Functional

Texts

Informational Texts

Survival

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

“Expand your knowledge” map mileage key

Distance measurement – which way is north?

“Legend” reading

Time order, timelines, chronological order

- Of London’s life

- Of historical events

List of survival items and skills

Survivor TV show/NBC news clips of “survival stories”

Short stories from literature book

“Von” P. 66-73

“Battle by the Breadfruit Tree” P. 457-466

“Survive the Savage Sea” P. 619-632

All informational narratives (nonfiction)

Book: The Call of the Wild by Jack London (teaching aid book on The Call of the Wild)

Film/movie “The Call of the Wild” – two versions

Unit Title:

Major Work:

1

Literary Texts

What overarching understandings are desired?

What are the overarching “essential”questions?

What will students understand asa result of this unit?

What “essential” and “unit” questionswill focus this unit?

Survival skills, succeed – skills needed

How to survive/adapt/adjust to live

Alaska: geography, map reading, weather, history, climate

Life during the Yukon Gold Rush

Literature analysis

What skills will you need to survive in life?

How does the story tie into survival today?

What traits are required for survival?

What traits do you need to succeed in life?

Life skills – that there are certain essential skills needed to survive in life.

How to identify personal strength and weaknesses.

Similarities/differences in behavior between animals and humans.

Life during the Yukon Gold Rush and its significance (climate and history).

How literature can entertain, yet teach a moral or principle.

Identify and explain:

Student’s personal weakness and strengths to survive? Jack London’s traits and view from book?

What are the dominant and underlying themes in the book?

Are there differences and or similarities between animals and human? (What makes each what they are – animal/human)?

Behavior hierarchy (read page “Lead Dog”). Do animals plot to hurt each other like humans do?

What would it take to survive now?What skills did the author give as survival skills?

Identify Desired Results

Determine Acceptable EvidenceWhat evidence will show that students understand?

Quizzes, Tests, Academic Prompts

Performance Tasks, ProjectsYukon Gold Rush Project – Booklet/pamphlet, or Web page, advertisement or newspaper, current event articles. Poster on geography, weather, history, biography, charts, graphs

Read and identify parts of map, timeline

Develop timeline for the plot of story

Response journals (creative history journal)

Plot Structure

Essays – literal and interpretive

Vocabulary quizzes/test Interpretive information

Chapter comprehension quizzes/test Crossword puzzles/word search

Essay question quizzes/test “Close” test

Portfolio checks Personal presentation of Alaska and survival

Drills/handouts Advertisement “Come to the Klondike”

Notes and journal entries

Parent aid/sign sheets (parent involvement sheets)

Art/history search

Take-home test and study questions (comprehension check)

Six Trait Writing

Response cards – reader response

Other Evidence, e.g., Observations Work Samples, Dialogues

Student Self-Assessment

Plan Learning Experiences and InstructionWhat evidence will show that students understand?

What teaching and learning experiences will equip students to demonstratethe targeted understandings?

How to identify, explain and understand map, locations, distance/legend reading.

How to analyze literature.

Identify, explain, examine and understand maps, locations, distance and legend reading.

Understand and analyze literature.

Short stories with similar themes

Study maps

History information/background/timelines

Web sites and materials

Biography – about author or other major character/person of time period

Teacher-generated information and materials

Use of graphic organizers and outlining

Iditarod race - Web site

Students will need to know:

Students will be able to:

Where do they overlap?

What are they learning in Geography/History?

Maps, weather

Time period/events

Alaska

Science

Maps

Alaska

History time period/Yukon Gold Rush

Environmental issues

Weather

Cross-Curricular Connections

What are they learning in language arts?

How will I reach each strand?

Writing

Reading

SpeakingListening

Viewing

Presenting

Core Curriculum

Personal experience with survival and Alaska

Student projects

Maps

Pictures

Literature – preview, view, review

Movies/video

Oral reading

Presentations

Notes/lectures

Oral reading

Discussions

Presentation

Questioning

Text

Maps

Current events/newspaper

Short stories

Research

Project

Essay/questions

Journal

Notes

Personal responses

Worksheets

Biography

Biography of Jack London

Time line

Outlining

Information - deciding what is important

Six Traits – Ideas and development

Organization

Sentence fluency

Voice

Voice

Word choice

Conventions

An EXPOSITORY Writing Assignment With a Six Trait Component

Prompt:

Prewriting Activities

Composing Activities

Revision Activities

Detail of Activity to Teach Listening,Speaking, Viewing, Presenting (Choose One)

Presenting

Discussion of presentation skills - model presenting with visual aids:

- Eye contact

- Clear speech

- Volume

- Consider audience when choosing vocabulary

- Visuals, charts, pictures

- Presentation of project:

- Have students do a presentation about one aspect of the Iditarod or sled races

- Grade students, give feedback, use student/peer feedback “Presentation Matrix”

Strand:

Organization of project, paper, presentation, or essay

- Inviting introduction

- Logical sequencing

- Thoughtful transitions

- Pacing

- Satisfying conclusion

Give a checklist/score sheet:

- Students in groups: trade papers and peer evaluate

- Read orally to hear problems

- Score using score sheet

Detailed Revision of Activity Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, or Sentence

Fluency (Choose One)

Trait:

Text to movie – point by point in chronological order.

Details in text that are not in video. Why change story in video/film?

Paper – compare differences and similarities.

(Chronology – short story to text).

Discuss conventions of movies – visual and auditory aspects.

- Music

- Scenery

- Sound

- Color

(cut out parts of story to fit the format.)

“Arctic Wolves,” National Geographic - text to text

Setup

Contrast/compare to narrative/organizationally

Conventions – important sentences, bold words, bullets, etc.

Compare/Contrast

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Reading Activity to Teach Text Structure Other Than Narrative

Text Type: