Coming of Age Novels

Creator Name: Chelsea K. Nilsson Suitable for: Grades 7 – 8 Subject Area: Reading Weeks: 3

Narrative Description:

In this unit, we delve into characterization and theme while also examining two other key reading strategies: asking questions and making inferences. Students will continue to work in literature circles and add new words to their vocabularies.

Selection of literature circle novels: Curtis, Christopher Paul: The Watsons Go to Birmingham (U, 1000L) Angelou, Maya: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1070L) Smith, Betty: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (810L) Spinelli, Jerry: Stargirl (V, 590L) and Love, Stargirl Blume, Judy: Forever and Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (T, 590L) Spinelli, Jerry: Crash (V, 560L) Cushman, Karen: The Midwife’s Apprentice (X, 1240L) Fleischman, Sid: The Whipping Boy (R, 570L) Fleischman, Paul: Whirligig (W, 760L) Meyer, Stephanie: Twilight (720L) Meyer, Stephanie: New Moon Meyer, Stephanie: Eclipse Meyer, Stephanie: Breaking Dawn Draper, Sharon: Romiette and Julio (610L) Picoult, Jodi: The Pact (820L)

Established Goals:

 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standard 3.1.E.1: Monitor reading for understanding by automatically setting a purpose for reading, making and adjusting predictions, asking essential questions, and relating new learning to background experiences.  New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standard 3.1.G.4: Locate and analyze the elements of setting, characterization, and plot to construct understanding of how characters influence the progression and resolution of the plot.

Note to the Instructor: You will want to customize these goals according to habits of mind, dispositions and/or state standards you wish to address in your unit. Stage One: Desired Results

Enduring Understandings Students will understand that…  Asking questions helps us on our journey to become thoughtful critics, “envelope pushers,” and challengers of the status-quo.  Drawing conclusions about the character or characters in our novels will help us to better judge the character of real people in our lives.  A novel’s theme is the message an author gives us about life or the human condition.  When we infer, we are combining our prior knowledge with what the author tells us so that we can come to our own conclusion about an aspect of the text.

(Knowledge) Students will know… (Skills) Students will be able to…  Inference  Ask questions that deepen our understanding of  Theme the text  Characterization  Code text with a “Q” and jot down the questions we ask as we read  Explain why asking questions is an effective and important reading strategy  Explore characterization through use of a graphic organizer  Ask questions pertaining to characterization that deepen our understanding of the text  Make inferences about the text with the aid of a graphic organizer  Explain why it is important to us as readers to be able to make inferences  Code text with an “I” and jot down the inferences we made while we read  Code the text to show comments, confusion, questions, inferences, predictions, connections and important information  Define theme  Identify indicators of themes  Identify evidence of a given theme using a graphic organizer  Explain why readers should work to uncover themes  Identify additional themes in literature circle books and record evidence of those themes

Essential Questions:  What turning points determine our individual pathways to adulthood?  How can we learn about ourselves by studying the lives of others? Stage Two: Assessment

 Graphic Organizers: Completing graphic organizers will help students to scaffold strategies like questioning and making inferences and support them as they begin to identify theme.  Coding the Text: Students will code the text with a “Q” and explain their questions; they will code the text with an “I” and explain their inferences; and they will code the text with “Th” where they think they see evidence of an emergent theme.  Exit Slips: Students will frequently complete exit slips to demonstrate their understanding of the daily objectives.  Unit Assessment: Students will demonstrate mastery of all unit objectives.  Reflection/Self-Assessment: Students will explain the effects of asking questions, making inferences and identifying themes on their understanding of what they read. Stage 3: Lesson Planning

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Mini-Lesson 1: Good readers ask Mini-Lesson 2: Good readers ask Mini-Lesson 3: Good readers code Mini-Lesson 4: Good readers Mini-Lesson 5: Good readers questions. (Standards) questions. (Standards) questions. (Standards) notice characterization. notice characterization. o Ask questions that o Ask questions that o Ask questions that (Standards) (Standards) deepen our understanding of deepen our understanding of deepen our understanding of o Explore aspects of o Ask questions the text (Standards) the text (Standards) the text (Standards) characterization through use pertaining to characterization o Explain why asking o Code the text with a of a graphic organizer that deepen our Strategy: Asking Questions questions is an effective and “Q” and jot down the (Standards) understanding of the text important reading strategy questions we ask as we read (Standards) (Standards) (Standards) Concept: Characterization o Code the text with a : “Q” and jot down the Strategy: Asking Questions Strategy: Asking Questions questions we ask as we read (Standards)

Concept: Characterization Strategy: Asking Questions MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Mini-Lesson 6: Good readers Mini-Lesson 7: Good readers Mini-Lesson 8: Good readers Mini-Lesson 10: Good readers make inferences. (Standards) make inferences. (Standards) make inferences. (Standards) Mini-Lesson 9: Good readers code practice all of their strategies as o Make inferences o Make inferences o Make inferences inferences. (Standards) they read. (Standards) about the text with the aid of about the text with the aid of about the text with the aid of o Make inferences o Code the text to show a graphic organizer a graphic organizer a graphic organizer about the text with the aid of comments, confusion, (Standards) (Standards) (Standards) a graphic organizer questions, inferences, o Explain why it is o Explain why it is o Explain why it is (Standards) predictions, connections and important to us as readers to important to us as readers to important to us as readers to o Code the text with an important information be able to make inferences be able to make inferences be able to make inferences “I” and jot down the (Standards) (Standards) (Standards) (Standards) inferences they make as they read (Standards) Strategy: Making inferences Strategy: Making inferences Strategy: Making inferences Strategy: Making inferences

Mini-Lesson 11: Good readers Mini-Lesson 12: Good readers Mini-Lesson 13: Good readers Mini-Lesson 14: Good readers Unit 4 Assessment notice themes. (Standards) notice themes. (Standards) notice themes. (Standards) notice themes (Standards) Study: o Define theme o Identify evidence of a o Identify evidence of a o Identify evidence of a  Coding the text, (Standards) given theme using a graphic given theme using a graphic given theme using a graphic especially coding questions o Identify indicators of organizer (Standards) organizer (Standards) organizer (Standards) and inferences (Standards) themes (Standards) o Explain why readers o Identify additional o Identify additional  Characterization themes in literature circle o Identify evidence of a should work to uncover themes in literature circle (Standards) given theme using a graphic themes (Standards) books and record evidence of books and record evidence of  Theme (Standards) organizer (Standards) those themes (Standards) those themes (Standards) o Explain why readers Concept: Theme o Explain why readers o Explain why readers should work to uncover should work to uncover should work to uncover themes (Standards) themes (Standards) themes (Standards)

Concepts: Theme Concept: Theme Concept: Theme Name: ______Date: ______

Coming of Age Novels

What essential questions will drive my learning?

 What turning points determine our individual pathways to adulthood?  How can we learn about ourselves by studying the lives of others?

What will I be learning to do by the end of this unit?

 Analyze characterization and theme  Ask questions that help me to improve my reading comprehension  Make inferences about what I’m reading so that I can understand even more than what the author is explicitly telling me

How will I be graded?

 Assessment on reading strategies and story elements  Vocabulary Tests  Post-It notes showing strategy use  Exit slips  Self-reflection and self-assessment  Reader’s Workshop Conferences  Accountable talk and role sheets within literature circle groups

What important dates and deadlines should I remember for this unit?

 See the attached calendar