Digital Unit Plan Template
Unit Title: Discovering the Secrets of Belonging: Forming
Connections through Borders
Content Area: English
Name: Ryan Sweeney
Grade Level:9th
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
READING STANDARDS FOR LITERATURE:
RL:1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
RL:2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including
how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL:3: Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text,
interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
RL:4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a
sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
RL:7: Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized
or absent in each treatment (e.g., Audens Muse des Beaux Arts and Breughels Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).RL
RL: 9: Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a
theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).
READING STANDARDS FOR INFORMATIONAL TEXTS:
RI:1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text.
RI:3: Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are
made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
RI:4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical
meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court
opinion differs from that of a newspaper). (See grade 910 Language standards 46 for additional expectations.)RI
RI:7: Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a persons life story in both print and multimedia),
determining which details are emphasized in each account.
WRITING STANDARDS:
W:1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and
sufficient evidence. a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an
organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of
both in a manner that anticipates the audiences knowledge level and concerns.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships
between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in
which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
W:2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. a. Introduce a topic or thesis statement;
organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. CA
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or
other information and examples appropriate to the audiences knowledge of the topic.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships
among complex ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in
which they are writing.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g.,
articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
W:3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and
well-structured event sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of
view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop
experiences, events, and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events,
setting, and/or characters.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the
narrative.
W:6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking
advantage of technologys capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
Big Ideas:
Representation of Diverse People through Literature How does Saenz offer various portrayals of Mexican-Americans and
Queer people?
Be Able to See connections between Social issues of the Past and their continuing legacies.
Belonging: Community, love, Friendship, and Family relationships, ethnicity, stereotypes
Youth and Maturity experimentation, life choices, self-discovery
Language and Identity: Relationships between literature and self-discovery, as well as how language is intimately tied with
ethnic background, cultural identity, socioeconomic status, race, gender, and even sexuality to a certain extent.
Analyze discrimination within nationality, race, culture/background, sexuality and gender within the context of
the metaphor and context of the Mexican American borderlands.
Synthesize connections between issues facing minorities (especially through language).
Analyze borders (metaphorical social boundaries) and evaluate how people connect in spite of them.
Unit Goals and Objectives:
At the end of this unit students should:
Be able to explain that even within groups of people, individuals can be very different and have different ideas about
what belonging means.
Have a basic understanding of 20th century queer history.
Have a basic understanding of the mestizo- Borderlands metaphorical concept as it applies to existing within both
categorizations inside of an oppositional binary.
Be able to write analytically concerning the maturation/development of various characters and argue for or against this
with textual evidence.
Be able to write about the themes in the text in relation to character development.
Be better able to analyze and discuss their own communities, families, friends, etc. They should be able to analyze and
evaluate in discussion and both informal and formal writing about who belongs, who does not belong, and why.
Know how to blog from a chosen characters perspective in order to better understand characterization and textual
evidence and reader assumptions.
Know how to use an interactive visual argument tool to prioritize the relevance of certain themes surrounding the novel.
They will have to justify their claims with reasons and citation from the text as they interact in groups.
Write about the groups that they belong to (their own communities, families, ethnicities, races) and explains how their
communal experiences are similar and different from those portrayed in Saenzs novel. Students will have to draw on what
they have learned about character development, language use, and theme to find relevant passages of text that they can
utilize for comparative analysis with their own lives.
Use the novel and sources provided through the webercise to synthesize connections for analysis of similarities between
Chicano and Queer cultures to evaluate how different groups of people derive identity from language both literary and
spoken/conversational. Students can also use these same skills to choose what in relation to the text and it's themes they
would like to write about.
Unit Summary:
Through the novel primarily, but also with supplementary materials, this unit will focus on how a sense of belonging is created or
prevented. This focus aims as an introduction into more complex notions of inclusion and exclusion. Essentially, the unit aims to
meet the goals of the F.A.I.R. Education Act that included Queer history and literature in the curriculum. Yet, equally as
important, and extremely enriching as a parallel, this unit aims to teach about the rich diversity of Chicano cultural experience
especially in regard to community, family, and language processes, since these have such a formative impact on individual
identity. Indeed, this unit lends itself as an introduction to identity formation in general. The lesson opens a discussion about
the importance of diversity in literature as well as for a discussion on linguistic diversity and its role in identity expression,
including the code-meshing characteristic of Spanglish. This unit lends itself to address lingering manifestation of accepted
racism and prejudices on the basis of gender and sexuality. Overall, the focus of this unit is on the relationship between shame
and belonging. This unit aims to investigate the origins and expressions of shame and how these can be both brought about by
barriers, as well as barriers in their own right.
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level:
Students will fill out a K-W-L chart to be turned
in after the introductory lesson to the
novel/while they are reading the novel.
Formative:
Character Blog
Verbal assessment via
questioning/discussion in the lecture.
Lecture Quiz
Intel Interactive
Summative:
You, the Text, the World Essasy on
Belonging
Post Paper class discussion
Lesson 1
Student Learning
Objective:
Students will learn about
keywords and themes in
detail with context.
Acceptable Evidence:
Students should be able
to explain and apply
what they learn about
identity and the minority
communities in focus.
Instructional
Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction
Lesson Activities:
Lesson one is a lecture, but students will be familiar with
characterization from their blogs. They will be able to apply the
context they learn about to more fully develop their ideas about
character and themes in the novel through discussion. The lecture
has questions built in for students to interact with critical thought
and speaking skills as well as a guided worksheet to prepare them for
a quiz on the essential points of the lecture.
Acceptable Evidence:
Students must show
evidence by writing the
answers to the questions
on a separate sheet of
paper in an organized
Instructional
Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Lesson Activities:
Lesson 2
Student Learning
Objective:
Students will do research
with predetermined
websites and questions.
Students must collect the necessary information that they can
later use as support in their collaborative intel visual evidence
activity and summative writing assignment.
fashion so they can
utilize the assignment
later.
Organization
Interaction
Acceptable Evidence:
Instructional
Strategies:
Communication
Collection
Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
Interaction
Lesson 3
Student Learning
Objective:
Omitted from
Intersession Course.
Lesson Activities:
Unit Resources:
Nel, Philip, and Lissa Paul. Keywords for Children's Literature. New York: New York UP, 2011. Print.
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/20/172495550/discovering-sexuality-through-teen-lit
http://apps.npr.org/borderland/#_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6698ws-8LE
http://www.learner.org/amerpass/unit02/authors-1.html
http://voices.cla.umn.edu/artistpages/anzaldua.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIrED9k5tmM
http://youtu.be/LORyEX_5czg
http://youtu.be/Ic1jBjiccYo
https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/text-text-text-self-text-worl
https://educate.intel.com/workspace/Teacher/ProjectListing.aspx
Useful Websites:
http://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/february-2014-aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-theuniverse/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cw1ng75KP0
http://www.poemhunter.com/allen-ginsberg/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/walt-whitman
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/may/12/best-lgbt-books-children-teenagers-yas
http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1095&context=ijcs
http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/affirmingstudents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPKa3CHA2I8
https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/teaching-strategies/text-text-text-self-text-worl
https://twitter.com/benjaminaliresa
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/benjamin-alire-s%C3%A1enz
http://borderlandsnarratives.blogspot.com/2010/01/gloria-anzaldua-to-live-in-borderlands.html
