Cheri Johnson

Professor Warner

English 112B � Unit Plan

05 May 2005

 

Background: Curriculum standards dictate a good portion of department learning goals in an effort to improve student achievement, so it is important to consult a school�s curriculum map when developing a unit plan.

 

Observation: The number one theme that I read in student essays deals with issues that result from families who are split up, usually because of divorce. Consequently, I want to incorporate a theme that addresses family confrontations, yet complements the curriculum, and incorporates young adult literature.

 

I.               Launching Unit � Theme is �families�

 

�       I will tape excerpts of Leave It to Beaver, Roseanne, and The Simpsons

 

I do not have specific episodes in mind, but the common theme that ties the

episodes together are family and relationships within the family. The traditional

family consisting of mother, father, and children living underneath one roof is

fast becoming an ideal of the past. In teaching a unit on family, it will be very

important to recognize and respect the different home lives of the student in the

classroom. (Source: Troy Escamilla Teaching Project)

These popular television sitcoms epitomize the popular view of American family.

 

What I would ask the students to pay attention to is how the media portrays the family. How do the parents interact with their children? When conflicts arise, how do they resolve them? As a homework assignment, the students will write a reader response (journal) on two of the three episodes addressing how the episodes represent the family.

 

II.             Literary Response and Analysis emphasizing character traits (Source: CA 5 standards and Holt textbook)

 

�       Practice: Who is the most unforgettable character you have ever met in a

story? First, jot down your ideas on a chart like the one here.

Next, write a few sentences about why you find the character so memorable.

Most memorable

Character

 

Most outstanding

character trait

(direct characterization)

 

Character�s

Appearance

 

Important

Thoughts

 

Important

Actions

 

Reactions of

other characters

 

Speech

 

 

 

III.           Read aloud �The Pin� in class from Chris Crutcher�s Athletic Shorts (allow approx. 30 min. for read time) conclude day 1 here

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Begin day two by discussing how characters are created:

 

�       Creating characters � telling what human beings are like � is the whole

point of writing stories. A story is interesting to us as readers largely because

of what it tells us about people and how we behave.

 

�       Interpreting characters� words: The most obvious method of characterization

is the characters� speech. Think of how you can recognize your friends from

what they say and how they say it.

 

�       Writers also use appearance to create character. As readers we will respond

one way to a character wearing a pinstriped suit and another way to a

character wearing faded jeans.

 

�       In fiction a writer can even take us into the characters� minds to reveal their

private thoughts.

 

�       We can learn about characters by watching how other characters in the

story feel about them.

 

�       One of the most important ways that we learn about characters is from their

actions, from what we see them do.

 

Discuss character traits from the short story �The Pin,� using some of the ideas above. Explain how voice, persona and the choice of a narrator affect character, tone, plot and credibility. Identify textual evidence in advance to supplement student comments or to help them get started. For example, ask the students if the antagonist�s name, �The Great Cecil B. Rivers,� reveals anything about his character. Key: Be sure students build on text/support through answers in the text.

�       Instruct students to fill out the practice exercise chart again, this time using

�The Pin� as the source for a character.

 

IV.           Read the poem �Mother to Son� by Langston Hughes (Source: Holt)

 

The current edition Holt Language Arts textbook for ninth grade students, includes a CD Rom in which Hughes reads the poem enabling students to hear his actual voice.

 

�       In Hughes�s poem �Mother to Son,� a mother is talking to her son. The

poem is an example of a dramatic monologue, a poem in which a speaker

addresses one or more silent listeners. During the course of a dramatic

monologue, the speaker reveals important thoughts and feelings.

 

Discuss the use of dialect in the poem then ask students to share their opinions regarding the message that the speaker conveys to her son.

 

V.             Read aloud Langston Hughes� short story, �Thank You, M�am.�

 

This is the centerpiece work for the unit. It meets the required reading standards, and the short story bodes well in a discussion about �families � even if inferences have to be drawn about both character�s families. Additionally, the short story complements the standards that have been taught thus far regarding the analysis of character traits.

 

�       In order to reinforce skills, repeat the practice exercise of jotting down ideas

on a chart that identify and distinguish a character from the story �Thank

You, M�am.�(use chart above) Continue to repeat the exercise by having the

students write a few sentences about why they find one of the characters to be

memorable.

 

VI.           Assign an essay (2 page maximum), which requires the student to write about a single specific incident that occurred in their life. It will be important to review the criteria of the paper to ensure that they focus on a single incident instead of a series of events. Encourage precise verbs, sensory detail and active voice to make the writing more vivid. Allow one week for the essay to be written and require a preliminary student workshop of the working drafts to be due in three days.

end of day two

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VII.         Socratic Seminar � Theme is �family conflict�

 

�      The purpose of choosing �family� as the theme is to discuss students� ideas to solve the social problems that were discussed throughout the unit.

 

From the standpoint of student perception, have the students review the primary conflict(s) from the episodes of �Leave It to Beaver,� �Roseanne,� and �The Simpsons�.� Also review the conflicts in �The Pin� and �Thank you M�am.� Write five of the conflicts on the white board and instruct the students to vote on which conflict they would like to discuss in a Socratic Seminar.

 

 

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At this point the Unit Plan is finished; however, it lends itself to a continuing cycle, which can easily include additional elements of the curriculum standards simply by adding on more literature. For example, this Unit Plan would work well over a one-month period of time by adding two more Chris Crutcher short stories as well as a short story from the Holt text, �Raymond Run.� The additional literature would be paired up with appropriate standards such as precise language and sensory detail. It would also serve to reinforce the meaning of character traits.