The Unit Plan You'll Tell Your Grandkids About.

Unit title:

“Honesty and Self-Efficacy”

Unit Texts: (subject to slight change)

As I Lay Dying William Faulkner or A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway

Sidhartha by Herman Hesse

“Antigone”, “Oedipus the King”, and “Oedipus at Colonus” by Sophocles

“The Man who Lived Underground” – Richard Wright

“The Passing of Grandison” – Charles W. Chesnutt

Excerpts from W.E.B. DuBois’s “The Souls of Black Folk”

NCTE/IRA Standards Assessed:

1.         Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

2.         Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

3.         Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

5.         Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

7.

Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

9.         Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.

11.       Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

12.       Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Kansas College and Career Ready Standards Assessed:

W.5.     Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience

W.1c.   Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons,

between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

W.2c.   Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

W.3c.   Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense

 of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).

SL.1     * Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts,

and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

a.         Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other

research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

b.         Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.

c.          Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue;

clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

d.         Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.

Students Will Know/Be Able to:

Students will be able to demonstrate a unique opinion regarding a particular piece of literature in a classroom environment and/or in writing.

Students will be able to read for themselves first, and bring their own interpretation to the classroom.

Students will know how to write an essay that cites its sources according to format.

Students will be able to to command their own unique sense of sentence fluency within writing assignments.

Students will be able to analyze the content of a work of literature, find a deeper meaning, and describe verbally or through writing how this meaning relates to that which “lies on the surface.”

Students will know how to give an explanation for why they do or do not agree with a particular interpretation of literature.

Student’s will know and understand that there is no pre-designated form for comprehending a work of fiction. Students will demonstrate that they are their own authority on the matter through their essay writing, journal writing, and in-class dialogue.

Assessment Evidence:

Students will be assessed through two primary means.

1.              Participation points will be given daily to students who are an active part of classroom discussion. The classroom will center on analyzing and unpacking literary works as a social unit, and also in small groups. Because some students are hesitant to voice their opinions in front of a group, there will also be an opportunity to write in a journal to receive the same participation credit. Nonetheless, I intend to attempt to encourage all students to participate in class discussion. Students who contribute daily will not be required to write journal entries.  

2.              The second means for assessment will be based through writing assignments. This class will be required to write four papers over the course of the semester. Two of these papers will be analytical interpretations of a particular literary work. In these two papers, students will choose their own topic. Students encouraged to pick the narrowest topic as possible and will be shown examples of the benefits of essays that analyze narrow topics. One of the essays will deal with the unit theme and require the student to draw comparisons between characters from multiple works of literature within the unit. The fourth essay will require research of literary criticism, and students will be given thorough instruction in class on ways in which they may gain access to literary criticism.

Learning Activities:

            The primary focus of this class will be the building of personal reading skills outside of the classroom. I intend to explain on the first day of class that students who, through active participation, demonstrate that they have completed all of the reading assignments and have attempted the essay assignments in the same fashion, will likely receive an “A”. The primary objectives of this class pertain to encouraging students to come to class with an idea, and then expand it with the help of their peers. This process will help build the self-confidence of students and help create life-long readers who perceive the value of their own viewpoint.

            There will be four deadlines throughout the school year, each at exactly a quarter of the way through the academic calendar. For each essay, the student will be allowed to write on any piece of literature that has been covered in class. Students will be graded partially on their development as a writer, and their ability to overcome previous mistakes and writing hardships.

            Learning will be evaluated daily in class discussion. I also intend to have some class sessions (perhaps Fridays), where students are read aloud to by the instructor and by peer volunteers. During these class periods, the class will discuss as they read. Essentially, most learning will be assessed via class discussion, because this allows the material to be modified to the situational aspects of the classroom. I believe that this creates a more genuine learning environment. 

*Note - Students will also be required to choose one outside-reading novel of their preference. This novel must be presented in one of their papers.

Pertaining to the unit theme - "Honesty and Self-Efficacy" - this class will analyze how the characters within the chosen texts believe in themselves and whether or not this has an effect on the honesty of that character. The moral obligations of each character will be discussed, as each chosen work of literature presents a character who deals with an uncontrollable form of reality in a totally different fashion. The struggles of each character exist in unrelated parts of history and life, yet each protagonist's sense of self-efficacy is relateable to other protagonists in the unit. Each protagonist differs in their approach to honesty however, yet perhaps none are more justifiable than the other. Perhaps, in some cases, honesty is harder to justify than dishonesty.