Unit Portfolio
Novel Series Study Plan
Presentation
Diane Clatch
Unit Summary
•The Novel Series Plan (NSSP) for Fever 1793 encourages student to
share and express their own interpretation and reflections of a novel
in a small group setting. Generally there are four students in a group,
each with a task related to one of the four corners of exploration:
Vocabulary Corner, Discussion Corner, Writing Corner, and Community
Partner Corner.
•When exploring the Vocabulary Corner the four sample tasks that each
student can develop are: Word Web, Analogy, Scavenger Hunt Context
Clues, and the Artist.
•In the Discussion Corner four sample tasks can be: Questioner,
Character Profiler, Elements of Fiction, and Passage Pickers.
•The Writing Corner has the following sample tasks: Dear Abby,
Keeping Up with Events, Point of View, and Alternate Ending.
•The last corner, the Community Partner Corner would have the following
tasks: Theatrical play/Screenplay, radio program, Storyboard,
Diorama, and Food Music Samples (from that time period)
Curriculum-Framing Questions
• Essential Question
How does literature help us better understand ourselves?
• Unit Questions
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1. How does Mattie grow and change during the story? What
characteristics enable her to survive her illness and traumas?
2. What makes Lucinda, Mattie's mother, important? Why? What
events in Lucinda's past contribute to making her the adult she is?
3. What role does Eliza play in developing Mattie's character?
4. How did Mattie's grandfather support Mattie? Why is his
character essential in Mattie's maturation?
5. The journals at the beginning of each chapter are written by real
people who experienced the Yellow Fever. How did their journaling
impact society and subsequent writings?
Content Questions
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What was Philadelphia like in 1793? What were the advantages and disadvantages of
living in the countryside outside of Philadelphia?
How was the life of a 14-year-old in 1793 different from the life of a 14-year-old
today? In which period would you rather live? Why?
What are the greatest advancements American society has made since then? How
have we regressed?
Mattie's grandfather didn't think there was any need to rush out of Philadelphia
when the fever started to spread. Why did some people think it was safe to stay?
What would you have done?
The color yellow is used throughout the story. What does it symbolize? What other
symbols are used in the book?
When does Mattie move from being a child to being a young adult?
What do you think will happen to Mattie, her mother, and friends in 1794? What will
their lives look like in 1800? In 1813?
During the Revolutionary War, women took on tasks that were traditionally
performed by men. After the War, they were expected to go back to their spinning
wheels and kitchens. How are Mattie's dreams in conflict with what her society
expected of young women? Why did Mattie's mother want a different life for her
daughter?
The Free African Society volunteered to take care of the sick and bury the dead, even
though there was no cure for yellow fever. How do you think they felt? Why did they
do that? Would you have helped?
What comparisons can you make between life in Philadelphia during the epidemic
and life in Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein?
Fever 1793
This project will help my students develop
21st century skills by:
• Demonstrating originality and inventiveness in work
• Being open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives
• Articulating thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively through
speaking and writing
• Demonstrating ability to work effectively with diverse teams
• Assuming shared responsibility for collaborative work
• Utilizing time efficiently and managing workload
• Working appropriately and productively with others
• Setting and meeting high standards and goals for delivering quality
work on time
• Demonstrating integrity and ethical behavior
Gauging Student Needs Assessment
Purpose of the Assessment
To gather information using Know-Wonder-Learn charts about what
students already know and what they wonder about contagious diseases.
What I want to learn from my students?
I want to find out what they already know about the contagious diseases,
Yellow Fever, and the time period after the Revolutionary War, the late
1700’s.
How I have tried to promote higher-order thinking?
I have directed the students to complete the activities in each of the four
Corners of the NSSP, Novel Series Study Plan.
How the assessment information helps me and my students plan
for upcoming activities in the unit?
Through formative assessment I can quickly gauge understanding and
comprehension.
What feedback or additional ideas I’d like?
I would like help developing a summative assessment.
My Goals for the Course
• Share the novel in a way that relates to the
students on a personal level.
• Encourage and foster creative projects
that bring authentic meaning to the
written word.
• Share this unit with other LWMCLTs,
Literature and Writing Magnet Cluster
Teachers, as a guideline for other NSSP,
Novel Series Study Plans.
Goals for My Students
• Students will be able to identify literary elements and literary
techniques such as characterization, use of narration, and use of
dialogue.
• They will also be able to describe how literary elements, such as
theme, character, setting, plot, tone, conflict are used in literature to
create meaning.
• In addition the students will be able to identify definitive features
of literary forms, in this particular unit historical fiction.
• The students will also be able to respond to literary material by
making inferences, drawing conclusions and comparing it to their
own experience, prior knowledge and other texts.
• In doing so the students will also be able to identify and explain
themes that have been explored in literature from different societies
and eras.
• Moreover students will be able to relate literary works and their
characters, settings and plots to current and historical events, people
and perspectives.
Request for Feedback
• Ideas for grouping students for the
Corners of the Novel Series Study Plan
• Ideas for student presentations to the
entire class
• Ideas for guiding other students to
constructively critique their classmates
projects
Simple Works Cited
Book cover photo of Fever 1793
• Name of site: ISB Middle School Library
• URL: http://isbmslibrary.edublogs.org/