Unit 1 – Reading and Writing Memoir

In this unit of study you will read and write memoir – a memory from your life.  As you read memoirs you will examine how other writers structure and focus the writing of a memory.  As you write your own memoir, you will be setting up writing habits for the rest of the year.  Through our work we will try to find answers to these guiding questions:

·          What are some of the defining moments in my life?

·          What do I value about myself and who I am becoming?

Some of the assignments/assessments of your work in this unit:

Standard	Honors
Annotation of published memoir.	Annotation of published memoir.
Two or more drafts and one final personal memoir.	Two or more drafts and one final personal memoir.  Drafts incorporate differing structures of memoir.
Six-word memoir.	Six-word memoir accompanied by written explanation.
Reflections of the unit.	Reflections of the unit.
Read and respond to one short memoir or excerpt from novel-length memoir.	Read and respond to one novel-length memoir of your choice.
Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.	Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.

Unit 2 – Building a Reading Life and Examining “Coming of Age” Novels

This unit of study will be anchored with a whole class reading of the novel, Whirligig.  In addition, you will choose a literature circle book as another model of “coming of age” stories.  As you read these novels, you will examine character development and the plot structure of the books.  Finally, you will write literary analysis of the literature you read.  Questions to guide our thinking in this unit are:

·          What does it mean to “come of age”?

·          What do “coming of age” novels have in common?

Some of the assignments/assessments of your work in this unit:

Standard	Honors
Read Whirligig and literature circle book.	Read Whirligig and literature circle book.
Literature circle conversations.	Literature circle conversations.
Written response to literature – informal and formal essay as well as creative responses.	Written response to literature – informal and formal essay as well as creative responses.
Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.	Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.

Unit 3 – Reading and Writing Poetry

In this unit of study you will explore free verse poetry.  This will be a time to concentrate on understanding the power of figurative language and the genre of poetry.  You will explore the questions:

·          What can a writer accomplish or communicate with poetry?

·          How is poetry the same and different from prose?

Some of the assignments/assessments of your work in this unit:

Standard	Honors
Read and annotate poetry.	Read and annotate poetry.
Write original 10 poems.	Write original 10 poems.
Analyze and write about a poem of your choice.	Analyze and write about a poem of your choice.
Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.	Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.

Unit 4 – Examining an Issue and Taking a Stand

This unit of study gives you a chance to explore the world of information.  You will choose a topic of interest to you, design a research question, and then explore the potential answers to the question.  Additionally, you will try various forms of information writing to communicate with a wide audience.  Questions to guide your work in this unit:

·          What “issues” are there in the world that I care about?

·          What are effective ways to communicate what I have learned?

Some of the assignments/assessments of your work in this unit:

Standard	Honors
Read and comprehend informational texts.	Read and comprehend informational texts.
Collect annotated texts gathered about one subject/issue.	Collect annotated texts gathered about one subject/issue.
Collaborate with a group to create an informational magazine about subject/issue.	Collaborate with a group to create an informational magazine about subject/issue.
Read and respond to one novel-length informational book or futuristic book of your choice.	Read and respond to one novel-length informational book or futuristic book of your choice.
Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.	Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.

Unit 5 – Reading and Understanding Difficult Texts:  Romeo and Juliet

It takes skills to tackle difficult texts, and in this unit of study you will work to continue your growth as a reader while reading Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet.   In addition to building comprehension skills, this play gives us windows into interesting characters and themes.  Guiding our study of Romeo and Juliet are these questions:

·          How do relationships shape who I am?

·          How do relationships shape my values, actions, my life?

Some of the assignments/assessments of your work in this unit:

Standard	Honors
Read and analyze characters and themes in Romeo and Juliet.	Read and analyze characters and themes in Romeo and Juliet.
“Direct” a scene from the play to show deeper comprehension of the text.	“Direct” a scene from the play to show deeper comprehension of the text.
Read a short story and respond to the effect of relationships within the story.	Read a novel of your choice and respond to the effect of relationships within the story.
Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.	Weekly and end-of-unit skills checks.

Unit 6 – Wrapping it Up!

In the last unit of the year we will prepare for the EOC but we’ll also conclude our investigations from the year.  This will be a chance to reflect on your learning across the year, and to create a culminating exhibit of some of that learning.                                                                                                                                  Guiding questions for the final unit:

·          What learning will I keep with me for the next several years and life?

·          What belongs in my portfolio to showcase who I am and the learning I have accomplished this year?

Some of the assignments/assessments of your work in this unit:

Standard	Honors
Read and recommend a novel to younger students.	Read and recommend a novel to younger students.
Finalize your portfolio of learning for the year, contributing a final reflective piece for the year.	Finalize your portfolio of learning for the year, contributing a final reflective piece for the year.

Nuts and Bolts

 

 Materials:

Daybook – a marble composition book

glue stick or tape

pens or pencils

Texts (Standard):                                              Texts (Honors):

            Whirligig by Paul Fleischman                                             Whirligig by Paul Fleischman

            Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare Made Easy Version             Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare Made Easy Version

            2 Literature Circle Choice                                               2 Literature Circle Choice

            1 Independently Chosen Novel-Length Books                      3 Independently Chosen Novel-Length Book

Grading Policy:

Grades for this class are grouped into two categories:  formative and summative.  Formative grades are assignments that inform my teaching and your progress and growth.  These assignments will include homework, small quizzes, exit slips, daybook quick checks, etc. and will account for 10% of your overall grade.  Summative grades are final assignments and projects.  Primarily these assignments will be part of your on-going portfolio of work.  Summative assignments may be writing workshop pieces that you work on over an entire unit of study, an in-class written assignment, tests, and projects that culminate a unit.  Summative grades account for 65% of your overall grade.  The End-of-Course test for English I will account for 25% of your overall grade.

If a student is unhappy with the assessed performance on a summative assignment, he or she may schedule a conference with me to discuss the possibilities of continuing to work on the skills and concepts assessed in the assignment and completing a new assessment of those skills and concepts.  Work that is not completed will be indicated with a NC in the electronic grade book (Edline).  Students are expected to complete those assignments in a timely manner for partial credit, or discuss with me the possibility of an alternative assignment to replace the NC grade.

Electronic Information:

I will maintain a webpage where I post a calendar of assignments for this class, outlines of specific assignments, handouts, homework assignments, etc.  In the first few weeks of school I will teach students how to access the page so that it may help keep students up-to-date and organized.