ELA-Grade08-Unit02-UnitTemplate
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Reading Comprehension Unit Plan
Unit Title: 2-Fiction
CCLS
Coded Standard
DETERMINE a theme or central idea of a
text and ANALYZE its development over
the course of the text, including its
relationship to the characters, setting,
and plot; provide an objective SUMMARY
of the text.
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RL.8.2
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ANALYZE how particular lines of dialogue
or incidents in a story or drama propel the
action, reveal aspects of a character, or
provoke a decision.
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RL.8.3
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Concept Elaboration
Definition of a summary-what makes
a summary, what are the elements
of a summary
Define and identify theme
Identify the characters, setting and
plot
Development of the theme based on
the plot
Track the development of a theme
over the course of the text
Have a Mental bank of topics for
themes
Understand that the details in a text
connect to the theme
Determine the author's message
behind the theme through
characters, settings, plots, events
and patterns
Complete summary that excludes
personal opinions or judgments
Character motivation
Identify how a course of events
propel the plot forward
Identify examples of dialogue and
understand why an author uses
dialogue
Dialogue reveals character
development
Bank of character traits
Sequence/ tracking of plot and
character development (elements of
plot)
Comparing the character and action
through the text from beginning to
end to reveal the character
motivation, plot, and conflict
Connecting lines/ quotes to
characters, events, etc.
Assessment Questions
Question 1
Determine a theme from the short story, "The Stolen Party,"
and provide a summary to explain how the theme develops
over the course of the text through the eyes of the main
character Rosaura. Make sure to include how the theme
relates to the main characters, setting, and plot by using
relevant text-based details.
* All ELL assessments will include extended time and
bilingual dictionary or glossary/electronic translators/word
to word translation accommodations.
Refer to Modified ELL Assessment
Question 2
Reread the following lines from "The Stolen Party,""
“You really and truly, earned this," she said handing them
over. "Thank you for all your help, my pet."
Explain the dialogue above and how it impacts Rosaura? What
does this interaction reveal about either character?
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DETERMINE the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative
meanings; ANALYZE the impact of
specific word choices on meaning and
tone, including analogies or allusions to
other texts.
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RL.8.4
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COMPARE and CONTRAST the structure
of two or more texts and ANALYZE how
the differing structure of each text
contributes to its meaning and style.
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RL.8.5
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Understanding the structure of
dialogue
Identifying cause and effect
relationships that result in the
action and plot development
Define and review figurative and
connotative meanings
Bank of literary devices/ techniques
of figurative language (metaphors,
simile, alliteration, personification)
Identify strong verbs and adjectives
in a text and know that is word
choice
Discern meaning from Context clues
Identify multiple word meanings
Identify the author's tone by making
a connection to the strong verbs and
adjectives that the author uses
Understand that figurative language
creates emotion in a reader
Define analogies and allusions
Find examples of analogies and
allusions within a text and interpret
the author's intent
Mental bank of genre – Use of
transition words
Identify and describe Text
Structures: prose, poetry, and
drama
Explain how text structure impacts
the meaning of text
Bank of literary elements/ devices
Recognize which device applies to a
specific structure
Identify text Style: What is it? How
does the author create his/her own
style within a specific genre?
○ sentence structure and length
○ pace
○ diction
○ use of dialogue
Revised
Question 3
Tone refers to the writer's attitude toward his/her story and to
the reader. The writer's tone assists in creating a mood or
atmosphere for the story. Examine the lines below:
Rosaura had enjoyed the task immensely, because everyone
called out to her, shouting "Me, me!" Rosaura remembered a
story in which there was a queen who had the power of life or
death over her subjects. She had always loved that, having
the power of life or death.
Determine the meaning of the above lines in the context of
the story. How do these lines impact the tone?
Question 4
Authors purposefully make decisions about how to present
information to readers. The way in which an author structures
a piece, contributes to its meaning and style. Both "The Stolen
Party" and "Working Hands" examine social classes and service
(physical labor). Analyze the texts and determine how the
differing structures and literary devices contribute to meaning
and style of each.
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point of view
character development
tone
word color, word sound
(connotation/imagery)
paragraph/ stanza/ act/ chapter
structure
sequencing
narration
Spiraled Reading Standards: R.L.8.1, R.L.8.10
Embedded Writing Standards: W.8.2, W.8.9
Assessment Links
Pre-Assessment
Rubrics and Scoring Guide Links
Unit Assessment Rubric
Unit Assessment Rubric
Modified ELL Assessment
Recommended Texts
(Choose 1-2 pieces to launch the unit during Weeks 1-2)
Short stories:
● “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe (Lexile 860)
● “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers (Lexile 860)
● “Abuela Invents the Zero” by Judith Ortiz Cofer (Lexile 970)
Poems:
● “Casey at Bat”
● “Mother to Son”
● “Harlem (A Dream Deferred)”
Excerpts from:
● A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories by Richard Peck (Lexile 750; Level V)
● One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte (Lexile 670; Level Y)
● Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (Lexile 1100; Level Z)
Drama:
● Sorry, Wrong Number (Click Here)
Novels:
(Choose 1 novel to read during Weeks 2-4)
● Soldiers Heart by Gary Paulsen (Lexile 1000; Level V)
● The Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers (Lexile 610; Level
Z)
Big Ideas
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Readers analyze the text to
determine theme.
Essential Questions
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How do readers dig beneath the story to grow
big ideas?
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Readers explore characters’
complexities.
Readers compare and contrast
texts.
Vocabulary
Explicit:
Allusions
Character Traits (examples specific to the
characters in the texts)
Climax
Develop
External Conflict
Inference
Internal Conflict
Propel
Provoke
Structure
Style
Theme
Tone
Standard/
Outcome
Anchor Charts
Teaching Resource:
Selecting Tier 2 Words: Beck Resource (specifically
refer to the chart on pg. 19)
Vocabulary Instruction: Cracking the Code
(From The Thoughtful Classroom Portfolio Series Word Works: Cracking Vocabulary’s Code)
Teaching Points
(Lesson Objectives)
1.1 Readers generate ideas about the theme of
a text is by asking, “What is this mostly about?
What is the author saying about this topic?”
(e.g., This is mostly about hope…The author
seems to be saying that we have to maintain
hope and faith in the hardest circumstances)
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Checks for Understanding
R.L.8.2
Readers use
story elements
to track the
development of
a theme over
the course of a
text.
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Quick write: What do you
think this is mostly about?
What idea is the author
trying to make the reader
think about?
Character Traits Poster (with grade level
appropriate vocabulary)
Plot Diagram-Glencoe (Exposition, Rising Action,
Climax, Falling Action, Resolution)
Interactive Word Wall (word, student-friendly
definition, picture or example)
Open Mind Portrait
Fix Up Strategies for reading
Themes Poster
Essay Outline Chart
Transition Words
Adjustment,
Intervention and
Extension
Intervention:
○ Summarization lesson
for students who
need the support or
modeling
○ Graphic OrganizersStory Maps,
Sequencing Chart,
Cite evidence
Graphic OrganizerConcept Web
Extension:
Determine one theme
from the text. Explain
Instructional Resources &
Tools
Elements of a story:
Video Clip
Reading Reminders: Tools,
Tips, and Techniques by Jim
Burke
AVID Middle Level Curriculum
Guide (comprehension
organizers and lessons)
Summarization in Any
Subject: 50 Techniques to
Improve Student Learning by
Rick Wormeli
Fresh Takes on Teaching
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how the theme is
conveyed through the
characters, setting, and
plot.
Literary Elements: How to
Teach What Really Matters
About Characters, Setting,
Point of View, and Theme by
Jeffrey Wilhelm
Additional resources:
Interactive Word Wall
Reference and Activity
Ideas
T-Chart
I think this…./ because
the text says….
1.2 Readers study a theme through different
elements (characters, setting, plot). As readers
consider a theme, they think: In what ways
does the development of the
[character/setting/action] support this theme?
1.3 Readers look for patterns by asking
themselves, “Why does this keep coming up?
What might the author be showing us with these
patterns?”
1.4 Readers connect specific, relevant details in
a text to the theme. They look for lines in the
text (related to any of the story elements) that
support a theme.
1.5 Readers summarize key events by asking
themselves, “Which events are important to the
theme?”
Quick write: How does the
author develop the
[setting/character/plot] in a
way that supports the
theme?
Think-Ink-Pair-Share: Which
lines from the text show
how the character, setting,
or plot supports the theme?
Writing: Determine a theme
and explain how the theme
connects characters,
setting, and plot.
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R.L.8.3
Readers analyze
characters
across a text.
1.6 Readers pay attention to what the
character does, says, and thinks to determine
character traits.
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(1.6) Turn and talk:
What do you know about
the character so far?
How do you know this?
Quick write: Using
details from the text,
describe the main
character. What traits
can be supported by
text evidence?
Intervention:
○ Sample sentence
starters (speaking
and writing)
○ Color code character
map
○ Character Trait
Chart:
Trait…/ Revealed
by…
Extension:
○ Writing: Compare
Character and Story Map
Graphic Organizers:
Resource Link
AVID Middle Level-Writing
Guide
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this character to
another one you
know well. Using
specific evidence
from both texts,
compare and
contrast the
characters.
1.7 Readers track changes in a character by
looking closely at the character’s actions and
reactions. They ask: “How did the character say
that? How did the character look? What idea do
I have about who the character is?”
1.8 Readers analyze characters’ motivations by
asking themselves, “Why would a character say,
do, or think that?”
R.L.8.4
Readers can
analyze an
author’s choice
of words or
phrases that
shape the text.
1.9 Readers know that authors use specific
words to create a tone. They reread to note
words that evoke strong reactions.
1.10 Readers can identify and differentiate
between words with connotative and denotative
meanings that connect to the tone.
R.L.8.5
1.11 Readers identify when an author uses
figurative language by locating examples of
metaphors, similes, alliteration, and
personification.
1.12 Readers can explain what effect figurative
language has by asking, “Why does the author
use this device?”
1.13 Readers use text structure to predict how
In what ways does the
character change across this
text?
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Quick Write:
● What is the tone of the
story? Which words or
phrases does the author
use to create that tone?
● Choose one evocative
line or passage in the
text. What does this line
suggest/imply? How do
you know?
Intervention:
○ Provide auditory
lesson(s) on tone.
○ Word Web:
Three Column Chart:
It says…/I say…/And so?
(evidence)
Write Source: A Book for
Writing, Thinking, and
Learning by
Sebranek/Kemper/Meyer
Extensions:
Figurative Language Rap
(Examples of figurative
language in RAP)
Exit Slip: identify words with
a connotative meaning and
identify the feeling of each
word.
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(1.13) Exit slip: describe
Intervention:
Building Reading
ELA-Grade08-Unit02-UnitTemplate
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Readers
compare and
contrast texts
with differing
structures.
information will be revealed in a literary text.
(e.g., In prose, expect to study chronology or
flashback, usually 1st or 3rd person; in drama,
expect to analyze dialogue and to study stage
actions; in a poem, expect fewer but more
powerful words…)
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the structure of prose,
poetry, and drama.
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Venn Diagram:
Students can be
provided categories
of things that they
are using for
comparing and
contrasting. For
example: Length,
paragraph structure,
stanzas
Provide a structure
and literary device
bank
Color Marking
Comprehension Habits In
Grades 6-12: A Toolkit of
Classroom Activities by Jeff
Zwiers
Extension:
○ After reading two or
more texts, compare
and contrast their
structure. Which
structure is more
effective? Why? Use
examples from the
texts in your
analysis.
1.14 Readers pay attention to how an author
has structured a text and think to themselves,
“Why would the author use this structure or
literary device? What is he or she trying to show
me?”
1.15 Readers compare and contrast information
that is revealed in texts by referencing text
structure and literary devices.
1. Writers provide text evidence to support
claims/ideas by using a graphic organizer:
W.8.2, W.8.9
Writing
Response
Lessons
Theme or Central Idea
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Place in text that supports this idea
○ Quotes/lines
Place in text that supports this idea
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Quick write: Compare and
contrast [two texts with
similar themes but different
structures].
Quick Write:
1. Describe a character
using the box &
bullets organizer.
2. Describe a character
using text evidence
and strong
transitions.
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Intervention:
-Cloze Essay (writing
organizer that includes
transition bank)
Extensions:
-Highlight words from the
texts we have read that
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Transitions Website:
Click Here.
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Sample Essay Template:
Template.
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Additional Resources:
Assessment Live! By Ellin
ELA-Grade08-Unit02-UnitTemplate
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○ Quotes/lines
Place in text that supports this idea
○ Quotes/lines
Extended Response:
-Describe a theme from the
story or novel. Be sure to
think about what the author
might be trying to show us
about people and life.
● Explain the theme or
central idea that the
author might be trying
to show us.
● Evidence: Describe the
things characters do and
say that illustrate your
chosen theme.
● Include an intro and
conclusion sentence.
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show an author’s specific
tone. Connect the theme
to a personal experience
applying the language of
tone identified from the
text.
Guided Essay
Oliver Keene
●
Teach Like a Champion:
49 Techniques that Put
Students on the Path to
College by Doug Lemov
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Everday Editing: Inviting
Students to Develop Skill
and Craft in Writer’s
Workshop by Jeff
Anderson
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Website for Instructional
Resources, Games,
Strategies, Graphic
Organizers, etc for Middle
School ELA teachers: Click
Here
2: Writers include detailed evidence from the
text. We do this by rereading a part and
thinking about which details best support our
theme.
3: Writers create objective summaries that
connect the theme to the characters, setting,
and plot.
4: Writers use tone to influence their
audiences.
Suggested Pacing Calendar
Monday
October 1
Unit 1 Pre-assessment
October 8
Columbus Day
October 15
1.7
October 22
1.11
Tuesday
October 2
1.1
Begin short stories
October 9
Wednesday
October 3
Thursday
October 4
Friday
October 5
1.2
1.3
Writing Response Lesson 1
October 10
October 12
1.4
1.5
October 16
1.8
October 23
1.12
October 17
1.9
October 24
1.13
October 11
1.6
Begin novel
October 18
1.10
October 25
1.14
Writing Response Lesson 2
October 19
Writing Response Lesson 3
October 26
Writing Response Lesson 4
ELA-Grade08-Unit02-UnitTemplate
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October 29
October 30
October 31
November 1
1.15
Assessment
Assessment
Re-teaching
November 2
Re-teaching
Unit celebration