Unit 8: Power through Fear
Weeks 14-19 Calendar- Spring Semester (30 Days)
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Rationale
In our final unit students will conclude their year-long study of power by examining how power works in relation to fear. The class will be splitting into two groups to read two separate texts: The Hunger Games and Ender's Game. Through these two texts we will work to understand the Hero's Journey and apply it to each text. Studying the Hero's Journey will require student to again focus on character and theme, in accordance to Colorado State Standards. From there we will study how fear works in both novels to expand the definition of power we have developed over the course of the year. Students will work collaboratively with their peers who read the same novel to create a mural capturing the essence of said novel. For the final assignment, students will compile an extended version of the two student choice assignments created earlier in the year. This extended project will ask students to define power through three different genres. The goal is to create a unified, coherent project from all three combined genres.
This unit is essential because it synthesizes the information on power gained from all other units and gives students a unified view of how all facets of power work. Students will be introduced to aspects of the Hero's Journey, which is will give them a head start to material they will be covering in their high school classes. The Combining Visions project will require students to work collaboratively to create a coherent mural. Working collaboratively Relating to and collaborating with others is "relevant to all standards" (Beach, Thein, Webb, Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, 52). In fact, "the success of a group does not depend on individual members' intelligence or skills; it depends on 'collective intelligence'" (Beach, Thein, Webb, Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, 53). It is important that students learn to work collaboratively as a group, rather than relying on their individual skills. It is becoming increasingly essential to be able to work as a group in job requirements. Finally, students' final, multigenre project is important as it teaches students to synthesize information through multiple ways of thinking. "Students ought to have opportunities to generate knowledge through texts and processes that move beyond conventional school's emphasis on analytic writing" (Smagorinsky, Teaching English by Design, 90). This project will allow students to think in ways that makes sense to them, while also asking students to create a coherent assignment through multiple perspectives.
This unit is essential because it synthesizes the information on power gained from all other units and gives students a unified view of how all facets of power work. Students will be introduced to aspects of the Hero's Journey, which is will give them a head start to material they will be covering in their high school classes. The Combining Visions project will require students to work collaboratively to create a coherent mural. Working collaboratively Relating to and collaborating with others is "relevant to all standards" (Beach, Thein, Webb, Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, 52). In fact, "the success of a group does not depend on individual members' intelligence or skills; it depends on 'collective intelligence'" (Beach, Thein, Webb, Teaching to Exceed the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, 53). It is important that students learn to work collaboratively as a group, rather than relying on their individual skills. It is becoming increasingly essential to be able to work as a group in job requirements. Finally, students' final, multigenre project is important as it teaches students to synthesize information through multiple ways of thinking. "Students ought to have opportunities to generate knowledge through texts and processes that move beyond conventional school's emphasis on analytic writing" (Smagorinsky, Teaching English by Design, 90). This project will allow students to think in ways that makes sense to them, while also asking students to create a coherent assignment through multiple perspectives.
Goals
- Understand the role fear plays in defining power
- Compare and contrast two texts
- Know the components of the Hero's Journey and how it works in a story
- Work collaboratively to create a project
- Use multiple intelligences to communicate understanding of a text
Standards Addressed
- 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)
- Develop and share interpretations of literary works of personal interest
- 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. (CCSS: RL.8.9)
- Use appropriate media to demonstrate reasoning and explain decisions in the creative process.
- Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. (CCSS: SL.8.5
Texts
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.(Overview from Amazon.com)
Half of our class will be reading this novel, while the other half reads the Hunger Games.
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.(Overview from Amazon.com)
Half of our class will be reading this novel, while the other half reads the Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. (Overview from Amazon.com)
Half of our class will be reading this novel, while the other half reads Ender's Game.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. (Overview from Amazon.com)
Half of our class will be reading this novel, while the other half reads Ender's Game.
Short Stories: The Interlopers by Saki, Thank You, Ma’m by Langston Hughes, Marigolds by Eugenia Collier, Cranes by Hwang Sunwon, A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
Activities and Assessments
Hero's Journey Story Mapper
After instruction on the Hero's Journey, I will split students up into four groups. Each group will be assigned one of the short stories listed above. In groups students will read story aloud. Students will then log on to the Hero's Journey and complete the interactive story individually, using the hero from their designated short story as a group. When finished, they will print out their Hero's Journey and share with the class on the doc cam. Students will use this website again later in the unit to map out the Hero's journey of either Katniss or Ender.
This activity will be assessed on completion of their story map. Story maps must correctly identify each component of the Hero's Journey.
Futuristic Advertisements
Students will create a billboard advertisement for a product used in either Capitol City by Hunger Games participants or on Earth by normal citizens in Ender's Game. Students will begin by brainstorming a list of possible products, drawing on what they learned about marketable products and advertising in the previous unit. Students will create a billboard ad on a poster board, showing a picture of the product, an explanation of what it does, and a catch phrase to promote their product. Students should draw on their knowledge of propaganda and word choice from unit 5 when writing their catch phrases. I will hang up students' posters around the room and students will do a gallery walk through to view their classmate's advertisements. Discuss the word choice students used in their ads. How did they motivate consumers to buy their product? How can fear be a motivater? How can fear be expressed through word choice and advertising?
Advertisements must include a picture, an explanation and a catch phrase. Students must draw on their previous knowledge from previous units to complete this assignment.
Sensory Emotion Poem
Students will first brainstorm the emotions which the central character (Katniss or Ender) experiences in their novel and the incidents which inspire the emotional reaction. The will then choose one emotion to write their poem from. In the first few lines of the poem, students will associate the emotion with the five senses. The last line of the poem will include a metaphor of the emotion.
Title (Emotion)
(Line 1) (Emotion) is (color)
(Line 2) What does the emotion taste like?
(Line 3) What does the emotion smell like?
(Line 4) What does the emotion feel like?
(Line 5) What does the emotion sound like?
(Line 6) What does the emotion look like?
(Line 7) (Emotion) is _____________(include a metaphor)
*From Bright Hub Education
Student poems will be assessed on completion in adherence to the designated format. Student poems must capture a reasonable emotion for their designated character.
Combining Visions Project
In this activity students will collaboratively create a mural of their designated novel with all other class members who are also reading that novel. They may use photographs, magazine clippings, drawings, hand written words, or even small objects on their mural. Their mural should depict the story from beginning to end, including settings, characters, key plot points, symbols, and themes. Students will be asked to also pick a soundtrack (1 song) to play while they present their collage which contributes to the overall feel of the piece. This is a collaborative work; I expect every group member to contribute their talents and opinions to this project. We will create our murals in class and present them on the final day.
Students must work collaboratively to create a coherent mural. Murals must adequately capture the story from beginning to end, include setting, characters, plot points, symbols, and themes. Their murals must include visual representation and a soundtrack.
After instruction on the Hero's Journey, I will split students up into four groups. Each group will be assigned one of the short stories listed above. In groups students will read story aloud. Students will then log on to the Hero's Journey and complete the interactive story individually, using the hero from their designated short story as a group. When finished, they will print out their Hero's Journey and share with the class on the doc cam. Students will use this website again later in the unit to map out the Hero's journey of either Katniss or Ender.
This activity will be assessed on completion of their story map. Story maps must correctly identify each component of the Hero's Journey.
Futuristic Advertisements
Students will create a billboard advertisement for a product used in either Capitol City by Hunger Games participants or on Earth by normal citizens in Ender's Game. Students will begin by brainstorming a list of possible products, drawing on what they learned about marketable products and advertising in the previous unit. Students will create a billboard ad on a poster board, showing a picture of the product, an explanation of what it does, and a catch phrase to promote their product. Students should draw on their knowledge of propaganda and word choice from unit 5 when writing their catch phrases. I will hang up students' posters around the room and students will do a gallery walk through to view their classmate's advertisements. Discuss the word choice students used in their ads. How did they motivate consumers to buy their product? How can fear be a motivater? How can fear be expressed through word choice and advertising?
Advertisements must include a picture, an explanation and a catch phrase. Students must draw on their previous knowledge from previous units to complete this assignment.
Sensory Emotion Poem
Students will first brainstorm the emotions which the central character (Katniss or Ender) experiences in their novel and the incidents which inspire the emotional reaction. The will then choose one emotion to write their poem from. In the first few lines of the poem, students will associate the emotion with the five senses. The last line of the poem will include a metaphor of the emotion.
Title (Emotion)
(Line 1) (Emotion) is (color)
(Line 2) What does the emotion taste like?
(Line 3) What does the emotion smell like?
(Line 4) What does the emotion feel like?
(Line 5) What does the emotion sound like?
(Line 6) What does the emotion look like?
(Line 7) (Emotion) is _____________(include a metaphor)
*From Bright Hub Education
Student poems will be assessed on completion in adherence to the designated format. Student poems must capture a reasonable emotion for their designated character.
Combining Visions Project
In this activity students will collaboratively create a mural of their designated novel with all other class members who are also reading that novel. They may use photographs, magazine clippings, drawings, hand written words, or even small objects on their mural. Their mural should depict the story from beginning to end, including settings, characters, key plot points, symbols, and themes. Students will be asked to also pick a soundtrack (1 song) to play while they present their collage which contributes to the overall feel of the piece. This is a collaborative work; I expect every group member to contribute their talents and opinions to this project. We will create our murals in class and present them on the final day.
Students must work collaboratively to create a coherent mural. Murals must adequately capture the story from beginning to end, include setting, characters, plot points, symbols, and themes. Their murals must include visual representation and a soundtrack.
Culminating Assignment and Assessment
Multigenre Student Choice Project
The culminating assignment for this unit will be the final project of three student choice projects completed throughout the year. This assignment will require students to combine three different genres into one unifying project. Each chosen genre must work to enhance the other two. All three genres must work together to create a unified definition. Students must create a project of their choice defining power: who has power, and how do they gain it, how is power maintained and exerted? Students may use the sheet attached below for possible ideas for their project. Students must either chose three projects from those listed bellow,or conference with me about their own ideas. We will have planning days in class to help each student pick a project that they are comfortable and happy with. We will then have multiple 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 final project of three student choice projects completed throughout the year. This assignment will require students to combine three different genres into one unifying project. Each chosen genre must work to enhance the other two. All three genres must work together to create a unified definition. Students must create a project of their choice defining power: who has power, and how do they gain it, how is power maintained and exerted? Students may use the sheet attached below for possible ideas for their project. Students must either chose three projects from those listed bellow,or conference with me about their own ideas. We will have planning days in class to help each student pick a project that they are comfortable and happy with. We will then have multiple 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.
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File Type: | docx |
This assignment will be graded in a similar fashion to the previous two student choice assignments. Students will be assessed on their' ability to adequately define power by answering each question in the prompt. Students' definition of power must be clearly represented in whichever genres of project they choose. The chosen genres must enhance the meaning that students are trying to convey. In other words, the form should not detract from the thinking. For this project, it is essential that students three genres work together to create a coherent definition of power. 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 definition of power.
*This final assignment will ask students to combine their knowledge of all previous units. They will need to define power using the information they have collected over the course of the year. Also, students will be able to use all unit final projects as possible guides for genres to use in this assignment.
*This final assignment will ask students to combine their knowledge of all previous units. They will need to define power using the information they have collected over the course of the year. Also, students will be able to use all unit final projects as possible guides for genres to use in this assignment.