Conceptual Unitt

Robbie Archer, Jordyn Smith
12/6/2020
EDLA 6550 Principles of English Instruction
Dr. Zoss and Supervisors
Conceptual Unit
1) Rationale:
Georgia Standards of Excellence: ELAGSE9-10RL3 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.
For this 9 grade level English course, we have decided to focus on identity as the main
th
goal for the unit. Before we can focus on identity, however, we have to define it, which will be
part of the students’ formative assessment – to write or produce an extended definition on
identity. A person has more than one identity. When we say a person’s identity, we mean a
person’s background: where does she come from? Who does she come from? How does her
parents or her guardians shape them? How does her culture shape her? How does her race,
gender, economic background shape her? How does her environment and where she grew up
shape her? How does her experiences shape her? When we say identity, we also are talking about
who she is: what does she love? What is she passionate about? What are her hobbies? What is
she good at? What does she want out of life? What does she want to do with their life? What are
her hopes and dreams? We also mean perception when we say identity: what is a person’s
perception of the world? What is her perception of her family? Her race? Her gender? Her
culture? Other races, genders, and cultures? How do other people see her? How would she like to
be seen? Would she change something about herself if she could? Who does she want to be vs.
who she is? (Muhammad, 2020).
We believe that encouraging students to embrace and discover their identity through
literature will not only improve their performance in the classroom, but also mold how they
perform in their everyday lives. As teachers, we hope to mold how students perform in their lives
by helping them form and discover their identity through analyzing texts that discuss tough
subject matter that is relevant today, such as identity, depression, social anxiety, coming of age,
relationships, bullying, loneliness, isolation, suicide, sexism, rape, and racism. By analyzing
these themes and discussing systematic inequalities, power, privilege, social justice, and
oppression of not just certain races and genders, we as teachers hope that students’ deeper
understanding of these things will help them think more for themselves and hopefully make them
more educated, sympathetic citizens.
Educators’ often focus on skill as a way to measure student understanding and growth;
however, if a student does not find the assignments/books required for the course relevant to
their lives or the lives of those around them, it becomes difficult to keep them engaged. Without
engagement, students will not be interested in even reading the texts, much less learning,
identifying, and relating to the texts, which is necessary for the texts to increase growth and
understanding. In addition, incorporating identity into the classroom ultimately pushes for
diversity, which teaches students to become aware and appreciative of diversity and therefore
individuals’ identities.
The texts we have chosen for this unit are The Crossover and Speak. The Crossover,
written by Kwame Alexander (2015), tackles common teenage issues such as “coming of age”,
finding your own identity, and the complexities of growing up. There are also themes of
relationships and growth that will encourage students to think about how they are molded by the
people in their lives versus who they actually want to be. The students in the classroom are at an
age where they are beginning to question who they are as a person and how they would like this
to be represented. They are also beginning to explore relationships outside of familial ties, which
can make this process even more confusing. The Crossover represents these struggles and allows
the students to see their lives represented through literature.
Because The Crossover follows the lives of two young and black teenage boys that have
a passion for basketball, there may be a question of what relevance this story holds in the
classroom. The majority of our students are not black and probably are not interested in sports;
however, the goal of this unit is to introduce our students to lifestyles outside of their own. When
you only provide stories that are familiar in the classroom, you ultimately disregard the diversity
that exists outside of the personal worlds that we live in. The goal of this unit is to not only
encourage our students to connect with their own identities, but to also recognize and respect the
identities that surround them today and possibly in the near future.
Speak, written by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999), is about a young high school freshman
Melinda Sordino, who called the police at a party, ostracizing herself from her peers, after she
was raped. After not being able to talk about what happened she stops speaking all together but
expresses herself instead through art in her art class which helps her to face what happened and
recreate her identity. The novel was actually based on the author’s personal experience of being
raped as a teenager. I think that this topic of rape is not talked about enough, especially since one
in four girls/women are raped. It also focuses on isolation, depression, trauma, social anxiety,
bullying, loneliness, lack of knowing one’s identity, and how art can help express yourself and
help you figure out your identity.
One rebuttal for teaching the book Speak would be that the book is about a girl who got
raped. I would argue that there is only three pages that talk explicitly about the rape and there are
no sexual terms in it. I would also argue that since one in five women are raped that it is a very
important topic to discuss. I would also argue that the book does not only deal with rape but with
bullying, depression, isolation, peer pressure, peer rejection, identity, and how art can help with
identity.
Throughout the unit, we will be tracking our students' understanding of the books through
formative assessments of journal entries, discussion questions, doing research and presenting
your findings, and creating art. Each topic given will be situations from the reading that they will
be expected to relate to their own lives and share with one another during small group
discussion: (i.e) In The Crossover, Josh wears his hair in locs to differentiate himself from his
twin brother, JB. In what ways do you attempt to differentiate yourself from others? Is Josh
dramatic for making this change? Why or why not?
Doing these activities that push students to think about the texts and see how they relate
to their lives will encourage our students to think deeply about the characters, how they’re
different from them, how they are similar, and how they view the choices that the characters
make throughout the book. When our students discuss their journal entry with each other, they
will be expanding their views on characters based on the opinion of their peers and take them
into consideration to think about the text more critically.
The summative assessment to determine students’ learning for this conceptual unit is a
final project and presentation that can include creativity from students such as poetry, singing,
rapping, drawing, painting/etc. but must include a visual presentation that is 7 minutes long and a
one-page reflection of the unit and project/presentation. This project/presentation needs to show
what identity means for the presenter.
References (other than the texts we are covering)
Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. Boston ; New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.
Muhammad, G., & Love, B. L. (2020). Cultivating genius: An equity framework for
culturally and historically responsive literacy. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Smagorinsky, P. (2019). Teaching English by design: How to create and carry out
instructional units (pp. 176-178). Portsmouth, NH, New Hampshire: Heinemann.
2) Goals and Assessments
One goal of this conceptual unit is to explore the topic of identity and for students to use
the texts we cover as well as their favorite texts to explore, build, and even change their identity.
A second goal is for students to evaluate and analyze characters from the texts and to determine
and argue which characters they like, relate to, or want to emulate and which characters they
don’t like and do not want to emulate. A third goal is for students to examine texts’ characters’
situations, circumstances, and events, both good and bad, and interpret and argue how these
circumstances and events shape the characters’ identities and therefore understand how
circumstances and events can shape their own identities. Another goal is for students to examine
who characters’ surround themselves with and how that affects those characters’ identity,
therefore showing students how who they surround themselves with can shape their identities as
well.
The summative assessment to determine students’ learning for this conceptual unit is a
final project and presentation on what identity means to each student. The final project will be
based on Smagorinsky’s body biography. A body biography is a visual and written portrait
where students will draw a full body portrait of themselves and then draw visual symbols along
the body. For the heart students will think about important relationships in their lives and will
write what those relationships are near the heart. For the spine, “actors often discuss a character’s
spine, representing a major task within the storyline. What is the most important goal and
motivation…” for the student (Smagorinsky, 2019, pp. 176-177). They can use symbols along
the spine to portray these goals and motivations. Students are to think about their virtues and
vices: “What are their most admirable and worst qualities? How can you help viewers of your
body biography visualize them?” (Smagorinsky, 2019, pp. 176-177). They can also use symbols
to associate with themselves and their essence and decide where to put those. For example, if a
student likes basketball he/she can drop a basketball in their hand. Students are also to consider
how they appear to others on the surface and who they really are on the inside. “Do these images
clash or correspond?” (Smagorinsky, 2019, pp. 176-177). Students are also to think about how
they have changed throughout the conceptual unit and how their ideas of identity have changed.
To accompany the students’ portrait of themselves they are to include a presentation where they
answer and explain the questions and symbols included in their portrait. This presentation can be
in the form of a visual presentation such as a powerpoint, it can be a creative presentation such as
spoken word poetry, rapping, or singing. The presentation must be 5 minutes long.
Along with the presentation students must include a 3-5 page extended definition of
identity. A person has more than one identity. When we say a person’s identity, we mean a
person’s background: where does she come from? Who does she come from? How does her
parents or her guardians shape them? How does her culture shape her? How does her race,
gender, economic background shape her? How does her environment and where she grew up
shape her? How does her experiences shape her? When we say identity, we also are talking about
who she is: what does she love? What is she passionate about? What are her hobbies? What is
she good at? What does she want out of life? What does she want to do with their life? What are
her hopes and dreams? We also mean perception when we say identity: what is a person’s
perception of the world? What is her perception of her family? Her race? Her gender? Her
culture? Other races, genders, and cultures? How do other people see her? How would she like to
be seen? Would she change something about herself if she could? Who does she want to be vs.
who she is? (Muhammad, 2020).
Rubric for Final Project:
A final project resulting in an A:
Visual Design: Student fully completed their body portrait: including symbols for the heart,
spine, their virtues and vices, as well as symbols that portray their essence.
Visual Effort: Student used maximum effort to create their body portrait: their portrait looks like
them and their symbols emulates them.
Oral Presentation: Student keeps eye contact with audience as much as possible, speaks clearly,
not too quickly or too slowly, speaks loudly enough for everyone to hear, does not use filler
words, is not monotone.
Extended Definition of Identity: Student answered all the questions asked for identity well and
concisely.
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation: The project has excellent spelling, grammar, and
punctuation.
A final project resulting in a B:
Visual Design: Students mostly completed their body portrait: including symbols for the heart,
spine, their virtues and vices, as well as symbols that portray their essence.
Visual Effort: Student used good effort to create their body portrait: their portrait mostly looks
like them and their symbols mostly emulates them.
Oral Presentation: Student keeps eye contact with students most of the time, speaks clearly, not
too quickly or too slowly most of the time, speaks mostly loudly enough for everyone to hear,
mostly doesn’t use filler words, mostly is not monotone.
Extended Definition of Identity: Student answered most of the questions asked for identity
mostly well and concisely.
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation: The project has 2-3 spelling, grammar, or punctuation
errors.
A final project resulting in a C:
Visual Design: Students left 2-3 things out of their body portrait: including symbols of the heart,
spine, their virtues and vices, as well as symbols that portrays their essence.
Visual Effort: Student used adequate effort to create their body portrait, however there are 2-3
inconsistencies in how their body portraits look like them.
Oral Presentation: Student keeps eye contact with audience some of the time, mumbles or speaks
too quickly, slowly or softly some of the time, uses filler words sometimes, is sometimes
monotone.
Extended Definition of Identity: Student did not answer 4-5 questions asked for identity. There
were areas of confusion.
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation: The project has 3-4 spelling, grammar, or punctuation
errors.
A final project resulting in a D:
Visual Design: Students left 4 or more things out of their body portrait: including symbols of the
heart, spine, their virtues and vices, as well as symbols that portray their essence.
Visual Effort: Student used less than adequate effort to create their body portrait.
Oral Presentation: Student rarely keeps eye contact with audience, mumbles, or speaks too
quickly, slowly, or softly most of the time, uses filler words often, is monotone often.
Extended Definition of Identity: They did not answer more than 5 questions on identity.
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation: The project has more than 4 spelling, grammar, or
punctuation errors.
References
Muhammad, G., & Love, B. L. (2020). Cultivating genius: An equity framework for
culturally and historically responsive literacy. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Smagorinsky, P., & Christenbury, L. (2019). Teaching English by design: How to create
and carry out instructional units. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
3) Introductory Activity
For the first day, the introductory activity for Speak will be for our students to fill out an
Introductory Assignment asking questions such as: What are your favorite
musicians/rappers/singers/bands? What are your favorite movies? What are your favorite T.V.
shows? What are your favorite books? What are you favorite animals? What are your favorite
sports? What are your hobbies? What do you love to do, what are you passionate about? What is
your favorite subject in school? What are your favorite video games if you play video games?
Where do you want to be in 10 years? What do you want to be doing? Who do you want to be?
What does identity mean to you? How do you see yourself? What is one of your biggest goals for
this year?
After filling out the form, we will have students switch their forms with their classmates
until they find someone who has the same answers. This will help form the classroom to a place
where students can be open and honest and make friends and not be shy or afraid to look stupid.
Then I will show about three to four minutes of the Ted Talks Education video called “Grit: The
power of passion and perseverance” by Angela Lee Duckworth and the YouTube video
“Michelle Obama’s Best Advice For Students/ How to Succeed In Life”. Then I will talk about
identity, self-esteem, self-deception, student agency, and how peer pressure affects high school
students. I will then talk about how the teenage brain works and learns from a psychologist’s
perspective.
The first introductory assignment for The Crossover will be used to help students think
about their identity and what that may mean to the world around them. This will also allow the
students to get to know their peers and what they are willing to share about themselves.
There will be a prompt on the board and the students are expected to fill in the blanks
according to themselves: “My name is ________ and I am from _________. One thing that you
may be able to tell by looking at me is that I (am) __________. One thing you may not be able to
tell by looking at me is that I (am) ___________. Both of these aspects are important to my
identity because they ___________. After they are done filling out the prompt, the students will
be put into groups of 3 or 4 (depending on class size) and they will share their answers with each
other. Once they are done trading their answers, they’ll be encouraged to share with the class
something interesting that they learned about one of their group members. When we say
interesting, we mean anything that may have been unexpected, shocking, or new information.
4) Specific Lessons & Activities
Week One Lesson Plans: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Curriculum Standards:
ELAGSE9-10RL1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
ELAGSE9-10RL4: 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.
ISTE Standards:
Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to
construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for
themselves and others.
Learning Goals:
· Identities:
 By teaching about the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, as well as on identity, we
will help students learn about how their minds work, about peer pressure, bullying,
isolation, and how trauma such as rape affects one’s identity.
· Skills:
 We will teach students how to recognize figurative languages and how figurative
language affects a story.
 Students will learn how to do research on the web.
 Students will learn new vocabulary words.
 By the end of this lesson our students will be able to actively and respectfully share
opinions concerning character analysis and what the plot of The Crossover means to
them.
· Intellect: Students will learn about the teenage brain, identity, peer pressure, bullying,
isolation, and the issue of rape and how it affects a person.
· Criticality: Students will learn about rape and about the sexism of rape culture and the
affects of peer pressure and bullying.
Day One: Introduction (25 Minutes)

We will first go through our introductory activities. The introductory activity will be for students
to fill out an Introductory Assignment asking questions such as: What are your favorite
musicians/rappers/singers/bands? What are your favorite movies? What are your favorite T.V.
shows? What are your favorite books? What are you favorite animals? What are your favorite
sports? What are your hobbies? What do you love to do, what are you passionate about? What is
your favorite subject in school? What are your favorite video games if you play video games?
Where do you want to be in 10 years? What do you want to be doing? Who do you want to be?
What does identity mean to you? How do you see yourself? What is one of your biggest goals for
this year?
After filling out the form, I will have students switch their forms with their classmates until they
find someone who has the same answers. This will help form the classroom to a place where
students can be open and honest and make friends and not be shy or afraid to look stupid.
Body (25 minutes)
Then I will show about three to four minutes of the Ted Talks Education video called “Grit: The
power of passion and perseverance” by Angela Lee Duckworth and the YouTube video
“Michelle Obama’s Best Advice For Students/ How to Succeed In Life”.
Then I will talk about identity, self-esteem, self-deception, student agency, and how peer
pressure affects high school students. I will then talk about how the teenage brain works and
learns from a psychologist’s perspective.
Closing (10 minutes)
We will talk about the books we are using for this Unit and this Unit’s summative assessment.
We will give them a sheet of what the summative assessment will be so they can start thinking
about them right away.
Day Two: Introduction (10 minutes)
We will start teaching on the book Speak. First, to introduce Speak, we will first activate
students’ prior knowledge of the themes in Speak by having them complete an anticipation guide
where students will have to choose to agree or disagree with the statements (Beers, 2003).
Body (40 minutes)
Next, we will take some time to briefly discuss the students answers on the anticipation guide
(Beers, 203). This will take about 20 minutes.
Choose whether you agree or disagree with the following statements.:
1. The pressure of fitting in at high school is greater than any other point in one’s life.
2. People who are quiet have something to hide.
3. If you are drunk or high, you are not responsible for your actions.
4. Girls should be able to wear what they want without the fear of harassment.
5. Ignoring a problem will eventually make it go away.
6. Suicide is for cowards.
7. A true friend will stand up for you, even if it embarrasses them.
8. You can correctly judge a person by how they look.
9. It is better to fit in than to stand out.
10. Whatever happens at a party should stay at the party.
11. Students who are depressed are simply afraid to deal with their real or perceived problems.
12. Parents and teachers don’t understand the problems teenagers go through.
Then, we will have students complete a multiple-choice pre-reading survey where students are
given scenarios from Speak and have to choose how they respond to the scenario by choosing
from the multiple-choice answers. This will take about 10 minutes.
Pre-Reading Survey: I got this pre-reading survey from the website:

www.strongnet.org>lib6>speak-pre-reading_activity.doc
Choose between the multiple-choice answers for the questions.
1. On the first day of high school, you walk into school and hear upper classmen making rude
comments such as the following: “Stupid little freshman”, “I bet mommy still dresses you”, “I
can’t wait to mess with that kid”, “Pathetic little mutant”, “Fresh meat”. You
A. Decide to make a rude remark right back to this person(s).
B. Laugh it off and walk away, pretending it doesn’t bother you.
C. Get really upset and try not to cry or let anyone know how you feel.
D. Do nothing and just keep going.
E. Are very confident and things like that never bothers you.
2. Your teacher is really disrespectful and makes a rude comment to you that was not meant to
be funny. This comment causes your classmates to laugh at you in a derogatory manner. You
A. Laugh with your classmates and never say anything about what happened.
B. Choose to be disrespectful to the teacher and accept the consequences of getting in
trouble.
C. You get up and storm out of the room and go straight to a counselor or administrator.
D. You do nothing and wait until you get home to get your parents involved.
E. You choose to stay quiet and become withdrawn in the classroom for the rest of the
school year.
3. Your friend stops talking to you because you called the cops at a summer party where
students were “busted” for drinking and doing other illegal activities. You
A. Try to speak up, talk to them and explain yourself.
B. You just let it go and decide they’re not real friends worth having.
C. You get your parents involved.
D. You got to a counselor or another adult to seek some kind of advice.
4. Students constantly make fun of you in class and your teacher(s) never does/do anything
about it. Sometimes, you even feel like your teacher agrees with the students and may sometimes
be the instigator. You
A. Choose to keep quiet because you don’t want students to make fun of you even more.
B. You choose to speak up in class and face the consequences of your word versus the
teacher’s word.
C. You choose to speak up and get your parents and administration involved.
D. You choose not to speak up because you feel the consequences would be worse than
dealing with the “bullying” in the classroom.
5. You are being bullied by one or more of your classmates, you
A. Choose not to speak up because you are afraid you might physically hurt or further
embarrassed.
B. Choose not to speak up because people might not believe you.
C. Choose to speak up and get your parents and other adults involved.
D. Choose to fight back and accept the consequences.
6. You know someone who has been sexually assaulted either in a family situation or in a
date-rape situation or other, you
A. Choose to keep quiet because your friend begged you to and you don’t want to hurt them.
B. Choose to speak up because in the long run, it would be best for your friend.
C. Choose to keep quiet because it is none of your business and your friend needs to handle
it.
D. Choose to talk to a parent or other adult you feel comfortable with and have them take
care of the situation.
7. You go on a date or end up in a situation where you are forced to do things you don’t want
to, you
A. Shut down and choose to stay quiet because people might not believe you, it might make
everything worse, etc.
B. Choose to speak up and tell someone in order to make sure you are heard, and this
doesn’t happen to someone else.
C. Stay quiet and decide that it was your fault because you might have given the wrong
signals.
D. Choose to speak up no matter what others think of you or if the situation does not turn out
in your favor.
And for fun and to lighten the mood, one more from Speak page 52.:
8. If you were tied to railroad tracks and the train was ready to cut a path across your middle,
would you
A. Scream for help.
B. Ask my little mice friends to chew through the ropes.
C. Remember that my favorite jeans were in the dryer and were hopelessly wrinkled.
D. Close my eyes and pretend nothing was wrong.
Then, we will briefly discuss the students answers on the pre-reading survey. This will take
about 20 minutes.
For homework students will read the First Marking Period in the book pgs. 3-46.
Day Three: Introduction (5 minutes)
When the students walk into class, we will have a quote on the board that we think embodies the
First Marking Period in Speak. When the students get settled in their seats, we will read the quote
to the students and ask the students to keep this quote in mind while we go over the First
Marking Period in the book. The quote is: “It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button
your lips, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a
lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say,” from page 9.
Body (50 minutes)

Next, we will teach some figurative language, specifically similes and metaphors. This will take
about 10 minutes. Then, we will open the class for class discussion on questions we have
gathered from the First Marking Period in the book. The rubric for class discussion will be
attached to this lesson plan. This will take about 40 minutes.
Class Discussion Questions:
1. Why does Melinda say “I am Outcast” page 4?
2. Read the last paragraph of page 7. “There is no way of telling what the acceptable fashion
will be” page 7. Do you find this to be true? Explain. Who decides what the acceptable fashion
will be? Do you follow the acceptable fashion or do you have your own style? Why? What’s
better: Fitting in or standing out?
3. What is Melinda’s home life like? How does she communicate with her parents? What does
that say about their relationship? Page 14.
4. Read the last paragraph on page 15 that ends on page 16. What does this paragraph say
about Melinda’s identity?
5. Why does Melinda feel this way about Nicole? Page 19-20.
6. Has this ever happened before to you? Has someone you cared about ditched you or was
angry with you about something without talking to you about it? How did it make you feel? Why
would someone do that? Page 21.
7. Why do you think Melinda called the cops at the party? Page 27-28.
Rubric for Class Discussion: This rubric was gotten from the Smagorinsky text pages 189-191
(Smagorinsky, 2019).
An overall class discussion grade receiving an A will be characterized by the following:
 The student participated in class discussion every class period.

 The discussion included 75% of other students’ discussions.
 The discussions included at least one from each of the following categories:
o Inferences about characters or events within the text
o Generalizations from the text to society at large
o The effects of literary form or technique
o The purpose of a particular event in terms of the text’s meaning
o Evaluations of the literature
o Emotions that students had in response to the story
o Personal connections to the story
An overall class discussion grade receiving a B will be characterized by the following:

 The student did not participate in class discussion every class period, but did participate
in almost every class period, only missing participation from 1 class.
 The discussion included 50% of other students’ discussions.
 The discussions included at least one from most of the following categories:
An overall class discussion grade receiving a C will be characterized by the following:
 The student participated in all class discussions but 2 classes.

 The discussion included less than half of other students’ discussions.
 The discussions included at least one from at least four of the following categories:
An overall class discussion grade receiving a D will be characterized by the following:
 The student participated in all class discussions but 3 classes.

 The discussion included no more than 25% of other students’ discussions.
 The discussions included less than half of the following categories:
An overall class discussion grade receiving an F will be characterized by the following:
 The student did not participate in class discussions in more than 4 classes.
 The discussion included less than 25% of other students’ discussions.
 The discussions showed little evidence for doing the reading (Smagorinsky, 2019).
Closing (5 minutes)
For the last 5 minutes of class, we will hand out the homework assignment, which will be to
answer more study questions.
Homework Questions:
1. Explain why Melinda says: “It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip,
can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie.
Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.” Page 9. What does say about her identity?
2. What does your room say about your identity?
3. What does your clothing style say about your identity?
4. How do you communicate with your parents or guardians? Do you avoid them, or do you
tell them everything? Somewhere in the middle?
5. What are 3 of your favorite similes from The First Marking Period? Write them down.
6. What are 3 of your favorite metaphors from The First Marking Period? Write them down.
Day Four: Introduction (5 minutes)
Like day three, for day four when students walk into class, we will have another quote on the
board that embodies the First Marking Period in Speak. When the students get settled in their
seats, we will read the quote to the students and ask the students to keep this quote in mind while
we go over the rest of the First Marking Period in the book. The quote is: “I need a new friend. I
need a friend, period. Not a true friend, nothing close or share clothes or sleepover giggle giggle
yak yak. Just a pseudo-friend, disposable friend. Friend as accessory. Just so I don’t feel and look
so stupid.” This will take about 5 minutes.
Body (50 minutes)
Next, we will teach some figurative language, specifically symbolism and symbols. Then we will
show a quote where Melinda says that the closet is a symbol of her: “This closet is abandoned –
it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me,” page 26. This will take about 5
minutes. Then we will open up class discussion, starting with discussing how the closet
symbolizes Melinda. Then we will discuss the rest of the class discussion questions we have
come up with for The First Marking Period in the book. This will take about 45 minutes.
1. Why do you think Melinda painted a tree that has been struck by lightning? Page 30. Is that
a symbol of Melinda?
2. How is the white sofa a symbol of Melinda? Page 15.

3. Do you feel like you are different with different people like Melinda’s smiles are? Page 33.
Does it make you fake to be different with different people or adaptable?
4. Does high school ever make you feel like Heather does here? Page 34.
5. Why is it so uncomfortable for Melinda to feel emotion? Page 35.
6. What does Melinda mean when she says she didn’t try hard enough to swallow herself?
Page 39.
7. What is the significance of Melinda’s nightmare of IT. What you think IT symbolizes? Page
45-46.
Closing (5 minutes)
For the last 5 minutes, we will hand out the homework assignment which will be to write down
definitions of vocabulary words from The First Marking Period, answer 2 discussion questions
and read The Second Marking Period: 49-92.
Homework Questions:
1. Write definitions of the following vocabulary words in The First Marking Period.:
1. Indoctrination
2. Inconspicuous
3. Dryad
4. Errant
5. Wan
6. Psuedo
7. Demerit
8. Incite
9. Flounder
10. Baffle
11. Burrow
2. What do you think it means to find the wind like Mr. Freeman says? Page. 22.
3. What was your favorite part of The First Marking Period? Be specific.
4. Read The Second Marking Period: Pages 49-92.
Day Five: Introduction (5 minutes)
When the students walk into class, we will have a quote on the board that embodies the Second
Marking Period in Speak. When the students get settled in their seats, we will read the quote to
the students and ask the students to keep this quote in mind while we go continue class. The
quote is: “I know my head isn’t screwed on straight. I want to leave, transfer, war myself to
another galaxy. I want to confess everything, hand over the guilt and mistake and anger to
someone else. There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs.
Even if I dump the memory, it will stay with me, staining me. My closet is a good thing, a quiet
place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them,” page 51.
This will take about 5 minutes.
Body (40 minutes)
Next, we will go over figurative language, specifically personification and zoomorphism. This
will take about 10 minutes. Then, we will open up class discussion with students answering four
questions we have written based on the Second Marking Period. This will take about 20
minutes.
1. Are you more like Melinda or Heather? Are you struggling to know what you’re doing in
the next 5 minutes or do you have the next 10 years of your life planned out? Page 53.
2. What is the purpose of art? Page 64.
3. How does this piece of art symbolize Melinda’s life? Pages 61-65.
4. Why is it good that Ivy told Melinda that her art made her not want to look at it too long?
Page 64.
After this, we will go to the computer lab and we will have students complete the career quiz test
on www.careerquiz.com, page 52. We will have students write their results down. This will take
10-15 minutes.
After students are done with the quiz and have written their results down, we will have them look
up art using objects on Google Images. We will have them print the image of their favorite one.
This will take the rest of class time. Before students leave, they will turn in their images and get
their homework assignments. We will staple the images together.
Homework Assignment.
1. Find 3 examples of personification from the first and/or Second Marking Period. Write
them down here.
2. Find 3 examples of zoomorphism from the first and/or Second Marking Period. Write them
down here.
3. What were your career quiz results? Now that you have these results, pick one career that
you are interested in – either from the career quiz or not – and tell me why it interests you.
Research what it takes to get into the career you have chosen (e.g. college (how long), technical
college, other training, military – what you need to do to get into the military, etc.) Write down
your research findings here.
References
Beers, K. (2003). When kids can't read, what teachers can do: A guide for teachers, 6-12.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Smagorinsky, P., & Christenbury, L. (2019). Teaching English by design: How to create and
carry out instructional units. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Week Two Lesson Plans: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
ISTE Standards:
Learning Goals:
· Identities:
· Skills:
them.
Day One: Introduction (10 minutes)
We will start class by going over figurative language- specifically alliteration and hyperbole.
This will take about 10 minutes.
Body (50 minutes)
Next, we will open class discussion for five questions. This will take about 30 minutes.
1. Why is Melinda angry with her father in this paragraph? (p. 74).
2. Why did Melinda say maybe she’ll be an artist IF she grows up and not WHEN she
grows ups? (p. 78).
3. Why did Melinda pass out when she was dissecting the frog? (p. 81).
4. Why does Heather want to be a part of the Martha’s so bad? (p. 89).
5. What does Melinda do to herself physically to represent her pain? How does her Mom
react? (pgs. 87-88).
Then the class will answer a question on identity on a piece of paper and turn it in and look up
and write down the definitions for the vocabulary words for the Second Marking Period. This
will take up the rest of the class period – 20 minutes. There will be no homework today.
Day One Introductory Question:
1. Melinda is naturally good at basketball (74-77). What are you naturally good at?
Day One Vocabulary Words:
 Xenophobic
 Degrading
 Subjectivity
 Drone
 Demure
 Dormant
 Retreat
 Wistful
No Homework

Today’s class will be in the computer lab. The first five minutes will be spent splitting the class
into groups and giving directions for today’s assignment.
Body (55 minutes)
We will split the class into two groups by randomly assigning them. The first group will look up
how eating disorders and starving yourself affect the body and the brain. The first group will be
sectioned off in three groups, each group will look up a specific eating disorder. The disorders
they are to research are anorexia, bulimia, and gastroparesis. The second group will research how
publicity, fame, and sexualization of teenagers who are in view of the public, famous, and
sexualized as well as teenagers who are not famous and society. They are to pick at least one, no
more than three, famous person/people who has experienced this to research. Each of these
issues was in the Second Marking Period in the book Speak. They are to cite their sources and
write down their findings. This will take about 30 minutes. For the rest of the class period, each
group will use PowerPoint to show their research. Each group will present their PowerPoint in
the next class period. This will take about 25 minutes.
Rubric for Class Research Presentations:
Presentations that receive an A:
Organization: There is a logical sequence of information.
Content: Presentation covers topic completely and in depth. Information is clear, appropriate,
and accurate.
Multimedia Design: Presentation has excellent design and layout.
Content Spelling and Grammar: The project has excellent spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Participation: All group members participated equally.
Oral Presentation: Keeps eye contact with audience all of the time, speaks clearly, not too
quickly or too slowly, speaks loudly enough for everyone to hear, does not use filler words, is
not monotone, adapts speech for the context and task, demonstrating command of formal
English.
Citations: Uses MLA citation format with no errors for all citations.
Presentations that receive a B:
Organization: There is mostly logical sequence of information.
Content: Presentation mostly covers topic completely in depth.
Multimedia Design: Presentation has good design layout.

Content Spelling and Grammar: The project has 1-2 spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.
Participation: Most group members participated equally.
Oral Presentation: Keeps eye contact with audience most of the time, speaks clearly, not too
quickly or too slowly most of the time, speaks loudly for everyone to hear most of the time,
rarely uses filler words, rarely is monotone, adapts speech mostly for the context and task.
Citations: Uses MLA citation format with minimal errors for most citations.
Presentations that will receive a C:
Organization: There is some logical sequence of information.
Content: Presentation includes some essential information. Some information is confusing,

incorrect, or flawed.
Multimedia Design: Presentation has some flaws in design layout.
Content Spelling and Grammar: The project has 3-5 spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.
Participation: Some group members participated equally.
Oral Presentation: Keeps eye contact with audience some of the time, mumbles or speaks too
quickly, slowly, or softly some of the time, uses filler words sometimes, is sometimes monotone,
sometimes adapts speech for the context and task.
Citations: Uses MLA citation format with some errors for some citations.
Presentations that will receive a D:
Organization: There is few logical sequence of information.
Content: Presentation includes little essential information. Information is confusing, inaccurate,

or flawed.
Multimedia Design: Presentation has many flaws in design layout.
Content Spelling and Design: The project has multiple spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.
Participation: Very few group members participated equally.
Oral Presentation: Rarely keeps eye contact with audience, mumbles, or speaks too quickly,
slowly, or softly most of the time, uses filler words often, is monotone often, does not really
adapt speech for the context and task.
Citations: Uses MLA citation format with a lot of errors for a lot of citations.
For homework, students are to read the Third Marking Period, pages 95-137.
When the students come in, we will have the introduction quote on the board. This will be a
quote that we think embodies the Third Marking Period from Speak. The quote will be: “Do I
want him to like me? I chew my thumbnail. No. I just want anyone to like me.” When the
students get settled in their seats, we will read the quote to the students and ask the students to
keep this quote in mind while we go continue class. This will take about 5 minutes.
Body (55 minutes)
Next, we will go over figurative language – specifically anthropomorphism. This will take about
10 minutes. Then we will open the class for class discussion. There will be five questions we
will discuss in class. This will take about 20 minutes.
1) Do you think Heather did the right thing? Could you be friends with Melinda? (p.
107).
2) “Do I want him to like me? I chew my thumbnail, No. I just want anyone to like me,”
(p. 109). What do you think Melinda means?
3) “Nothing hurts except the small small smiles and blushes that flash across the room
like tiny sparrows,” (p.109). Why does this hurt her?
4) On page 39 Melinda thinks: “I didn’t try hard enough to swallow myself.” Here she
talks about Heather: “They swallow her whole and she never looks back at me.” Compare
and Contrast. What does she mean by each of these thoughts? Do they mean the same
thing or are they different?
5) “I sip water from a paper cup. If the cup were lead crystal, I would open my mouth
and take a bite. Crunch, crunch, crunch, swallow,” (p. 113). This isn’t the first time
Melinda talks about hurting herself. Do you think she is suicidal? Or is she just having
suicidal thoughts? Is there a difference?
Lastly, we will go over traumatic events, including the signs, symptoms, and effects of trauma;
as well as go over suicidal risk factors and warning signs and suicide statistics in teenagers. This
will take about 25 minutes. For homework students will answer three discussion questions.
Homework Questions:
1) Why does Melinda say, “who would like the inside girl I think I am?” (pgs. 110-111).
How has the trauma of being raped affected her identity? Her body? Her mind? Her
emotions? Her relationships? Be specific, use the book to show evidence.
2) Read starting from “I scurry out to the three way mirror” to the Germination chapter.
It seems like Melinda is a contradiction here. It’s hard for her to handle other people’s
emotions yet her own emotions are “chewing her alive, like an infestation of thoughts,
shame, mistakes.” Why does Melinda feel like this?
3) How did the rape scene make you feel? (pgs. 133-136).
Day Four: Introduction (10 minutes)
For class today we will be focusing on figurative language. First, we will go over one more
specific example of figurative language – allusion. This will take about 10 minutes.
Body (50 minutes)
Next, we will go over each of the figurative languages again: simile, metaphor, symbolism,
personification, zoomorphism, alliteration, hyperbole, and allusion. Before the students come
into class, we will write examples of each of these from the book Speak on the board. There will
also be a VIP of the definitions of these figurative languages on the wall (Jones, 2007). We will
go over the examples from Speak on the board with the students telling me which example
displays which figurative language. This will take about 20 minutes.
Figurative Language and Examples from Speak
Simile – a figure of speech comparing 2 unlike things that is often introduced by like or as.
Examples:
“I have been dropped like a hot Pop Tart on a cold kitchen floor,” (p. 21).
“Her voice sounds like a cold engine that won’t turn over,” (p. 146).
Metaphor – a figure of speech that makes a comparison by directly relating one thing to another.
“Mother is the rock, I am the ocean,” (p. 120).
“Mom takes my temperature- turns out I have a fever. Surprises even me. Her hand is cool, an
island on my forehead,” (p. 163).
Symbolism – a figure of speech that uses symbols; be they words, people, marks, or abstract
ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning.
Personification – An idea or thing is given human attributes and/ or feelings.
Examples:
“One of the seeds has split its shell and reaches a white hand upward,” (p. 67).
“The school bus wheezes to my corner,” (p. 3).

Zoomorphism – the device of giving animal-like qualities to humans, gods, and inanimate
objects.
Examples:
“There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs,” (p. 57).
“The bell rings and I look at Mr. Freeman with puppy-dog eyes,” (p. 62).
“They howl,” (p. 65).
Alliteration – Words that begin with the same letter are placed close together.
Examples:
“We are the wombats, woozy, wicked, wombats! Worried, withdrawn, weepy, weird Wombats,”
(p. 69).
“The driver downshifts to drag us over the hills,” (p. 3).
Hyperbole – An extreme exaggeration.
Examples:
“This eight-foot senior in front of me somehow gets three cheeseburgers, French fries and two
Ho-Hos without saying a word,” (p.8).
“If a teacher stared murder at me for 48 minutes, I’d turn into a puddle of melted Jell-O. David
stares back,” (p. 98).
Allusion – When authors refer to other great works, people, and events.
“It is the last day of Spring Break. My house is shrinking and I feel like Alice in Wonderland,”
(p. 144).
“The turkey floats in the sink, a ten-pound turkey iceberg. A turkeyberg. I feel very much like
the Titanic,” (p. 58).
Next, we will divide students into groups of four and have students write two examples of each
figurative language together. This will take about 20 minutes. Finally, we will play a game I
have made on Kahoot! About figurative language and the winner will be given a prize. This will
take about 10 minutes.
Link to Kahoot! Game: https://create.kahoot.it/details/e76d8563-0616-405e-9cd4-2b14f472b2b2
For homework students are to read the Fourth Marking Period.

Today’s class will be in art class. For introduction we will explain the assignments for today.
Body (55 minutes)
We will have cut out artists’ names, a lot of whom have drawn trees, and put them in a shoe box
and mix them up. Students are to pick a name out of the shoebox.
Artists:
Piet Mondrian
Gustav Klimt
Van Gogh
O’Keeffe
Kahlo
Monet
Pollock
Dali
Aja Ann
Artist Singh
Isabelle Dupuy
Ivan Shishkin
Albert Bierstadt
Has Heyson
Melissa McKinnon
Leonid Afremov
Tara Turner
Moises Levy
We will have rented many books with art in it and have students look at art and have them write
a paragraph of a chosen work from their artist, describing the piece using the figurative language
we have studied. After doing this they are to draw or paint or use any of the art materials to
create something, drawing from a strong emotion that they feel.
References
Jones, F. (2007). Tools for teaching: Second Edition. Santa Cruz, CA: Frederic H. Jones &
Associations.
Week 3 Lesson Plans: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
ISTE Standards:
Learning Goals:
· Identities:
· Skills:
them.
Day One: (Introduction 5 minutes)
Today begins the Fourth Marking Period (pgs. 141-198) for the book Speak by Laurie Halse
Anderson. When the students walk into class, we will have a quote on the board that we think
embodies the Fourth Marking Period in Speak. When the students get settled in their seats, we
will read the quote to the students and ask the students to keep this quote in mind while we go
over the Fourth Marking Period in the book. The quote is by Martin Luther King Jr.: “He who
passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts
evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” This will take about 5 minutes.
Body (55 minutes)
Next, we will open the class for class discussion. We will ask 2 class discussion questions. This
will take about 7 minutes. After the third class discussion question we will show a YouTube Ted
Talk video called ‘The difference between healthy and unhealthy love’ by Katie Hood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON4iy8hq2hM . Class discussion of the question and the
video will take about 23 minutes (the video is 12 minutes). After this we will ask 3 more
discussion questions which will take the rest of the class time (30 minutes).
Class Discussion:
1. Do you think Melinda doesn’t have anything to say or that she just doesn’t want to say
anything? (p. 157).
2. Do you think David is right? That not speaking up is letting the bad guys win? That you
can’t make a difference without speaking up? (p. 159).
3. Heather says it takes guts to leave the Heathers. What else does it take guts to leave?
Perhaps toxic relationships? (p. 177).
4. Melinda seems to finally stand up for herself. Why now do you think? (p. 179).
5. Why didn’t Rachel believe Melinda? (p. 184).
6. Melinda feels worse after telling Rachel. Do you think she would have felt worse if
Rachel believed her? (p. 185).
7. “IT happened. There is no avoiding it, no forgetting. No running away, or flying or
burying, or hiding,” (p. 198). Melinda knows that there is no avoiding or forgetting rape.
Does American society know this? Or does it try to bury it like it doesn’t happen? How
can we change this?
We will hand out homework as students leave. The homework will be a few discussion questions
as well as vocabulary words.
Homework:
1. Mr. Freeman says “Flaws are interesting,” (p. 153). Do you agree or disagree? Why?
2. What does Melinda’s bedroom symbolize? (p. 179).
3. Melinda’s Dad said you got to chop off a tree’s dead branches for it to grow again. Do
you think people are like that? Do we have to cut off our damage to grow? (p. 187).
4. Write the definitions for the following vocabulary words:
· Bichon frise
· Natter
· Stucco
· Incriminate
· Maladjusted
· Indentured servitude
· Mononucleosis
· Chenille
When the students walk into class, we will have a quote on the board that we think embodies the
Fourth Marking Period in Speak. When the students get settled in their seats, we will read the
quote to the students and ask the students to keep this quote in mind while we go over the Fourth
Marking Period in the book. The quote is: “It describes the psychological harm we have all
suffered from this year’s lack of identity,” (p. 141). Then we will open class discussion by asking
students about this quote. This will take about 10 minutes.
Class Discussion:
1. “It describes the psychological harm we have all suffered from this year’s lack of
identity,” (p. 141). How does lack of identity cause psychological harm? In other words:
Does not knowing who you are hurt? Does not being understood or noticed hurt? Can a
lack of identity cause people to disrespect you?
Body (50 minutes)
Then we will go to the computer lab where students will research the Suffragettes in groups of
four (p. 154). Each group will focus on one Suffragette. This will take about 30 minutes. Then
students will put together presentations to show the class for the next day. This will take about 20
minutes.
For homework students are to take the Carl Jung personality test in order to help them with their
identity project (Gallagher, 2011).
References
Gallagher, K. (2011). Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling
&
Mentor Texts. Stenhouse.
Students will present their presentations of the Suffragettes to the class. This will take about 20
minutes. The class research presentation rubric will be the same as the rubric from week 2
lesson plans.
Body (40 minutes)
Then we will go to the computer lab where students will get into groups of five. The first group
will research rape statistics. The second group will research the effect of rape on victims of rape.
The third group will research solutions that will help prevent rape. The fourth group will research
ways to help rape victims. The fifth group will research ways to get better justice for rape victims
and holding rapists accountable and how to rehabilitate them. Research will take up the rest of
class time (40 minutes).
Day Four
Body (40 minutes)
Today we will begin class in the computer lab. Students will finish researching their topics from
the previous class as well as put their presentations together. This will take about 40 minutes.
Then we will go back to the classroom where students will present their presentations to the
class. The rubric for class research presentations will be the same as from the second week
lesson plans. This will take the rest of class time (20 minutes).
For the introduction I will explain the directions for the test on the vocabulary words and the
figurative language from Speak.
Body (55 minutes)
Today there will be a test on the vocabulary words and the figurative language from Speak. This
will take up the whole class time.
Test:
Match the definitions with the figurative language:
Simile Metaphor Symbolism Personification
Zoomorphism Alliteration Hyperbole Allusion
1. When authors refer to other great works, people, and events.

2. The device of giving animal-like qualities to humans, gods, and inanimate objects.
3. A figure of speech comparing 2 unlike things that is often introduced by like or as.
4. A figure of speech that makes a comparison by directly relating one thing to another.
5. Words that begin with the same letter are placed close together.
6. An idea or thing is given human attributes and/or feelings.
7. A figure of speech that uses symbols; be they words, people, marks, or abstract ideas to
represent something beyond the literal meaning.
8. An extreme exaggeration.
Match the following sentences with its figurative language (Each figurative language matches to
2 sentences):
Simile Metaphor Personification
Zoomorphism Alliteration Hyperbole Allusion
1. “The driver downshifts to drag us over the hills,” (p. 3).

2. “Mother is the rock, I am the ocean,” (p. 120).
3. “It is the last day of Spring Break. My house is shrinking and I feel like Alice in
Wonderland,” (p. 144).
4. “I have been dropped like a hot Pop Tart on a cold kitchen floor,” (p. 21).
5. “The school bus wheezes to my corner,” (p. 3).
6. “If a teacher stared murder at me for 48 minutes, I’d turn into a puddle of melted Jell-O.
David stares back,” (p. 98).
7. “There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the inside of my ribs,” (p. 57).
8. “Mom takes my temperature-turns out I have a fever. Surprises even me. Her had is cool,
an island on my forehead,” (p. 163).
9. “We are the wombats, woozy, wicked, wombats! Worried, withdrawn, weepy, weird
Wombats!” (p. 69).
10. “The turkey floats in the sink, a ten-pound turkey iceberg. A turkeyberg, I feel very
much like the Titanic,” (p. 58).
11. “One of the seeds has split its shell and reaches a white hand upward,” (p. 67).
12. “Her voice sounds like a cold engine that won’t turn over,” (p. 146).
13. “This eight-foot senior in front of me somehow gets three cheeseburgers, French fries and
two Ho-Hos without saying a word,” (p. 8).
14. “They howl,” (p. 65).
Match the following vocabulary words with their definitions:
Indoctrination Inconspicuous Dryad Errant Pseudo
Demerit Incite Flounder Baffle Burrow
Xenophobic Degrading Subjectivity Drone Demure
Dormant Retreat Wistful Wan

Bichon frise
Natter Stucco Incriminate Maladjusted
Indentured servitude Mononucleosis Chenille
1. Not clearly visible or attracting attention.

2. Pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion.
3. A mark awarded against someone for a fault or offense.
4. Encourage or stir up (violent or unlawful behavior).
5. Reserved, modest, and shy.
6. Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing.
7. Talk casually, especially about unimportant matters.
8. A tufted velvety cord or yarn used for trimming furniture and making carpets and
clothing.
9. Failing or unable to cope with the demands of a normal social environment.
10. A small sturdy dog of a breed with a curly white coat and a tail that curves over its back.
11. A hole or tunnel dug by a small animal.
12. Causing a loss of self-respect, humiliating.
13. An act of moving back or withdrawing.
14. Find plaster used for coating wall surfaces or molding into architectural decorations.
15. Struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud, struggle mentally.
16. Make someone appear guilty of a crime or wrongdoing; strongly imply the guilt of
someone.
17. (In folklore and Greek mythology) a nymph inhabiting a forest or a tree, especially an
oak tree.
18. Totally bewilder or perplex.
19. Having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or
as if in a deep sleep.
20. An abnormally high proportion of monocytes in the blood.
21. The quality of being based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
22. When a person signs and is bound to work for another for a specified time in return for
payment of travel.
23. Erring or straying from the proper course of standards.
24. False, deceptive, sham.
25. A remote-controlled pilotless aircraft or small flying device.
26. Having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
Rubric for test: Each test question will be worth 2 points.
References
Gallagher, K. (2011). Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling &
Mentor Texts. Stenhouse.
Week One Lesson Plan: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
ELAGSE9-10SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions

(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study;
explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research
on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision- making (e.g.,
informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear
goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current
discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the
discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and

disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding
and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented
ELAGSE9-10RL3: 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.
ISTE Standards:
Creative Communicator Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a
variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to
their goals.
Learning Goals:
1. By the end of this lesson our students will be able to actively and respectfully
share opinions concerning character analysis and what the plot of The Crossover means
to them. They will be able to recognize identity and how it differs depending on the
person. Through conversations about identity with their classmates, they will respectfully
share and add input on how their identities define them personally. They will also
recognize how their peers live a life exclusive to themselves and find ways to connect
through this observation by strengthening their critical thinking skills, intellectual way of
thinking about the diversity of identity, and also its development. (Muhammad, 212)
2. Students will be able to analyze relationships between characters in the book and
use the text as supporting evidence for their claims. This can also be used to analyze the
change of relationships between characters as the story progresses.
The first introductory assignment will be used to help students think about their identity and
what that may mean to the world around them. This will also allow the students to get to know
their peers and what they are willing to share about themselves.
There will be a prompt on the board and the students are expected to fill in the blanks according
to themselves: “My name is ________ and I am from _________. One thing that you may be
able to tell by looking at me is that I (am) __________. One thing you may not be able to tell by
looking at me is that I (am) ___________. Both of these aspects are important to my identity
because they ___________. After they are done filling out the prompt, the students will be put
into groups of 3 or 4 (depending on class size) and they will share their answers with each other.
Once they are done trading their answers, they’ll be encouraged to share with the class
something interesting that they learned about one of their group members. When we say
interesting, we mean anything that may have been unexpected, shocking, or new information.
Body (30 Minutes):
Introducing The List-Group-Label unit (Gillis et al, 129) will be helpful in this lesson. With this
method, we will ask our students what comes to mind when they hear the word “identity”. Being
major themes in the book, initiating conversations around these words will introduce the students
to early character analysis of the two main characters, Josh and JB. They will be able to share
any knowledge they have with these certain words before officially presenting the unit.
The beginning of the reading (we will read up until “First Quarter”) starts as a class (popcorn
style). Every few pages students will get the opportunity to make comments or ask questions. To
encourage student-led discussion, our students will answer/respond to the questions and thoughts
of their peers. If there’s lack of participation or conflict, we will take over the discussion. As the
story progresses, we will write newly introduced characters names on the board.
Closing (10 Minutes):
Student’s knowledge of the text thus far will be observed through mini character analysis. They
will be asked to refer to the written names of the major characters introduced (as stated before)
and on a separate sheet of paper, write three words that they feel describes the character thus far,
which is turned in at the end of class as an “exit ticket”. Reviewing our student’s opinion on the
characters will allow us to see how they are interacting with them mentally/emotionally.
Homework: Have “First Quarter-The Crossover” read before next class period and any notes
that may have been taken.
Day Two: Introduction (20 Minutes):
There will be a journal entry on the board for the students to complete:
“Does the way a story is written affect the plot? The characters? The way a reader views the
plot? Explain how. If you don’t believe so, explain why not.”
The first ten minutes will be used for the students to write, and the next ten minutes will be used
for discussion. Students will have a chance to share their journal entries if they’d like to
volunteer. This will lead us into the main focus of the class period.
Body (30 Minutes):
The students will be expected to have read “The First Quarter-The Crossover” before coming to
class. We will have a student/teacher led discussion about the form of The Crossover. We will
discuss how the novel is written in ways to help differentiate the characters, especially Josh and
JB. The novel’s words are formed in a poem/diary entry like fashion and we want to explore
what our students think the purpose may have been. We will use this online article as a guide:
http://www.mdellert.com/blog/story-structure-why-its-important/
The goal for this specific lesson is to encourage our students to think about the stories they read
and how they read them. To keep the conversation flowing, we’ll ask questions such as “Is this
novel an easy read? Why or why not?”, “What do you believe the author was intending when the
novel was wrote in a poem-style?”, “How would you have read this differently if the novel was
written in traditional form? Would it be less interesting?” We will expect our students to use
textual evidence and page numbers when making certain claims.
As an exit ticket, we will ask the students to write a short reflection and refer to the previous
novel read, Speak. They will be asked to discuss how the forms of each novel contrast and what
their differences add to their own personal characters. This will be taken up at the end of class.
Homework: Have “The Show through ca·lam·i·ty” read before next class period with any notes.
Day Three: Introduction (20 Minutes):
Journal Entry:
“Josh wears locs, JB has a shaved head. What are some things you do that you feel are unique to
you?”
The first ten minutes will be spent writing and the second ten minutes will be spent sharing their
journals and discussing the importance of uniqueness (if any at all). We will encourage them to
think about how diversity can be physical, while also not only pertaining to race. Are Josh’s locs
important to his identity? Or just a popular style? (Because Josh states that one reason he has
locs is to differentiate himself from his brother (Alexander, 25) we will be looking to see if the
students are paying attention to the novel).
Body (30 Minutes):
This class period will be spent reading the novel together as a class. Last period, they were asked
to read up until “ca·lam·i·ty”, so we will begin at “Mom doesn’t like us eating out” up until
“pa·tel·la ten·di·ni·tis”. This will be done popcorn style and we will stop to discuss as we read
further.
There will be a closing activity, the students will be in groups of 3 and 4 and will write a brief
skit portraying the characters how they read them. To save time, set of the skit will be given to
them (a casual conversation during dinner). How the students present this skit will reveal how
they view them. This skit doesn’t have to be long and will be presented next class period. The
students will be allowed any character of their choice. Before they leave, they must let us know
who is in their group and which characters they are playing.
The Crossover Skit Rubric

4 3 2 1
Oral The student was The student was The student was Skit was
Presentation well versed with semi-familiar with not very familiar not
given character and the character and with the content presented
show clear signs of was able to give a and was unable to
comprehension. basic character give clear
analysis during skit. analysis, provides
some detail.
Organization Each character was Characters were not The characters Skit was
clear, and names clear/stated, but were not clear not
were stated. were able to catch throughout the presented
on as the skit entire skit.
progressed.
Time Skit was between Skit was a little Skit was Skit was
3-5 minutes long. under/over time exceptionally not
Met time requirement (1-2 under/over time presented.
requirement. minutes) requirement. (3
minutes +)
Creativity The presentation The presentation The presentation Skit was

provided props and included some included very little not
dialogue relevant to props but were not props and not presented
the story/character. used in relevance to much dialogue.
the story. Dialogue
chosen for each
character was
questionable.
Homework: Finish skit, if needed.
Day Four: Introduction/Body: (50 minutes)
Today, the students will present their skits and after each group, the class will share how they
believe that certain group views the characters based off of how they presented them. We will
hand out a mini sheet with each group’s names/characters and the students will use adjectives to
describe how each character was shown. After the last group presents, they will turn in their
sheet’s for a participation grade to add onto their assignment grade (the skit).
We will continue the reading popcorn style, “Practice-hy·per·ten·sion”. If the reading doesn’t get
completed, they will be asked to read up until “hy·per·ten·sion” as homework.
Homework: Read up until “hy·per·ten·sion” (if needed).
Day Five: Introduction (20 Minutes):
So far, five words have been introduced in the text, which will be written on the board:
Crossover
Calamity
Patella tendonitis
Pulchritudinous
Hypertension
Each of these words is introduced and given definitions by the characters based on descriptions
of their lives. We want the students to take these words and provide their own definitions to them
based on the reading, not dictionary. They will also be asked to give an example of this word
using their own experiences.
(Ex): Pulchritudinous- To be extremely beautiful or nice to look at. Example: Every time I watch
Titanic I swoon over Leonardo DiCaprio.
They will be asked to cite why they gave this definition.

Body (30 Minutes):
Once they’re done, they’ll be asked to share an example of one of their definitions, and the class
has to guess which word they think belongs to the example. The first person to guess the right
word will then share their example. This will continue on for about 15 minutes. The next 15
minutes the class will be asked to choose any word of their liking and create a mini poem
recreating what Kwame Alexander did in his writing. Giving the definition and the example for
it. They will be asked to use words that connect to their life. For example, Hypertension
connected to Josh and JB’s life because their father has it and their grandfather died from it. This
will be used as an exit ticket.
The remainder of the class we will read up until “i·ron·ic” using popcorn style. If we do not
reach the endpoint, they will be asked to finish at home.
Homework: Read to “i·ron·ic” (if needed)
Week Two Lesson Plan: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
During the beginning of class, there will be a mini quiz to freshen up the students minds from the
weekend. This will be turned in immediately after they finish before we begin our reading.
Mini Quiz
1. What grade are Josh and JB in?
a. 7th
b. 12 th
c. 9th
d. 5th
2. Josh wears his hair:
a. Straightened
b. In braids
c. In locs
d. Shaved
3. Josh and JB play which support?

a. Baseball
b. Lacrosse
c. Basketball
d. Soccer
4. Josh and JB are:
a. Best friends
b. Cousins
c. Uncle/nephew
d. Brothers
5. Describe how Josh and JB are different, describe how they are the same:
6. Why do Josh and JB have different hairstyles?
7. Why does JB want to go to Sunday school?
8. In a small paragraph, which character do you relate to the most, Josh or JB?
Explain why.
Body (30 Minutes):
As a class, we will continue the reading starting from “The main reason I can’t sleep” up until
“chur·lish”. This will be popcorn style and we will stop to discuss any thoughts as we progress in
the book. The main goal this week is to finish the book, so we can begin focusing on the
summative assessment.
In order to keep Speak fresh on their minds, we will ask the students to choose two characters
(one from each book) that they believe would get along best or worst and explain why they feel
this way. They won’t be asked to cite, but they will be asked to use examples to support their
claims. This will be turned in at the end of class as an exit ticket.
Homework: Read “This week, I” up until “pro·fuse·ly”. Make a note of three things that you
found interesting, humorous, or relatable. This will be shared at the beginning of next class.
Day Two: Introduction: (20 Minutes):
The students will share the notes they made the previous night about the assigned reading with
the class and why they made a note of this. The first ten minutes will be time used to share their
notes, and the second ten minutes will be time used to discuss their notes. This will lead us into
the next reading activity.
Body (30 Minutes):
As a class, we will read ““Article #1 in the Daily News (December 14)” up until “es·tranged”.
The first 15 minutes will be popcorn style, and the next 15 minutes we will read the book to the
class. We will stop to discuss any thoughts as the book progresses.
The closing assignment will be an exit ticket, the students will be asked to respond to the prompt
on the board:
“If Josh and JB were older, how do you think this story would have changed? Do you think
they’d be the same or different? Explain your answer.”
They will have the entirety of the end of class to answer the question for a grade.
Homework: No homework
Day Three: Introduction (20 Minutes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hYsjeIiTLM
This video of the graphic novel trailer will be shown in class, the students will watch it then will
be asked to note how they think the graphic novel may differ from the original novel in their
journals. Why do you think a graphic novel was made? Do you think the story feels different in
this form? Why or why not?
Body (30 Minutes):
As a class, we will read “School’s Out” through “Text Messages from Vondie”. This will be read
popcorn style up until the closing assignment. We will stop to discuss any thoughts as the story
progresses.
The remainder of the class, the students will be asked to write a two-paragraph summary of the
chapters read in class. The paragraphs should embody their thoughts of the characters in these
scenes and their opinions. This will be turned in as an exit ticket. If they do not complete it
before class ends, it is homework and will be turned in at the beginning of next class.
Homework: Complete summary (if needed) and read “On Christmas Eve” through “For Dad”.
Day Four: Introduction (20 Minutes):
Journal Entry:
“Describe the language used in the novel. How do they talk? Are there any cultural connections?
What does this tell you about the characters?”
The students will use the first 10 minutes writing, and the second 10 minutes discussing their
entries with their classmates.
Body (30 Minutes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge0b5EPdL8I
We will watch this 14-minute video in class to think about how dialogue also connects with
identity. The way we speak, word sentences, and our choice of words all play a part in who we
are as people and what our background may be. After the video, we will introduce an activity
(that will be presented in class) to help the students understand why language matters and how it
used. The students will take any 3 flowing chapters from the novel and switch it with their own
dialogue. Meaning, they would rewrite these chapters but in the way they would have spoken.
They will use the remainder of the middle of class to complete this.
The Crossover Dialogue Rubric
4 3 2 1
Chapters Includes 3 required Includes 3 chapters, Includes less than Mini

chapters. but not in flowing 3 chapters. project was
order, not
presented.
Understanding Student shows 100% Student shows Student shows Mini

understanding of the some little to no project was
mini project by the understanding, not understanding, not
way it is presented. entirely clear with read text presented.
language chosen. verbatim.
Creativity The presentation was The presentation The presentation Mini

well executed and showed some lacked project was
showed effort to be originality but was differentiation. not
as original as not consistent with presented.
possible. Using the language.
accents, tones,
pauses.
As a class, we will read “The Last Shot” through “Free-throws”. This will be done popcorn style
and the remainder of the period will be reading.
Homework: Finish The Crossover and language switch assignment.
Day Five: Introduction/Body (50 Minutes):
During class the students will present their three paragraphs chosen in their chosen dialogue.
They will each take turns and make it clear which paragraphs they will be reading from so the
students can follow along. This will be a mini project grade.
The end of the class will be used to introduce the summative assessment (creative presentation).
The students will be told the instructions, what is expected, and will also use time to outline their
plan for their project.
Week Three Speak & The Crossover Assessment Lesson Plan
Day One & Two: Body (50 Minutes):
Students will be in the art room the entire class period working on their body paragraph project.
They will have an opportunity to ask questions and work with each other to gain ideas about how
they would like their presentation to go. We also use this time to help them make any
adjustments to their work.
We will return to the classroom and the students will show the progress of their project as an exit
ticket. They will also clarify which characters are being used (first day) and the ideas they’ve
gathered (second day).
Homework: Complete body paragraph and begin working on extended identity assignment.
Day Three & Four: Body (50 Minutes):
Students will be in the computer lab during the entire class period for day three and four,
working on their extended project. They will have an opportunity to research identity further and
find tools/sites that can serve as a guide for their assessment. They will also be able to use the
use of images, text, and video to find definitions that best suit their idea of identity.
Once we return to the classroom, we will check the progress of each student’s research as an exit
ticket and they will prepare to present for class the next day.
Homework: Wrap up project for presentation day.
Day Five: Introduction/Body (50 Minutes):
Students will present their body paragraph and extended identity project one at a time during
class. Their presentation will be graded based on the understanding of the text, creativity, and
citing any evidence being claimed in their presentation. After each presentation, the floor will be
open for questions and comments.
Closing (Ten Minutes):
Students will turn in their projects along with a short written reflection on the assignment for the
project grade, while also serving as an exit ticket.
References:
Alvermann, V.R.G.G.B.D. E. (2016). Content Area Reading and Literacy. [VitalSource

Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134157757/
Muhammad, G., & Love, B. L. (2020). Cultivating genius: An Equity Framework for
Culturally
and Historically Responsive Literacy. New York, NY: Scholastic.

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Robbie Archer, Jordyn Smith

EDLA 6550 Principles of English Instruction

Dr. Zoss and Supervisors

Conceptual Unit

Georgia Standards of Excellence: ELAGSE9-10RL3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g.,

References (other than the texts we are covering)

culturally and historically responsive literacy. New York, NY: Scholastic.

instructional units (pp. 176-178). Portsmouth, NH, New Hampshire: Heinemann.

2) Goals and Assessments

Rubric for Final Project:

A final project resulting in an A:

A final project resulting in a B:

A final project resulting in a C:

A final project resulting in a D:

culturally and historically responsive literacy. New York, NY: Scholastic.

and carry out instructional units. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

4) Specific Lessons & Activities

Week One Lesson Plans: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Day One: Introduction (25 Minutes)

Body (25 minutes)

Closing (10 minutes)

Day Two: Introduction (10 minutes)

Body (40 minutes)

Choose whether you agree or disagree with the following statements.:

2. People who are quiet have something to hide.

5. Ignoring a problem will eventually make it go away.

6. Suicide is for cowards.

7. A true friend will stand up for you, even if it embarrasses them.

8. You can correctly judge a person by how they look.

9. It is better to fit in than to stand out.

10. Whatever happens at a party should stay at the party.

Pre-Reading Survey: I got this pre-reading survey from the website:

Choose between the multiple-choice answers for the questions.

A. Decide to make a rude remark right back to this person(s).

D. Do nothing and just keep going.

A. Try to speak up, talk to them and explain yourself.

C. You get your parents involved.

5. You are being bullied by one or more of your classmates, you

D. Choose to fight back and accept the consequences.

A. Scream for help.

B. Ask my little mice friends to chew through the ropes.

D. Close my eyes and pretend nothing was wrong.

Day Three: Introduction (5 minutes)

Body (50 minutes)

Class Discussion Questions:

1. Why does Melinda say “I am Outcast” page 4?

An overall class discussion grade receiving an A will be characterized by the following:

 The student participated in class discussion every class period.

An overall class discussion grade receiving a B will be characterized by the following:

An overall class discussion grade receiving a C will be characterized by the following:

 The student participated in all class discussions but 2 classes.

An overall class discussion grade receiving a D will be characterized by the following:

 The student participated in all class discussions but 3 classes.

An overall class discussion grade receiving an F will be characterized by the following:

2. What does your room say about your identity?

3. What does your clothing style say about your identity?

Day Four: Introduction (5 minutes)

Body (50 minutes)

Class Discussion Questions:

2. How is the white sofa a symbol of Melinda? Page 15.

5. Why is it so uncomfortable for Melinda to feel emotion? Page 35.

4. Read The Second Marking Period: Pages 49-92.

Day Five: Introduction (5 minutes)