1. The Character Theme Relationship Mrs. Sessions English 10

2. Unit Summary Students will read the novel Holes, by Louis Sachar, and meet in literature circles to discuss their interpretations of the novel’s character theme relationship. The discussions will promote deep thinking about characterization, plot, author intent, and personal interpretation.

3. Curriculum Framing Questions Essential Question Why should words be chosen carefully? Unit Question Why do people interpret books differently? Content Questions How are the characters in the book similar to you or people you know? What techniques did the author use to develop the charaters and themes in the novel?

4. Character Theme Relationship This project will help my students develop 21 st Century Skills by: Collaborating with peers Creating social responsibility with the interests of the larger community in mind Making decisions about the character theme relationship through discussion groups

5. Gauging Student Needs Assessment: Purpose of the assessment: To gather information about what students already know and what they wonder about characterization and theme What I want to learn from my students? I want to find out what they already know about the Unit Questions and what the know about reading a novel.

6. Student Needs Continued: How I have tried to promote higher- order thinking? I ask students to work in a literature group and make the connections between the characters in the novel and how the theme is revealed.

7. Student Needs Continued: How the assessment information helps me and my students plan for upcoming activities in the unit? If students have misconceptions about characterization and theme, I can provide scaffolds. If students have different levels of understanding about the elements of a novel, I can provide various resources. We will revisit this assessment throughout the unit for students to add to their knowledge.

8. Student Needs Continued: What feedback or additional ideas I’d like? I would like help on my assessment. I think I need to elicit more higher-order thinking, but I’m not sure how with the group I am teaching.

9. My Goals for the Unit: Find ways to get my students more interested in literature (novels specifically) Learn about different kinds of technology my students and I can use for “literature circles” Share ideas with other teachers

10. Goals For My Students: To learn how to analyze a character and connect the theme development in the novel To become more independent learners To become enthusiastic about reading a novel and discussing it’s elements

11. Request for Feedback Places I could find additional copies of the novel used in the unit Ideas for helping students take more responsibility and ownership for their own learning Ideas for monitoring and correcting behavior in literature circles