ELA UNIT PLANNING
UNIT: Truth, Propaganda, and the Election TIME FRAME: _3 weeks
TEACHER/GR:_8th grade Team
Unit Summary and Rationale:(Outlines the components of the unit and the reasoning for their inclusion):
 This unit will focus on the upcoming presidential elections and other topics where the information and sources might be biased. By the end of the unit,
students will be able to evaluate sources and make informed decisions. These skills will be invaluable through life since we need to sort through
information we come into contact with every day on the news, internet, books, and in conversation
UnitConnectionCollege and Career Ready Descriptions: Teachers will select at least one of the following lenses to act as the overlay for the unit. These are the
descriptors that must be included to ensure the unit is fully aligned to the CCSS and relevant to the college and career ready student.
Students will demonstrate independence.
Students will value evidence.
Students will build strong content knowledge.
 Students will respond to the varying demands of audience, task, and discipline.
 Students will critique as well as comprehend.
 Students will use technology and digital media strategically and capably.
 Students will develop an understanding of other perspectives and cultures.
Unit Standards: Teachers should list the standards to be addressed within the unit.
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Reading
Literature ___ Informational
Text___
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Writing
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RI.8.4. Determine the
meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in
a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical
meanings; analyze the
impact of specific word
choices on meaning and
tone, including analogies
or allusions to other texts.
RI.8.7. Evaluate the
advantages and
disadvantages of using
different mediums (e.g.,
print or digital text, video,
multimedia) to present a
particular topic or idea.
RI.8.8. Delineate and
evaluate the argument and
specific claims in a text,
assessing whether the
reasoning is sound and the
evidence is relevant and
sufficient; recognize when
irrelevant evidence is
introduced. Rubric &
Political ads
RI.8.9. Analyze a case in
which two or more texts
provide conflicting
information on the same
topic and identify where
the texts disagree on
matters of fact or
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
W.8.1. Write arguments
to support claims with
clear reasons and
relevant evidence.
o ◦
Support
claim(s) with
logical reasoning
and relevant
evidence, using
accurate,
credible sources
and
demonstrating an
understanding of
the topic or text.
o ◦
Use
words, phrases,
and clauses to
create cohesion
and clarify the
relationships
among claim(s),
counterclaims,
reasons, and
evidence.
o ◦
Establish
and maintain a
formal style.
o ◦
Provide a
concluding
statement or
section that
follows from and
supports the
argument
presented.
.
Speaking and Listening
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SL.8.2. Analyze the purpose
of information presented in
diverse media and formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively,
orally) and evaluate the
motives (e.g., social,
commercial, political) behind
its presentation.
SL.8.3. Delineate a speaker’s
argument and specific claims,
evaluating the soundness of
the reasoning and relevance
and sufficiency of the
evidence and identifying
when irrelevant evidence is
introduced.
Language
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L.8.5. Demonstrate
understanding of figurative
language, word relationships,
and nuances in word
meanings.
o
Interpret figures of
speech (e.g. verbal
irony, puns) in
context.
o
Use the relationship
between particular
words to better
understand each of the
words.
o
Distinguish among the
connotations
(associations) of
words with similar
denotations
(definitions)
(e.g., bullheaded,
willful, firm,
persistent, resolute).
interpretationPolitical ads
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W.8.2. Write
informative/explanatory
texts to examine a topic
and convey ideas,
concepts, and
information through the
selection, organization,
and analysis of relevant
content.
o ◦
Introduce
a topic clearly,
previewing what
is to follow;
organize ideas,
concepts, and
information into
broader
categories;
include
formatting (e.g.,
headings),
graphics (e.g.,
charts, tables),
and multimedia
when useful to
aiding
comprehension.
o ◦
Develop
the topic with
relevant, wellchosen facts,
definitions,
concrete details,
quotations, or
other
information and
examples.
o ◦
Use
appropriate and
varied transitions
to create
cohesion and
clarify the
relationships
among ideas and
concepts.
o ◦
Use
precise language
and domainspecific
vocabulary to
inform about or
explain the topic.
o ◦
Establish
and maintain a
formal style.
o ◦
Provide a
concluding
statement or
section that
follows from and
supports the
information or
explanation
presented.
o ⁃
Introduce
claim(s),
acknowledge
and distinguish
the claim(s)
from alternate or
opposing claims,
and organize the
reasons and
evidence
March 14, 2012
logically.
W.8.6. Use technology,
including the Internet, to
produce and publish writing
and present the relationships
between information and ideas
efficiently as well as to interact
and collaborate with others
Essential Questions: Essential questions center around major
issues, problems, concerns, interests, or themes relevant to the
classroom. Essential questions should lead students to discover the
big ideas. They need to go beyond who, what and where. They
need to lead to the how and why.
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Why is it important to know who wrote or created the source?
How do we determine whether a source is trustworthy or not?
How can the truth be distorted or skewed?
What are the reasons truth is skewed?
Is it ethical to skew the truth? Is it inevitable to skew the truth?
Where and when do we need to consider the author or creator of
a work?
Big Ideas: These are what students will discover as a result of instruction and
learning activities. They are the main ideas of the learning, the conclusions,
or the generalizations. Big Ideas should be open-ended and apply to more
than one area of study.
•Students will learn to evaluate sources and biases in various media sources.
Learning Targets: What should students be able to do by the end of the lesson?
Students should be able to correctly produce a piece of propaganda using the studied propaganda techniques.
Students should be able to evaluate propaganda techniques that they come across in various media forms.
March 14, 2012
Learning Tasks: Teachers list the various tasks students will engage in throughout the unit, include use of media/other forms of information.
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Reading Tasks
“How Propaganda Works”
“Propaganda Techniques”
“War Propaganda”
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Writing Tasks
Create propaganda script to
sell a business or product
Propaganda techniques used
in literature graphic organizer
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Discussion Tasks
Analyze and discuss
examples of media
propaganda. Identify types
of propaganda techniques
used .
Language/Vocabulary Tasks
 Frayer Model
 Turn and talk
Assessments: List types of assessments that will be used throughout the course of the unit.
*If you do not have assessments for this unit, they should be created before moving on to the lesson design*
DIAGNOSTIC
FORMATIVE
SUMMATIVE
Students will watch a short Mac commercial.
Answering questions that require students to
Group script and commercial using
They will be asked to analyze how the Mac
dig into the text.
propaganda techniques and tier-2, 3
character and the PC character were portrayed
Frayer model
vocabulary.
and why.
Turn and talk
Followed by a peer assessment with rubric for
Discussions of propaganda in the media
the group commercials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8UxyJewd
Propaganda techniques used in a graphic
3Q&feature=related&safety_mode=true
organizer
&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
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Text(s) Selections/Resources(generated by both teacher and student)
Teachers will list the genres/titles/resources for study and indicate text complexity:
Sampling of commercials using propaganda (Caution: The lexile average is around 1320L. Teachers will need to adjust accordingly):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llZ6k4gfrCw&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Include presidential campaign ads in order to identify the techniques in a meaningful and relevant way.
Notes ( include accommodations/grouping/modifications):
For the commercial project:
EC/ESL students could create poster scripts
AIG students could use more vocabulary words or incorporate more techniques
Team size could be changed
A review of techniques with examples on Youtube:
Testimonial : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od3Y8_A1qpk&feature=relmfu&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Glittering Generalities:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od3Y8_A1qpk&feature=relmfu&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Plain Folk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpu2nnjGYYU&feature=relmfu&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Band Wagon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEnJiOrWiUg&feature=relmfu&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Name Calling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5lsyeJOPr0&feature=relmfu&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Transfer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCayrGzv75Y&feature=relmfu&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
Card Stacking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCayrGzv75Y&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
March 14, 2012