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TRANSCRIPT
Connecting Across Texts:
Thematic Unit Design and Differentiation
for CCGPS
Lisa Boyd 2012 Georgia Teacher of the Year Finalist
Academic Rigor Coach
Luella High School
Melissa Page English Education Instructor
University of Georgia
1. What are your fears about the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards?
2. What problems do you anticipate in planning for CCGPS?
3. What are your hopes for this session?
Benefits for ELA Teachers and Students
• focus on enduring ideas and themes rather than chronology or literary periods
• increased student interest and engagement • emphasis on (rather than lip service to)
relevancy and rigor • opportunity for teacher creativity and
autonomy in design • increased use of technology rather than
reliance on textbooks • concentration on student-centered learning • requirement that students demonstrate what
they know and can do (authentic assessment rather than multiple-choice testing)
Unit Planning for CCGPS
Standards
Assessments
Lessons
Backward Design Higher-Order Thinking
Common Core Standards
Reading
(1) Literary Texts fiction, drama, poetry (film, art, music)
(2) Informational Texts non-fiction, primary sources (speeches, political documents), photos, cartoons, advertisements, articles, manuals
increased focus on informational texts in HS
1 extended text and 9 thematically linked short texts per unit
Common Core Standards
Writing
(1) Argumentative
(2) Informative/Explanatory
(3) Narrative (focusing on conveying experience)
more shorter pieces (approximately 10 per unit), paragraphs rather than full essays
organic organization (no five-paragraph essays)
research imbedded (more small projects rather than research papers)
Common Core Standards
Language
(1) Grammar and Syntax
(2) Vocabulary in Context
Speaking and Listening
(1) Collaborative Discussion
(2) Presentation of Research/Ideas
(3) Evaluation of Speaker’s Rhetoric
(4) Incorporation of Multimedia Components
Embedding Language Study and Use into Every Activity
L1 & L2: part of every writing task (cannot be taught in isolation)
L3: included in close reading analysis to examine connection between style and content (especially important for examination of rhetorical strategies in informational texts)
L4: require students to keep independent vocabulary logs (context clues from text, definition, varied forms, visual representation, example/non-example, sentence including context)
Summative Assessment: Argumentative Letter
You are a college student majoring in psychology. Your roommate, a physical education major and member of a college sports team, insists that physical battle is more punishing than emotional struggle. Your task is to write a persuasive essay that will convince your roommate that emotional conflict is actually more difficult for a person to bear.
As he or she evaluates your position and reasons, your stubborn but logical roommate is looking for a clearly stated thesis and will be swayed by compelling evidence—but won’t be easily swayed by emotional appeals. Be sure to include at least THREE characters, speakers, or historical figures who experience emotional conflicts that are more punishing than the physical battles they endure. [RL1, RL9, W1, W4, W5, W7, W8, W9]
Macbeth activities
1. Compare three film productions of specific scenes (tone, setting, characterization). [RL7, SL1]
2. Engage in close reading of two passages illustrating Lady Macbeth’s character: Act 1 Scene 7 (“Screw your courage to the sticking place.”) and Act 5 Scene 1 (“Out, damned spot.”). Write an argumentative analysis explaining how Lady Macbeth has changed and the primary cause of her transformation and citing textual evidence for support. [RL1, RL4, RL5, RL10, W1, W9, L5]
3. Compare and contrast the themes of Macbeth’s “Out, out brief candle” speech (Act 5 Scene 5) and Frost’s poem “Out, Out.” Explain the figurative meaning of words, and cite textual evidence in support of ideas. [RL1, RL2, RL4, RL10, W2, W9, L5]
Beowulf & Grendel activities
1. Compare the point of view of each story and analyze how the author’s choice of point of view impacts the reader’s feelings toward the characters and contributes to theme. [RL7, W2]
2. While reading excerpts, identify and discuss Beowulf’s physical and psychological character traits, citing textual evidence for support. [RL1, RL3, RL4, W2, W9, SL1, L5]
3. Research a contemporary problem in the world for which Beowulf, because of this character traits, could provide assistance. Writing from Beowulf’s point of view, compose a résumé and cover letter in which you offer your services to those in need of help and convince them of your ability to solve the problem. [RI7, W1, W2, W4, W5, W6, W7, W8]
activities for WWI posters, photos, cartoons, and trench poetry
1. Explain the complexity of WWI trench warfare for soldiers by describing the disparity between the perception of WWI for soldiers before enlistment and during the war. Reference details from the posters and photos as evidence for your ideas. [RI1, RI6, SL2]
2. Working in small groups, analyze the point of view and tone of different WWI poems, focusing on the irony of each poem and explaining how the author’s use of irony impacts the poem’s themes. [RL2, RL3, RL4, RL5, RL6, RL9, SL1, L5]
3. Compare and contrast “The Soldier” with another WWI poems of your choice to reveal opposing themes of the war. Include discussion of the figurative meaning of words, and cite textual evidence in support of ideas. [RL1, RL2, RL3, RL4, RL5, RL6, RL10, W2, W4, W9, L5]
4. Engage in additional research of your own, and participate in a Socratic seminar about central complex ideas revealed through images and poetry from WWI. [RL1, RI1, RI7, W7, W8, SL1, SL2]
CCGPS focus on informational texts—with a broader definition of text
“The Things They Carried” activities
1. Working in small groups, compose two sentences, each illustrating a different theme (statement about the human condition) conveyed in the story. [RL2, W2, SL1]
2. Analyze the impact of O’Brien’s choices in structuring the story and introducing characters, citing textual evidence for support. [RL1, RL3, RL5, W2, W9]
3. Compose a personal narrative about your experience as a student. Model your narrative after “The Things They Carried,” using the physical weight of items in your backpack to convey literal and figurative burdens in your life. [W3, W4, W5]
activities with persuasive speeches
1. Engage in whole-class close reading, viewing, and analysis of “St. Crispin’s Day Speech” from Henry V, focusing particularly on the speaker’s purpose, point of view, reasoning, rhetoric, and tone. [RI1, RL2, RL4, RL5, RL7, L5]
2. In a paragraph, compare King George VI’s 3 September 1939 radio address with the interpretation/depiction of that speech in the film The King’s Speech. [RI1, RI4, RI5, RI6, RL7, W2, W9]
3. Discussing in small groups, analyze the speaker’s purpose, point of view, reasoning, rhetoric, syntax, and tone in two persuasive speeches written in response to historical moments of conflict. [RI2, RI3, RI4, RI5, RI6, RI7, RI8, RI9, RI10, SL1, SL3]
4. Participate effectively in a Socratic seminar about essential question 4. Cite textual evidence from multiple speeches to support your well-reasoned position. [RI1, RI2, RI3, RI5, RI6, RI7, RI8, RI9, SL1, SL2]
5. Compose and deliver your own persuasive speech, using techniques employed in one that you have read. [W1, SL4, SL6]
Pre-Planning for Thematic CCGPS Units
Decisions, Actions, and Consequences
Utopia and Dystopia
The American Dream
Chaos and Order
Constructing Identities
Freedom and Responsibility
Good and Evil in the World
Heroes and Sheroes
Love and Sacrifice
Nature in the Balance
The Pursuit of Happiness
Relationships and Community
Shades of Truth
