Unit Description When people are confronted with choices that test their character, they often discover that the way to make the best decisions is to listen to the voice within their hearts. The essential goals of this unit are to read, comprehend, and interpret various types of fiction (e.g., realistic, biographical, historical, folktales, legends, myths).  The characteristics of each type of story are defined, and a study of literary elements is included. Opportunities to demonstrate comprehension, such as describing and discussing literary elements (e.g., setting, character, and plot), analyzing the author’s use of language (e.g., word choice and figurative language), comparing and contrasting texts, inferring theme and meaning, and responding to text in critical and creative ways are also included. Writing, grammar, and vocabulary instruction occurs within the context of the selections.

Enduring Understandings

·       Doing the right things is not always easy.

·      I am the result of my decisions.

Essential Questions

·       When presented with choices, how do I make a decision? How do consequences affect my decisions?

·       Why don’t solutions make everyone happy? Are there trade-offs?

GLEs:  01a, 01b, 02a, 02b, 02c, 02d, 02e, 04a, 04b, 05, 06, 07, 08a, 08b, 09e, 09g, 10, 14b, 14c, 15b, 16, 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d, 18e, 18f, 18g, 19, 20b, 22c, 23a, 24a, 24b, 25a, 25b, 25c, 26, 27, 30, 38a, 38b, 38c, 39c, 39d, 43b

Literacy Strategies: learning log, graphic organizer, opinionnaire, DR-TA, professor know-it-all, split-page note-taking, brainstorm

Content Questions

·         How can students differentiate among the types of fiction?

·         How can students explain the defining characteristics of literary forms and genres?

·         How can students interpret ideas and information in literary text in order to generate connections to real-life situations?

·         How can students identify recurring themes, patterns, and symbols found in literature from different eras and cultures?

·         How can students decide what is important in text and synthesize information by removing irrelevant, repeated information?

·         How can students draw inferences during and after reading?

This unit is a study of the American Revolution, the emerging tensions, conflicting loyalties, and resulting independence from Great Britain.

Student Understandings

Students understand British policies for the thirteen colonies and how those policies led to the American Revolution. Students understand that colonists were divided in their support for the American Revolution. Students learn about the role key figures played in events that led to the conclusion of the American Revolution. Students use geographic tools and historical narrative to explain American Revolution events and compare the interdependence of Great Britain and the American colonies with the current global economy.

GLEs: 3, 7, 41, 42, 43, 44, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54

Guiding Questions

1.      Can students identify and describe significant physical and human features that influenced U.S. historical events?

2.      Can students compare the interdependence of Great Britain and the American colonies to the global economy today?

3.      Can students use economic concepts to explain mercantilism and describe its role in British colonization and the conflict between the thirteen American colonies and Great Britain?

4.      Can students explain the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolutionary War, identify key figures, and explain their roles?

5.      Can students compare and contrast the strategies and motivations of the Patriots, Loyalists, and British during the American Revolution?

6.      Can students explain how the American Revolution affected the politics, society, and economy of the new nation?