Sample Unit

Is it Fair? In Search of Justice (Grade 9)

Lessons

1 6 11 16 21 26

2 7 12 17 22 27

3 8 13 18 23 28

4 9 14 19 24 29

5 10 15 20 25

Lesson One

• Read aloud to the class a poem which has some form of injustice as its theme. Some suitable selections include the following, although teachers may select others.

  "Unspoken Hostility", Departures (p. 108)
  "Ascendancy", Justice (Issues Series) (p. 82)
  "Isolated Incident", Values (Issues Series) (p. 112)

• Ask students to think about the poem's meaning and to write down one or two sentences in response to the poem (e.g., a question, a comment, an observation).
  
• Encourage students to share their comments with the class. (15 min.).
  
• Explain that, during this unit, they will have opportunities to read, write, and speak about many kinds of injustice.
  
• Divide the class into groups of four or five and provide a short story or nonfiction selection for members of each group to read silently. Some suitable selections include the following, although teachers may select others.

  "Saturday Morning Sexism", Gender Issues (Issues Series) (p. 33)
  "Becoming a Judge Vindicates her Father", Justice (Issues Series) (p. 35)
  "Child in a Prison Camp", Sense and Feeling (p. 20) and Multiculturalism (Issues Series) (p. 79)
  "Mother and Daughter", In Search of Justice (Nelson mini-anthology) (p. 22)
  "Days of Terror", Sense and Feeling (p. 59)
  "Child Labour", Sense and Feeling (p. 134)
  "That Summer I Left Childhood Was White", Justice (Issues Series) (p. 47)

• Allow time for students to read silently. (20 min.)
  
• Have each group discuss the selection. (20 min.) Remind them of proper discussion procedure (see the Speaking and Listening section of this curriculum guide). Provide a set of discussion guidelines. For example:
  • Identify the issue in this selection (the injustice).
    
  • Differentiate between the two viewpoints given (or inferred) in the selection. State each viewpoint and the evidence or assumptions each viewpoint is based upon.
    
  • Consider how the people affected by each "side" of the issue feel about the situation/event described.
    
  • If you were to "take sides" in this case, what would your position be and why?

• Circulate as the discussion continues, making anecdotal notes regarding students' discussion skills.
  
• Have students individually complete a self-assessment checklist regarding their contributions to group discussion. (5 min.) (See the Speaking and Listening section of this curriculum guide for sample checklists that may be used or adapted for this purpose.)

Lesson Two

• Instruct students to assemble in the same groups that they were working in last lesson. As an extension of last day's discussion, have each group construct a wall chart on which group members record some of the most important concepts they discussed in connection with the particular selection they read. (35 min.) Suggest that a specific format be used. An example follows.

Name of Selection: "Saturday Morning Sexism" Type of Injustice: Gender Inequality "Is it Fair" Question: Is it fair that women are portrayed in stereotypical ways, on television (even in cartoons?) Two viewpoints:
Pro: Viewers accept stereotypical 1950s portrayals of female roles and there is no need to change portrayals of women and girls (especially for children's cartoons). It is acceptable to portray female characters as victims.	Con: It is wrong to show females as stereotypically weight obsessed, vain, boy crazy, and brainless, and it is wrong to show mothers working only in the home. It is socially and morally wrong not to include strong female characters in television productions. It is wrong to continually portray females as victims.
According to this selection: What could happen in the future?     Little girls begin to see themselves as non-intellectual homemakers. What should happen in the future?     Television must change. Adults need to make girls fully aware of the opportunities that exist for female professionalism. Group members: Jan, Troy, Sherry, William

• Post charts on the bulletin board or walls so students may view their own and their classmates' efforts.
  
• Give students a second lengthier selection to read silently, keeping the same group members together. Possible suitable selections include the following, although teachers may select others.

  "Do You Really Think It's Fair?", Changes (Multisource Series) (p. 53)
  "Where the Rivers Meet", Justice (Issues Series) (p. 53)
  "I'm as Canadian as You", Sense and Feeling (p. 114)
  "Refugee", Multiculturalism (Issues Series) (p. 102)
  "Borders", In Search of Justice (Nelson mini-anthology) (p. 84)

• Explain that, after these selections are read, students will respond to them in their Response Journals. They must bring their Response Journals and these selections to class for the next lesson.
  
• Have students read their selections silently. (25 min.)

Lesson Three

• Give students time to write responses to the last lesson's reading in their Response Journals. Ask that their responses contain:
  • some information about the reading
    
  • some speculation about the meaning of events, issues, or problems
    
  • some reflection regarding connections between ideas in the reading and students' own ideas
    
  • some questions with regard to the reading. (25 min.)

• Have students return to their groups to discuss the story and their responses. (25 min.)
  
• Each group should have a leader to facilitate discussion. Discussion might include:
  • the issue which was referred to in the story
    
  • individual observations or feelings about the issue
    
  • factors which further complicated this issue
    
  • how the story ended (the final outcome)
    
  • whether or not the outcome was satisfactory
    
  • other possible outcomes which could have been the result, given this situation.

Lesson Four

• Present a mini-lesson about Readers Theatre (see the Speaking and Listening section of this curriculum guide for information about Readers Theatre). (15 min.)
  
• Arrange for students to meet in their groups again. Each group will create a very short script capturing the essence of the problems presented in the story discussed during the last lesson or the first story read by the group. They will portray the personalities of the main characters. (45 min.) These scripts will be used for the groups' Readers Theatre presentations to take place during Lessons Six and Seven.

Lesson Five

• Present a mini-lesson about personal spelling lists and Vocabulary Logs, stressing the importance of keeping a record of words often misspelled and of new, interesting, or unusual vocabulary words encountered. (5-10 min.) Remind students to keep these lists up to date so they may be referred to throughout the unit. (See the Reading section of this curriculum guide for a sample Vocabulary Log and the Integrated Language Study section for suggestions regarding spelling).
  
• Allow 20-25 minutes for independent reading. Students will keep a Reading Log for their independent reading (see the Reading section of this curriculum guide for a sample Reading Log).
  
• Have students return to their groups to "polish" and rehearse their Readers Theatre projects, which will be presented during the next two lessons. (30 min.) Make students aware of the criteria by which they will be assessed.

Lesson Six

• Arrange for two or three groups to present their Readers Theatre performances. (60 min.)
  After each performance, encourage thoughtful whole-class discussion of:
  • the issue presented
    
  • the controversy surrounding it
    
  • the way in which the controversy was handled
    
  • connections to real-life issues that people face daily
    
  • questions that remain unanswered.

During Readers Theatre presentations, the teacher or two or three of the reader's peers could fill out a Readers Theatre assessment checklist. Following Readers Theatre presentations, have the readers complete an Oral Reading Self-assessment Checklist (such as the example in the Reading section) and have listeners complete a Listener Self-assessment for Oral Reading (such as the one in the Speaking and Listening section). Adapt these sample checklists to meet the specific purposes and needs of the students and project.

Lesson Seven

• Conduct this lesson using the same procedure as in Lesson Six, asking different groups to present their Readers Theatre performances. (60 min.)

Lesson Eight

• Have students view a videotape (or a portion of a videotape) in which the topic of injustice or unfairness is featured in some specific way. (20 min.) (This videotape may be one that is listed in the bibliography or an alternate one that is equally suitable.)
  
• Provide time for student writing in reaction to, or as a result of, viewing the videotape. (40 min.) The writing process should be followed (pre-writing, the writing of several drafts, peer and teacher conferencing, proofreading, editing, and so on). Students should choose their own topics and genres. Some possible choices are listed below:
  • a modern-day (or historical) editorial
    
  • a letter to the editor
    
  • a short magazine article
    
  • a fictional representation of the material viewed on videotape, in the form of a short story, a creative paragraph, or a poem
    
  • a letter, diary entry, or dialogue involving the people portrayed on the videotape
    
  • a speech by a perpetrator of injustice or by a defender of justice
    
  • a biography or autobiography (putting oneself in the role of one of the characters).

Lesson Nine

• Present a brief mini-lesson about Response Journals and writing portfolios. Establish with the students the number of pieces of writing there must be in their portfolios by unit end, indicating suggested lengths for some pieces and establishing what genres must be represented. Set a minimum number of responses that are to be in their journals by unit end, including a number of specific responses to independent reading as well as to guided reading. Also remind students that they must keep notes or handouts about mini-lessons, and keep their assessment checklists in order in their notebooks or binders to provide for easy reference in the future.
  
• Allow students time to complete writing started last day. (45 min.) Students who have completed one piece of writing and are satisfied with it may begin a different piece of writing (choosing a new topic and genre) or they may continue with their independent reading.

Lesson Ten

• Conduct a mini-lesson reviewing library use and procedures. (5-10 min.)
  
• Involve the students in a brief whole-class, teacher-led discussion of what a "poem" is and what poetry can offer that prose cannot. Accept student responses concerning both discussion items and write responses on the chalkboard. (10 min.)
  
• Explain that, during this period in the library, students will locate and read poems about injustice. By the end of Lesson Eleven, each student will have chosen a poem. Students will then decide whether they want to prepare an oral or a written presentation of their poem. For oral presentations and written presentations, students will also construct visual representations of the poems they have chosen. These may be in the form of collages, cartoons, graphics, photography, drawings, or videotapes.
  
• Allow time for library reading of poetry. (45 min.) Encourage students to make brief notes about poems to help them choose their favourites later.

Lesson Eleven

• Present a mini-lesson on the guidelines to follow when preparing to read a poem orally and the guidelines to follow when choosing to write about a favourite poem. (15 min.)
  
• For oral presentations, students must practise reading the poem many times. If necessary, they may pencil in slashes at appropriate "pause" points and highlight words needing extra emphasis. Students should also prepare paragraphs of their own to read, stating why they chose a particular poem and reflecting on what it means to them. In addition, they need to present their visual representations and comment on them in relation to the poem chosen.
  
• For written presentations, students need to recopy carefully the poem in their own handwriting or type it using a word processor. Written paragraphs must give reasons for their poetry choice, and personal reactions to the particular poem. In addition, some comment should be made regarding the language and mood of the poem. A written explanation of the students' visual representation must be included, as well as the representation itself.
  
• Allow students to locate and read poetry in the library. (45 min.) (The "bonus" here is that, while students are preparing to select poems of their choice, they are reading a wide variety of poetry and developing a sense of what poetry is.)

Lesson Twelve

• Allow students to prepare for their poetry presentations (to be given during Lesson Fifteen). (30 min.)
  
• Present a brief Book Talk about 6-8 different novels. Explain that students will form Literature Circles in groups of three to five with each group reading a different title. (30 min.) (See the Reading section for information about Book Talks and Literature Circles.)
  
• Assist students, as needed, in choosing novels appropriate to their reading levels and interests. Their choices will determine their Literature Circle groups.
  
• Provide students with information about Literature Circles and explain expectations for each of the roles. Remind students in each group to set dates for having certain chapters read so they remain at the same place in their reading. Reading of the novels should be complete by the end of Lesson Twenty-two.

Lesson Thirteen

• Allow students to read silently in their Literature Circle novels. (20 min.)
  
• Have students meet in their Literature Circle groups to discuss what they have read and their responses to it.
  
• Have students continue preparing their poetry presentations. (20 min.)

Lesson Fourteen

• Allow students to read silently in their Literature Circle novels. (25 min.)
  
• Present a brief mini-lesson about character analysis charts (see the Reading section of this curriculum guide).
  
• Have students meet in their Literature Circle groups (25 min.) for the following two purposes:
  
• initial discussion of the background information, setting, and point of view of the novel. (Generate a set of possible discussion questions with the students and remind the Discussion Co-ordinator to guide the group through the questions.)
  
• construction of a character analysis chart by group members. This chart may be put on a large sheet of chart paper and posted, or students may make individual charts, filling them out with the help of group discussion. They should keep the charts in their notebooks. Initially, limit the chart to no more than four characters. Students may add to this chart as they progress through the novel.

Lesson Fifteen

• Have students deliver their poetry presentations. (60 min.) Peer or teacher assessment checklists for oral reading may be filled out according to arrangements made ahead of time. No more than two or three peers should be assessing any one presentation. Those students not completing peer assessment checklists should be filling in listener self-assessment checklists for one or two of the presentations. As well, presenters should complete oral reading self-assessment checklists following their presentations (see the Assessment and Evaluation section of this curriculum guide for examples of these checklists). Encourage brief discussion after each presentation.
  
• For those students who have chosen to present their poetry in written format only, the teacher and students should construct a suitable assessment form according to the criteria given in Lesson Eleven.
  
• If oral reading presentations are finished before the 60 minutes allotted, have students return to silent reading of novels or to independent reading selections. If extra time is needed, arrange for presentations to continue during the next lesson, and extend the unit accordingly. (This will depend upon how many students have chosen to present orally as opposed to those doing written presentations.)

Lesson Sixteen

• Allow students to read silently in their Literature Circle novels. (40 min.)
  
• Have students interact through Partner Dialogue Journals (see the Reading section of this curriculum guide) in response to their reading. (20 min.) Students should partner with someone from their own Literature Circle group. Each student will record reactions to a particular portion of the novel. Then, have students exchange journals with a reading partner who will respond to the writing. With this particular exchange, students should focus on the feelings of the main characters in the novel. Students should also make some predictions regarding what may happen later in the novel. Other responses to the reading may also be included.

Lesson Seventeen

• Allow students to read silently in their Literature Circle novels. (15 min.) At times, while students are reading silently, the teacher should be modelling silent reading. (The teacher's novel may be an adult novel related to the theme.)
  
• Present a brief mini-lesson about role play (see the Speaking and Listening section of this curriculum guide). (10 min.)
  
• Have students in each Literature Circle group begin to plan their role plays by constructing a concept web for their particular novel. After the web has been constructed, they should choose a concept and a key question involving conflict. Then, possible viewpoints and situations should be discussed and listed. Next, have students choose one of the situations and establish viewpoints for the group members. (30 min.)

The teacher can help students get started and establish direction by joining in the role plays at the beginning. Although role play is not rehearsed or in any way memorized, it does depend on students becoming totally familiar with a character's personality and situation, in order to "react like" and "speak like" their character. The teacher can enhance the role play experience by encouraging groups to select provocative concepts and conflicts from their webs. While students are preparing their presentations, the teacher can enter the role play "in role" to model certain behaviours and move students forward in their explorations.

• Remind students that they will perform their role plays during Lesson Nineteen.

Lesson Eighteen

• Allow students to read silently in their Literature Circle novels. (35 min.)
  
• Have students continue to prepare for role plays, making certain that each student is comfortable with the character role he or she will be "stepping into". (25 min.) This will involve "thinking through" all the reactions and feelings a particular character might have, given the situation that has been chosen. It also involves attempting to speak like that character might, and essentially becoming that character while in role.

Lesson Nineteen

• Have each group present its role play. (60 min.)
  
• Assessment of the role play can take place through informal discussion or by using a checklist of previously determined criteria.

Lesson Twenty

• Have students write individually in their Response Journals regarding recent events in their novels and/or their experiences with role play. (20 min.) Encourage personal reflection and the formulation of opinions. Reasons for opinions should also be recorded.
  
• Have students meet in their Literature Circle groups to discuss their responses. (20 min.)
  
• Present a mini-lesson about some aspect of language study according to student needs. (10 min.)
• If time permits, encourage students to engage in the writing process. (25 min.) Suggest that they concentrate on poetry, if poetry was not one of their chosen formats earlier in this unit.

Resources such as Prism of Poetry or Poems Please! annotated in the bibliography provide students and teachers with information and ideas about writing poetry. Types of poetry include formula poetry, acrostics, adjective and adverb poems, list poems, shape poems, found poems, and theme poems, to name a few.

Lesson Twenty-one

• Instruct students to bring their Vocabulary Logs to class with them for the next lesson. Also, remind them that they need to be finished reading their novels by the beginning of Lesson Twenty-three.
  
• Present a brief mini-lesson about the media and its methods of reporting controversial issues. Concentrate primarily on television but also refer to radio, newspapers, and other forms of media. In addition to discussing the need for professionalism in reporting facts accurately, draw attention to manipulative procedures sometimes used (biased reporting, opinions versus facts, misleading word choice, sensationalism). (10-15 min.)
  
• Encourage a brief whole-class, teacher-led discussion about the media and its past portrayal of head-line items in the news (e.g., the O.J. Simpson trial, the Quebec Referendum vote on sovereignty). (15 min.)
  
• Have students meet in their Literature Circle groups to plan a "media" report as a final celebration of their novels. (30 min.) The idea is to represent a very important event in the novel that is crucial to the novel's theme, through some form of media presentation. Students may decide to report in a factual or unbiased manner; or they might deliberately create a misleading or sensational account, perhaps imagining how an unscrupulous character from the novel might report the event. Before they begin working on their presentations, they must discuss their plans with the teacher, clarifying the group's intention. The format of each presentation will likely be very different. One group might create a tabloid article; another might videotape "live" coverage of an event with an action news reporter at the site. Some groups may wish to create front page newspaper reports; others might want to host a talk-show, including interviews with one or two of the novel's characters.

Lesson Twenty-two

• Have Literature Circle groups meet to plan their media reports. (30 min.)
  
• Instruct students to choose partners for vocabulary study. (30 min.) Have students exchange Vocabulary Logs and create a crossword puzzle based on their partner's vocabulary list. When crosswords are finished, they will be exchanged to be filled in by the partner without reference to the original Vocabulary Log. (Students will have to know the meanings of their vocabulary words in order to complete the crosswords.)
  
• An alternate activity is to have students develop several acrostic poems using three or four of the words from their Vocabulary Lists.

Lesson Twenty-three

• Present a teacher read-aloud of a particularly interesting chapter in the novel the teacher is reading or of a short story. (15 min.)
  
• Have students engage in the writing process. They might write something connected to the read-aloud. They might also work on their individual writing for their writing folders. (45 min.) Remind students that their portfolios at unit end must contain the minimum number of written pieces in different genres (as established in Lesson Nine), so they should be working toward that end. Encourage them to write about the theme of injustice and the search for fairness. Also allow for variations in their writing topics, if they have other topics in mind that will enable them to stay excited about the writing process. Make arrangements to have students' writings published in some way (e.g., a classroom collection of writing containing at least one submission from each person in the class).

Lesson Twenty-four

• Allow students to read silently their selections for independent reading. (20 min.)
  
• Have students write in their Response Journals about what they have read. (15 min.) Remind students of Response Journal expectations for unit end according to expectations established in Lesson Nine.
  
• Have Literature Circle groups meet to work on their media reports, which they will present or hand in during Lesson Twenty-seven. (25 min.)

Lesson Twenty-five

• Have students continue their writing processes, working through the various stages. Provide time for students to engage in aspects of the writing process from pre-writing to post-writing. Ensure that all students have the opportunity for student-teacher conferences. (60 min.)

Lesson Twenty-six

• Present a brief mini-lesson (10-15 min.) about the critical reading of features and interest columns in daily newspapers. Explain that the culminating activity for this unit will involve a "newspaper scrapbook" mini-project to be completed by each student. Have students browse through newspapers, clipping out columns and photographs that they believe focus upon some form of injustice. Keep in mind that students will not all agree with one another on whether something is just or unjust. They must be allowed to state their true opinions, as long as they can back them up with arguments. They may find injustices written about in the following major categories:

sports school foreign relations the environment

war family government the work place

• Have students locate one clipping for each of the above categories or two clippings for each of any five of the above categories.
  
• Instruct students to paste the clippings in their mini-scrapbooks and beside each one write a paragraph clearly describing the injustice, as they see it. In each paragraph, the student must explain what the problem is according to the article and give his or her own carefully considered opinion about the issue, accompanied by reasons for that opinion. Where possible, these reasons should be based upon facts or other evidence.

This activity provides assessment data about students' comprehension and critical thinking skills and develops aspects of Personal and Social Values and Skills.

• With the students, determine the criteria that will be used for the assessment of this project. (10 min.)
  
• Have students begin working on their newspaper scrapbook project. (30 min.)

Lesson Twenty-seven

• Have students present their media reports. (60 min.)
  
• If there are more written reports than oral reports and the full class period is not required, allow time for independent reading or for writing so students may complete their work-in-progress, preparing it for their portfolios.

Lesson Twenty-eight

• Have students work on their newspaper scrapbooks. (60 min.)

Lesson Twenty-nine

• Have students take part in a teacher-led, whole class discussion regarding what has been accomplished and learned in this unit. (15 min.)
  
• Provide time for students to complete their newspaper scrapbooks and to see that all other work is in order for unit end. (45 min.)
  
• If time permits, encourage students to share their scrapbooks with a partner or in their Literature Circle groups.