Unit I Title: Independent Reading and Library Procedures  

Semester Summary:  The big idea for this unit is; How do we become life long readers? By the end semester the students will some away with a foundation in what their interests in reading are, the reading skils they have accumulated, those they need to strengthen and improve and skills to elevate them to the next level. The unit will begin with an indepth exploration of the classroom library both physically an conceptually.

Enduring Understanding-

Students will understand that-

• Being a good reader improves my life.
• Reading can expand and deepen our understanding of the world around us and ourselves.
• Good readers practice specific skills that help bring a book to life.
• Good readers make more money.

Essential Question:
To understand, students will need to consider such questions as....

• How does being a good reader improve my life?
• How do I become a good reader?
• How do I overcome boredom and difficulty when reading?
• How do I discover what I like to read?
• How can I make reading a more pleasurable experience?

Topical  Essential Questions for the Unit

• What is my individual responsibility as a member of a reading community?
• How can I develop the awareness and confidence that I need to complete tasks independently?

Students will know the following -

• Content: independent reading books chosen by students (with teacher facilitation) and mentor texts chosen by teachers
• Rules and procedures of the classroom library
• Variety of responses and comprehension techniques
• Different genres and how to recognize them
• Understanding and applying the meanings of idioms
• New vocabulary from independent reading books
• Literary elements and devices and how to recognize them
• Books are objects readers can transfer to and develop emotions with

Students will be able to-

• Record and organize independent reading books
• Choose appropriate books based on content, genre, and reading level
• Analyze and interpret pieces of a text
•  Make and explore personal connections to characters, conflicts, or themes in a text   
• Recognize vocabulary words independently and use context clues and KIM to understand and learn new words
• Respond to a book using a variety of prompts and questions
• Understand and use idioms
• Have meaningful conversations with fellow readers and teachers exploring ideas and qualities of a book

Diagnostic Assessment(s)  (To determine students’ readiness (based upon required knowledge and skills), interests, and learning profiles):

• Brainstorm map: What do good readers do?
• Reading Survey
• Learning goal – and deadline – setting activity
• K – W – L: Literary Elements and Techniques
• Scavenger Hunt for Resources

What instructional adjustments, groupings or options will be made as a result of the diagnostic evidence:

• Based students’ collective prior knowledge, teachers can assess which reading skills need to be thoroughly taught and which need to be reviewed. 
• Reading survey will help teachers facilitate as students choose books
• Learning goal and deadline will guide teacher/student conferences and formative assessment
• Reading styles and habits will help teacher create a reading-friendly environment

Summative Performance Assessment Task(s) for Understandings  Using G.R.A.S.P.S.:
Goals: To convince the English Department of Murry Bergtraum High School to purchase several copies of the book of your choosing, making it an option for future book clubs
Role(s): Book Reviewer and Advocate
Audience: The MBHS English department, your teachers and your peers
Situation: The 9th grade Academy would like to start using literature circles in Reading classes. However, we don’t have enough copies of every book to do so. The budget will allow us to order five or six copies certain books, but we don’t know which books will be the most compelling for students. Each student will be asked to choose one book to represent, and write a report about the book and why it should be chosen for literature circles next year.
Product or Performance: After each student completes a literature review, they will be bound as a collection and given to the English department to help them decide which books to buy for next year. A literature review must contain the title, author, and year of publication, as well as a brief but informative summary, an exploration of the book’s “main idea,” and a personal review of its qualities, including if, why, and to whom you would recommend this book. Individual reviews will be posted online on Amazon.com or a similar website, allowing students to read one another’s reviews, and to receive feedback.
Standards or Criteria for Evaluation/ Traits for Rubrics:
Following directions: does the review have every required aspect?
Knowledge of story: is the student able to write a clear and comprehensive plot summary?
Comprehension: does the student find meaning and the “main idea” in the book?
Evaluation: can the student make a judgment of whether and why others might enjoy the book?
Writing Process: did the student complete every stage of the POWER writing process to create a final draft?

Other Evidence (Tests, Quizzes, Academic Prompts):                                                                                                                          

•    Comprehension quizzes assessing knowledge and adherence to procedures as they are taught
•      Weekly or bi-weekly notebooks checks
•     Vocabulary quizzes (words taken from mentor texts as well as content words such as visualization, annotate ,etc.)
•      Weekly reflection on book
• Comprehension prompts about books

Self-Assessment (Including Self-Evaluations Using Rubrics and Checklists,  Peer Review, Reflective Journals and Think Logs):

• Students will be asked to think reflectively about literature
• Students will explain how they have met the personal goals they have set                                    
•    Diagnostic reader’s survey and follow-up surveys
•   Book reflections may be personalized, but do not have to be.