Decision Making Thematic Unit

EING 4006

Dr. D. Rodríguez Carrasquillo

Thematic Unit:

Decision Making

María Edith Jordán Gómez

842-07-3993

May 10, 2012

University of Puerto Rico-Humacao

English Department: Teacher Education Unit

Day One:

Standards/Expectations:

L/S.8.3 Uses appropriate language structure to interact in discussions and presentations, to

problem solve, explain a process, and express opinions integrating comparison and contrast

statements to interact in discussions and presentations.

W.8.1 Combines sentences and ideas using simple transitional phrases; applies commas and

colons to correctly punctuate sentences; identifies phrases and clauses; applies phrases in writing

to construct complex sentences.

Topic/Theme:

Decision Making/Identity

All our decisions have consequences, good or bad, but they all form us into who we are.

Objectives:

After completing a web organizer of the words: decision and consequence,

Students will be able to define decision and consequence.

Students will be able to express one example of a good/bad decision and its consequence.

Procedure:

Initial: (10 mins)

Students collectively create a web diagram of the words decision and consequence on the

board.

Developmental: (20mins)

In groups of three, students will answer the following questions in their notebooks using

the web diagram,:

1. What are decisions?

2. Do you make decisions?

3. What type of decisions do you make on a daily basis?

4. What are consequences?

5. Give one example of a consequence of a good decision, and one of a bad decision you

have seen in a movie.

The class will come up with a functional definition for decision and consequence.

10 Students will share their examples of good and bad decisions they have seen in movies

and their consequences

Decision

Consequence

Consequence

Sample definitions:

1. Decision: n. Process used to make up one’s mind; final choice

2. Consequences: n. Results; outcomes of decisions

Closing: (20mins)

Students will answer these questions out loud.

How do we make decisions?

Sample Answer: We make decisions based on our values, on what we know is right and

wrong, on what we feel at the moment, on hings we were taught by our family, friends,

teachers, and ourselves (our experience)….

What are some examples of values:

Honesty

Responsibility

Politeness

Respect

Acceptance……

Evaluation:

Students’ answers to the initial questions.

D/C/L/ST:

Diversity and Leadership: In groups, students will learn to work together to combine different

ideas and work as leaders to achieve their goal.

Social Transformation: Exploring values and their importance in decision making.

Method/ Teaching Strategy:

Functional Notional Approach- the class is based on social issues that are relevant and

meaningful to the students.

Day Two :

Standards:




Theme: Decision Making/Identity

Objectives: After studying decisions and consequences, students will be able to write a one

paragraph narrative about a time in their lives when they had to make a decision and the

consequences that followed.

Procedure:

Initial: (5 mins) As a continuation and review of last class,

Students who didn’t share their examples of good/bad decisions and their consequences they

have seen in movies, will share them.

Developmental: (25 min)

In groups of two, students will complete a worksheet on decision making. (Lesson 11 pdf. P.8)

Afterwards, the worksheet will be discussed out loud

Closing: (20 min)

Individually, students will select one situation from the worksheet they identify most with and

write a paragraph, using this rubric:

Evaluation: Paragraphs

D/C/L/ST:

Diversity: students will learn about different scenarios of decision making.

Social Transformation: They will judge why these decisions were good or bad and what value

was used or missing. They will reflect upon their own decision making (one example).

Method/Teaching Strategies:

Language Experience Approach-Students create their own materials based on their own

experiences that are relevant and meaningful to them.

Cooperative learning- students work together with a common task to complete.

Paragraph Rubric 2 points 1 point Needs

Improvement

1. Narrates a

personal anecdote

that includes a

decision that was

made and its

consequences

(good or bad).

The information is

relevant and real.

(not made up).

Many parts seem

“made up”.

The information was

not a personal

anecdote.

2. Topic sentence Introduces the topic

of the paragraph.

Topic sentence is

used, but does not

introduce the topic.

No topic sentence.

3. Supporting

sentences

Includes many

relevant details that

help in

understanding the

decision

Includes few

relevant details that

help in

understanding the

decision.

Not enough

supporting details in

sentences. The point

does not come

across.

4. Conclusion

sentence

Includes if the

decision was wrong

or right and why.

Simply ends the

story without a

reflection of why the

decision was wrong

or right and why.

No clear ending to

the paragraph.

5. Grammar and

punctuation

Few to no errors

found in the

paragraph

Several errors found

in the paragraph.

Errors make the

paragraph

unreadable

Day Three:

Standards:




L/S.8.3 Uses appropriate language structure to interact in discussions and presentations, to

problem solve, explain a process, and express opinions integrating comparison and contrast

statements to interact in discussions and presentations.


Objectives: After studying each other’s decisions and consequences, students will be able to

identify at least one quality that describes that person based on his/her decision.

Procedure:

Initial: (15 mins)

Choosing different partners, students will peer review each other’s paragraphs and give each

other a grade, using the rubric.


Students will correct their paragraphs

Closing and: (25 mins)

Students will share their paragraphs with the class.

Evaluation:

Students will fill out a handout as they hear their classmates’ paragraphs

D/C/L/ST:

Diversity/Social Transformation- Students will learn about each other’s lives throughout these

paragraphs, this entitles a lot of respect and understanding on their behalves.

Leadership- They will command the classroom’s attention when sharing their paragraphs.

Method/Teaching Strategy:

Language Experience Approach: Materials are learner generated.

Day Four:

Standards/ Expectations

L/S.8.5 Explains the main idea or topic and important details from learned concepts or read

alouds of a variety of expository texts, and applies sequence of events to clarify, discuss, and

summarize a topic from a variety of texts.

R.8.3 Distinguishes main from supporting characters, compares and contrasts characters traits,

and explains setting in fiction and nonfiction; distinguishes between first and second person

point of view.




Topic/Theme:

Decision Making/Identity

Objective:

After reading the short story “The Princess and the Tin Box” by James Thurber:

Students will be able to write five qualities that identify the princess.

Theme Objective:

Students will identify the princess’ decision and infer two possible consequences.

Students will write in what ways the princess’ decisions define her identity.

Procedure:

Initial: (20 minutes)

Students will listen to the story being read by the teacher with dimmed lights and soft

music. They should close their eyes and picture what they hear.

As a group, students will take turns reading the story: “The Princess and the Tin Box” by

James Thurber

Developmental: (5 minutes)

Orally, students will share their opinion of the story.

Closing (25 minutes)

In small groups, students will complete the worksheet.

Evaluation:

Worksheet

D/C/L/ST:

Creativity: students will draw their perception of the princess before and after her decision

and they will create their own alternate ending to the story.

Social Transformation: Students will understand the effect our decisions have on our

identity, and how ultimately the decision is ours.

Methodology/Teaching Strategy:

Suggestopedia: Use of music for reading, macro and micro group activities.

Day Five:

Standards: W.8.1 Combines sentences and ideas using simple transitional phrases; applies

commas and colons to correctly punctuate sentences; identifies phrases and clauses; applies

phrases in writing to construct complex sentences.

Objectives: After reading the story, “The Princess and the Tin Box” by James Thurber, Students

will be able to write a one

page alternate ending to

the story.

Theme: Decision Making

and its effect on identity.

Procedure: Initial: (5 min)

Students will review the

story out loud.


Students will write their alternate ending to the story using a checklist.

Closing: (20 min)

Students will add art work to their stories to publish in

the classroom bulletin board.

Evaluation:

Story endings and checklist

Homework:

Students will read the first two pages of the short

story: “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst.

D/C/L/ST:

Creativity: students will write their own alternate ending and illustrate it.

Social Transformation: Students will understand the effect our decisions have on our identity,

and how ultimately the decision is ours.

Alternate Ending Checklist

1. I wrote a one page alternate ending.

2. I included the decision I would have made.

3. I included the consequences (good or bad).

4. I used correct grammar and punctuation.

What was it like writing your own alternate ending? Which of your qualities

did you give the Princess/Prince and Why.

Methodology/Teaching Strategy:

Language Experience Approach- Students will create their own learning materials.

Day Six:


R.8.4 Sorts and organizes relevant events, states cause and effect, makes connections,

predictions, and inferences, determines problem and solution, and draws conclusions in

narrative, expository, and persuasive texts.




Objectives:

After reading “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst,

Students will be able to organize 5 relevant events of the story.

Procedure:

Initial: (20 min)

As a group, students will finish reading “The Scarlet Ibis”

Then, they will express their opinion about the story and describe how they felt about the

ending.


In groups of three, students will organize at least five main events of the story.

The class will organize at least five events on the board; each smaller group will provide

one event in chronological order.

Closing: (10 mins)

Students will write a one paragraph summary for the story.

Evaluation:

Paragraph

D/C/L/ST:

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst

1. Doodle was born when the narrator, his older brother, was seven year old. Everyone though he was going

to die.

2. The narrator and Doodle spent a lot of time together. He took Doodle everywhere he went.

3. When the narrator turned 13 he was embarrassed that his brother (5 years) couldn’t walk, so he slowly

taught him how. No one could believe it. Afterwards, he began to teach him to run and swim because he

felt guilty that he taught him to walk for selfish reasons.

4. It was almost August when a Scarlet Ibis flew to their tree and died. Doodle said he would bury the bird.

5. The boys went to Horsehead Landing for Doodle’s swimming lessons, but shortly after a storm arrived.

The narrator went running so fast that he left poor, weak Doodle behind. When he could no longer hear

Doodle’s voice, he stopped to wait for him. He went back, and found him sitting dead on the ground.

Diversity and Leadership: Working in groups helps develop leadership skills, as well as learning

to work with others with acceptance and respect for their diverse opinions.

Method/Teaching Strategy Used:

Balanced Literacy- In this class they go through a reading and writing process to understand the

meaning of the text.

Day Seven:


R.8.4 Sorts and organizes relevant events, states cause and effect, makes connections,

predictions, and inferences, determines problem and solution, and draws conclusions in

narrative, expository, and persuasive texts.

Objectives: After studying cause and effect, students will be able to write five causes/effects of the story

“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst.

Theme: Decision Making/ Identity

Procedures:

Initial: (10 mins)

Students will be asked to compare cause and effect to decision and consequence.

Connection to be made:

Decision is the cause and consequence is the effect.

Developmental: (15 mins)

Students will complete the cause and effect worksheet in groups of three.

As a group, students will read their answers to verify they are correct.

Closing/ Evaluation: (25 mins)

Using their story summaries, Students will write down 6 causes and effects for the story: “The

Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst in partners. Each student will come up with three causes that their

partner will have to write the effects of.

D/C/L/ST:

Leadership and Diversity- Working in groups helps develop leadership skills, as well as

learning to live in society- respecting others opinions.

Social transformation- They will understand that all decisions have consequences.

Methods/Teaching Strategies: Balanced Literacy- Uses text to create meaning.

Day Eight:


R.8.3 Distinguishes main from supporting characters, compares and contrasts characters traits,

and explains setting in fiction and nonfiction; distinguishes between first and second person

point of view.




Objectives: After studying cause and effect in “The Scarlet Ibis”, students will be able to write a

paragraph and draw a picture of an analysis one character’s decisions and consequences to infer

qualities about that character.

Theme: Decision Making/ Identity

Procedures:

Initial: (10 min)

Partners will share with the rest of the class one of the causes/effects they selected from the

story.


Using the Cause and Effect chart and the summaries, students will select one character, the

narrator or Doodle to analyze one their decisions and consequences and infer what qualities they

possess or learned based on each decision.

Closing: (10 min)

After writing their paragraphs, students will draw the character before and after the decision they

chose to portray in a picture.

Evaluation:

Paragraph and drawings. These will also be posted on the classroom bulletin board.

D/C/L/ST:

Creativity: Making their thoughts into drawings.

Social Transformation: Learning about decisions and consequences.

Methods/Teaching Strategies:

Language Experience Approach- Using their own materials for education.

Day Nine:

Standards:

W.8.3 Applies organizational patterns and the elements of descriptive, narrative, and expository

forms to construct a three-paragraph composition.

Objectives:

After studying decisions and consequences and their effect on identity and after studying

narrative essay parts, students will be able to write a short essay by selecting a decision they have

made that had been most influential in their identity.

Theme: Decision Making/ identity

Procedures:

Initial: (10 min)

Together students will create an outline for the narrative essay on the board (specifying parts)


Students will fill out their outlines with a personal anecdote about a decision they have made that

had been most influential in their identity.

Closing: (10 min)

Students will begin to write their essays.

Evaluation:

Outlines and Essays.

Homework: Finish writing essays; create a photo collage about the narrative essay.

D/C/L/ST:

Social Transformation: Students will reflect upon their own lives to see how an important

decision they have made has created a quality in them that has formed part of their identity.

Methods/Teaching Strategies:

Language Experience Approach- Creating their own learning material.

Day Ten:

Standards/Expectation:

L/S.8.1 Listens and responds during a read aloud from a variety of fiction and nonfiction to

comprehend, generalize, relate to character and setting, identify tone, voice, and mood; makes

connections to text.

Objectives:

After writing their narrative essays, students will read aloud their essays and share their photo

collages with the class.


Procedures:

Initial: (5 min)

Students will study the rubric to grade their classmates.


Students will read their essays and share their photo collages.

Closing: (5min)

Students will tape their works on the class bulletin board.

Evaluations:

Essays, Photo Collages, Rubrics.

D/C/L/ST:

Creativity: Students will create a photo collage representing their narrative essays.

Social Transformation: Students will reflect upon their own lives to see how an important

decision they have made has created a quality in them that has formed part of their identity.

Diversity: learn to respect their classmates’ different opinions and lives.

Leadership: students will develop skills for expressing themselves in front of a group.

Methods/Techniques used:

Language Experience Approach- Creating their own learning material.

Documents

Decision Making Thematic Unit