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Unit 12.4: Then and NowEnglish as a Second Language

5 weeks

June 2012 1

Stage 1 - Desired Results

Unit SummaryIn this unit, students will study historical texts and current events to analyze and debate the issues tohelp understand the context at the root of the events. Students will focus on societal events and issuesin and affecting Puerto Rico, but will also read about current events in other parts of the world as well.

Transfer goal: Students will leave the class able to use their knowledge of current events to becomebetter informed citizens able to analyze and evaluate arguments, form opinions, debate issues, andstand up for what they believe in.

Content Standards and Learning Expectations

Listening/Speaking

L/S.12.3 Uses appropriate language structure to analyze and evaluate issues, problem solve, explain aprocess, and express opinions integrating comparison and contrast statements.L/S.12.4 Expresses thoughts and opinions to evaluate text, and to debate current events, concepts, andliterary elements; makes predictions and inferences, and draws conclusions from listening to a varietyof texts, performances, and multimedia sources; listens to sort and prioritize information.

Reading

R.12.3 Classifies genre, analyzes plot, establishes cause and effect; makes connections, predictions, andinferences in a variety of texts; draws conclusions; analyzes and determines conflict and resolution;uses text evidence to validate responses.

Writing

W.12.4 Compares, contrasts, evaluates, and critiques two or more forms of writing on similar topics towrite a critical essay.

Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings: Societal, cultural, and institutional change and

growth come from our personal journeys overtime.

Exploration and understanding of currentevents provides an ever-changing vehicle forstudents to examine their own views of

society, belief systems, values, and biases. Good readers evaluate texts, critique ideasand depend on personal knowledge to verify, justify, and clarify their responses/judgments.

Essential Questions: How do our personal journeys shape society

and culture? How does an awareness of current events

inform opinions and affect our daily lives? What are some of the major ethical/moral

controversies in our society?

How do we determine which texts/experts tobelieve and why?

Content (Students will know) Current events Sources of information Cause and effect Conflict and resolution

Skills (Students will be able to) Use appropriate language structure to analyze

and evaluate issues. Debate current events. Analyze and determine conflict and

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Content Vocabulary Debate (noun and verb) Conflict resolution Critical essay Point of view Cause and effect Critique, debate, evaluate, determine, analyze

(academic vocabulary)

resolution.

Compare, contrast, evaluate, and critique twoor more forms of writing on similar topics towrite a critical essay.

Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks

Then and Now Comparing Historical and Current Events Students will choose a current event affecting

Puerto Ricans and compare it to a historicalevent.

Students will need to research the historicalevent to find out the details about the event.

Students should note the causes and effectsof both events and compare them. Theyshould also compare the conflicts involved inthe events.

Students will share their research andcomparison with the class in the form of anoral presentation and poster.

Students will be evaluated using a rubric.

Debatable Issue The teacher will provide the students with

copies of an article from a current issue of anewspaper in English. The students should allhave the same article.

The teacher will assign half of the class to the

pro argument and the other half to thecon argument. Using attachment 12.4Performance Task Debatable Issue, studentswill record arguments for their side of theargument.

The students will then note arguments for theopposing side of the debate and writepossible rebuttals for those arguments.

As a whole class or in small groups, thestudents will use their note sheet to debatethe issue with their classmates.

Other Evidence

Literacy Journals:o Daily Quick-Writeso Reading Log Students will record titles

and pages read of books read individually.The teacher may choose to add responsequestions to the daily log or the responsequestions can be answered in theResponse Log.

o Reading Response Log Students willrespond to what they read individuallyand what they listen to in the read alouds

in this section of the Literacy Journal.o Personal Word Wall Students will record

new words learned throughout the unit. Anecdotal evidence of comprehension of

topics during group work and class discussions Cause and Effect graphic organizer (see

attachment: 12.4 Learning Activity Causeand Effect)

Problem/Solution Graphic Organizer (seeattachment: 12.4 Learning Activity ProblemSolution)

Summary and/or presentation of a weeklynews article

Critical Essay comparing two genres on thesame topic (See Learning Activities )

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The students will be evaluated on their notesheet as well as on their performance in thedebate.

Stage 3 - Learning Plan

Learning Activities

Read Alouds from Historical Fiction and Current Events The teacher will read a historical fiction novel about Puerto Rican history aloud to the class. The

read-aloud novel and accompanying activities should be run concurrently with other lessons in theunit. The teacher should use this opportunity to demonstrate fluency in reading, to analyze andevaluate the issues, and to discuss cause and effect. If applicable, the teacher should lead the

students in discussions or debates comparing events in the novel to current events in Puerto Rico. The teacher will read aloud current event articles from newspapers and websites. This is anopportunity to start discussions and debates about current events. If possible, links should bemade to historical events in Puerto Rico and around the world.

Compare and Contrast Two Forms of Writing on Similar Topics to Write a Critical Essay Students will compare and contrast the historical fiction novel read aloud (above) with another

form of writing on the same topic (non-fiction, poem, memoir, etc.) to write a critical essay. (Tipson writing compare/contrast essay can be found here: http://www.bookrags.com/articles/5.html ; http://www.wiredprof.com/102/102assignments/crit1.htm ; http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/criticalessayterm.htm .)

The following questions should be answered through the essay:o What are the differences between writing styles of the two pieces?o How is the information different in the fiction you read, compared to the other genre? How is

it the same?o What kinds of information did you learn from fiction texts that you couldnt learn from the

other genre? Students can use attachment 12.4 Learning Activity Comparing Genres Organizer to organize

their essays.

Current Events Discussions and Debates Students will sign up ahead of time for a day to present a current events news story. On his or her

assigned day, the student will lead a class discussion about a current event he or she is interestedin. The students should prepare a brief oral presentation explaining the situation and starting aclass discussion. All of the students in the class should participate in the discussion and share theirthoughts and opinions on the topic. For events that are especially controversial or exciting to thestudents, the teacher should follow up the discussion by facilitating a debate about the issue.(Note: If English newspapers are not available, stories written in Spanish are acceptable.Presentation and discussion should be held in English.)

Cause and Effect in the News The teacher will provide the students with the front page of a newspaper in English. (Note: If

English newspapers are not available, stories written in Spanish are acceptable.) After the studentshave had a chance to skim the page, the students (or teacher) will choose an article to discuss.
http://www.bookrags.com/articles/5.htmlhttp://www.bookrags.com/articles/5.htmlhttp://www.bookrags.com/articles/5.htmlhttp://www.wiredprof.com/102/102assignments/crit1.htmhttp://www.wiredprof.com/102/102assignments/crit1.htmhttp://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/criticalessayterm.htmhttp://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/criticalessayterm.htmhttp://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/criticalessayterm.htmhttp://www.wiredprof.com/102/102assignments/crit1.htmhttp://www.bookrags.com/articles/5.html

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Using attachment 12.4 Learning Activity Cause and Effect, students will explore the causes andeffects of the events in the news article.

Conflict and Resolution The teacher will provide the students with copies of a newspaper in English (or a specific article

from the newspaper). After the students have had a chance to read the article, they will useattachment 12.4 Learning Activity Problem Solution to explore and note the conflict or problemdescribed in the article and resolution or solution offered. If no resolution or solution is described,the students will write a possible solution to the problem.

Sample Lessons Genre Lesson Historical Fiction http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/riding-

freedom/genre-lesson Breaking News English http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/

Additional Resources Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration http://www.prfaa.com/index.asp Why and How I Teach Historical Fiction http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-how-i-

teach-historical-fiction Historical Fiction Literature Circles Tips http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/units/literature-

circles-facing-history Look up by Theme needed :

o Novahttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ o Time Magazine http://www.time.com/time/archive o National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

Teachable Moment teaching about current events http://www.teachablemoment.org/high.html **Todays Front Page (Front pages of 500+ different newspapers each day)http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

**Great Ways to Teach Any Days Times http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-great-ways-to-teach-any-days-times/ (Worksheets and graphic organizerscan be used with any newspaper.)

**These resources will likely be invaluable during this unit. They both contain a wealth of helpfuldocuments and information.

Literature Connections The Time it Snowed in Puerto Rico by Sarah McCoy Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi List of historical fiction for teens (for comparing to current events):

http://info.infosoup.org/lists/TeenHistoricalFictionAll.asp?BooklistID=58 Two Ways of Seeing a River by Mark Twain (example of compare/contrast)

http://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/twowaysessay.htm Literature Timeless Voices, Timeless Theme, Silver

o Shooting Stars by Hal Borland page 82 (First-Person Narrative)o Something From the Sixties by Garrison Keillor pages 84 (First-Person Narrative)o Up the Slide by Jack London page 154 (Predict, Conflict with Nature)
http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/riding-freedom/genre-lessonhttp://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/riding-freedom/genre-lessonhttp://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/riding-freedom/genre-lessonhttp://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/riding-freedom/genre-lessonhttp://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/http://www.prfaa.com/index.asphttp://www.prfaa.com/index.asphttp://www.prfaa.com/index.asphttp://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-how-i-teach-historical-fictionhttp://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-how-i-teach-historical-fictionhttp://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-how-i-teach-historical-fictionhttp://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-how-i-teach-historical-fictionhttp://www.facinghistory.org/resources/units/literature-circles-facing-historyhttp://www.facinghistory.org/resources/units/literature-circles-facing-historyhttp://www.facinghistory.org/resources/units/literature-circles-facing-historyhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/http://www.time.com/time/archivehttp://www.time.com/time/archivehttp://www.time.com/time/archivehttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/http://www.teachablemoment.org/high.htmlhttp://www.teachablemoment.org/high.htmlhttp://www.teachablemoment.org/high.htmlhttp://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-great-ways-to-teach-any-days-times/http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-great-ways-to-teach-any-days-times/http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-great-ways-to-teach-any-days-times/http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-great-ways-to-teach-any-days-times/http://info.infosoup.org/lists/TeenHistoricalFictionAll.asp?BooklistID=58http://info.infosoup.org/lists/TeenHistoricalFictionAll.asp?BooklistID=58http://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/twowaysessay.htmhttp://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/twowaysessay.htmhttp://grammar.about.com/od/60essays/a/twowaysessay.htmhttp://info.infosoup.org/lists/TeenHistoricalFictionAll.asp?BooklistID=58http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-great-ways-to-teach-any-days-times/http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-great-ways-to-teach-any-days-times/http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/http://www.teachablemoment.org/high.htmlhttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/http://www.time.com/time/archivehttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/http://www.facinghistory.org/resources/units/literature-circles-facing-historyhttp://www.facinghistory.org/resources/units/literature-circles-facing-historyhttp://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-how-i-teach-historical-fictionhttp://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/why-how-i-teach-historical-fictionhttp://www.prfaa.com/index.asphttp://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/riding-freedom/genre-lessonhttp://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade5/riding-freedom/genre-lesson

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Adapted from Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

o Emancipation from Lincoln: A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman page 262 (Cause andEffect)

o O captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman pages 266 (Cause and Effect)o Gentleman of Rio en Medio by Juan A. A. Sedillo page 272 (Make Inferences, Resolution of a

Conflict)o Saving the Wetlands by Barbara A Lewis page 276 (Make Inferences, Resolution of a Conflict)o The Pilgrims Landing and First Winter by William Bradford page 163 (Predict, Conflict With

Nature)o The Tell-Tale heart by Edgar Allan Poe page 542 (Predict, Suspense)o An Episode of War by Stephen Crane page 551 (Predict, Suspense)o Hammerman by Adrien Stoutenburg page 934 (Predict)o John Henry by Traditional page 940 (Predict)o Paul Bunyan of the North Woods by Carl Sandburg page 944 (Predict)o Pecos Bill:The Cyclone by Harold W. Felton page 946 (Predict)o Davy Crocketts Dream by Davy Crockets Dream pages 952 (Predict)

*Because this is a current events unit, most readings will be current news stories innewspapers/magazines.

12.4 then and now

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