Title: Examining Greed in “The Pearl”Grade level: 9th gradeLength of time: 3 weeks

Stage 1 – Desired Results

Meaning

Enduring Understandings:

Parables can teach us important life lessons

Greed is a human dilemma that can affect any person

The basic structure of plot in a novel mirrors the human experience

Essential Questions:

How can we use a novella parable such as “The Pearl” to examine our own life?

What does it mean to be selfish or self-serving? How can literature help us ask questions about our own

lives to change and improve ourselves?

Knowledge & Skills Acquisition

Students will know…

The purpose of a parable The five stages of plot

development:1. Introduction2. The rising action3. Climax4. Falling action5. Close/resolution

Students will be able to…

Employ the 6+1 Writing Traits in papers Use comprehension strategies in reading:

1. Visualizing2. Making Inferences3. Summarizing4. Determining Importance5. Questioning6. Making Connections7. Monitoring for Comprehension

Established GoalsCommon Core Standards1. 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 audience’s 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.9-10.1.)

1. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze 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. (RI.9-10.2.)

2. 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.9-10.3.)

3. IA.1.Employ the full range of research-based comprehension strategies, including making

connections, determining importance, questioning, visualizing, making inferences, summarizing, and monitoring for comprehension.

Stage 2 – Evidence (Assessment)

Performance Tasks

Students will apply their understandings by…

Using the 6+1 Writing Traits, students will write a paper examining greed in “The Pearl.” Students will be informed about this task in the beginning of the unit, and there will be

workshop time to develop this. There will be significant scaffolding. The workshops will focus on identifying these traits and polishing them.

Criteria used to evaluate this work will pertain to how well the 6+1 Traits are evident in the piece.

Other Types of Assessment (Selected Response, Short Answer, Extended Response, Personal Communication)

Students will additionally demonstrate their knowledge and skills by…

There will be no other assessment; however students will be expected to participate in discussing “The Pearl,” and also workshop time of the 6+1 Writing Traits.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Pre-assessment:

Admit slips. Students will be given admit slips. If the students already have acquired the skills, then the students will begin working on, and

refining their skills.

Unit Sequencing:

The units will last three weeks, or approximately twenty-one days.

An instructional strategy used to hook students will be to have students use truisms in the beginning of the class. This is adapted from Gretchen Bernabei’s “Reviving the Essay.” Pictures will be placed on an overhead projector to get classroom discussion going. This is a “Truism” exercise.

Learning objectives will be posted every day and given when the class begins. There will also be a daily agenda that will notify the students of the entire agenda for the day.

The unit will be sequenced on the first day with identifying Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions that I want the students to acquire at the end of the unit. The students will also be given the guidelines for the performance assessment. Students will be given an explanation of the unit.

Flexible Grouping will be used for the students to maximize efficiency and learning in small group work. TIPS will be used for students to get the students to learn with others, and also practice writing down their ideas. Gretchen Bernabei’s lesson on truisms will be used to get students to get students to think about a topic for the day. Double Entry Journal’s will be used as a “writing to learn” strategy. The students will use the DEJ’s for note taking, and note making.

There will be a couple of ways that students will be assessed. By exit slips, about three times a week, and also from walking around the room and listening to student conversations

Most of the scaffolding in the classroom will be to work on the 6+1 traits in a writing assignment. Time will be given to workshop papers in class relating to “The Pearl,” and some issue of greed or corruption.

The main differentiated technique that I will be relying on will be flexible grouping. I will be able to group students according to ability, and also with which students will work best together. Another way to differentiate will be to have a lot of scaffolding especially with the 6+1 writing traits performance writing paper. There will be workshop time in class to discuss these traits within the paper.

December

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat1

2 3Introduce

unit:Enduring

Understandings and

Essential

4Post objectivesFocus Set: Ask students if they know what a Truism is.Post photo of hand

5Post objectives: To

learn what rising action is, and to

identify what part in “The Pearl” where

there is rising

6Post objectives:

To explore the possibilities of voice

in writing.

Guided

7Post objectives:

To identify word choice in the

novel.

Focus set: Show

8

Questions are identified

Entrance Slip: “What do you know about

plot structure-

Rising action, conflict,

climax, falling action,

resolution? What do you know about a

Parable?”

6+1 writing traits

explained

Introduce comprehension strategies for reading:

Give students handout for

future reference, and also

handout of 6+1 writing

traits.

picking up money. Ask students to reflect. Do a TPS. Then talk with the whole class.

Transition:Guided Instruction/Modeling: Explain to students comprehension strategies: Determining Importance, and Visualizing.

Break students in small groups: Ask students to visualize some key moments in “The Pearl.”

Ask students to find important moments in the beginning of “The Pearl.”

Independent practice:

Write an exit slip. Ask students question: What

action. To learn a comprehension

strategy: Making Connections-“text-

to-text,” “text-to-world,” and “text-

to-self”Focus Set:

Post on projector Greed in Bold

letters.Ask students to write what they think that greed

means.

Guided Instruction/Modelin

g:Explain to students

what rising action is. Explain

comprehension strategy: “Making

Connections. Text-to-text, text-to-

world, and text-to-self.

Group students according to

“Flexible Grouping” structure. Group

students who would

Instruction/Modeling: Explain the voice

trait writing.

Break up into small groups. Identify

elements of voice in “The Pearl” Focus

on language. Encourage students

to write in DEJ

Independent Practice: Return

back to what is important to Kino.

Point out pages 14, 15, and 19. Have students write an

exit slip stating what they think is

important to Kino.Assign reading:

Chapter two.

different sentences that

say the same thing. Identify

that what words we choose,

impacts on the expression.

Model how this would change the meaning through

wording.

Guided practice/Modelin

g:Explain to

students that finding the right

word, makes a difference in how the expression of

the piece of writing. Word

choice is also related to voice.

Do TIPS with a partner. Find

good word choice in “The Pearl.”

Independent Practice: Write

Assign Chapter 1DEJ explained: Note

taking, and note making. Encourage

students to take notes from this.

important event that has happened in the novella so far, will impact, or set the tone for the rest of the novel.

work best together by observing the

classroom. Ask students to find an

event of rising action in the novel.

Independent Practice: Ask

students to write an exit slip to make a

connection to Kino’s reaction to the

scorpion.

for ten minutes practicing to

expression using word choice.

Give sentences to use for prompts.

Students will write in their own

words.

Assign chapter 3

9 10Post objectives: To

develop organization in writing.

To be able to make predictions in

reading.

Modeling/Guided Practice:

Show examples of good organization in

writing.

Have workshop time to develop

organization of a small piece…one page

long. Show different

11Post objectives:

To develop sentence fluency in

writing.Develop reading

strategy Synthesizing.

Modeling/Guided Practice: Explain to

students how to synthesize. Show examples of good sentence fluency.

Have students take notes in DEJ.

Work in small

12Post objectives:

Develop conventions and

presentation in writing. Learn

comprehension strategy: Asking

questions.

Modeling/Guided Practice:

Explain how to develop good

conventions in writing.

Explain that good readers ask

questions. Have

13Post objectives:Students will be able to develop

ideas.

Modeling guided Practice: Explain what ideas are to

students. Post several strategies

for developing the ideas trait in

writing. Graphic organizers, word

webs.

Have students do a TPS with a partner

14Post objectives: Students will be able to identify the climax and falling action/

resolution in the novel. Students

will develop a purpose for a

Parable that they can apply to life.

Modeling/Guided Practice: remind

students what the climax and

falling action/resolution

15

prompts to students in groups. Flexible

Grouping used to group students with

ability level. Develop an idea in groups.

Bring back to whole group discussion.

Ask students to do a sharing whip of how they organized their

piece.

Independent Practice: Ask students to make

a prediction of the novel knowing what

they know about Coyotito being sick.

groups on how to synthesize “The

Pearl so far. Model strategies: Outline,

main idea, graphic organizer.

Independent Practice: Develop a

synthesis of Kino’s or Juan’s character.

Assign chapter 4.

group discussion. Ask the students to

ask questions about the text. Show how

this helped them understand the text.

Have students work in small groups with

writing samples. Have students

revise them. Do a sharing whip to

determine what the groups would do to

improve the writing.

Independent Practice: Have

students to write what questions they

have so far with “The Pearl.”

Assign Chapter 5

on developing an idea of the

transformation of Kino and his

obsession with the Pearl. Ask students

if this greed.

Independent Practice:

Have students work independently to develop a graphic

organizer to develop an idea of Kino or Juana, or

Coyotitio’s character and what

they represent in the novel.

Chapter 6 assigned

is. Ask students if they are able to

identify this in the novella.

Come up with ideas. The climax

being when Coyotitio get

shot, the resolution being

when Kino throws the Pearl

back into the ocean.

Break students into small groups.

Have the students work to find a purpose of what it means to be greedy. What do you think that

Kino learned about life in this

Novella? Do a sharing whip

when the students are

finished.

Independent Practice: Exit slip of what student’s

philosophy is towards greed

after reading novella. How can

parables such as “the Pearl” teach

us important lessons?

Assign performance

assessment: 2-3 page paper using

the 6+1 writing traits examining

how Kino or Juana develops in

the story. What does greed teach

them in the story? What do

they find important in life

after their ordeal. Come to class

with 1-3 ideas for paper.

Due on Thursday the 2oth.

16 17Post objectives:

Revisit important parts in the novella.

18Post Objectives:

To continue to develop the idea of

19Post objectives: To

develop and workshop the paper

20Post objectives:

Workshop paper, provide feedback

21Post objectives:

Turn in paper. Revisit and

22

Decide on what idea to use for the paper.

Guided Practice/Modeling.

Discussion on important parts in

“The Pearl.”Work in small groups

to come up with an idea for the paper.

Exit slip: Write what the idea is for the

paper.

the paper as it relates to an

important life lesson

Guided Practice/Modeling:

Revisit strategies for developing an idea. Model to students that if they have a

good idea, they will be able to argue,

and counter-argue with supporting

details.

Break up into small groups to

determine if the students have ideas

that they can support through

details in the novella.

Independent Practice:

Exit slip to see if they have an idea

that they can support with details

from the novella.

using the 6+1 Writing traits.

Guided Practice/Modeling:Explain to students

that they will be revising their peer’s

papers using the 6+1 Traits. Give

students a copy of a grading rubric so

that they are able to analyze the traits of

the papers.

Break students up into groups:

Analyze papers, and make sure that they provide feedback to

the students.

for improvement.

Guided Practice/Modeling:

Inform students that they will be

working on revisions on their

paper one last time before they turn in

their final draft.

Get students in small groups and

work on revisions. Work 6+1 traits.

Turn in paper the 21st.

conclude some of the main ideas in

“The Pearl.”

Guided/Practice:

Work in small groups…give

students questions: What is the purpose of

a “Parable?” How does greed with Kino’s pearl

affect him? What does Kino learn

from this?

Do a sharing whip when finished.

Assign Rough draft to workshop for

Wednesday.

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31