is it better safe than sorry?

7/30/2019 Is It Better Safe Than Sorry?

1/23

Is It Better Safe Than Sorry?A Thematic Unit on Conformity, Decision Making & Risk Taking

For 9th Grade ELA

Presented by Cory Gomez

On 14 December 2012 for AED 341


2/23

2

Table of Contents

Summary: Page 3

Rationale: Page

-Administrators: Page 3

-Students: Page 4

-Critical Pedagogy: Page 4

Project-based Learning: Page 4

Interdisciplinary Justification: Page 4

Respect for Difference: Page 4

Assessments: Page 4

Text Set: Pages 5-7

Unit Plan Schedule: Pages 7-18

Culminating Project Handout: Pages 19-20

Culminating Project Rubric: Pages 21-22


3/23

3

Summary:

Essential Question: Is it better safe than sorry?

Is conforming, taking the safe route, a better choice than making your owndecisions and taking risks?

What do we lose by settling and compromising?Essential Understandings:

Taking risks is a good thing. It is okay to risk failures. We can not be guided by fear. We lose our sense of self and identity when we conform. Individuality would be sacrificed. By being safe we succumb to the fear of extremes, causing us to miss the true

beauties in life.

Progress cannot be achieved through settling, both on a personal and societallevel.

Anchor Text: The Giverby Lois Lowry

In a world that is defined by decision-making, students must decide whether or not

to take risks. On one side, there is safety, the otherindividuality. These students

need to decide if safe is better than sorry. Through the process of crafting a public

service announcement students will engage in an inquiry of the importance of

decision-making and the risks that are involved. Students will learn specific skills in

the Common Core Standards that will be then transferred to the authentic process of

creating a public service announcement. This includes reliable researching,persuasive writing, and using literary techniques such as setting and dialogue to

support and enhance their overall message.

Rationale:

Administrators: Students will be able to indentify reliable sources, a skill that will

validate much of the tasks they are asked to complete even past high school.

Students will be able to see the benefits of using different types of sources, such as

the ever-updating Internetand its access and the concreteness of prints. Students

will understand how dialogue and narration affect the overall message of a text, and

can be used to reach certain audiences. Students will realize the power of language

as social change and raising awareness through the process of creating a public

service announcement as well as creating their own. Students will be able to create

and read multiple layers of texts as well as multimodal texts that are now apparent

in everyday life. This is an important skill because it will allow them to make sense

of decision-making and risk taking at a higher cognitive level. By seeing other people


4/23

4

make decisions, students can see what risks work and what fails, which in turn

allows them to evaluate their own decision-making. These skills are vital for the

New York State Regents Examination as well.

Students: Students make decisions every single day, whether it is to wear a certain

type of shirt or to complete a homework assignment or not. By examining otherpeoples decision making, in regards to safety, students can see the potential of

taking risks. On the other hand, students can see what comprising can do to the

individual. High school is a time where decision-making defines you, and students

need to evaluate their own decision-making to see what they are made of. The skills

students will take away from constructing their own PSAs are extremely

transferable. Persuasive abilities are apparent in almost ever aspect of life. Students

are constantly persuading adults, and even fellow peers to get what they want. By

studying effective ways to enhance a persuasion, students become stronger

persuaders. This could mean persuading a friend to go to the mall with you,

persuading parents to let you stay out later, or persuading a coach to start you in a

sporting game. Students will also examine how characterization affects the overallmeaning of a text, and the role characterization plays in general. By looking at other

characters, students can evaluate their own characteristics, leading towards a better

understanding of themselves.

Critical Pedagogy: This unit promotes life long literacy because students will have

to carefully construct their text around a specific audience. This skill carries

throughout their lives as they become fully participating members of a community

and will have to address specific audiences depending on certain situations and

contexts. The persuasion skills the students apply to their PSAs are directly

transferable to Regent Exam essays they will have to write. In addition, reading and

interpreting visual literacy is a skill that is a must in todays multilingual world. Asstudents explore how certain editing techniques, musical additions, text

incorporation and structure of a multimodal text work together, they will become

stronger readers of these complex texts.

Project-based Learning: Barell defines project-based learning as an inquiry

process that resolves questions, curiosities, doubts, and uncertainties about a

complex phenomena in life. Decision-making, risk-taking, comprising, sameness,

the beauty of extremes, and safety are all pieces of an inquiry that students should

grapple with. This thematic unit raises questions such as is safety more valuable

than risk-taking? Students will continue to decide between risk-taking andconforming their entire lives.

Interdisciplinary Justification: This unit would work well with that of a social

studies class. Ever since the beginning of human life on earth, decision-making has

been present. These decisions have shaped the way the world has been constructed.

By examining specific examples of historical decisions, students in my class can get

another discipline to view the essential question through.


5/23

5

Respect for Difference: Students will present their final PSAs in class to each

other. Following, students will have discussions on what they saw/felt/interpreted

from their peerspresentations. This will allow everyones voice to come across in

the classroom as they analyze and evaluate other perspectives present in their

learning environments. In doing so, they will gain better appreciation for otherperspectives as well as embracing their own.

Assessments: Students will be asked to have written journal reflections throughout

the unit. These reflections are open-ended and allow another medium in which not

only do students inquire the essential question, but self-assess their progress. In the

field of summative assessment, I will assess students on their PSA final product via a

rubric. Formatively, however, I will assess students through constant conferences as

well as collecting their journals for completion. The rubric will check for

demonstrations in the disciplines and skills, which we work with in class during the

course of the unit.

Text Set:

1. LeGuin, Ursula K. The Ones Who Walks Away From Omelas. New Dimensions,volume 3. 1973. Print.

In this short story, citizens who live in Omelas are filled with happiness. When

they come of age they are told that one single child is required to be kept in

darkness and filth in order to maintain the happiness for the rest of the community.

Many citizens become disgusted but go back to their happy lives and forget about it.

A few individuals walk away from Omelas, but no one is for certain where they go.Members of the Omelas community are unable to decide whether the child who

is sacrificed should be saved. However, it is for their safety and happiness and raises

the question whether or not these two ideals can coexist.

2. Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.In this novel, set in a utopian society in the future, Jonas is assigned the role of

the receiver in his community. Quickly, he discovers that his town has many dark

secrets, including the hiding of the aspect of death, as well as colors, and the optionto chose for oneself. People are assigned careers and even whom they marry.

Perfection doesnt seem so perfect anymore. Jonas, through his lessons with the

Giver, learns that without pain, one cannot truly appreciate happiness. Finally, Jonas

decides that this is not the life he wants to be a part off and departs from the

community.

This will be the anchor text for the unit. It tackles important questions such as

should one be able to decide for themselves? The community deprives its citizens


6/23

6

of decision-making as the Elders make all-important decisions. The society

constructed by Lowry supports the notion that safety is better even if it sacrifices

the ability to make decisions, which is then challenged by Jonas as he sees that

people should be allowed to take risks and think for themselves.

3. Jackson, Shirley, and Reg Sandland. The Lottery. Mankato, MN: CreativeEducation, 1983. Print.In this short story, citizens in a modern American community gather together

once a year on June 27thto particpate in The Lottery. The held male of each

household draws a ticket from a black box. If your family draws the ticket with black

dots on it, your family must redraw, and whichever family member then draws the

black dots wins the lottery. This tradition means you get stoned to death in a order

to ensure a good harvest for the upcoming summer. There are rumors that other

towns surrounding this community have given up the lottery. In the end, the lady

who is stoned to death yells, it isnt fair, it isnt right.

This short story is extremely similar to that of The Ones Who Walk Away FromOmelas. In each, citizens sacrifice the life of another town member in order to

ensure a better fortune for themselves. You cannot decide whether or not you want

to be a part of the lottery. This ties into the essential question because not only is

everyone forced to conform to this awful tradition, but they arent even guaranteed

safety in return.

4. Number Twelve Looks Just Like You. The Twilight Zone. CBS. 24 Jan. 1964.Television.

In this black and white television program, we are introduced to a futuristicdystopian society. Individuals undergo The Transformation, a surgery that alters

hairstyle and clothes. This is perfectly normal to do, however, Marilyn, our 18-year

old female protagonist refuses to have the Transformation done to her because

she believes the way she looks is fine. Everyone pressures here to do it. She finally

does it and comes out smiling at herself in the mirror pleased with the

Transformation after all.

This episode addresses the concept of conformity in depth, as the protagonist

grapples with losing her sense of self in order to look and dress like everyone else.

She believes that she should have a choice, a decision, whether or not she should

conform.

5. The Same Game. The Fairly Odd Parents. Nickelodeon. 4 May 2001.Television.

In this cartoon show, Timmy Turner is harassed and teased by a dentist and his

son because he does not have perfect teeth. This causes Timmy to wish that

everyone looked exactly the same. His wish is granted by his fairy godparents and


7/23

7

everyone turns into the same gray blob. Timmy realizes how awful his wish is and

wants to undo it, however, because everyone looks the same, his fairy godparents

cant find him.

Due to bullying because of his imperfection, Timmy wishes to conform to avoid

the harassment. It is then when he sees how horrible his wish is, everyone looks

exactly the same and Timmy Turner loses his sense of identity. In addition, thisepisode raises the question, is there even safety in conformity? This is because

Timmys fairy godparents cant find him amongst the gray blobs.

6. Zager & Evans. In the Year 2525. RCA, 1969. Vinyl.This psychedelic rock song envisions a future starting in the year 2525 and

continues by 1010 year segments. In 3535, everything you think, do, and say is in

the pill you took. In 4545, you wont need eyes or a mouth and no one will look at

you. In 5555, you wont need legs or arms because machines will do that for you

already. In 6565 you dont need a wife because you pick your daughter from a long

glass tube.This song tackles the same theme as The Giverbecause as the future advances,

humanity conforms more and more while decision-making lessens.

Unit Plan Schedule:

Week One:

Monday:

Reading:

Chapters 1-2 (Pages 1-19)

Comprehension Questions:

Why does Jonas need to be careful about his language? On page 6, Jonas says that he feels sorryfor anyone who is in a place where he

feels strange and stupid. Why do you think he feels this way? Have you ever

been in a place where you felt strange and stupid?

On page 14 it is statedrules were very hard to change. Are rules hard tochange? Why or why not?

Topical Question:

How do researchers validate sources?

Researches evaluate different elements of a source, looking forfamiliar reliable features.

In class:


8/23

8

Students will look at a variety of websites includingwww.Wikipedia.com,www.history.com,www.ny.gov, and anything

addresses that end in .edu.

We will discuss what websites they feel are reliable I will explain to them that reliable means they are validated, respected

and well examined documents Websites that are .edu or .gov are more likely to be reliable because

they are ran by a government or university

Wikipedia may have false information because anyone can add on to itApplication:

Students must be able to recognize reliable sources to strengthen theirarguments, and enhance their persuasions.

Unreliable sources can lead to false information, creating weak writing. Solid source using can validate yourself as a writer. As we create life-long learners, students will continue researching things that

they wish to inquire about, therefore they must know where to look for

information.

Tuesday:


Can there be danger in conformity? If so, then why not take risks? Read: The Lottery

Topical Question:

How can one source be better than another, other than through content?

The Internet is subject to change, while print sources are solidified by time.Also, primary documents allow for more authentic research over secondary

documents.

In Class:

Last class we looked at website sources. Today we will take a trip to theschools library and look at reference books. This will include encyclopedias,

atlases, bibliographies, and even quotation books.

We will discuss what effect using a textual reference will have compared to awebsite. We will also look at primary sources (first hand encounters) versus

secondary sources (someone writing about someone elses work)

Application:

It is important to include a variety of sources when supporting a thesisbecause it allows for different perspectives to come through.
http://www.wikipedia.com/http://www.wikipedia.com/http://www.history.com/http://www.history.com/http://www.history.com/http://www.ny.gov/http://www.ny.gov/http://www.ny.gov/http://www.ny.gov/http://www.history.com/http://www.wikipedia.com/


9/23

9

Wednesday:

Reading:



On page 38 it says always better, less rude, to talk about things that were thesame. Do you believe this is true?

Do you only talk about things that are the same? Does society as a whole only discuss sameness? What would become of our society if people only talked about things that were

the same?

Topical Question:

Why is it important to properly cite your sources? Original authors deserve the credit for their work. We may borrow ideas, but

never steal.

In Class:

I will show students the proper way to cite sources using the MLA format. We will look at examples of cited sources on

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

I will provide students with different types of texts including a book, anewspaper article, a short story, and a poem and ask them to cite them

properly

Application:

It is important to give credit when credit is due. Borrowing ideas is perfectly acceptable in this day and age, and we

encourage collaboration, but when work and ideas are not from your own

brain, you must cite where it came from.

Students will need to cite the sources they used for their PSAs. After school, students will want their own ideas protected.

Thursday:Topical Question:

How do authors maintain a sense of rhythm while incorporating their researched

material?

By properly framing research with introductions and transitions.In Class:


10/23

10

We will take a look at an informational text that incorporates research fromoutside sources.

We will discuss how this outside information is embedded smoothly withinthe written text.

I will provide students with three pieces of information from a text and theymost compose their own cohesive paragraph that includes the informationthey are being given.

Students will share with partners, and I will collect work afterwards.Application:

Students must learn how to write and speak in a cohesive manner. Cohesiveness allows for fluent communication between speakers of the

English language.

Cited information needs to be properly embedded and submerged into workso that a specific rhythm can be maintain.

Students will be applying researched information into their PSAs and willneed it to be a cohesive composition when finished to clearly get theirmessage across.

Friday:

Reading:



It is beginning to be clear that the community was so meticulously ordered, thechoices so carefully made. (48) What is some evidence to support this claim?

Does this community seem to be running smooth because of it? Is there happiness among the citizens due to the order and carefully made

choices?

The Elders declared that they are honoring the Twelves differences and havedetermined their futures. Can you really honor someones differences by

choosing their future?

Are there differences present in the community between children? Again we see the importance of the precision of language on page 55. Why is

Lowry constructing a community that emphasis such great importance on theprecision of language?

In this section, a ceremony is held where you are assigned your role in thecommunity. How would you feel if you were assigned a major before entering

college, or were given a job that you had to do the rest of your life without a

choice?

In Class:


11/23

11

*Quiz Day*: See comprehension questions. Students will be given a hard copy of the comprehension questions and be

asked to answer them in cohesive thoughts.

This will be collected. A discussion on those questions will follow.

Week Two:

Monday:

Reading:



On page 64 Jonas is filled with fear. How could this have been avoided? On page 65, Jonas feels separate, different, for the first time in his life. Why is

this?

Why does he care so much that he feels different and separate? What does this say about the community he is apart of, and their values? What does this say aboutJonas values at this point? Why does the community make it a law to never lie? What does lying do for us?

What does it not do for us?

Topical Question:

Why does anyone bother picking a side? What we stand for, believe in and value, constructs who we are.

In Class:

We will look at Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have A Dream speech. We will examine his reasons for writing that speech. I will find a current, relevant news article that is controversial and ask

students to pick a stance on it.

I will ask students to write a one-page response defending theirstance.

Application: The world is constructed through politics. Who you are and what your morals, values, beliefs and opinions are shape

culture and the world around you.

Humans have the right to form opinions. Picking a side can change things, especially through the vessel of the English

language.

Calls to social reform are how progress is made.


12/23

12

Students will need to make a stance in their PSAs.

Tuesday:

Topical Question:

How does including or excluding certain players change the overall meaning of a text? Players frame the topic you are addressing via their values and

connotations.

In Class:

We will look at printed texts of a Presidential speech. We will color code the text, highlighting all of the nouns included. We will make a list of all the nouns included on the board. We will make a list next to that list of all the nouns that were excluded

that were relevant to the topic being discussed by the President.

We will examine why certain people and things were excluded andincluded and what purpose this serves in the Presidents overallmessage.

Application:

Students will need to carefully choose who they want included in theirPSAs, and how they will impact the message they are trying to convey.

On the other side of that, who they deliberately leave out of their PSAswill also effect their audiences.

This is directly related to trying to connect with specific audiences, askill that exceeds English, and carries over to the many contexts of life.

Wednesday:

Reading:



Finally, Jonas discovers what colors are. The community he has beenapart of is absent of colors and only sees in black and white. What does

this say about the community?

What would a life without colors entail? In what was would your community change if it were absent of colors?

Topical Question:

How do authors use setting to create a response in their readers?

Certain settings used evoke specific emotions in audiences because ofthe different connections made in readers minds associated with

different settings.


13/23

13

In Class:

We will look at how setting can be a tool used for characterization. Students will look at specific texts, even in The Giver, and see how

specific settings help characterizes the people in a story.

Students will have their own hand at using setting to further explaincharacters. Students will do a character sketch to create establish a character. Students will be asked to write a detailed vivid description of their

characters bedroom.

Application:

Students must strategically place their PSAs in certain settings. It is important to know what impact specific types of settings have on

audiences.

Being aware of our surroundings can reveal a lot about ourselves, the peoplearound us, and the world around us because of connotations, and even

specific memories.

Thursday:

Topical Question:

What are different ways that authors convey the ideas they are trying to get across to

the reader?

Authors need to choose between dialogue, narration, or even silenceoccasionally depending on the way they want to present their

message.

In Class:

We will watch short appropriate clips ofA Christmas Story, as itdisplays first person narration.

Application:

It is important to recognize and celebrate different perspectives. Our own perspectives are only a small percent that construct the

world around us.

We can learn a lot by looking at and through different perspectives. Students must decide whether or not they want dialogue in their PSA,

a narrator, or simply silence.

Friday:

Reading:



14/23

14


Explain what Jonas means by if everythings the same, then there arentany choices! He wants to wake up in the morning and decide things! A

blue tunic, or a red one? What does this say about Jonas as a character

now?

Do you think we should have the choice of waking up and being able todecide things for ourselves? What is sacrificed if we do have the option of choosing for ourselves? Why might this community have elected a council of Elders to make the

decisions such as the family you live with and the career you have?

The Giver begins to answer Jonas questions by saying this type of lifewouldnt be safe. Jonas agrees and says we really have to protect people

from wrong choices. Do you agree with Jonas?

Do we have the right to protect people from making wrong choices? Arethere such things as wrong choices?

The Giver implies that a life of order is painless. If so, what else is beingsacrificed? Refer to page 103.

Topical Question:

What effect do players, setting, dialogue, and narration have on the overall text?

These elements combined establish a specific type of tone. Who theplayers are specifically can help frame the message itself as audiences

can either relate or not. Setting evokes emotions in audiences because

of associations made with the place or time involved which serves to

highlight similarities or anomalies based on that setting. The method

of convention frames the message and highlights the values of the

respected perspectives of the players and the author.

In Class:

Watch different types of PSAs. Have students create t-charts. In one column have them jot down

what they see and what they hear under description.

The next column will be reaction, where students simply write downhow certain parts and elements of the PSA makes them feel.

Ask students to share out what type of tone is coming across for eachPSA.

Application:

As students approach their PSAs, they will need to think of what type of tonethey want to create with their work. Are they trying to be inspirational,

uplifting, or are they trying to create a serious tone?

Learning how tone works is a skill that students can transfer to othercontexts.


15/23

15

Society functions off of appropriateness of certain situations, and studentsmust be able to recognize when and where is the correct time for certain

tones.

Tone can affect the overall message of their PSA, especially how it resonateswith their target audiences.

Week Three:

Monday:

Reading:


Comprehension Questions: Does a community of conformity mean the absence of love? If one can not love, can one get hurt? How does the quote, it is better to have loved and lost than not loved at

all relate to this section ofThe Giver?

Topical Question:

How do actors in PSAs contribute to the overall message?

Through what they wear, say, act, their posture, gestures, expressions,all serve to highlight the values of the creator.

Tuesday:

Topical Question:

Can conformity actually be more dangerous than risk-taking?

Watch Same GameIn Class:

Watch the cartoon Same Game (about fifteen minutes in length) Discuss how Timmys wish went wrong. Discuss how the cartoonists chose and envisioned Timmys wish, and

how it affected the overall message of the episode.

Students will write a one page journal response on the episode inresponse to the topical question of the day.Wednesday:

Reading:



16/23

16


In a community where conformity is the way of life, how important arememories?

Can one even have memories if every day is basically the same? When you dont make your own decisions, how do you make memories?

How important are memories to you now in your own life? Why? What roles do memories play in your life?

Topical Question:

How does the addition of musical instrumentation supplement the theme of a PSA, or

the characters involved?

Different genres, moods, and styles of music reflect different themesbased on how they are presented through music.

In Class:

We will watch clips of the movie Dark Knight Rises. Each of the three main characters, Batman, Catwoman, and Bane, have

their own instrumental background while they are present on thescreen.

I will have students create a chart as they watch the different clips. What kind of music is playing when each of the respected characters

are on screen?

Describe the instruments you might hear, the dynamics, the tone, therhythm, and the tempo of that music.

What does each of those types of music do for the character they areplaying behind?

Application: Students will need to be conscious of their musical accompaniment

throughout their PSAs.

Having a silly, corny instrumentation playing during a very serious scene willalter the mood and destroy the message you are trying to sell.

Music can say things without words. Sometimes less is more. Ending a PSAwith powerful music and on-screen text can be an effective way to move

audiences through emotions.

Music can reveal a lot about your characters indirectly, rather than wastingtime explicitly fleshing out certain aspects of characters.

Thursday:Topical Question:

How do authors reiterate key ideas?

Authors incorporate on-screen text to repeat reoccurring themes andideas that they want their audiences to really take away from their

overall text.

In Class:


17/23

17

We will watch even more examples of PSAs, especially ones thatinclude on-screen text.

Some PSAs wont even include speech and rely solely on on-screentext.

Students will see the power of words. By putting on-screen text in a PSA, audiences are given anothermedium in which they can synthesizes the information being

presented to them.

I will put students in groups and give each group a topic. Each group will have whiteboards. They must act out silently the topic/scene they were given and can

only use the whiteboard for including on-screen text.

Students in the audience must try and guess the topic the groups arepresenting through the word clues on the whiteboard.

Application:

Commercials on television will reiterate their message through flashy textand speech.

As students conceptualize their PSAs, they can either chose to include on-screen text to support their overall stance, or exclude it to put an emphasis

on those who are speaking.

Friday:

Topical Question:Are there elements authors use to make their work more cohesive, exciting, and

interesting to watch?

Editing, transitioning, pacing and special effects are all tools availablefor making a PSA more interesting and accessible to different

audiences.

Week Four:

Monday: Direct Instruction Day:

o I will have students create YouTube accounts and teach themthe proper way to upload their PSAs to them.

o I will show them proper titles and descriptions that theyshould use.

Tuesday:


18/23

18

Reading:

Chapters 20 (Pages 152-162)


How is it present in this section that even in a community of sameness,safety isnt a guarantee?Topical Question:

Is sacrificing someone elses safety for your happiness justifiable? Read The Ones Who Walks Away From Omelas

In Class:

Students will read The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. Students will write a one-page response on the topical question, and also in

regards to how setting, dialogue, narration, and characterization impact the

story as a whole.

Wednesday:

Topical Question:

How did this society fail to find an effective balance between risk-taking andconforming?

Listen to In the Year 2525Thursday:

Topical Question:

Can conforming be risky? Watch Number Twelve Looks Just Like you

Friday:

Reading:



Find textual evidence that reveals why Jonas decided to leave the community.(165/173)

Begin presentations of PSAs


19/23

19

Making DecisionsIs It Better Safe Than Sorry?

Is conforming, taking the safe route, a better choice than making your own decisions

and taking risks?What do we lose by settling and compromising?

How does well chosen research, choosing and positioning players, dialogue (or lack of),tone, setting, and musical supplement, contribute to a message/idea over all? How do

these things working together help sell your stance to an audience?

Public Service Announcement: a

public message with the objective of

raising awareness, changing public

attitudes, and behavior towards asocial issue.

Goal: You are going to convince

your audience (YouTube viewers)

whether or not to take risks or to

remain in the safety of conformity

through a Public Service

Announcement.


20/23

20

Task: Complete a public service announcement that is 1:30-2:00 minutes in length.

Steps:

1. Choose a stance: Is it better safe than sorry? Should we take risks?2. Research your decision: find examples of conformity in society, past or

present, and show the benefit or dangers of either

3. Compose a script that will be adapted into a PSA based on your decision (wewill go over script composition in class together)

4. Select a setting, actors, music, ect to complete your video presentation (bemindful of your selection and how they contribute to your overall message)5. Upload your final product to YouTube6. Comment on at least three other peers PSAs on YouTube7. Submit a hard copy of your script to me8. Complete a paper that justifies your choices in creating your PSA.

Common Core Standards Involved:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine andconvey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the

effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined

experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-

structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.6 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.

Assessment: You will be evaluated in three aspects:

1. Your PSA meets requirements (see attached rubric)2. Your reflective essay in which you clearly justify and defend the moves you

made in making your PSA

3. You have commented on at least 3 other peoples PSAs via YouTube
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/2/http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/3/http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/6/http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/6/http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/3/http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/W/9-10/2/


21/23

21

Self-Assessment:

We will have weekly conference together to discuss your process and project Each week you will submit to me a reflective journal entry (at least one page

typed) that discusses your experience with the PSA and our overarching

topic


22/23

22

5

Exceeding

Expectations

4

Above

Expectations

3

Meeting

Expectations

2

Approaching

Expectations

1

Below

Expectations

Length Your PSA is

between

1:30-2:00

minutes inlength

N/A N/A N/A Your PSA

fails to meet

the time

requirement

Setting You can fully

justify in

detail why

you chose the

specific

setting for

your PSA and

how it

characterizes

your players.

Your setting

enhances

the over all

message and

plays a vital

role in

establishing

tone, theme,

and

characters.

Your setting

makes

sense, is

appropriate

and

contributes

to your

message.

Some thought

was put into

establishing

setting, but

doesnt

enhance

overall

message.

Your setting

has no

significant

value to

your overall

message.

Music Your musical

additions

support the

overall tone

of your

message and

enhances

your final

product. You

can justify

your reasonsfor selecting

certain

genres and

styles of

music.

Music not

only reflects

your

message but

also

enhances it,

making your

PSA more

stimulating

and

gripping.

Music

selection

reflects your

characters,

theme, tone,

setting, and

overall

message.

Music is

added but is

used

ineffectively,

and not

appropriately.

No music

was added

to your final

project.

On-

Screen

Text

On-Screen

text is used

appropriately

to reiterate

specific ideas

involved with

your PSA.

They are

thoughtful,

thought-

provoking,

and engaging.

Text not

only

supports

and reflects

your main

idea, but

reinforces it,

adding

another

stimulating

element to

your video.

Text

provides

another

medium in

which

audiences

can

interpret

your

message.

You have a

title screen

and closing

credits.

No on-

screen text

is

incorporated

in your final

product.


23/23

is it better safe than sorry?

Documents