textual Evidence
Archetype: Hero, Villain, Parent, Child, Sage, Fool
Media
Medium
Materials/Resources / · Excerpt from modern version of movie with “evil step-mother”
· Charles Perrault or Grimms’ Fairy Tales:
o Snow White (for an evil parent)
o Cinderella (for an evil parent figure & good child)
o Red Riding Hood (What happens when a child disobeys?)
o The Ungrateful Son
● Perrault fairy tales - http://worldoftales.com/fairy_tales/Perrault_fairy_tales.html
● Grimm’s Fairy tales - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~spok/grimmtmp
● Illustrated Grimm’s fairy tales - http://grimmsfairytales.us/index.html
· Somebody Wanted, But…So (on notebook paper or teacher-created)
· Fairy Tale Venn Diagram
· Archetype graphic organizers: Parent & Child
· Archetype graphic organizer posters: Parent & Child
Activating Strategy/ Bell Ringer / Show clip of modern fairy tale with evil stepmother figure (A Cinderella story, Ever After, Gaggle tube of Snow White and Cinderella on GEMS plan). Discuss characteristics of the evil stepmothers.
Balanced Literacy Components Addressed:
□ Reading
□ Writing
□ Word Study
□ Speaking & Listening
Gradual Release of Responsibility:
□ Modeled
□ Shared
□ Guided Practice
□ Independent / Common Core State Standards:
· RL 8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
· RL 8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
· RL 8.9: Analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.
I Can Statements:
· I can determine the theme or central idea of a text.
· I can analyze the relationship of theme to characters.
· I can provide an objective summary of the text.
· I can describe the archetypes of bad parent & bad child.
Instructional Plan:
· Watch video clip as activator.
· Place students in small collaborative reading groups. Each group is assigned a different fairy tale to read.
· During reading, students should answer the following questions:
1. What is a basic summary of the story?
2. What do the parents give to their children? What do they not give, which might be expected of them?
3. Does anyone break the expectations of the parents? If so, what expectations and how are they punished? Does this punishment go overboard?
4. How much power does the parent have?
5. How much power do the children have?
6. Does the child ever get power of their own, or do they need to be rescued?
· Then, have students convert several of their answers into a Somebody Wanted, But…So chart. This will help aid in understanding of character motivation. Students can fold their own chart or a teacher-created one can be provided.
· Students meet with one other group to compare what happens to “good” and “bad” parents and children in the fairy tales each group read. They will work together to complete the Fairy Tale Venn Diagram.
· As a whole class, return to the parent & child archetype graphic organizers. Complete the portion dedicated to “bad” parent & child.
Closing/Summarizing Strategy / Last word: Bad Parent, Bad Child.
Write bad parent & bad child vertically on a piece of chart paper. Students work collaboratively to write one descriptor of each archetype per letter of the words. Keep up on classroom walls to compare with good parent, good child.
Differentiation Strategies / Extension / Intervention / Language Development
· Have students read multiple fairy tales in their groups.
· Have students read fairy tales independently, then come into groups to summarize and complete Fairy Tale Venn Diagram.
· Use more complex versions of the tales for advanced groups. / · Review vocabulary specific to the task and that from the previous tasks.
· Pair students for reading of texts.
· Provide audio versions of text, if needed.
· Read one fairy tale aloud to model thinking strategies. (“The Ungrateful Son” is very short & would work well.) Complete questions for that tale. Then students work on the remaining fairy tales.
· Allow speech to text conversion to answer questions
· Paraphrase questions listed in this task, as needed.
· Shape student discussion of archetype characteristics, as needed. / · Parent/Child Archetypes – Review the characteristics of the good parent/child before beginning to review basic tenants of parent/child archetype.
· Parent/Child Descriptions – The teacher should consider posting a copy of this chart in the classroom so he/she can refer to it frequently. Always use a basic adjective for the main description of the archetype so the students can easily identify the character trait.
· Analyzing Parent/ Child Archetypes –Provide support for ESL students with visuals and written notes. Paraphrase the questions listed on this task as needed according to the students’ proficiency.
· Fairy Tale Venn Diagram – As the group refers to each character, make sure to include a visual or refer back and show the original text to facilitate the students’ understanding.
Assessment(s) / · Circulate during group reading time to check for individual group understanding.
· Evaluate levels of understanding demonstrated in student responses to fairy tale questions. Look/listen to be sure that students are grasping the concepts of punishment, protection, gifts, etc.
· Fill in a fairy tale comparison as a class, making sure all essential elements are covered.
· Monitor student understanding of bad parent & bad child archetypes, through oral checks, filling out archetype posters, etc.
Reflection
Fairy Tale Venn-Diagram
Fairy tale 1: ______
Fairy tale 2:______
Grades 6-12 ELA Lesson Plan
Grade/Course: 8
Unit Title: Unit 1—Vantage Points: Multiple Perspectives / Corresponding Unit Task: 3Day 3: The Giver: Family Relationships
Unit EQ(s): / How do authors use ideas from older, familiar texts to write modern stories?
Why do different texts provide conflicting information about the same topic?
Why do authors use different media formats and text structures to present different information?
Essential Vocabulary / Protagonist
Antagonist
Conflict: External Conflict, Internal Conflict
Plot: Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution
Theme, Universal Themes
Characterization
Evidence, Textual Evidence
Archetype: Hero, Villain, Parent, Child, Sage, Fool
Media
Medium
Materials/Resources / · The Giver novel set
· Archetype notes pages (hero, villain, parent, child)
· Tone words chart/The Giver family relationship page
· Tone word sort, 1 per table group of students
· The Giver family relationship charts on chart paper
Resources, as needed
· Tone words: http://ourenglishclass.net/class-notes/writing/the-writing-process/craft/tone-and-mood/
· More tone words http://www.fallriverschools.org/Tone%20and%20Mood%20words%20(unedited).pdf
· http://www.inetteacher.com/Upload1/102670/docs/Tone-Mood%20Worksheet.pdf
Activating Strategy/ Bell Ringer / Facebook Status Update: Students choose a character from The Giver and create a facebook status expressing that character’s feelings, actions, etc., at the given point in the plot. (These can be put on post-it notes, sentence strips, or written in journals.)
Balanced Literacy Components Addressed:
□ Reading
□ Writing
□ Word Study
□ Speaking & Listening
Gradual Release of Responsibility:
□ Modeled