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Full-Text Articles in Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching
Cultural Justice [7th Grade], Kathleen Fenske
Cultural Justice [7th Grade], Kathleen Fenske
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
This unit focuses on cultural justice and how the type of justice implemented depends on the culture. The unit focuses on the 3 essential questions: What is justice? Is there truly justice for all? And is one culture's system of justice better than another? Along with these three questions, the unit also focuses on the 4 types of justice: revenge, retribution, rehabilitation, and restoration. This unit begins with reading Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson, a story about a boy, Cole, who is sent to live alone on an island instead of being sent to jail for committing a crime. …
Family [7th Grade], Amy Nichols
Family [7th Grade], Amy Nichols
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
In this unit, students will explore the different forms and meaning family can take. Throughout, there will be an emphasis put on a fluid definition of family. From the traditional mother-father-children to friends who are like brothers to a woman caring for her aging boss, this unit will use age-appropriate literature to guide an exploration of what family can look like. In turn, there will also be opportunities for exploration of how families choose to represent and define themselves. Additionally, there will be study of the importance of point of view. A story and a situation--can change dramatically depending on …
Who Am I? [7th Grade], Lisa Shay, Judy Shaw
Who Am I? [7th Grade], Lisa Shay, Judy Shaw
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
In this three week unit students will gain a better understanding of themselves and how their life experiences and environment have shaped them. Students will also understand that by gaining self-knowledge they are better able to set goals for their future. In order to better understand themselves, students will first examine others lives and obstacles that these individuals have overcome to achieve some level of success. Through this examination students will be able to discover that the past doesn t have to decide their future. They will gain an insight into how certain individuals have triumphed despite difficulties and have …
Conflicts In Literature [8th Grade], Erin Phillips
Conflicts In Literature [8th Grade], Erin Phillips
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
In this unit, students will gain a greater understanding of conflict and its implications on life. The reading of short stories, biographies, and newspaper articles will guide the students in exploring the understandings that conflict brings about change, conflict is a catalyst of fiction, and that conflicts in literature can be applicable to our own lives. Performance task #1 invites students to delve into a newspaper article identifying the essential component of every story, (Does every story have a conflict?) conflict. The purpose is to locate the conflict and arrive at the conclusion that conflict is the determining factor of …
Survival Stories [6th Grade], Allison Grant
Survival Stories [6th Grade], Allison Grant
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
In this unit students will read historical fiction and nonfiction texts focusing on the tragedy of the Titanic. The readings will provide them with the opportunity to uncover the understandings that the genre of a text not only determines its purpose but also informs our approach to reading and that survivors make adjustments or adaptations in their lives in order to overcome significant challenges or difficulties. As students read the historical fiction book Voyage on the Great Titanic accompanied by various newspaper articles and nonfiction sources on the sinking of the ship, they will answer the question why does genre …
Obstacles: The Study Of Life's Hurdles Through Reading And Writing Personal Narratives [7th Grade], Nilima Patel
Obstacles: The Study Of Life's Hurdles Through Reading And Writing Personal Narratives [7th Grade], Nilima Patel
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
The study of writing and reading is all too often carried out separately. Students learn how to read and write in isolation; such learning proves to be limited. This unit aims to integrate these two studies into one. Students will study authors and the strategies they employ when writing. These strategies will then be applied in their own writing. Such strategies include developing characters and ideas, organizing ideas using the plot components, and cultivating writing through tone and mood.
The Giver [8th Grade], Melissa Garza
The Giver [8th Grade], Melissa Garza
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
Students will explore the implications of a society where personal freedom is eliminated for the benefit of all. Through the use of provocative questions, studies in contemporary issues in their school and nation, and reading of The Giver students will come to terms with their own understanding of this essential question: How much should a government be able to control your individual rights for the benefit of the society? Other essential questions include: Could something intended for the good of society really be bad? What makes an ideal society?
We Can Make A Difference [8th Grade], Lisa Sutherland
We Can Make A Difference [8th Grade], Lisa Sutherland
Understanding by Design: Complete Collection
In this unit students will be reading about a variety of injustices that exist both locally and around the world. Students will be uncovering the understanding that justice is not always a black and white issue and often has more than one perspective it can be seen from. Students will also see examples of individuals who have fought against injustice. Students will practice using their reading skills on both fiction and non-fiction pieces on this topic. Students will also participate in shared inquiry discussion and a debate wrestling with the ideas of justice. In the culminating performance task, students choose …