Unit 5: Power through Words
Weeks 1-5 Calendar- Spring Semester (25 Days)
unit_5_calendar.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Rationale
In our fifth unit student will see, hear, and demonstrate the power that words possess. To understand this power, students will be engaging with the text The Book Thief by Mark Zusak. Students will begin the unit by completing a brief research assignment to give them a historical context for life in Germany during World War II. When we dive into the text, students will analyze how the author uses figurative language and images to convey meaning. In addition to The Book Thief, students will read excerpts from The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and listen to one of Hitler's most famous speeches. Students will use the accompanying texts to glean understanding of the power words can have. We will end the unit with a second student choice project in which students will further analyze the power of words.
This unit will pay specific attention to understanding the historical setting of the book. In using historical perspectives, "students can examine people or characters as 'persons in history' whose goals, plans, role, and beliefs are grounded in those particular periods" (Beach, Thein, Webb, 62). By understanding the historical context of the unit, students will be connecting English State Standards with Social Studies State Standards, gaining a cross curricular understanding. In this unit students will be completing two projects which will require students to reflect on personal experiences. These activities "can promote reflection about important experiences that will help students relate to the problems confronted by the characters in the literature" (Smagorinsky, Teaching English by Design, 175). Student reflections are personal and students will not be required to share if they are not comfortable. In this unit we will again be using multiple texts to help students make intertextual connections and gain multiple perspectives on a singular event. We will end the unit with a second student choice project which will again allow students to express their understanding of the unit in a way that is advantageous for them. I will further provide direction and feedback to assist students in their final project.
This unit will pay specific attention to understanding the historical setting of the book. In using historical perspectives, "students can examine people or characters as 'persons in history' whose goals, plans, role, and beliefs are grounded in those particular periods" (Beach, Thein, Webb, 62). By understanding the historical context of the unit, students will be connecting English State Standards with Social Studies State Standards, gaining a cross curricular understanding. In this unit students will be completing two projects which will require students to reflect on personal experiences. These activities "can promote reflection about important experiences that will help students relate to the problems confronted by the characters in the literature" (Smagorinsky, Teaching English by Design, 175). Student reflections are personal and students will not be required to share if they are not comfortable. In this unit we will again be using multiple texts to help students make intertextual connections and gain multiple perspectives on a singular event. We will end the unit with a second student choice project which will again allow students to express their understanding of the unit in a way that is advantageous for them. I will further provide direction and feedback to assist students in their final project.
Goals
- Understand the role words play in defining power
- Conduct research to understand historical context
- Analyze the use of figurative language in a text
- Make connections between historical accounts and students' lives
- Use multiple intelligences to communicate understanding of a text
Standards Addressed
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. (CCSS: RL.8.4)
- Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style. (CCSS: RL.8.5)
- Explain how authors use language to influence audience perceptions of events, people, and ideas
- Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. (CCSS: W.8.8)
- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (CCSS: W.8.9)
Texts
The Book Thief, by Mark Zusak
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. (Overview from Amazon.com)
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. (Overview from Amazon.com)
Swing Kids (1993)
The story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US. Soon dancing and fun leads to more difficult choices as the Nazis begin tightening the grip on Germany. Each member of the group is forced to face some tough choices about right, wrong, and survival. (Overview from IMDb.com)
We will only be watching excerpts from this movie, not the entire film.
The story of a close-knit group of young kids in Nazi Germany who listen to banned swing music from the US. Soon dancing and fun leads to more difficult choices as the Nazis begin tightening the grip on Germany. Each member of the group is forced to face some tough choices about right, wrong, and survival. (Overview from IMDb.com)
We will only be watching excerpts from this movie, not the entire film.
The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic -- a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. (Overview from Amazon.com)
We will only be reading excerpts from this work.
Poems: "Summer Colours" by Fenny Sterenborg, "Creation’s Colors" by Raymond A. Foss, "The Colours Of Light" by Dorothea Mackellar, "The Flower of Liberty" by Oliver Wendell Holmes, "All Things Beautiful and Bright" by Cecil F. Alexander
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic -- a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit. In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annex" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. (Overview from Amazon.com)
We will only be reading excerpts from this work.
Poems: "Summer Colours" by Fenny Sterenborg, "Creation’s Colors" by Raymond A. Foss, "The Colours Of Light" by Dorothea Mackellar, "The Flower of Liberty" by Oliver Wendell Holmes, "All Things Beautiful and Bright" by Cecil F. Alexander
Activities and Assessments
Life in Germany During WWII Research
Students will be split into small groups of 4 or 5. Each group will be given a research topic such as the Nazi party, Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hitler Youth, United German Girls, ect. Groups will research their topic together and compile notes on their research. We will then watch the film Swing Kids as a class. Students will be asked to consider how their research topic is portrayed in the film. Groups will then create a Glogster displaying the information they collected from their research and noting its significance in Swing Kids. Students will be asked to upload video, audio, pictures and text to their Glogster. Groups will share their Glogsters with the class and teach their peers about their research topic.
Groups will be assessed on their ability to work collaboratively to produce a quality Glogster which clearly displays their researched topic. Glogsters should be neat, with the group's research topic clearly listed. Their information should be clear and concise, with clear connection to the film. Their Glogsters should present the information through text, video, audio, and pictures.
Color and Poetry
Students will begin class by journaling about a significant or memorable day from their life. They should create a mind map of events, people, feelings, and emotions from their chosen day. Students will then think about colors they would use to describe their emotions. As a class, we will read the color poems listed above and discuss common associations with different colors. Next, students will collect images from magazines, newspapers, or their own drawings that represent events from students' memorable days. Their pictures should act as a visual representation of the events and emotions from that day while also reflecting the colors that they chose to associate with that day. Students will compile their images into a collage of their day. Finally, by using their collage as a stimulus, students will create their own color poem explaining their day. Students will be encouraged to share their poems with the class.
*Adapted from Veronica Burk's lesson on color and poetry
Students will be assessed on the completion of their collages. Their images should visually capture their memory of the day and use colors associated with the feeling they are expressing. Students' poems should reflect their collage and follow the model poems.
Communicating through Pictures
Before reading The Standover Man in the novel, students will look at the drawings only (minus the accompanying text). We will discuss what story the pictures are telling, who the two characters are, what their relationship is, and what the significance is of the last page? Students will then write their own text to accompany the drawings. Students will then read the text to The Standover Man that Max wrote. Students will consider how their words compare to the original. What are the similarities and differences? What message was Max trying to communicate? Students will then write and illustrate their own story in a style similar to The Standover Man. They will choose a simple theme or message and then write a simple text and illiustrations. When their story is completed, students will skype in with an elementary student from a neighboring school and read them their story.
Students will be assessed on the completion of their constructed stories. Their stories must include both words and pictures, in a simplistic style as modeled in The Standover Man. They will be given points for participation in the skype session.
The MASTERPIECE Video Diary
Students will create their own video diary entry to submit to the Masterpiece Video Diary project. The video diary project was designed to provoke fresh and diverse perspectives on Anne Frank and her legacy. "Anne Frank was an amazing storyteller — and through her words, inspired youth to document their thoughts on self-expression and tolerance." Students will tell their own stories of overcoming being bullied or disrespected through a short video diary and record them using the WGBH Lab. Included below is a sample clip of student submissions.
This assignment will be assessed on completion of their video diary. Their diary entries should be concise and expressive. They should capture student's stories in a compelling manner.
Students will be split into small groups of 4 or 5. Each group will be given a research topic such as the Nazi party, Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf, Hitler Youth, United German Girls, ect. Groups will research their topic together and compile notes on their research. We will then watch the film Swing Kids as a class. Students will be asked to consider how their research topic is portrayed in the film. Groups will then create a Glogster displaying the information they collected from their research and noting its significance in Swing Kids. Students will be asked to upload video, audio, pictures and text to their Glogster. Groups will share their Glogsters with the class and teach their peers about their research topic.
Groups will be assessed on their ability to work collaboratively to produce a quality Glogster which clearly displays their researched topic. Glogsters should be neat, with the group's research topic clearly listed. Their information should be clear and concise, with clear connection to the film. Their Glogsters should present the information through text, video, audio, and pictures.
Color and Poetry
Students will begin class by journaling about a significant or memorable day from their life. They should create a mind map of events, people, feelings, and emotions from their chosen day. Students will then think about colors they would use to describe their emotions. As a class, we will read the color poems listed above and discuss common associations with different colors. Next, students will collect images from magazines, newspapers, or their own drawings that represent events from students' memorable days. Their pictures should act as a visual representation of the events and emotions from that day while also reflecting the colors that they chose to associate with that day. Students will compile their images into a collage of their day. Finally, by using their collage as a stimulus, students will create their own color poem explaining their day. Students will be encouraged to share their poems with the class.
*Adapted from Veronica Burk's lesson on color and poetry
Students will be assessed on the completion of their collages. Their images should visually capture their memory of the day and use colors associated with the feeling they are expressing. Students' poems should reflect their collage and follow the model poems.
Communicating through Pictures
Before reading The Standover Man in the novel, students will look at the drawings only (minus the accompanying text). We will discuss what story the pictures are telling, who the two characters are, what their relationship is, and what the significance is of the last page? Students will then write their own text to accompany the drawings. Students will then read the text to The Standover Man that Max wrote. Students will consider how their words compare to the original. What are the similarities and differences? What message was Max trying to communicate? Students will then write and illustrate their own story in a style similar to The Standover Man. They will choose a simple theme or message and then write a simple text and illiustrations. When their story is completed, students will skype in with an elementary student from a neighboring school and read them their story.
Students will be assessed on the completion of their constructed stories. Their stories must include both words and pictures, in a simplistic style as modeled in The Standover Man. They will be given points for participation in the skype session.
The MASTERPIECE Video Diary
Students will create their own video diary entry to submit to the Masterpiece Video Diary project. The video diary project was designed to provoke fresh and diverse perspectives on Anne Frank and her legacy. "Anne Frank was an amazing storyteller — and through her words, inspired youth to document their thoughts on self-expression and tolerance." Students will tell their own stories of overcoming being bullied or disrespected through a short video diary and record them using the WGBH Lab. Included below is a sample clip of student submissions.
This assignment will be assessed on completion of their video diary. Their diary entries should be concise and expressive. They should capture student's stories in a compelling manner.
What Makes Words Powerful?
Students will listen to an audio recording on Hitler's 1933 speech. While listening to the speech, students will jot down which words stick out most from Hitler's speech. When the speech is over, we will compile a class list of significant words. Students will discuss why they chose these words. Was it because of their denotation, connotations, context, or maybe in the way they were delivered? Students will reflect on the speech and their discussion bey writing a short (250 word) reflection on what makes words powerful and post it to the class blog. Students will also comment on a classmates reflection.
Students will be assessed on the completion of their reflection. Reflections should be around 250 words, draw from class discussion, and answer the prompt.
Students will listen to an audio recording on Hitler's 1933 speech. While listening to the speech, students will jot down which words stick out most from Hitler's speech. When the speech is over, we will compile a class list of significant words. Students will discuss why they chose these words. Was it because of their denotation, connotations, context, or maybe in the way they were delivered? Students will reflect on the speech and their discussion bey writing a short (250 word) reflection on what makes words powerful and post it to the class blog. Students will also comment on a classmates reflection.
Students will be assessed on the completion of their reflection. Reflections should be around 250 words, draw from class discussion, and answer the prompt.
Culminating Assignment and Assessment
Student Choice Project 2
The culminating assignment for this unit will be the second of three student choice assignments that students will complete throughout the year. Students must create a project of their choice conveying and analyzing the power of words as in The Book Thief. Students may use the sheet attached below for possible ideas for their project. Students must either chose a project from those listed bellow,or conference with me about one of their own ideas. We will have a planning day in class to help each student pick a project that they are comfortable and happy with. We will then have two in class work and peer review days to help students with any questions they have. Students will be asked to upload their completed projects to the class blog to be shared with classmates and the larger community. On the final day we will do a gallery walk through so students may see their classmates projects.
The culminating assignment for this unit will be the second of three student choice assignments that students will complete throughout the year. Students must create a project of their choice conveying and analyzing the power of words as in The Book Thief. Students may use the sheet attached below for possible ideas for their project. Students must either chose a project from those listed bellow,or conference with me about one of their own ideas. We will have a planning day in class to help each student pick a project that they are comfortable and happy with. We will then have two in class work and peer review days to help students with any questions they have. Students will be asked to upload their completed projects to the class blog to be shared with classmates and the larger community. On the final day we will do a gallery walk through so students may see their classmates projects.
possible_ideas_for_student_choice_project.docx | |
File Size: | 13 kb |
File Type: | docx |
This assignment will be assessed on students' ability to show and analyze the power of words . Students' responses must be clearly represented in whatever genre of project they choose. The chosen genre must enhance the meaning that students are trying to convey. In other words, the form should not detract from the thinking. Students must also effectively execute whichever genre they choose (i.e. if the choose to do a comic, it must contain all elements required for a comic, in the correct form). I will be grading students on their creativity and on their thinking about the power of words.
* This culminating assignment will require students to draw on knowledge of the power of words discussed throughout the unit. This assignment will also serve as practice for the larger student choice assignment students will complete at the end of the semester. It should give students an idea of my expectations for the culminating year assessment as well as give them possible ideas from viewing their classmate's projects.
* This culminating assignment will require students to draw on knowledge of the power of words discussed throughout the unit. This assignment will also serve as practice for the larger student choice assignment students will complete at the end of the semester. It should give students an idea of my expectations for the culminating year assessment as well as give them possible ideas from viewing their classmate's projects.