Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: What’s Your Story – Memoir Unit Name: Dean Shepherd
Content Area: ELA Grade Level: 9th Grade
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

California Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2
Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details;
provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3
Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and
developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization,
development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

Students will ponder these questions and develop their own ideas in relation to Educated: A Memoir by Tara Webster:
1. How can a person’s home environment impact their emotional development?
2. How do characters in a novel actively impact the theme?
3. How do significant moments in people’s own lives compose their own memoirs?
4. How is the patriarchy playing an active role in the novel, and how are patriarchal views enforcing views onto others? Are these views limiting or enhancing
to someone’s character?

Unit Summary:

Unit Summary:
Everyone has a story, yet people rarely pay attention to others long enough to understand what makes them unique and what environments have contributed to
shaping them into the person they are today. This unit will focus on Tara Webster's Educated: A Memoir, where students are exposed not only to how a memoir
is constructed, but also how great a person's hardship can be and how traumatic living situations may impede upon their own growth emotionally, physically, or
mentally, inhibiting their full developmental growth.
This unit also strives to help students realize the world in which they live. As a society, we oftentimes forget that people are subjugated to hostile familial
environments and seeing as this book was published in 2018, the students will be able to recognize the hardships that people still face. This will be done by
analyzing characters, their desires, and the societal expectations placed onto each of the characters that affect Webster's journey and impact her overall theme.

While the students will be learning about Webster's individual story within this unit, this novel will also allow them to think about and fully develop their own
stories and memoirs. These memoirs will, in turn be shared to the class, helping each of the students understand their peers better than before, creating a
stronger connection between the class, which can ultimately impact the way in which they see the world.

Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: Formative: Summative:
To begin our unit, we are going to be brainstorming Within the structure of a memoir, there are also For the final project you will be writing your own
what makes a good book! Maybe it has memorable many important vocabulary words. The students memoirs in a multimedia fashion. You will have to
characters? Maybe an enjoyable plot? Whatever it will be creating flashcards using Quizlet to identify not only write a paper that is 7-8 pages in length,
may be, we will be using our Chromebooks and go and explain 22 vocabulary words and ideas, like centering around a central theme or idea that you
to Popplet.com (the link is attached) and create a voice, theme, foreshadowing, various forms of will like the class to understand, but you will also
mind map about what draws you into a book! I will conflict, and more. They will be able to work in have to create a PowerPoint, or something of that
give you five minutes to brainstorm before you pairs and within the following few days there will caliber. Make sure that you follow MLA guidelines
share them with your partner, then to the class. An be a Jeopardy-type game where the table winners for the essay, as I will collect that on the due
example is included below. I am looking to see will be given a 2 point bonus that can be applied to date. The PowerPoint must be at least 10 chunks or
your background knowledge for specific terms that either this final or a previous final. Additionally, slides long, having at least 5 images, 1 video clip,
you may have come in contact with while reading student learning and achievement will be met as I and 1 audio clip that works in tandem with their
and analyzing books. The clearer and deeper you examine and collect the flashcards that have been memoir. Feel free to make it as personal as you
go while filling out this chart, the more in depth our made through the website. would like. Tell the class something new or deep
conversation! After this we will be discussing about you!
memoirs and what sets them apart and then
introduce our book that we will be reading. Here,
the students will not only bring about ideologies of
theme, and inference, but also what creates a good,
valuable story that will give them a jumping-off
point for their own stories. This is rooted within
the CCSS and the Student Learning Objectives and
the Big Ideas for this unit to help us see what we
will not only examine in this unit, but also how they
can incorporate it into their final projects as well.
Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)
Student Learning Objective: Acceptable Evidence Lesson Activities:
1. Students will be (Assessments): For this lesson, we are going to be covering the basics on both trauma and Mormonism. I put them both
able to identify key They will have to fill out together because they do not need to know too much information, or at least deep information for either
ideas of both guided notes and later topic, just a general understanding to go along with the book. They will also have guided notes that go
write in their learning logs.
 trauma and I will collect all of these along with the lecture where they are expected to do literal recall, think critically, draw pictures, and
Mormonism. assignments. Some of this make inferences.
information will also be
present in their final
project.
Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)
Student Learning Objective: Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
1. Students will be They will be brainstorming For your assignment today, we are going to be diving deep into what it will require to write your own
able to identify the their memoirs through memoir! You will be expected to compete the worksheet below on the computer. This worksheet will
specific format of a Popplet.com. They will also serve to also help you brainstorm what you may potentially include within your memoirs as well, so
memoir. be filling out a worksheet please take this assignment seriously to help you down the road as you construct your memoirs further.
2. Students will be that takes them through the If you do not complete this assignment in class, it will become homework that will be due before our class
able to have major components of a period the following day.
discussions with memoir and what makes a
their peers and the good one to read. They will
class to discern also be discussing with
text-to-self and partners what they have
text-to-world come across and what they
connections from may include in their own
the novel. memoirs. I will collect all of
3. Students will be these assignments. Some of
able to connect key this information will also be
ideas from the present in their final
novel and use that project.
to create their own
memoirs.

Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)

Student Learning Objective: Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities:
1. Students will be Students will be creating Overview: We have just finished the novel, Educated: a Memoir, so this assignment will take place for the
able to connect character charts for the next two days during the class period. There are a lot of characters in this novel, so it is easy to become
specific characters major characters in the confused with who does what and how that affects the plot and, in turn, the theme. This assignment will
and excerpts to a novel which I will be clarify all of these aspects.
theme. collecting. Some of this
2. Students will be information will also be Directions:
able to have present in their final
You will first place yourselves into groups of 4-5. Next, you will get your Chromebooks and sign into your
discussions with project.
profiles. Once separated, go to the website Slap Happy Larry to familiarize yourself with character
their peers and the desires. After finishing that, you will be expected to create character maps for the main characters (Tara,
class to discern Mom, Dad, Tyler, and Shawn) from the novel. To do this, you will be using the online
text-to-self and resource Popplet.com. Specifically, on these maps you will analyze how they relate to one another by
text-to-world addressing five different questions within each of the character charts, which are as follows:
connections from 1. How do they view themselves?
the novel. 2. How do others view them?
 3. What do they want?
4. How do they get what they want?
5. How do they change over the course of the novel?
In order to start your character maps, all you have to do is click on the Popplet link above, and start by
creating a “Popple” for the character you would like to begin answering the questions. Then you can
create new Popples to address the questions, which you can label by number (i.e. 1., 2., 3., Etc.) Be sure
that each of the questions you address are connected to the character’s Popple by connecting a line
between the two of them. Repeat this for the other characters, answering the questions to the character
maps as you go. Feel free to split up the work between yourselves however you would like. To answer
these questions you will be using textual evidence to support your claims, including the page number (at
least one quote per question, per character). You will also have to write at least one sentence about what
this quote reflects. Please analyze deeply and relate to the themes often. Although you are all doing it
together, you will all be expected to turn in your assignments individually.
Unit Resources:

 What's a Memoir?: If you are still struggling with what a memoir is, this helpful video should help straighten out your confusion!
 Plot Diagram: For those of you still struggling with the basic structure of a novel, this interactive will help you better understand!
 A Short History of Mormonism: On the first day of class, we will be working with this article, noting all important aspects, so keep this handy!
 How to Write a Memoir: We will also cover this site, but it will also be useful for you to revisit this often.
 Character Desires: When composing your memoirs, please consider these questions.
 A Conversation with Bill Gates and Tara Westover: This will describe Westover's drives and reason for writing, elaborating on her theme.
 Memoir Vocabulary: If you are struggling with any of our medals, this will remove the confusion.
 "Educated Should be Read with a Grain of Salt, says Family Attorney": Her book was met with a lot of backlash, especially by her family, which is depicted in this
article.
 Memoir Brainstorming/Outlining Worksheet: Here is one of the worksheets we will be working with during our unit.
 Memoir Revision Worksheet: This is one of the worksheets we will use for peer editing.

Useful Websites:

 Purdue Owl: This will be the proper formatting for any essays that are composed.
 Quizlet: This will help with the different vocabulary.
 Plot Diagram: This will provide additional support for the students.
 How to Write a Memoir: We will also cover this site, but it will also be useful for you to revisit this often.
 Character Desires: When composing your memoirs, please consider these questions.
 Memoir Vocabulary: If you are struggling with any of our medals, this will remove the confusion.
 What's a Memoir?: When students still do not understand the format, this will shed light on the topic.