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3 - Who Makes Up Our Crew?

Mr. Morrison ELA 9-7/9-8

11 instructional days (blocks of 87 minutes)

Personal Narratives

1
This photo is of the crew for the TV show Our Flag Means Death, which was part of the

inspiration for my decision to theme this semester on pirates.

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Table of Contents

Overview

Key Activities

Demonstrations of Learning

Resources

Month-at-a-Glance

10

Unit Assessment Plan

12

Reflection

13
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Who Makes Up Our Crew?

Overview

To begin the formal series of units in ELA 9, I wanted to start with personal narratives.

Having students explore themselves allows them to practice metacognition so they can

understand their thought processes as we explore poetry, video games, novels, and film in the

coming units. I think having an awareness of oneself is critical to being able to develop thinking

and so this unit is grounded in exploration using different modalities of writing and art.

This unit will also be paired with my initial series of 1-on-1 interviews with the students

to get to know them on a more individual level and understand how they see themselves as

readers. Pairing these two activities will help both be more productive, because the way of

thinking about their identities as readers will positively influence their personal narrative

metacognition and vice-versa.

For the assessment of the unit, students will be documenting their identity exploration

throughout the unit as a way of underlying that personal narratives are always continuing to grow

and adapt rather than having a single narrative essay.

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Course Outcomes

1 – explore thoughts, ideas, feelings and 1.1 – discover and explore

experiences

2 – comprehend and respond personally and 2.4 – create original text

critically to oral, print and other media texts

3 – manage ideas and information 3.3 – organize, record and evaluate

4 – enhance the clarity and artistry of 4.1 – enhance and improve

communication

Language Arts

Reading Writing Speaking Listening Viewing Representin

✔ ✔ ✔

**Bold strands are focuses and italic & bold strands are of particular emphasis in this unit**
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Essential Questions (EQs)

How do we represent who we are?

In words?

In visuals?

Who am I as a reader?

Why does literature matter to me personally?

How do personal narratives develop over time?

Literacy Learnings (LLs)

Word choice

Perspectives (first, second, third)

Personification

Dialogue

Revising and editing

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Key Activities

Opening Developmental Culminating

1-on-1 interviews Point-of-View Scavenger 100-word memoirs

Mysterium free-writes Hunt Smiley face tricks

Narrative leads (Brandford) Personal narrative art w/ (Brandford)

Veronica Funk

Personification clouds

Demonstrations of Learning (Quick Look)

Formative
Mysterium Free-Write (best example)
Personal narrative art
100-Word Memoir draft
Summative
Personal Narrative Journey
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Demonstrations of Learning (Detailed)

Assessment Tool Tool Description Assessment Assessment

FOR Learning OF Learning

Mysterium Free- During the first week of this unit

✔
Write students will be given 3 opportunities

to free-write in response to abstract

art cards from the board game

Mysterium. At the end of the week,

students will submit one of these

writing samples to receive formative

feedback.

This design is developed to get

students to assess their own work first

and then receive feedback that will

improve their writing for the memoir.

Personal This piece will be created through the

✔
Narrative Art guidance of guest artist Veronica

Funk. Art is subjective and therefore

hard to mark, but I will be looking for

students to attempting the piece as

instructed by our guest speaker. Their

art should help inform their writing

for the final assignment.

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100-Word The final piece of this semester will

✔
Memoir draft be the 100-Word Memoir. As this is

their first major writing assignment,

both peer and teacher feedback will

be provided during the process to

help them develop their writing.

Teacher feedback will be short and to

the point to keep the pace of unit

going.

Personal For the conclusion of the unit,

✔
Narrative Journey students will create a portfolio that

compiles their work in the unit

including all of their free-writes, a

picture of their art piece, their 100-

word memoir, a 6-word memoir, and

a reflection to tie it all together.

This will be graded for inclusion of

all of these pieces and for the quality

of writing in the 100-word memoir.

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Resources

Teacher

✔ Passionate Readers by Pernille Ripp

✔ Teach Narrative Writing with the New York Times

✔ Smiley Face Tricks (Brandford)

✔ Narrative Leads (Brandford)

Student

✔ Mysterium (board game)

✔ Mentimeter

✔ Veronica Funk (guest teacher)

✔ “The Truth About Stories” by Thomas King

✔ School Library

✔ Personal Narrative Writing Advice (YouTube)

✔ How To Write a 100-Word Narrative from New York Times

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✔ Tiny Love Stories from New York Times

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Month-at-a-Glance

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

September 17 Unit Start

to QRT QRT QRT QRT

September 22 Introduce Reading

Free-Writes Comp.

FW #1 FW #2 FW #3 Strategy:

1-on-1 1-on-1 1-on-1 Flex Friday

interviews interviews interviews

Best FW due

SLO’s 1.1; 2.4 1.1; 2.4 1.1; 2.4 2.1

September 25 QRT QRT QRT QRT Truth and

to Introduce Personal Personif. Reconciliation

September 28 100-word Narrative Art Clouds Thomas King Day

memoir (Veronica “The Truth

assignment Funk) Work time About Stories Optional

– Part 1” Homework:

Narrative Read 3

Leads sections of the

Calls to

FW draft Action

SLO’s 2.1; 2.4 2.4 1.2; 3.3 1.2 N/A

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October 2 QRT QRT QRT QRT Professional

to STOP! How do we 100-word Return Development

October 5 Improv game give good memoir memoirs Day

Point of feedback? draft due Tiny Love

View Personal Smiley Face Stories

Scavenger Narrative Tricks Finish

Hunt advice -alliteration portfolios &

Peer reflections.

Feedback

Unit End

SLO’s 3.2; 5.2 4.1; 5.1 2.1 1.2; 4.1 N/A

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Unit Assessment Plan

Le Assessments

arn Title Mysterium Personal 100-Word Personal Narrative

ing Free-Write Narrative Art Memoir Draft Journey Portfolio

Ou Type Formative Formative Formative Summative

tco Weighting N/A N/A N/A

me

1.1 – discover and

✔ ✔ ✔
explore

2.4 – create
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
original text

3.3 – organize,

record and ✔ ✔

evaluate

4.1 – enhance and

✔ ✔
improve
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Reflection