Center for College Access and Success / NEIU
Units for Books Mini-Grant
Application & Planning Template
An expandable version of this form is available online at www.chicagogearup.org/main/yal.html or www.neiu.edu/~yal.
Title of Unit : We Could Be Heroes: Exploring
One Book One Chicago 2014
Book: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier
Date Submitted:
and Clay by Michael Chabon; related texts:
10/9/2014
Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing
Adventures of the Escapist (eds. Schutz &
Land), The Escapists (Vaughan), The Shadow
Hero (Yang), and Superior (Millar)
Unit Developed by: Molly Kelly and Kat Tigges, Chicago Public Library
Subject: Literature with connections to
Grade: High school instructors, grades 9-12
various disciplines
Email: mkelly1@chipublib.org;
School: N/A
ktigges@chipublib.org
Hours of Class Time Needed for Unit: 90
Dates when Unit will be Implemented: N/A
min.
Curriculum Areas and Grade Level(s):
Primary: Literature; Secondary: Art, History, Science, and Math; grades 9-12
Brief Description of the Unit (50-75 words) :
We will present this year’s One Book One Chicago selection, Michael Chabon’s The Amazing
Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and explore its central theme: heroes. We’ll provide a
historical context for the work, discussing the origins of popular superheroes and their
creators, and examine passages from the text. Next, we’ll discuss related titles and generate
classroom activities in literature, art, history, science, and math, with attention to Common
Core Standards. Finally, we’ll share upcoming One Book One Chicago events and resources
that high school students can use at citywide YOUmedia locations, including a special vinyl
cutter demonstration.
Common Core Standards to be addressed by this unit. List the applicable learning
standards.
Reading Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2
Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the
course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text.
Revised 10.12.11
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including
words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.
Speaking and Listening:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas
and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.3
Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance,
premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
Language:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on
grades 11-12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Teacher’s Focus Question: As a teacher, what aspect of your own instructional practice will
you be examining or testing out in this unit? What is your goal and how will you know if you
have succeeded?
Our goal is to make this year’s One Book One Chicago selection as accessible as possible for
high school students and teachers in a variety of disciplines. We will know whether we have
succeeded if we are able to foster interest in OBOC and increase participation by Chicago
area instructors and their students.
Documentation Plan: Please list the documentation you will submit to GEAR UP when you
implement your unit. Documentation should reflect student work related to your focus
question. It should include samples of student work, pictures, video, or other artifacts from
your unit.



Instructors’ superhero creations
Activity and unit ideas generated by discussion
Vinyl cutter sample
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Request for photographer or video: Based on availability, GEAR UP staff can photograph or
videotape an aspect of the unit (a debate, art project, final presentation, etc.
What I would like to photograph or video:
 Instructors’ superhero creations
Student media releases signed by a parent or guardian are mandatory.
The 4 R’s--Rigor, Relationships, Relevance, and Reflection
We believe that effective instruction has four elements in common. The schools set high
academic standards and provide rigorous instruction paired with meaningful support so that
all students can meet those high standards. Teachers build trusting relationships with
students and take steps to build community within their classrooms. They take an interest in
students’ lives, drawing on their real-world experiences and current understandings to build
new knowledge. Teachers make school relevant to students, showing them the connections
between success in school and their plans for the future. Finally, instruction--and learning—
get better when teachers and students intentionally reflect on the work they are doing.
(What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public Schools, 2007.
Consortium on Chicago School Research).
Academic Rigor
Enduring Understandings What do you want your students to understand and be able to use
ten years from now?
One Book One Chicago is an opportunity for instructors to foster connected learning between
students’ school environment, Chicago Public Library, and the greater Chicago community.
Though it is a literature-based initiative, connections can be made to any number of
disciplines in order to introduce the program to classrooms. Chicago Public Library’s Teen
Services department offers an array of resources for high school students that can help them
engage with literature, technology, and creativity—both within the context of OBOC and
more generally.
Essential Questions What are the open-ended questions that will promote inquiry into the
heart of the subject or discipline?
What makes a hero? What is a hero’s purpose?
How can themes of superheroes and heroism…
 Be incorporated into classroom activities?
 Help instructors meet Common Core Standards?
 Be adapted for various disciplines?
Knowledge and Skill What will your students know and be able to do at the end of the unit?
How will your students use higher order thinking skills?
Instructors will be able to find an entry point for their students to engage with the themes of
Kavalier and Clay and the One Book One Chicago program. Higher order thinking skills
Revised 10.12.11
include: critical interpretation of text and thematic elements; identifying relationships
between related texts and/or interdisciplinary concepts; adapting a challenging narrative for
readers at every level (grades 9-12); connecting curriculum to vibrant extracurricular
activities via connected learning models
Assessment Evidence/Instruments How will you know how well your students learned?
Attach rubrics and checklists, if used.
Instructors will create their own superheroes; discuss Kavalier and Clay and its themes; and
begin to develop related activities that address curriculum goals or Common Core Standards.
Learning Activities List the most important learning activities students will perform during the
unit.
Instructors will consider the context of the work; discuss the title and its themes, interpreting
it for various disciplines and audiences; and discover resources for further thematic
exploration, both within the classroom and outside it.
Differentiating Instruction In what ways does the unit respond to students’ different learning
styles or multiple intelligences? What modifications are made for students with special
needs? ELL students?
Instructors have the opportunity to tailor these concepts and themes for their classrooms,
choosing from activities presented or creating their own units according to curriculum
standards and student needs.
Relevance
How does the unit relate to students’ lives, skills, cultures, language, and background
knowledge?
Instructors can use the themes of Kavalier and Clay in activities that allow students to
express what is important to them, both individually and culturally (e.g. issues of social
justice); and demonstrate verbal, intellectual, and technical skills in a variety of disciplines.
How does the unit show students the relevance of their work in school to their future lives?
Instructors can encourage students to make connections between OBOC classroom activities
to Chicago Public Library resources and programs that encourage digital literacy and college
& career readiness.
Relationships
Revised 10.12.11
How does the unit help you as a teacher build trusting relationships with your students?
Instructors could use this workshop to build trusting relationships with their students by
helping them to engage with themes that have meaning in their own lives (heroism and social
justice).
How does the unit build, support, and draw from a trusting classroom community?
Instructors could build and support the classroom community by inviting teens to share their
thoughts on issues that affect them and express themselves creatively; and draw from the
classroom community by using teen interests to incorporate relevant pop culture elements
for discussion.
Reflection
In what ways will students be asked to reflect on their learning? How do they monitor their
understanding, ask critical questions, and connect what they are learning to their own
experience?
Instructors will be asked to discuss Kavalier and Clay, Common Core Standards, and
classroom activities; they will be able to check their understanding by their ability to
contribute to these discussions and generate questions for presenters and/or other session
attendees.
How will I as a teacher know what the students are learning? What? So What? Now what?
We will be able to gauge what instructors have learned from our session by examining
artifacts created, monitoring small- and large-group discussions, recording questions and
follow-up information requested. This will help us determine whether the workshop we
designed was helpful to our audience, and whether it is likely to result in increased instructor
and teen participation in One Book One Chicago.
Revised 10.12.11