Clare Koppin
ENG 380 Fall 2012
Unit Plan write-up
11/19/12
Unit title: “Adventure, Heroism, and Riddles”
Unit focus: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Grade level: 10th grade
Content area: General English 10 class
Concepts: This unit will look into a couple major concepts found in The Hobbit. Students will
analyze the role of riddles and rhyme in the book and how they are used; students will be asked
to identify what makes this an “adventure story”; and students will look into what it means to be
hero and how the character Bilbo is a hero in the story.
Equipment and Technology: Throughout this unit, I will be using a variety of presentation
methods, including PowerPoint (and therefore a projector), iTunes (to listen to “Jack and the
King’s New Ground” read by Jackie Torrence – a text copy will also be provided for those
students that wish to read along), a document camera for student presentations and modeling
activities, and YouTube to show a movie. Also, I will be creating a “Chutes and Ladders” style
review game based on The Hobbit for students before our test. These different technologies and
resources will provide my students with a variety of media exposures and will be helpful to the
diverse learners in my classroom.
Advanced Preparation:
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Background Information handout (Day 1)
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Elvish writing handout (Day 1)
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Notes sheet (Days 1-9, only one example provided here)
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Rhymes and songs PowerPoint presentation (Day 2)
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Copies of “The Summer I Was Sixteen” by Geraldine Connolly (Day 3)
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Imagery group worksheet (Day 3)
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Audio file of “Jack and the King’s New Ground” (Day 4)
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Reading quiz (Day 6)
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Copies of “Sidekicks” by Ronald Koertge (Day 8)
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Large pieces of paper, crayons, and markers for timeline project (Day 9)
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Thought questions and rubric handouts (Day 10)
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YouTube video: “The Hobbit” cartoon (Days 10 and 12)
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Study guide for unit test (Day 11)
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“Chutes and Ladders” review game (Day 14)
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Unit test (Day 15)
Long-Term Unit Goals: In this unit, students will be expected to engage with the literature in a
variety of formats, including: journaling/free-writes, note-taking, group discussion, creative
response, group projects and activities, and formal assessments. By using such a variety of
textual interactions, students will be able to develop effective reading strategies. The themes
presented in this unit will hopefully get students to think about the journeys they take in their
own lives and how they can be the hero of their own story.
Short-Term Unit Goals:
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Students will be able to write cohesively on a variety of topics related to the novel.
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Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the text in both creative and
formal/analytical formats.
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Students will make connections between the characters and themes in this unit and
characters and themes from previous units (i.e. the episodic nature of The Hobbit as well
as Bilbo’s cleverness can be related to Odysseus’ travels and cunning in The Odyssey).
Professional Content Standards:
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Common Core (see separate sheet)
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Content Standards for English Language Arts:
o CE1.3: Communicate in speech, writing, and multimedia using content, form,
voice, and style appropriate to the audience and purpose.
o CE2.1: Develop critical reading, listening, and viewing strategies.
o CE2.2: Use a variety of reading, listening, and viewing strategies to construct
meaning beyond the literal level.
o CE3.2: Read and respond to classic and contemporary fiction, literary nonfiction,
and expository text, from a variety of literary genre representing many time
periods and authors.
Anticipatory Activity: I will introduce this unit with two activities. First, students will be given a
handout with a map of the location in which the action happens in the story, as well as
background information on the author. This will be looked over in class, with me highlighting
some of the key points of information. The second activity involves a more creative flair.
Students will be given a handout that explains how to write in Elvish, as created by J.R.R.
Tolkien. I will help explain the process to students and then they will practice by writing out
their own names, then compose a short note to themselves about what they are looking forward
to this unit.
Explanation of Activities:
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Character sketch rhymes: After viewing a PowerPoint presentation about the use of
rhyme and song in The Hobbit, students will be asked to create character sketches in
verse. Each student will pick a character from the first two chapters and compose a poem
in the style of those found in the book that describes that character as they understand
them thus far.
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Imagery in The Hobbit group worksheet: After reading Geraldine Connolly’s poem “The
Summer I Was Sixteen” and a short discussion of the imagery in the poem, students will
be divided into groups. In their groups, they will find an example of imagery from each
chapter and draw a picture to accompany that image. Students will then present their
examples and artwork to the rest of the class using the document camera.
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Listening to “Jack and the King’s New Ground”: Students will have just read the chapter
in which Bilbo and Smeagol exchange riddles. This story is another example of how a
protagonist uses his wits to outsmart his opponent and get what he wants. It’s also a
really fun listening experience! For those students who prefer to have a visual aid, I will
provide copies of the text.
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Writing riddles: This activity encourages students to interact with the text by creating
something new based on what they have read. Students will each compose 3 riddles for
homework and volunteers will share them in class to try to “stump” their classmates. The
person whose riddles are the trickiest/cleverest wins the title of “Riddler.”
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Free-writes: Allowing students to spend time reacting to the text – whether it be through
personal connection, questions, summarizing events in a way that helps them make sense
of the novel, or creating a new story – helps them to develop their own ideas about the
book and construct their own meaning. Free-write time also helps students improve their
writing skills in a non-threatening atmosphere.
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Reading check quiz: Having a quiz to see how the students are handling the material thus
far is very important. It allows me as the teacher to assess their understanding as well as
my teaching. If students are not able to make the kind of connections and analysis that I
expect as a result of classroom activities, I will need to adjust how I approach it with
them.
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Lit term application: Since students will have a list of literary terms that they learned near
the beginning of the year, having them connect those to what they are reading is valuable,
since it reminds them that their lit terms are actually applicable to literature. For this
activity, students will, in pairs, choose 5 lit terms from their list and find specific
examples of these in The Hobbit. Having them complete this activity in pairs allows
students to scaffold each other and share ideas and connections.
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Discussion of important themes and connections: Giving students the chance to vocalize
their opinions of the themes and events of the book allows them to practice their speaking
and listening skills, as well as share ideas with their classmates and scaffold each other in
creating new meaning and interpretations of the text.
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Timeline project: It is often helpful to make a concrete and consolidated timeline of
events in a story, especially in one as plot-based as The Hobbit. In five groups, each
group being assigned three chapters to chronicle, students will create a timeline of events.
Paper and writing materials will be provided. They will have half the class to create
these timelines, and the other half of class will be spent presenting their timelines to their
classmates.
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Showing “The Hobbit” cartoon: Since the next week of class will be spent working on
final projects and studying for the unit test, having something fun, entertaining, and a
little corny can be really helpful for students. Also, showing this movie is beneficial for
visual learners, since it places the story into a more vivid visual context.
Formative assessment: See “Reading Quiz (Ch. 1-8)”
Summative assessment: See “Thought Questions”
Rubrics:
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Included: Rubric for “Thought Questions” final project
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All presentation work will be graded on the following: participation, thoughtfulness,
thoroughness, clear understanding of task and topic, and creativity.
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All writing responses will be graded on the following: completion, effort, analysis (does
the writing go below the surface level?), originality/voice, and application of class
discussions
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All group work will be graded on the following: participation, completion, connections to
and application of class discussions, and depth