This unit plan, Finding Our Heroes, is designed for a ninth-grade classroom. It centers around the question, what do I find heroic? In this four-week unit, students will discover what it means to them to be heroic while also honing their writing skills. Students will identify and analyze heroes in a range of texts and write an original narrative story about a hero.

The goals of this unit are to generate excitement for writing and to focus on collaboration skills as well as writing and language knowledge and skills such as vocabulary, descriptive writing, figurative language, voice, plot, and structure. While there is an emphasis on informative and argumentative writing in the standards, it is my belief, based on Nancie Atwell’s work (In the Middle and Lessons That Change Writers), that when students become excellent writers, they can transfer those skills to any type of writing. Therefore, I have used an adapted workshop method in this unit which I believe will instill an enjoyment of reading and writing in my students which will hopefully bleed through from this unit into the later units on informative and argumentative writing.

The first half of this unit is focused on defining what a hero is them, what traits they possess, and the Hero’s Journey. Students will watch the Disney movie Hercules and read excerpts from their choice of select young adult novels featuring heroes. Students will respond to discussion questions in their groups, write journal entries, and complete graphic organizers that help them to craft their own definition of what it means to be heroic.

In the second half of this unit, students will write a narrative story about an original hero. Students will use graphic organizers to help them flesh out their main character and plan out the plot of their story, incorporating the Hero’s Journey. Students will receive several mini lessons on writing craft, based on lessons from Atwell, to strengthen their writing. They will have conferences with me and a peer-conference with another student to assist them as they revise their writing. At the conclusion of the unit, students will have the opportunity to read their classmate’s stories as they celebrate their accomplishments.

There is a wealth of novels, television shows, movies, and other media about heroes that is aimed at this age group. Hero stories are exciting, endearing, and dramatic. They draw young adolescents with their combination of intense emotions, sense of adventure, and sympathetic characters. This has been seen on large scales, with Harry Potter, the Hunger Games, and the Marvel universe, as well as on a smaller scale with books such as Gregor the Overlander, The Lightning Thief, and tv shows like Supernatural. As such, texts about heroes are the perfect medium to teach language arts to ninth graders. Hero texts teach important lessons about character, adversity, and the nature of life. Moreover, heroism is an important topic to cover at this age. It helps students define noble, desirable, and charitable characteristics at the time they themselves are coming of age and defining themselves. It can have a positive impact on their psychological development.

The pieces of literature that I offer students in this course – the movie Hercules, and excerpts from Harry Potter, the Underland Chronicles, and the Hunger Games – lend themselves well to the ninth-grade writing standards. Hercules can be easily used to break down and analyze character development and plot structure (LAFS.910.RL.1.3; LAFS.910.RL.2.5). The book excerpts can be used to analyze heroic character traits as well as to study figurative and descriptive language, word choice, tone, and more (LAFS.910.RL.2.4). This work enhances student writing when they create their own narrative story about a hero (LAFS.910.W.1.3; LAFS.910.W.2.5).

In this unit, there are two sets of objectives that I focus on. The first set center around developing collaboration and discussion skills, and the second around language devices, plot, structure, and character. I believe that incorporating objectives on collaboration and discussion is important to prepare students for the world outside of school. The traditional, transmission model of teaching has not been creating the types of individuals our workforce needs. “Employers complain that graduates come to them unable to perform tasks needed to help their businesses thrive, such as analyzing and synthesizing data and collaborating with teammates” (Chiles 2019, p. 31). Moreover, discussion can help students deepen their understanding of a text. Dan Kirby has posited that writing is social by nature and should be taught in a collaborative environment (2012). What Smagorinsky (2008) calls exploratory talk enables students to process information, and the tension students feel when they hear things from each other’s perspectives “can help students acknowledge that other ways of understanding the world do exist and are worth considering or at least recognizing, even if they choose not to agree with those perspectives” (Thein, Beach, and Parks, 2007, p. 57).

Giving students the time to discuss and construct meaning together is representative of the student-centered learning environment I strive to create in my classroom. I want students to have agency and take some responsibility for their learning. I give them choice when it comes to the specific topics they write about in their journals and the texts they read. I believe, like Melissa Seaver, that “By offering students choice and control over the individual learning process, I [can] take them from rote learning to investment in their learning” (2019, p. 110). By allowing the student’s interests drive their learning, the class becomes more authentic to students and more engagement and learning occurs (McCarthy 2015).

The focus on collaboration and discussion not only deepens student’s learning and prepares them for the world outside of school, but it supports the Florida standards, as well. Not only is there a specific standard in this unit that deals with collaboration (LAFS.910.SL.1.1 ), but working together and discussing the text helps students more quickly and fully meet other standards, too, such as LAFS.910.RL.1.3, LAFS.910.RL.2.5, and LAFS.910.W.2.5.

The second set of objectives that I focus on center around learning how to effectively craft compelling writing using structure, character, vivid descriptions, figurative language, and strong, clear word choice. I address these in a series of mini lessons during the modified workshop portion of the unit, many based on lesson from Nancie Atwell’s “Lessons That Change Writers” (2002). Narrative writing is the perfect place to practice these skills; it is a fun unit in which students are often very engaged and willing to try their best. Atwell describes student’s eagerness for narrative writing as “Rudyard Kipling wrote that ‘Fiction is truth’s older sister.’ My adolescent students clamored to make friends with the big sister” (Lessons That Change Writers 2002, p. 101). I have observed students during multiple writing units and they are almost always more excited and eager to work on narrative writing. I believe this is because humans are, by nature, storytellers. The way we tell stories has evolved, from oral stories to stories etched on walls and tablets to books, televisions, and movies, and now Instagram stories and YouTube clips. Our students love to create and consume stories and cherish the opportunity to practice in class.

Once students have mastered how to choose utilize structure, use strong words, write vivid descriptions, and craft compelling figurative language, they can use those skills in other types of writing, such as the informative and argumentative writing prompts that are often found in standardized tests. In that way, this unit meets not only the narrative writing and revisions standards set forth here (LAFS.910.W.1.3 and LAFS.910.W.2.5) but will also prepare students in many ways to meet the informative and argumentative writing standards in later units such as LAFS.910.W.1.1 and LAFS.910.W.1.2.

Lesson Sequence

Day 1

Objectives

Students will be able to define what a hero is and what it means to them.

Standards

LAFS.910.SL.1.1 - 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.

Plan

Introduce unit on heroism. Discuss what a hero is. Make a list on board of traits a hero possesses and some examples of well-known heroes. (15 minutes)

Show clip from Freedom Writers, read “Heroes We Never Name” poem, listen to Hercules “I Can Go the Distance” song. Discuss heroism in these pieces and how that helps build our definition of a hero. (20 minutes)

Write in journals about what they believe makes someone a hero. (10 minutes)

Tell students they will be studying a hero in a movie in a few days. They may watch Hercules, or if they have a different movie that better represents the type of hero they admire, they may gain approval to watch it instead.

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Homework – Brainstorm which hero movies may appeal more to them.

Assessment

Formative assessment through the discussion and journal entries.

Materials

Whiteboard/smart board

Smart TV or Projector

Journals

Pen/pencils

Modifications

For ELL: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Closed captions in native language on video clips. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 2

Objective

Students will understand the purpose and importance of storytelling.

Students will practice storytelling.

Students will identify traits of successful storytelling.

Standards

LAFS.910.SL.1.1 - 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.

Plan

Discuss how we tell stories all the time when talking to friends, family, etc. Talk about the power and purpose of storytelling. I will share a story of when someone close to me was a hero. (10 minutes)

In small groups, students will share stories about one of their favorite heroes from TV/books/movies. After 5 minutes, students will swap groups and tell a story about a time they or someone they know was heroic. At the 5-minute timer they will tell a story about how someone from the news/social media/a celebrity was heroic. (15 minutes total)

Discuss some of the most memorable stories and why they stood out. (10 minutes)

Write in journals about why certain stories stood out to them. (10 minutes)

Check movie proposals.

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through the discussion and journal entries.

Materials

White board/smart board

Journals

Pen/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 3

Objective

Students will be able to identify parts of a plot or character arc.

Standards

LAFS.910.SL.1.1 - 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.

LAFS.910.RL.1.3 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.

LAFS.910.RL.2.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Plan

Discuss story-arcs. Introduce plot diagram. Practice filling it out with some stories/books/movies well-known to students. Discuss character-arc and repeat process. (25 minutes).

Begin watching Disney movie Hercules or other approved movie. Students will fill out graphic organizer including a plot diagram and character arc diagram, as well as spot for notes about character traits/actions, theme, and other notes. (25 minutes)

Assessment

Formative assessment through participation in discussion and their notes/graphic organizer.

Materials

White board/smart board

Plot diagram handout (class set)

TV

Graphic organizer (class set)

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Closed captioning in native language in movie.

Day 4

Objective

Students will be able to identify parts of plot or character arc.

Students will analyze the structure of stories.

Students will analyze character development/effect on story.

Standards

LAFS.910.SL.1.1 - 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.

LAFS.910.RL.1.3Analyze 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.

LAFS.910.RL.2.5Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Plan

Continue watching Hercules. (50 minutes)

Assessment

Formative assessment through their notes/graphic organizer.

Materials

TV

Graphic organizer (class set)

Pens/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Closed captioning in native language in movie.

Day 5

Objective

Students will be able to identify parts of plot or character arc.

Students will analyze the structure of stories.

Students will analyze character development/effect on story.

Standards

LAFS.910.SL.1.1 - 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.

LAFS.910.RL.1.3 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.

LAFS.910.RL.2.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Plan

Finish watching Hercules or other approved movie. (15 minutes).

Pair-Share notes on plot and character arc. (10 minutes).

Discuss Hercules heroic traits and actions. (10 minutes).

Journal – students will write why they believe Hercules (or other movie character) was heroic. (10 minutes).

Housekeeping – 5 minutes.

Assessment

Formative assessment: Plot diagram and character-arc chart on Hercules. Notes on heroic character traits.

Materials

TV Graphic Organizer (Class set)

Pen/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 6

Objective

Students will be able to explain the hero’s journey.

Standards

LAFS.910.SL.1.1 - 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.

LAFS.910.RL.1.3Analyze 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.

LAFS.910.RL.2.5Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Plan

Introduce Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey cycle. (10 minutes).

Use Hero’s Journey to plot out Hercules and/or other movie as a class (15 minutes).

Journal – Students will write about how other popular books, movies, etc., follow the Hero’s Journey. (20 minutes).

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through participation and journal entries.

Materials

Smartboard or white board

Journals

Pens/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 7

Objective

Students will be able to guess meaning of words based on context and background knowledge.

Students will practice looking up unfamiliar words.

Students will identify excellent writing.

Standards

LAFS.910.RL.2.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

LAFS.910.L.3.4Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).

Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.

Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

Plan

Students will sort into groups based on reading interest. They will be choosing to read excerpts from one of the following: Harry Potter, the Underland Chronicles, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or the Hunger Games. Introduce each series and give students a chance to choose group. (10 minutes)

Explain that every time they read, students are to record unfamiliar words in the Vocabulary section of their journals, guess definition based on context, and then look up and write down definition. Students are also to write down memorable/striking dialogue, figurative language, descriptions, etc., in Stellar Writing section of journals. (5 minutes)

Silent reading. (20 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Homework – Read 30 minutes.

Assessment

Formative assessment through observation.

Materials

Excerpts (class set)

Journals

Pens/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 8

Objective

Students will be able to guess meaning of words based on context and background knowledge.

Students will practice looking up unfamiliar words.

Students will identify excellent writing.

Students will be able to explain importance of plot structure.

Standards

LAFS.910.RL.2.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

LAFS.910.L.3.4Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence, paragraph, or text; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Identify and correctly use patterns of word changes that indicate different meanings or parts of speech (e.g., analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy).

Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning, its part of speech, or its etymology.

Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

LAFS.910.RL.2.5Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Plan

Mini-lesson on effect of plot structure (how it can develop theme, build tension or surprise). (10 minutes)

Discuss plot structure in text with group. (10 minutes)

Silent reading. (25 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Homework – Read 30 minutes.

Assessment

Formative assessment through participation in discussions.

Materials

White board/smart board

Excerpts (class set)

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 9

Objective

Students will be able to guess meaning of words based on context and background knowledge.

Students will practice looking up unfamiliar words.

Students will identify excellent writing.

Students will be able to explain what traits and actions make someone a hero.

Standards

LAFS.910.RL.1.3Analyze 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.

Plan

Write a journal entry about how character(s) in their text are heroic. (15 minutes)

Fill out Hero Sandwich organizer. (15 minutes)

Class discussion about how characters are heroic. (15 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Homework – read 30 minutes.

Assessment

Formative assessment: Hero Sandwich organizer and journal entries.

Materials

Journals

Pens/pencils

Hero Sandwich organizer

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry. Access to audiobook format of text.

Day 10

Objective

Students will identify the Hero’s Journey in their chosen text.

Standards

LAFS.910.SL.1.1 - 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.

LAFS.910.RL.1.3Analyze 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.

LAFS.910.RL.2.5Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

Plan

Review Hero’s Journey. (5 minutes)

In groups, discuss how the Hero’s Journey is present in their text and complete graphic organizer on it together. (20 minutes)

Journal – Free write: students can write about anything as long as they tie it back to the Hero’s Journey. (20 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment: Graphic organizer and journal entries.

Materials

Smart of white board

Journals

Pens/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry. Access to audiobook format of text.

Day 11

Objective

Students will identify possible ideas for writing a hero story about.

Students will collaborate with a partner to help them evaluate ideas or generate new ones.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Plan

Introduce narrative hero story assignment. Give students rubric. (5 minutes)

Brainstorm ideas as a class. Suggest they may write something loosely based on themselves or someone close to them. (10 minutes)

Brainstorm independently in journal. (15 minutes)

Conference with a partner. (10 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through observations.

Materials

Whiteboard/smart board

Journals

Pens/pencils

Rubric (class set)

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 12

Objective

Students will be able to create an original story idea and map the plot, characters, and setting.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

Plan

Discuss some strategies to begin writing a story. Provide helpful graphic organizers. (10 minutes)

Student begin working on story map/plot diagrams, character questionnaires, and setting of their stories. (25 minutes)

Conference with a partner. (10 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through discussion, progress on graphic organizers.

Materials

Whiteboard/smart board

Plot diagrams (class set)

Hero’s Journey diagrams (class set)

Character questionnaire (from Atwell’s Lessons That Change Writers) (class set)

Journals

Pens/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed. Can write shortened journal entry or record audio entry.

Day 13

Objective

Students will identify what makes a great lead craft a compelling lead to begin their story.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Plan

Mini lesson on how to begin, using Atwell’s “Narrative Leads” lesson (Lessons That Change Writers 2002. P. 50). Students may share examples of great leads from their text selections or other favorite books. (15 minutes)

Begin working on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Check-in with a partner on progress, bounce ideas off of each other. (6 minutes)

Work on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through conferences.

Materials

Class set of laptops, if available

Journals

Pens/pencils

Whiteboard/smart board

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Day 14

Objective

Students will continue to create original story.

Students will be able to identify and use voice and vivid description in their writing.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

©Copyrighted 2020 by Taylor Travis

Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

Plan

Mini lesson on voice and descriptive writing, based on Atwell’s “Can a Reader See It, Hear It, Feel It? (Lessons That Change Writers 2002, p. 66). Students may share examples they recorded in their journals. (15 minutes)

Work on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Check-in with a partner on progress, bounce ideas, share pieces they’re proud of or want help with. (6 minutes)

Work on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through conferences.

Materials

Class set of laptops, if available

Journals

Pens/pencils

Whiteboard/smart board

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Day 15

Objective

Students will continue working on original story.

Students will be able to identify and write figurate language and vivid descriptions.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

Plan

Mini lesson on figurative language and word choice, based on Atwell’s “Two Things at Once” (142) and (How a Thesaurus Can Help” lessons (73) (Lessons that Change Writers 2002). Students may share examples they recorded in their journals. (15 minutes)

Work on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Check-in with a partner on progress, bounce ideas, share pieces they’re proud of or want help with. (6 minutes)

Work on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through conferences.

Materials

Class set of laptops, if available

Journals

Pens/pencils

Whiteboard/smart board

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Day 16

Objective

Students will be able to infuse their writing with detail and emotion.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Plan

Mini lesson based on Atwell’s “Thoughts and Feelings” (Lessons that Change Writers 2002, p. 44). (15 minutes)

Work on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Check-in with a partner on progress, bounce ideas, share pieces they’re proud of or want help with. (6 minutes)

Work on rough drafts. Circulate, conference with students who are stuck or struggling. (12 minutes)

Turn in rough drafts.

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment on rough drafts.

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Day 17

Objective

Students will be able to explain the point of revision.

Students will be able to revise work effectively.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

LAFS.910.W.2.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Plan

Mini-lesson on revision. Model revision on my own writing. Remind students to use their lesson notes and their graphic organizers on the Hero’s Journey, plot diagram, and character questionnaires as they revise. (20 minutes)

Work on revisions. Circulate to check in with students. (25 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Formative assessment through conferences.

Materials

Class set of laptops, if available

Journals

Pens/pencils

Whiteboard/smart board

Modifications

For ELLs: Use of images in conjunction with discussion to increase context. Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Day 18

Objective

Students will be able to revise work effectively.

Students will be able to assess others using a rubric.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

LAFS.910.W.2.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Plan

Work on revisions. Circulate to check in with students. (25 minutes)

Peer-conference, assess using rubric. (20 minutes)

Assessment

Formative assessment of peer-conference forms, observation.

Materials

Class set of laptops, if available

Journals

Pens/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Day 19

Objective

Students will be able to revise work effectively.

Students will be able to self-assess with rubric.

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

LAFS.910.W.2.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Plan

Make revisions based on peer-conference. (15 minutes)

Self-assess using rubric. (15 minutes)

Make final revisions. (15 minutes)

Housekeeping – 5 minutes

Assessment

Self-assess using rubric.

Modifications

For ELLs: Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Day 20

Objective

Students will

Standards

LAFS.910.W.1.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

LAFS.910.W.2.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Plan

Turn in final draft of story.

Gallery-style event, students get to travel around the room and read each other’s stories.

Assessment

Summative assessment of final draft of narrative story, graded using rubric.

Materials

Class set of laptops, if available

Journals

Pens/pencils

Modifications

For ELLs: Assistance from ESOL resource teacher or language app, as available/needed.

Final Assessment:

Narrative Hero Story

Students will write a 2-4 page story about a hero. Students will create a plot diagram, character profiles, and use lessons on heroic traits, character arc, structure and pacing, voice, figurative language, descriptions, and revisions to craft their stories.

RAFTS:

Call to all writers! A small publishing house in Tampa is looking for fabulous pieces of flash fiction about heroes. We are looking for compelling, first-person stories that will transport our readers to another exciting time or place. If you have such a story that is two to three pages in length, please submit it to tampabaypub@email.com!

Role – Hero

Audience – Fiction readers, anyone who enjoys reading stories about heroics.

Format – Flash fiction/narrative writing.

Topic – Overcoming challenges and displaying heroic qualities as they accomplish impressive feats that benefit others.

Strong verb – Transport the reader to another exciting time or place.

For my 11th grade American Literature course, I have researched strategies for teaching civil rights literature, specifically Langston Hughes’ Not Without Laughter. I believe teaching this novel is extremely worthwhile as it both illuminates an important time in history and also introduces diverse authorial voices and stories into the classroom. Having a range of books with authors and characters (#OwnVoices) of different genders, ethnicities, cultures, and religions is important so that all students can see themselves represented. Literature about a time period such as the civil rights era is also valuable because it informs students about a pivotal point in history and gives them more insight into current events.

Before I begin to review specific teaching strategies, I want to discuss how I will approach teaching a civil rights era unit in a broader sense. Teaching black literature as a white teacher can be slightly uncomfortable. I do not want to give students the sense that I am an expert on the subject; however, I do want students to learn about black literature and develop a respect for the authors and their works. This is something that must be done carefully. In the past, the black literature that achieved a place in mainstream canon was accepted largely because they were “more” than racial in theme (Hedin 28). “They validate themselves and our expertise at the same time; they can be discussed in terms of ‘our’ themes and not merely ‘theirs’” (28). So it happened that only works of black literature that neatly fell into the themes mainstream readers were comfortable with became canon. Black novels which focused on uniquely black themes or written with unique techniques were left out in the cold, largely ignored by teachers, professors, and readers.

We must draw more black literature into the classroom. The first step is to generate student interest in them. The obstacle many teachers run into here is that many great black novels written in or about the Civil War or Jim Crow era are centered on people and themes that modern students may not understand or relate to. The main reason people read books such as The Scarlet Letter or Moby Dick, which similarly have no bearing on modern life, is because readers believe they “have a place in valued tradition,” but American culture has not fostered that sense of tradition about black literature (Hedin 29). For students to understand black literature’s place and importance we must first educate them on its historical and cultural background. I would do so for Not Without Laughter by teaching about the history and culture of the time period as well as Langston Hughes.

To understand the context of Not Without Laughter, students must first understand Jim Crow. To help my students achieve that understanding, I would like to emulate something akin to what Stephen Berrey does in his classroom: show photographs of normal life in American in the 1930s as well as the more horrific scenes of Ku Klux Klansmen burning crosses and scenes of clear segregation (60). Having students view these photographs and discuss what is occurring and to imagine – and subsequently research – what life was like for the subjects of the photographs is an engaging way to elucidate the time period. This type of visual thinking strategy helps students situate the novel in history and gives them a window into the “complex racial system that seeped into every aspect of life, every day” (Berrey 60).

When teaching any literature, but especially culturally relevant literature such as civil rights era novels, it is important to impress upon students the power of language. Mary Bogumil and Michael Molino posit that a study of black literature reveals a common experience, “that cultural repression is propagated in part through the power of language and that it can be dispelled through the power of language” (802). That is a powerful sentiment, that language can effect such dramatic change, and can make English Language Arts more relevant to students who wish to make a mark on the world. Closely studying not only Not Without Laughter but also primary historical documents such as the Alabama clergymen’s letter and Martin Luther King Jr.’s answering “Letter from Birmingham Jail” can help students understand the nuanced power of textuality (Bogumil and Molino 806-8). When students realize that the old adage the pen is mightier than the sword holds some truth, they may become much more invested in learning how to wield a pen.

I will also follow the recommendations of many experts when teaching Not Without Laughter by searching for both commonalities and differences between black literature and traditional (British and American) canon (Price 54). Using what Price calls a “double-faced approach,” I will identify ways that students can relate to the text and its linguistic features while also teaching them to identify and value the elements unique to black literature.

Some specific examples of commonalities I will focus on are themes of family, coming of age, and hard work versus pleasure. These are themes and ideas that are universal. Also, I will have students search for and analyze elements in Hughes’ beautifully crafted language, such as his descriptions and his metaphors. These are features of writing students will be familiar with working with.

Themes that are more unique to black literature that I will touch on are coming of age as an African American, injustice, and prejudice. While these themes appear in other texts, they are very common in black literature, especially pieces set in the civil rights era or earlier. The coming of age journey is different for African American characters; they often have milestones white characters do not, such as the discovery of American society’s racism (Raynaud 106). Also, childhood implies a state of innocence that is often not granted to African American children, marred as their lives are by prejudice and injustice (Raynaud 106). We see Sandy robbed of his innocence many times; when his father repeatedly leaves, when the teacher forces him to sit in the back of the class, when he is refused entrance to the children’s party, and when his grandmother dies and leaves him alone with his cold Aunt Tempy.

There are also some literary techniques present in Not Without Laughter that are unique to black literature: blues songs excerpts, phonetic spelling of dialogue, and descriptions of many shades of skin color. The use of blues songs highlights African American culture and the hardships they face; the lyrics are mournful and sad but also celebrate overcoming obstacles and finding hope and humor in life (Tracy 123). The blues are about endurance and the resilience of African American people. The songs encapsulate the title, Not Without Laughter. While Sandy’s family may face hardships, they are always able to overcome and to find hope and humor in their lives. The phonetic spelling of dialogue Hughes employs helped to develop the setting and illustrates yet another difference between whites and blacks. The way that most of the African American characters spoke was very distinct, which became very apparent when Sandy went to live with his Aunt Tempy, who spoke very primly and insisted on correcting him. Sandy’s close attention to skin color is also unique to black literature. He describes other characters as being the color of “nicely burnt piece of toast,” “maple sugar,” “clay,” and, “autumn leaves,” among other things (Hughes). These descriptions serve dual purposes, I believe. First, as Elizabeth Shultz proposes, I think it demonstrates the rich diversity of African Americans and “undermines the possibility of categorizing blacks monolithically” (1183). Second, it shows Sandy’s ever-present consciousness of race. He knows the effect that skin tone can have on one’s life, sees how lighter-skinned and darker-skinned people are treated, and so he is very cognizant of skin color in a way that white people rarely are.

I have discussed how I will approach teaching Not Without Laughter in my classroom. The historical and cultural background I will cover, the power of language demonstrated in the novel, and the common and unique themes and elements I will focus on with my students. Now I will explore some specific teaching strategies and assignments and determine how I can adapt them to my classroom.

A very common teaching strategy is I Do–We Do–You Do; this strategy is common because it is very effective. Lauren Boulden, who has an article featured on Read Write Think’s website, utilized a form of this strategy when teaching Langston Hughes’ poems. She first modeled for her students how to read and analyze a poem, using a think-aloud. She repeated this with a few more poems, allowing students to raise their hands and contribute. She then asked students to break into jigsaw groups in which they completed think-alouds. Students then worked together to use their analyses of the poems to figure out who Langston Hughes was as a person. I want to emulate this combination of whole-class instruction and student-centered collaborative group work in my class. Having students work in a jigsaw to collaborate to piece together what Hughes’ many poems say about him as an author is a great idea. I may have students each focus on analyzing an excerpt of Not Without Laughter and come together to share their findings and work together to determine the overarching themes and messages of the novel.

Another element of student-centered learning that I want to incorporate in my classroom is discussion. Students require time to engage in “exploratory talk,” a term coined by Peter Smagorinsky, in order to process information and construct knowledge. I will place my students in groups and provide discussion guides to keep their conversations on track. In order to monitor their progress and ensure they are having productive discussions I will be circulate the room and check in on them and ask them to provide either a written summary or a recorded video summary of their group’s findings and conclusions.

I also plan to give my students voice and choice; I will give students options for how they can engage with the material. Allowing students to choose between several types of assignments and giving them freedom over which theme or topic to focus on regarding the anchor text in their writing has been shown to have great results by many teachers. Melissa Seaver, a middle school teacher who uses such student-centered strategies, noted “By offering students choice and control over the individual learning process, I take them from rote learning to investment in their learning” (110).

Rhonda Williams is a teacher of a class called History 261 which focuses on Reconstruction, redemption, Jim Crow, black nationalism, gender, class relations, and more. Students engage with the material by performing a work such as a play, poem, novel excerpt, song, etc., by a black author. Williams says she uses performance projects because she wants her students to “think about the centrality of expressive culture to black life, experience, politics, and struggle as well as introduce them to nontraditional sources for historical inquiry” (70). Their performances allow students to be creative while also learning about history. The projects are effective, she says, because performance projects make the past real to students by motivating them to “embody ideas and issues as well as begin to feel a measure of the pain, joviality, and the in-between emotional states of black people’s daily existence and struggle, rather than just regurgitate facts” (70). In addition to their performance, part of the project William’s assigns is a paper that explains how the work the student chose to perform reflects or addresses specific issues and themes covered in the class (80). They must draw on primary and secondary sources and provide original thoughts and analysis.

I believe William’s performance project is ingenious—it is a great way to get students thinking creatively, creating memorable learning experiences, and doing real research. The performance itself will excite many students because of its creative elements and it will also get them engaging with the material in a visceral way which will have more impact on them than merely reading it would. The paper will force them to conduct in-depth research and help them truly understand the context and meaning of the novel.

I would like to use an adaptation of William’s assignment in my classroom. I can envision students conducting research on 1930s Kansas, Langston Hughes, and/or blues music and performing one of the songs or scenes from Not Without Laughter and writing a corresponding paper. It would help students to understand the novel and the time period and enhance their learning of language and history.

Another approach to teaching that I am greatly intrigued by is the soundtrack approach Christian Goering and Cindy Williams describe in their article on teaching To Kill a Mockingbird. In their assignment, they asked their students to find connections between the novel and songs of their choosing and to explain them with textual evidence. This is a very student-centered, constructivist method and closely aligns with the research of Vygotsky and Piaget (45). It encourages students to be hands-on, find ways to make the text relevant to their lives, and read the text closely. By creating an assignment that was so easily individualized and differentiated for students, they found that their students were truly learning and understanding the text; “when students understand, they can proceed to explain, interpret, and apply skills to make sense of their world through assessments that demand transfer of learning” (48). In effect, their assignment not only helped students understand To Kill a Mockingbird but gave them transferrable knowledge and skills they were able to use to be successful throughout their educational career and beyond.

Student-centered teaching strategies such as the ones I have explored are effective because they allow students to engage with the content in meaningful ways. This not only increases their development of important skills such as communication, critical thinking, and problem solving, which will help them succeed, but also their interest in the content. The English language arts are always important, but now more so than ever. The ability to communicate effectively and have empathy is extremely necessary in such uncertain and tumultuous times. To prepare our students we must help them develop language and thinking skills and also gift them with significant and relevant knowledge. It is my hope that my unit on Not Without Laughter and other civil rights literature will accomplish that.

References

Berrey, Stephen A. “Obstacles to Freedom: Life in the Jim Crow America.” Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement edited by Hasan Kwame Jeffries. 2019. 59-72.

Bogumil, Mary L., Molino, Michael R. “Pretext, context, subtext: textual power in the writing of Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and Martin Luther King, Jr.” College English. Vol. 52, 1990, pgs. 800-811.

Hedin, Raymond. “White Teacher / Black Literature.” CEA Critic. Vol. 44, No. 3, 1982, pgs. 27- 31.

Hughes, Langston. (1930). Not Without Laughter. New York, NY: Knopf.

Price, Vincent. “Flipping the Coin: Towards a Double-Faced Approach to Teaching Black Literature in Secondary English Classrooms.” Changing English: Studies in Culture and Education. Vol. 24, No. 1, 2017, pgs. 53-66.

Raynaud, Claudine. “Coming of Age in the African American Novel.” The Cambridge Companion to the African American Novel, edited by Maryemma Graham, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004, pp. 106–121.

Seaver, Melissa. (Summer 2019). Student Choice Equals Student Engagement. The Virginia English Journal. (69.1) 110-112.

Shultz, Elizabeth. “Natural and Unnatural Circumstances in Langston Hughes’ ‘Not Without Laughter.’” Callaloo. Vol. 25, No. 4, 2002, pp. 1176-1187.

Smagorinsky, Peter. (2008) Preface and Chapter 1: Students’ Way of Knowing. Teaching English By Design. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Tracy, Steven C. “The Blues Novel.” The Cambridge Companion to the African American Novel, edited by Maryemma Graham, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004, pp. 122–138.

Williams, Rhonda Y. “Raising the Curtain: Performance, History, and Pedagogy.” Teaching the American Civil Rights Movement: Freedom’s Bittersweet Song, edited by Julie Buckner Armstrong, Susan Hult Edwards, Houston Bryan Roberson, and Rhonda Y. Williams. 2002. 69-82.