BLOCK SCHEDULE
Key: RA=Read Aloud, RAG=Risk Analysis Guide, TBT=The Book Thief, ROT=Risk-Outcome Timeline, RTT=Risk Timeline Tree
Monday
Wk
1
Risk Intro: What is a Risk? When
is a risk worth taking? Think of a
time you took a risk, did it pay off?
How?
Duscussion: 1-Class web of What
is Risk? 2-Class web of When is a
risk working taking? 3-Volunteers
share risk stories/outcomes
RA: “Risking Much” by James
Hewett
Tuesday
Wednesday
Review/add ideas about the
differences/similarities of Risk vs
Decision
Lecture: Types of Risk- Financial,
creative, life/death, crime, love,
future/career
RA: “Courage in Action” by Bill
Sanders. Introduce/Model the RAG
(see appendix)
Group Activity: Current Event Risk
Analysis and Presentations- analyze
the risks within a given current
event/decision. What kind of risk is
it? Predict/analyze the outcome.
Would you have done anything
differently to change the outcome?
What and why or why not?
RA: “The Lovely Bones” by Alice
Sebold. Do RAG together.
Risk Timeline Tree: College vs No
College
Discussion/Activity/Debate:
Decision vs Risk – Different?
Similar? Class Venn Diagram
Groups present their current event,
outcomes, and changes
HW: Reflection: Is a risk different
than a decision? Why or why not?
Use specific examples.
Wk
2
Journal: Reflect on a time you took
a risk. What were the
consequences/rewards? Given the
chance, would you do it again?
Why or why not? –This must be a
different risk than day 1’s QW
Add to RAG, ROT and discuss
events
RA: pg 83-107 stopping for
discussion of theme,
characterization, events
RA: Biography of Anton SchmidRAG
Introduce ROT : Plot events
from reading
Introduce The Book Thief
RA: pg 36-55, stopping to
discuss characterization, events,
and themes
RA: pg 1-15
Discussion and RAG: What is
going on? Who is our narrator
(why is this a risk, how will this
change the mood/perspective of the
book)? Who is the book thief?
(Class Character Web of Liesel)
What if Liesel was narrator?
HW: Read pgs 17-35
RAG, ROT and discuss events
RAG, ROT and discuss events
RA: pg 123-153
Take A Stand and Discussion: 1-Is
there a difference between helping a
Jew during the Holocaust and helping
a slave escape? 2-Is there a difference
between helping slaves escape and
helping the needy (homeless, poor,
sick)? 3-Is there a difference between
helping the needy and helping a loved
one?
RA: pgs 207-238
QW: 1-If your loved on was a
Jew/Slave would you help them, why
or why not? 2-If your loved one was
in need would you help them? Why
or why not? 3-Is there a difference?
Why or why not? 4-What did you
think about when you made this
decision? Risk? Consequences?
Benefits? Laws? Extent of situation?
HW: Interview an adult you know
about a risk they took/decision they
made that had an impact on their
life, consequences, rewards, if they
could change it would they?
Transcribe the interview. Write a
reflection. Due Monday
Discussion: Who is Max? What do
we know about him? What’s going
on?
QW: What can we infer about the
relationship between Hans and Max?
What do you think is going to
happen?
RA: pgs 171-196 and RAG, ROT
HW: Read pgs 197-206
Friday
Add to Character Web of Liesel
from HW
RAG, ROT and discuss events
HW: Read pgs 154-170
HW: Read pgs 108-122
Thursday
Lecture: Holocaust Background
info-Who, what when, where, why,
and how. (annotate article-see
appendix)
Lecture: Interview Techniques and
Questions
Partner Work: Create 10-15
interview questions you would ask
an adult about a risk/decision that
changed their life
Add to RAG from HW
HW: Read pgs 56-80
Partner Activity: Character
Interview Questions
Create 10-15 questions you
would ask one of the characters
from TBT about a specific
decision/event. You may
already know some of the
answers to your questions.
RA: pg 239-271, RAG and ROT
HW: Character Interview.
Individually answer the
Character Interview questions
from that character’s perspective.
Infer answers. Due Monday
with Personal Interview
Wk
3
RA: pg 272-303
RAG, ROT Discussion of theme,
characterization, events
QW: If you were Hans, would you
have hidden Max? Why or why
not?
Discussion: TBT breakdown and
digestion so far: Do we see any
characters changing? Are you
confused about anything
happening? What messages
(themes/ideas) are we getting from
the book so far?
RAG, ROT Discussion of themes,
characterization, and events
RAG, ROT Discussion of themes,
characterization, events
RA: pg 325-335
RA: pg 371-398, next chapters title
“The Idiot and the Coat Men”, and
the first time of chapter.
QW: “What to do with a Jewish
corpse?” This adds a new element to
the risk of hiding Max. Think about
your QW yesterday, does this new
element change your answers? Why
or why not?
Discussion: Who is “the idiot” and
what did he do to deserve that title?
RA: 336-350
QW: Why do you think he did it?
Would you have done it? Why or
why not?
RAG, ROT and discussion
HW: Read pgs 399-419
RAG, ROT discussions
RAG, ROT discussion
RA: pg 420-455
RA: pgs 481-525, stopping to
discuss theme and important
events, forshadowing, and digest
what’s heppening in the book
Discussion: What is the importance
of “The Word Shaker”? What does
it mean? Why did Max write if for
Liesel?
RAG, ROT and discussion of
events, characters, and themes
HW: Read pg 459-480
HW: Read pg 351-370
TBT Quiz (see appendix)
TBT Digestion: Finalize ROT with
help of RAG, discuss outcomes in
relation to risks
QW: In your opinion, what is the
most significant risk in TBT?
Why? Explain.
HW: Write about a decision you
have made (something you have
done or plan to do). Write about
what effects it might have on your
life (now and later). How do you
feel about it (confident, nervous,
regretful, etc)? Was it worth it?
Due tomorrow
Real Life Risk Taking Scenarios- In
Class work(groups)
What is the risk? What kind of risk is
it? What are possible decisions that
can be made? What are possible
outcomes? Consequences? Rewards?
Long term effects? What would you
do? Why? (This activity is intended
to build on the Current Event Risk
Analysis from Day 3, however
instead of students deciding how they
would change the given outcome,
they have to figure out what do to do
create their desired outcome)
HW: Prepare to present to the class
tomorrow
QW: If you could write the
ending of TBT from this point,
how would it end? What would
happen? Use your RAG and
ROT to reference specific
events.
HW: Finish your QW, Finish
TBT, Quiz Monday
HW: Read pgs 305-324
Wk
4
RAG, ROT
Risk Taking Scenarios Presentations
Assign Persuasive Essay (see
appendix), Students will have the rest
of the period to write
HW: Finish Persuasive Essay Drafts,
typed, bring 3 copies tomorrow
Peer Editing (groups of 4)
Focus 1-Content/Arrangment
Focus 2-Says and Does
Focus 3-Grammar, Punctuation,
Sentence Structure
Rewrite
HW: Finish Rewrite, Draft 2 due
tomorrow
Peer Editing (pairs)
Focus- Strength of Argument
and Evidence
Grand Conversation/Debate
Prep: Students will go through
their own essays and pick 3
strongest points and evidence.
Grand Convo/Debate: Students
will use their 3 strongest points
to have a grand
conversation/debate and defend
their stance to their classmates
HW: Final Draft of Essay Due
Monday with a Reflection from
the Grand Convo/Debate
RAG and ROT Discussions: based on student contributions of different risks they think are significant from the readings. Risks occur every few
pages, sometimes multiple risks per page. Student contribution is expected and crucial to their ability to identify, analyze, and synthesize.
Discussion of theme, characterization, and events are also crucial to check student understanding and for Risk-Outcome to be analyzed.