RSchuster_Unit_Plan

﻿Unit Plan Requirements **1.** The three Unit Plans I choose were: Utopias & Dystopias by Elizabeth Jasperse Will the Real Mockingbird please stand up? by Julie E. Duke Multicultural Literature by Mary Catherine Begnaud and Lee Evans

**2.** Utopias & Dystopias encompass some of the most captivating literature pieces. The Giver and Brave New World are two of the most well known examples, but I have also read Garth Nix (my favorite childhood author) who specialized in writing dystopian literature. And now the book Feed is getting recognition as a false Utopia/dystopia novel. I love reading them and Jasperse had the best layout in her unit plan. Will the Real Mockingbird Please Stand Up? is interesting because it establishes that students will be working with technology for a variety of projects. Since the technology age is now upon us, it is fitting that technology be incorporated main stream into the classroom. Lastly is Multicultural Literature. America is diverse and so is our literature, but not always in the classroom. There are "classics" and "favorites" that are discussed in the classroom and while it is nice to have common ground with students from other schools, it is nice to cover texts that are not covered on a regular basis. Black Elk Speakers is a perfect example of this because even I have not read this text before.

**3.** Utopias & Dystopias. It catches my eye the best. The topic is interesting and thought provoking. It is a topic that I know about and am interested in. While Elizabeth Jasperse includes her own texts for the unit plan I have my own texts that I can add to the plan to improve upon it. I think the reason why I like this unit plan the most is because I can see myself administering that unit plan.

**4.** I would pick Multicultural Literature to be the one that needs the most revision. The text is very plain and boring. The table of contents are there, but without page numbers. Some of the language used is very vague such as on the rubric, an A paper is Clear and Supported and a B paper is Somewhat clear and Somewhat supportive. How does the student truly know whats clear and what is somewhat clear? It is subjective and arguable for the grading process. Timeliness is emphasized where no late work is due. But if the teacher wants accountability to be learned by her students then she will need to change her homework policy where students are required to turn in assignments where they get some form of credit. Getting a guaranteed F after 2 days late on an assignment seems counterproductive.

**5.** All three of these Unit Plans have a Table of contents but not all the table of contents have page numbers. Two of them have a cover page and only one of them utilizes pictures in the unit plan, which makes it more appealing to the eye.

**6.** I believe what makes up for the similarities and the differences between the Unit Plans were when they were created. Utopias & Dystopias and Will the Real MockingBird Please Stand Up? were made in 2009 while Multicultural Literature was made in 1999. That is why the first two had cover pages and a numbered table of contents while the latter is less organized.

**7.** Here is my list of structure evaluations: Organization Diverse lesson delivery Creativity Coherence/Knowledge Relevancy to student body Goals Inclusivity

**8.** What constitutes the curriculum of English Language Arts? Literature, poetry, short stories, vocabulary, writing skill, reading ability, "Language biology" (Nouns, verbs, articles, etc.) What makes good instructional practices in English Langauge Arts? Taking into account the diverse students in the classroom and varying the lesson delivery accordingly. What English Language Arts students are/should be capable of? In high school, students should be able to write coherently, have an adequate vocabulary and must be on a reading level to read the literature included in the class

**9.** That some teachers go through the motions and meet the requirements while other teachers go above and beyond where you can tell that they love their job.

**10.** I agree with all the attitudes with the exception of the Multicultrual Literature Unit Plan. The attitude the teacher has towards late work can be counter productive. We need to make students responsible as opposed to just punishing them.