ByCami DenHartigh

English 311-02

Unit Plan- Tangerine by Edward Bloor Grades 6-8

Ages 11-13

Day 1 (Thursday): Introducing the Book

Present the book to the class, giving them a brief summary of the book.

Overview:

Using their creativity and imaginations, students will begin writing in a journal about

what family and honesty means to them, what consequences they have faced from being

dishonest towards someone, and how far they would go in order to do or get something they like

even though it means hiding something about themselves; followed by a class discussion.

Objectives:

Students will get an understanding of the importance of family.

Students will better understand the meaning of honesty and the effects it has on an

individual when honest or dishonest.

Students learn to free write and how to interact in a group discussion.

Materials:

Writing journals

Books

Activity:

Free write in journals for about 10 minutes, then come together as a class and discuss

what each student talked about in their journals.

Assignment:

Read pages 1-32 (up to Monday, August 28)

o Pay close attention to the characters, especially the narrator and his relationship

with his brother.

Day 1 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Have the students take out a notebook that they will be using as a journal for the class and

ask them to spend about 10-15 minutes write on:

o What does family mean to you?

o Do you get along well with all of your siblings? Or if an only child, do you get

along well with your parents?

o Do you have a special relationship with certain members in your family or are you

distant?

o What is honesty? Have you ever lied about something then got into trouble for it?

If so, what were your consequences?

o Is being honest always a good thing? If you know the outcome will be negative by

being honest, should you still tell the truth?

o How far have you gone to get what you wanted even though you knew the way

you went about it was wrong?

Come together as a class and discuss the questions they answered in their journals.

o What did some of you come up with for the first 3 questions? You can read what

you wrote or just summarize them together.

o What about the last 3 questions? What was your definition of honesty and what do

you think being honest involves sometimes?

(10-15 minutes)

Introduce the unit on the book Tangerine

o We are going to start a new unit and it’s going to be on a book that we will be

reading called Tangerine:

Paul Fisher's family is moving from Texas to Florida for a number of reasons. The most important one seems to be so that Paul's older brother Erik can impress the football scouts at some major universities. Indeed, most of what his parents do seems to be part of what Paul calls "The Great Erik Fisher Football Dream." It is not that Paul is jealous. He, too, possesses some tremendous athletic ability on the soccer field despite being legally blind. But Erik is the favored son, indulged by parents, teachers, coaches, and friends, even though Paul knows that Erik's behavior is less than perfect. The move to Tangerine, Florida, might just open the eyes of everyone in the Fisher family.

Hand out the books and give them the last 15 minutes of class to start reading the book.

Day 2 (Friday): Character Familiarity

Overview:

The students will use their journals and handout to identify 2 of the main characters and

write a brief description of their own impression of the characters. As a large group the

students will discuss the characters and go over the more important sections of the

reading.

Objectives:

Students will be familiar with the characters of the book.

Students will be familiar with the important sections within the assigned reading.

Materials:

Characters handouts

The book

Writing journals

Activity:

With another partner or two the students will go over the characters handout together,

discussing each one on the list as a small group before breaking out into a large group

discussion.

Assignment:

Read pages 32-92 (end of Part One)

Day 2 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Spend 10 minutes writing in their journals:

o Name 2 of the main characters introduced in the reading for today that stood out

to you and write a brief description of them.

o What did you think of them?

o Do you think you will like them as you continue to read the book?

o Pick out a small section of the reading that stood out to you and write a response

to it. Whether it confused you or you think it’s foreshadowing or if you just

simply liked it, what did you like about it?

Come together as a class and discuss what they wrote in their journals.

o What characters stood out to you the most? What did you think of them?

o What sections of the reading seemed important to retain? Or remember?

o At the very beginning of the book, on page 2, Paul’s fascination with the

mailboxes helped him remember something that happened to him when he was

younger, involving Erik; what does he remember? Do you think it connects to his

eye sight problem?

o What does Paul mean by “the Erik Fisher Football Dream” on page 11? What was

he referring to? What sport does Paul play but doesn’t seem as important to his

dad, unlike his brother’s football skills?

o What is Paul’s relationship with his brother, Erik, like? With his dad? With his

mom?

o In the beginning paragraph on page 22, Paul can’t fall asleep because he’s

thinking too much about his family’s arrival in this small town, why do you think

he feels like his family’s arrival in the town, will change the things he mentions

but then doesn’t know what he will change, what he will be a part of that will be

remembered?

o Paul also mentions that his dad calls the town of Tangerine “a booming area”,

what does he mean by that?

(30 minutes)

Handout the worksheet and have them form groups of 4 or 5 and work on it together and whatever they don’t finish in class, they take home to finish.

(Last 10 minutes)Name: _______________

Tangerine Characters List Part 1

Fisher Family:

Paul: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Erik: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mom: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dad: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lake Windsor Downs: Mr. Donnelly:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Old Charley Burns: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arthur Bauer: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Coach Warner: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mike Costello: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Joey Costello: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Antoine Thomas: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Terry Donnelly: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mrs. Gates: ________________________________________________________________________

Coach Walski: ________________________________________________________________________

Gino Deluca: ________________________________________________________________________

Day 3 (Monday): Examining Conflicts

Overview:

Using their daily journals, students will free write about what conflicts family members

often have to face with each other, whether they talk about their own families or just

generalize some conflicts; followed by class discussion and activity.

Objectives:

Students will get to learn about their classmates.

Students will be familiar with conflicts within the assigned reading.

Students will learn to look at key concepts and identify them as relevant and important

throughout the book.

Materials:

The book

Journals

Assignment:

Read Part Two, pages 95-129 (up to Tuesday, September 26)

Day 3 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Give students 10 minutes of free writing

o What problems or conflicts do you face within your family? With your siblings or

parents?

o Do the conflicts last a period of time?

o Do they occur daily?

o How do you deal with your family conflicts?

As a class, come together and list frequently occurred conflicts families often have to

face within their homes.

o How do conflicts affect each person?

o What are some conflicts that you noticed between the members in the Fisher

family in the reading assignment for today? With whom?

o Conflicts between Paul and his new friends? With the school?

o Page 33: another scene/flashback when standing at the bus stop

One of the boys calls Paul “Eclipse Boy”, how does he get to inherit that

nickname? What’s the story that Erik made up and told his friends about

Paul losing his eye sight when he was younger?

Erik, his older brother, is always putting him down and making fun of him

right along with his friends, why do you think that is?

o Throughout the reading we get a sense of the conflicts Paul has with each of his

family members:

Fears his brother’s physical retaliations, is angry with his father for his

favoritism towards his brother, and he resents his mom’s inability to see

Erik for what he really is.

So, from what we’ve been given this far, Erik seems to be the root

of Paul’s problems, do you thinks this is true? Is Erik the main

conflict that he has to face?

If Erik is what caused Paul’s problems and continues to cause his

problems, what do you think might cause Erik’s potential problems

in the book?

Give them Part 2 Character List as homework.

Name: ________________

Tangerine Character List Part 2

Tangerine Middle School:

Betty Bright: ________________________________________________________________________

Theresa Cruz: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tino Cruz: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Victor Guzman: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Henry Dilkes: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shandra Thomas: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maya Pandhi: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dolly Elias: ________________________________________________________________________

Nita Shirali: ________________________________________________________________________

Others:

Louis Cruz: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tomas Cruz: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Day 4 (Tuesday): Compare and Contrast

Overview:

Using their books, students will compare and contrast the two schools that Paul attends,

Lake Windsor Downs Middle School and Tangerine Middle school, and what effect the

two school have on them; followed by a large class discussion.

Objectives:

Students will look carefully at two different environments and how they differ.

Students will look critically at the conflicts within the two environments discussed.

Students will learn to compare and contrast the two environments.

Students will learn to work with each other.

Materials:

Their books

Poster boards

Markers

Activity:

In groups of 2 or 3, students will take a poster board and pack of markers and create 2

charts of the different schools Paul attends with compare and contrast columns and then

present them to the whole class.

Assignment:

Continue reading pages 129-151

Day 4 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Spend about 15 minutes discussing the transition Paul makes, going to Tangerine Middle

School.

o What made Paul decide that he wanted to go to Tangerine Middle School after the

big sinkhole incident at Lake Windsor Downs Middle?

o Why doesn’t Paul want his mom to go into the school with him when they arrive?

What is he afraid she is going to tell the principal?

o Does he fit in right away at Tangerine Middle?

o When he meets Theresa, what is his first impression of her? What does he

eventually ask her that gets her talking more?

o Does Paul get to join the Tangerine Middle School soccer team? How does he

react when Theresa tells him that there are girls on the team and that one of them,

Maya, is one of the 2 main stars on the team?

o How do the soccer “starters” treat Paul at first? Does he care?

o Does his experience at Tangerine Middle and being on their soccer team make

him happy? How does he act differently than at Lake Windsor Downs Middle?

Present the activity to the class; hand out the poster boards and markers while they create

groups of 2 or 3. ( 35 minutes)

o Create a compare and contrast chart of Lake Windsor Downs Middle School and

Tangerine Middle School.

o Present them next class period.

Day 5 (Wednesday): Class Presentations

Overview:

The class will present their compare and contrast poster to the rest of the class.

Objectives:

The students will learn to listen to each other’s presentations.

The students will learn to work together and respect each other’s ideas.

The students will learn to get familiar with speaking in front of others.

Procedure:

The class will finish up their posters if they did not the day before.

Each group will present their compare/contrast on the two schools posters in front of their

classmates.

Activity:

Poster presentations

Accommodation:

Getting in front of the class will allow my ADD or ADHD students to practice speaking

in front of the class. The presentation also gives them the chance to get active rather than

just sit in their seat the entire class period, fidgeting.

Assessment:

The presentation gives me a chance to see that the students accomplished a task that was

given to them in class. This activity shows me that the students can interact with their

classmates and together come up with answers and shows me that they are verbally and

physically inclined to discuss the book.

Day 5 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Spend the first 5 of minutes class finishing up their posters

The rest of the class will be spent on the presentations and discussion lead by the students

themselves.

Assign the next reading: 151-180 (up to Wednesday, November 8).

Day 6 (Thursday): Examining the Setting of the book

Overview:

Using their journals, the students will free write about what keeps them going when they

feel like giving up something but also about finding the confidence to standing up to

someone or something that puts them down. They will also reflect on how the setting of

the book may be a metaphor to Paul’s life.

Objectives:

The students will learn about the setting in a novel and its importance.

The students will learn to express themselves on paper.

Materials:

Journals

Discussion questions handout

Activity:

With the person sitting next to them, students will discuss the setting of the book thus far

go over questions supplied to them.

Assignment:

Read pages 181-206 ( up to Thursday, November 23 Thanksgiving)

Day 6 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

The class will spend 10-15 minutes writing in their journal.

o What keeps you going when you feel like giving up on something?

o Are you ever afraid of standing up to someone who gives you or others a hard

time?

o Do you find that depending on where you are or who you are with affects the

person you are in that given time and moment? The things you do?

Spend 15 minutes discussing the importance of a setting and its relevance to a piece of

writing.

o Introduce the handout:

Paul’s subdivision in Tangerine, Florida was built on a foundation of

termite-infested ground, next to a field where muck-fires burn all of the

time, and near a school built on land that becomes a sinkhole.

o Give them the handout and have them work with the person next them, discussing

the questions on the sheet (20 minutes).

Assign pages 181-206

Discussion Questions

With another person, discuss go over the following questions and write your responses in

your journals. I will collect your journals next class.

Questions for discussion:

1. In what way is the setting of the town of Tangerine a metaphor for Paul’s life so far?

2. What is it that eats away at Paul’s foundation? ( I know we haven’t finished the book

yet, but just think to the point we’ve read)

3. What fire burns constantly in Paul’s life?

Day 7 (Friday): Computer Lab Workshop

Overview:

Students will use an online resource to post their responses to the discussion questions

provided to them at the beginning of class.

Objectives:

Students will learn to use technology as a way of discussion.

Materials:

Discussion questions

Computers

Activity:

As a class we will be going to the computer lab in order to use the resources available to

us to respond to the discussion questions based on the reading assigned on Moodle.

Assessment:

By using the computers I will be assured that the students are doing what is asked of

them and then submitting their work in a class registered blog. I will be able sent

notifications via email letting me know that the students did their work and I can assess

their understanding of the reading based on their answers in the blog response.

Assignment:

Finish the book

Day 7 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Hand out a list of discussion questions to each student.

Make sure they understand the questions by going over them briefly.

Introduce what we will be doing for the remaining time of class.

Go to the computer lab and go through the steps of how to enter their responses on the

class registered Moodle blog website.

Students will respond to the questions provided to them via internet and then submit them

when done.

Finish the book over the weekend.

Discussion Questions for Blog

1. Predict what might happen in Part 3 of the book.

2. When Paul wondered back into his back yard he was “sick to his soul”, what might that

mean and why?

3. Why do you think Paul couldn’t tell his parents about Tino and Erik or the truth about

Joey?

4. When Arthur hit Louis with the blackjack, was it justified? Why or why not?

5. Once football season is over, do you think Erik’s actions will change? Why or why not?

Day 8 (Monday): Examining Themes

Overview:

Using their books and journals students will look through the book and determine the

most important word or concept in the novel; followed by small and large group

discussion.

Objective:

Students will learn to look for themes throughout a piece of literature.

Students will understand the importance of themes in a novel.

Materials:

Books

Journals

Activity:

After individually going through the book and choosing what the most important word or

series of words or concept is, they will get together with another student and discuss what

they came up with. Everyone will then come together as a class and discuss their

words/concepts with everyone.

Assignment:

Blog entry

Day 8 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Students will spend 15 minutes at the beginning writing in their journal:

o Look back through Tangerine and choose what you think is the most important

word or concept from this book. Don't just choose the title or a character's name

— choose a word that is actually in the book that you feel sums up what the

whole book is really about.

o Share your reasoning with others.

Large group discussion

o What words did you all come up with?

o Did any of you choose the same word? Same reasons?

Assignment:

o On Moodle blog

Explain the insights into Tangerine 's theme, that your choice of most

important word, offers.

Day 9 (Tuesday): Wrapping up the Unit

Overview:

As a class we will be discussing odds and ends of the book and clarify any

misunderstanding the students might have and talk about the final project. As their final

journal entry the students will reflect on what they thought of the book overall and write

down their choice for the final project.

Objectives:

Students will learn to critique the book overall.

Students will learn to listen to their peers.

Students will understand the requirements and instructions of the final project for the

unit.

Material:

Journals

Activity:

Go to the Moodle blog and read some of the homework responses on the words they

chose for the themes in the book.

Students will spend time finishing up their journals, writing a short review of the book in

their journals. They will also write down the name of the character they want to do their

scrapbook on for the final project or if they are doing the second option of an interview.

Day 9 Lesson Plan in-class agenda:

Students will spend the beginning of the class, 15-20 minutes, writing a short review of

the book in their journals.

Discuss the different reviews as a class and open up the floor for debates if there are

disagreements of the reviews.

Moodle blog, reading over some of their responses/insights to the words they chose as

most important and themes in the novel.

Introduce the final project options:

o Choose one of the following characters from Tangerine: Paul, Erik, Joey, Theresa

Cruz, Vincent, Mr. Fisher, Mrs. Fisher. Create a scrapbook that this character

would have made. Include artifacts mentioned in the novel or inspired by details

in the text. Under each item, write a brief paragraph from the character's point of

view that explains why this item was included in the scrapbook.

o Conduct an interview with either a football or soccer coach within the school,

asking them questions related to the sport they coach and present the interview in

a newspaper column format in the sports section of the paper.

o Give them a handout with these instructions.

The students will write down what they chose as their final project in their journal and

then hand them in with their names on them.

FINAL Project Options

Conduct an interview with either a football or soccer coach within the

school, asking them questions related to the sport they coach and present the

interview in a newspaper column format in the sports section of the paper.

OR

Choose one of the following characters from Tangerine: Paul, Erik, Joey, Theresa Cruz, Vincent, Mr. Fisher, or Mrs. Fisher. Create a scrapbook that this character would have made. Include artifacts mentioned in the novel or inspired by details in the text. Under each item, write a brief paragraph from the character's point of view that explains why this item was included in the scrapbook.

o You may do some research on some of the artifacts if you would like.o I will bring in magazines, paper, scissors and glue that you may use

for your scrapbooks and work on them during next class.

Day 10 (Wednesday): Final Project Workshop Day

Overview:

The students will work on their final projects during class with the help of other peers and

myself.

Objectives:

The students will learn to work diligently.

The students will learn how to use the resources available to them.

The students will learn from each other through the help they provide for one another.

Materials:

Their novels

Magazines

Glue

Scissors

Construction paper

Markers

Computers

Activities:

The class will spend the class time working on their final project using the materials

provided to them. Those who need to research information or pictures may get a pass to

the computer lab.

Assessment:

By allowing them to have class time to start their projects I will be able to see how

diligently they can work individually or with another individual. I am able to supervise

and assess them on their worth ethic based on my observations. It also allows me to make

future decisions on class activities based on how they respond to the opportunity of class

time work.

Day 10 in-class agenda:

Students will use the class time provided to them to work on their final projects.

o They will use the materials provided to them depending on the project they chose.

o Go to the computer lab if need be for research.

Name: _______________________

Rubric for Final Projects:

CRITERIA QUALITY

Gives

enough

details.

Yes, I put in enough details to give the reader a sense of time, place, and events.

Yes, I put in some details, but some key details are missing.

No, I didn't put in enough details, but I did include a few.

No, I had almost no details.

RATIONALE

Choosing a novel to do a unit plan on seemed most influential and relatable to my

students in my opinion. So I decided to choose a book that I knew my students could relate to in

one way or another and easy for them to understand. I was able to create lesson plans that I knew

they would appreciate and keep them interested in reading the novel.

Context

Like most public school classrooms, my seventh grade English Language Arts classroom

includes students from all socioeconomic standings. Although most are within the middle class,

majority of the students are from a Hispanic background whose family’s hard work lead them to

where they are today. They come from hard working backgrounds but no matter their ethnicity,

my students apply themselves to do their best no matter what is being asked of them and what

the difficulty of the class is. Not only do I have a class where the majority of the students are

Hispanic but I also have a couple of students with disorders such as ADD and speech

impediment, but their disorder do not stop them from applying themselves in the same way as

the rest of my students. Some may struggle more than others but no matter their inability to

understand a subject, they apply themselves at the same level as everyone else and that is what

my classroom is about. No matter their background, each one of my student is a priority to me

and the can see that through my units because I choose to teach them about things that they are

familiar with but yet challenges them to become even more familiar.

It is easy for teachers to treat students differently sometimes, based on their

socioeconomic statuses, but our school makes sure that each student enrolled gets the education

they need in order to be successful no matter their academic standing. In my classroom we will

get acquainted with each other and become familiar with each other’s backgrounds in order to

help each other succeed, including the students with a disorder.

Theoretical Approach

My academic approach to teaching the novel, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, is based on

teaching something my students will be able to identify with. Most of my students come for

Hispanic backgrounds where a lot of them have at one point or another felt like an outsider

which the book touches base on. They will be able to read something interesting and relatable

while learning how to critique a piece of literature. Teaching literature means providing materials

for my students and getting them interested in something different. I want to get them to enjoy

reading and how to think critically about what they have just read. Literature expands the

students’ vocabulary and understanding on their culture today but it also helps them gain insight

on how to use the English language to express certain concepts and ideas. The idea of gaining

insight appeals to me and for my classroom because I believe it is important for my students to

develop concepts and ideas on their own and by teaching them through literature they can do

that, especially with modern literature where they have the opportunity to understand the

conflicts they face today. Whether through poems, news articles, novels, etc. my students will

become more familiar with the culture they are a part of. I also believe that through reading, my

students will develop writing skills as well, by reading different types of literature written by a

variety of authors. Often enough a student will become so engaged in a specific author’s work

that they will continue to read other pieces of literature written by them, expanding their

horizons.

My students will be using a writing journal on a daily basis responding to ideas covered

in class or pre-introducing the lesson. Along with using journals though, the students will be able

to express what they learn through activities within the class and learn how to create

presentations with their classmates. My theoretical approach is for my students alone. I want

them to be able to understand what they read and how to focus on key concepts and ideas in

literature. Picking the right novel is hard for any teacher and in my case I wanted to teach on a

book that my students would enjoy reading and the included things they are familiar with making

it easier on them to understand and critique.

Objectives

By the end of the unit plan my students will:

Learn to free-write using writing journals on key concepts and ideas from

the novel

Learn to interact with their classmates in group activities

Develop good presentation skills

Learn to compare and contrast two or more objects, places, or ideas

Understand the requirements of each assignment

My goal is to help my students better understand their reading requirement by providing them

with a lot of class and group discussion making sure they understand what the main conflicts,

themes, or ideas of the book are but also gain insight through their peers by creating group

discussions and class activities. I believe in hands-on systems in my classroom because students

react better when they can think outside of the box. By the end of the unit they will be able to

answer questions like “What do you think the overall theme of the book is?”, “How was the main

character able to overcome his fears and conflicts in the book?” or “What did you gain from

reading this book? How could you relate to it?”

Activities

The students will create small groups to discuss specific sections of the book almost

every day. Along with the small discussion groups, they will be given certain project to do

together as well, such as creating a chart on poster boards comparing and contrasting certain

things from the book. As a class project, the students will pick out a character from the book to

create a scrapbook based on information given to them in the books and some research if need be

to better understand the character’s personalities and interests. By doing this project the students

will be able to use their creativity to show what they’ve gained from reading the book. Once they

are finished with the scrapbook they will present it to the class and in a short paragraph explain

why they chose that specific character.

As a final project the students will have two options:

1. Conduct an interview with either a football or soccer coach within the school, asking

them questions related to the sport they coach and present the interview in a newspaper

column format in the sports section of the paper.

2. Choose one of the main characters from Tangerine: Paul, Erik, Joey, Theresa Cruz,

Vincent, Mr. Fisher, or Mrs. Fisher and create a scrapbook that this character would have

made. Include artifacts mentioned in the novel or inspired by details in the text. Under

each item, write a brief paragraph from the character's point of view that explains why

this item was included in the scrapbook.

Assessment

Through the journal entries each day I will be able to see that my students are doing what

they are asked of them and that they understand the basic concepts of the unit. I will also have

them hand in the worksheets that they were asked to do throughout the unit. Based on their

responses to the discussions and answers on their worksheets I will be able to see what they had

a hard time comprehending and what was more understandable to them. By having handouts and

journals I am also able to see which students need extra help and attention and make sure I spend

enough time with them making sure they understand the concepts or provide them with

alternative options to understanding the material.

Texts

Bloor, Edward. Tangerine. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 2005. Print.