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Home > INSTRUCTION > State Standards and Frameworks > English Language Arts > Unit_Overview

 Gr. 8 Unit: Overcoming Societal Challenges


Essential Question:

How do we find strength within to overcome challenges beyond our control?


Lesson Calendar

DAY 1 - SEED 1

DAY 2 - SEED 2

DAY 3 - SEED 3

DAY 4 - PLAN 1

DAY 5 - PLAN 2

DAY 6–7 - PLAN 3

DAY 8 - SEED 4

DAY 9 - SEED 5

DAY 10 - SEED 6

DAY 11–13 - SEED 7

DAY 14–15 - PLAN 4

DAY 16 - SEED 9

DAY 17 - SEED 10

DAY 18 - SEED 11

DAY 19 - SEED 12

DAY 20 - SEED 13

DAY 21 - SEED 14

DAY 22 - SEED 15

DAY 23 - SEED 16

DAY 24–25-SEED 17

CCSS Standards for this Unit

Monitoring Templates

Download Seeds, Plans, and Resources (zip)

Send Feedback to MSDE’s Reading Team

UNIT OVERVIEW

5 Weeks - "Unit at a Glance" Organizer

Download all unit files (zip)

Controlling Idea or Central Topic: Overcoming Societal Challenges

Rationale: Individuals have been facing and overcoming societal challenges since the beginning of time. In this unit, students will analyze and examine how confronting, enduring, and overcoming challenges helps one to find strength within.

Purpose: Through the exploration of both literature and literary nonfiction, students will provide relevant evidence to evaluate and explain the implications of gaining strength from challenges on both the individual and society.

Structure: This eight-week unit integrates standards from all four strands, Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking/lListening. Students will have the opportunity to work with long and short pieces of literature and literary non-fiction, as well as to write exposition and argument. Literature Circles will be utilized for independent reading to foster collaboration and discussions, and as a precursor to performance tasks. A research project linked to the student's independent reading is included. Research results are presented in the form of a multi-media presentation. In the unit summative assessment, students synthesize evidence from three or more texts (digital and non-digital) that they have examined throughout the unit and write an argument about the way individuals address societal challenges beyond their control.


TEXT MODELS FOR LESSONS AND LESSON SEEDS

Holocaust

  1. Unit Central Works/Short Works
    1. "Crystal Night," poem by Lyn Lifshin
    2. "For the Dead and the Living," speech by Elie Wiesel at the 1993 dedication of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
    3. "Saving the Children," poem by Frieda Singer
    4. "The Little Boy with his Hands Up, " photograph and poem by Yala Korwin
    5. "The Power of Light," short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer
    6. "Anne Frank Huis," poem by Andrew Motion
    7. Anne Frank Remembered…by Miep Gies
    8. Articles on Sudan and Ruwanda : National Geographic
    9. "Modernity and the Holocaust," excerpts by Zygmunt Bauman
    10. Holocaust: The Events and Their Impact on Real People (2007) – First Person Accounts
    11. Life is Beautiful (film clips)
    12. Memories of Anne Frank: Reflections of a Childhood Friend
    13. Voices of the Holocaust (2006)
    14. We All Wore Stars: Memories of Anne Frank from Her Classmates by Theo Coster
    15. The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
    16. The Diary of Anne Frank (play)
  2. Other Long Works: Nonfiction
    1. Four Perfect Pebbles: A Holocaust Story, by Lila Perl and Marion Blumenthal Lazan
    2. I Am a Star: Child of the Holocaust, by Inge Auerbacher
    3. I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust, by Livia Bitton-Jackson
    4. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, by Irene Gut Opdyke
    5. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman
    6. Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began, by Art Spiegelman
    7. Night, by Elie Wiesel
    8. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War, by Anita Lobel
    9. Rescue: The Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust, by Milton Meltzer
    10. The Cage, by Ruth Minsky Sender
    11. The Lost Childhood, by Yehuda Nir
    12. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss
    13. Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939–1944, by Aranka Siegal
    14. We Are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust, by Jacob Boas
  3. Other Long Works: Fiction
    1. After the War, by Carol Matas
    2. Along the Tracks, by Tamar Bergman
    3. Daniel, Half Human: And the Good Nazi, by David Chotjewitz
    4. Daniel's Story, by Carol Matas
    5. Escape to the Forest: Based on a True Story of the Holocaust, by Ruth Yaffe Radin
    6. Good Night, Maman, by Norma Fox Mazer
    7. Milkweed, by Jerry Spinelli
    8. Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
    9. Parallel Journeys, by Ayer, Eleanor H.
    10. Run, Boy, Run, by Uri Orlev
    11. Shadow of the Wall, by Christa Laird
    12. Stones in Water, by Donna Jo Napoli
    13. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
    14. The Book Thief (2005)- Markus Zusak
    15. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
    16. The Devil in Vienna, by Doris Orgel
    17. The Devil's Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen
    18. The Diary of Pelly D., by L. J. Adlington
    19. The Garden, by Carol Matas
    20. The Island on Bird Street, by Uri Orlev
    21. Torn Thread, by Anne Isaacs
    22. Waiting for Anya, by Michael Morpurgo

Possible Resources for Literature Circles/Research
(See "Additional Resources" for websites to methods of teaching literature circles)

  1. Injustice/Oppression
    1. Long Works:
    1. Curtis, Christopher Paul – The Watsons Go to Birmingham, historical fiction
    2. Dau, John – God Grew Tired of Us, memoir
    3. Ford, Jamie – Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, historical fiction
    4. Hinton, SE —The Outsiders, novel
    5. Lowry, Lois —The Giver, novel
    6. Maloney, James —Dougy, novel
    7. Mochizuki, Ken – Baseball Saved Us, picture book
    8. Park, Linda Sue – A Long Walk to Water, historical fiction
    9. Sepetys, Ruta – Between Shades of Grey, historical fiction
    10. Speare, Elizabeth G.—The Witch of Blackbird Pond, historical fiction
    11. Tesiero, Donna —The Choosing Time, historical fiction
    1. Other Media (See sample MPT resources in "Additional Resources"):
    1. A History of Women's Achievement in America http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=8A8870AB-CDA2-4C96-9E78-4DCFED1282F9&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
    2. Anger from Injustice http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=55F4D705-991E-4226-9B48-70E4BDF9D172&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
    3. Flight from Famine http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=1CEE0628-5B60-4737-B4B0-242EC3C5A7BF&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
  2. Human Rights and Prejudice
    1. Long Works:
    1. Courtenay, Bryce – The Power of One, novel
    2. Draper, Sharon – Copper Sun, novel
    3. Flake, Sharon – The Skin I'm In, novel
    4. Lemmon, Gayle Tzemach – The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, nonfiction
    5. Houston, Jane Wakatsuki and Houston, James D.—Farewell to Manzanar, nonfiction
    6. McCormick, Patricia – Sold, novel
    7. Park, Linda Sue – Project Mulberry, novel
    8. Taylor, Mildred – Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, historical fiction
    9. Taylor, Mildred—Let the Circle Be Unbroken, historical fiction
    10. Winter, Jeannette – The Librarian of Basra, picture book
    11. Yep, Lawrence—Dragonwings, historical fiction
    1. Other Media (See sample MPT resources in "Additional Resources"):
    1. The Civil Rights Movement: The Role of Youth in the Struggle http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=9C8456B8-4AE0-4755-8786-61EE6D74EF38&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
    2. Emphasis on Human Rights http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=E8164D1D-C8D1-4C68-9C0A-C04DCA1F806A&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
    3. All Men are Created Equal http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=92B51121-85B4-4434-8ECA-2B3658287043&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
  3. Poverty and Homelessness
    1. Long Works:
    1. Boo, Katherine - Beyond the Beautiful Forevers – nonfiction
    2. Bunting, Eve – Fly Away Home, picture book
    3. Davis, Sampson – The Pact, nonfiction
    4. Hesse, Karen – Out of the Dust, novel in verse
    5. Mulligan, Andy – Trash, historical fiction
    6. Steinbeck, John—The Pearl
    7. Voigt, Cynthia—Dicey's Song
    1. Other Media (See sample MPT resources in "Additional Resources"):
    1. Many Living in Poverty http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=12A668C6-1C2B-432E-A14F-6388FB2BE4A5&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
    2. Homeless in Bombay http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=BF330AA2-D91A-4C1A-9603-128D3BD60F0A&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
    3. Reservation Life Today http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=C92DD692-719D-42E1-9B54-69C6534DC353&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
  4. Environmental Challenges
    1. Long Works:
    1. Hiassen, Carl – Hoot, novel
    2. Carson, Rachel – Silent Spring, nonfiction
    3. Fleischman, Paul – Seedfolks, novel
    4. Hiassen, Carl – Flush, novel
    5. Cooney, Caroline B. – Code Orange, novel
    1. Other Media (See sample MPT resources in "Additional Resources"):
    1. Conservation http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=77D90B47-9510-44D0-8CD4-9AA9352CDD54&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=DSCE
    2. Looking at Conservation Issues http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=09B301B8-8FA7-4709-B69A-DF030D67B360&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=DSCE
    3. Alternatives to Fossil Fuels http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=0D5AA821-F294-4729-9BE0-9B2A84C99485&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=DSCE
    4. Using Alternative Energy Sources http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=884A8F82-8135-4FD5-A3CF-5F364EA85C6D&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=DSC

STUDENT OUTCOMES

Assessments Description

  1. Multi-media presentation of research
  2. Synthesis of Unit through Writing Argument

Interdisciplinary Connections

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  Last Updated 3/17/2020 1:13 PM