TheStoryofanEyewitness/LetterfromNewOrleans:

LeavingDesire
Syllabus

Instructor: Kerry Whitehead

Room Number: 121
Conference Period: 7th period
Phone: (972) 563-7504 xt. 3376
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Email address: kerry.whitehead@terrellisd.org

CourseInformation
Materials: Textbooks, Readings, Supplementary Readings
Textbook:
Holt McDougal Literature for Texas, Grade 8

Stories:
London, Jack. "The Story Of An Eyewitness". (1906): n. pag. Print.

Anderson, Jon Lee. "Letter From New Orleans: Leaving Desire". (2005): n. pag. Print.

Unit description:
Examine authors purpose and setting a purpose for reading. Emphasis on understanding and
recognizing the reason why an author writes a piece

Student Learning Outcomes:

8.9A
Students analyze, make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in
cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to compare and contrast the stated
or implied purposes of different authors writing on the same topic.

8.10D
synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or
three texts representing similar or different genres.

Fig 19A
Establish purposes for reading selected texts

1
 UnitRequirements

Throughout this unit you will have mini-lessons, stories, and projects to complete. The unit is
designed to help you recognize and understand why an author writes a piece of literature.

Discussion posts - Daily grades

You will be expected to participate in online discussions.

Mini-lessons - Daily grades

You will watch two videos and are expected to answer the questions that accompany the
video

Story Readings - Daily grades

You will be expected to listen/read the two stories on video and answer the questions
that accompany the videos
This will also your quiz over the stories

Authors Purpose Skills Practices - Daily grades

You will be working in small groups with the teacher practicing authors purpose

Authors Purpose Research Project - 2 test grades

You will locate 2 pieces of each kind of authors purpose
You will analyze each piece
This is an individual project
You will make use of the Edmodo platform to plan and execute your project
You will reflect on your effort and project at the end of the project

Natural Disaster Group Project - 2 test grades

You will be placed into small groups and will work on a natural disaster
This is a group project
You will make use of the Edmodo platform to plan and execute your project
You will reflect on your effort and that of your group and the project at the end of the
project

Grading
Grading will be determined using rubrics and weighted according the the table below. The
rubrics will be attached to each post with the instruction sheet for each assignment for the group
project and the individual research project.

Per district guidelines the categories are weighted as indicated below:

Daily grades - 50%
Test grades - 50%

2
 Activity Weight Class Grade

Discussions 1 daily grade A 90-100%

B 80-89%
Mini-lessons 1 daily grade C 70-79%
F 69% or less
Stories/Quiz 1 daily grade

Group project 2 test grades

Individual project 2 test grades

TechnologyRequirements
Access to Google Apps for Education
Video recording software
Video camera/webcam

AccessandNavigation
This unit will be delivered through Edmodo

To get started
1. Go to www.edmodo.com
2. You will need to create your username and password
a. Your username needs to be formatted as follows: lastname_firstinitial (i.e.
whitehead_k)
b. Your password needs to be something you will remember. We will be using
Edmodo for many units.
3. You will need to enter the group code: wf4z4c
4. You should be logged into Edmodo

CommunicationandSupport
Interaction with the Teacher
The teacher is available to you in many different ways.
You can post a question on my wall for Edmodo.
Send an email to email address kerry.whitehead@terrellisd.org
Send an instant message on Google Hangouts

3
 ClassandDistrictProcedures/Policies
Academic dishonesty
Ms. Whiteheads classroom does not tolerate academic dishonesty or plagiarism. Ms.
Whitehead will act within accordance to the TISD Student Code of Conduct. Academic
dishonesty is any kind of cheating that occurs during the course of a class. According to
www.dictionary.com, plagiarism is defined as an act or instance of using or closely imitating the
language and thoughts of another author without authorization and there presentation of that
author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author.

Consequences
Loss of credit on assignment (given a 0 in gradebook)
Conference with parent, student, teacher, and administrator

UnitOutline/Calendar
This unit will last approximately three weeks. The activities and due dates are listed below.
Small groups will meet for approximately 15 minutes at each station. Understand that just
because you, the student, is working in one station does not mean that you will be working all
members of your collaboration group. It is the responsibility of each student to keep in contact
with the group so the project keeps moving

Week Day Activity Due Date

1 Monday Overview of unit

Expectations

BIG Question post Initial post by

Monday; 3-5 replies
by Wednesday

Complete Blog link form (Edmodo post) midnight Monday

Authors Purpose mini-lesson midnight Monday

Tuesday Introduce Authors Purpose Research due Week 3 Friday

Project

Daily blog post end period Tuesday

Set a Purpose for Reading mini-lesson midnight Tuesday

Wednesday Introduce collaboration project due Week 3 Friday

Meet in collaboration group to start
planning project

Daily blog post end of period

4
 The Story of an Eyewitness story midnight Sunday
(read/listen)

Letter from New Orleans: Leaving Desire midnight Sunday

(read/listen)

Thursday Small groups

Station 1 - Skills Practice
Station 2 - Natural Disaster Project
Station 3 - Research Project

Daily blog post end of period

Friday Small groups

Station 4 - Novel study
Station 1 - Skills practice
Station 2 - Natural Disaster Project

Daily blog post end of period

2 Monday Small groups

Station 3 - Research Project
Station 4 - Novel study
Station 1 - Skills practice

Daily blog post end of period

Quiz over stories midnight Tuesday

Tuesday Small groups

Station 2 - Natural Disaster Project
Station 3 - Research Project
Station 4 - Novel study

Daily blog post

Wednesday Small groups

Station 1 - Skills practice
Station 2 - Natural Disaster Project
Station 3 - Research Project

Daily blog post end of period

Thursday Small groups

Station 4 - Novel study
Station 1 - Skills practice
Station 2 - Natural Disaster Project

Daily blog post

Friday 1st half of class period:

Collaboration groups will get together

5
 to make sure project is staying in
timeline
2nd half of class period:
Work on Research project

3 Monday Small groups

Station 3 - Research Project
Station 4 - Novel study
Station 1 - Skills practice

Daily blog post end of period

Tuesday Small groups

Station 2 - Natural Disaster Project
Station 3 - Research Project
Station 4 - Novel study

Daily blog post end of period

Wednesday Small groups

Station 1 - Skills practice
Station 2 - Natural Disaster Project
Station 3 - Research Project

Thursday 1st half of class period:

Collaboration groups will get together
to make sure project is staying in
timeline
2nd half of class period:
Work on Research project

Daily blog post end of period

Friday Natural Disaster Project due end of period; 3-5

replies by Tuesday

Authors Purpose Research Project due end of period; 3-5

replies by Tuesday

Student reflection - collaboration project end of period

Student reflection - individual research end of period

project