Unit Plan

Regionalism Unit Plan

Introductory Statement

The purpose of this unit is to familiarize students with the important role region plays in literature. It affects the viewpoint of the author, the characters, and even the reader. Not all regions have the same cultures, showing that one important plot point may or may not be important to any of the former.

Montana Common Core Standards:

Montana CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9.1c: 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text

Montana CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9.2a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.

Montana CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9.3b: Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

Montana CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9.4a: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience

Learning Outcomes:

A1) Students will classify and identify the cultural and societal differences of varying regions and understand what region means to them.

A2) Students will be able to recognize and define what region is and how it impacts literature.

B1) Students will give examples of how region has affected the tone and mood of a novel.

B2) Students will be able to identify cultural differences and their causes through regionalism.

C1) Students will compose thought provoking arguments and their own definitions on what region truly means in literature.

C2) Students will be able to differentiate between different regional texts and the biases that go along with them.

Pre-assessment

1.         Students will be asked what regionalism means to them. They will then be asked to write a short paragraph as to what they believe is the definition of regionalism. They will then discuss in a small group and then that small group will present their definition to the class. This activity is to assess the student’s prior knowledge and conception of what regionalism is. It will be graded as a participation assignment.

2.         Learning Objectives

A1) Students will classify and identify the cultural and societal differences of varying regions and understand what region means to them.

B2) Students will be able to identify cultural differences and their causes through regionalism.

C2) Students will be able to differentiate between different regional texts and the biases that go along with them.

Formative Assessment

The Following are in class activities which will be graded on participation.

1)         Poster Assignment

After the first lesson I would ask students to make a small poster of what they believe to be the definitions of Western, East, Southern, and North. They will be split into small groups and will draw a table, Venn Diagram, etc to show their thought process. The groups will then present to the rest of the class their thoughts on what these terms mean and why. This will be worth 10 points.

Group Presentations

Throughout the unit I will ask students to get into groups and form arguments or opinions on the readings. I will then present a question like: Is the saying true about how you can take the kid out of the west but you can never take the west out of the kid? Does region define who a person is? The groups will then be tasked with finding their own answers and then I will decide which group will give their presentation to the class. Only one group will present per question asked. If there is time, other students will be able to voice their own opinions in a respectful manner that will contribute to class discussion. This will be worth 20 points

Reading Quizzes

In order to ensure that students are keeping up with their readings, I will distribute 5 question quizzes that are worth 5 points total on the previous nights reading. These short answer questions will be about the main events in the story that can only be known if a student has read the section, but will not be difficult. I want to know that they have read and how thought about how region had affected the novel, not trick them with difficult questions. These quizzes will come to an end when I have determined that most students are reading; however I will reintroduce these quizzes if I feel like the discussions are sparse and that the students are not keeping up with the reading.

2)         Poster Assignment

A1) Students will classify and identify the cultural and societal differences of varying regions and understand what region means to them.

A2) Students will be able to recognize and define what region is and how it impacts literature.

Group Presentation

B1) Students will give examples of how region has affected the tone and mood of a novel

C1) Students will compose thought provoking arguments and their own definitions on what region truly means in literature.

C2) Students will be able to differentiate between different regional texts and the biases that go along with them.

Reading Quizzes

B2) Students will be able to identify cultural differences and their causes through regionalism.

C1) Students will compose thought provoking arguments and their own definitions on what region truly means in literature.

Summative Assessment

The Following Assessments are Options that Students will be asked to choose from for their Final Assessment. They are all worth 100 points.

1)         Option 1: Keep a typed Weekly Journal on topics presented in class. The entries should be 1 to 2 paragraphs a piece. Students will be graded on relevancy to class discussion and out of class reading, writing mechanics, and the originality and strength of their thoughts and opinions of the definition of regionalism and how it affects literature. This Journal will NOT be a  summary of in class discussion, rather it will be a thought provoking original piece written by the student.

2)         Option 2: Type a 5-10 page essay on Regionalism. This essay will ask students to use evidence from class and from the readings to define what regionalism means to them. Students will be graded on the content of the essay, writing mechanics, and the strength and strength of their arguments/definition of regionalism and how it affects literature.

3)         Option 3: Present an oral presentation on how regionalism affects literature. This presentation should be half an hour long and should be accompanied by visual-aides (i.e. PowerPoint or Prezi). A typed outline of the speech given for the presentation will be required. This will be graded on the content of the presentation, writing mechanics of the outline and power point or prezi, and the originality and strength of their thoughts and opinions of the definition of regionalism and how it affects literature.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes and Assessment Table

Learning Objectives	Types of Assessment	Assessment Methods
A1) Students will classify and identify the cultural and societal differences of varying regions and understand what region means to them.	Pre, Formative, Summative	First Paragraph, Poster, Final Project
A2). Students will be able to recognize and define what region is and how it impacts literature.	Formative, Summative	Poster, Final Project
B1) Students will give examples of how region has affected the tone and mood of a novel.	Formative, Summative	Group Presentation, Final Project
B2) Students will be able to identify cultural differences and their causes through regionalism.	Pre, Formative, Summative	First Paragraph, Reading Quizzes, Final Project
C1) Students will compose thought provoking arguments and their own definitions on what region truly means in literature.	Formative, Summative	Group Presentation, Reading Quizzes, Final Project
C2) Students will be able to differentiate between different regional texts and the biases that go along with them.	Pre, Formative, Summative	First Paragraph, Group Presentation, Final Project