Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: Seeing through different lenses- Why is perspective so important?

Name: Irene Cha

Content Area: English Language Arts

Grade Level: 9-10

CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

ELA Literacy- RL. 9-10.3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other
characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
ELA Literacy- WL. 9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types are defined in standards 13 above.)
ELA Literacy- WL. 9-10.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each
source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for
citation including footnotes and endnotes. CA
ELA Literacy- SL. 9-10.3: Evaluate a speakers point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted
evidence.
ELA Literacy- SL 9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supportive evidence clearly, concisely, and logically (using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear
pronunciation) such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to the purpose (e.g., argument,
narrative, informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task.
Big Ideas/Unit Goals:
Big Ideas:
Point of view and perspective are different.
Perspectives, in which a narrative is told, play a big role in influencing the audiences experience.
Unit Goals:
Students will read and use Of Mice and Men and The Cask of Amontillado to study perspectives.
Students will learn the difference between point of views and perspectives.
Students will understand how to conduct effective research using the internet and then cite their sources properly and incorporate necessary/relevant information into their work.
Students will articulate their thoughts in well organized and prepared oral and written communication.
Students will participate in discussions that will contribute to complex student thinking.
Unit Summary:
Many individuals tend to confuse the terms point-of-view and perspective. In this unit, students will begin by exploring personal experiences, followed by historical events,
and then various elements of texts (Of Mice and Men and The Cask of Amontillado) in order to study the importance of perspective: how it differs from point-of-view and
how it affects a narrative. They will learn to comprehend stories and events from new contexts by objectively placing themselves in the shoes of others. This will also help them
analyze the authors purpose and intention. After a series of activities and assessments, students will demonstrate their in-depth understanding and comprehension by preparing
and presenting to the class a poster/electronic presentation followed by an in-class essay.
Assessment Plan:

Entry-Level:
- QuickWrite
- Discussions

Formative:
- Timeline Activity
- Online Quiz
- Critical Thinking Questions
- KWL Chart
- Characters Chart
- Portfolio
- MindMap

Summative
- Posters/electronic display
- In-class Essay

Lesson 1
Student Learning Objective:
Students will engage in
classroom discussions,
utilizing personal experiences,
in order to reflect on the unit
question at hand.

Acceptable Evidence
(Assessments):
- QuickWrite
- Discussions

Lesson Activities:
- In order to gauge their knowledge of the unit, students will do a QuickWrite in response to the question: Do you
think perspectives and point of views are the same thing or are they different?
- They are then prompted to think about a time when they got into an argument or fight with somebody and are told
to discuss the incident with their groups. Next, they are told to put themselves in the shoes of the other person.
They discuss what changes? How do they feel? What would you say? Then, they address the main question in
their journals: What do you think is so important about perspective?

Acceptable Evidence:
- Venn Diagram
- Character Chart
- Discussions
- Portfolio
- Online Quiz

Lesson Activities:
- Students will be introduced to Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. They will learn about the setting and
background of the time period by conducting research about 1930s on the internet and then taking notes.
- They will fill out a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the lives of African American and White people in the
1930s. They will cite a minimum of 3 different outside sources to record at least 5 differences and 3 similarities.
- Students will also engage in several group/class discussions throughout the lecture presentation.
- After finishing Of Mice and Men, students will engage in a portfolio project in which they have to place
themselves in the shoes of one of the minor characters from the story. They will follow a list of instructions to
create a 6 page portfolio.

Acceptable Evidence:
- KWL Chart
- Critical Thinking Questions
- Posters/electronic display
- Mind Map & Essay

Lesson Activities:
- Students will first close read The Cask of Amontillado as a class. They will answer Critical Thinking Questions
and fill out a KWL chart to strengthen their understanding of the text.
- In groups of 4, students will create posters (or other electronic displays) that creatively display Fortunates and
Montresors perspectives. They will briefly present what they have created.
- They will create a mind map utilizing Bubbl. They will observe how different elements in The Cask of
Amontillado are influenced by the fact that the story is written in Montresors perspective and how different it
would have been if Fortunato were the speaker. Utilizing this mind map they created, students will write an inclass essay to demonstrate their understanding on the importance of perspectives in The Cask of Amontillado.

Lesson 2
Student Learning Objective:
Through research, students
will note and recognize how
historical and unique
experiences affect individual
state-of-beings and
perspectives in relation to Of
Mice and Men.
Lesson 3
Student Learning Objective:
Students will demonstrate
critical thinking skills while
reading The Cask of
Amontillado. Using online
mind maps, they will also
learn to well prepare/organize
for clear essay writing.
Unit Resources:

Bubbl: https://bubbl.us/
Rubristar Essay Rubric: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2657593
The Cask of Amontillado PDF: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/the_cask_of_amontillado.pdf
Quizstar: http://quizstar.4teachers.org/index.jsp
1930s History video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkAfjRolNCI
Black and Blue Lyrics: https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tksshexmcmba2otipcuecqgw34u?
lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics
Point of view flow chart: https://www.google.com/search?q=point+of+view
+flowchart&espv=2&biw=963&bih=747&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjK0Pfk6prQAhXJKGMKHTfKCIkQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=5VAL8OYCq9iieM%3A
Quotes: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Evans

Useful Websites:
-

Purdue Owl: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Youtube video that explains pov/perspectives difference: https://youtu.be/i84UHhezO4w
Knightcite: http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/?
1930s history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpd-7KsbIhM

For English Learners/struggling readers:

- Of Mice and Men summaries & analyses: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/
- The Cask of Amontilladosummaries & analyses: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section11.rhtml
- Extra Resources for essay writing: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Any-High-School-Essay
- Still confused on pov vs. perspectives? http://nybookeditors.com/2016/02/whats-the-difference-between-perspective-and-point-of-view/
- Quizlet (tons of vocabulary and other resources): https://quizlet.com/
- 1930s simplified: http://www.softschools.com/timelines/1930s_timeline/60/