Task 1: Reading Enrichment Unit

Title:
Author:
Grade:
Level:
Topic:
Theme:
Subjects:

LaRae Thornton

Fever 1793
Laurie Halse Anderson
8th Grade
Gifted/Accelerated
The Philadelphia Epidemic of 1973
The effects of epidemic illness on society and how it can relate to you
Reading, Writing, Language Conventions, Science, History, & Social Studies
CCGPS 8th Grade
Topic:
Reading of Literature
Reading of Informational Text
Writing
Language Conventions
ELA: History and Social Studies
Science

1
2
3
4

Standards:
RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4, RL.8.9
RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.6, RI.8.9
W.8.3, W.8.8, W.8.9
L.8.2a, L.8.4a, L.8.5b, c
RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.6, RH.6-8.7
S8.CS10.a, b, c, d
Source: Georgia Performance Standards 2015

AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner

Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.
Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create
new knowledge.
Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic
society.
Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.
Source: AASL Standards 2007

TheGrade
Learners:
Equivalent Lexile
Score
Score
7.5
1100L
8.3
1215L
8.6
1240L
8.7
1255L
9.4
1295L
10.2
1335L
11.1
1380L
12.9
1560L
12.9
1560L
12.9
1560L
12.9
1510L
12.9
1505L

Student
ID
1
2
3
10
7
12
8
4
5
6
9
11

This is a group of gifted/accelerated students at a local

middle school. These students have a wide range of grade
equivalent reading scores and Lexile scores. One student is
on watch because according to standardized testing they are
not reading on grade level. Students will be grouped into 4
heterogeneous groups of three for projects for this unit as
follows.
Cats
Rats
Bats
Gnats
ID
1
2
3
10
12
8
4
7
11
9
6
5
According to a research by Erick Herrmann, both
heterogeneous and homogeneous groupings have their place
in the classroom, however he recommended heterogeneous
grouping as default.

Task 1: Reading Enrichment Unit

LaRae Thornton

Purpose of Lesson:
The book Fever 1793 is a historical fiction based on an actual event that took place in
Philadelphia in the late 1700s. I chose this book because learning about history from a history
book is often dry and boring. Escaping into this tale lets the student become part of the actual
event and relate to the characters in the story by becoming part of the event. The next three
lessons will allow me to pull in reading, writing, history, and science standards to make this unit
worthy and interesting.
Lesson 1: Book Introduction and the Relationship to U.S. History
Fever is a story about a young girl faced with the almost impossible challenge of survival. She is
child who has lost her father, and lives with her mother and grandfather above their family store.
She has many hopes and dreams, but these are put on the back burner when her only hope,
dream, and prayer are to survive the death sentence that surrounds her in the town she calls
home, Philadelphia.
Go to the following sites to discover Philadelphia of the 1700-1800s.
http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/map/
http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/timeline/
http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/yellow-fever/
http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/yellow-fever/#3086
After viewing these sites ask the following questions to start a discussion.

What to you notice about the town?

Are there any similarities of where we live?
What are some things you would like to know about yellow fever?

As a class read the first chapter of Fever 1793. Have student point out any words that they do
not understand and discuss them. Show they how to look up words using the Google define:
command.
Assignment:
Read Fever 1793
Make a list of any vocabulary that you do not understand and need to discuss upon next book
discussion meeting.

Task 1: Reading Enrichment Unit

LaRae Thornton

Lesson 2: Vocabulary
Student will work in their assigned groups to create a tagul with links to definitions of the words
using Google define: to link definitions. Students must list at least 30 words and have links to
definitions for each word.
Excellent
A tagul has been created that
has 30 words or more and
their definitions linked.
100

Rubric
Satisfactory
A tagul has been created with
at least 24 words and at least
20 of the definitions are
linked.
80-99

Unsatisfactory
The tagul has less than 20
words and/or less than 20
definitions linked.
Student must complete the
project with required
specifications

See example of a tagul. Use the link for an interactive definition experience.
https://tagul.com/itvua56i6don/fever-1793-vocabulary

As a class share the taguls and discuss any vocabulary questions they may have.

Task 1: Reading Enrichment Unit

LaRae Thornton

Lesson 3: Book discussion and the Science of an Epidemic

How did you like the book?
Did you feel like you were actually there in 1793 when you read this book?
Do you think you liked learning about this historical event through literature vs a history
text?
How accurate do you feel the information you learned about the event is to the actual
occurrence?
Do you think something like that could happen here? Why or why not?
Assignment: Research Epidemics and Pandemics
Use the internet to search and find the answers to these questions:
What is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?
What organizations are in place to help prevent an event like this?
What epidemics have happened in the past? Recently?
How does the environment in our community compare to that of Philadelphia of 1793?
Do you think we are prepared for such an epidemic in Wayne County? Why or why not?
As a class discuss the student groups research.
Culminating Assessment:
Student groups will be given the choice of the following:
1. Pretend that you and your group are members of a news crew. Your group is a writing an
article describing an outbreak of a terrible epidemic in Wayne County. Create and
describe your very own disease. Use Smore.com to create your article.
2. Use Aurasma to create a short video segment of a phone call home to your parents
describing the make believe outbreak in Wayne County.
3. Make a video game based on Fever 1793. You can use any free creation app you want.
4. Blackout poetry: Use a page from the book to create you very own blackout poem.
Display your poem using any Web 2.0 tool of choice.
Resource Links for the projects above:
What is a Smore?
https://www.smore.com
How do you teach with Aurasma?
https://youtu.be/uHIxYpBW7sc
Where can you find Aurasma?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aurasma.aurasma&hl=en
How can I create a video game?
http://flowlab.io/
What is blackout poetry?
http://www.blackoutpoetry.net/

Task 1: Reading Enrichment Unit

RATING
Excellent
TASK
2
Group chooses one Use one of the 4
of the 4 tasks to
suggested
complete.
activities for the
culminating
assessment.
Creativity

Reference to Fever
1793

Group creates an
engaging display
using the web
2.0 tool of
choice.
A clear parallel
can be seen with
the occurrences
found in the
book, and in
your make
believe
assignment.
Historical,
scientific, and/or
evidence of
literature are
clearly
represented.

LaRae Thornton

RUBRIC
Satisfactory
1
Does not use a
web 2.0 tool to
complete the
assignment, but
creative and
inventive.
Display uses a
web 2.0 tool
suggested, but
lacks finesse.
Some parallel is
seen with the
occurrences in
the book in your
make believe
assignment.
Only one of two
topics is clearly
seen science,
historic, or
literature.

Unsatisfactory
0
Does not
complete the
assignment.

Total
Points

Group uses
something that
someone else
has already
created online.
Assignment does
not relate to the
book, history,
science, or
literature.

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/02437.05942_FPS.pdf

http://madwomanintheforest.com/pdfs/tg-fever2.pdf

6-5 = 100-90
4-3 = 90-80
2 = 70
1-0 = failing
grade: must be
completed until
satisfactory.

Resources for lesson not directly linked previously:

http://www.shmoop.com/fever-1793/