Unit Plan Overview on Self Discovery
This is a terribly thoughtful piece of curriculum with great potential to not only teach English but to
teach students how to use what they learn in English class to make sense of life and make good
decisions in life. Do not be afraid to use the term “empathy,” as it applies here in many ways and
teaches aspects of empathy important to understanding self, others, community, democracy, and life in
general. Your methods are clever and nicely justified by strong rationale that makes for sensible links
between activities, the learning outcomes, and all of this nicely tied to critically important goals of the
ELA discipline. Enjoy being taught by one who will be an excellent teacher.
By: Amy Horning
This unit will cover a period of four weeks and is all tied into a central theme of Self Discovery. I’ve
selected this theme because I believe it’s an important concept for students to explore and the better
that one understands self, the better they can understand and relate to others in meaningful ways. This
lesson plan is geared toward seventh graders as they enter a new chapter of their lives called middle
school. I feel it’s a particularly fitting theme for this age group because they’re experiences so much
change in their lives from social issues to new surroundings to emotional and physical changes in both
body and image. Thus, the goal of this unit is to help students understand how the elements of the
English language arts can be used to understand more about themselves and the value in individualities,
the importance of acceptance in both self and others, and how literary texts can give them tools to help
relate to elements in their real lives.
Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Ted
Arnold
The first lesson in this unit makes use of this children’s picture book based on a popular nursery rhyme.
I’ve selected this lesson as the first one because I believe it will ease students into the theme of . See the
detailed description of this lesson attached as Lesson Plan #1 with Detailed Rationale.
Holes by Louis Sachar
The second lesson dives into reading the anchor text for the unit plan, Holes by Louis Sachar. This lesson
plan is next because it’s the main text and will take students a couple of weeks to read. There are a
variety of classroom discussions and mini-lessons within this lesson plan that will help students make
meaningful connections to the text that relate back to real world experiences and their own lives. See
the detailed description of this lesson attached as Lesson Plan #2 with Detailed Rationale.
“A Good Man Is Hard To Find” by Flannery O’Connor
This is a short story written in 1953 about a grandmother who takes a trip with her son and his family,
consisting of his wife and three children. The son and his family are represented poorly: parents ignore
and don’t discipline or reward the children; the two older children are disrespectful and troublesome;
third child is a baby and represents peace. The grandmother is manipulative, bossy and talks incessantly.
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
The setting is a road trip where the son crashes into a ditch and an escaped convict kills them, one by
one. The grandmother goes through phases of self realization and redemption. Both she and the killer
reflect on life, self and what makes someone a good person, ending with concepts of divine grace.
The objective of this activity is to introduce students to the short story genre, to use as a supplementary
piece to the anchor text and classroom discussion in week three of the unit plan, and engage students in
meaningful discussions about character, good and bad, conflict resolution and consequences of actions.
As a classroom activity, students will showcase that they understand character development and its
importance in literary texts by comparing and contrasting the troublesome but free kids in this story
(John and June) with the not-so-troublesome yet convicted kids in the anchor text, Holes, who spend
their summer at a juvenile detention camp. The kids at Camp Green Lake (the juvenile facility in Holes)
all have nicknames that represent their characters. Students can use this concept to give nicknames to
John and June from this short story that represent their character and discuss how they would or would
not fit in with the main group of characters in Holes. Students will be assessed purely by observational
techniques to determine their level of understanding of the short story, their ability to cross reference
characters from different texts and their level of meaningful engagement in classroom discussions.
Poetry and Song
Poetry is an important literary genre and one that we’ll tie into this overall unit plan. Songs can be
another form of poetry set to lyrical rhyme, and one that students might relate to easier than poetry, at
least initially. In week four, after students have completed reading the anchor text, Holes, students will
be introduced to a few pieces of poetry and songs to help wrap up the themes of self discovery and get
them thinking internally about their own life struggles, what meaning they hold in the world,
importance of self and others and so on. This will give them insight and time for reflection they need to
complete their final letters based on the text, Holes, due at the end of the week. In addition, the
purpose of these mini lessons this week is to introduce students to different literary genres.
First we’ll begin with the lyrical poetry: songs. I’ve selected two songs that deal with self reflection,
meaning of life, internal struggles and the power to overcome. I think these concepts are important and
tie into the overall unit on self discovery. The first song is “Lose Yourself” by a popular rapper called
Eminen. It’s modern and one that most students will easily recognize, but perhaps haven’t taken the
time to analyze the words without the music… to see the words as poetry capable of intense meaning in
a compact format. The meaning of this song is that you have to work for what you want and take
advantage of every opportunity given to you. Part of the chorus goes, “You better lose yourself in the
music, the moment. You own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your
chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime.” Since this song is so popular and is the basis
of a popular movie starring this rapper, we’ll just discuss its various meanings and what the lyrics mean
to the students as individuals. To this rapper, the moment was his change on stage to sing. What is their
moment to seize?
The second song is an older one that most students probably will not know. It’s a slow rock song entitled
“Who I am” that was written and song by Nick Granato. Out loud in class we’ll read the lyrics, and then
discuss initial reactions to the words as poetry and what they mean to them. Then we’ll listen to the
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
song. The chorus of this song depicts the meaning: “And I traveled down this beaten path, too scared to
look, too lost to ask, I did my best for being just a man. Well no I’m not the first, I won’t be the last, to
make my way and not turn back on this journey only few can understand, down this long and winding
road to who I am.” The words in this song are powerful, as are the ones in the first song. We’ll discuss
the meaning of this song and more about the type of character they believe the songwriter to be, or at
least how he’s represented through the song. As an activity to demonstrate the students understanding
of these songs and the importance of words to community meaningful experiences in life and give us
better understanding of character development, students will write a short script. They can select
setting and situation they want. They are to have a minimum of two characters: one being themselves
and the other being either the rapper from the first song or the songwriter from the second. The two
are to get into some sort of discussion, whether amiable or confrontational, about the meaning of life.
Both characters need to be representative of who they are and in the piece their characters should be
evident. This exercise will allow students to have fun in a creative format that shows they understand
character development as well as other literary elements and that they have at least begun thinking in
terms of what they themselves believe the meaning of life is and how they fit into the bigger picture
around them, which will help them with the level of self reflection required for the final assignment.
Poetry. Next we’ll ease students from lyrical poetry (songs) into actual poetry. The same process will be
used as above. Two pieces of poetry will be used to analyze side by side the quality and effect of each.
First one will be a familiar one: “The Victor” by C.W. Longenecker. This poem is easy to ready, relatively
easy to understand and interpret meaning from. In fact, so easy that it’s often criticized for its lack of
literary depth. However, it does hold an important message and it’s an easy piece for students to
analyze for meaning in themes such as courage, strength, will power and positive thinking. The second
poem we’ll read as a class and analyze for meaning is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” This poem is
more complex and will require a deeper level of thinking for students to arrive at a meaningful
experience they can relate to self. For this purpose, we’ll tackle this one second. By reading them and
attempting to analyze them one after the other, which will be down as a classroom exercise in week
four of this unit, students can easily see the difference in complexity. While the first one may be easier
to read and understand, the meaning is so directly stated that it doesn’t leave much room for debate on
interpretation. The second one by Frost is more compact a poem and harder to understand yet will yield
more conversation on meaning because it’s meaning is not so directly stated but more inferred as to
leave it up to the reader to find personal meaning. After analyzing in class both poem, students will be
asked to reflect on the meaning of life, specifically their life as it relates to the world around them, and
to write as homework to bring back the next day their own poem that depicts their perspective on life.
Again, this exercise will help them prepare for the final written letters, to dig deeper into personal
analysis of importance of self and individuality, and to experience another form of literary genre.
Presentation and Movie Day
The students will have the weekend following the fourth week of lesson plans to finish up both letters.
While it may make sense to end a unit plan on the Friday, I’d prefer to give the students the opportunity
for a final review, and hopefully a thorough thought process, to finalize their two letters. They’ll be due
on the following Monday. Student will be given the opportunity to read one of their letters to the class if
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
they chose to, though some of these may be too personal to share. The unit will be wrapped up by
watching the movie “Holes” to reward students for their participation in the unit, bring the book to life
with characters. Prior to the movie we could spend a few minutes discussing what characters they’d cast
for each “camper” from the story and why. Use some prediction and foreshadowing exercises to tie the
book into what they expect will happen in the movie. By showing the movie, students will be able to see
another perspective – that of the director as opposed to the author – of the same story. I’ve read the
book and seen the movie and there are some differences, things left out, a few things added for
cinematic value, etc. A wrap up discussion after the movie on what these differences are and if they
made the experience more or less valuable could be valuable and a way to help students understand the
strengths and weaknesses of both genres.
Resources
The resources we’ll be using in this unit are listed in order below:
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Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Ted
Arnold
Holes by Louis Sachar
“A Good Man Is Hard To Find” – a short story by Flannery O’Conner
“Judge Gives 13-Year-Old Life in Prison for his Part in Robbery Spree Murder” – current news
and local event story published by Reno Gazette-Journal
“Lose Yourself” – song lyrics by Eminem
“Who I Am” – song lyrics and music by Nick Granato
“The Victor” – poem by C. W. Longenecker
“The Road Not Taken” – poem by Robert Frost
“Holes” – the movie
Together these lessons will work to teach the students understanding in a variety of literary genres, give
them experience analyzing text in various genres with specific attention to making sound assessments
on the storyline that relate to them or real world situations, make them more confident learners who
trust and value their individual opinions and insights and give them the tools to better understand self
and others in a meaningful manner as to be more productive people, students, sons, daughters, friends,
and members of our democratic society.
I think this is a good introduction to the unit.
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
Lesson Plan #1 with Detailed Rationale
By: Amy Horning
Description and Rationale
As a class, we will read aloud the children’s book Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner
Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by Ted Arnold and discuss the morals/themes of the story in small
groups and then as a classroom paying particular attention to direct and indirect references from the
text that support student’s findings of theme and character assessment. We’ll use this children’s story
based on a familiar nursery rhyme as the opening piece to this unit to ease students into open
dialogue about their own lives and to help them begin thinking about what makes them unique as
students, daughters, sons, friends, individuals and contributing members of the world around them. I
chose this book about Catalina because she’s a fun, fully rounded and developed character with
unconventional traits that students, especially 7th and 8th graders, for whom this lesson is intended,
will find humorous. Furthermore, this story works because it can be read and digested easily in a
single class setting, utilizing the rest of the class period and potentially up to a week, depending on
the level of student engagement, to fully develop discussions about theme and character for the
purpose of helping them develop their own written piece that will demonstrate they have put thorough
thought into an illustrated storybook about themselves, including elements of plot, theme and
character, and, most importantly, that they were able to relate in a meaningful way to the struggles of
Catalina as depicted in the story in a manner that helped them develop a better understanding of self
and others around them.
In this story, the main character, Catalina, is easy to analyze because she’s not a real person, which
puts her life problems at a slight distance from the students so they can analyze her strengths and
weaknesses without directly or immediately tying similarities back to themselves. I think analyzing
one’s self is a difficult task, and one that most children and young adults do not take the time to do.
Personally, I think that acknowledging one’s own strengths or turning weaknesses into positive
attributes is a lot harder than finding the negative in oneself. Like the saying goes, we’re all our own
worst critics. By using a funny children’s story, I hope to lighten the mood enough to begin a longer
unit on self discovery that will delve into mutli-genre reading such as complex texts, poetry, short
stories, song lyrics, news articles, and more. By the end of the unit, students will show growth in
literature comprehension and, hopefully, growth in self awareness, understanding and worth as it
relate to the world around them by developing a multi-genre portfolio that tells the world who they
are as a contributing member of society.
In this story, Catalina has bizarre characteristics that, in a normal world, would make her an outcast.
Yet she gets by perfectly well, in the world of the storybook, because she embraces her differences,
which is a valuable lesson worth discussing among students new to the junior high school world. The
story is about her absurdly long name and all her unusual traits that make her who she is. The
approach would be to put students in small group, eventually followed by whole classroom
discussions, to begin discussing their feelings about Catalina and her traits. The goal of these
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
discussions is to help students understand Catalina, and accept her abnormalities as strengths in her
character that eventually lead her to a successful and happy life as a “normal” person in her world.
The discussion should eventually bring kids to a closer connection to normality and what that means
to them, and then eventually to begin discussing their own characteristics, both strengths and
weaknesses, that together make them special. If needed to help move discussions in a meaningful
direction, students can be prompted to discuss how Catalina is different and whether or not they
believe she’s from this world or if the author intended her to be from a fantasy world, using reference
from the text to defend their arguments. The goal of this prompted discussion is to analyze use of
words, pictures and meaning to help the students define what normal is to them using Catalina as a
starting point. A second prompted question to guide discussions in the small group settings as needed
would be to discuss if the students believe that Catalina was a success, as depicted in the story, based
on how she turned her weaknesses into strengths or not. This will help them learn to analyze text and
meaning, to use reference from the text to support their findings, and to develop skills in verbal
discussion to persuade others. The moral of the story is that even though you may be very different
from others or appear to have odd traits, you can always turn a negative into a positive by embracing
who you are and learning how to make the best of what you have in life, which, for many, may not be
what they want or even what they feel is fair but everyone has the ability to make positive
contributions to the world around them.
After analyzing the text and discussing how the theme, character and plot could relate to students
today and particularly to each student personally, whether they chose to share these discoveries out
loud or not, students will develop their own children’s story book. The book will need to describe who
they are, what their struggles or unusually characteristics are, and how these characteristics could be
turned into a positive. Student will put their real personalities and characteristics that are unique to
them into a self-chosen storyline, complete with character(s) development, plot, setting and theme.
The book should have illustrations that can be hand drawn sketches, cut out photos or even stick
figures based on each student’s own abilities and what works best for their story. Students will have to
put thought into images used in the story to ensure they assist the text in story development and
audience understanding. While the tone of the sample story of Catalina is very humorous, their own
storybooks can take on any tone they select that best fits their storyline. The goal of the writing
exercise is to help put what students learned about themselves into a visual and written
representation to share with the classroom and parents/guardians at home. These can also be posted
online and collected to share with other classes throughout the years as they develop their projects.
The final piece will demonstrate the student’s knowledge of theme, character development, plot and
setting. Students will strive to have final products free of grammatical or syntactical errors for the
purpose of better understanding of intended message to their audience. The final product should,
most importantly, showcase their growth as explorers digging into their own souls to better
understand themselves and how they relate to others around them with similarities, strengths,
weaknesses and differences.
This is one of several lessons that will be part of a unit plan on self discovery geared toward middle
school students. Each lesson will use language from various levels of complexity in a variety of
formats to help students relate to themselves and others, as well as travel along a path of self
discovery leading to a final multi-genre narrative of their own life story that demonstrate knowledge of
standard English language and conventions but, most importantly, showcases that they’ve put thought
into elements of the literary world presented to them to make valuable connections and meaning to
life and their contributions to it.
Common Core Standards Addressed within this less plan based on Anchor Standards for
College and Career Readiness
1) Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;
cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the
text.
2) Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the
key supporting details and ideas.
3) Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a
text.
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
4) Analyze words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical,
connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning
and tone.
5) Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
6) Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the
reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
7) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques,
well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.
8) Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
9) Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, rewriting, or trying new a
new approach.
10) Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with
diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
11) Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
12) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
13) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Audience
I believe this particular piece of literature about Catalina as well as this lesson plan and the entire
unit plan based on self discovery is well-geared for middle school students because they’re at such a
pivotal point in their lives. This is the time where many students encounter “coming of age”
experiences and having a dedicated unit plan on self discovery can assist these students as they
work through elements common with this age range such as: making new friends in a new
environment where students from several elementary schools are pooled together for the first time,
fitting in with certain crowds, peer pressures, self doubt, bullying, sudden body changes and growth.
The list of perceived challenges these students face at this period in their lives goes on and on. Not
all but many middle school students feel conflicted and fearful of what they see in themselves
and/or in the mirror as they enter puberty. This can lead to additional angst that’s unnecessary if
they could understand that while their problems, whether perceived or real, may appear to be
personal oddities to them but that communally we all have problems that help us relate to each
other. They may see their different or odd characteristics as something weak when really it’s these
personal traits that make up and define our individual characters. This lesson and unit plan will
attempt to help students in the middle school age range embrace this concept to make them not
only confident students but confident individuals better capable of tackling future challenges.
Goal
Students will be able to read text critically and be able to analyze meaning, both inferred and
explicit, and discuss concepts of theme and meaning with others to better understand how the
elements of literature can help them better understand themselves and others around them and
specifically how their own strengths and weaknesses have value in society.
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
Objective
Following selected reading and discussions, students will showcase their understanding of the main
theme expressed in the reading and, more importantly, how that theme relates to a better
understanding of their own lives by:
1) Participating in open discussions regarding author intention, character assessment of Catalina,
plot and setting development and all the story’s contributing factors that work together to
define normalcy and success as they understand it to be displayed not only in the fictitious story
but their real lives as well; and
2) Developing a well-thought out storybook, complete with illustrations, based on their own
unique characteristics that showcase their individuality. Storyline should contain enough of their
real character and life while developing elements of plot, setting and theme to demonstrate
they were able to find enough meaning in the literature and discussions to begin assessing and
better understanding self in terms of both contributions and value.
(Prerequisite: students will come into the lesson with an understanding of theme, plot, setting and
character development. This lesson will further develop their understanding of each as well as their
ability to relate experiences in text to their own lives.)
Activities & Finished Product
1. Read Catalina Magdalena Hoopensteiner Wallendiner Hogan Logan Bogan Was Her Name by
Ted Arnold out loud as a class.
2. Break into small groups of 3 to 5 students, depending on classroom size.
3. Give students the following questions to help initiate meaningful discussions but encourage
each group to allow discussions to take on new meaningful directions that lead toward better
understanding of Catalina and her unique personality and characteristics.
a. Discuss how Catalina appears to be “different” and whether or not they believe she’s
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from this world or if the author intended her to be from a fantasy world, using
reference from the text to defend their arguments. This gets the students focused on a
goal and digging deeper in the actual text within a piece of literature to get at author’s
intent and to focus on what defines normalcy. By using text as ways to defend one’s
point of view or perception of meaning, students begin to develop better
argumentative and persuasive capabilities. To define normalcy is difficult. Is it based
on the conventions of the community you live in? The classroom? The school? The
world around you? Who or what has the right to define someone as normal or not?
b. Discuss if the students believe that Catalina was a success based on how she turned
her weaknesses into strengths or not, using reference from the text to support their
findings. Again, the attempt here is to further develop students’ abilities to develop
persuasive verbal skills to help move others closer toward their understandings and
beliefs by using elements of literature to defend their positions. This question helps
students understand what conditions they think need to be present to consider one
successful, what success is and how to find it in not only others but, hopefully,
themselves.
Bring small group discussions back into whole classroom discussions and talk about what they
liked and didn’t like about the story. Have students brainstorm on what Catalina’s “issues” are
and write them in phrases on the board. Once the board begins filling up with Catalina’s
“issues,” have students begin discussion on if they’re familiar with any of her issues and if
they can relate to any of them in their own lives or lives of others they know.
Have students pick at least five “issues” of their own, either using the ones from the board or
new ones, they feel are weaknesses in themselves. It can also be something that perhaps they
don’t see as a weakness necessarily but as something that could be seen as unique by self or
others. They should write these down but do not have to share them with the classroom.
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
6. Students work individually to develop ideas for their own storybook, making sure the main
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character is based on their own unique characteristics. Students can use any tone for their
story that’s desirable and assists audience in understanding who they are as individuals. They
can use a fantasy approach or more of a realistic approach but the final product should
represent self in character development and have some elements consistent with their life
experiences that directly showcase in areas of plot, setting and theme.
Students will be assigned to small groups. These groups will work together to help members
progress their storyline as needed, clear up confusions and inconsistency that may exist
between author intent and audience perception, make sure each member’s story meets the
establish criteria in terms of character development, plot, setting and theme, and provide final
copy editing or proofreading on each other’s work. After allowing the students at least one full
day and an overnight homework assignment to develop their written stories, a day should be
set aside for this small group peer assessment work to take place. By helping others in their
group, students will gain a better understanding of their own areas of weakness as it pertains
to elements of their own story.
At end of week, student will turn in completed story books that have been edited by their
smaller student groups before presenting them to the classroom in a fun read aloud session.
Assessment
Students will be assessed based on their willingness to contribute to group and classroom
discussions, as well as the level of quality and meaning they’re able to communicate and share with
others based on extractions from the text in a manner that relates the story’s theme back to a
better understanding of self and others. Students will further be assessed by work performed in
their group editing sessions as determined by teacher observations. Final assessment for this lesson
will be based on the depth of personal growth and understanding of self as it’s showcased by
individual students in their final storybook projects. Student’s personal understanding of their own
strengths and weaknesses as well as elements that make them unique, and thus special, as
individuals needs to be clearly evident in their final written product and will be the critical element
most weighted in terms of assessment.
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
Lesson Plan #2 with Detailed Rationale
By: Amy Horning
Description and Rationale
As homework assignments and in-class reading time, we will read the book Holes by Louis Sachar and
discuss the morals/themes of the story in whole class discussions with particular focus on character
development and the author’s strong use of metaphors. During discussions, students will be
encouraged to refer back to direct and indirect author references to help support personal opinions on
literary elements, make connections drawn from text to reality, and identify use, purpose and
meaning of metaphors.
I’ve selected this story by Louis Sachar as the anchor text for this unit plan on self discovery because
of its well developed characters, hidden relationships, riveting plot and intense suspense that keeps
readers guessing what will happen next the entire way through. I also like this text for use in this
particular unit plan because it combines several storylines in one book and doesn’t carry out each one
to completion, leaving it up to the reader to fill in several “holes” on their own. This story is about a
13-year-old boy, Stanley Yelnats, who believes he has a family curse. As part of this curse bestowed
upon him by his great-great grandfather, he’s falsely accused and sent to a boys’ detention center
where he spends his days, along with other troubled youth detainees, digging holes in order to build
character through hard work. The “campers” at this detention center, called Camp Green Lake, all
have stories of their own, complete with rich conflict of self vs. self, self vs. others, self vs. objects.
They work through their problems and learn to deal with conflict as they learn to understand and
accept each other. Along the way they discover a deeper understanding of self. When they realize
they’re not just digging holes, they have to work together to unravel a sinister plot of the warden who
is using the campers to find a hidden treasure. The symbolism and use of metaphor in this story is
plentiful and provides great learning opportunities for students. The topic of troubled teens / tweens
has many teachable and, hopefully, engaging discussion opportunities that will help students relate to
literary text in a meaningful manner that allows them to make connections in their own lives.
Furthermore, by exploring themes of troubled youths and juvenile detention centers, students can
think about their owns choices and things they may have done wrong or know of another person doing
wrong, which may help them make better decisions as they encounter future moments where they’re
forced to make a decision that could lead them to troubled consequences, or better yet, provide them
with thinking tools to discover their own treasures in life.
Through the reading and deep discussions on identifying multiple themes and detailed assessment of
plot, setting, characters, conflict, imagery, foreshadowing of multiple storylines and use of symbolism
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
and metaphors, students will demonstrate they have applied the morals of the story in a way that is
meaningful to their own lives by writing two letters as if they’re campers at Camp Green Lake. First,
students will have a homework assignment to research the juvenile detention facilities in their own
community to learn more about the purpose of such facilities, how they work to rehabilitate offenders,
types of offenses that qualify for a juvenile to be sent to such facilities, the purpose of a probation
officer, etc. Next, students will be asked to think of their own past and find a situation where they
believe they made the wrong decision. It can be a big mistake or a little one. Perhaps it’s one that
held many consequences or one they’ve never faced up to in the past. One that is as simple as
pushing their little brother down or taking out their parent’s car without permission. It’s up to the
student to search their own past and find one situation where they feel they behaved the worst and
did something that was considered wrong, either to themselves or others. The first letter will be to
their parole officer taking responsibility for their actions and explaining why they believe they are
rehabilitated. The letter should address the details of the worst thing they feel they’ve ever done
either to themselves or to others, their feelings about being sent away to a detention camp, the things
they believe they’d have to give up and/or would miss the most if they were sent away like the boys
in the story were and what lessons they’ve learned from deep reflection on their past actions. The
second letter can be directly to the victim or the parents / guardians of the victim explaining what
possessed them to do such action, what other steps he or she could have taken to prevent what
happened from happening and through use of persuasive writing try to explain to the victim / parents
that you’ve changed enough that they should ask the warden to release you early from your sentence
at the juvenile detention camp. Both letters will require students to perform self reflection on past
actions (which should be a real event of something they did wrong no matter how slight they feel it
might be), to analyze consequences of their actions, consider difference of approach and writing style
for the two different audiences based on intent of message, develop stronger writing skills and gain
knowledge in self enough to make better decisions next time they’re faced with a potentially troubling
situation.
This is one of several lessons that will be part of a unit plan on self discovery geared toward middle
school students. Each lesson will use language from various levels of complexity in a variety of
formats to help students relate to themselves and others, as well as travel along a path of self
discovery leading to a final multi-genre narrative of their own life story that demonstrate knowledge of
standard English language and conventions but, most importantly, showcases that they’ve put thought
into elements of the literary world presented to them to make valuable connections and meaning to
life and, specifically, their contributions to it.
Common Core Standards Addressed within this less plan based on Anchor Standards for
College and Career Readiness
14) Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it;
cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the
text.
15) Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the
key supporting details and ideas.
16) Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a
text.
17) Analyze words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical,
connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning
and tone.
18) Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the
reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
19) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques,
well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.
20) Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose and audience.
21) Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, rewriting, or trying new a
new approach.
22) Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with
diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
23)
24)
25)
Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Audience
I believe this story, Holes, by Louis Sachar is suited for middle school students because they’re at
such a pivotal point in their lives. Students are left on their own more often, some for the first time.
They have to make decisions, again, some for the first times, on major issues like peer pressuring,
bullying, fighting, loving, hating, drugs, sexual relationships, social cliques, so on and so on. This is
the time where many students encounter “coming of age” experiences and having a dedicated unit
plan on self discovery can assist these students as they work through elements common with this
age range as well as help them understand the importance of acceptance of actions, consequences
and disciplinary measures. This lesson and unit plan will attempt to help students in the middle
school age range embrace individuality, positive moral character development and a deeper
appreciation of the variety of literary resources available to them in an effort to make them not only
confident students but confident young adults better capable of tackling future challenges.
Goal
Students will be able to read text critically and be able to analyze meaning, both inferred and
explicit, and discuss concepts of theme and meaning with others to better understand how the
elements of literature (plot, character, setting and use of literary techniques such as metaphor and
imagery) can help them better understand themselves and others around them and specifically how
actions have consequences that cannot be ignored.
Objective
Following selected reading, classroom discussions and individual research on juvenile detention
centers, students will showcase their understanding of the main themes/morals expressed in the
reading and, more importantly, how that theme relates to a better understanding of their own lives
by:
3) Participating in open discussions regarding:
a. author intent and perceived character assessment of all the campers with particular
attention to their nicknames and how names can defy a person;
b. plot and setting development, including concepts of juvenile detention centers and how
that process works locally with particular focus on current affairs dealing with youth
violence in the news;
c. thoughts on what each character did wrong, how they feel their characters grew over
the course of the story and by the end of the story are their nicknames still fitting of the
depth of their final character perception; and
d. what treasures in life did they give up during their time in detention and what treasures
would they miss the most if they were to be sent away for a summer like the boys in the
story were. Was the “treasure” they found at the end of the story worth the time they
lost in their lives. Why or why not?
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
4) Working on their own to develop two polished letters that will demonstrate a thorough
understanding of the moral of the story and give readers a sense of personal self-reflection to
help each student be better prepared to make good decisions when faced with future obstacles.
Activities
9. Read Holes by Louis Sachar as assigned homework cover a two week period complemented
with select aloud readings in class.
10. During the first week of reading assignments, have students research local juvenile detention
centers and report back in any format they feel appropriate that demonstrates to the teacher
and other students what they have learned on this topic within their own community and that
they’ve put time and effort into understanding the system. By allowing students the freedom to
present this information in any format they see fit, this not only gives them student buy-in on
the project but also leaves the mini-research assignment, which could otherwise be seen as dull,
open to each student’s individual levels of creativity and/or strengths. The goal here is not the
writing or the finished piece necessarily, but is simply to have them understand that the
situation the “campers” at Camp Green Lake are in, while fictional in the story, are very real and
could happen to any one of them. The research will also help them understand and relate to the
story more and they continue to read it for the following week. At the end of week one,
students will turn in their findings on local juvenile detention centers and share them with the
class.
11. Week two, students will have completed the reading of the text. Whole class discussions this
week will focus on all aspects of literary elements but specifically dig into two elements of the
story in further detail: conflict development where students will identify the various conflicts
faced by the main character as well as how he progressed beyond those conflicts; and secondly
the use of metaphors throughout the story. These topics will be discussed over a class period or
two depending on student buy in and participation levels. Students will demonstrate their
understanding in both conflict resolution and symbolic use of metaphors to help with audience
understanding through verbal participation in classroom discussions. If the teacher doesn’t feel
the classroom is participating as a whole and that students are not demonstrating verbally that
they understand these concepts, a conflict resolution diagraph can be assigned where students
create a visual collage of images and words that represent three major conflict areas the main
character faces throughout the story: self vs. self; self vs. other, self vs. object. The conflicts
should be depicted either graphically or in written text but should be easily identified as
something holding the character back. Then on the same collage, students need to identify a
corresponding progression for each conflict to show how the character overcame his
adversaries. On the same collage, students should represent at least three visual images that
depict the author’s use of metaphor throughout the story with a short written description that
shows they understand the connection of the imagery to the importance of the story and what
it’s communicating to the audience. I’ve worked with a teacher previously on creating such
conflict and story analysis visual boards and they are fun for students while engaging them in
the details and meaning of the story. However, since we are writing letters at the conclusion of
this lesson plan, I’d leave it up to the individual teacher to determine if the class needs this
additional finished product piece or if the wealth of conversation alone can justify student’s
understanding in these areas.
12. At the conclusion of week two, give students the weekend to think about the “worst” thing
they’ve ever done to either self or others in preparation for week two discussions. Something
perhaps in line with one of the campers at Camp Green Lake. It can be anything but should be
real. If a student absolutely cannot think of, has never done or refuses to admit ever doing
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
13.
14.
15.
16.
anything wrong, then they can make up a situation but encourage them to use something real
to them in their lives or at the very least to someone they know.
The following Monday, bring in a story on local youth violence from the news, preferably one
that ended with negative consequences for the youth such as detention camp or probation. A
recent one that goes far beyond the level of this particular story that has been in the news
recently is the story of 13-year-old Jose Cruz, who had a record of violence and a juvenile parole
officer since he was in fifth grade, and recently shot and killed a man in downtown Reno this
year. He was tried as an adult and given a life sentence in prison. This is extreme but a story of
this nature can be reviewed and discussed in class openly to wrap up the conclusion of the
reading and tie it into local current events.
Throughout this final week, students will read and compare two poems on self discovery, read
one short story on self discovery and the meaning of life, and listen to two songs with the same
theme. These will be presented as a way to wrap up the four-week unit on self discovery and
give students opportunities to explore the value of different literary genres and further
investigate their own understanding and importance of self. These are additional mini-lessons to
the overall unit plan and are described further in the summary unit overview.
From here, students will begin work on two final writing projects that will demonstrate their
understanding of the text and their ability to take literary elements and relate them back to
their own life in a meaning manner. Student must use the worst situation they either committed
or were involved in and pretend that situation lead them to a summer at a juvenile detention
center similar to that in the story. Based on this situation as well as deep self-reflection of the
situation itself that they hopefully did over the weekend or will need to still do, they will write
the first letter to their juvenile parole officer. The intent of the letter will be to show the parole
officer that they understand where their actions where wrong, what they have learned from
them and how they intend to make better decision in the future. The second letter will be to the
victim or the victim’s parents (student’s choice). This letter needs to explain the purpose behind
the actions, what conflicts the student was going through that may have led to the wrongful
actions, students’ understanding of the consequence and how they feel they are now capable of
making better decisions. In this second letter, the students need to ask in a persuasive manner
for the recipient of the letter to contact the warden of the detention facility to request early
release of the student. Students need to keep in mind the intent of both letters, the intended
audience of both letters and how best to reach their goals for each. Each letter needs to be
proofed and free of errors. Additionally, both letters need to make use of at least one metaphor
and/or symbolism in a meaningful way that adds to the richness of the letters.
Students will have one week to write, analyze, proof and rewrite their two letters.
Assessment
There are three main parts to this lesson plan: research on the local detention facilities; classroom
discussions on the text and literary elements of the text; and the two written letters. There could be
a fourth element to assess should the teacher decide to make use of the graphic collage depicting
conflict resolution and use of metaphors. Thus students will be assessed in several ways throughout
this lesson. Students will be assessed based on their willingness to contribute to group and
classroom discussions, as well as the level of quality and meaning they’re able to communicate and
share with others based on extractions from the text in a manner that relates the story’s theme of
self discovery back to a better understanding of self and others. Students will need to demonstrate
verbally that they understand the storyline, plot, character, themes/morals, setting and various
Unit Plan on Self Discovery, EDSC 633, by Amy Horning
other elements of literary use throughout the text such as imagery and metaphors. If students do
not contribute richly in a way that showcases their understanding in these elements, a graphic
collage (described above) can be assigned and used to further showcase student understanding in
these areas. Students will further be assessed by their presentations and final product that depicts
what they learned from the mini-research project on local juvenile detention centers, the process
and purpose of such centers, and the role of a juvenile probation officer. This piece will be assessed
on its ability in whatever media format the student chooses must represent their understanding of
the juvenile penal system and show they made an effort to relate it to the story and their lives. The
final piece of assessment will be on the two letters each student will write. The letter will be
assessed based on the richness of content that showcases they understand concepts and themes
represented in the text in areas such as actions, consequences, punishment, rehabilitation and
discovery of self worth. The letters will also need to fulfill requirements of integrating a minimum of
one conflict, resolution and use of imagery / metaphor to progress the piece in a meaningful
manner. All work turned in needs to be clean, well thought out and free of errors in a manner that
shows they were proofread and edited.