Unit Plan/Calendar: Perseverance—The Grapes of Wrath
Day One
Objective: Students will demonstrate basic
understanding of the cause and effect
behind the Dust Bowl and the Great
Depression. Students will become familiar
with the basic themes in Grapes of Wrath
using an anticipation guide.
Day Two
Objective: Students will be able to define
perseverance and be able to relate
perseverance to themselves. Students will
be able to identify the basic archetypes as
defined in Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s
Journey.”
Topics: The Dust Bowl, the Great
Depression, basic themes in Grapes of
Wrath.
Topics: Perseverance & Joseph
Campbell’s hero’s journey archetypes
Activities: Dorothea Lange picture journal
response, Great Depression PowerPoint,
Dust Bowl video, anticipation guide
Assessment: Students will answer guided
learning questions during PowerPoint and
movie. Students will fill out the
anticipation guide and share their opinions
surrounding the thematic statements.
Activities: Journal, perseverance in
historic events group activity, hero’s
journey archetypes PowerPoint, notes on
archetypes during presentation, and exit
slip.
Assessment: Exit slip, journal, notes and
discussion will all assess if the students
understand the definition of perseverance
and how it relates to them, and if they
understand the archetypes.
Bloom’s: Understanding
Bloom’s: Understanding & applying
Standard: Core Standard Reading 11.2
Standard: Listening 11.1.C
Homework: Review discussion questions
and read chapters 1-3
Homework: Review discussion questions
and read chapters 4-7.
Day Three
Objective: Students will be able to write a
solid thesis statement.
Topics: How to create a thesis statement.
Activities: Journal, thesis statement
PowerPoint, writing practice thesis
statements, writing individual thesis
statements, sharing thesis statements in
groups, and daily literature discussion.
Assessment: Students will turn in their
unit paper thesis statement at the end of
class.
Bloom’s: Understanding, applying,
creating
Standard: Speaking 11.1.A, Listening
11.1.C
Homework: Review discussion questions
and read chapters 11-13.
Day Four
Objective: Students will be able to create
an effective outline and brainstorm for
their papers.
Topics: Outlines, brainstorms, and
preparing for a paper.
Activities: Reading quiz, preparing for a
paper presentation and notes, independent
brainstorm, reading discussion.
Assessment: Reading quiz, notes to be
turned in.
Bloom’s: Creating, applying,
understanding
Standard: Writing 11.2
Homework: Review discussion questions,
read chapters 14-16, thesis and paper
outline due next time.
Day Five
Objective: Students will identify the
differences between homelessness from the
1930s and now. Students will be able to
rework a thesis statement.
Day Six
Objective: Students will incorporate
evidence into their writing. Students will
recognize the meaning of altruism and
apply it to their lives and the text.
Topics: Homelessness, thesis statements
Topics: CREDS & altruism
Activities: Theses will be returned to
students and they will have time to rework
their thesis statements after a quick review of
what makes a good thesis statement. If no
reworking is required, students will read
quietly. Daily journal. Read 5 myths of
homelessness article as a class and discuss.
Exit slip.
Activities: Students will learn CREDS
(claim, reason, evidence, discussion,
summary) through a presentation, and
students will write a short paragraph using
evidence from their homework. Altruism
discussion. Daily literature discussion. Exit
slip.
Assessment: Students will turn in their
thesis statements, exit slip.
Assessment: Exit slip and in-class
paragraph
Bloom’s: Understanding, creating, analyzing
Bloom’s: Applying, creating, analyzing
Standard: Writing 11.2
Standard: Reading 11.1, Writing 11.2
Due: Thesis statement and outline
Homework: Review discussion questions,
read chapters 20-21, begin working on
your draft.
Homework: Review discussion questions,
read chapters 17-19, find one piece of
evidence to support an archetype.
Day Seven
Objective: Students will be able to use
textual evidence to back up their point of
view.
Day Eight
Objective: Students will be able to
understand, explain, and paraphrase a
critical essay.
Day Nine
Objective: Students will be able to apply the
paramedic method in the revision process.
Topics: The paramedic method
Topics: Finding and using textual
evidence
Topics: Community and family in Grapes
of Wrath.
Activities: Daily journal. What makes
good evidence activity, prep time for the
fish bowl discussion using the daily
discussion questions, fish bowl discussion,
reading quiz
Activities: Reading, paraphrasing, and
discussing the two critical essays. Daily
journal. Daily literature discussion.
Assessment: The paraphrase of the two
essays will be turned in.
Assessment: Participation in the fish bowl
discussion, reading quiz
Bloom’s: Applying, evaluating
Bloom’s: Evaluating, applying
Standard: Reading 11.7
Standard: Reading 11.1, Speaking 11.1.A
Homework: Review discussion questions,
read chapters 24-25, first draft due next
time.
Homework: Review discussion questions
and read chapters 22-23.
Activities: Paramedic method presentation,
paramedic method application (students
apply paramedic method to their first
paragraph in their essay before turning it in).
Daily literature discussion. With remaining
time, students will apply paramedic method
to as much of their paper, as possible.
Finally, there will be an exit slip quiz: one
sentence, apply paramedic method.
Assessment: Students will apply paramedic
method to the first paragraph in their paper,
exit slip.
Bloom’s: Applying
Standard: Language 11.3
Due: Draft #1
Homework: Review discussion questions,
read chapter 26, work on second draft.
Day Ten
Objective: Students will be able to apply
the paramedic method and MLA format to
both their own and peers’ papers.
Activities: Peer editing groups, MLA
discussion/presentation, reading quiz, daily Topics: The ending of The Grapes of
discussion, and group work on study guide. Wrath.
Day Twelve
Objective: Students will be able to
identify perseverance throughout the novel
and be able to state the significance of
perseverance in Grapes of Wrath. Students
will identify how they can improve the
writing process. Students will understand
the correlation between the hero’s journey
archetypes, perseverance, and The Grapes
of Wrath.
Assessment: Reading quiz and work on
their peers’ papers
Activities: Journal, small group
discussion, and exam.
Topics: Perseverance and the writing
process
Bloom’s: Understanding, applying
Assessment: Small group discussion
summary and exam
Activities: Journal, paper presentations,
perseverance discussion
Bloom’s: Analyzing, remembering,
understanding, applying, creating
Assessment: Written responses on
perseverance discussion questions and exit
slip written on back of responses.
Topics: Editing, MLA
Day Eleven
Objective: Students will demonstrate
understanding of the basic principles of
writing a paper. Additionally, students will
demonstrate understanding of basic
information in Grapes of Wrath and
thematic information therein.
Standard: Language 11.1, 2, 3
Due: Draft #2
Homework: Review discussion questions,
read chapters 27-30, and work on the study
guide
Standard: Reading 11.1 & 11.6
Bloom’s: Understanding, evaluating
Homework: Work on final draft
Standard: Speaking 11.6. Language 11.1,
11.2, 11.3, 11.6. Reading 11.6. Writing
11.2.
Due: Final Draft
Homework: None.