Kayla D’Allura, Literacy, Collinswood Language Academy
Final Unit (PDF) Implementing Common Core Standards (PDF)
Synopsis
Reading a variety of genres is a way for students to express their interests and feelings about a particular subject. “By studying different kinds of literary texts, or genres, children learn to appreciate the language and devices authors use in creating them.”1 Students find reading more enjoyable if they are able to relate to the characters in the story. This curriculum unit will focus on a closer analysis of a fictional text, read in tandem with nonfiction pieces to offer students a deeper understanding of our world and the problems human face. To begin, the students will read the story, “The Lion King,” which is a familiar tale for them. As a class, we will create a circle map of the main character, Simba’s, characteristics in the beginning of the story. I will be the one completing the first circle map, where I will model cognitive and high order thinking skills required to complete this activity. Then, the students will complete a circle map at the end of the story identifying Simba’s characteristics at the end of the story. This will serve as a pre-assessment activity.
The school for which I have designed this unit is a dual language academy, where a great deal of emphasis is focused on higher level thinking and rigor. The model circle map will be used as a basis for this unit. I will also use the circle map as a solution station for the students to refer to throughout the remainder of this unit and the school year. If you are looking for interactive reading analysis lessons across a variety of genres, then this curriculum unit will be very helpful to you!
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