PS 347 American Sign Language and English Lower School s3

PS 347 American Sign Language and English Lower School 6th grade Library Media Center Skills 2010-11 Unit 1: Book talks: Graphic novels Approx dates: September 2010

 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.  Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.  Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.  Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.  Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.  Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression (those that describe literary elements: character development, tone, pace, genre, etc.). Rationale: Why is it important to learn these things? Graphic novels are complex retellings of stories and a great window into visual literacy. Images are as important to understand and there are nuances that are inherent in graphic novels which are used in other media, such as advertising, film, etc. Key Teaching Points: Includes specific grammar and punctuation study. Read Aloud and Literature Discussion / Mentor Texts:  Narrative structure of graphic novels  Visual cues, expressions Bone series  Seeing vs. Hearing/Reading Redwall  Writing a persusasive book talk Middle School is worse than meatloaf  Listening to booktalks and thinking/evaluating Vocabulary to model, imbed in conversation, encourage and notice: Assessment/Final Product: How will you know your students have learned this? Include metalanguage for students to use to talk about their learning and thinking.  Listening charts  Responses to specific questions about visual literacy Panels, gutters, balloons, captions, sound effects  Written booktalks Sequencial narrative Comic strips (4 panels), graphic novels, web comics Text-heavy, text-light Body language, facial expressions, dialogue, visual points of view, etc. Evaluation: What worked well, what needed to be changed, what resources were Learning Environment: How will this learning be visible in your room? helpful? They have their library notebooks with booktalk charts and responses will be accessible in the room. Chart of terms to describe the characters, the genres, and the lessons learned will be posted.

Revised by Sara August 2010