SCRAFANO-+UNIT+PLAN+GENRE+STUDY

3 Chosen Plans: 1. (8th Grade) - A Different Dimension: Fantasy, Folktales, Myths and Legends (2004) by Taylor Culjan 2. (9th Grade) – Gangs, Cliques, and Peer Pressure (2002) by Julia Bateman 3. (12th Grade) – Revenge in Hamlet (2008) by Lauren Waldo 1. Why did you choose these three? - I chose these three unit plans because each belongs to a grade in which I would like to teach, all are very easy to follow, straight forward, concise, and seem to be of high quality. However, I also chose these three because each, in some way, differs from one another. I would like to take away pieces from each that could help me create an ideal unit plan structure I could use in the future. 2. Of the three unit plans, which do you like the best? Why? - I like the 9th Grade unit plan Gangs, Cliques, and Peer Pressure by Julia Bateman the best. I liked the structure of her unit plan and really appreciated her organization. Organization is an extremely important quality of a unit plan to me because otherwise it is very easy to become confused and not see the big picture that is intended to be painted at the end of a unit. Objectives easily become intertwined and intentions don’t get accomplished. I also liked her unique ideas and diversifying activities and assessments. Based off this unit plan I would assume the students’ attention and interest would be kept, which is one of the most absolute important things to me as a future teacher. 3. Pick one of the unit plans and tell what you would change or add and why. - In the unit plan Revenge of Hamlet, Lauren Waldo lists Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, etc…then when I scroll down I’ll see a page title “Appendix A” with a poem written on the page, however I do not understand with what lesson that poem is intended to be attached to. Her structure is a little confusing, and as I’ve mentioned before, organization is an important factor in any unit plan because it should be able to be given to a substitute teacher and they should understand, and be able to teach it flawlessly. 4. What structural characteristics do all three have in common? How are they different? - Each unit plan lists their “Days Plans” very similarly. They are each broken down into day 1, day 2, etc…then break apart the class’s available minutes into different objectives. They also each contain a rationale, index, some sort of goals or objectives, rubrics, worksheets, diversified assessments, and a reference page. Their structural characteristics primarily differ in their organization. For example in Gangs, Cliques, and Peer Pressure by Julia Bateman, her rubrics are next to the assessments in which they are intended for, whereas in Revenge in Hamlet by Lauren Waldo she places all of her rubrics at the end of her unit plan. 5. What accounts for these similarities? Differences? - I think it’s mostly based on personal preference, what the authors of the unit plans were taught, and maybe what they feel most comfortable with. 6. Develop a list of criteria you would use to evaluate the structure of unit plans. -Organization <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">-Concise <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">-Clear and understandable <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">-Should try to always include: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">-Title, time length, academic standards and anchors, motivational device or hook, rationale/importance, objectives, materials needed, some form of technology, diverse lesson types, differentiated learning activities, assessments, rubrics, worksheets, outlines, key questions, reflection and a works cited. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">7. Looking at the three plans you chose, what attitudes does each imply about: <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What constitutes the curriculum of the English Language Arts? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In all three unit plans the standards at each grade level were being met and were documented as a part of each lesson. <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What makes good instructional practices in English Language Arts? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">In theGangs, Cliques, and Peer Pressure unit plan I especially liked that the teacher dedicated time to have her students review and learn different SAT vocabulary, something I believe aided in good instructional practices in English Language Arts. Also, all of the lessons and assessments were very diversified making for good instructional practices. <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- What English Language Arts students are/should be capable of? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The standards each lesson applies to are, like I mentioned, listed at the very begging of each unit plan making teachers aware that their students are and should be capable of achieving the objectives stated in each. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">8. What do you notice as you compare the attitudes represented in these three plans? <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">- I notice that all of these unit plans really go above and beyond many of the activities and lessons I was exposed to in school. I genuinely liked each of the three I chose because the attitude and passion was present behind each of them. If implemented correctly, I see nothing but success for each of the lesson’s objectives. <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> <span style="font-family: 'times new roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Gina's Personal Page
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">UNIT PLAN GENRE STUDY: **