Exemplar Ela Unit
Exemplar Ela Unit
Exemplar Ela Unit
Middle School
Exemplar
Integrative ELA
Unit
Contents
2
Unwrapping the Unit Priority Standards.....................................................................3
Graphic Organizer Displaying Unwrapped Concepts and Skills..................................5
Big Ideas and Essential Questions..............................................................................5
End of Unit Assessment.............................................................................................. 5
Unit Pre-Assessment................................................................................................... 6
Vocabulary terms........................................................................................................ 6
Interdisciplinary Connections..................................................................................... 7
21st Century Learning Skills........................................................................................ 7
Planning Engaging Learning Experiences...................................................................8
Gathering Resource Materials..................................................................................... 9
High-impact instructional strategies.........................................................................10
Detailing the Unit Planning Organizer......................................................................10
Creating Informal Progress-Monitoring Checks.........................................................14
Writing the weekly plan/Designing the Daily Lessons...............................................14
RL/RI 7.1- Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has unwrapped these standards to aid in
the comprehension of teachers in hope that with this understanding student achievement will
increase. The following table displays the unwrapped standards.
7.1
Seventh grade students develop the ability to gather more than one piece of evidence
to support their thinking about the texts they read. Students need to be able to find
pieces of relevant evidence that not only support their thinking, but are linked
together to a common idea or conclusion. In order to do this work, students need
practice in locating, evaluating, and categorizing evidence and linking this evidence to
conclusions or claims they have made about the text. At this level, seventh grade
students continue to make inferences and draw conclusions based upon the
relationship between the support (key details) they find in the text and the
background information they bring to the reading. Seventh grade students take
notice of the authors use of coherent language to build relationships between ideas
7.2
7.6
7.9
creating and conveying the similar and/or dissimilar characters to the reader.
Seventh grade students notice the similarities and differences between historical fiction and
a factual text. Students may read a factual account of a historical event and then read about
the same event as historical fiction. With the support of a Venn Diagram, they may
compare and contrast the two (including time period, location, and historical figure).
Students are looking for clues that explain how authors of historical fiction omit,
embellish, or alter the information found in factual text to create a story.
Identify theme
or central idea
Discuss
Summary
Determine
author's point of
view or purpose
Evaluate how
author
establishes
P.O.V.
Compare
fictional text
about a period
in history with
an actual
account of that
period.
Bloom's
Taxonomy:
Comprehension
Analysis
Evaluation
Bloom's
Taxonomy :
Analysis
Synthesis
Cite Evidence
Draw inferences
Bloom's
Taxonomy:
Knowledge
Analysis
Bloom's
Taxonomy:
Knowledge
Comprehension
Analysis
In addition to this, the students will take an assessment after the first three readings as
well as after the second three readings. These assessments will gauge student comprehension of
the texts as well as connections made between and among the texts.
Unit Pre-Assessment
Before the students commence this unit of study, they will complete two activities. One
will be a PowerSchool pre-assessment on the three priority standards for this unit (7.1, 7.2, 7.6)
that contain passages and correlating questions. This assessment is what Ainsworth would refer
to as mirrored due to the fact that it will mirror the post assessment at the end of the unit. In
doing this, the teachers can have a true comparison of what students learned from the beginning
to the end of the unit. Second, the students will complete a concept map showing their current
level of understanding in regards to natural disasters and their impact on society.
Vocabulary terms
The following vocabulary will be introduced and utilized within the six short readings.
Catastroph
e
Observe
Instrument
Quiver
Rage
Destruction
Evacuation
Data
Energy
Technology Category
Splatter
Tremendou
Terrace
s
Wreckage
Analyze
Intercept
Image
Falter
Zenith
Collapse
Consequenc
Monitor
Occur
Injured
Generation
e
Rare
Eerie
Unconscious
Technique
Overwhelm
Fathom
Interdisciplinary Connections
In regards to interdisciplinary connections, this unit is centered on science concepts the
students study in 7th grade concerning extreme weather. Through the reading selections, the
students learn about the formation of natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes,
blizzards, mudslides, and tornadoes. Specifically North Carolina Essential Standard 7.E.1.3 asks
the students to, Explain the relationship between the movement of air masses, high and low
pressure systems, and frontal boundaries to storms (including thunderstorms, hurricanes, and
tornadoes) and other weather conditions that may result.
The students not only delve into the formation of the extreme weather, but also the
impact it has on society and the surrounding ecosystem. Within the discussions and assessment
of how natures fury is impacting society, we are also covering Social Studies Essential Standard
7.G.1.3 which asks the students to, Explain how natural disasters (e.g. flooding, earthquakes,
monsoons and tsunamis), preservation efforts and human modification of the environment affect
modern societies and regions.
called a tricider. The triciders are embedded within a weebly online (that contains the whole unit
with the learning targets and activities) and ask students to think about a prompt and answer with
their own thoughts while feeding off of others comments and opinions.
Another 21st century skill that is utilized within this unit is the reading and
comprehending of infographics. After the students glean the information from the infographic,
they will then be expected to create their own utilizing creative thinking and current data and
trends.
Before each reading, there is a short video clip of a natural disaster to engage the students in
the reading selection for the day. Following the video clip the students will collaborate with
each other on any prior knowledge or experience they have pertaining to that specific natural
disaster.
The students will then alternate between reading in groups, reading with the teacher, and
reading independently. Most of the reading selections can be found online at expert space.
The weebly has those texts linked for easy access for the students. Once the students are
there, the website gives the option to level the text according to the students Lexile level.
During the reading, the students are given an engaging task to help them interact with the text
Correlating Video Clips (embedded within the weebly that the students will have access to)
Unitedstreaming.com
Youtube.com
Weebly (details the entire unit with activities, learning targets, and standards)
www.workshop3naturesfury.weebly.com
Use of technology
o Students have Chrome books with access to unit on weebly
10
RL/RI 7.1- Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
Supporting Standards
SL.7.2- Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and
formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic,
11
Skills
Blooms Level
(Need to know)
Formation of tsunami, earthquakes,
(Able to do)
Comprehend text, draw inferences
(1-6)
1, 2, 3
and hurricanes
Know different disasters- determine
1, 2, 4, 6
disasters
Analyze disasters, make connections
Comprehend text, draw inferences,
1, 2, 5
1, 2, 6
1, 2, 3, 5
1, 2, 3
history
Collect and analyze data, make
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
a case study
Unit Assessments
12
Instructional Planning
focus
Use technology to engage students (videos before reading selections)
Access prior knowledge of students
Nonfiction writing prompts for students to react to reading
Use graphic organizers to chunk information
Adjust level of rigor in questions
Connect new concepts to prior learning (review previous material frequently)
Have students re-read as needed
o
o Enrichment/Extension Activities
If time allows, the following is a list of novels that pertain to this unit. It would be
advantageous for the students to participate in literature circles where they can be
assigned to a book appropriate to their reading level and participate in reading and
complete literature circle novels as an extension activity). Again, the entire unit
can be found online at wwwweebly.com.
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