Intel® Teach Program
Essentials Course
Is this all there is?
Unit Author
First and Last Name
Matt Hooper
School District
Auburn City Schools
School Name
Auburn Junior High School
School City, State
Auburn, AL
Unit Overview
Unit Title
Everybody’s dying to get there.
Unit Summary
Students read Mitch Albom’s The Five People you meet in Heaven and relate it to their lives. They
research religious viewpoints of the afterlife and create a presentation for the class on one of those
viewpoints. They complete a packet that includes grammar, vocabulary, characterization charts, and
essay responses. They also create a PowerPoint presentation to convey their understanding of all
aspects of the unit.
Subject Area
Language Arts
Grade Level
8th grade
Approximate Time Needed
4 weeks – 20 days of 95 minute periods
Unit Foundation
Targeted Content Standards and Benchmarks
1.) Apply strategies, including making inferences to determine theme, confirming or refuting predictions,
and using specific context clues, to comprehend eighth-grade recreational reading materials.
2.) Evaluate the impact of setting, mood, and characterization on theme in specific literary selections.
8.) Write in persuasive and expository modes with attention to descriptive elements.
9.) Apply mechanics in writing, including using quotation marks, underlining, and italics to punctuate
titles.
1.) Students will make connections between themselves, others they know, and the characters in The Five
People you meet in Heaven.
2.) Students will critique current beliefs about life after death and formulate an opinion of their own.
3.) Students will write a persuasive essay from their own opinion of life after death and defend it
to the class.
4.) Students will write an expository essay pertaining to religion, a religious leader, or a religious icon.
5.) Students will categorize various types of nouns.
6.) Students will combine sentence using semi-colons, commas, and conjunctive adverbs.
7.) Students will use quotation marks, underlining, and italics to punctuate titles.
8.) Students will work in groups to complete a Power Point presentation covering all of the objectives
listed above.
9.) Students will incorporate and identify vocabulary words from The Five People you meet in Heaven.
© 2008 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 4
Intel® Teach Program
Essentials Course
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential
Question
Is this life all there is?
Unit
Questions
Content
Questions
Why are religious beliefs important?
How does the way an author writes make a story more interesting?
Why is an understanding of various concepts of grammar and the English
language important?
What are the differences among the following religious beliefs about life after
death: Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Wicca, Atheism, and Islam?
What are the point of view, theme, mood, and setting of The Five People you
meet in Heaven?
How does Mitch Albom use characterization in The Five People you meet in
Heaven?
Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline
Before project work begins
 Survey
 Carousel
brainstorming
 Sample video
and paragraph
to determine
inferences, plot,
setting,
characterization,
and mood
Students work on projects
and complete tasks
 Characterization
Activity
 Questions and
class discussion
 Self-assessment
journal prompts
 Weekly quizzes
 It’s the end of
the world as we
know it
 Heaven
 Words of
Wisdom –
Response
Journals
 Power Point
presentation
storyboard
 Presentation
Checklist
After project work is
completed
 The Five
People
packet
 Power Point
presentation
rubric
 Discussion
Questions
 Five People
Test
 Power Point  Postpresentation
presentation
selfassessment
 DOL’s
Assessment Summary
Have students take a survey to stimulate interest and see what students already know about the
topic and author. Then, lead the class in a carousel brainstorming activity to discuss the terms
Heaven and Hell and teach how to create a Wordle. Show a clip of the movie “The Strangers” to
emphasize inferences, plot, setting, characterization, and mood, followed by a sample paragraph to
determine prior knowledge of inferences, plot, setting, characterization, and mood. Do a
characterization activity to reinforce characterization in writing. Throughout the reading of the book,
lead the class in questioning and discussion, words of wisdom journal prompts, and self-assessment
journal prompts. Play the song “Heaven” to discuss each student’s belief in the afterlife. Play the
song “It’s the end of the world as we know it” to teach various types of nouns. After introducing the
major project, have students keep up with a presentation checklist and complete a PowerPoint
presentation storyboard. Throughout the unit, have students work on The Five People packet which
includes essay/discussion questions. Have students complete a PowerPoint presentation and postpresentation self-assessment. Evaluate the presentations using the PowerPoint presentation rubric.
End the unit with the Five People test.
© 2008 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Page 2 of 4
Intel® Teach Program
Essentials Course
Unit Details
Prerequisite Skills
Basic understanding of computer hardware, Microsoft Word, Internet explorer
Instructional Procedures
Prior to Instruction – To determine prior knowledge, have the students complete the survey
located at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vSqb7i6TWntfMjJExitdlg_3d_3d.
Week One
Pose the Essential Question “Is this all there is?” to allow for clarification and further questions. Have
students write an obituary. Pose and discuss the unit question “How do you want people to
remember you after your life on Earth is over?” Discuss and test Vocabulary List 1. Read pages 1-55.
Have student teaching group teach noun classifications. Create pairs using “Appointment Clock” and
practice correcting general grammar errors using DOLs. Practice determining plot, inferences,
setting, characterization, and mood using a sample paragraph. Do WOW#1. Do quiz #1.
Week Two
Discuss and test Vocabulary List 2. Read pages 56-97. Practice categorizing nouns using the song It’s
the End of the World as we know it. Create pairs using “Hold ‘em” and practice correcting general
grammar errors using DOLs. Have student teaching group teach using quotation marks, underlining,
and italics to punctuate titles. Have students complete a chart about religious views of the afterlife
and begin working on their PowerPoint storyboard. Go to http://www.school.eb.com/comptons to
search for information on different religions. Do WOW#2. Do quiz #2.
Week Three
Discuss and test Vocabulary List 3. Read pages 98-159. Practice characterization. Create pairs using
“Greeting card match” and practice correcting general grammar errors using DOLs. Do selfassessment journal. Have students write a persuasive essay about Heaven after listening to the
song Heaven. Do WOW#3. Do quiz #3. Complete 2 expository essays from the Five People packet.
Week Four
Discuss and test Vocabulary List 4. Read pages 160-178. Create pairs using “Menu Best Choice” and
practice correcting general grammar errors using DOLs. Do WOW#4. Do quiz #4. Complete an
expository essay from the Five People packet. Complete and present PowerPoint presentations.
Complete and turn in Five People packets. Complete Five People test.
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction
Special Needs
Students
Carousel brainstorming to incorporate cooperative learning and assess prior
knowledge, use of videos and songs to teach concepts, peer tutoring when
needed, explicit project instruction using Power Point presentation storyboard, use
of spell check, thesaurus, and dictionary through Microsoft Word, and
availability of audio book of The Five People you meet in Heaven
Nonnative
Speakers
Cooperative learning activities, access to foreign language dictionaries, and
availability of foreign language versions of the novel The Five People you meet
in Heaven
Gifted/Talented
Students
Extended use of Power Point, such as adding audio, video, links, and additional
multimedia
© 2008 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Page 3 of 4
Intel® Teach Program
Essentials Course
Materials and Resources Required For Unit
Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed)
Camera
Laser Disk
VCR
Computer(s)
Printer
Video Camera
Digital Camera
Projection System
Video Conferencing Equip.
DVD Player
Scanner
The Strangers DVD
Internet Connection
Television
Technology – Software (Click boxes of all software needed.)
Database/Spreadsheet
Image Processing
Web Page Development
Desktop Publishing
Internet Web Browser
Word Processing
E-mail Software
Power Point
Other
Encyclopedia on CD-ROM
Printed Materials
One class set of The Five People you meet in Heaven, access to a computer
lab or personal laptop, copy of The Five People packet,
Supplies
N/A
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3088154
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/15698580#15698580
Internet Resources
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15640269/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/15652287#15652287
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/15728735#15728735
http://www.school.eb.com/comptons
Other Resources
Field trip to various churches in the area; religious panel debate involving
evangelical Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Atheist
Programs of the Intel® Education Initiative are funded by the Intel Foundation and Intel Corporation.
Copyright © 2007, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Education Initiative, and Intel Teach Program are
trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
© 2008 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Page 4 of 4