Modifying a Academic Unit Plan

WEEK ONE

Timeline &

Topics

Desired Results

Instructional

Strategy/ELA Strands

Acceptable Evidence

Learning Experiences

Materials

Days:

1-5

Topic:

Exploring Short Stories &

Components of a Narrative

Students will know:

- How to read and

comprehend

grade-level text

Students will

understand:

- Components of a setting

- Types of

characters

(protagonist &

antagonist)

- Problems &

solutions

Students will be able to: - Listen to and read grade-3

appropriate short

stories

- Identify and

describe the

setting of a story

- Describe

characters using

nouns and

adjectives

Instructional Strategy: - Direct Instruction – Explicit Teaching;

Assigned

Questions

- Interactive

Instruction –

Anchor Charts;

Discussions;

Brainstorming

- Independent Study – Reading;

Worksheets/Assign

ed Questions

ELA Strands:

- Listening

- Reading

- Writing

- Speaking

- Viewing

Students will

complete 3 separate worksheets.

Worksheets will focus on – Identifying and describing the setting; differentiating

between the

protagonist and

antagonist; identify problem and solution.

Assessment:

Formative – Observe students at work;

Collect and review completed worksheets

1) Introduce short story and read it to the

students.

2) Working together, identify the setting, characters, and problem and solution – as well as characteristics for each. Create an anchor chart for each.

3) Provide students

short stories to read independently.

4) From the short

stories, students will complete worksheets provided.

Variety of short

stories

Anchor charts and markers

Worksheets (Setting, characters, and

problems &

solutions)

- Identify the

problem and

solution of a story

WEEK TWO

Timeline &

Topics

Desired Results

Instructional

Strategy/ELA Strands

Acceptable Evidence

Learning Experiences

Materials

Days:

6-8

Topic:

Pre-writing and Drafting

Students will know:

- Components of a narrative

Students will

understand:

- The steps

involved in

writing (pre

writing, drafting,

revising)

Students will be able to: - Practice pre

writing by

brainstorming

ideas

- Apply their

knowledge on the

components of a

narrative into

their writing

- Share and

compare their

ideas with peers

Instructional Strategy: - Direct Instruction – Explicit Teaching;

Assigned

Questions;

Modelling

(thinking out loud)

- Interactive

Instruction –

Anchor Charts;

Discussions;

- Independent Study –

Worksheets/Assign

ed Questions;

Brainstorming;

Creative Writing

ELA Strands:

- Reading

- Writing

- Representing

- Speaking

- Listening

Students will

brainstorm their ideas onto worksheets

provided.

Brainstorming activity will be pre-writing for students’ first draft of their own short story.

Students will begin the first draft of their story.

Assessment:

Formative –

Discussion/Revisiting prior lessons; Observe students at work

1) Revisit the

components of a

narrative. Use anchor charts as a visual guide. 2) Introduce the steps involved in writing

(pre-writing, drafting, revisiting). Create an anchor chart that

highlights each step. 3) Students will begin pre-writing by

completing worksheets provided.

4) Students will share their ideas orally with a peer.

4) Using the pre-writing worksheets as a guide, students will plot their story and begin writing.

Components of a

narrative anchor

charts

Anchor chart and markers (for writing steps)

Pre-writing

worksheets

- Begin drafting

their own short

story

WEEK THREE

Timeline &

Topics

Desired Results

Instructional

Strategy/ELA Strands

Acceptable Evidence

Learning Experiences

Materials

Days:

9-15

Topics:

Drafting and

Revising

Sharing

Students will know:

- Components of a narrative

- Steps of the

writing process

Students will

understand:

- How to revise

their work

- The steps that go into publishing

literature

Students will be able to: - Revise their

written work

- Peer edit each

other’s writing

- Complete a final

draft of a written

short story (at

least 1 page) that

includes all the

components of a

narrative

Instructional Strategy: - Direct Instruction – Explicit Teaching;

Assigned

Questions

- Interactive

Instruction –

Anchor Charts;

Discussions

- Independent Study – Reading;

Worksheets/Assign

ed Questions

- Experiential – Visit from Expert

ELA Strands:

- Reading

- Writing

- Speaking

- Listening

- Viewing

- Representing

Students will

complete writing a rough draft of a short story.

Students will revise and edit their rough draft with the help of feedback provided (by peers and teacher).

Students will

complete a final draft of their short story, as well as a

corresponding picture.

Students will share their final drafts with their peers.

Assessment:

Formative – Observe students at work;

Collect completed

rough drafts for

1) Students will

complete their rough drafts.

2) Introduce how to edit writing – checking for grammar and spelling errors, finding

synonyms or adjectives to enhance writing, etc. – Refer to writing steps anchor chart for

support.

3) Students will meet a local

editor/publisher/author to learn more about the publishing process.

4) Students will

complete the final draft of their story.

5) Students will share their stories with peers. 6) Students’ final pieces will be displayed above shelves of classroom library for sharing.

Writing steps anchor chart from week 2

Expert visitor (local editor, publisher, or author)

Sheets to transfer final draft of story

- Draw a picture

that corresponds

to their story

- Share their

completed story

revising; Collect final drafts of stories

Short Story Evaluation

Student Name: __________________________ Date: ______________________

Setting

□ Setting is unclear

□ Limited description

□ Setting is clear

□ Uses adjectives and sensory details to describe setting

Characters

□ Protagonist/antagonist is missing

□ Characteristics of

characters are not

described

□ Protagonist and antagonist are easily identified

□ Uses adjectives to describe both internal and external

characteristics

Problem & Solution

□ There is no problem or solution

□ Does not support

problem and solution

with details

□ Uses various nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to

explain the problem and

solution in detail

Quality of Writing

□ Some steps are missing in pre-writing

□ Grammatical or spelling errors are present

□ Follows each of the pre

writing steps

□ Little to no grammatical or spelling errors

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