7th grade – Reading Curriculum Unit Template
Unit Title: Science Fiction/Social Issue Book Clubs
Duration of Unit- (# of weeks): 6 weeks
School Year: 2014-2015
Date Revised: September 2014
I – Desired Results
Essential Learning – What is it we want all students to know and be able to do?
Essential Questions:
How does a theme or main idea develop over the course of a story?
How does the interaction of the elements of a story impact a character, setting, etc?
Big Ideas/Understanding(s):
Authors use a variety of techniques to express a theme or main idea.
Interpretations of text involve linking information across parts of a text.
Key Vocabulary
simile, personification, setting, symbolism, irony, protagonist, antagonist, denouement, imagery,
theme
Student Learning Objectives: Students will –
Identify and analyze the central theme or idea of a piece and how it is developed
Analyze how elements in interact in text
Compare and contrast written text to media through collaborative discussions
II – Evidence of Learning
Performance Assessment:
Reading Comprehension
S – Situation – You have just completed reading a short story and have comments to make on the
author’s blog.
C – Challenge – Thinking about how an author develops the theme of a story and how the elements of
the plot interact, you must respond to the author’s questions on his blog.
R – Role – Literary Critic
A– Audience - Author
P – Product or Performance – Analysis of Author’s Development of Theme and the Interaction of the
elements of the story.
RL.7.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g. how setting shapes the
characters or plot.)
III – Learning Plan
Anchor Performance Tasks – How do we equip students to perform the assessment? Link to
standards the task addresses
Task 1 – Students will read a short science fiction story. They will then be given a graphic organizer
and identify the literary elements of the story including the theme.
“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury
Task 2 – Students will analyze the development of a story’s theme citing textual evidence.
Task 3 – Students will analyze the interaction of the elements of a short story citing textual evidence.
Task 4 – Students will read “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” and then compare and contrast
to the Twilight Zone video version.
Resources:
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
“A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury
http://www.lasalle.edu/~didio/courses/hon462/hon462_assets/sound_of_thunder.htm
“The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” by Rod Serling (text and video)
Scholastic Version, “Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde”
Scholastic Version, “The Time Machine”
Scholastic Version, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”
Various science fiction/short story text
Various newspaper/magazine articles on scientific discoveries
Subjects Matter Every Teacher’s Guide to Content-Area Reading by Harvey Daniels and Steven
Zemelman
Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century by Pam B. Cole
A Curricular Plan for The Reading Workshop 7 by Lucy Calkins
Additional Ideas:
Identified effective teaching strategies:
Notetaking and Graphic Organizers
Modeling
Save the Last Word – This is a discussion strategy to develop thinking and create effective discourse.
Double-Entry Journal – This is a note-taking strategy that requires the reader to interact with the text.
Citing Textual Evidence Activity (Theme/ Characterization/non-fiction) – Students will cite evidence to
prove their assertions.
Unit Standards
Identified Priority Standards for all students to master:
RL.7.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.7.3 Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g. how setting shapes the
characters or plot.)
RL.7.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and
poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end
of the range.
RI.7.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and
tone.
RI.7.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author
distinguishes his or her position from that of others
Supporting Standards:
RL.7.1. Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as
well
as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.7.7. Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged or
multimedia version analyzing the effects of techniques unique to teach medium (e.g., lighting, sound,
color, or camera focus and angles in a film).
SL.7.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
o
Come to discussions prepared having read or researched material under study;
explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to
probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
o
Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and
deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
o
Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments
with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as
needed.
o
Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their
own views.
Integrated Standards: (ie: technology, etc.)
Inquiry Standards: