UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE EDPR 3200, EDPR 4100, EDPR 4200 Unit Title: Voice Name: Christina Dalgleish

h Subject(s): Number of Lessons: Language Arts Time: (in weeks) Grade(s):

Christina Dalgleish

6 7

Rationale: Voice is the expression of a writers personality; an awareness of the intended audience; and a skillful blend of detail, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the topic. As students explore samples of narrative and expository writing, they will have the opportunity to consider the importance of voice in making reader-friendly writing. As students will discover, voice is among the most valuable tools a writer can use to capture and hold a readers attention. Overview: Using Write Traits and the Nelson Literacy programs, the focus of this unit will be to help students to create a personal definition of the writing trait of voice, to give students practice in matching voice with the writing task, to explore the impact strong voice can have in expository writing, and to ensure that voice is appropriate for the audience. Prescribed Learning Outcomes from IRPs: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Oral Language (Purposes) A1 use speaking and listening to interact with others for the purposes of contributing to group success discussing and analysing ideas and opinions (e.g., debating) improving and deepening comprehension discussing concerns and resolving problems negotiating consensus or agreeing to differ completing a variety of tasks A2 use speaking to explore, express, and present a range of ideas, information, and feelings for different purposes and audiences, by using prior knowledge and/or other sources of evidence staying on topic in focussed discussions presenting in a clear, focussed, organized, and effective manner explaining and effectively supporting viewpoints Reading and Viewing (Strategies) B8 respond to selections they read or view, by
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Christina Dalgleish

expressing opinions and making judgments supported by reasons, explanations, and evidence explaining connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world) identifying personally meaningful selections, passages, and images

Reading and Viewing (Thinking) B11 explain how structures and features of text work to develop meaning, including form, function, and genre of text (e.g., brochure about smoking to inform students; genre is persuasive) text features (e.g., copyright, table of contents, headings, index, glossary, diagrams, sidebars, hyperlink, pull-quotes) literary elements (e.g., characterization, mood, viewpoint, foreshadowing, conflict, protagonist, antagonist, theme) non-fiction elements (e.g., topic sentence, development of ideas with supporting details, central idea) literary devices (e.g., imagery, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, symbolism, personification) idiomatic expressions Writing and Representing (Purposes) C1 write a variety of clear, focused personal writing for a range of purposes and audiences that demonstrates connections to personal experiences, ideas, and opinions, featuring an honest and engaging voice C2 write a variety of effective informational writing for a range of purposes and audiences that communicates ideas to inform or persuade, featuring a voice demonstrating an appreciation and interest in the topic C3 write a variety of imaginative writing for a range of purposes and audiences, including short stories, passages, and poems modelled from literature, featuring an engaging and authentic voice C4 create meaningful visual representations for a variety of purposes and audiences, that communicate personal response, information, and ideas relevant to the topic, featuring development of ideas by making connections to personal feelings, experiences, opinions, and information an expressive and individualistic voice an organization in which key ideas are evident Writing and Representing (Strategies) C5 select and use strategies before writing and representing, including setting a purpose identifying an audience, genre, and form analyzing examples of successful writing and representing in different forms and genres to identify key criteria
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Christina Dalgleish

developing class-generated criteria generating, selecting, developing, and organizing ideas from personal interest, prompts, texts, and /or research C6 select and use various strategies during writing and representing to express and refine thoughts, including considering and applying feedback from conferences to revise ideas, organization, voice, word choice, and sentence fluency ongoing revising and editing C7 select and use various strategies after writing and representing to improve their work, including checking their work against established criteria reading aloud and listening for fluency revising to enhance writing traits (e.g., ideas, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, organization) editing for conventions (e.g., grammar and usage, capitalization, punctuation, spelling) Writing and Representing (Thinking) C8 use writing and representing to critique, express personal responses and relevant opinions, and respond to experiences and texts C10 reflect on and assess their writing and representing, by relating their work to criteria setting goals and creating a plan for improvement taking steps toward achieving goals Prerequisite Concepts and Skills: None Teacher Preparation Required: Lesson # 1 2 3 Teacher needs to prepare the following: Photocopy Student Traitbooks, Unit 3 Voice x 25 Teacher needs to find/collect/purchase the following: Sample texts for hook Holes by Louis Sachar? Summative

Assessments Lesson # Formative 1 Student definitions are there any misconceptions or clarifications that need to be addressed? 2 Newspaper article students evaluate their writing using the Student Rubric; set goals for improving their writing voice
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Christina Dalgleish

3 4 5

Checklist students who struggle with rating/ranking voice Depth of understanding checked based on student responses in workbook

Peer review form can the reader discern the intended audience when reading the letter? Teacher grade using Voice rubric

6 7

Ticket out What are three strategies you could use to improve your writing voice? Key assessment question How does choosing the appropriate voice make writing strong? Demonstration task composing a letter using voice that is appropriate for the purpose and audience selected. Journal response: How do the authors sentence structures help create voice and reach the audience? Student self-assessment of their ability to use strong voice in their writing. BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Goal Setting Art pieces will be graded using a rubric Verbalize/write about the voice they were trying to portray Completed text features chart. Identifies feature, its purpose, and explains how to use it. Performance task Summative Students written opinion piece will be evaluated for evidence of voice that consistently matches tone, word choice, and sentence structure to the purpose and audience. Students photo essays will be assessed for design and captions that contribute to the overall voice of the piece.

8 9 10 & 11

12 13

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Christina Dalgleish

Cross-Curricular Connections: Social studies students will be expected to use voice to express emotions, ideas, and events from various points of view in ancient civilizations. Science voice will be one of the criteria considered when marking science journal entries. Drama students will perform readers theatre of various texts to experience voice.

Extensions to Unit: Make a bulletin board display of students definitions of voice as well as authors definitions of voice. Student collages that reflect writing voices; including photographs, sketches, writing excerpts, favourite colours, etc. Hunt for written passages that have strong voice. Is the voice in the writing, or does the reader give voice to a passage? Read Voice 3 (p. 44) from the Student Traitbook can anyone make it sound energetic and exciting? Discuss your results. List strategies that students use to improve their voice. Invite students to revise past writing to improve their voice. Students work with a partner to revise a passage from a textbook, set of directions, pamphlet, or encyclopedia to include a stronger voice. Share results and discuss strategies. Students write their own informational writing and assess its voice using the student rubric. They can apply one of the techniques discussed in class to strengthen the voice in their piece. Students use the voice of a real life or fictional character in Romeros place to see how the voice changes. Collect advertisements or greeting cards. Read them aloud, and talk about who the targeted audience probably is. How do students know? Talk about some of the films students have seen. Have them describe the voice of each film. How do various elements dialogue, music, cinematography contribute to a films voice? Explore samples of art in terms of audience. Talk about the intended audience of each sample. Some pieces may appeal to a wider range of viewers than others. Why? Is this true of writing as well?

Differentiated Instruction (Universal Design for Learning UDL): Lecture and activities are chunked into smaller segments Students who struggle with reading will be able to have passages read aloud for them to evaluate voice Provide visual cues throughout the classroom to guide the process Student workbook allows students to work at their own pace Partner and group work facilitates peer-to-peer scaffolding
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Christina Dalgleish

Resources: Write Traits Classroom Kit (Teachers Guide pp. 38-55, Student Trait Book pp. 41-57) Nelson Literacy 7 Mysteries Nelson Literacy 7 Teachers Resource

Overview of Lessons:

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Lesson # and Title (time in minutes) 1- A Personal Definition of Voice Write Traits #9 (45 min)

PLOs in lesson LA B8 C5

(a)

Instructional Objectives (b) Teaching Strategies a) SWBAT: Describe different types of voices Write a personal definition of voice based on a variety of texts b) Strategies: Compare/Contrast Direct Instruction Discussion

Lesson Activities

Assessment Strategies Formative Examine student definitions for misconceptions or clarifications that need to be addressed.

Materials (Specific to This Lesson) Christina Dalgleish -Write Traits Teachers Resource, pp. 43-45 -Write Traits Student Traitbook, pp. 43-45

Hook: Read two versions of the same passage, one lacking voice, and one possessing voice. Ask students to contrast the two. Which version has the strongest voice? Why do you think so? Activity: Read Voices 1-3 (p. 43-44 in Student Trait Book). Pause after each sample students complete the rating scale, use at least 2 words to describe each voice. Class list of words to describe each voice. Students identify their favourite voice and the voice they feel best represents their own (may use a favourite author). Closure: Students define the trait of voice, using their own words. Hook: Write list of clothing items for a special even on the board (do not reveal the occasion!). Ask students whether they can tell what occasion you would be dressed for based on the items. i.e. formal dinner wearing a swimsuit and sandals. Does the

2 The Right LA Voice for the Job C2 C4 Write Traits #10 C5 (60 min)

a) SWBAT: Use voice as a clue for identifying a writers purpose Given a purpose for writing, identify the kind of voice that would be most appropriate /var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_2/140123584.doc Revise writing to create a better match between the

Formative Newspaper article students evaluate their writing using the Student Rubric; set goals for improving their writing voice Page 7 of 8 Example that is contradictory

-Write Traits Teachers Resource, pp. 46-48 -Write Traits Student Traitbook, pp. 46-49

Christina Dalgleish

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