RUNNING HEAD: Standards Implementation 1

Standards Implementation Assignment:

Reading Literature Unit

Julie Beal
University of New England
















Standard Implementation 2

Introduction:
The following unit was designed for a sixth grade Language Arts class, focusing on the
reading literature: key ideas and writing: narrative Common Core Standards. The unit is based
around the sixth grade Social Studies unit of Ancient Egypt, although it is not interdisciplinary. It
was designed to supplement the Social Studies curriculum and extend the students knowledge
on the lives of Ancient Egyptians while studying about memoirs in Language Arts.

Common Core Standards:
Writing:
1. W.6.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Reading Literature: Key Ideas
2. RL.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
3. RL.6.3 Describe how a particular storys or dramas plot unfolds in a series of episodes
as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Content/Skills:
Writing: Narrative: W.6.3:
Sixth graders come to the middle school having written many narratives about
themselves. For this assignment, they are going to be asked to write a memoir on an Ancient
Egyptians life. In order for them to master this standard they will need to be able to understand
what a memoir is, the elements of a memoir, how narratives are structured as well as understand
point of view, dialogue, sensory images and audience. They will need to also learn transitional
devices that signal change in time or place throughout the narrative. With basic background or
foundational skills students should be able to:
Establish a context
Introduce a character and organize events in a logical way
Use narrative techniques such as pacing, description and dialogue
Use precise words and phrases, relevant details and descriptive language
Provide a conclusion

Standard Implementation 3

Reading Literature: Key Ideas: RL 6.1
Sixth graders come to the middle school with a basic knowledge of literature elements
and basic skills in terms of writing about literature. In order for them to master this standard they
will need some background terminology lessons and learning of specific skills while reading.
More importantly they will need to be able to comprehend grade level text and make inferences
while reading. For example, they will need to learn what a citation is and how to cite information
while reading or analyzing a test. Furthermore, they will need to understand what explicit and
inferential textual evidence means as well as what analyze and support means. A lesson or
review on inferences will also need to be taught in order for them to cite inferential textual
evidence. When all of this background/foundation work is taught then students should be able to:
read closely in order to gather supporting textual evidence.
analyze and evaluate a text.
support analyses with textual evidence which is explicit and inferential.

Reading Literature: Key Ideas RL 6.3
Sixth graders come to the middle school with a basic foundation of a plot diagram and
how or what characters are in a story. For this standard, students will need to understand how a
plot unfolds in a story as well as how characters change throughout the story. They will need to
understand static and dynamic characters as well as the terms setting, character, plot, conflict,
climax and where the beginning, middle and end is in a story. In order to back up their thinking,
they will also need to learn how to highlight important details and take notes on the piece of
literature using these elements of fiction. When this foundation has been taught then students
should be able to:
explain how events build in a story or how the plot unfolds
highlight, quote and cite details from the text to support their ideas
explain how a character responds or changes over the course of a story

Instructional Activities:
Cooperative Learning
Students will meet in groups of four to five in order to discuss the story Fifteen
Minutes and what they learned about each of the characters. They will then compare their traits
with other peers in other groups and create a list in a Venn Diagram. The Venn Diagram will
then be used in order to complete their practice summaries.
Standard Implementation 4

Students will also meet in groups of two to three in order to share their ideas about their
memoirs and their Ancient Egyptians life. They will converse as a group and help each other
with ideas on how to write their memoir in order to make it as realistic as possible.
Note taking
Students will use the 2-Column approach to note taking while researching their Ancient
Egyptians for their memoirs. The two column approach lets students place their main ideas in the
left column and their notes to back up the main ideas in the right column. Students are given
categories or main ideas to think about while note taking such as experience/memory, job,
feelings/emotions, relationships, lesson learned or other facts. The notes are done on Google
Docs so that students have immediate feedback.
Narrative Summary Frames
Narrative Summary Frames are used in order to highlight information in the memoirs in
which students will be able to use to write their own. Some of the questions students had on their
Narrative Frame were:
1. Who are the main characters in the story and what did you learn about them?
2. What experience or memory are they writing about? Explain
3. What kind of relationship does the main character have with another person, animal,
objects or places?
4. What feelings or emotions does the character experience or go through?
5. How did the character get through it, Learn a lesson, or make the best of it?
Graphic Organizers
For this unit, students use organizers to compare and contrast characters, organize their
writing on a timeline and format their paper in order to write their memoir. The compare and
contrasting of characters is done with a Venn Diagram. A timeline will be used in order for
students to organize their memoir from beginning to end starting with explain an experience and
ending with the lesson learned. Lastly, an organizer is also given to them in order to write their
paper as they form the beginning, middle and end with introductions, body paragraphs and a
conclusion.
Strategies to Assess:
Pre-assessment:
Students will be given pre-assessments for the skills included in the standards. The first
pre-assessment will be on the plot diagram in order to understand their knowledge of the
different components and comprehension of the story. Second, will be the pre-assessment on
Standard Implementation 5

citing and if they know what a citation is and how to find or highlight one in a story. Last, the
pre-assessment on the elements of a story, focusing on memoirs.
Formative Assessments:
These are given throughout the entire unit based on their work in class. All work the
students complete leading up to the summative is formative. It is practice towards mastery. The
formatives can consist of exit tickets, homework, conversations with peers, writing rough drafts
or a quiz. Feedback and commenting on their Google Docs is the primary form of
communication throughout this unit. They receive immediate feedback on their work as they
progress towards the standards. Based on the formative information, lessons are tiered in order to
meet all of the students needs. Formative scores on worksheets or homework assignments
reflect their progress towards the standard with a check plus meaning mastered, check meaning
partially mastered and check minus meaning relearning.
Summative Assessments:
These are given at the end of the unit in order for students to show that they have
mastered the standard. For the three standards, there will be two summatives. One of the
summative is for the reading standards and one for the writing standards. The students will
complete the reading standard summative first and will hand in their completed memoir for the
writing standard afterwards. Relearns will also take place if a students needs to redo their
summative due to falling short of mastering the content. A relearn contract will be completed as
well as a relearn lesson on the parts of the standards they fell short on. Summative scores will be
on the report card.

Strategic Use of Technology:
In this unit, technology is used in order to introduce a topic, create assignments, compare
and contrast character traits, research for an assignment and maintain communication and
immediate feedback. To start with a powerpoint on the elements of a memoir is used in order to
introduce students to what a memoir is and how it compares or contrasts to a regular narrative.
Next, students will use Google Docs throughout the unit in order to produce character summaries
and their own memoir. Then, students will use the databases provided by the district as well as
rewordify.com and easybib.com in order to keep track of references and research their Ancient
Egyptian. Next, students will compare and contrast character traits using Glogster or Wordle.
Both of these programs allow students to develop a character by focusing on their character traits
in an art form. Finally, students will discuss and share their work with the teacher as well as
peers in order to gain immediate feedback and maintain open conversations during the writing
process.
Standard Implementation 6


Implementation Plan: Memoir Unit
Week 1:
Day 1: Pre-assessment on plot diagram and citing information in a story
Day 2: Based on the pre-assessment, students are tiered based on the plot diagram
assessment. Tier 1 are students who understood the plot diagram and will receive enrichment.
Tier 2 are students who mostly understood it but need a bit more practice. Tier 3 are students
who did not understand the plot diagram and need a review or re-teaching. Students will work in
these three tiers in class and take home practice if needed for homework.
Day 3: Formative Assessment on plot diagram to make sure that all students now have an
understanding of the topic after the tiered activity. A whole group discussion will occur
afterwards on citing information in text and the difference between explicit and inferential.
Homework will be assigned to practice citing information using citations and references.
Day 4: Whole group discussion on character traits. Students will read Fifteen Minutes
and then work collaboratively in order to discuss the character traits of Violet and Pat. Each trait
needs to be backed up with examples from the text. They will also explain how the characters
have changed or not changed based on the events in the story. They will use the How and Why
Characters Change sheet. They will share out at the end of class.
Day 5: Students will write a rough draft of a character summary based on their work in
groups yesterday. The rough draft is divided into three paragraphs explaining how the characters
change throughout the story and is backed up with citations. This will be done on Google Docs.

Week 2:
Day 1: Revise and edit character summaries on Google Docs based on teacher comments.
When character summary is mastered move onto reading Eleven and fill in the character sheet.
This is background prep work for the summative.
Day 2: Conferences with students who need it based on character summary or their work
on Eleven. Students will move onto completing background work for summative by
completing the sheet on Woodsong.
Day 3: Discussions on character analysis and explanation of the A example which is
comparing and contrasting two characters and how they evolve throughout the story or stories.
Students who are ready will practice the A example while the other students will continue
discussions or conferences with the teacher in order to continue preparation for the summative.
Standard Implementation 7

Day 4: Summative on reading literature standards.
Day 5: Finishing summative in class.

Week 3:
Day 1: Introduction to Memoirs and the elements of memoirs. Students will learn about
memoirs through a powerpoint and discussion of Eleven and Woodsong.
Day 2: Students will choose their topic for Ancient Egyptian memoir as well as begin to
discuss the elements of a memoir with the story Eleven. Students will fill out the questions on
Eleven focusing now on memoir elements rather than the characters and how they change.
Day 3: Students will use the characterization of a memoir notes after being introduced to
characterization through a power point and complete the sheet on Whos the New Kid? They
will then meet with a peer and discuss answers to make sure they all agree and have the same
ideas. They will then compare Eleven to Whos the New Kid?
Day 4: Formative assessment on characterization and journal questions. Students will
show what they have learned about characterization and memoirs. Tiered lessons will follow as a
result of the formative assessment and need of the students.
Day 5: Researching begins in the library on Ancient Egyptians lives. Students will use
the 2-column notes.

Week 4:
Day 1, 2 and 3: Students will complete research on notes while using the 2-column notes
as well as Easybib and databases to find and record their information. Students will work
independently to find their information while the teacher conferences with them along the way
via Google Docs or personal meetings. IF students finish the notes early they will begin to work
on their timeline which will organize their events in the memoir. This is similar to the plot
diagrams.
Day 4: Students will finish timelines and begin to write their memoirs on Google Docs.
They will be working in a Writers Workshop. The mini-lesson will be a review on
characterization and their experiences of the story.
Day 5: Writers Workshop: mini lesson on point of view. Students will learn the different
points of view of a story and which one should be used for the memoir. They will practice and
complete a formative after lesson before continuing with their work.
Standard Implementation 8

Week 5:
Day 1: Writers Wokshop and Sensory Images mini lesson. Students will work on
sensory images. They will take a formative quiz at the end of the unit.
Day 2-5: Students will work on their memoirs while incorporating all the lessons they
have learned throughout the workshop. They will apply sensory images, characterization and
write in first person point of view. One more mini lesson on dialogue will help them with
characterization as well. Students will receive feedback throughout the writing process through
Google Docs from the teacher and the peers.

Week 6:
Day 1-3: Students will work on memoir, editing and revising as necessary making sure
they have mastered the skills in the rubric. By day 3 they will submit their summative. Mini
lessons will continue on how to make the piece flow, as well as pacing based on the rubric
below:

Engage reader by
establishing context and
introducing a character or
narrator.


Organize events in a
storyline using transition to
enhance the flow of the
piece.


Use sensory language



Use narrative techniques
such as dialogue, pacing
and description to
enhance the
development of
experiences, events,
and/or characters.


Provide a conclusion which
follows the events within
the storyline.

Engage reader by
establishing context
and introducing a
character or narrator.


Organize events to
move the storyline
using a variety of
transitions.


Use sensory language



Use narrative
techniques such as
dialogue, pacing and
description to develop
experiences, events,
and/or characters.



Provide a conclusion
which follows the
events within the
storyline.
Context and introduction of
character or narrator not readily
established in narrative.



Inconsistent use of transitions
within the storyline.




Inconsistent use sensory
language


Inconsistent use of narrative
techniques such as dialogue,
pacing and description
to develop
experiences,events, and/or
characters.



Provide a conclusion.

Narrative needs
to be
developed.



Inconsistency
within the
storyline.



Unable to use
sensory
language

Narrative
techniques are
not utilized.






Unable to
provide a
conclusion.
Standard Implementation 9

References
The following references were used in order to build this unit.
Dean, Ceri B., Elizabeth Ross Hubbell, Howard Pitler, and Bj Stone. Classroom INstruction That
Works: Research Based Strategues for Increasing Student Achievement. 2nd ed.
Alexandria: ASCD, 2012
Dunkle, C. (2012). Leading the common core state standards: From common sense to common
practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Ryan, S., & Frazee, D. (2012). Common core standards for middle school English language arts.
Alexandria, VA: ASCD.