What defines a generation?Disillusion and Discontent in the Modernist Era

A unit plan by Stephanie Watson

Context:Grade: 11Subject: American LiteratureSetting: fairly rural, mostly Caucasian Class size: range of 25-30 studentsAccess to technology: The teacher has access to either a computer lab or lap top cart plus two computers in the classroom. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy used for all objectives

Students’ background/skills and previous units of study:The students have recently finished a unit called “What is an American?” which focused

on American literature from 1850 to 1914 and covered literature from the civil war, immigration, and the industrial revolution. As a summative assessment in the previous unit, the students created a first person fictional narrative of a person living in American during the turn of the century who attained “the American dream.” The next unit will play on that same phrase, showing the disillusion, defiance, and discontent that many felt after WWI when, for many, the American dream seemed to have been lost. The unit is titled “What defines a generation?” because it attempts to explore the way in which the tragedies, losses, concerns, and beliefs of young people often define the way a generation is remembered. The loss of the American dream is one part of this unit, but I wanted the unit to have a bigger scope than the experiences of one generation. The unit strives to give students a way to look at their own generation’s defining feature as they compare themselves to the post-WWI expatriates that Gertrude Stein named the “lost generation.”

In previous units this year’s students have completed summative assessments that tested various research, writing, and speaking skills. The first unit the class completed tested their research and persuasive writing skills through the creation of a persuasive essay incorporating three sources and arguing one side of a current political or social issue. The texts for this unit included nonfiction texts from the beginning of our nation’s history (Declaration of Independence, “Speech in the Virginia Convention,” etc). The second unit summatively assessed their speaking skills through the creation a book-talk podcast about a modern work of gothic fiction. The third unit included a summative assessment of their creative writing skills through the creation of a fictional narrative of someone attaining the American dream. Most students did well on the assessments, but a few struggling writers did seem to be a little left behind. Both formative and summative assessments from previous units indicated that my students needed to have more practice with the research and persuasive writing than any other writing assignment we’ve done this year. This summative assessment for this unit, then, will revisit the research and persuasive writing process so that students have a second chance to build and improve upon those skills. They will be taking their original persuasive writing research paper and adding to it to show how the social/political issue they researched is or is not a defining question or issue of their generation. My hope is that by the end of the unit they will not only understand and be able to apply the themes found in the readings in the unit, but that they

will also be able to better read and pull crucial information from nonfiction writing through the summative assessment. The summative assessment works as a nice transition from this unit to the next because reading and understanding nonfiction will be a skill addressed even more fully in the next unit.

This unit will be followed by a unit on literature from the American civil rights era and will focus on understanding how symbols take root in our society and how they are used in literature. The essential questions from each unit build upon one another and are addressed throughout the year. For example, this next unit will address the questions, “What is an American” and “What defines a generation?” while adding the question, “How do symbols have power?” Each of these questions plays an integral role in defining our identities as Americans as and addresses critical themes found in American literature.

______________________________________________________________________________

Essential question for the unit: What defines a generation?______________________________________________________________________________Unit Objectives:

1. The student will understand characteristics of the Lost Generation (Summative assessment: Lesson 11). 2. The student will analyze connections between the Lost Generation and their own generation’s identity, beliefs, and concerns. (Formative assessment: Lesson 1, Summative assessment: Lesson 11)3. The student will understand the literary and political events preceding and surrounding the literature of the Lost Generation and parts of Hemingway’s biography through the creation of a class wiki page. (Formative assessment: Lesson 2, Summative assessment: Lesson 11)4. The student will evaluate whether or not “the hero is dead” and articulate their views in a class wiki. (Formative assessment: Lesson 2)5. The student will apply technology to research historic and biographical information.6. The student will analyze the literary elements in The Sun Also Rises that support Hemingway’s principal of the iceberg. (Summative Assessment: Lesson 11)7. The student will create a short descriptive piece using the principal of the iceberg. (Formative assessment: Lesson 5)8. The student will apply the full range of research-based comprehension strategies to perform close readings, literary analyses, and interpretations of texts. (Summative Assessment: Lesson 11.) 9. The student will analyze and evaluate complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content through reflective and informative writing. (Summative Assessment: Lesson 11) 10. The student will more fully understand the writing process through planning, revising, editing, rewriting. (Summative assessment: Lesson 11)11. The student will apply the rules of MLA documentation (Summative assessment: Lesson 11)12. The student will understand and analyze major characters, themes, symbols, and events in The Sun Also Rises. (Summative assessment: Lesson 11) ______________________________________________________________________________Unit Goals:

The overarching goal for this unit is for students to become familiar with a literary and artistic period that marked an incredible change in our world. Every generation of young people faces the challenge of making sense of a world different than the one in which their parents grew up. The lost generation, in particular, faced questions that are incredibly similar to ones our young people face today. I want students to find the similarities and differences between themselves and this generation and then form their own idea of what questions and beliefs are important to their generation. Goals related to skills for this journal cover a fairly wide range. Students will be working on persuasive writing and research skills as well as skills related to being a close reader of a text such as identifying literary elements in a text. Students will also be asked to use technology efficiently at various times in the unit and it is my hope that by the end of the unit they will be able to so without much help from the teacher. ______________________________________________________________________________Alignment with ICC:

General Literacy Standards for 11th-12th grade:3) Demonstrate understanding that the meaning of literary texts applies to their own lives, i.e. literature itself, since it is representation of human action, is a means of understanding the human condition. 4) Demonstrate understanding that discovering what the text means involves analysis of literary elements (tone, diction, detail, structure, syntax, purpose, character, plot, setting, etc.), which then becomes the “evidence” to support persuasive arguments about that text.

Reading Standards for Literature for 11th-12th grade:1. Cite strong evidence and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. IA.1 Employ the full range of research-based comprehension strategies, including making connections, determining importance, questioning, visualizing, making inferences, summarizing, and monitoring for comprehension. 6. Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement). 9. Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.Writing Standards for 11th -12th grade:2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 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.

Speaking and Listening Standards for 11th-12th grade:

1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-one-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear an distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

Language Standards for 11th-12th grade:4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meaning.

21st century skills for 9th-12th grade: 1. Demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.

o Students design, develop, create, and/or test self-generated digital learning objects that are accessible by as many users as possible, and demonstrate knowledge and skills related to curriculum content.

Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

o Students individually or collaboratively create media-rich products to be displayed, published, or performed for a variety of audiences.

3. Apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information______________________________________________________________________________Materials/media/technology:Computer lab or laptop cart will be used periodically throughout the unitTeacher access to projector and projector screenEach student should have a copy of The Sun Also Rises Poems and short stories will be provided by the teacher if not in the school issued textbookStudents will need to have access to a computer outside of class (study hall, after or before school in library, etc.) to work on persuasive research paperMagazines and newspapers for lesson 1Scissors, paper, markers, staplers, and glue for lesson 1Ancillary books and materials related to unit:

A Moveable Feast, Ernest HemingwayThe Garden of Eden, Ernest HemingwayOn Paris, a collection of news articles and letters by Ernest HemingwayFarewell to Arms, Ernest HemingwayHemingway, The Paris Years, by Michael ReynoldsThe Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Ezra Pound: Poems and Translations, by Ezra PoundModernism: The Lure of Heresy, by Peter GayModernisms: A Literary Guide, by Peter NichollsAnything Goes: A Biography of the Roaring Twenties, by Lucy MooreThe Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s, byLynn DumenilFashions of the Roaring '20s, by Ellie LaubnerThe Damned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920s, by Paula S. FassNew World Coming: The 1920s And The Making Of Modern America, by Nathan MillerThe Anatomy of Courage: The Classic WWI Study of the Psychological Effects of War, byLord MoranWar on the Western Front: In the Trenches of WWI, by Gary SheffieldGrown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World, by Don TapscottGrowing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation, Don Tapscott

______________________________________________________________________________Community Resources:As this unit points out, art and literature both influence and record the identity and ideals of a generation. Edward Hopper was an American realist painter during the modernist era whose personal vision of modern American life often depicted his generation’s sense of loss, disconnect, and internal struggle. The Des Moines Art Center owns a famous Edward Hopper painting titled Automat that would be a great piece of art for students to practice ‘reading’ images with. A field trip to see the picture in person and then reflect on the message or sentiment Hopper presents would be an ideal enrichment lesson for this unit. If a field trip was not possible, student could still look at the picture from the Art Center’s website and perform a close reading of the painting in class. ______________________________________________________________________________Lesson 1, day 1:

Expanded lessonI. PlanningGrade _11th _ Teacher __Stephanie Watson___Subject English Unit __What defines a generation? __ Topic _What defines a generation? What defined the Lost Generation?

Scenario/Topic: This lesson will introduce and help students explore the essential question for the unit. I want to make sure that I grab the students’ attention by immediately pointing out the material relates to their lives. I also want to deeply explore the essential question so that the unit is framed with the bigger picture in mind. The lesson will include discussion and activities on what defines a generation, what defined the Lost Generation, representative figures from that generation, and how can they take those defining features and apply them to their own generation’s identity.

A. ObjectivesCognitive The student will remember how historical and cultural events can shape the identity of a generation.The student will understand characteristics of the post-WWI “Lost Generation”

The student will understand generation shaping events and figures of their own age.The student will work collaboratively to choose (evaluate) a name that defines their generation.

Goals for the lesson: My overarching goal for this lesson is to show students how much they may have

in common with the characters in the novel and short story we will be reading. I want them to understand why this unit is relevant to them by starting the unit with an activity in which they will personally be invested.

B. Which of these instructional techniques/tools do you plan to use?lecture __X__ questioning __X__ testing/quizzing _____projects __X_ guided practice __X__ individual inst _____review _____ reading _____ media _____group discussion __X__ class discussion __X__ other __X_

C. What preparation materials will the student be using? (all material for this lesson except a writing utensil will be provided by the teacher):Timeline graphic organizer Magazines and newspapersAccess to computers and printers—the assumption is that the teacher has a few computers in the classroom or can bring a laptop cart in—there would not be time to go to a computer lab. If computers are unavailable the magazines and newspapers should work just fine. ScissorsStaplersMarkers/pensTyping or construction paperStick glue

D. Various Pedagogical Considerations

1. Academic Abilitya. What is the range of academic ability that exists in the class?Most students are average or above average ability, but the students who do have special needs have had accommodation and modifications in place since the beginning of the year. Those accommodation and modifications will apply throughout this unit. b. What individual bits of expertise might certain students have? While the classes are not incredibly ethnically diverse, some students will have differing views on what defines their generation. This will definitely be an issue I will tap into as we read through The Sun Also Rises since the novel really only depicts the lives of upper class whites. We will discuss how the experiences of this limited group of people have become ‘representative’ of that time and whether or not students feel that these experiences are an accurate representation of that generation. Some students will have

more historic knowledge to offer while other will have information on art and literature to share. c. How will I allow for this range of academic ability, e.g. cooperative learning, individualization, etc.?I will have the students work in groups of 4-5 to analyze what defines their generation. They will also be working collaboratively on the class bulletin board. I will be circulating around the room throughout the lesson to provide any needed individual instruction. d. Community. How might the community (or context) provide resources for this lesson? The Des Moines Art Center will be a good resource for information on how art can reflect and define a generation. The Art Center will probably also have information on current trends in art and how they reflect the ideology of the present generation. d. How can I carry out and capitalize on formative assessment?I will be using group and class discussion as the large portion of my formative assessment. Each student will also be required to come up with at least one generation-defining picture for the bulletin board and an explanation of why they chose that picture. See formative assessment below for more information.

4. The major stimuli/activities and guided practice 1. Teacher draws 9 columns on the board labeled 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s. As a class, students will brainstorm characteristics of each of the generations that came into adulthood during those decades and major events or people that stand out from that time (Hippies led to Yuppies led to Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Next.) Student will record the brainstorming session on a graphic organizer timeline.

2. The teacher will then focus in on the 1920s and the period leading up to that time. The teacher will introduce students to the phrase “ Lost Generation” and explain to them why Hemingway’s generation was called lost. The teacher will explain that the phrase “ Lost Generation” referred to American youth who came to adulthood during World War I. Their experience in the war alienated them from t heir parents’ values and left them directionless. The war caused these young people to become cynical and to search for values to replace the ones they had been taught. In their “search for values” they lived recklessly—drinking, fast driving, jumping in and out of relationships, listening to jazz. (Auxiliary material such as American literature and history textbooks will contain information about the Lost Generation for students to read. They will be available throughout the unit.)

3. The teacher will outline major events, artists, and notable people that have become known as representatives of that time. Examples include an overview of WWI, rebellious fashions, prohibition, major Jazz musicians Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, and other expatriate writers, etc.

3. The teacher will ask students to take 2 minutes and do a quick write that outlines what types of things (idea, people, events, etc.) the student believes would define his generation. Students should think about the things that their generation seems to care the most about and how the way they live their lives reflects that. After two minutes students should share their answers in groups and then decide as a group on a name that could represent their generation. They should consider

the names the press and media have given their generation already and decide whether those ideas are accurate. The class should vote on the name that best represents their generation. They should be able to explain why the name they’ve picked represents their age.

3. Next, the teacher should talk about the way in which art and literature both influence and reflect the ideologies, beliefs, and concerns of a generation. In the 1920s, for example, many young artists and writers of the Lost Generation made Paris their home and there they created a generation-defining art scene. Hemingway was part of this group of artists and writers: some were his mentors, some were his friends, and some became his enemies. Think, pair, share: Ask students to think about where the generation-defining art scene is happening for their own generation. Have students think about the writers, artists, and musicians of their generation who they will look back on fifty years from now as generation-defining. Where do these writers and artists live?

4. Teacher explains final activity: Students will now look through newspapers, magazines, and the Internet to find images of historical and cultural events or people that have shaped their generation. They will be using these images to create a class bulletin board of pictures and phrases that define their generation. Each class will also get to display the name they have chosen for the generation on the bulletin board.

6. I will provide feedback and formative/summative assessment:I will provide feedback/formative/summative assessment throughout the lesson during discussion and while walking around listening to the groups discuss. The last part of the lesson has students contribute 1 picture to be put on the bulletin board. If the bulletin board is not big enough, each group should pick one picture but each student should still do the project and turn in their explanation for a formative assessment. Students should then write labels for each of the images they display.They should explain: • what or who is depicted in the image• when the event happened• why or how the event or person helped shape their generation

This assessment is both formative and summative because students will receive a grade for it, but it will also help the teacher know if they understood the concepts presented today and whether she needs to recap any information tomorrow.

Possible extension:If students finish early they can create images that they predict will shape their generation in the future. These images should have the same kinds of labels as the real ones. Homework: read chapters 1-3 of The Sun Also Rises

7. I will bring the lesson to closure by…(how will I wrap things up so there is a sense of completeness about the lesson, e.g. reiterating main points, linking to the larger unit, etc?) In the last 5 minutes of class the teacher will review the generation defining pictures and statements that the students posted on the bulletin board. The teacher will ask students to think

about any similarities or major differences that can be seen between the Lost Generation and the students’ generation. The teacher will also discuss the reading and vocabulary log that students are expected to keep throughout the unit.

6. I will provide feedback/formative assessment about students’ new understandings or skills by…(key things to remember: comments and correctives are prompt, precise, and equitable; making yourself readily available to students during seatwork and projects)I will provide feedback/formative assessment throughout the lesson during discussion and while walking around listening to the groups discuss. I will also be formatively and summatively assessing each student by having them choose a picture that reflects their generation and writing a short explanation about why they chose that picture. See formative/summative assessment in ‘activities’ section for more explanation.

7. I will address the needs of atypical learners by…Because this is a fairly straightforward introductory lesson that is useful and necessary but not incredibly cognitively challenging I do not expect it to be inaccessible to any students. Students with IEPs for physical, mental, or behavioral disabilities will be given the accommodation outlined in their learning plans. Students who need more concrete directives during the activity will be given a checklist of how to move through the part of the lesson where they independently find pictures defining their generation. The teacher will also be present and circulating the room throughout the lesson to clear up any confusion and help students stay on task.

III. Explication/reflection

1. Why do you think your methodology fits well with the objective and content of this lesson? (Research basis here)

My research basis for this lesson comes from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s (2001) book titled Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. This lesson utilizes cooperative learning (p. 84) by having students complete most of the activities in groups. It utilizes nonlinguistic representations by having students fill out a graphic organizer as we talk about generation defining characteristics (p. 72) as well as identifying similarities and differences (p. 13) by having students compare their generation to the Lost Generation. I will be reinforcing effort and providing recognition by have students put their work on the bulletin board and talking about the vision the class creates with them. I will be providing cues and effective questioning (p. 111) throughout the early part of the lesson as I help students activate what they already know about generation-defining characteristics.

I will also be using best practices for lecturing by keeping it interactive and broken up by other activities. I will using an “I do, we do, you do” approach by modeling the process of identifying generation defining characteristics with the timeline activity, then letting the students discuss characteristics in groups, and then having each student choose a characteristic to portray on our bulletin board. The entire lesson is also done in an attempt to provide meaningful engagement with the material by tying the lesson to the students’ lives while also helping them develop the background knowledge they need to fully appreciate and understand the readings.

2. Why and how do you think students would be meaningfully engaged?As I discussed in the previous section, research shows that cooperative learning and learning that students can feel invested in or personally relate to is most effective. I have tried to capitalize on this fact by using both group and whole class discussion so that they will be meaningfully engaged by learning from one another and by articulating their thoughts themselves. I have also allotted time for quick writes so that students can collect their thoughts before sharing them with the class. This will hopefully alleviate any nervousness about sharing answers out loud and all for the students to participate more fully. I expect that talking about the issues that relate directly to their lives will be both interesting and engaging for the students.

3. Why you think this lesson would be do-able in a real-world setting?I think this is a very practical lesson that utilizes basic good teaching strategies to help the students start thinking about the essential question for the unit and how the topic relates to their lives.

4. What specific management issues should you be concerned with, given the way you’ve structured the activity?

I need to make sure that I’m I will be walking around the class listening to conversations and helping guide them through the activity while also keeping the students on task. I will also be explicit in what students should be doing during transition times.

Resources for this lesson:

Marzano, Robert J, Pickering, Debra J., and Pollock, Jane E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria: ASD

Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (2011). Picturing Hemingway: A writer in his time, Four Classroom lessons on the writer and his world. Retrieved from http://www.npg.si.edu/education/resource2.html

Lesson 2, day 2: Topic: Today the students will be doing more research to build background knowledge and deepen their understanding of the experiences and historical significance of the Lost Generation and one of its principal authors, Ernest Hemingway. Since there is so much information that students could go through, I have chosen to use a blend of reciprocal teaching and jigsaw to have each student become an expert in one area of the time period or Hemingway’s life. The student will then be contributing the information they have gathered to a collective class wiki.

Objectives:The student will summarize (understand) a portion either Hemingway’s life or The Lost Generation.The students will articulate (understand) how their specific topic relates to/influences/etc the larger topic of Hemingway and The Lost Generation.

The student will evaluate whether or not “the hero is dead” and articulate their views in a class wiki.

Activities: WebQuest on Hemingway and The Lost Generation1. The student will individually research an assigned topic that either relates to Hemingway’s life and works or the Lost Generation to research. 2. The student will become an “expert” in this area and will articulate his or her research and understanding of this topic and how it relates to the topic as a whole.3. The student will then read the class wiki and make a second wiki posting articulating their view on the question “Is the hero dead?”

Formative assessment:4. The student will decided whether or not they think the hero is dead citing evidence from the wiki and possibly experiences from their own life. This wikipage will be anonymous. The student will not sign or initial his name (As an administrator for the website, however, I can tell who posts which answers). The student should draw on evidence from our previous wiki to support her claim. The student may also add personal experiences or beliefs to support his opinion if he wishes. The class will discuss the opinions posted on the wiki in class the next day, and the teacher will use the postings as a formative assessment marking what kind of grasp the students have on the background information for the unit.

Homework: read chapters 4-6

Lesson 3, day 3: Topic: Review of the reading so far, discussion of note taking strategies, vocabulary, sarcasm vs. irony and how this sarcastic tone helps build the feeling of disillusion and discontent, address racism

Objectives:The student will discuss (understanding) The Sun Also Rises in a book talk.The student will list (remembering) words form the novel they do not know and illustrate (apply) their meaning. The student will identify (understanding) elements of sarcasm and irony in The Sun Also Rises.

Activities:1. Book talk in groups over chapter 1-62. Discussion of note taking strategies3. Lecture/class discussion—Irony and sarcasm in The Sun Also Rises4. Vocabulary log—illustrating definitions with pictures5. Class discussion of what each group talked about in the book talk and discussion of racism in the novel.

Assessment:Teacher will formatively assess comprehension of the novel by circulating during group book talks. The teacher will also walk around and spot-check each student’s vocabulary log.

Homework: read chapters 7-9

Lesson 4, day 4:

Topic: characterization

Objectives:The student will understand characterization. The student will apply the principals of characterization to “Winter Dreams” and The Sun Also Rises.The student will compare (analyze) the characters of “Winter Dreams” to those in The Sun Also Rises.

Activities:1. Class discussion—major characters in the novel/defining characteristics 2. Students fill out characters maps3. Group discussion—Why are these characters considered by many to be representative of that generation? 4. Quick write then share in class discussion—All of the major characters in The Sun Also Rises are middle to upper class white men and women. Would their experiences be representative of those in other social classes or with other ethnic backgrounds? 5. Class will start reading “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald together—direct vs. indirect characterization, characters’ motivation, and drawing conclusions about characters6. Comparison of characters from “Winter Dreams” to those in The Sun Also Rises

Assessment:Teacher will formatively assess comprehension during group and class discussion.

Homework: read chapters 10-12

Lesson 5, day 5: Topic: Performing a character analysis

Objectives:The student will apply the rules for using dashes. The student will write (apply) a character analysis.

Activities:1. Review of last night’s reading2. Mini grammar lesson on dashes—examples found in “Winter Dreams”3. Finish “Winter Dreams”4. Explanation of how to perform a character analysis

5. Students complete a character analysis of Dexter from “Winter Dreams”

Assessment:Formative: Practice worksheet on dashesSummative: Character Analysis: Are Dexter’s actions heroic or foolish?

Homework: read chapters 13-15

Lesson 6, Day 6:

Topic: Hemingway’s principal of the iceberg, Modernism and Imagism, Ezra Pound, introduction to final paper

Objectives:1. The student will understand Modernism and Imagism2. The student will identify (understand) imagist qualities in Pound’s poetry. 2. The student will analyze the literary elements in The Sun Also Rises that support Hemingway’s principal of the iceberg.

Activities:1. Review of last night’s reading2. Lecture: Modernism and Imagism, students will be taking notes3. Teacher reads aloud “A Few Don’ts by an Imagiste” and “In a Station of the Metro” by Ezra Pound4. Students will work in pairs or individually to complete a worksheet. The worksheet will ask them to identify elements of imagism in Pound’s poetry and respond to the following questions concerning “A Few Don’t by an Imagiste”:

What is your reaction to Pound’s ideas about poetry?What three rules does Pound invite reader’s to consider?Why did Pound prefer a list of “don’ts” to a list of “do’s”?What rule does Pound suggest should govern the rhythm of a poem?What does a good musician do that a poet should emulate?Do you think following Pound’s “don’ts” would make it easier or more difficult to write poetry?

(Questions borrowed from Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes—The American Experience)

3. Lecture: Hemingway’s writing style and principal of the iceberg4. Students will use graphic organizer to analyze one of the passages—Jigsaw 4 different passages to be shared in groups 5. Teacher will lead discussion and let groups share the elements they found

Assessment:Exit ticket: In your own words, define/explain Modernism, Imagism, and Hemingway’s principal of the iceberg.

Homework: read chapters 15-17

Lesson 7, day 7:

Topic: Symbolism in The Sun Also Rises

Objectives:The student will analyze symbols in The Sun Also Rises

Activities:1. Review homework readings2. Mini-lecture on symbolism3. Class brainstorm on symbols in The Sun Also Rises4. Teacher-led discussion of symbols:

--Innocence last (lost?), damages done (literally to Romero, symbolic of damage to generation)

--Jake (physical) and Brett’s (emotional) inability fully connect with people--Romero as possible bridge for the two of them--symbols of the bullfight--Romero’s and the other character’s scars as the scars of violence from WWI--Cohn as naivety before the war and destruction after its violence

5. Discussion of progress on final paper6. Computers available for students to work on final paper for the remainder of class

Assessment:Teacher will formatively assess comprehension during group and class discussion.

Homework: read chapters 18-19

Lesson 8, Day 8:

Topic: Modernist Themes in The Sun Also Rises and ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ by T. S. Eliot

Objectives:The student will understand Modernism and Imagism. The student will discuss (understand) Modernist themes in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”The students will analyze themes from The Sun Also Rises.

Activities:1. Review of final reading assignment2. Short introduction to T. S. Eliot and review/introduction of the terms ‘dramatic monologue’ and ‘allusion’

3. Teacher reads “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” aloud, using effective questioning during the reading to check comprehension4. Group discussion—decide what your group thinks the theme of this poems is—how might this theme fit within the modernist mentality? 5. Groups share answers with classs—teacher directed discussion of themes in poem6. Class discussion of themes from The Sun Also Rises:

The aimlessness of the Lost GenerationLossDisillusionmentDisconnectExcessMale InsecurityThe potential destructiveness of sex and sexually liberated women

Motifs:ViolenceDrinkingFalse FriendsMoney

Assessment:Formative Quick Write: Choose a theme examined in the lesson today and spend five minutes writing everything you know about that theme. Write down ideas, names, events, etc. You will be able to use this brainstorming session during the essay-writing portion of your test so be as thorough as possible.

Lesson 9, Day 9: Topic: Work Day for persuasive essay

Objectives:The student will apply the rules for editing and revision. The student will evaluate another student’s paper through peer editing. Activities:1. Mini-lesson on persuasive writing and the revision process2. Peer editing3. Work day in library or media center

Assessment:The teacher will check the each student’s completed the peer editing sheet and informally chat with each students about progress during the time spent in the library.

Lesson 10, Day 10:

Topic: test review

Objectives:

The student will recall (remember) major themes, characters, ideas, historical facts, biographical facts about authors, etc. in preparation for the unit test.

Activities:1. Review of editing process. Teacher will answer any questions about the persuasive paper or research and writing process. 2. Mini-lesson reviewing MLA documentation3. Whole class Jeopardy-style review game

Assessment:Teacher will formatively assess comprehension during group and class discussion. Any areas or topics the students don’t seem ready to test on the teacher will review during the game.

Lesson 11, Day 11: test

Topic: Unit test

Objectives:The student will illustrate (apply) their understanding of the unit’s topics.

Activities:1. Time for students to ask teacher any questions they have before the test starts. 2. Students will take the test. 3. The rest of the class period will be used for working on persuasive research papers.

Assessment:Obviously, the unit test is the major assessment today.

Lesson 12, Day 12 (I would hope this would be a Monday so that students have the weekend to work on their paper):

Topic: Persuasive essay due

New unit begins!______________________________________________________________________________

Summative assessment and rationale:

The decision for the summative assessment was made based on data gathered from a summative assessment done in a previous unit. The assessment tested the students’ research and persuasive writing skills through the creation of a persuasive essay incorporating three sources and arguing one side of a current political or social issue. Data showed that many students struggled with both the research and writing process. This summative assessment for this unit will revisit the research and persuasive writing process so that students have a second chance to build and improve upon those skills. They will be taking their original persuasive writing research paper

and revising and adding to it (2 more sources, revisions to original, and two to three additional pages) to show how the social/political issue they researched is or is not a defining question or issue of their generation (Unit Objectives 5 and 9-11). They will then compare and contrast how their views that issue may differ from the way the Lost Generation would have viewed it (Unit objectives 1-3). My hope is that by revising and adding to this paper, they will not only understand and be able to apply the themes found in the readings in the unit, but that they will also be able to better read and pull crucial information from nonfiction writing through the summative assessment. The summative assessment works as a nice transition from this unit to the next because reading and understanding nonfiction will be a skill addressed even more fully in the next unit. I will assure that the students work is his or her own by having the students turn in their papers through “Turnitin.com,” a plagiarism detection service for teachers. I will also be grading the papers like any good teacher would and making sure that they haven’t copied material directly from the sources they list.

The other summative assessments for this unit will be a test over The Sun Also Rises (Unit objectives 3, 4, 5, 8, 12) and the note taking and vocabulary journal the students were supposed to be keeping throughout the unit. The test will assess:

comprehension and completion of The Sun Also Rises comprehension of literary elements such as irony, theme, and symbolism in The

Sun Also Rises comprehension of Modernism and Imagism and the ability to identify

characteristic of those literary movements in the poetry read in class Ability to identify the authors of the poems from the unit Ability to analyze major ideas, themes, and characters from the unit in a short

answer section Ability to write an essay synthesizing (evaluate) the themes from at least two of

the different pieces we have read and show how those themes relate to the unit’s essential question

1. The student will identify characteristics of the Lost Generation (Summative assessment: Lesson 11). 2. The student will explore connections between the Lost Generation and their own generation’s identity, beliefs, and concerns. (Formative assessment: Lesson 1, Summative assessment: Lesson 11)3. The student will summarize the literary and political events preceding and surrounding the literature of the Lost Generation and parts of Hemingway’s biography through the creation of a class wiki page. (Formative assessment: Lesson 2, Summative assessment: Lesson 11)4. The student will evaluate whether or not “the hero is dead” and articulate their views in a class wiki. (Formative assessment: Lesson 2)5. The student will use technology to research historic and biographical information.6. The student will analyze the literary elements in The Sun Also Rises, Ezra Pound’s poetry, and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” that support Hemingway’s principal of the iceberg and/or are characteristic of Modernist and Imagist writing. (Formative Assessment: Lesson 6-7; Summative Assessment: Lesson 11)

7. The student will perform a character analysis of Dexter from “Winter Dreams. ” (Summative Assessment lesson 5).8. The student will perform close readings, literary analyses, and interpretations of texts using the full range of research-based comprehension strategies (Summative Assessment: Lesson 11. 9. The student will examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content through reflective and informative writing. (Summative Assessment: Lesson 11) 10. The student will develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting. (Summative assessment: Lesson 11)11. The student will apply the rules of MLA documentation (Summative assessment: Lesson 11)12. The student will identify major characters, themes, symbols, and events in The Sun Also Rises. (Summative assessment: Lesson 11) ______________________________________________________________________________

Research and evidence based strategies integrated into this unit:

My research basis for this lesson comes from Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s (2001) book titled Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. This lesson utilizes cooperative learning (p. 84) by having students complete most of the activities in groups. It utilizes nonlinguistic representations by having students fill out a graphic organizer as we talk about generation defining characteristics (p. 72) as well as identifying similarities and differences (p. 13) by having students compare their generation to the Lost Generation. I will be reinforcing effort and providing recognition by have students put their work on the bulletin board and talking about the vision the class creates with them. I will be providing cues and effective questioning (p. 111) throughout the early part of the lesson as I help students activate what they already know about generation-defining characteristics.

I will also be using best practices for lecturing by keeping it interactive and broken up by other activities. I will using an “I do, we do, you do” approach by modeling the process of identifying generation defining characteristics with the timeline activity, then letting the students discuss characteristics in groups, and then having each student choose a characteristic to portray on our bulletin board. The entire lesson is also done in an attempt to provide meaningful engagement with the material by tying the lesson to the students’ lives while also helping them develop the background knowledge they need to fully appreciate and understand the readings. ______________________________________________________________________________

Modifications for students with special needs:Accommodations and modifications will be made in the areas of presentation, response, setting, timing/scheduling, and assessment as needed in order to provide equitable instructional and assessment access for any students with cognitive, behavioral, learning, and physical disabilities. Alternative assessments will be assigned for students with significant cognitive disabilities when appropriate. The teacher will be aware of the needs of each student when assigning group work or jigsaw assignments. Any directions involving more than three words will be given in both written and oral format to decrease confusion for all students. At risk students who display the need will create a working contract between the teacher and themselves in order to help prioritize

the tasks that need to be done and ensure completion happens. The goal for using contracts is to eventually have the student be able to complete assignments without this level of accountability. _____________________________________________________________________________

Reflection on the effectiveness of this unit and instruction:

Every assessment I give to students informs me of what I need to re-teach and where my instruction was lacking. For example, I chose to let the summative writing assessment for this unit actually be a revision of a persuasive writing essay from the first unit of the year because I found that the students needed more help with research and persuasive writing skills. The formative assessments throughout the unit will let me know whether the instructional techniques I am using are working and what material I need to revisit with the students. The test that I am using as another end of the unit summative assessment will also let me know what topics and skills need to be emphasized in the next unit of study. By presenting in this unit plan an extensive background of the units taught in this class, I’ve tried to make it as explicit as possible that the units and lessons in my class build on one another, but are also responsive to students needs. For more information on this type of reflection see the unit explanation/background/and context at the beginning of this document. Another way to assess the effectiveness of this unit would be to hold a class chat session and let students voice what they learned and liked about this unit. ______________________________________________________________________________

References:

Marzano, Robert J, Pickering, Debra J., and Pollock, Jane E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria: ASD

Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery (2011). Picturing Hemingway: A writer in his time, Four Classroom lessons on the writer and his world. Retrieved from http://www.npg.si.edu/education/resource2.html

Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises.

Kinsella, Kate, Feldman, Kevin, Stump, Colleen Shea, Carroll, Joyce Armstrong, Wilson, Edward E. (Eds.) (2005). Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The American Experience. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Literature.

______________________________________________________________________________

E-portfolio Competency Indicators

4.a: Creates plans that are based on a solid foundation of student achievement data (formative and summative) and the standards from professional organizations, the state, the local school district, and the school.

I used the Iowa Core Curriculum standards to drive my instructional and assessment decisions (see alignment with ICC section on page 3-4 of unit this plan). I also indicated which assessments, both formative and summative, aligned with my unit objectives (see unit objectives on page 2 or 17). I also used student achievement ‘data’ from previous units to influence my decision on formative assessments for this unit (see summative assessment and rational on page 16 and previous units of study on page 1-2 of this unit plan).

4.b Describes learner characteristics that may impact the teaching and learning process. I gave an in-depth description of my students’ background and background knowledge. I also addressed how accommodations and modifications for students with special needs will be addressed (see pages 1 and 18 of this unit plan).

4.c Plans for the organization and use of all materials, equipment, and other teaching resources necessary for the successful implementation of the lesson plan. All materials for the unit and expanded lesson plan are listed in the appropriate sections (see pages 4 and 6). I have also indicated whether the student or teacher should obtain the materials.

4.d Writes clear and behaviorally stated objectives that guide the lesson design. I used Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy in each of my objectives and included objectives for both unit plan and individual lessons. The objectives are also tied directly the assessment at the end of each lesson. I have indicated in the unit objectives section (pages 2 or 17) which assessments fulfill unit objectives.

4.e Plans content that is meaningful, accurate, and appropriate for the age or grade level. All plans for unit were driven by 11th -12th grade ICC standards and attempted to provide meaningful experiences that the students could directly relate to (see unit goals on page 3 and lesson one on page 6). I also tried to utilize group and class discussions rather than force students to work quietly and independently at all times.

4.f Plans for a variety of engaging, research-led and evidence-based, developmentally appropriate instructional strategies that are clearly aligned with the lesson objectives. I use research-based strategies throughout the unit plan (see page 18) and have tied each lesson’s assessment to both the unit and lesson objectives (see pages 6-16 and 2 or 17).

4.g Plans adaptations, accommodations, and modifications for students with special needs.Plans for adaptations, accommodations, and modifications for students with special needs can be found on page 18.

4.h Creates plans that are logically sequenced. I provided an in-depth explanation of the sequence of units for the entire year (see pages 1-2) and logically sequenced my lesson plans to build on one another (see lesson plans on pages 6-16).

4.i Plans for a variety of ongoing formative assessment strategies that are aligned with the lesson objectives and are used throughout the lesson.

Each of my formative assessments is directly tied to lesson and unit objectives (see lesson plans on pages 6-16 and unit objectives on pages 2 or 17).

4.j Creates plans that have a clear focus and internal consistency for all lesson components (e. g. standards, objectives, content, instructional strategies, an assessment). The only way I know for you to assess this is to look at my lesson plans on pages 6-16.

4.k Rose will address

4. l Creates a plan for reflection and evaluation of student learning, the unit and/or lesson plans, and teaching effectiveness. My plan for reflection on the effectiveness of my teaching and the unit itself can be found on page 19. I stated explicitly in my section on previous units (page 1-2) and the summative assessment section (pages 16-17) how my evaluation of student learning has and will influence my teaching decisions in this unit and in the next unit.