West Deptford Township School Grade 8 ELA Curriculum Unit 4: Informative & Explanatory Research
West Deptford Township Schools 675 Grove Rd, Paulsboro, NJ 08066 wdeptford.k12.nj.us (856) 848-4300
West Deptford Township Schools
Course of Study/Curriculum Guide
Curricular Area: Literacy
Course Title: Informative & Explanatory Research
Grade Level: 8
Written by: Fiona Paterna and Carolyne Porter
Reviewed by: Laura Sandy
Approved by: Shawnequa Carvalho
Board of Education Approval: September 2017
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices.
Unit – informative and Explanatory Research Timeline - April- June
Critical Knowledge and Skills:
Enduring Understanding Essential Questions ❏ Writers teach lessons through the fiction they write. ❏ How can I infer the lesson in the text I have read when the writer ❏ Understanding when and how a writer writes is just as is not explicit? important as understand what a writer writes. ❏ Why is it important to build context for the text I am in reading ❏ Making text to self and text to world connections is essential in order to fully understand it? in the reading process. ❏ How can I determine how a work of fiction teaches me a lesson ❏ Effectively explaining a subject regardless of the task and about the world I live in? medium requires a thorough understanding of the subject, ❏ What information must I know first in order to explain a subject well-chosen facts and examples related to the subject and to my audience? preparation. ❏ How can I organize this information so that my audience understands me?
Career Readiness Practices (CRPs)
❏ CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizen and employee. ❏ CRP2. Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. ❏ CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason. ❏ CRP5. Consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of decisions. ❏ CRP6. Demonstrate creativity and innovation. ❏ CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies. ❏ CRP8. Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. ❏ CRP9. Model integrity, ethical leadership and effective management. ❏ CRP11. Use technology to enhance productivity. ❏ CRP12. Work productively in teams while using cultural global competence.
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices.
Reading Writing Speaking and Listening Language Standards R.L.8.1 RI.8.1 W.8.2A,B,C,D,E,F SL.8.1A,B,C,D L.8.1D R.L.8.2 RI.8.2 W.8.4 SL.8.2 L.8.2C RL.8.3 RI. 8.3 RL.8.4 RI.8.4 W.8.5 SL8.5 L.8.4A,B,C,D RL.8.5 RI.8.5 RL.8.6 RI.8.6 W.8.6 SL8.6 L.8.6 RL.8.10 RI.8.10 W.8.10
Instructional Text type: Writing Genre Primary Focus: Task type: These standards are embedded in the Focus writing process. Ray Bradbury Author Study Informative and Project-based presentations Unit: Explanatory/Research focusing on use of 1-2 Extended Texts multimedia and visual ● Processed piece displays ❖ There Will Come explaining how ● collaborative task in Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury stories serve which students Bradbury as cautionary tales. explain Ray ❖ “A Sound of Bradbury’s writing Thunder” by Ray ● On demand style by identifying Bradbury informational piece and analyzing his 4-8 shorter texts: about Ray Bradbury. technique in an ❖ Paired text: “There assigned short story. Will Come Soft Writing Genre Secondary ● Groups will present the Rains”- poem by Sra Focus: results of this work to * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. Teasdale ● Routine Writing- the class. Journal entries to related to Bradbury ❖ “The Veldt” by Ray stories Bradbury
➢ Paired text: ● Non-fiction article “The summaries that include Children’s topic, main idea, and Hour” by supporting details. Henry
Wadsworth ● Writer’s notebooks as a Longfellow ❖ “The Flying thinking tool to Machine” by Ray consider multiple sides Bradbury of an issue, respond to ------arguments, and rethink Non-fiction cautioning responses. the perils of technology: ● Writer’s notebooks as observational tool to ❖ “Ten Ways to Miss a Childhood” identify Bradbury’s ❖ “28 Times” writing style ❖ Look Up- Video ❖ Holderness Family: Texting and I Know It- Video ------Non-fiction to accompany “There Will Come Soft Rains”
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ❖ Chernobyl- destruction/years to recover from nuclear war ❖ Hiroshima- radioactive flash ❖ Smart house article ❖ Smart House DVD ------Fiction ❖ “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury ❖ “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury ❖ “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury ------Non-fiction to accompany “A Sound of Thunder”: ❖ “The Sixth Extinction” ❖ “Time Travel in Science Fiction” ❖ “Watch Out for that Butterfly” (Butterfly Effect)
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. Critical RL.8.1 W.8.2 SL.8.1 L.8.1 Knowledge and ● Identify and analyze ● Write an introduction ● Engage in conversations ● Recognize and correct Skills author’s purposeful that clearly outlines about grade- inappropriate shifts in verb use of language and ideas to follow appropriate topics voice and mood literary devices ● Write a thesis and texts L.8.2 ● Make personal statement ● Craft and respond to ● Apply common rules and connections, make ● Select fact, definitions, specific questions patterns to spell words connections to concrete details, based on topic or correctly other text, and/or quotations, or other text, elaborating L.8.4 global connections information and when necessary when relevant examples ● Reflect on and ● Use a combination of context ● Probe a segment of ● Develop and use a paraphrase what was clues, structural clues, and the text in order to consistent style, discussed word’s position and function study and evaluate approach and form for SL.8.2 in a sentence to determine its multiple, deeper, the task the meaning of unknown ● Evaluate the and varied ● Write a conclusion to words or phrases effectiveness of the meanings close the ideas in the ● Use the definition of known presenter’s media RL.8.2 text prefixes and suffixes to define and format choices ● Create language that is new words ● Analyze the SL.8.5 appropriate to one’s ● Use known root words to aid development of a audience and a formal ● Incorporate multimedia in defining unknown words theme or central tone and visual displays L.8.6 idea over the course W.8.4 into presentations of the fictional or ● Understand and apply and analyze the informational text ● Write for a specific conversational, academic, and impact of them on ● Summarize the text audience and purpose domain specific vocabulary the reader objectively, ● Use language that is SL.8.6 capturing the main precise and powerful to
idea create voice ● Orally present RL.8.4 W.8.5 information, using appropriate speech, * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ● Provide an analysis ● Revise and edit in a variety of of the impact of intentionally to situations specific word choice improve writing on meaning and/or ● View writing from the tone vantage point of the RL.8.5 audience in order to determine the ● Provide an analysis effectiveness of their of how the words, organization, structure of a etc. specific paragraph W.8.6 in a text, including the role of ● Use technology to particular sentences broaden research base aids in developing ● Use evidence found and refining a key online to support ideas concept ● Give and receive RI.8.5 feedback using technology ● Compare and ● Seek out authentic contrast the publishing structure of two or opportunities more texts W.8.7 RL.8.6 ● Explore inquiry topics ● Analyze how the through short research author uses literary projects devices to develop ● Research and effects such as synthesize information suspense of sense from several sources of humor ● Develop research ● Evaluate the questions * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. effectiveness of the ● Determine key words author’s point of or topics for each view or purpose question choices ● Conduct research and RL.8.10 & RI.8.10 synthesize multiple sources of information ● Discern more from ● Compose follow-up and make fuller use research questions of text based on the initial ● Make an increasing search number of W.8.8 connections among ideas and between ● Draw evidence from texts multiple texts to support thesis ● Assess the credibility
and accuracy of each source ● Select direct and indirect quotations that relate to the topic as evidence ● Follow MLA guidelines to cite direct and indirect quotations W.8.10 ● Produce written reflections ● Explain stylistic choices made while writing
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices.
Writing Task
Primary Focus Secondary Focus Routine Writing This is connected to the types of writing as indicated in This may be to develop a skill or connect to writing This is daily writing or writing that is done several times the standards: Informational or Literary. from resources or research writing. over a week.
Informative/Explanatory Writing Explanatory Writing: Meet the Writer Page Writer’s Notebook entries to make connections to ● SW compose an informational essay that ● SW will compose a biography page for Bradbury: text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world asks them to examine Ray Bradbury’s short Ray Bradbury modeled after the “Meet the Writer” pages found in ELEMENTS OF stories as cautionary tales. Flash Drafts LITERATURE using the following
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ● SW select the text(s), identify appropriate provided resources: Bradbury’s BIO page text to world connections (observational or and a short video of an interview with him. Reading and Writing Reflections researched), determine a claim, and develop it with logical reasoning and evidence. Group Style Informational Presentation: Google Classroom Question Responses ● SW analyze Ray Bradbury’s style created ● SW gather relevant information from by diction, imagery, syntax, and figurative multiple print and digital resources, quoting language. Exit slips or paraphrasing it and following a standard ● SW cite direct textual evidence. format for citation. ● SW explain how the chosen textual evidence demonstrates his style. ● SW describe style with multiple, unique, well-chosen adjectives.
District / School Formative Assessment Plan District/School Summative Assessment Plan Ongoing throughout the year- LinkIt Summative Report ● LinkIt Diagnostic Report ● Skill mastery of grammar (infinitives, sentence patterns) Informational essay examining Bradbury’s short stories as cautionary tales. ● Command of capitalization, spelling, punctuation ● Construction of a paragraph with varied sentences, transitions, and Style Group Presentation unfolding of claim/thesis ● Connections made between/among texts concerning literary terms Cold Read of culminating story of unit (perhaps “The Flying Machine” or “All and writer’s craft Summer in a Day”)with text-dependent questions and writing task applicable to ------unit focus Writer’s Notebook Entries
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices.
Poem analysis of “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Sara Teasdale & “The Children’s Hour” by HW Longfellow and application to main texts
Allusion analysis
Understanding historical context that inspires Bradbury’s style and purpose
Connect non-fiction topics and main ideas to fictional themes
Analyze style: diction, syntax, imagery, and figurative language across texts
Find a meme that delivers Bradbury’s cautionary message about technology and explain its connection
Thematic and stylistic connections between main and paired texts and among texts in the collection
Compare texts to film versions
District / School Primary and Supplementary Resources Primary Resources Supplementary Resources ❖ “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury Poems to accompany “There Will Come Soft Rains” & “The Veldt” ❖ “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury ❖ Paired text to “There Will Come Soft Rains”: “There Will Come Soft ❖ “The Flying Machine” by Ray Bradbury Rains”- poem by Sara Teasdale ❖ “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury ❖ Paired text to “The Veldt”: “The Children’s Hour” by Henry ❖ “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury Wadsworth Longfellow ❖ “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury Non-fiction to accompany “There Will Come Soft Rains” ❖ “The Fog Horn” by Ray Bradbury ❖ Chernobyl-destruction/years to recover from nuclear war * All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ❖ Hiroshima/WW2- radioactive flash effect on wall ❖ Smart house article
❖ Current event (North Korea?) of nuclear weapon usage ❖ Smart House DVD Non-fiction/Videos cautioning the perils of technology: ❖ “Ten Ways to Miss a Childhood”- non-fiction article ❖ “28 Times”-non-fiction article ❖ Look Up- Video ❖ Holderness Family: Texting and I Know It- Video Non-fiction to accompany “A Sound of Thunder”: ❖ “The Sixth Extinction” ❖ “Time Travel in Science Fiction” ❖ “Watch Out for that Butterfly” (Butterfly Effect) Film versions of texts found on teacher websites or Youtube: ❖ “The Veldt” ❖ “All Summer in a Day” ❖ “The Pedestrian” ❖ “A Sound of Thunder” (NOT 2011 movie)
Technology Integration
Movie versions of ● “The Veldt” ● “All Summer in a Day”
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ● “A Sound of Thunder”
SW use Pinterest/Google images to find memes that deliver a similar message or tone to Bradbury’s cautionary tone toward technology
Smart House DVD
Group Presentation on Author’s Style: ● SW analyze Ray Bradbury’s style created by diction, imagery, syntax, and figurative language and present to the class using appropriate media: Google slides, Powerpoint, Website, etc.
Differentiated Instruction
Gifted Students (N.J.A.C.6A:8-3.1) ❏ Within each lesson, the Gifted Students are to be given the Enrichment Questions. ❏ These questions are to push the knowledge of each portion of the lesson. Refer to the bottom of your Teacher Edition to see this portion of the lesson. Ongoing autonomy throughout the year with each writing assignment ● Students may choose most effective prewriting strategy. ● Students may stray from the suggested outline and structure to honor their creative vision. ● SW open and close in a creative, impressionable fashion. ● SW use sophisticated syntax, diction, and rhetorical devices. ● SW use effective transitions and varied sentence structure to unravel narrative in logical manner.
Informational Essay ● SW be required to reference more than one Ray Bradbury story to develop the claim. ● SW be required to incorporate multiple outside resources/evidence by conducting research using effective search terms and assessing the the credibility and usefulness of sources. ● SW be required to include a WORKS CONSULTED page. ● SW be encouraged to read additional Ray Bradbury stories independently for use with this task. A list of suggested texts will be provided.
Style Presentation ● SW be assigned syntax to study in Bradbury’s stories
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ● SW find multiple examples of syntax (or imagery, figurative language, or diction) to find in texts
English Language Learners (N.J.A.C.6A:15) ❏ Within each lesson, the English Language Learners are given three levels of questioning. Each level is accommodating to the level of learning that the individual student(s) is learning at. ❏ Beginning ❏ Intermediate ❏ Advanced ❏ All assignments have been created in the student’s native language. ❏ Work with ELL Teacher to allow for all assignments to be completed with extra time.
❏ Materials can be translated using Google Translate or within a MS Word Document.
❏ Materials made available in native language.
Risk Students (N.J.A.C.6A:8-4.3c)
Informational Essay:
● SW have option to focus on one story only. ● SW be responsible for researching outside sources; teacher discretion if that research must be incorporated into essay. ● SW be provided graphic organizers appropriate to the task according to need. Meet the Writer Page:
● As this is an on-demand (90 minutes to complete) task, extended time may be provided based on need. ● SW be provided a graphic organizer according to need. Group Style Presentation:
● SW be assigned imagery or figurative language to study in Bradbury’s stories ● SW find multiple examples of assigned element to find in texts ● Students may use direct or indirect textual evidence. ● SW explain how the chosen examples demonstrate his style.
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. ● SW describe his style with fewer well-chosen adjectives.
● Within each lesson, the Response to Intervention section is for the at risk students. Within these sections of the Teacher Edition, common mistakes are brought up and intervention plans are provided. Refer to the bottom of your Teacher Edition to see these examples.
Special Education Students (N.J.A.C.6A:8-3.1)
Informational Essay
● SW be assigned the story to use for this task. ● SW be responsible for researching outside sources but will not be required to incorporate research into essay. ● SW be assigned a graphic organizer appropriate to the task. ● SW be permitted to paraphrase textual evidence.
Meet the Writer Page: ● As this is an on-demand (90 minutes to complete) task, extended time may be provided based on need. ● SW preview the sources ahead of time. ● SW be provided a graphic organizer appropriate to the task.
Group Style Presentation: ● SW be assigned diction to study in Bradbury’s stories. ● SW find at least one example of assigned element. ● SW paraphrase textual evidence. ● SW explain how the chosen examples demonstrate his style. ● SW describe his style with one well-chosen adjective.
Interdisciplinary Connections****
Math Science ELA
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. RST.6-8.1 RST.6-8.2. RST.6-8-5 RST.6-8.6 RST.6-8.10 In order to provide context for “There Will Come Soft Rains”, students will read informational texts related to the atomic bomb. In order to provide text to text, text to world connections for “A Sound of Thunder”, students will read informational texts related to extinction
Fine Arts/ Performing Arts World Language Technology
8.1.1.D.2 8.1.8.D.5 Throughout this unit, students will be conducting research (assigned and self-selected) for various purposes.
Careers Global Awareness Other
RH.6-8.1 RH.6-8.2 RH.6-8.4 RH.6-8.9 RH.6-8.10 To provide historical context for the time period Bradbury wrote the stories in this unit, students
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices. will read and view a variety of informational texts related to the Cold War era.
* All Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions for each standard are suggested samples and can be modified or removed at the discretion of the teacher(s).
**Assessments and Resources could be altered or added at the discretion of the teacher(s). All assessments and resources used will cover the standards.
***CRP stands for Career Ready Practices.