Beowulf Unit - Final

Unit Title: Understanding and Interpreting Literature

Grave Level: 11-12

Timeframe: 15 full class days

Purpose: The purpose of this unit is to foster in students the skills and strategies they need to become critically independent readers and thinkers.

Rationale: The District that I designed this Unit for required that I teach from a specific list of texts, Beowulf being one of them. While I do believe that Beowulf is worthy of study, I know from experience that students don’t often respond well to instruction made up exclusively of text based analysis. I wanted to use Beowulf as a mentor text to discuss broader notions such as social values, doing so through the lens of the Hero’s Journey construct. I felt that this would give students an opportunity to compare their reading to more modern and exciting stories while still learning about an older text that is part of the curriculum.

Standards:

1.3.11-12.B: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an author’s implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs.

1.3.11-12.D: Evaluate how an author’s point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

1.3.11-12.E: Evaluate the structure of texts including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the texts relate to each other and the whole.

1.3.11-12.F: Evaluate how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts.

1.4.11-12.Q: Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.

1.4.11-12.R: Demonstrate a grade appropriate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

1.4.11-12.S: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.

1.4.11-12.T: 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.

1.5.11-12.A: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade‐level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

1.5.11-12.D: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective; organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Day 1

Targets

Disney and the 4 pillars

Day 2

Introducing Beowulf:

The context

Day 3

Translations+

“Shrinklit”

Day 4

Reading Day #1

Grendel vs. Modern Villains

Day 5

Reading Day #2

Beowulf vs. Modern Stories

Day 6

Reading Day #3

The Epic and the Epic Hero

Day 7

Reading Day #4

Beowulf vs. Modern Super

Heroes

Day 8

Reading Day #5

Beowulf vs. Modern Society

Using the 4 Pillars

Day 9

The Hero’s Journey

+Reflection of Social Values

Day 10

Mulan:

Social Values in Film

Day 11

In class writing:

Mulan and the 4th

Pillar

Day 12

Introduce unit assessment:

“Create a Hero”

Day 13

Work on Part 1:

Finish by the end of class

Day 14

Work on Part 2:

Thesis workshop

Day 15

Writing Workshop

Project due next class

Unit Calendar

Lesson Title: Deconstructing Disney + the 4 Pillars of Critical Analysis

1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes

I can explain how movies construct and perpetuate social values.

I can apply the techniques of critical analysis to a text.

1.2 Standards:

CC.1.3.11-12.B: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an author’s implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs.

1.3.11-12.F: Evaluate how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts.

Procedures

1.3 Anticipatory Set:Journal prompt: In a paragraph, respond to the following statement: Disney films are bad for children. Discuss students’ responses as a class. “To further examine this, let’s look at Cinderella.

1.4 Procedures:Go over the questions on the slide as a class, writing in shared answers on the board. For the last question, prompt the students: “What does the film say about how a woman should act? What does it say about how women should look?”

Play the first 47 seconds of the Honest Trailer for Cinderella. “I need to hear some thoughts, what did you all think about that clip?”

“Ultimately we need to become critical individuals, aware of how things like Disney films are impacting our views of what we view as normal. So, the big ideas that are going to be guiding our discussion today and throughout the rest of the unit are: What does it mean to be normal? How is the idea of normal constructed? And how do texts (like Disney Films) construct and perpetuate our own notions of what normal means.”

Introduce New Material: Pass out packet as you speak. As always, you can follow along on your notes handouts. Just write any additional thoughts you have in the lines next to the slides. “Before we start unpacking a social construct such as normalcy, we first need to define what a social construct is. So, what does it mean for something to be socially constructed?”

Ask for some opinions from the class. Guide discussion to the definition. “Essentially, A social construct is something that is only meaningful because “we” give it meaning through social agreement. Ask for somebody to rephrase this definition in their own words.

Transition to next slide: So, in order to identify examples of social constructs, we need to be able to critically analyze a text. We’re going to do this with a tool called the four pillars of critical analysis. We actually already used these in our discussion of Cinderella. The four pillars that you should remember when analyzing a text are: What is the text? (Literally, what are we working with? Remember a text doesn’t have to be a book) Who is the audience? (Who was the text created for?) What is the historical context of the text? (What was society like when the text was created? What did they value?) and What does the text say about power structures within society?

Guided Practice: Now that you’ve got the tools, we’re going to move onto our guided practice for today. In the same packet as your guided notes, you’ll see an activity called Deconstructing Disney. Your task is to select a Disney Princess film besides Cinderella and critically analyze it using the four pillars. At the bottom of the page there are some example questions to ask yourself in determining the answer to number four and on the reverse side there is a chronological listing of all the Disney Princess movies to help with the historical context. Now that I’ve given you the instructions, I’m going to tell you that this is a group activity! So if you could get into groups of 3-4, that would be swell. Go around and make sure the groups are solidified. Walk the room while students are working.

Independent Practice: Students will select another text and deconstruct it using the four pillars of critical analysis. On a separate piece of paper, they will write down what social constructs they see at play within the text. The definition of a social construct is on the board to serve as a reminder.

1.5 Differentiation:

Notes are being given to the students so that they can follow along with the lesson without being distracted by their attempts to write down everything I display on the board. Additionally, the groups can be preselected so that each group has different ability levels represented. During both the guided and independent practices I can go around and provide more focused scaffolding for students who need it.

1.6 Closure

Snowstorm: Have students pull out a small scrap piece of paper, it can be ripped. Ask them to write down one thing that they learned today on it. Students then crumple it up and toss it into the air after a 3 second countdown. Instruct students to go and pick up any random ball of paper. Go around the room having each student read what’s written on the piece of paper.

1.7 Formative / Summative Assessment of Students (P-12):

Formative assessment built in through class discussion, the guided practice, and the independent practice. Additionally the independent practice will be collected to look at individual student understanding.

1.8 Materials / Equipment:

Re-Defining Normal Day 1 ppt Markers White Board Handout packet (notes / guided practice activity) Student journals

1.9 Technology:

Projector Screen Whiteboard Computer

2.1 Reflection on Planning:

This is intended to be the first lesson of a unit that applies critical analysis techniques to a text. When I designed this lesson, I planned on teaching the text Beowulf, however this lesson could be applied to any text.

I was struggling to come up with a fun way to introduce the unit, and finally settled on using Disney films as a point of reference. I thought that the films are enough of a staple in our culture that nearly every student would have seen them and be engaged in deconstructing them for potentially harmful messages.

2.2 Reflection on Teaching:

Teaching this lesson went very well. Students were extremely engaged and excited about the discussion that we had together. Nearly all of them were very surprised to learn that movies like Cinderella were teaching young women unrealistic expectations. That surprise factor makes the lesson memorable. Upon reading through the independent practice that the students completed, understanding was high throughout the entire class. If I were to teach this lesson again, the only thing I would add a freewrite in the beginning so that students had an opportunity to further articulate their thoughts on this before we discussed it as a class.

Name: ___________________ Date: ___________________

Deconstructing DisneyIn your groups, agree upon a Disney movie that you have seen, looking at the back of this page for reference. You may not use Cinderella for this assignment. Using the movie that you choose as a text, answer the following questions:

1. What is the text?

2. Who is the intended audience?

3. What is the historical context? The years that each Disney Princess movie was released are on the back of this page.

4. What does the text say about power structures within society?

Questions to think about for #4:

How are men depicted?

How are women depicted?

What are the races of the characters?

What are the body types of the characters?

How does the film portray beauty? Are “attractive” characters given more opportunities?

Lesson Title: Beowulf: Introducing the Context

1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes:

I can explain the historical context of Beowulf.

I can describe the values of Anglo-Saxon society.

1.2 Standards:


1.3 Anticipatory Set:

Journal prompt: Why do you think we are going to be reading Beowulf? Discuss responses as a class. Things to be sure to talk about: Who says we have to read it? Countless modern stories follow a similar structure. First “super hero story.”

1.4 Procedures:

“We will be reading Beowulf and analyzing literary elements such as theme and descriptive language, but we will also be reading the text to talk about what different societies value and how those values are both reflected and challenged through literature.”

Go through notes, having students copy down information that they aren’t already familiar with in their journals.

Riddle Activity: In addition to strength and wealth, Anglo-Saxon society also favored wit. They viewed it as crushing their opponent mentally as well as physically. As such, Riddles were a large part of their popular culture.

Hand out Riddle sheet, have students compete with other groups to answer the riddles correctly. Walk around during this part of the lesson to answer the guesses that groups might have.

Once all groups are finished, go over the answers. Then, task students with creating their own riddles in a similar format to the provided examples. Have students share their riddles with the class.


If students are having difficulties writing down the notes for the day’s lesson, you can have a printed handout of the slides ready to give them. During the Riddle activity, students will be collaborating within a group, thus providing students of mixed ability level some peer support. Additionally, students can be paired up for the individual riddle creation exercise if they are struggling to create one individually.

1.6 Closure:

Preview the next class: “Next time we will be talking about the nature of translations in general as well as why we care about translations in reference to Beowulf.

1.7 Formative / Summative Assessment of Students:

Formative assessment achieved through class discussion on the topics of social values as they relate to the society that produced the text.

1.8 Materials / Equipment: Beowulf context ppt Student journals

1.9 Technology: Projector Computer


It is extremely important to establish both a purpose for reading a text in class as well as the context to support the reading of that text. This lesson was intended to do both. I wanted to share the teaching with the students, and make it clear to them why we were doing what we were doing. Additionally, I wanted to come up with a creative way for them to engage with the information provided for the context. The riddle activity provided this opportunity.


Students responded well to the anticipatory set. It was clear to me that they weren’t used to being asked such a question before. They also found the riddle activity enjoyable. Their eyes lit up as they shared their riddles with the rest of the class, and some of the students were surprised at the complexity of their classmates’ creations.

Group Members:Period:

Riddle Activity

#1What has roots as nobody seesIs taller than treesUp, up it goesAnd yet never grows?Answer:

#2 It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.It lies behind stars and under hills,And empty holes it fills.It comes first and follows after,Ends life, kills laughter.Answer:

#3A box without hinges, key, or lid,Yet golden treasure inside is hid.Answer:

#4Alive without breath,As cold as death.Never thirsty,ever drinking,All in mail never clinking.Answer:#5This thing all things devours:Birds, beasts, trees, flowers.Gnaws iron, bites steel,Grinds hard stones to meal,Slays kings, ruins towns,And beats high mountains down.Answer:

Lesson Title: Translations

1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes:I can explain the impact of the translator on a text.I can summarize the story of Beowulf.

1.2 Standards:

1.3.11-12.D: Evaluate how an author’s point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.1.4.11-12.Q: Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.

1.3 Anticipatory Set:Tell students that we will be listening to the book on tape instead of reading it. Then, play an audio clip of the beginning of the book being read in Old English (the original language). After they communicate their outrage, tell them that we will actually be reading it, but that any text we will read will be a translated version.

1.4 Procedures:Briefly go through background information on translations. Introduce the concept of the shrinklit (literature shortened down into a brief summary poem). Pass out the shrinklit of Beowulf and read through it as a class. Then have students construct their own version of the Beowulf shrinklit using the knowledge of the story they just acquired from reading the example. After students have completed the exercise, ask some of the students to share their translations.

1.5 Differentiation:The shrinklit exercise can be completed in small groups or with partners so that students who have trouble decoding the language can get help from their peers. Additionally, while students are working the teacher can go around and assist those students who are struggling.

1.6 Closure:Exit Ticket: Answer the following question in a complete sentence: How do translations affect our understanding of a text?

1.7 Formative / Summative Assessment of Students:Students will turn in both their own shrinklit creations as well as their exit tickets. These will be used as formative assessments to check for their understanding of that day’s lessons. Students should demonstrate a clear understanding of the impact that translations can have on the readers of a text.

1.8 Materials / Equipment: Sample Shrinklit handout Translations: background information ppt

1.9 Technology: Computer + Projector


I wanted students to understand that we weren’t going to be reading the original version of Beowulf due to our inability to understand Olde English. I decided having them listen to a bit of the original reading as part of the power point would create some shock factor in their minds, thus making them more likely to remember the fact that there are numerous different translations of the same story. Furthermore, I wanted to stress the point that each translator, though they keep the same story elements, tells the story in a slightly different way. By having them read the shrinklit and create their own version of it, students were able to see how their translations differed greatly from their classmates even though they were using the same material to craft them. Students also had the opportunity to become familiar with the story before we even began reading, creating more substantive class discussions as they had a more firm grasp on the content of the story.


Teaching the lesson went well. Students seemed to enjoy learning about the entire story before we even began reading it; some of them even asked why nobody had told them about the notion of a shrinklit in the past. They had fun getting creative with the language in their translations and were happy to understand the plot of the story before we even began reading. One of the students put forth an incredibly impressive summary of the text that even followed a rhyme scheme. I have included that here.

Beowulf Shrinklit (Provided Example)by Maurice Sagoff

Monster Grendel's tastes are plainish.Breakfast? Just a couple Danish.

King of Danes is frantic, very.Wait! Here comes the Malmo" ferry

Bring Beowulf, his neighbor,Mighty swinger with a saber!

Hrothgar's warriors hail the Swede,Knocking back a lot of mead;

Then, when night engulfs the HallAnd the Monster makes his call,

Beowulf, with body-slamWrenches off his arm, Shazam!

Monster's mother finds him slain,Grabs and eats another Dane!

Down her lair our hero jumps,Gives old Grendel's dam her lumps.

Later on, as king of GeatsHe performed prodigious feats

Till he met a foe too tough(Non-Beodegradable stuff)

And that scaly-armored dragonScooped him up and fixed his wagon.

Sorrow-stricken, half the nationFlocked to Beowulf's cremation;

Round his pyre, with drums a-muffleDid a Nordic soft-shoe shuffle.

Beowulf Shrinklit (Student Example)

OG Grendel has plain tasts,He eats Danish people with cornflakes.

Big Don Danes is afraidHere comes Malmo, a boat bumping bass.

On it was Beowulf, a ferocious young Nord,Fast of his feet and skilled with a sword.

Hrothgar’s gangsters praise the Swedge,All while drinking pints of mead.

Then when night falls over the hood,OG Grendel is up to no good.

Beowulf bodied him hardBefore he noticed, Grendel had lost his arm

OG’s mama saw he was dead,And with a swing of her arm-off with a head.

Down her crib our homie proceeds,And not long after, Mama met defeat.

Later on as boss of the Geats,Beowulf triumphed with roses at his feet.

Until he met a gangster stronger than him.He approached his foe with a fading grin.

The armored Dragon knew no limit,He flew down and totaled Beowulf’s Civic.

Despondent and woeful, was the hoodBeowulf’s remains were tar and soot.

Around his grave trap music was bumpin,In his honor, the hood was jumpin.

Lesson Title: Reading Day 1 - Grendel vs. Modern Villains

1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes:I can relate Grendel to modern examples of villains in our culture.

1.2 Standards:1.4.11-12.S: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research, applying grade-level reading standards for literature and literary nonfiction.

1.3 Anticipatory Set:Journal Prompt: What does it mean to be evil? What does it mean to be a villain?After giving students time to write, discuss their responses as a class- come up with a list as a class that satisfies these two questions.

1.4 Procedures:Begin reading the story aloud. For time’s sake, stop after sections one and two (these are the sections of the story that introduce Grendel).

Individual writing: Is Grendel evil? Is Grendel a villain? After giving students time to articulate their thoughts in writing, have students discuss their responses in their table groups.

Next, have students choose the villain that they feel is the most similar to Grendel from a movie or another text. Once they have this in mind, students should take turns going around the table in their small groups sharing their villain choice and giving the reasons why they chose that villain.

1.5 Differentiation:The story will be read aloud so that students can follow along and take notes instead of attempting to decode the pronunciation of unfamiliar words. Additionally, reading the text aloud helps to scaffold reading strategies for students who might be reading at a lower grade level than their peers.

1.6 Closure:For closure, preview tomorrow’s lesson. “Today we talked about how one of the main villains in Beowulf is very similar to so many different villains in our popular culture. Tomorrow we will talk about the character Beowulf and discuss the ways in which he relates to other hero characters.

1.7 Formative / Summative Assessment of Students:Students will be assessed through the discussions that they have with their groupmates. Additionally, their writing assignments will be reviewed to ensure that they are attaining the desired understandings.

1.8 Materials / Equipment: Beowulf texts Student journals

1.9 Technology: White board / markers


I decided to focus our reading of Beowulf by comparing the story and the characters to more modern examples. I felt that this would be a good way of making the text relevant to students.


The lesson went well for the most part. I had originally planned on having them reading the story either aloud amongst their table groups or individually depending on what they preferred. I quickly noticed however that the students weren’t comprehending the material as well as I would have liked. Additionally, several students were struggling with the pronunciation of certain words and phrases. I decided to read the text aloud in a slightly theatrical manner, and students responded much better to the content of the text.

Lesson Title: Reading Day 2: Beowulf vs. Modern Stories


I can deconstruct the text for the ways it highlights social values.

I can compare Beowulf to modern stories.

1.2 Standards:

1.3.11-12.B: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences and conclusions based on and related to an author’s implicit and explicit assumptions and beliefs.



Ask students to recall what we read last time by drawing a picture and explaining it with several sentences. They don’t need to demonstrate their artistic ability, stick figures are fine for this. Have students share their drawings and explanations with their group members.

Procedures:

After the anticipatory set, begin reading the next portion of Beowulf (sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). While the text is being read aloud, have students look for pieces of the text that reflect the Anglo-Saxon values we have previously established. They need to locate and explain three pieces that reflect these values.

After finishing reading section 7, give students a few minutes to finish explaining the pieces they picked out. Then, have students discuss amongst themselves which parts they identified and why they picked them, explaining that it is important to discuss these because other people surely picked out different parts of the text.

Afterwards, pass out the handout “The Epic and the Epic Hero.” Read through the handout together as a class.

Have students come up with as many modern examples of stories that satisfy the requirements set forth on the handout. Discuss the ones they chose together as a class, encouraging them to explain the reasons why they meet the requirements.


The notes are provided for students so that they don’t need to spend the time writing them down and can engage more actively in the application of the material. Students are asked to compare Beowulf to examples from their own knowledge base, which I feel is particularly suited to students of mixed ability levels as the complexity of that comparison is self-driven.

1.6 Closure:

Exit ticket: What social values do you see in both Beowulf and the modern example you talked about?


Formative assessment built in throughout the lesson in the form of discussion. Additionally, the exit ticket will be collected to better assess student understanding.

1.8 Materials / Equipment: Beowulf texts “The Epic and the Epic Hero” handout Exit ticket

1.9 Technology: Projector and laptop OR whiteboard and markers to display information


In keeping with the theme of analyzing a text for the ways in which it comments on the value system of society, I wanted students to be able to think about this while they were reading the text. I thought that a short writing assignment while reading and discussion afterwards would do well in achieving this.


This lesson went alright. Students were engaged in the reading and selection of parts, but appeared slightly disinterested when discussing them with their neighbors and when going through the notes on the epic and the epic hero. When we started talking about modern examples of the story of Beowulf however, students began to get excited and I noticed the noise level in the room jump drastically. They really enjoyed comparing this “dated” text to books and movies that they enjoyed in their own lives. When teaching this again in the future I would focus more heavily on the modern comparison portion.

Lesson Title: The Archetypal Hero’s Journey


I can describe the Hero’s Journey Model and identify modern examples of it.

1.2 Standards:


1.3.11-12.E: Evaluate the structure of texts including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the texts relate to each other and the whole.


Journal Prompt: What do the following stories have in common? Harry Potter, Star Wars, Beowulf, and the Lion King.

Once students have finished writing, have them discuss their responses. Guide discussion to the story structure.

“These stories, while very different from each other, all follow a structure known as the ‘Hero’s Journey.’ There are a ton of stories that follow this structure.”

1.4 Procedures:

Pass out the “Hero’s Journey” informational packet. Have students pick a partner and then read through the description of each stage of the journey, finding an example of it in Beowulf. Have students write down a specific line number that you can reference to explain how the stage of the journey is shown. When students are finished with this, go through each stage of the journey as a whole class and share the examples for each stage.

Afterwards, have students fill out the steps of the journey for a modern example of their choosing. Ask for some volunteers to share their responses for this.


Students apply the stages of the Hero’s Journey to Beowulf in pairs. Thus, students are able to help each other come to a better understanding of the material. While students are working on comparing Beowulf to other texts and while they are finding examples from Beowulf itself, I’m free to go around and provide more focused attention to those students that might need it.

1.6 Closure:

Students will hand in their completed outlines of the Hero’s Journey as seen in a modern example of their choosing.


The closure activity will be handed in to ensure that all students are at a similar understanding in regards to how the Hero’s Journey applies to numerous modern texts. Additional checks for understanding achieved through class discussion.

1.8 Materials / Equipment: Hero’s Journey description packet Journals or otherwise blank paper

1.9 Technology: None necessary although helpful to display instructions


This lesson is intended to show students how Beowulf is still completely relevant to them. This text is arguably the oldest English texts and yet so many modern stories follow a very similar story structure. In understanding this, students can hopefully begin to critically analyze other texts in their lives for their potential influences.


This lesson was received quite well. Students were surprised to find out that everything from A Bug’s Life to the SpongeBob movie followed very similar story structures to Beowulf. During the group activities, some of the discussion got out of hand but I believe that was simply because students were excited to talk about their favorite movies and shows. When it came to discuss their responses, students had a hard time settling back down, but their levels of excitement made for a rather provoking discussion of the modern examples.

Lesson Title: In class writing: Mulan and the 4 Pillars of Critical Analysis

(This lesson takes place after the students watch the movie in and complete an assignment in class)


I can identify the ways in which a text comments on the values of the society it depicts.

I can use evidence to support both my writing and my thinking.

1.2 Standards:

1.4.11-12.Q: Write with an awareness of the stylistic aspects of composition.

1.4.11-12.R: Demonstrate a grade appropriate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.




Pose the following discussion question for students to discuss in their groups: What did Mulan’s society value? How does Mulan reflect or challenge those values? Call on one person per table group to report out the things that they talked about.

1.4 Procedures:

Introduce the essay prompt. Encourage students to use the graphic organize provided to help organize their thinking and writing. The rest of the time is theirs to complete their writing.


The prompt handout includes a graphic organizer to help scaffold the assignment. Additionally, I am able to help out any students that may be struggling with their writing.

1.6 Closure:

Students will turn in their essays.


This assessment serves both formative and summative purposes. This will be graded according to the level of understanding that the students demonstrate, but it will also serve as a diagnostic tool for me to better assess if students are prepared to complete the unit assessment.

1.8 Materials / Equipment:

Essay prompt handout Blank paper Extra pencils

1.9 Technology: No technology needed, but this lesson uses the capability to have shown Mulan in class

as a pre-requisite.


When speaking about text analysis, it is important to note that the word text implies a large variety of different mediums. In fact, anything that is the subject of analysis is a text. In their lives outside of high school, students won’t always be attempting to analyze a piece of literature. Instead, they can use the techniques and skills that they have been working on to deconstruct things like movies or advertisements for their meanings. I wanted to give students an opportunity to practice these skills on a movie while also providing practice for the unit assessment that they would soon be completing.


Very few students enjoy writing essays in class, and that was clearly evident when they came into the room and noticed the blank paper on all of their desks. When they realized they were going to be writing about Mulan they perked up a little bit as they all really enjoyed watching and discussing the movie. Despite their initially negative attitudes, the students were engaged with the writing for the entire class and their responses were actually quite good. If I were to teaching this unit again I would most certainly include this assignment again. I also believe that the higher stress situation of having a timer helps in getting students prepared for their lives outside of the secondary classroom.

Constructed Response: Mulan

Construct an organized essay with a beginning, a middle, and an end that answers the following question:

How does the film Mulan comment on or challenge the values of the society in which the movie is set? Include specific examples from the movie to support your claims.

Feel free to use the graphic organizer below to help organize your thoughts.

Intro (answer the prompt):

Reason #1:

Example:

Reason #2

Example:

Conclusion (rephrase your answer to the prompt, restate your points):

Lesson Title: Writing Workshop


I can grow as a writer through the writing process: pre-writing, writing, and re-writing.

1.2 Standards:


1.5.11-12.A: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade‐level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

1.5.11-12.G: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English when speaking based on Grades 11-12 level and content.


Greet the students.

Students should begin working on their stories immediately, without much introduction besides reading the target to them. After the 20 minute timer expires, I will go over the instructions for the peer workshop with them.

1.4 Procedures:

“Before you break into pairs, I just want to go over the directions for the peer editing.

First, you need to share your essays with each other through google docs.

Decide who will go first, pull that persons essay up on both computers. The author will read their essay out loud after introducing their prompt.

While they are reading their partner will assess their story using the common core rubric for narrative writing.

Finally, share your thoughts. This should take about 10-12 minutes, and then we will switch and the other person will read their essay.

Make sure your partner receives the peer edit form that you filled out.”

Walk around while students are workshopping and provide assistance where needed.


If a student does not feel comfortable reading their paper out loud, their partner can do so for them. Since most of this lesson is student driven, the teacher is free to walk around the room and provide more direct assistance where needed.

1.6 Closure:

Journal prompt: Explain two things you learned about your writing through your participation in this workshop.


Formative assessment built in throughout the lesson. The teacher can walk the room and listen in to see how students are handling both the individual writing and the writing workshop activity.

1.8 Materials / Equipment: Power point presentation to display instructions Peer editing form Student journals

1.9 Technology: Laptop + Projector


Writing well is one of the most important skills that students can gain through their secondary education. In my own high school experience, there was very little authentic writing that took place. I wanted students to be able to engage actively in conversations both about their own writing and that of their peers. To do so, I decided to structure this workshop in a very conversational manner.


This lesson was one of my most successful ones to date. The conversations I heard amongst students were extremely productive. They were engaged and talking about higher order concerns such as organization and focus. They weren’t eager to read their writing out loud, but I asked them afterwards how they felt about it and they almost all agreed that it was very beneficial to do so. They all left with a peer editing form completed by their partner and as a result, the grades for the assignment they were workshopping were quite good.

Name of Editor: Name of Writer:

Peer Editing Form

1. Does the writer do a good job of addressing the prompt? Why / why not?

2. List some details that enrich the narrative. Where could more detail be added?

3. Does the essay flow in a logical manner? Identify one transition that could be improved and offer a suggestion for a new one.

4. Is there any fluff? In other words, is there anything you could cut out entirely without hurting the paper?

What is something that the writer did well?

What is one area in which the writer could improve?

Documents

Beowulf Unit - Final