Understanding By Design Unit Plan
Unit Title: How to read and write a short story
Grade Level: 6th Grade
Subject/Topic Areas: Language Arts
Time Frame: 5 weeks
Links to Content Standards:
Connecticut State Content Standard One: Reading and Responding
Connecticut State Content Standard Two: Exploring and Responding to Literature
Connecticut State Content Standard Three: Communicating with Others
Brief Summary of Unit:
This unit is a launch for student learning of the structure and elements of a story. It
will serve as a springboard for understanding longer and more complex pieces
throughout the school year. Through a series of before, during and after reading
activities, students explore several short stories taken from the recommended
reading list for 6th grade Language Arts. Students will also produce several written
response pieces to the texts. The final piece for this unit will be a project based
assessment. Students will synthesize and apply the learning from this unit to write
their own short story. This piece will be further developed in computer skills class
in the form of an e-book.
Stage One – Identify Desired Results
What enduring understandings are desired?
Students will understand what makes a good short story.
What essential (driving) questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and
learning?
What strategies are needed to comprehend, analyze and evaluate a short story?
What elements are needed to make an effective short story?
What key concepts/knowledge and procedures/skills will students acquire as a
result of this unit?
Fiction
 Students will generate literal, inferential, interpretive, and evaluative
questions before, during and after reading a short story.
 Students will predict outcomes and actions in short story selections, based
on context clues and personal experiences, and evaluate the accuracy of
those predictions.
 Students will analyze the feelings, traits, and motives of characters in a short
story.
 Students will identify ways in which the author informs the reader about a
character in a short story.
 Students will analyze the changing and unchanging relationships among
several major and/or minor characters in short stories.
 Students will compare and contrast the traits a character has at the beginning
and at the end of a short story and explain what caused any change.
 Students will analyze and identify details that support the themes of short
stories and relate them to personal life.
 Students will evaluate the effectiveness of the point of view in which a short
story is written.
 Students will analyze the plot elements of a short story.
 Students will describe the setting and explain how the setting contributes to
the plot or theme of a short story.
 Students will identify the mood, identify the ways in which the author
establishes the mood and explain how the mood contributes to the overall
effect of the short story.
 Students will identify and interpret figurative language a short story,
including alliteration, onomatopoeia, similes, metaphors, personification,
and hyperbole.
Writing Process
 Students will incorporate personal experiences, literature and other sources
of ideas into their own writing.
 Students will revise drafts to eliminate unnecessary words and phrases,
combining sentences appropriately and include more vivid and precise
vocabulary.
 Students will proofread final drafts for effective use of language,
conventional usage and syntax; appropriate transitions, conventional
punctuation, capitalization and spelling.
 Students will participate constructively in discussions and analysis of own
writing and that of others at various stages in the writing process
 Students will evaluate their published pieces to judge their success
Writing Products
 Students will write personal responses to the text.
 Students will write a short story, including plot elements, character
development and literary devices.
Stage 2 – Determine Acceptable Evidence
Performance Tasks:
 Students use appropriate strategies before, during and after reading in order
to construct meaning
 Students interpret, analyze and evaluate text in order to extend
understanding and appreciation.
 Students recognize how literary devises and conventions engage the reader.
 Students communicate with others to create interpretations of the text.
 Students prepare, publish and/or present work appropriate to audience,
purpose and task.
Other Evidence:
 Pre-Reading Journal entries
 Graphic organizers for plot elements and character development
 Guided reading activities
 Discussion and comprehension question worksheets
 Quizzes on parts of a story, literary elements/figurative language and reading
comprehension
 Project Based Assessment
Unprompted Evidence:
 Participation in class discussion
 Participation in small group work
 One-on-one conferencing
Student Self-Assessment:
The final project based assessment includes an interactive rubric where
students will be analyzing their own short story to demonstrate their
understanding of the literary and plot elements of a story. They will also be
reflecting on the success of their choices in developing their written piece.
Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
For each short story, students will:
 Write a pre-reading journal entry based on a theme from the story
 Initially notes will be provided in the margins to prompt students to make
predictions, develop questions, analyze plot elements, summarize the text,
identify themes and interpret literary devises. Students will move on to
conducting their own active readings.
 Develop and respond to questions for the story using all levels of thinking
 Construct plot diagrams
 Create character sketches using graphic organizers
 Formulate written responses to the text
Final Assessment Piece
Each student will:
 Complete a pre-writing brainstorm activities to gather and organize ideas for
each of the following:
o Character sketches
o Setting
o Plot Map
 Peer Conferencing of Rough Draft – Revision Doctor Guidelines and feedback
forms provided
 One-on-one conference with teacher on revised rough draft
 Editing Session
 Final Copy sharing
 Short Story Assessment – Interactive Rubric & Reflection