Chris Bang

TWS BRMS
Section II: Unit Proposal & Unit Rationale
Unit Proposal:
This unit is designed for an 8th grade language arts class at Bill Reed Middle School (BRMS). BRMS is a LISA School (Loveland
area Integrated School of the Arts) which means that all core classes take efforts to weave elements of visual arts into the curriculum.
The unit I have designed (with the help of my cooperating language arts teachers) uses William Shakespeares Twelfth Night as a
mentor text. While reading the play, students are asked to dress in costumes, and act the play out scene by scene. The unit lasts six
weeks and reading the play takes roughly four weeks to complete. The unit culminates with a final project that gives students the
choice to create visual texts and/or creative writing texts, as well as the opportunity to present their work. Now, I will go into further
detail about each aspect of the unit.
Unit Rationale:
Throughout this rationale I reference the assignments, activities and assessments that I describe in greater detail in my Unit Standards,
Goals and Objectives. This rationales primary purpose is to discuss the units alignment with CCSS 8th grade language arts, and how
this unit relates the play Twelfth Night with students lives within their community, and within the world.
The primary standard that this unit assesses is CCSS: RL.8.2.1.a.ii: it determines whether or not students can determine a theme of a
text, and depict how the literary elements such as character and plot/conflict. Though there is integration of the visual arts, it is still
vital that students demonstrate their understanding of 8th grade CCSS standards. The acting allows students to develop their oration
skills, and it serves as a way to address the meaning and context of challenging and unknown words and phrases. The scene questions
assess students comprehension of key details; they are not collected for a grade, but small group activities are implemented to ensure
engagement and participation. Furthermore, the scene questions are used as a reference to use during the two quizzes on the first two
acts of the play. These two quizzes assess students reading skills, and scaffold for higher level thinking questions during the
performance of the play by the students. The culminating project integrates RL.8.2.1.a.ii into BRMS identity as a LISA school. That
is to say, students are expected to use their understanding of theme and literary elements (in application to Twelfth Night). The
culminating project asks students to show how an author uses character(s) and conflict to develop a theme over the progression of a
text. My cooperating teachers & I have created over a dozen different genres of visual and creative writing texts for the students to
create; the expectation is that students create two texts of their choice and then explain how their product answers the overarching
question of the project: how does the author use character to develop theme. A play written four centuries ago might prove

challenging to relate to 21st century teenagers, but the conflict and subjects present in Twelfth Night are highly relevant to any youth;
especially, students that are dealing with their developing sexualities, identities, and their place in their community and society.
Twelfth Night tells the story of a young woman, Viola that arrives on a foreign land after being shipwrecked. She believes her crew
and twin brother to be killed by the wreck, and realizes that she must don the disguise of Cesario, a eunuch, in order to gain any social
ranking in this new land called Illyria. After disguising herself, Viola goes to aid the Duke Orisino to win the affection of the
Countess Olivia; unintentionally, Viola falls in love with Orsino and Oliva falls in love with Cesario (who is secretly Viola). Messages
about identity, deception, and attraction are the main themes present in this book. These themes become the primary topics of
discussion as the class progresses through the unit; students are then encouraged to explain how these conflicts and themes relate to
their personal lives. In terms of the global relevance that this play has with the students lives derives from the questionable
perspectives of gender roles found within the play. That is to say, that Violas plight of acquiring social power and agency in a foreign
land hinges on her gender. Had Viola not disguised herself as a man, she would be unable to acquire any social status or rank. This
form of gender discrimination offers students an opportunity to see how gender roles still play a role in the world today.
Below I have attached a copy of the final project for this unit, there is another copy on my Instruction and Management sub-page.

Twelfth Night Product

Character and Theme Analysis:
How does the author use character to develop a theme? After reading the play Twelfth Night, Determine a theme
and analyze how one character develops and impacts the theme. Create at least two of the final products using the
chart below that illustrate your analysis, and write an artist statement that answers the question and explains one of
your products connection to your analysis.
Product Options
Visual

Creative writing

Book Cover

Poem

Sculpture

Story extension

Costume

Story adaptation

Performance: Act out excerpt from play (at least 50

lines) / perform original script (at least 50 lines) / song /
presentation

Script (interview,comic,play,graphic novel, etc..)

Illustrations / Drawing /Poster/ Collage

Captions for illustrations

Game: Card/board/video

Monologue

Mask

Character web page

Puppets

Letter to character from character

Comic strip/ Graphic novel

Song

Points and Scoring: The artist statement (at least 1 per student) will count as a writing assessment with 200
points possible. The products (at least 2 per student) will count as a reading assessment with 200 points possible
(100 points possible per product). You may do as many products as you want to get more points. If you work with a

partner or group, the points will be split between the group, and each person will have to do a artist statement for a
different product.
Example: If you have two people in a group, then you would have to create at least four products and two artist
statements to generate enough possible points for each team member.
3 people in a group = 6 products and 3 artist statements
4 people in a group = 8 products and 4 artist statements
The points and grade for each product and the artist statement are labeled on the attached rubrics.
Pride Tribe opportunities:
Any individual scoring a total of 500 or more points on their combined scores of their artist statements and products
will receive an academic challenge.
Any individual that acts out a scene from the play in Shakespearean language by memory will receive an academic
challenge. (If this is done by a group, each person in the group will receive the academic challenge).
Or make a proposal of a project. Final approval by the teacher is required.

Class Participation:
There is an additional 100 points possible given as a class participation grade on this project. You earn these points
for daily working on your projects during class time.