DewaltUnitPlanGenreStudy

Kyle Dewalt Unit Plan Genre Study 9-6-11


 * 1) Peer Relations, Peer Influence and Conformity
 * 2) ** Relationships are a fundamental part of the human experience **
 * 3) Relationships
 * 4) ** Relationships: Family, Peers, and Authority **
 * 5) ** Voice, Power, Identity: Guide to Choosing a Path and a Place **

Voice, Power, Identity: Guide to Choosing a Path and a Place, Relationships: Family, Peers, and Authority, and Relationships are a fundamental part of the human experience were three unit plans that I found to be of very high-quality, but also different in their materials. I chose these three unit plans because they dealt with an important issue that students starting out in 9th grade will most definitely face- relationships and identity formation. They were also organized well and had great assessments for students to put their new knowledge to use in effective ways. I also felt that these unit plans incorporated and meshed together really profound novels, short stories, plays, and poems. Collectively, all aspects of literature were utilized.

Out of the three unit plans that I analyzed, I liked the Voice, Power, Identity unit plan the most. It started out with a really great rationale and it also supplied teachers with questions and answers and rubrics, which are very helpful because then the teacher can alter the plans as they seem fit. I also felt that out of all of the unit plans, //Great Expectations// by Charles Dickens is a really great text for students to connect with even though it is a dated material.

If I could change one of the unit plans in any way, it would be Relationships are a fundamental part of the human experience. I felt that there were just too many different texts covered in this unit plan and that they were from very different time periods. While this is great in the aspect that the students can see that this is a timeless lesson to learn, they may get too confused by going throughout that many texts and authors. Maybe if this were an honors English class, then it would be a great unit plan to utilize for the theme of relationships and identity.

One great commonality of the three unit plans is that they have the students not only free writing, but also keeping a journal and writing down their thoughts. This is definitely important to help students become impressive writers and sometimes teachers forget to keep students writing rather than just reading. The three also have great projects for the students to complete as a summary, which gives students the opportunity to express their creativity past writing. They do differ in the amount of group work given and the texts and the span of time that the units cover. These similarities and differences amongst the three unit plans are not drastic. They are just due to different texts and ideas between the different authors of the plans.

Organization -Coherence -Flow Key Concept -Works towards goals -Is understandable -Relevance Connections -Valid -Concrete -Students can clearly connect the texts Lessons -Relevant -Keep the topic known -Are not too difficult

I think that between the three unit plans that I chose to examine closely, they all form the attitude that the curriculum of English Language Arts is very vast but it can also intertwine many different aspects of life. Not every content focus in school can teach a student how to form their own identity or build healthy relationships through literary classics or poems. This is why the curriculum is so interesting and easy to play with. I think that all three portray very good instructional practices. They incorporate writing, reading, thought formations, and use of assessments in order to maximize students learning in the classroom. Overall, these three unit plans give the attitude that English Language Arts students are capable of learning so much more than grammar or how to read sentences. They are capable or forming important ideas and are able to question the lives of characters, but also their own. These students are capable of impressing the class with an outstanding and creative project, while also writing a well thought out paper. I notice that if I use these unit plans in my future teaching, then I will have great lessons for my students. They will be introduced to great works of literature, but they will also learn a lot about their own lives in the process.

I agree with the attitude that all students can represent their understanding in a field of different assessments and activities. Not even in a perfect classroom will we have students who can write perfectly, defend arguments in class discussions, or be the most creative in projects. However, by offering all of these different activities, students can grasp the knowledge of the unit and reach the big goals that the teacher presents to the class.

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