Tom Jones
(Manchester - United States)I am a retired high school principal in my 3rd year of post-retirement re-employment teaching high school English.
Coming of Age Unit
Description:In this unit, we delve into characterization and theme while also examining two other key readings strategies: asking questions and making inferences. This unit was designed for use with a Reader's Workshop / Literature Circle format; however, it could easily be retooled for use with other frameworks and models for teaching and learning.
Last Updated:Oct-20-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Unit
-
- Contributed By: Chelsea Nilsson
Unit Plan, Calendar and Syllabus
Description:Inside, you will find a UbD unit plan, recommended texts for use with literature circles, a scope and sequence in the form of a calendar, and a syllabus for use with students.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Scope & Sequence
- Curriculum: Syllabus
Lesson 1 - Asking Questions
Description:This lesson is the first in a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students have the opportunity to explore the unit calendar and syllabus and then delve into the first objective, generating meaningful questions about the texts we read.
In addition to the calendar and syllabus for student use, this folder contains a detailed lesson plan for the first day, a print-ready overhead transparency of the graphic organizer for use with the first lesson, and customizable student notes.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 2 - Asking Questions
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In Lesson 2, students will generate questions before, during and after reading. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes that include the shared passage from "Tonight is a Favor to Holly" by Amy Hempel, and exit slips for use at the conclusion of the lesson.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 3 - Coding Questions
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In Lesson 3, students will use post-it notes to code questions in their literature circle novels after practicing with the passage Sold by Patricia McCormick. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, print-ready overhead transparencies of the shared reading passage, and customizable student notes.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 4 - Exploring Characterization
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In Lesson 4, students will use a graphic organizer to analysis characterization in their literature circle novels. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, a print-ready overhead transparency of the graphic organizer, a student worksheet for independent practice and extension of the objective through homework, and customizable student notes.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 5 - Exploring Characterization
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In Lesson 5, students will generate questions about the characters in their literature circle novels. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, a print-ready overhead transparency of the shared reading passage (a selection from Dave Pelzer's A Child Called It), and customizable student notes.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 6 - Making Inferences
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students have the opportunity to make inferences about a text with the use of a graphic organizer. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes that include the shared passage from Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient and Shel Silverstein's "Sick," an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer for use with the lesson, and an overhead transparency for recording student-generated and teacher-generated definitions of "making inferences."
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 7 - Making Inferences
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students have the opportunity to make inferences about a text with the use of a graphic organizer. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes that include the shared passages from Avi's What Do Fish Have to Do with Anything? and Thoeodore Taylor's The Cay, an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer for use with the lesson, and exit slips that will help you to determine which students may require additional support in mastering the week's focus objective.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 8 - Making Inferences
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students have the opportunity to make inferences about a text with the use of a graphic organizer. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes that include the shared passages from R.L. Stine's The Beast and Brent Runyon's Burn Journals, an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer for use with the lesson, an overhead transparency of today's reading passages, and a worksheet for use with students who may require additional support in mastering the week's focus objective.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 9 - Coding Inferences
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students will be moving away from the graphic organizer and beginning to code the text to reflect the inferences they make as they read. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes that include shared passages, and an overhead transparency of the shared reading passages.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 10 - Practicing Using All Reading Strategies
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students have the opportunity use all of their reading strategies together as they code the text using the symbols they have learned thus far this year. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes that include the shared passage from Gayle Forman's If I Stay, and an overhead transparency of the reading passage.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 11 - Noticing Theme
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students will use a graphic organizer to practice identifying indicators of themes in a children's story, a short story and their independent reading books. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes, an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer for use with the lesson, an overhead transparency of teacher-generated definitions of "theme," and an additional reproducible for students to complete independent practice identifying theme using their own novels.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 12 - Noticing Theme
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students will use a graphic organizer to practice identifying indicators of themes in Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use," in addition to identifying indicators of themes in their literature circle novels. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes, and an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer for use with the lesson.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 13 - Noticing Theme
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students will use a graphic organizer to practice identifying indicators of themes in Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use," in addition to identifying indicators of themes in their literature circle novels. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes, and an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer for use with the lesson.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 14 - Coding Theme
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
IIn today's lesson, students will be moving away from the graphic organizer and beginning to code the text to reflect evidence of themes as they read. Inside, you will find a detailed lesson plan, customizable student notes that include shared passages, and overhead transparencies of the shared reading passages.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Lesson Plan
Lesson 15 - Unit Assessment
Description:This lesson is part of a larger unit on "Coming of Age" novels. In this unit, students focus on the strategies of asking questions and making inferences, and they also gain familiarity with characterization analysis and analysis of theme.
In today's lesson, students will complete an assessment to demonstrate their level of mastery of the following unit objectives:
Code the text to indicate inferences Code the text with questions Code the text to indicate thinking about theme Explain the character development of a character in a text Identify the theme of a text Defend analysis of the theme of a text Determine which reading strategy or literary device from this unit has been most helpful to them as readers.
Inside this folder, you will find a detailed lesson plan, a Do Now, the unit assessment and a unit survey.
This resource is part of the Coming of Age Unit collection.
Last Updated:Dec-14-2009
Subject(s):- Language Arts
- Language Arts > Reading Comprehension
- Grades 6-8 / Ages 11-13
- middle
- 6th
- 7th
- 8th
- tween
- Curriculum: Assessment/Test

