“If She Only Knew Me” Unit outline - PowerPoint Presentation

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“If She Only Knew Me” Unit outline

Irina McGrath & Jennifer Miescke, Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville, KYjennifer.miescke@Jefferson.kyschools.us

By Jeff Gray & Heather ThomasSlide2

Day 1

ObjectiveSet the tone/theme for the unit & develop an understanding of why it is important for teachers to know and understand their students.Learning Target(s)

I can assess the point of view and purpose of “If She Only Knew Me” (RL.6)I can write over extended time frames & shorter time frames for specific task and purposes (W.10)Slide3

Activities

Do Now: Students responded to the following prompt in writing: Why is it important for your teachers to really know and understand you? Students

participated in the Tea Party strategy:Each student received a card with a paragraph from If She Only Knew Me by Jeff Gray and Heather Thomas. In their notebooks they made a prediction about what the reading was going to be about. They mingled around the room, reading their cards to each other but not discussing the content of the cards.Afterwards, they returned to their seats and, as groups, wrote a prediction starting with “We think this reading will be about ______________________, because ___________________.”

Students shared their predictions and discussed questions they had about the book.Read aloud of If She Only Knew Me.

Closure: Students responded to the following prompt in writing: Why is it important for Justin’s teachers to really know and understand him?Slide4

Day 2

ObjectiveAnalyze the perspective of different people/characters & what would be important for their teachers to know about them.Make text connections & begin thinking about what your teachers should know about you.Learning Target(s)

I can assess the point of view and purpose of Let’s Go See Papa and Interview with Pierre (RL.6)I can write over extended time frames & shorter time frames for specific tasks and purposes (W.10)Slide5

Activities

Do Now: Students responded to the following prompt in writing: Think about the classes you enjoy the most, or classes you’ve had in the past. What activities do you enjoy doing in class? (In If She Only Knew Me Justin says he wishes his teacher knew the activities he enjoys doing).Students worked in two groups, each teacher-led. Group one worked with

Let’s Go See Papa by Lawrence Schimel. Group two worked with Immigrant Teens in their Own Words: Interview with Pierre, Read magazine (Volume 50, No. 5). In both groups, students listened to the book/story being read aloud to them.Collaboratively, they summarized the plot.Then, they discussed: What would be important for Pierre’s teachers to know about him?

Closure: Students responded to the following prompt in writing: How can you relate something from your life to the main character’s life?Slide6

Day 3

On Day 3 groups switched books. Those who had read Let’s Go See Papa listened to and discussed Immigrant Teens in their Own Words: Interview with Pierre. Students who had read Immigrant Teens in their Own Words: Interview with Pierre, listened to and discussed Let’s Go See Papa.Slide7

Day 4

ObjectiveAnalyze the perspective of different people/characters in different formats & what would be important for their teachers to know about them.Make text connections & begin thinking about what your teachers should know about you.

Learning Target(s)I can assess the point of view and purpose of poems, photos and videos. (RL.6)I can write over extended time frames & shorter time frames for specific tasks and purposes (W.10)Slide8

Activities

Do Now: Students were asked to put their collage items on their desks for teacher to collect and label them.Activities: Students worked in four groups, rotating from station to station. They spent 15 minutes at each station discussing the photos, video, or poems and responding to the following prompts: If these photos belonged to a student, what do you think would be important for the student’s teachers to know about him or her?  What connections can you make to the photos? Or, what did they remind you of in your own life?

Station # 1: Poetry (“I’m a Teacher” by Veronica Valdez, and “Divided Heart” by Lorena Lozada)Station # 2: Photos (Holidays, celebrations, etc.)Station # 3: Photos (war, refugee experiences, etc.) Station # 4: Video: http://www.timeforkids.com/photos-video/video/camp-syrian-refugees-139801

Closure: Volunteers shared some of their writings.Slide9

Day 5

ObjectiveDevelop a rough draft of what your teachers should know about you (format of choice).Learning Target(s)

I can write over extended time frames & shorter time frames for specific tasks and purposes (W.10)Slide10

Activities

Students worked in two teacher-led groups. Their task was to free write about what they would like their teachers to know about them, using one or more of the ideas they’ve generated over the past week.List and chat: Students spent 10 minutes looking through their notebooks and listing/highlighting connections they wanted to write about.Free Write: Students spent 10 minutes writing about one or more topics from their list, including as many details as possible.

Share: Volunteers shared their work with the group.Slide11

Day 6

ObjectiveStudents will be able to identify the elements of art in various works of art and use those elements to describe how the mood and tone are conveyed. Learning Target(s)

I can use the elements of art to analyze the mood and tone of artwork.Slide12

Activities

Do Now: Students reviewed two pictures on the PowerPoint slide and answered the following questions: Which of these words describe photo 1 & photo 2?Teacher explained to students that there are five basic elements that make up all objects: dot, circle, line, curve, a

ngleAnd that artists use various types of lines to evoke emotions. Thick straight or angular lines convey anger, tension, frustration, and fear, while curved lines are more organic and soft and evoke a friendlier emotion (Albers, 2007, p. 26).Students analyzed several examples and discussed what emotions the artists tried to convey.Teacher explained that there are four basic shapes that make up nearly all things that we see in the world: circle, square, triangle, and rectangle.Students analyzed different examples; afterwards, they used the elements of drawing to make an identifiable object in their notebooks.

Teacher explained that artists use color to express ideas, convey messages, and evoke feelings

. Colors are often divided into two categories: warm and cool. Students responded to the following questions: When you look at warm colors, what do they make you think about? When you look at cool colors, what do they make you think you about?

Teacher used the Gradual Release of Responsibly model (I do it, we do it together, you do it independently) to analyze several paintings and cartoon drawings.Slide13

Day 7

ObjectiveStudents will use what they have learned about elements of art and composition to begin laying out their collage and thinking about what images, colors, or items they still need to communicate their intended message.Learning Target(s)

I can use appropriate elements of art to express my thoughts and emotions.Slide14

Activities

Do Now: Students were asked to get their notebooks out and clear everything else off their desks.Students learned the definition of the term “composition”. Composition -- the placement or arrangement of visual elements in a work of art; the organization of the elements of art. They discussed different ways of organizing photos when creating a collage. Afterwards, they began creating their own collages using the elements of art discussed in class.

Considerations:Does your message carry a lighter & more positive tone, or a heavier & more serious tone?Play around with the composition. What message are you trying to convey? What/who is the focus of your collage?Closure: Volunteers shared ideas for their collages.Slide15

Days 8-10

ObjectiveCreate a collage to communicate something your teachers should know about you using elements of art appropriate to the mood and tone of your message.Learning Target(s)

I can use appropriate elements of art to express my thoughts and emotions.Slide16

Activities

Do Now: Students reviewed their drafts and discussed the following questions:What images do you need to communicate this in your collage?What specifically do you need pictures of?What colors do you need?Activities: Teacher shared examples of different collages focusing

on: composition, lines, shapes, & colors Students continued their work on collages. Closure: Volunteers shared work.Slide17

Days 11-13

ObjectiveThrough a process of typing, conferencing, revising, and editing, students created a published writing piece to communicate something they want their teachers to know or understand about them.Learning Target(s)

I can use technology to produce and publish my writing (W.6).Slide18

Activities

Do Now: Students were asked to:Get their notebooks.Login to the computer using their username & password.Open up Microsoft Word.Students used Microsoft Word to type their drafts. Teachers conferenced with the students.

Closure: Students saved their work to ‘Documents’ as well as their personal network space.