Unit Plan: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Brittny Campbell

Place Conscious Unit Plan for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" 1

Unit Plan: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Written by Brittny Campbell ? Republic Middle School ? Republic, Missouri

Essential Question: How does our environment (people and places) influence and affect us?

Project Overview: This unit plan for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer intends to use an observational, journal-writing approach to studying the novel. This approach to the novel will involve students tracking Tom Sawyer's observations of his environment and the people he encounters. In addition, students will make their own observations about key aspects of the novel, and use the novel and the journal writing activity to make observations about their own world and the people they are surrounded by. This unit plan will allow students to examine areas of Missouri, both in Hannibal, and in their own town. They will be urged to find places in their own lives that inspire them, just as Tom does as he goes on his adventures.

Grade Level: This unit plan is directed toward 8th grade English students, in a rural high school, in Southwest Missouri.

Connection to Curriculum:

Students in 8th grade English are asked to construct a personal or historical narrative, following an essay format, including dialogue and correct grammar/punctuation. The ultimate goal of this unit is to construct a personal narrative, which meets the curriculum objectives for the 8th grade English course.

Common Core State Standards:

Reading: RL 8.1: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

RL 8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

RL 8.3: Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.

Writing: W 8.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

W 8.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W 8.5: With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

W 8.6: With technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between the information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Brittny Campbell

Place Conscious Unit Plan for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" 2

Listening: SL 8.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Main Instructional Objectives:

? Students will construct a cohesive personal narrative about a specific time in their lives, in a specific place.

? Students will analyze and explain a character through observations from the text.

? Students will analyze and determine a theme for the novel, supporting their claim with textual evidence.

? Students will analyze and interpret a self-reflection about places that are of importance to them.

? Students will write responses to textual observations throughout their novel study, reflecting and analyzing the text.

Student Materials Required:

? Teacher computer/projector ? Classroom sets of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain ? Student copies of Tom Sawyer Student Workbook (see appendix A) ? Access to computers for each student ? Ream of computer paper for student's Deep Maps ? Art Supplies (colored pencils, markers, crayons, rulers) for Deep Maps ? Chapter Journal Response Questions for Teacher to ask in Class (see appendix B) ? Unit Exam (see appendix C)

Suggested Resources: Please list all resources and research material used by teacher and shared with

students.

? The Glencoe Literature Library Study Guide for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

? Unit Plan for The Catcher in the Rye ? A "Place-based" Approach by Ann Marie Dull o

Unit Sequence:

Week 1 Feb. 24 Feb. 25 Feb. 26 Feb. 27 Feb. 28

Introduction to Place and Unit Expectations Deep Map Activity Deep Map Activity Deep Map Activity Deep Map Activity

Week 2 Mar. 17 Mar. 18

Mar. 19

Mar. 20

Introduction to Mark Twain/Tom Sawyer/Hannibal/Unit Plan Expectations Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 1 & 2, pages 3-15 Journal Observations on Ch. 1 & 2 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 3 & 4, pages 15-30 Journal Observations on Ch. 3 & 4 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 5 & 6, pages 30-45

Brittny Campbell

Place Conscious Unit Plan for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" 3

Mar. 21

Journal Observations on Ch. 5 & 6 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 7, 8 & 9, pages 45-62 Journal Observations on Ch. 7, 8, & 9 First Deep Journaling Response Due

Week 3 Mar. 24

Mar. 25

Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 10, 11, & 12, pages 62-77 Journal Observations on Ch. 10, 11, & 12 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 13 & 14, pages 77-89 Journal Observations on Ch. 13 & 14

Mar. 26 Mar. 27 Mar. 28

Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 15 & 16, pages 89-102 Journal Observations on Ch. 15 & 16 Deep Journaling Response Due Library Day Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 17, 18, & 19, pages 102-116 Journal Observations on Ch. 17, 18, & 19 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 20 & 21, pages 116-127 Journal Observations on Ch. 20 & 21

Week 4 Mar. 31 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 22, 23, 24, & 25, pages 127-143

Journal Observations on Ch. 22, 23, 24, & 25

Apr. 1

Apr. 2 Apr. 3

Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 26, 27, & 28, pages 143-157 Journal Observations on Ch. 26, 27, & 28 Third Deep Journaling Response Due Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 29 & 30, pages 157-172 Journal Observations on Ch. 29 & 30 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 31 & 32, pages 172-183 Journal Observations on Ch. 31 & 32

Apr. 4 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 33, 34, & 35, pages 183-end Journal Observations on Ch. 33, 34, & 35

Week 5 Apr. 7 Apr. 8 Apr. 9 Apr. 10

Apr. 11

Fourth Deep Journaling Response Due Review for Test Tom Sawyer Exam Personal narrative work day Mini-lesson: format of narrative Library Day Personal narrative work day Peer Editing Personal narrative work day

Brittny Campbell

Place Conscious Unit Plan for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" 4

Mini-lesson: Quotations

Week 6 Apr. 14 Apr. 15 Apr. 16 Apr. 17

Personal Narrative work day in Library Lab Personal narrative work day in Library Lab Personal narrative work day in Library Lab Personal narratives due at beginning of class Unit Reflection Assignment

**Unit Plan Dates are missing two weeks, one due to snow, and one due to Spring Break

Reflection:

I am currently in the process of teaching this unit right now and am expected to complete it by April 17th.

One thing that I loved was the Deep Map assignment, which my students have already completed. I was thoroughly impressed with how much thought students put into the assignment. I was worried that they wouldn't understand what the assignment's objectives were; however, they were beyond my expectations. I was even tearing up a bit as I was reading what my students wrote. It was definitely a proud teacher moment for this year. I did realize after introducing it to two classes that students could understand the concept without a handout, much like we had in the ENG 725 class. I had them brainstorm a list of places that were important to them, saying only that they had to have visited them before. Then I showed them several Deep Map examples, and asked them to begin drawing a map of the places of importance to them. Everyone understood the assignment and worked diligently on it. I did allow them a week to complete both their Deep Map and their legend and that was exactly the right amount of time. (Student examples of Deep Maps, see appendix E).

One thing that I do wish I could have been able to do was implement the unit solely after Spring Break, I am hoping that students will still be in the mindset of "place" after our break. I also wish that I was able to have had the first full week in March as part of my unit, but in Missouri you can't predict the weather, and we had snow days, which impacted what I could do the last week of the quarter.

The rest of my reflection will be added upon completion of the unit.

Brittny Campbell

Appendix A: Student Workbook

Place Conscious Unit Plan for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" 5

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer By

Mark Twain

Student Workbook Name: __________________________

Brittny Campbell

Place Conscious Unit Plan for "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" 6

Class:___________

Tom Sawyer Unit Calendar: 8th grade English

Week 2 Mar. 17 Mar. 18

Mar. 19

Mar. 20

Introduction to Mark Twain/Tom Sawyer/Hannibal/Unit Plan Expectations Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 1 & 2, pages 3-15 Journal Observations on Ch. 1 & 2 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 3 & 4, pages 15-30 Journal Observations on Ch. 3 & 4 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 5 & 6, pages 30-45 Journal Observations on Ch. 5 & 6

Mar. 21 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 7, 8 & 9, pages 45-62 Journal Observations on Ch. 7, 8, & 9 First Deep Journaling Response Due

Week 3 Mar. 24

Mar. 25

Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 10, 11, & 12, pages 62-77 Journal Observations on Ch. 10, 11, & 12 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 13 & 14, pages 77-89 Journal Observations on Ch. 13 & 14

Mar. 26 Mar. 27 Mar. 28

Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 15 & 16, pages 89-102 Journal Observations on Ch. 15 & 16 Second Deep Journaling Response Due Library Day Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 17, 18, & 19, pages 102-116 Journal Observations on Ch. 17, 18, & 19 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 20 & 21, pages 116-127 Journal Observations on Ch. 20 & 21

Week 4 Mar. 31 Apr. 1

Apr. 2 Apr. 3 Apr. 4

Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 22, 23, 24, & 25, pages 127-143 Journal Observations on Ch. 22, 23, 24, & 25 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 26, 27, & 28, pages 143-157 Journal Observations on Ch. 26, 27, & 28 Third Deep Journaling Response Due Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 29 & 30, pages 157-172 Journal Observations on Ch. 29 & 30 Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 31 & 32, pages 172-183 Journal Observations on Ch. 31 & 32

Read Tom Sawyer Chapters 33, 34, & 35, pages 183-end Journal Observations on Ch. 33, 34, & 35

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download