Unit Information

Time Frame
Title of Unit Grade 9 Multimedia Self-Study Unit (Proposed hours/ 23 lessons
lessons)

Subject/
English Developed By Daniel Bowes
Grade Level

Stage 1 Desired Results

Unit Theme: Note to teacher:What is the unit about? How does this unit link to other learning your students have done or will do?
Imagery and storytelling

What Essential or Guiding Question will frame the learning? Note to teacher: What provocative questions will foster inquiry? What open ended
questions will stimulate thought and inquiry linked to the curriculum?

How do we perceive ourselves: Day to day, at school, within our communities?

How do we want to be perceived by those around around us? Who do we want to be?
How do we tell the story about ourselves we really want to tell?
How do images and imagery act as trasmitters of narrative?
Are certain representations more charged or iconic than others and where does this meaning come from?
Potential connections to Aboriginal Education:
(think: First Peoples Principles of Learning as well as content pieces)

Who/what is left out of representations/our understandings of the people around us?

Sensitivity of representation and possible sacredness of representation.
Are there anxieties about talking about certain subjects?
How does our understanding of our own identities and who we want to be affect those around us?

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 What are possible ways students might become engaged or curious about this unit?
Prompts for teacher:
Direct/obvious personal connection
Possibility of a greater understanding/self realization about own place in a community, as a community of learners/Canadians.
Directed questions challenging perspective and bias.
Multimedia approach to learning, drawing from poems, shorts stories, short videos, and creative writing as discuss a thematic
topic.

-Where does this topic live in the world?
-Why would someone care about this topic? What do you find interesting?
-What might students find interesting, controversial or shocking?
- What real world connections to you hope to meet?

What do you want Big Ideas

students to Imagery can play an integral and enriching role in storytelling.
UNDERSTAND at the A rich story uses every means available to explore its main idea or theme.
end of the Unit? Exploration of a theme or idea can take a long time and extensive thought.
(think: connections, concepts)
Curricular Competencies
Assessing diverse sources and ideas and evaluate their relevance, accuracy, and reliability.
Apply appropriate strategies to comprehend written, oral, and visual texts, guide inquiry, and
extend thinking.
What do you want Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to explore ideas within, between, and beyond texts.
students to DO during Construct meaningful personal connections between self, text, and world
the unit?
(think: activities, product, skills) Core Competencies
Personal and cultural identity
Creative thinking

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 Content
What do you want
students to KNOW at
the end of this unit?
(think: basic knowledge,
definitions, theories, etc.)
Pre-Assessment of Students:
Who is in your room and how does your
unit need to be adapted to help those
students be successful?
What is the level of content mastery &
prior knowledge?
What are learning needs / potential
learning obstacles?
What are cultural assets or community
connections you can use to enchance
your unit?
Formative Assessment Tools
How will you PLAN TO use rubrics, criteria, peer
& self assessment, journals, quick writes, tickets
out the door, sticky notes, etc. and other formative
assessment tools? How will you implement
formative assessment within this unit?
Ongoing Formative Assessment - Can occur
during and at the end of the lesson. Informs
subsequent instruction.
Adapted from N.Pylipiuk & J. Gorsic & Eduopia Unit Planning Checklist
Community
Bias
Perspective
Iconography and given or prescribed meaning
Self-identification
Voice
Judgement
First Peoples Principles of Learning
Interconnectedness of identity, place, and community.
Stage 2 Assessment Evidence
Honestly do not know yet, I do not know who is in my class at the moment, what specific
needs are required to be addressed, or what IEPs may affect my planning either through
differentiation or modified curricula. However, I am prepared to offer a path of least
resistance built into the planning, where options and choices will be constantly present
that may be a best fit for students. Hopefully a low pressure, low stakes environment will
enable weaker students to feel empowered where they would normally feel anxious to
explore the possibilities of writing, storytelling, and introspection. I hope to not put too
much pressure on students particularily due to the semestered organization of the school,
and English every day could be daunting for certain students.
I have plans to thoroughly use informal checks of understanding every day. There is a
thoughtbook that students will return to near daily to explore what the days lessons did to
broaden or change their thinking with regards to a presented challenge at the start of the
unit. This space will never be marked, and should clearly show a progression of thought
along guided lines of inquiry and deliberate exploration. Further methods include the odd
exit ticket, postcard assessment, U-shaped discussion, and a photos of learning
assessment. In every single on of these cases, students will be required to show their
learning creatively in a way I believe to be meaningful and productive.
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 Formal Checks for
Understanding
Prompts for teacher: How will you know students
are getting it? How will the PROCESS of learning
be documented and valued?
What are your benchmarks? What
work/activities/assignments will be assessed by
you formally as opposed to informally in your
formative assessment practice?
Summative & End in Mind
Prompt for teacher: How will you know if students
have got it?
What is the the culminating performance task
(CPT), final project, final performance, or portfolio?
Summative Assessment occurs at the end of
the lesson or sequence (may not occur during
a specific lesson) to see if the instruction has
had the desired results for the class and for
individual students. Can inform instruction
but is often (usually) for reporting purposes.
This only occurs after students have had significant
time to process and practice a desired skill or come
to understand a topic or concept. It may include
tests, portfolios, 1:1 interviews, rubrics, etc.
Adapted from N.Pylipiuk & J. Gorsic & Eduopia Unit Planning Checklist
There will be four summative pieces that I believe will clearly show learning in meaningful
and diverse ways:
Artefact mobile share; how the things we accumulate are helping (or hindering)
the construction of our identities through the stories the represent, and the places
we ocupy.
Short Pecha Cucha presentation roleplaying a character to tell a story from a certain
perspective.
Personal Short Story; illustrates a personal perspective, and self-identification within
a clearly defined space (community/location).
Choice of; Graphic Novel, Short Video, multimedia presentation/video essay.
Represents an adaptation of short story through meaningful visual representations
that enhance meaning, and really helps the audience to understand the story that
the author really wants or needs to tell.
I strongly believe that after all the learning throughout the unit, students should be able
to accurately, and ddeply answer the question, How do you perceive yourself with the
understanding that the expression of this answer is;
1. Not limited to language.
2. Is co-constructed through communities, places, things, and history.
3. Is influenced by people around them.
While the unit uses storytelling as an avenue to explore this difficult question, the answer
and subsequent understanding should be bigger than the story/stories they share, as its
rooted in a lot of other evidence and exploration.
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 Stage 3 Learning Plan
What teaching and learning experiences will you use to achieve the desired results identified?
Give a brief, point form description of the sequence of learning for this unit? What order does learning need to happen
effectively and clearly?
I believe that my progression is sound, beginning with attempting to answer how people identify themselves in more superficial
ways, I can then guide my students to understanding on how identity is constructed by looking at perspective and bias, and how
bias plays a powerful role in how our mind filters the world around us before we even react to it (or react in spite of our biases).
Finally, having a greater understanding not only on how perspective functions, but our ability to manipulate perspective, we can
begin to look at how one can actively construct their identity, returning to the original question of how do people construct their
identity, and add, How do we identify ourselves? This question will be explored through the final summative piece around the
theme of, What story do you really want to tell? Through the thoughtbooks, ideally, students will have been grappling with these
tough questions for some time at this point, and should have ideas they can come back on for this piece, as well as their creative
writing, that can be revised further if desired.

How will you engage students at the beginning of the unit? (motivational set)

Varied media (short stories, poems, videos)

Fluid workplaces (whiteboards, library, computer lab, outside on the school grounds)
A student centered curriculum that places their experiences and connection with the world around them at the forefront of
learning.
Inquiry based hooks at the start of lessons that pique interest and gently guide thinking.
Agency regarding their own learning.
Open honest expectations, a no surprises mentality regarding assessment.

Learning theories & models of instruction:

What variety of teaching and learning styles do you hope to try in this unit? Consider such strategies as Workshop Inquiry Process based learning Centers Ecological
Experience-centered Student-designed activities Simulation Problem-based learning (PBL) Groups Problem-based learning (PBL)

Inquiry based learning (and maybe cascading curriculum)

Thoughtbooks as unit organisers for students

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Considerations IEPS and differentiations around public speaking specifically.
What individual needs do you anticipate Lesser but possible around reading load during class. More time for some? Dont want
will need to be addressed? to pull students aside to do work.

Adaptations Multiple avenues for acquiring information: images, text, Mr. B, peers.
How will you adapt the learning for students Constant choice as path of least resistence to help students through the tasks
with special needs and requirements in your
class?
Building in greater flexibility into the summative pieces, personal presentations for shy
students, art projects with justifications?

Extensions
What activities, questions, learning can be
offered to students who finish early or need
more of a challenge to stay engaged and
excited about the work you are doing?
I am limited by my 8 week schedule (7 weeks immersion, 1 week phase out) but I
am willing to give extra time for most assignments so long as students are not
chronically handing in work late. Rare instances of late work is fine, chronic,
constant lateness points to possible issues that need to be addressed.

# Lesson Title & Lesson Lesson Activities Resources/

Intention/Purpose Technology Required
1 Greet @ door Laptop and projector
Introduction Acknowledgement of First Nations territories and non-ceded land Pen and paper
Icebreaker
Community agreement, including criterion of thought.
Attendance
Personal introduction as student teacher, sharing of personal
planning, and invitation to question.
Orientation and requestion of thoughtbook as resource to be
brought into class.
Exit Slip: What do you need from me to learn? How do you learn
most effectively?

2 Greet @ door Empty calendar

Introduction of Agenda up on the board. handout.
themes and big ideas Invitation to question: spaghetti trees Whiteboard
Markers/eraser

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 of Unit, and Quick Write: What does it mean to you when I say I invite you to
demystification question?
Attendance
Demystification of pedagogy talk
Think pair share, group up chosen @ random, what comes to mind
when you think of Identity? Co-create visual up on the board.
How could you visually represent 3 of these ideas/concepts/things?
Confer with groups.
Quick recap on respect in the classroom and the necessity of
courageous conversation, putting yourself out there, as a necessary
part of growth.
Reminder to have necessary class resources, particularily
thoughtbook, ASAP.

3 Terminology and How to Identify a theme slideshow + handout Powerpoint

Background Terminology Crash Course and list. Handouts
Information Exit slip: How much of what we did today did I already know? Or Is Binder
there anything I may need more time on?
4 Reading More than Beads and Feathers graphic novel More than Beads and
Beginning to look at Quickwrite, relating to the story: questions x3 Feathers
identity: Person What is the young boys problem in the story? Is it relateable? Why
does he have this problem in the first place?
How do we perceive out own identity?
Looking back at visual map, is this enough to really know somebody?
Why or why not?
Corkboard
5 Quick write, choose one: 1. How can location affect an individual? 2. Is Large sheet of
Beginning to look at where a persons from an important factor when considering paper/workboards
identity: Place somebody new? Why? 3. Can a person affect where they live? How? Markers
Break into groups of 4, placemat work. Pose question, What do we Pen and paper
mean when we say someone is from somewhere?

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 Exit ticket (same page): is there any important new understanding Our Story:
you could add to your previous quick write? Collect. Poem/short stories,
**Note who has requested resources** The Veldt?

6 Have Fighting Flags image on overhead. Laptop, overhead

Beginning to look at Quick write, choose one: 1. In what ways can a community affect an Pen and paper
identity: Community individual? 2. In what ways do you believe the creators identity may Fighting Flags Sara
be conflicted? 3. In what ways are you affected by those around you? Rahbar
Using visual aids Fighting Flags by Sarah Rahbar, discuss how Short Story: Dear
person, place, and community can be in conflict with one another. Marsha Judie Angell
Should we worry so much about our identities, and where we come
from, if it can cause so much trouble?
Refocus, what is the point of all this?
7 A Look at Residential Begin lesson with image side by side of child before and after Article
Schools and How they residential school. Whiteboard
Targeted Identity Provide article, Assault on Identity 10-15 minutes to read Graphic Novel
History of Residential schools in Canada and how they functioned. Paper and pen/pencil
Pair up: identify how Residential schools attacked identity in one of
the three identified areas over the last couple of days; Person, place,
or community. Why was it important for the schools goal that these
areas be targeted? Reflect back on More than Just Beads and
Feathers.
In Class Writing: If the identity of the aboriginal peoples of Canada is
to heal in the wake of residential schools, what steps do you believe
need to be taken to accomplish this goal?
8 Given an 8x11 sheet of paper, place youself in the center of the sheet Misc art supplies such
Identity posters and create a map of your identity relating back to the concepts as markers, pencils, and
discussed over the past couple of lessons, relating to individuality, the paper.
spaces you occupy, and the communities of which you take part. Tacks

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 Furthermore, identify if any of these aspects of yourself conflict, and
find a way to show how they conflict.
In groups of 5-6, share the posters and explain to each other why
certain representations were chosen/decisions made. (Check for
reception of speakers and respectfulness of listeners. Just because
this isnt marked does not mean effort should not be maintained)
To be hung up in the class.
9 Read short story aloud with class Handout
The Wind Chimes Identify individually or in pairs how memory and story is tied with Criterion
Shaoni Dutta things, and why. Pen and paper
Identify these places by underlining or highlighting. The Wind Chimes by
Mobile presentation, connect your life similarily with objects you Shaoni Dutta
own/in your house/life (that can be easily hung). Plan a mobile
meeting these criterion of objects tied to story, representative of a
passion or formative aspect of your life. 3-4 objects required. Stories
are to be shared with the class.
10 Sharing of Sharing period. Requires the whole class. Rubric
mobile/windchimes Peer markers, criterion based assessment of presentation, as well as Chairs to form a circle
with the classroom. completion of the mobile project, and the connection to storytelling Wind chime
visa-vis the object (was the discrimination regarding which objects
were chosen effective, or did the connection appear weak? E.g. just
added an object to get a mark and the justification does not seem to
justify its inclusion as part of your identity.)
11 Continued? Possible continuation of presentations.

12 Beginning with Congratulate on all the hard work thus far, recapping with the group Thoughtbooks
thoughtbooks: How the themes explored thus far: Individuality, place, community, conflict, My plan
perspective affects us culture, heritage, stuff.
Short presentation on intended direction with subsequent work: The
end goal. Project: Who you believe you are, or who you want to be.
On overhead have a series of questions: Foremost the Big Idea; How
do we perceive ourselves? and What is the big story you want to tell

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 about yourself? Is this question different from what we have been
asking up until this point? What would images of this story look like?
Who is the main character? Attempt to answer as many of these as
possible in as much detail as possible. Roughly half hour.
13 Guest Elder/AbEd Worker and facilitator Scripts
Blanket Activity Blanket Activity as outlined in the PDF package. Blankets
AbEd Worker
14 Sharing Circle and Silent reading
Reflection period Come together as a circle and decompress/unpack last lessons
experience.
Reflection on the role of identity, place, and community, and the new
perspective the activity was able to convey.
15 Changing Perspectives Quick Write, pick one: Why is perspective so important? How would Phone with a camera
you define perspective? Thoughtbooks
Part of a photo activity. Part of photo handout
How hard was it to see the whole picture? Was it harder to change
your mind if you already had an idea in your head?
Can you tell everything about this photo activity
Show slideshow of photos take from different perspectives, does it
change how we view the subject?
Go outside, take a photo from a perspective you wouldnt normally
view the subject from. Return in small groups and share photos, and
reason why you chose the subject you did, from the perspective you
chose.
Thoughtbook; How does
16 Coping with Bias; Have music playing as students enter the classroom. Maybe music Story Handouts
Using Mood one would not usually hear entering an English classroom. Suddenly Speakers
ends. Most likely silence follows. Thoughtbook
Why did everybody stop talking just now? Do we expect that moment Hogarths Work +
of fading out to mean something else is going to happen? Why cant Contemporaries
there just be silence?

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 Understanding what is absent matters as much as what is present.
Circulate short story/poem/short graphic novel on the place of
minorities within the greater society (immigrants, first nations
peoples) and the struggle to be heard and noticed.
- What allows for an image to have powerful meaning?
- Looking at historical graphic novel precursors in William
Hogarths series and contemporaries.
Thoughtbook: How can the understanding from today be
implemented in the final summative project? How is the
understanding that what isnt shown matters as much as what is
shown? What extra meaning can this add to a piece of
work/writing/etc? What are some creative ways we could use music
to create a mood or atmosphere within a story?

17 Criterion for Pecha Computer lab day. Computer lab

Kucha Role Play In groups of 2, students will come up with/be assigned a character to Powerpoint
represent. Students will have time during the lesson to research their
character and come up with 20 slides (no words, only images) that
represents a day in the life of ___________. The point is to illustrate the
perspective of their person/character and how they see the world
around them. These 20 slides should tell a story without words. The
focus is entirely on whether students chose slides that relate well to
the character, and the story theyr are trying to tell. Is it coherent?
Does it have an obvious beginning, middle, and end? Are you able to
understand, through the eyes of the character, What theyre about?

18 Lab Work/library work

19 Presentation of Pecha **Alternatively, be ready to give more time to prepare slideshow to Projector
Kucha projects some students** Computer

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 -
What can half (?) of the class be doing at the same time? Rubric
Thoughtbook (Do you know which option you are choosing?),
personal reading, starting on next assignment (creative
writing).
If presenting, prep class for slideshow, peer markers, and have
students ready to ask the creators questions, or voice opinions about
why certain images were selected.
20 Multimedia and Considering all of our learning so far, when we are looking at our Workmats
Identity projects there are 3 areas to consider: Markers
1. Narrative Pen and paper
2. Structure Examples of
3. Imagery personal story
What will each area look like for each particular project?
telling
Break into groups of 3-4 based on summative selection. Workmat
brainstorming and how students believe they will accomplish the
given challenge of creating an effective multimedia project that
deliberately involves story, imagery, possibly music.
Take a photo for yourself of the finished project/brainstorming.
**Go back to seats, thoughtbook, knowing what you know now, what
do you believe the story you really want to tell is going to be? Focus
is not on art, but on story, and how all the elements come together to
give greater meaning than each individual piece alone. Bring in
aspects of identity previously discussed.
21 Main Character Representation and identity. Quick personal sketch, how we see Thoughtbook
ourselves for half the face, then how we believe others see us. Overhead and laptop
Dove commercial. Are we too hard on ourselves? What does this Printouts of graphic
mean for how we perceive our identities? novels (alternatively,
Representation, realism vs cartoony, what is the purpose of either have packages ready
style? Looking at examples of graphic novels, what seems to be the that students can look
purpose of using a cartoony style vs realism in representation? at that contain
Finding your style youtube video. examples from graphic

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 Thoughtbook, what will your main character look like? If its a graphic novels, packages for
novel, are you going for realism or minimalism? A movie; is your short movie with
character going to be you, who you want to be, or how you want examples and samples,
others to see you? Is your multimedia project going to have images and/or multimedia
that present reality or how you wished reality could be? packages with
examples and samples.)
22 Creative writing Using writing prompts based around introduction, rising action, Overhead and laptop
prompts climax, falling action, denouement, students will spend the block Pen and paper
writing to create a skeleton story. Students should have enough (or a handout that acts
background information at this point that incorporating elements of as a skeleton)
identity, culture, place, perspective, etc. should be possible under
time constraints.
The goal today is to just have writing on a page, while the prompts
will at times challenge their thinking, the goal is to overcome soft
writers block and guide the students through a creative process
where they can begin to write about themselves.
Homework: A good draft of story for peer review
23 More work time Depends on how strong/quick the writers are in my class. I do not
expect to need this time for this reason, but you never know.
24 Peer Review sheet In the library Library sign up
Presented with handout in class and expectations of activity outlined Handout
in class. Drafts
Students partner up based on a day, peer review each others work Pens
and give feedback on each others sheets
Students rotate partners, again a new day, and repeat the process.
Students now have a sheet filled out with feedback from 2 peers and
a better understanding of the weaknesses and strengths of their
story.
**feedback from me before they write their good copy.**
Homework: type up a good copy for marking.

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25 How to adapt our Meet once again in our workmat group from a couple lessons before, Resource room of
stories to our chosen looking at our stories and our understandings thus far, how can these some kind
medium stories be adapted to our chosen formats? What will be important to
emphasize to make the point of the story? Will the final product be
individual or group work? What do you need from Mr.B to
accomplish what you want to accomplish? 10 minutes
Computer lab day to answer some of these questions
26 Work day ^^ computer lab or library depending on feedback to the
question What do you need from Mr.B to accomplish
27 Work Day .
28 Presentation of Graphic novels to be collected, multimedia projects to be presented to the
Projects! class and copies made to be collected by myself for further review.
29
30
31
32
33

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 Assess and Reflect (Stage 4)
Considerations Comments/ Provide Examples from this Unit Plan
Required Areas of Study:
Is there alignment between the competencies the I believe there is a strong alignment between the competencies, the performance task, as
performance assessment and the learning well as the learning throughout the unit. This unit can also incorporate a passion project,
experiences?
What/are there any other curricular areas that this
where students could imcorporate elements of their personal lives as evidence. The
unit covers? assessment is very open to interpretation.

Adaptations: For struggling students:

Have I made purposeful adjustments to
the curriculum content (not outcomes),
instructional practices, and/or the learning
environment to meet the learning needs
and diversities of all my students?
Choice of options that may appeal more to their character (graphic novel, movie, or
multimedia presentation)
Consistent openness to meet the needs of students.
Built in work time to reflect and develop inquiry that does not inhibit possible gifted
students.
Possiblity for a group adaptation to the work that is still meaningful.
Possiblity of individualized information packages to help students that may be
struggling.

For students who need a challenge:

I have information to give an even more specific challenge.

Can add further to the challenge by adding to the theme (students identity in Canada
for example)

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Core Competencies:
I believe that it addresses this concern with a genuine approach to learning as a
Core competencies are sets of development of thought and that engages inquiry through oral discourse and
intellectual, personal, and social and presentation, writing, reading, as well as the critical evaluation of information.
emotional proficiencies that all students
need to develop in order to engage in
deep learning and life-long learning..
How does your unit promote
communication skills, personal and social
skills and creative and critical thinking?

Instructional Approaches:
Do I use a variety of teacher-directed and
student-centered instructional
approaches? Do I use cooperative learning
strategies?
Assessment Practice:
Have I included formative and summative
assessments that are reflective of student needs
and interests based on the curricular outcomes?
Have I used a variety of assessment practices in
my unit?

Culture of Diversity:
Have I addressed international content &
Perspectives, Gender Equity, Multicultural
Education and Aboriginal Education? Have I
nurtured and promoted diversity while honoring
each childs identity?

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The Student Teacher as a Growing
Professional:
How has this unit addressed PDP Goals 1-
5?

The Student Teacher and the Pupils:

How has this unit addressed PDP Goals 6
& 7?

The Student Teacher and the

Curriculum:
How has this unit addressed PDP Goals 8-
10?

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