Title: Parables The Pearl by John Steinbeck Grade level: 10 Length of time: 10 Days Stage 1 Desired Results Meaning

ng Enduring Understandings: Parables are used to teach a lesson. All parables share common characteristics. Much of the New Testament of the Bible is written in parables Essential Questions: What is a parable? How do parables relate to my life? How is a parable different from a fable? Is The Pearl a parable?

Knowledge & Skills Acquisition Students will know How parables differ from other literature genres. Why The Pearl is considered a parable. The role parables have historically played. Students will be able to know the purpose of parables. identify a parable by its characteristics. discuss why The Pearl is a parable. discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the parable genre for a story. write a story that qualifies as a parable.

Established Goals Common Core Standards Grades 9 -10 Students:

College and Career readiness anchor Standards for Writing

Reading Standards Key Ideas & Details 1)Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 2)Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 3)Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. Craft and Structure 4)Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). 5)Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. 6)Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 9)Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a

theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare). Writing Standards 612 Text Types and purposes 3) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences. a) Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. b) Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. c) Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution). d) Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. e) Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. Production & Distribution of Writing 4) Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 13 above.) 5) Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 13 up to and including grades 1112 on page 54.)

6) Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Materials Students will need a flash drive to store their stories. The class will need access to computers or a computer lab on at least 1 day. Copies of The Pearl 1 per student. A number of reference copies of the bible. Day 1 Handout containing The Blind Men and the Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe & the characteristics of a parable. Handout of unit project, An Original Parable with assignment defined, key dates & rubric. Entrance slips for Day 3, 1 per student. Correct the parable activity handout, 1 per student. Quiz for Day 5 over Chapters 1-3 of The Pearl. Quiz for Day 7 over Chapters 4-6 of The Pearl. Multiple copies of The Bremen Town Musicians by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. (optional)

Stage 2 Evidence (Assessment) Performance Tasks Students will apply their understandings by Creating an original parable that has all the defined characteristic of a parable. To be assigned at the beginning of the unit and to be completed by the end of the unit. The assessment will be formative, utilizing a first and second draft before it is handed in. These drafts will not count toward their grade and will be used to gauge their progress. I will use a rubric to evaluate student understanding of the final draft.

Other Types of Assessment (Selected Response, Short Answer, Extended Response, Personal Communication) Students will additionally demonstrate their knowledge and skills by Completing 2 quizzes. Quiz 1 will cover Chapters 1-3 of The Pearl. It will take place on Day 5 & will be summative in nature. There will be a rubric for assessing the quiz. Quiz 2 will cover Chapters 4-6 of The Pearl. It will take place on Day 7 & will be summative in nature. There will be a rubric for assessing the quiz.

An entrance slip on Day 3. It will show if the student understands the elements of parables and if they have started reading the Pearl. It will be formative and will not count toward their grade. Stage 3 Learning Plan

Pre-assessment: At the beginning of the unit, I will ask students how many of them have read The Pearl. I will also ask them if they know what a parable is and what its characteristics are. If they say theyve already read the book and acquired the knowledge; I will give them Quiz 1 and Quiz 2 to compete that period and announce the project is due on Day 5. I will assess the quizzes to see how well they know the material. If the quizzes show they have read the book and have mastered the subject, I will compress the 2 weeks into 1 week, concentrating on the project due on Day 5. If the quizzes show they have not read the book and have mastered the subject, I will proceed as planned

If they say they havent read the book and covered the material, I will proc eed with the unit as planned. Unit Sequencing: This unit will take 10 days. On Day 1, I will get their attention with the reading of of The Blind Men and the Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe. On Day 3, I plan to use the Correct a Parable. I have other activities in mind such as dramatizing scenes from The Pearl and a readers theatre version of the Bremen Town Musicians Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm but I dont want to schedule them because Im not sure how much time what I already have scheduled will take. The students will know where what is to be learned in this unit because I am going to post the Enduring Understanding and Essential Questions on the 1st day of class and will remind the students daily of what we are trying to accomplish. I will daily compare where we are in the unit and compare it to our goals to see if my plan needs adjusting. In the end, I am going to compile all the stories written by the students into a parable anthology. I will present all the students with a copy and use it to reflect on the unit. I also plan to use this unit annually and compile a volume of the parables of my classroom.

The students will first learn what a parable is and how they are used. Then they will read The Pearl and begin writing their own parable. They will see how The Pearl is constructed and use that knowledge to construct a parable of their own. I plan to use discussion on a regular basis. The reviews of the drafts are examples of peer partner learning and the Correct the Parable is a problem solving strategy. The readers theatre version of The Bremen Town Musicians and The Pearl dramatization are both examples of role-playing, if I get a chance to use them. The quizzes, drafts, and the entrance slip will give me a method of formatively assessing the students progress. If a few students are having trouble, I will either pair them with a peer who can explain the material to them. If I find the majority of the class is having trouble, I will modify my unit plan to allow more time for clarification and further explanation. I set the foundation by introducing them to parables and how theyve been used. By having them read The Pearl they not only see an example of a parable but also experience how the story affects a reader. The feedback on their drafts also provides support. Students who are auditory learners will be allowed the option of listening to an audio version of The Pearl. They are available to download free on the internet. If students are unable to come up with an original idea for their parable, I will work with them. If that doesnt help, I will allow them the option of rewriting an existing parable so that it teaches a different message.