Melissa Mitchell, English, North Mecklenburg High School
Final Unit (PDF) Implementing Common Core Standards (PDF)
200 Word Synopsis
The purpose of this unit is to teach the fundamental basics of grammar and to demonstrate how students and teachers, through masterful examples, have been manipulated through style and may in turn manipulate through a written text. Students will understand how professional writers use grammar as a tool in aiding their manipulation of the language. Students will also in turn practice and apply those same techniques in their own writing. Once students become conscious of how they are influenced to feel and see as the author does, they in turn will practice these same techniques of manipulation and style in their own writing to influence others. Once these elements of the text are revealed to the students– once the unconscious is made conscious – they will in turn see the relevance of grammar. Instead of teaching grammar in isolation, this unit emphasizes the importance of treating grammar like a tool in order to develop style and cohesiveness in a piece of writing. All of the texts chosen for study are engaging texts for teenage minds, all grammatical principles covered are clearly laid out in each text, and all elements of this unit will support the Common Core state standards.
Home