Initiating Experiences

Launching Unit Experience:

        The initiating experience for launching this unit are four excerpts from the book “Why We Live Where We Live” written by Kira Vermond, and an anticipation guide that students will reflect on before reading and after reading these text set books. The teacher will provide an appropriate amount of time for students to complete the BEFORE section of the anticipation guide. Once students have completed the guide, they will turn to a partner and share their responses with one another. Then the teacher will invite students to come together and discuss about each of these statements or highlight some statements from the students’ discussion. Once that is completed, the teacher will explain to students what they will do with the form AFTER reading and have them place the guide in a safe place until they come back to it again. As for the excerpts provided below, it will be used to start the unit into getting students thinking about the themes presented in this unit. This activity will help trigger students’ background knowledge and personal experiences before reading and interacting with each theme. This will also help teachers to monitor students’ changes and reflection from beginning to end as they go through this unit.

Initiating Unit Materials:

• Anticipation guide
• Excerpts from the book “Why We Live Where We Live” (Excerpts provided below along with page number)

Excerpts: p. 19

P. 22

P. 35

P. 40