Unit 1 (Weeks 2-4)

Our Hometown Community: Exploring Appalachia

for a 9th Grade English Language Arts Classroom
Emily Wiley & Dillon Crigger

Honor Pledge:
In completing this project, I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized
assistance (including materials created by myself or others) from a previous class.
Signed:
Emily Wiley
Dillon Crigger

Unit Plan Checklist

Fall 2015
The final copy of your unit is due Wed., 12/16. Please compile all of the following materials and
bind them together in some way (dont just staple them) so that they are professional in
appearance:
Checklist and cover page with the title, grade level, length of time the unit will take, your name,
EDUC463 Spring 2014, and a signed honor pledge as follows: In completing this project, I have not
given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance (including materials created by myself or others
from a previous class. Follow your cover page with a completed copy of this checklist. You can find a
clean copy on the D2L site.
A well-written introduction that includes the following components:
o
o
o

Description of where the unit fits in the overall plan for the year
Description of the students who are the focus of instruction and of your teaching context
A reading complexity circles graphic that lists of all of the texts that the unit will include
(poems, short stories, novels, films, graphic narratives, memoirs, digital materials,
informational texts, etc.). This list should reflect variety in terms of text complexity genres,
cultures, media, time periods, interest, and student appeal. NOTE: You can find this graphic
on the D2L site. If you have trouble duplicating it, you can provide lists of context texts,
fulcrum text(s), and texture texts.
A writing complexity circles graphic that lists all of the artifacts that the students will
produce as they complete the unit. This list should also reflect variety in terms of genres (e.g.,
reading logs, blog posts, visual interpretations of texts, book trailers, essays, etc.). NOTE: You
can find this graphic on the D2L site. If you have trouble duplicating it, you can provide lists
of context texts, fulcrum text(s), and texture texts.
Identification of the body of standards youre using + a list of the standards youre
featuring (not just reinforcing) in this unit

A completed unit plan template on the D2L site that demonstrates that you have planned with the end
in mind.
A unit plan calendar that 1) indicates how you would sequence the in-class activities and assignments
included in your unit and 2) lists key activities for each day and includes necessary due dates.
A rationale, written in essay form, that includes the following components:
o
o
o

Description of the organizing principle and unit focus, including the key concepts and
questions it will address written in student-friendly language
Reference to the questions Smagorinsky lists on pp. 146-147 of Teaching English by Design
Incorporation of the evidence (i.e., theory and research) that supports your decisions.
Remember, somewhere in your body of evidence, you must include at least 3 references to
articles from the professional journal you subscribed to for this class (e.g., English Journal,
Voices from the Middle, etc.).

Lesson plans that include all elements from the template provided in class (featured standard, purpose
statement, materials list, minute-by-minute procedures, ongoing assessment description, and references,
if consulted). Remember that somewhere in the body of your lesson plans, you should include:
o
o

An introductory or gateway activity (see Ch. 13 and p. 186 in Smagorinsky) connected to

the unit theme
Multiple lessons that incorporate Connected Learning principles and multimodal
composing

o
o

An indication of how you will provide extra support and/or challenge for the needs of
individual learners, especially English Language Learners
All handouts referenced in your lesson plans and grading criteria for any formative
assessments you include

Assignment sheet and analytic or holistic scoring guide for your summative unit assessment,
written in student-friendly language and including everything that students will need to know to get the
grade they want (i.e., a brief rationale; a description of the required components and format of the
assignment; and information about intended audience(s), due dates, and points possible). Remember,
the task must be performative. That means that students will construct an artifact: an essay, a
portfolio, a website, a speech, a dramatic performance, a podcast, etc. A paper-and-pencil test is not a
performance task because students are answering someone elses questions. Also, your scoring guide
must use statements of quality, not just quantity, to distinguish the levels.
A concise self-evaluation (no longer than 1 single-spaced page) addressing the extent to which the unit
plan meets or exceeds the assignment requirements. You should include examples from your unit plan
to support the points you are making in the self-evaluation and refer directly to the criteria from the
scoring guide to suggest the letter grade your feel your unit plan deserves. You may also include any
additional information that might provide helpful insight into your process in creating the unit plan.
If you worked in a group, also include the group participation statement provided on D2L.

Introduction

Unit Plan
Name:

Emily Wiley and Dillon Crigger

Subject Area/Grade
Level:
Description of the
class (include
demographics,
information about
special learners,
information about
ability levels and
diversity)
Approximate
beginning and
ending dates for
teaching the unit

9th Grade English Language Arts

Unit Rationale
What the experts say (i.e., Why should the unit be taught? What is its significance? What important questions does the unit address?
Are your proposed methods considered good teaching practice? Are these methods in keeping with what Beers, Atwell, Weaver,
Christenbury, Mitchell, Kirby and Liner, or others advocate?

Unit Objectives
OBJECTIVES: Measurable, Manageable, Made First, Most Important
Note: Effective objective statements make effective assessment instrument questions. Example:
Objective: Students will be able to identify major and minor characters in literature selections.
Test Question: After reading the literature selection, name at least three major characters.
Please number objectives and use numbers when writing assessments.
Students will be able to:
(1)
(2)
(3)
etc.
SOLs: What SOL(s) will your students be working on when they master your unit objectives?
Note: Please write out the text of the pertinent SOLsnot just numbers, paying attention to the lettered standards beneath the

numbered SOL. Highlight the sections that most pertain to your lesson.

ASSESSMENT: Describe, briefly, what students will do to show you that they have mastered (or made progress toward)
each of the course the objectives.
Note: Use the number for each objective above and then explain the ways you will assess the objective.
Assessment of Objective 1:
Assessment of Objective 2:
Assessment of Objective 3:
ETC.

MATERIALS and PREPARATION: Describe what you will need do operationally to ensure that the unit is prepared,
like designing handouts, locating film clips, gathering books for in-class research, etc. (Include at least 1 st weeks handouts
with unitall if possible.)

ACCOMMODATIONS/ADAPTATIONS: Describe any steps taken to make the unit universally accessible to all learners,
no matter the challenges, disability, or personality.

Major Learning Activities

What specific learning activities will organize your unit? (to help you brainstorm, consider these questions: Will you include a project of
some sort? How will you handle readings? What reading strategies will you useliterature circles, paired/shared reading, other
methods? (note: Do not use round robin reading!) What kinds of writing will your students do as a part of the unit? How will you handle
writing process? What learning activities will be engaging your students? What supporting handouts/organizers will you use? What
technology will students use during the course of the unit?)
Your list of major learning activities might include some of the following: (1) Response Logs, (2) Pre-reading, During Reading, and Postreading Activities, (3) Daily Freewrites, (4) Bell-Ringer Work, (5) Unit Project (6) Major Writing Assignment, (6) Pre- and Post Test*
(*this one is required!)

List and explain the major learning activities below.

Daily Agenda for Unit

Make a list of each day and its lessons
Day 1
Day2
Day 3
Etc.

Attached Lesson Plans

Use the Program Lesson Plan Template to plan out in detail the first 10 lessons for your unit.

Reflection
After writing your unit plan and 10 lessons, reflect on the unit and your planning process. What are the strengths of your
unit? What will you need to know more about before actually beginning to teach the unit? What was difficult about the
planning? What problems did you have, and how did you solve them? How have you integrated reading, writing,
speaking, listening, and technology? What would you change about the unit or its planning if you could start again?

Unit Plan Calendar

Dawn Reed's unit calendar for the "This I Believe Podcasting Project
(adapted from The Digital Writing Workshop by Troy Hicks, 2009, pp. 66-68)
The following steps are roughly the sequence that my class took to create podcasts. These steps took place over the
course of a four-week unit in which I taught for a ninety-minute block schedule each day.
Days 1 and 2
1. Grossman's article from Time magazine "The Time Person of the Year in 2006 is You."
2. Gateway activity: Written reaction to and discussion of article to generate essential questions.
4. Silent discussion
5. Set up blogs; 1st entry is reflection on essential questions so far
Days 3 and 4
1.
Listen to podcast from This I Believe / Read and discuss Tony Hawk essay
2.

Introduce Podcasting Project / Blog initial statement of beliefs / Small-group brainstorming of topics.

Days 5 and 6 (Computer Lab)

1. Listen to several This I Believe podcasts / Blog responses comparing and evaluating podcasts / Discussion to
generate list of effective features of blogs
2.

Visit Digital Voices website. Comment on at least one podcast. / Discussion add to effective features list.

Days 7-14 (Computer Lab)

1. Drafting their This I Believe podcast scripts.
2.

Peer review workshop on scripts

3.

Listen/discuss intro and outro clips of sample podcasts / Plan intros and outros of their podcasts. Practice.

4.

Introduce Audacity editing program using Screencasts / Practice with sample clip / Begin recording podcasts

Days 15-20 (Computer Lab)

1. Discuss publication plans / Create flyers / Continue recording.
2.

Peer revision workshops on intros, outros, body of podcast / Use Audacity to splice sections together.

3.

Peer revision workshops on complete podcast / Continue splicing and begin editing in Audacity

4.

Blog self-assessment using scoring guide and post podcasts to blogs.

5.

Listen to one another's podcasts on peers blogs and post comments.

6.

Public showing to school! / Write final reflections on unit to turn in.