ASSIGNMENT #3: FOCUS UNIT PART 1
PART 1: Web of Possibility and Book Selection
1. Choose ONE CENTRAL THEME that tends to be of interest to the students in a grade level of your choice. Examples: Friendship, Survival, Kindness, Determination, Self-esteem, Family,
etc. Describe the theme, your purpose for selecting it, and the grade level/s you are creating
your focus unit for.
2. Create a graphic organizer (in the form of a ‘web’ design) with FIVE specific questions that
students will explore, using a variety of genre and literacy activities. Ask yourself, “What do I
want kids to know and be able to do in this unit, with this theme?”
NOTE: Questions should be based on Bloom’s Taxonomy so that a variety of comprehension
and critical thinking skills are addressed in your web:
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
3. Find 15 books that represent a variety of genre, such as fiction, non-fiction, wordless book,
poetry, early leveled texts, informational texts, historical fiction, myths, etc. Your book must
align with the theme and support your web questions.
IMPORTANT: You must select THREE BOOKS FOR EACH WEB QUESTION, for a total of
15 books in all.
4. READ all 15 books and create an annotated bibliography that includes bibliographic
information PLUS a brief description of the book and its connection to your theme and web
questions. Note: Book descriptions must be in your own words.
• I WILL ATTACH AN EXAMPLE OF THIS FIRST PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT.
• THE EXAMPLE PAPER IS ONLY A LITTLE PIECE FOR YOU TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THE PROFESSOR IS LOOKING FOR.
• PLEASE TRY NOT TO USE THE SAME TOPIC OR GRAPHIC ORGANIZER THAT THE EXAMPLE PAPER HAS.
• PLEASE CREATE THIS UNIT TO FIT 2ND OR 3RD GRADE ELEMENTARY STUDENTS.
• PART 1 SHOULD BE 7 PAGES NO MORE THAN 8 PAGES. PLEASE TRY TO CONDENSE THE 15 ANOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES WITH THIS PART.
• IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAPER IF YOU CAN SEND ME WHAT YOU ARE WORKING SO THAT I CAN MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS ON TRACK..I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT…. THANK YOU!!
Part 2: Unit Activities
1. Candidates will build a focus unit that is based on the theme, books, and questions created in Part 1.
2. For EACH QUESTION on the web of possibility, the candidate will create activities that will help students explore the theme, using selected books. Activities should include the following:
Reading
Creative Writing
Listening
Speaking
Spelling
Creative Expression (integration of art, drama, music, technology)
3. The unit must include at least 2 lesson plans for whole group instruction for the following
instructional approaches, using selected books:
PRE-READING
READ ALOUDS
INDEPENDENT READING
JOURNAL WRITING
LEARNING CENTERS
4. The unit must include 3 lesson plans for small group GUIDED READING lessons (one for
struggling readers, one for advanced readers, and one for ESOL students), using instructional level books to support the theme and questions from the web.
NOTE: Lesson plans must include the following parts (use headings as listed below):
OBJECTIVES
STANDARDS
MATERIALS
GUIDED PRACTICE: Be sure to address needs/modifications for ESOL &
Special Needs students.
Note: All lessons should also include a variety of questions that can be used to build comprehension in each lesson, utilizing books from your selection. Comprehension include: Retelling, Drawing Conclusions, Main Idea, Fact vs Opinion, Sequence of Events, Determining Importance, Visualization, or Cause & Effect.
INFORMAL ASSESSMENT: How will you determine if students have met
the objectives?
5. Create a rubric or a checklist with objectives and skills you will be teaching in your unit so that you can determine the following:
How did students meet the objectives of the focus unit?
How well did they utilize selected books in different lessons?
How well did they respond to the unit’s web questions in different
lessons?
RUBRIC FOR PART 2 FOLLOWS ON THE NEXT PAGE………
