Maithy Do

6 December 2017
Unit Plan: Happiness
Context:
This unit is the last unit of the semester. The previous two units were magical realism,
where the final product was an explanatory essay; and a research unit, where the final product
was a research based argumentative essay. This class has 35 students, with 3 ELLs and no IEPs.
The assessed needs that will be addressed will be developing a speech, fear of public speaking,
and speaking skills.

Central Focus:
By the end of the unit, students will have defined happiness, whether or not happiness is
measurable, and how to achieve happiness; this will be displayed through a 2-3 minute
speech.
1. Enduring understandings: What are the big ideas that you want students to take away
from the unit? Why are these ideas worthy of enduring understanding?
o I want my students to understand that money cannot necessarily buy happiness,
and I want them to look at their own lives to define happiness. What goals can
they set for themselves to achieve happiness? Is happiness measurable? What
really is happiness? These ideas are worthy of enduring understanding because it
really has students reflect on their lives, and think about what makes them happy.
With technology playing such a large role in everybodys lives, I want students to
consider whether their phones, video games, etc. provide short-term or long-term
happiness. In addition, I want students to see past the materialistic items that
make them happy, but the more meaningful people, places, events, etc. that make
them happy.
2. Essential Questions: What open-ended questions will you use to frame the ideas under
investigation during the unit? How are these questions connected to the understandings
listed above? How will these questions be addressed during the unit?
o What is happiness?
o Is it measurable?
o What provides long-term versus short-term happiness?
o What goals can you set for yourself to help you achieve happiness?
o How do we organize our definitions of happiness into a speech?
o What kind of skills do we need to develop in order to give a good speech?
o These questions are connected to the understandings listed above because it will
require my students to think about what happiness means to them.
o These questions will be addressed during the unit by looking at Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyis concept of flow, looking at how to give a speech, and then
delivering a speech.
3. Content Knowledge: What are the specific concepts that you want students to learn
through the unit? Why is this content knowledge important? How will students use this
content knowledge to develop the enduring understandings?
o I want my students to reflect on themselves and to look past the materialistic
things in their lives to unveil what truly makes them happy. With the holidays
around the corner, I want students to appreciate what they have. This knowledge
 is important because it builds life skills for them and teaches them how to be
humble citizens. In order to grasp these concepts, students must be able to
annotate speeches in order to find the claim. They must also identify why the
speaker is able to convey his or her claim (logos, ethos, pathos, figurative
language, repetition, diction, etc.).
4. Language Function: Identify one language function essential for students that is
associated with the content objective. Describe what students need to understand and use
in regards to vocabulary and syntax or discourse.
o One language function that is essential for students is the ability to identify
rhetoric. Students must be able to identify and differ between ethos, logos, and
pathos, and understand why each device is used. Especially regarding the topic of
happiness, emotional appeals will play a strong role in students final speech. In
terms of syntax, students must be able to organize a thoughtful speech. Students
are able to express their creative minds with this assignment; they may want to
use unconventional forms of syntax to convey their attitude or purpose, whether
that may be parallelism, rhyme scheme, repetition, etc.
5. Skills and strategies: What reading, writing, problem solving, critical thinking,
presentation, or collaboration skills will be addressed in this unit? How will these skills
be addressed? What growth do you expect to see in students as a result of targeted
instruction in these skill areas during the unit?
o The reading skill that will be addressed in this unit is the ability to annotate and
identify figurative language, rhetorical devices, tone, syntax, etc. to find a claim.
This will be addressed by annotating speeches, articles, etc.
o The writing skill that will be addressed in this unit is the ability to develop a
personal claim about happiness, and write an organized and thoughtful speech
using figurative language, rhetorical devices, syntax, etc. Modeling professional
examples, and then allowing students to explore their creativity will address this.
o The collaboration skills involved in this unit include creating a 30 second skit
with 2-3 class members. In addition, students work together to come up with
helpful tips for a great speech.
o The presentation skill that will be addressed in this unit will be a final speech.
This is a skill that will be built upon. Students will have been modeled examples
of speeches, and will have looked at an article about giving a good speech.
o The growth that I expect to see in students is confidence in public speaking, as
well as a refined definition of happiness and how it is achieved. Students should
know how to develop a clear claim and utilize rhetorical devices to convey their
claim in their speeches. Students should also recognize how body language, eye
contact, clarity, pacing, tone, etc. affect the outcome of the speech.
6. CCCS: What elements of the CCCS have informed this unit? How are these elements
connected to the objectives stated above?
o CCSSSL 9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting 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 purpose (e.g.,
argument, informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task.
 This is connected to the objectives because students will present their
speech using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear
pronunciation. In addition, the style will be appropriate to the purpose
(present their claim as to how to achieve happiness); and audience
(scenario: students are giving a TEDtalk).
o CCSSR 9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in
the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language
evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
This is connected to the objectives because students will have to annotate
the texts given for word choice, tone, figurative language, stylistic choices,
etc.
o CCSSW 9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
This is connected to the objectives because students will have to express
their gratitude in the form of a letter or email.

Theoretical Foundation:
I came up with this unit plan when I was driving home from school one day listening to a
TEDtalk about Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslows theory, humans have five
basic needs: physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and the most important
need, self-actualization. Self-actualization revolves around ones self-happiness. In the TEDtalk,
the speaker discussed how to reach self-actualization, and one of those ways was by reaching a
state of flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis theory of flow involves a favorite activity, where one
may lose track of time because he or she is so focused on that activity that nothing else matters. I
thought this was very interesting, and something that I wanted my students to explore. Thus, this
unit was created.
In addition, according to Lee Vygotsky, The child begins to perceive the world not only
through his eyes but also through his speech. Vygotskys belief that people learn better through
conversation and speech, rather than lecture, helped me design this unit. I felt that students would
be able to pull out a more refined definition and understanding of happiness if they had to
present to the class. This forces them to listen to each other in the final presentation, but also
throughout the process. Students can seek help from each other to discover what happiness is.
This also enables students the opportunity to hear what others definitions are, furthering their
understanding.
I chose to use nonfiction texts for this unit because it gave students a real representation
of what they would be doing. Nonfiction texts, according to Christenbury and Lindblom in
Making the Journey, help your students develop the complex reading processes that will enable
them to continue to seek out and read informational texts in the future (p. 238). The skills
students develop through annotation of speeches and TEDtalks will help them understand texts
they will encounter for the rest of their lives.

Evidence of Understanding/Assessment:
1. Informal checks for understanding:
a. Annotated speech (Lesson 1)
b. Notes on TEDtalk (Lesson 2)
 c. Notes on flow (Lesson 3)
d. Annotated article (Lesson 4)
2. Performance task:
a. 2-3 minute speech on students definition of happiness, and how it is achieved.

Learning Experiences:
1. Introductory Activities: Describe the activities that will be used to hook the students
into the unit. Explain how these activities will introduce the big ideas and essential
questions that will be explored during the unit. Explain how the activities respond to
student interests and background knowledge. Include kid appropriate language that will
be used, as well as samples of any prompts, simulation activities, questions, texts, movie
clips, etc. that will be used.
a. A gratitude journal will be introduced in this unit in order to hook the students
in. At the start of each class, students will respond to a question having to do with
gratitude. They will have a few minutes to write, and then I will ask for a few
volunteers to share out their responses. The questions include:
What are you grateful for?
What makes you happy? How does that impact your performance in
school, relationships with others, and/or on the field/stage?
Tell me about a time you were able to help someone else.
What activities or hobbies would you miss if you were unable to do them?
What is there about a challenge youre experiencing right now that you
can be thankful for?
What is something unique about your family that youre grateful for?
How is where you are today different than a year agoand what positive
changes are you thankful for?
Write about the work that went into the home you live in.
When was the last time you laughed uncontrollably? Relive the memory.
Write about something someone did in class this week that helped you and
that you appreciated.
This journal will introduce the big idea of happiness because students will have to
reflect on something specific in their lives and why it brought them happiness. It
also reflects essential questions such as: what is happiness; does this event in their
lives bring short-term or long-term happiness? This activity responds to student
interest because it is a personal account of their lives, and students typically enjoy
sharing special or happy moments with others.
b. Another introductory activity will be a production of a poster in which students
answer: How do we achieve happiness? After answering the first gratitude
journal (What are you grateful for?), students will share with their peers their
answers. After a few minutes of discussion, students will tell me how they believe
happiness is achieved. I will write these words/phrases on the poster. Once
complete, each student will individually come up to the poster and put a check
mark on their top three reasons as to how they believe they achieve happiness. As
a class, we will see what students agree on. (Appendix A)
2. Instructional Activities: Describe each of the instructional activities that will take place
during the unit. There should be a range of activities during the unit that may include
 opportunities for direct instruction, student discussion, inquiry learning, text analysis,
individual application, group exploration, etc. All activities should work together to
support the unit goals.
a. The first instructional activity will be a guided reading of a speech given by Toni
Morrison. I will do a modeled reading for the first couple paragraphs of the
speech. Using the docucam, I will read it aloud, voice my thoughts/questions
aloud, and annotate aloud. Students are looking for devices that help convey the
tone and claim, including figurative language, similes, metaphors, repetition,
ethos, pathos, logos, etc. Students will then complete reading the article by
themselves. They will answer the questions that correspond with the article in
small groups.
b. The second instructional activity will be watching a TEDtalk, taking notes, ans
answering questions. Students who have not heard of a TEDtalk before will given
exposure to this type of speech. Not only does it model a good speech for
students, the points the speaker makes can help students develop their own claims.
Students will collaborate to answer questions about the talk.
c. The third instructional activity will be about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis concept of
flow. Students will watch a 5-minute video that gives a brief overview of flow,
and take notes. I will reinforce their notes by going over what was said in the
video and ensuring students understand flow.
d. The fourth instructional activity will be reading an article that will provide students
with tips on how to make a speech worth listening to. Students will read and
annotate the article, then extract the most important tips.
3. Reflection Activities: Describe the meta-cognitive opportunities that will be included for
student reflection. Students should have multiple opportunities to revisit and reconsider
their responses to the big ideas and essential questions of the unit. Include specific
reflection prompts as well as a description of how the prompts will be used.
a. The first reflection activity is questions students will answer based on Toni
Morrisons speech. They must define what Toni Morrisons claim to happiness is,
and answer whether or not they agree with her.
b. The second reflection activity is a letter or email expressing students gratitude.
After watching the TEDtalk, students must think of someone within their support
network, and thank them for a kind gesture they have shown towards the student.
Writing Reflection:
Shawn Anchor says, random acts of kindness are conscious acts
of kindness. One way he suggests you train your brain is write a
positive email praising or thanking somebody in [your] support
network.
Students task is to write a letter or email expressing their gratitude
for someone in their support network. Students will send the email
by the end of the period, or mail the letter after school (or hand
deliver it if it is someone on campus).
c. The third reflection activity is a short, 30-second skit performance. After watching
the short video on flow, students will get into groups of 4 and create a 30 second
skit to demonstrate their understanding of flow. Students will grade each other
according to a rubric.
 d. The fourth reflection activity will be the poster we co-create after reading the
article Why everyone should give a TED talk and how to do it by Tim Harford.
This poster will be titled, Helpful Tips for a Great Speech, and it will help
students when the time comes for them to give their final speech.
4. Anticipated Schedule: Provide a schedule that describes the anticipated implementation
of the unit. Briefly outline each lesson within the unit, including the specific objectives of
that lesson, the activities that will be included in that lesson, the assessments that will
measure student learning during that lesson, and the pacing of the lesson.
a. Schedule of unit:
Day 1 Introduction/Model of Speech
Day 2 Model of TEDtalk
Day 3 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis Flow
Day 4 How to Give a Good Speech
Day 5 (and onward) Speeches (Until complete. Anticipated: Days 5-10)
 Lesson 1: Introduction/Model of Speech

Standard:
CCSSR 9-10. 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a
court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

Essential Questions:
What is the main idea of the speech?
What strategies does the speaker use to convey her claim?

Objective:
By the end of the period, students will have read Toni Morrisons speech on happiness,
and determined her main idea. Students will have also annotated for figurative language,
rhetorical devices, tone, etc.

Materials:
Toni Morrison Speech
Gratitude Journal
Poster

Lesson Stages:
Timing Procedure
5 Gratitude Journal
What makes you happy?
2 Have students share with elbow partners what they wrote
5 Poster (Appendix A)
Create poster titled, How do we Achieve Happiness?
Elicit words/phrases from students and write those on poster
Once we have a list, students will mark their top three things that
make them happy.
Hand out ~10 markers. Each student receives three check marks.
They mark their top three things that make them happy
Once student has finished marking, hand marker to another student.
Each student will have marked three items.
2 Explain that through this unit, students will have defined happiness
and discovered how they believe happiness is achieved.
Hand out Toni Morrison speech (Appendix B)
5 Guided Readingread-aloud
Read first two paragraphs aloud/annotate/ask questions
Read next paragraph and elicit what to highlight/questions from
students
15 Students read rest of speech and annotate/highlight
12 In groups of 4, answer questions about speech (Appendix C)
11 Review answers as class
 Lesson 2: Model of TEDtalk
Standard:
CCSSW 9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Essential Question:
What strategies does the speaker use to draw in his audience?
Is the talk relatable? Why?

Objective:
By the end of the period, students will have watched a TEDtalk and taken notes on the
talk, evaluating strategies the speaker uses to engage his audience.

Materials:
Video:https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work/
up-next
Gratitude Journal
Letter or email

Lesson Stages:
Timing Procedure
10 Gratitude Journal
Students have 4 minutes to answer prompt.
o Tell us something someone did you for this week that you
appreciated.
Students have 3 minutes to share answers with elbow partner.
Ask a few students to share with the class. (3 minutes)
5 Explain what a TEDtalk is.
15 Watch TEDtalk and take notes. Pay attention to the activities Shawn Anchor
claims we need to do in order to find happiness.
10 In small groups of 4, compare notes. Clarify anything if necessary. Share
opinions of Shawns claim.
5 Go over main ideas of talk as a class.
17 Writing Reflection:
Shawn Anchor says, random acts of kindness are conscious acts of
kindness. One way he suggests you train your brain is to write a
positive email praising or thanking somebody in [your] support
network.
Students task is to write a letter or email expressing their gratitude
for someone in their support network. Students will send the email by
the end of the period, or mail the letter after school (or hand deliver it
if it is someone on campus).
 Lesson 3: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis Flow
Standard:
CCSSSL 9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting 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 purpose (e.g., argument,
informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task.

Essential Questions:
What is flow and how do you achieve flow?
How does the idea of flow help you narrow down your claim as to how you achieve
happiness?

Objective:
By the end of the lesson, students will understand Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis concept of
flow, and will have acted out a skit to demonstrate their understanding and/or idea of
flow.

Materials:
Flow Worksheet (Appendix D)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h6IMYRoCZw
Lesson Stages:
Timing Procedure
2 Introduce Mihaly Csikszentimihalyi and give brief background.
Psychologist who studied happiness
Specifically, his idea of flow
6 Watch video. Take notes. Pay careful attention to his definition of flow and his
examples of it. (Appendix D)
5 Share/collaborate notes with small groups of three or four.
5 Bring class back together. Elicit definition of flow and what his examples were.
Have students write down any notes that students share they do not have already.
Happiness is not a fixed state but can be developed as we learn to achieve
flow in our lives.
How does this relate to our current unit? Well, if flow helps us achieve
happiness, will that help you write your speech/spoken word? If you think
about what emotions are evoked when you are in flow, you can apply that to
your speech.
5 Look at rubric. Highlight important key terms. This is what students should
focus on because this is part of the rubric for their final speech. (Appendix
D)
Students get into groups of three. Students may choose groups.
10 Students will create a short, 30 second-one minute skit to demonstrate either:
Anything they have learned today or
An activity that puts them in flow
24 Present skits to entire class, one group at a time
 Students score groups using the rubric (back side of handout)
 Lesson 4: How to Give a Good Speech
Standards:
CCSSR 9-10. 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a
text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative
impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a
court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

Essential Question:
How do we give a speech that our audience wants to listen to?

Objective:
By the end of the period, we will have created a poster with helpful tips when delivering
a speech and we will have watched a monologue to show what these tips look like in
action.

Materials:
Gratitude Journal
Why everyone should give a TED talk and how to do it by Tim Harford (Appendix E)
Ellen DeGeneres video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D6Dge_bsAs

Timing Procedure
10 Gratitude Journal
What are you grateful for today?
Students have 4 minutes to write.
Students have 2 minutes to share with their peers around them.
Call on a few students to share with the entire class.
5 Go over essential questions and objective. Explain what we will do today. Have
students take out pen and highlighter. Hand out article.
15 Model/Read-aloud
o Teacher reads first 2 paragraphs out loud. Highlight important tips.
Write a short summary on the right of each paragraph.
o Teacher reads 3rd paragraph out loud. Elicit from students what to
highlight and what to write for the summary.
Students have 10 minutes to read the rest of the article by themselves. Pay
attention to the tips the author gives. Write a short summary for each
paragraph.
10 In groups of 3-4, share the annotations made
Create a list at the end of the article on the tips they think are necessary to
a well-prepared speech
10 Come back as a class and create a poster with tips to a great speech (Appendix F)
3 Watch Ellen DeGeneres video
4 Look at the tips from poster. Look at the rubric from last Thursday. Did Ellen
follow those tips? How did she score on the rubric?
 Lesson 5: Speech
Standards:
CCSSSL 9-10.4: Present information, findings, and supporting 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 purpose (e.g., argument,
informative, response to literature presentations), audience, and task.

Essential Questions:
What is happiness?
How do you achieve happiness?

Objective:
Students will listen to their peers present their speech in front of the class. In addition,
students will have utilized the tips they read from the article to help them deliver their
speeches.
Students in the audience will have listened to several different definitions of happiness
and reflected on their own speech.

Materials:
Students come to class with their prepared speech and/or note cards.

Lesson Stages:
Timing Procedure
10 Gratitude Journal:
What goals can you set for yourself to help you achieve happiness?
47 For the rest of the period, the class will listen to students present
speeches.
They must grade each student on the rubric, and after each speech,
the teacher will call on three people in the audience to provide
feedback.
Each speech will take about 3 minutes to present, and another couple
minutes for feedback.
We will probably be able to get through 7 speeches.
The rest of the speeches will be completed throughout the next 4-5
days.
Differentiation & Academic Language:
To differentiate for the needs of English language learners, this unit has slight
modifications. In lesson 1, scaffolds are in place for the entire classthe guided/modeled
reading. ELLs may struggle with the speech, so I model the first couple paragraphs to
show students what they are looking for. In addition, when annotating the article, ELLS
will be paired with native speaking students to help them. The native English speaker will
read the article aloud while the ELL follows along. In addition, the ELLs will be paired
with strong, native speaking students when answering questions to provide further aid.
The videos in lesson two and three are posted on Google Classroom for students to revisit
if necessary. In addition, transcripts will be provided for any students who find them
helpful. In lesson 4, ELLs will also be paired with a strong native student in order to help
them annotate/read the article.
I do not have any special education students or IEP students in my class. However, if I
were to use this plan in the future and needed to adapt, I could also have strong students
paired with special needs students to aid them. I could also do a small conference with
these students and read aloud/annotate with them, while the rest of the class works
independently.
I can differentiate in terms of academic language by providing word banks and sentence
frames for students to utilize when writing their speech. I can also pre-teach more
vocabulary prior to reading or watching materials.

Reflection:
This unit plan has developed thoroughly throughout my planning process. Individual
lessons, assessments, and activities have altered as I continued to move through the unit planning
process. For instance, I came up with the idea of the gratitude journal half way through the
planning process. It was originally only one quick write, but I realized I could make it a daily
addition to the unit. The largest influence that shaped my unit was listening to a TEDtalk on my
way home from school. The talk was on Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, but the particular part of
the talk that I focused on was Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis concept of flow. I found it fascinating
and relative to my students lives.
As a result of my planning (and experience with teaching in general), I have learned that
precise pacing makes a lesson go much smoother. I know exactly what I can fit in my lessons,
and what I can expect of my students. Of course, not all lessons follow the timing exactly;
however, for the most part, the lesson plans reflect an accurate representation of what happens in
the classroom. In addition, I learned how to start with an overarching theme, and how to break
that theme into days and measurable pieces. Without creating daily lessons within the unit plan,
it would make it much more difficult to estimate timing and pacing of the unit.
I think the strengths of my unit include the assessments. To be specific, I was very proud
of the lesson on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyis flow. Having students create a skit at the end of class
made the class memorable, and it was an easy way for me to see if students understood the
concept.
I think my weakness is not leaving time for a reflection at the end of each lesson. I think
it is important to allow my students to have something written down at the end of the day to
ensure they are leaving the class with someone valuable. I know that I struggle having a
meaningful closure at the end of class, so having a reflection will help this.
Appendix A: How do we Achieve Happiness Poster
Appendix B: Toni Morrison Speech
Appendix C: Toni Morrison Worksheet
 Appendix D: Flow Worksheet
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Directions: You will be watching a short video that gives an overview of the idea of flow.
Complete the chart below and take notes on the video. Pay particular attention to the definition
of flow and examples of flow and the non-examples of flow.

FLOW
Notes:
A person can make himself happy, or miserable, regardless of what is actually
happening outside, just by changing the contents of consciousness.
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 Speech Rubric
Criterion Excellent Good Satisfactory Needs Score
Improvement
5 4 3 2
Eye Contact Eye contact with Eye contact with Eye contact with Little or no eye
audience virtually audience less than audience less than contact
all the time 80% of the time 75% of the time
(except for brief
glances at notes)
Use of Use of language Use of language does Use of language Use of language is
Language contributes to not have negative causes potential inappropriate
effectiveness of impact, and vocalized confusion, and/or
the speech, and pauses vocalized pauses
vocalized pauses (um uh er etc.) (um uh er etc.)
(um uh er etc.) not distracting are distracting
not distracting
Body Body language, Body language, Body language, Body language,
language gestures, and gestures, and facial facial expressions gestures, and
facial expressions expressions and gestures facial expressions
adds greatly to compliment message lack variety and are lacking or
the message spontaneity inappropriate

Clarity Speaks clearly Speaks clearly and Speaks clearly and Often mumbles or
and distinctly all distinctly nearly all the distinctly most of can not be
the time with no time with no more the time with no understood with
mispronounced than one more than two more than three
words mispronounced word mispronounced mispronounced
words words

Group members Eye Use of Body Clarity Score

Contact Language Language
Appendix E: Why Everyone Should Give a TEDtalk and How to Do it
Appendix F: Helpful Tips for a Great Speech Poster