Lesson Plan for Unit 9, Utopia
Grade: 11 | Content Area: English/Language Arts | Course Name: English 11 |
Lesson 1 -Benchmark(s):
ISTE Standard #3: Research and information fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
Lesson | Duration | Learning Target(s) | Essential Question(s) | Resources |
1 | 1 day Activity 1: This activity will be done in collaborative groups so that work is spread out and manageable for all students. After students view the presentation “How to Write a Research Question”, they should move to their groups and brainstorm 8-10 possible questions about 1915 that could guide their research. Groups should record these questions, as they’ll be used again shortly.
Activity 2: STEP 1. After reading the resource about typical connections between Utopian fiction and society, groups should reconvene and decide what aspects of life in 1915 they should investigate. Direct them to questions written in Activity 1; these may suffice. If so, groups can move forward. If not, you could assist groups that need to write additional questions.
After groups have generated their questions, they need to write one solid overall research question that encompasses all of the aspects of life they intend to research. Assessment: Turn in the questions generated in Tasks 1 and 2. There is a rubric to use in evaluating student-generated questions. The final task is that students should divide the research aspects so you all know who will be responsible for each aspect in Lesson 2. | I can demonstrate appropriate use of print and digital resources to build background knowledge necessary for understanding how a writer of utopian fiction may comment on the political, economic and/or health issues of a particular period in history. | What is the appropriate first step for using digital tools to gather information? |
Lesson 2 -Benchmark(s):
11.7.9.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Standard: ISTE #3 Research and information fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
Lesson | Duration | Learning Target(s) | Essential Question(s) | Resources |
2 | 1-2 days Activity 1: Groups will conduct research, focusing on the relevant who, what, when, where, and why type questions: Who are the groups involved in this focus question? What are the sources of debate and controversy? Why is this an issue we should investigate? Groups will record their research results on a Shared Google Document which includes space for source information. Activity 2: Groups will enter their findings on a table. Teacher should cut and paste group findings into a table that can be shared with the class. | I can, using digital and print resources, identify the political, economic or health issues of a particular time period. | I can demonstrate appropriate use of print and digital resources to build background knowledge necessary for understanding how a writer of utopian fiction may comment on the political, economic and/or health issues of a particular period in history. |
Lesson 3 -Benchmark(s):
Standard: ISTE #3 Research and information fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
11.7.7.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Lesson | Duration | Learning Target(s) | Essential Question(s) | Resources |
3 | 2-3 days Activity 1: Brainstorm with students prior to using “Evaluating Online Sources” from Columbia University Libraries. Ask them what makes a resource credible. Then have students complete the note-taking guide as they use the resource. Activity 2: This will be followed the next day by B a quiz through which students demonstrate knowledge of how to evaluate sources. Activity 3: Students will use the OWL MLA website to become familiar with how to correctly format citations. Activity 4: Either individually or in research groups, students will revisit the sources they recorded on their research guide sheet (Lesson 2). For each, they will create a short bibliography entry explaining why the source is or isn’t credible and enter the information in a digital document. | I can evaluate the information sources I use for research. | How does one evaluate informational sources to determine whether they are credible? | Links to or description of resources for lesson. MLA Formatting and Style Guide |
Lesson 4 -Benchmark(s):
11.4.2.2 - Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Lesson | Duration | Learning Target(s) | Essential Question(s) | Resources |
4 | 1-2 days To gain practice in identifying theme, students will be working in collaborative groups to read a short text, identify the theme or themes, and report their findings to the class. Place students in group and provide each group with a different story to read and analyze. They should follow instructions on the Story Analysis Sheet, with the goal of identifying theme and figuring out how it is conveyed. All students will benefit from hearing a summary of each story and each group’s analysis, so this activity should culminate in a class presentation of some sort. Presentation options: · Short skit & explanation · Graphic organizer · PPt or Prezi · Cartoon Note: In supporting students as they work on their analysis, keep them focused on how the writer conveyed the story’s theme. Because the stories linked to this lesson all have different themes, it would be useful to keep a running record on the board as students present. Once presentations are concluded, it would be helpful to have students brainstorm other themes they are familiar with (from childhood stories, etc.) and add them to the list. | I can identify universal themes in a fiction text and explain the various ways theme is conveyed in literature. | How is theme conveyed in a work of literature? | Links to or description of resources for lesson. |
Lesson 5 -Benchmark(s):
11.4.2.2 - Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
11.4.5.5 - Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
11.4.6.6 - Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g. satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).
11.5.5.5 - Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in her or her exposition and argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing and engaging.
Lesson | Duration | Learning Target(s) | Essential Question(s) | Resources |
5 | 4-5 days (Note: much of this work will be ongoing, some in class but most out of class) Activity 1: While reading Herland, students will maintain a graphic organizer tracking how and why characters change as the story progresses (since theme is often revealed through character). Activity 2: Using the completed graphic organizer, students will work in collaborative groups, each group analyzing a separate character to determine:
This analysis should be shared in class, inviting discussion after each analysis is presented. Activity 3: Using different graphic organizers, students will compare the society of Herland to the society of the visitors. Activity 4: The final text analysis will require that students create any sort of plot mapping graphic that notes the exposition, rising action, conflict, falling action and resolution. The traditional plot diagram isn’t the best choice for this since there are several conflicts and resolutions. Note: These activities will prepare students for writing the benchmark essay. | I can identify multiple themes in Herland and analyze the impact of their interaction. I can analyze how Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s structural choices in writing Herland contribute to its merit as a Utopian novel. I can analyze Herland for its implications as a cultural criticism. | How is Herland rendered more complex and rich by the interaction of multiple themes? How does the structure of Herland contribute to it being considered a Utopian novel? What are the cultural criticisms embedded in Herland? | Links to or description of resources for lesson. |
Lesson 6-Benchmark(s):
11.5.5.5 - Evaluate two different texts for content as well as clarity and strength of argument .
11.5.7.7 - Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Lesson | Duration | Learning Target(s) | Essential Question(s) | Resources |
6 | 2 days In this final unit activity, students have the opportunity to explore Utopian ideals as they are presented in song lyrics. Two songs are provided, but they need a third song in order to complete the assignment. Note: This is an opportunity for students to write their own original song if they would like to. Students will consider how the three songs convey the ideals of Utopia as they have come to understand them based on work in this unit. They will create a digital presentation reporting their findings and upload the final product to their e-Portfolios. | I can compare two different Utopian texts, identifying similarities and differences. | What are the basic elements that utopian societies have in common? |