Investigating Identity Unit

Unit Summary During this unit students will participate in different activities that are all a part of Project-Based Learning. In Project Based Learning, students will be able to utilize the text, Bad Monkeys, which will help them think outside the box. Analyzing the novel and creating personal projects to contribute to a group will help the students with their 21st century skills. By the end of the unit students will be able to see the text as it pertains to the world and not just the classroom.

Project Summary The project the students will engage in during this unit will be independent projects which are part of a group project. The students will research and investigate places and careers to ultimately collaborate a multi-media presentation with their peers for the final. When all projects are presented the students will use notes they have taken from other presentation s to create a newspaper which surrounds the novel and the ideas and conclusions they have come to throughout the unit.

Why Projects? Project-Based Learning takes the student out of the classroom. With this type of learning each student will find their separate identities and learn important elements of the text that a normal instruction would have skipped over. With Project-Based Learning the students learn 21st century skills to help them not only in the class, but in their future endeavors as well.

My Goals Help students draw abstract ideas from the text. Teach students to use multi-media presentations to show thoughtful and precise work. Encourage students to utilize the internet and their fellow students for help with Discussion boards through Blackboard. Observe their needs as they work within groups and individually to accommodate to each student’s learning style. Utilize Content Standards in a way that students are motivated to read the text and participate in projects.

Student Goals Become students who are able to work well with others. I hope to see the students able to take individual pieces and form a well thought out final project. To communicate with other classmates and have well organized and mature class discussions. I hope to see each student become familiar with internet based research and multimedia presentations. Become familiar with 21st century skills.

Objectives Students will identify individual rights and identities through research and group work. Students will analyze and draw thoughtful conclusions involving the text.(i.e. worldly views, ideas and concepts) Students will work individually and within groups to learn self- direction and how to work together to create a whole.

Targeting Content Standards Before the students begin the unit 1.3 Discern the meaning of analogies encountered, analyzing specific comparisons as well as relationships and inferences 3.2 Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim. 3.7 Analyze recognized works of world literature from a variety of authors: c. Evaluate the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of the historical period that shaped the characters, plots, and settings 1.6 Develop presentations by using clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies (e.g., field studies, oral histories, interviews, experiments, electronic sources). Independent and Group Work While Working on Text 2.2 Write responses to literature: d. Demonstrate an understanding of the author’s use of stylistic devices and an appreciation of the effects created. 2.3 Write reflective compositions: b. Draw comparisons between specific incidents and broader themes that illustrate the writer’s important beliefs or generalizations about life.

Targeting Content Standards Independent Work Leading to Final Presentation. 2.4 Write historical investigation reports: b. Analyze several historical records of a single event, examining critical relationships between elements of the research topic. 2.6 Deliver multimedia presentations: a. Combine text, images, and sound and draw information from many sources (e.g., television broadcasts, videos, films, newspapers, magazines, CD-ROMs, the Internet, electronic media- generated images). b. Select an appropriate medium for each element of the presentation. c. Use the selected media skillfully, editing appropriately and monitoring for quality. d. Test the audience’s response and revise the presentation accordingly.

Targeting Content Standards 2.1 Deliver reflective presentations: a. Explore the significance of personal experiences, events, conditions, or concerns, using appropriate rhetorical strategies (e.g., narration, description, exposition, persuasion). b. Draw comparisons between the specific incident and broader themes that illustrate the speaker’s beliefs or generalizations about life. c. Maintain a balance between describing the incident and relating it to more general, abstract ideas.

Targeting Content Standards Final Presentation within Groups 2.3 Deliver oral responses to literature: a. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the significant ideas of literary works (e.g., make assertions about the text that are reasonable and supportable). b. Analyze the imagery, language, universal themes, and unique aspects of the text through the use of rhetorical strategies (e.g., narration, description, persuasion, exposition, a combination of those strategies). c. Support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text or to other works. d. Demonstrate an awareness of the author’s use of stylistic devices and an appreciation of the effects created. e. Identify and assess the impact of perceived ambiguities, nuances, and complexities within the text.

Curriculum Framing Questions Essential Question Can one individual change the world? Unit Questions Who are 3 individuals in History who have changed the world, good or bad? What did these people do in order to impact the world, as well as, History? Content Questions What attributes make up these historical icons? Did they changed the world alone? Do you see any of their attributes within your own reality, explain?

Assessment to Gauge Student Needs Before beginning the unit on Bad Monkeys the students will fill out a K-W-H-L chart, this stands for “Know, Wonder, How, and Learn,” each student will come up with a series of questions and answers that they may have before and during the novel. With this chart I am able to assess where the students are in terms of understanding, therefore helping in choosing their groups and directing class discussions.