TGC Fellow Unit Template

Prepared by: Jenn Henderson School/Location: Sayre Language Academy, Chicago Public Schools
Subject: ELA Grade: 7th Unit Title: Water Issues Around the World
Time Needed: Three to Four Weeks
Unit Summary: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park and For Many of the Worlds Poor, Drinking Water Can Kill will be the
anchor texts. Students will learn about water issues happening around the world, including the US. They will then research ways to
address these issues.
Stage 1 Desired Results
ESTABLISHED GOALS: Transfer
G1. Describe issues of water around the Students will be able to independently use their learning to(real world purpose)
world. T1. Investigate world issues
G2. Read, comprehend, and synthesize T2. Communicate problems/solutions
informational text. Meaning
G3. Research ways to address these issues. UNDERSTANDINGS ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
G4. Produce and distribute writing focusing Students will understand that E1. How can we provide clean water to areas
on problem/solution. U1. People from all over the world are that need it?
CC.7.R.L.1 Key Ideas and Details: Cite several working together to come up with solutions to E2. How do water issues impact daily life?
pieces of textual evidence to support analysis water issues. E3. What is our responsibility to support clean
of what the text says explicitly as well as U2. Solving the water issues greatly impact water access and government accountability
inferences drawn from the text. communities worldwide. in other areas?
CC.7.R.I.1 Key Ideas and Details: Cite several
pieces of textual evidence to support analysis Acquisition
of what the text says explicitly as well as Students will know (Content) Students will be able to (Skills)
inferences drawn from the text. K1. Issues countries are facing due to lack of S1. Read, comprehend, and synthesize
CC.7.R.I.8 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: water. informational text.
Trace and evaluate the argument and specific K2. Solutions being used to solve the shortage S2. Conduct research to answer questions.
claims in a text, assessing whether the issues. S3. Write informational/explanatory text.
reasoning is sound and the evidence is K3. How communities are changed when
relevant and sufficient to support the claims. water shortages are addressed.
CC.7.R.I.10 Range of Reading and Level of Text
Complexity: By the end of the year, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades
68 text complexity band
CC.7.W.2 Text Types and Purposes: Write
informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection,
organization, and analysis of relevant content.
CC.7.W.6 Production and Distribution of
Writing: Use technology, including the
Internet, to produce and publish writing and
link to and cite sources as well as to interact
and collaborate with others, including linking
to and citing sources.
CC.7.W.7 Research to Build and Present
Knowledge: Conduct short research projects
to answer a question, drawing on several
sources and generating additional related,
focused questions for further research and
investigation.

GLOBAL COMPETENCY:
Investigate matters of global importance.
Communicate positions
Take Action

Resources:
http://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/
https://newsela.com/text-sets/40364/el--
water-life
http://global.mit.edu/research/research-
areas/water
Stage 2 Evidence
Assessment Evaluation Criteria (Learning Target or Student Will Be Able To)
Assessments FOR Learning: (ex: kwl chart,
exit ticket, observation, draft, rehearsal)
1. KWL chart 1. Using Kyleen Beers close reading strategy
( http://www.upperelementarysnapshots.com/2015/04/possible-sentences-close-
reading.html) , students will generate questions they want to answer when they read the
article For Many of the Worlds Poor, Drinking Water Can Kill
https://newsela.com/articles/clean-water/id/55/

2. Survey brief summary 2. Students will read articles about water issues around the world ( https://newsela.com/text-
sets/40364/el--water-life), and they will write brief summaries about each.

3. Graphic organizer 3. After selecting a country (or region) to research, students will gather information about the
issues in that area (what is the problem with water?, how does the problem affect the
 community?, what can be done to solve/alleviate the problem?)

Assessment OF Learning: (ex: performance

task, project, final paper)
1. Final Paper 1. Students will write and publish their findings in an essay.

2. Presentation 2. Students will present their findings (options: power point, poster, iMovie, student
recommendation/idea)

3. Action Plan 3. Students recommend an action plan for each area. Class votes on which one(s) we would like
to fulfill.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction ( Make this a useful outline or summary of your unit, your daily lesson plans will be separate)

Week One:
Daily read aloud: A Long Walk to Water
Close reading of For Many of the Worlds Poor, Drinking Water Can Kill.
Students survey water issues around the world by reading articles and watching video focusing on Zambia, India, Papua New Guinea, Iran, South
Sudan, California, Flint, and Chicago. https://newsela.com/text-sets/40364/el--water-life , http://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/ ,
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/us/flint-water-crisis-fast-facts/ , https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160620/downtown/do-chicago-
schools-have-lead-problem-heres-what-you-need-know
Students write a 2 sentence summary of the water issue in each location. They select a location they would like to research further.

Week Two:
Daily read aloud: A Long Walk to Water
Students sit with other classmates researching the same area. They research the problem and fill out a graphic organizer answering the
questions: what is the problem with water?, how does the problem affect the community?, what can be done to solve/alleviate the problem?
http://www.waterforsouthsudan.org/ , http://global.mit.edu/research/research-areas/water , http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/
With the other students who are researching the same area, they brainstorm action plans we can take to solve/bring attention to this issue.

Week Three:
Daily read aloud: A Long Walk to Water
Students work on and complete their final projects and presentations.
 Week Four:
Students present their findings to their classmates. While listening to presentations, students are required to write down what the problem is,
how it affects the community, and what can be done about it.
Each group presents their ideas about actions we can take. Class votes on action(s) we will pursue. As a class, we formulate next steps.

TGC FELLOWS UBD Lesson Template

Lesson Title: Close Reading of For Many of the Worlds Poor, Drinking Water Can Kill article
Subject: ELA 7th/8th grade Prepared by: Jenn Henderson

Materials Needed: List of words/phrases from the article, copies of article, copies of graphic organizer,
media cart

Global Competency: Investigate the world

Where is the lesson going? SWBAT read and comprehend informational text. SWBAT summarize
(Learning Target or SWBAT) what they have read.

Hook: Tailored Differentiation:

Students will be given a list of words/phrases (800 million people,

Zambia, inability to grow food, lead to poverty, 5,000 children every - In small groups,
day, 2 miles each day, polluted, severe dehydration, poor sanitation, students brainstorm
clean drinking water). On a graphic organizer, they will write 5 how the list of
sentences using 3-4 phrases from the list that they think will appear words/phrases are
in the article. Students will share sentences they have written, and I connected (this
will type and project them. We will look at 2 sentences, and students should help
will generate questions they want answered based on those
sentences. struggling students
formulate
Equip: sentences)
- ELs and DLs can
Students do a close read of the article.
write down
classmates
examples that have
Rethink and revise:
been shared with
the class if they
After they have read the article, students reread the sentences they cannot come up
wrote before reading. If the sentence they wrote is true, they write with 5 sentences on
true next to it. If the sentence is not true, they rewrite the sentence their own.
to make it true based on what the article said. - Sentence
complexity based
Evaluate: on students ability
5 true sentences will show comprehension of the article. Students
will pick a number from 12-20. Whatever that number is, that is how
many words they can use in the summary they write about the
article.

Notes:
Organization:
A table needs to be set up in
Google Docs (for sentences and
questions that are generated)
ahead of time.