Unit Introduction

I designed this unit plan with a class of about 30 ninth grade students in mind. I imagined the setting of Ionia High School, the school from which I graduated. Ionia High school has about 300 students per grade level. The middle school contains grades 6-8. Ninth grade is the first grade included in Ionia High School. Most students have already developed friendships in Ionia Middle school, although there is a small parochial school body which joins the public school in the ninth grade. IHS has a generally friendly but productive atmosphere. Teachers and students in this school have warm relationships that are usually accompanied by light sarcasm, casual conversation, and meaningful friendship. The student body is not very racially diverse. There tend to be more Hispanic minorities than African American minorities. Many students live in rural areas outside of Ionia City limits. The FFA is somewhat popular. Generations tend to stay in Ionia when possible. It is common to recognize a family name when meeting a student for the first time.

Theoretically, I align myself with Wilhelm’s text “You Gotta BE the Book,” among others. I also highly agree with Bushman and Hans’ rationale behind teaching young adult literature so that students can relate to what they are reading. Beyond this, my passion to teach English stems from the fact that I think literacy and critical thinking skills are powerful tools for freedom, power, and the possibility of rising above one’s own means. I look to examples of literacy equally freedom for individuals such as Fredrick Douglas. I constantly think about the gap between those who read and those who don’t. I think about the gap between those who think critically about what they’re told, what they see, and what they read, and those who don’t. This is always on my mind when I think about teaching literature. I think that education needs to be purpose driven. If my teaching style does not emphasize relevance, than I myself am irrelevant to my students. All of the above thoughts boil down into two points in my opinion. Firstly, entering and interacting with the story world is essential in order to engage the reader. Secondly, and most importantly, giving the act of reading power and relevance to speak to real-world issues will develop an insightful reader who is prepared to think about and manipulate abstract concepts. I have tried to address both of these issues in this unit plan.

In this lesson plan, students will learn how to use an anti-utopian text to discuss current issues under the guise of allegorical fictional doubles. They will do this through close reading, observation, and making connections between the fictional and real worlds. Student assessment will be highly based on participation in group discussions and free-writing activities. There will also be a formal creative writing assignment and a structured notebook that will be graded in a product manner at the end of the unit.

Accommodations for students with ADHD in the class will include constant reminders of the task at hand. All assignments will either be handed out in print form or written on the board. I will also list the materials that the students should be working with on the board for the benefit of students with ADHD. I will seat these students near the front of the class or near my desk. I will also be careful not to pair students with ADHD for group work so that they do not feed off of each other’s energy or lack of focus.

Back to unit homepage