Week One: Main goal for this week: Introduce our main novel and start generating main

theme of American identity Monday Description of activities

Developing the setting of Our America by using Google Earth and making predictions about the novel.

Tuesday
Starting off the class with a journal on their personal everyday glossary. We will then read chapters 1-3 of Our America.

Wednesday
Beginning class with an individual activity discussing their neighborhoods. We will then read chapters 4-6 of Our America.

Thursday
Students will get to know their classmates by interviewing each other as Lloyd and LeAlan did in the last chapters we read. Students will break off in pairs and interview their partners about their families, interests, culture, etc. They will then write a response about what they learned.

Friday
We will start the class by having a few people present what they learned from the interview to the class. We will then finish Part 1 of Our America. Students will discuss as a class interesting things they discovered about their classmates. Students will then participate in a shared reading exercise I facilitate as we finish ch 7 and 8.

What students will be doing

Students will discuss as a class what they think of the before and after shots of the projects as well as the cover of the book. Students will then read the preface and make predictions.

Students will analyze the glossary at the beginning of the book and make a glossary of their own using their slang. The students will then break off in pairs and will read the part of Lloyd or LeAlan in Ch 1-3. I will instruct students to look at the glossary and come up with 10 words for their personal glossary. We will discuss glossaries as a class. I will then assign the students a partner and have them read. Students will start to see the differences in culture from the glossary assignment which will be assessed by our classroom discussion.

Students will describe their neighborhood in 5 words and then write about why they chose those words. We will discuss after. Students will then chat on issued laptops about the story while I read and ask questions for ch 4-6.

What/how youll teach

I will show pictures of the projects from 1993 and then Google Earth the projects of present day. I will ask insightful questions about what they see/dont see and their opinions. We will begin to understand the world of LeAlan and Lloyd and get an idea of what the novel is about. This will be evident by our classroom discussion.

I will instruct students to come up with 5 words to describe their homes. How they choose to describe is their choice. We will discuss as a class. I will then handout laptops and allow kids to chat about the story while I read.

I will assign groups myself and issue a worksheet to guide the interview process. I will then float around the room, getting an update about how its going and make sure kids are on track.

I will let groups present voluntarily, calling on them if need be. I will then use shared reading to finish part 1, asking insightful questions sporadically throughout our reading .

What will be learned (and how will you know?)

Students will see their neighborhoods in a new light and compare with Our America. Students will reflect as a unit about what is happening thus far in the book and understand it more.

Students will get a firsthand look at the culture of one of their classmates. The idea of American Identity will become more diverse and intricate.

Students will learn more about their classmates cultures. Students will also be finished with part 1, giving them a full understanding of Lloyd and LeAlans background.