Through the Dark: Overcoming Obstacles

A Unit in Freshman Literature

Buckeye Union High School

Buckeye

This unit will be titled through the dark as it will cover current and early moments in which

people went through a rough time. It will be covering dark themes and reading about how those

dark times were overcome and eventually enlightened. The goal is to get students thinking and

making connections about their own life. No one is perfect and they have at some point dealt

with a difficult moment that they’ve had to try and turn it around. In this unit, students will be

reading, watching, and listening to books, movies, and excerpts from speeches made by some

significant people in history. They will be using their skills to achieve their standards and meet

them. At the end of the unit, students will be writing their own narrative about a dark time in

their lives and publishing it into their own book through StoryBird.

Grades 9 Students Arizona Standards:

Writing Standards→

Text Types and Purposes

9-10.W.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, 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.

d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive 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.

Reading Standards→

Craft and Structure

9-10.RL.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.

9-10.RL.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events

within it, and manipulate time create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

9-10.RL.6 Analyze how points of view and/or cultural experiences are reflected in works of

literature, drawing from a variety of literary texts.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

9-10.RL.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic

mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

9-10.RL.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories,

dramas, and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend

literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 9–10 text

complexity band independently and proficiently.

Speaking and Listening Standards→

Comprehension and Collaboration

9-10.SL.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one‐on‐

one, in groups, and teacher‐led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues,

building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

a. 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.

b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision‐making (e.g., informal

consensus, taking votes on key issues, and presentation of alternate views), clear goals and

deadlines, and individual roles as needed.

c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion

to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify,

verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.

d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and

disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and

make new connections based on the evidence and reasoning presented.

Materials:

Novels→

If I Ever Get Out of Here, Ned Vizzini

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

If I Stay, Gayle Forman

Eighth Grade Bites, Zac Brewer

The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, Barry Lyga

The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton

Poetry Collections→

Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems From WritersCorps, Bill Aguado

Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy, Sonya Jones

What Have You Lost?, Naomi Shihab Nye

Videos and CDs→

Through the Dark: One Direction live on SNL 2013 (video)

Ned Vizzini speaks about 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' on 'YA Visions' (video)

We should all be feminists Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Ted Talk (video

Bet You Didn’t Know: Rosa Parks (video)

To This Day Project - Shane Koyczan (video)

Internet Sites→

Poetry for students, interactive https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/

Contemporary Poetry http://capa.conncoll.edu/

Publishing site for students to share their stories https://storybird.com/

Way of expression for students http://www.teenink.com/

Volunteering https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/near-you/youth-programs

Nonfiction→

The Freedom Writers Diary, Erin Gruwell

Rosa Parks: My Story, Rosa Parks & James Haskins

Elena Vanishing, Elena Dunkle

Dear Teen Me, E. Kristin Anderson

Imprisoned: the Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II, Martin W. Sandler

Field trips→

Phoenix Art Museum Phoenix, AZ (Poetry Reading)

Instructional Strategies

1. Open ended questions

2. Starting Questions

3. Writing Journal Responses

4. Literature Circles

Activities

Research paper on a nonfiction text

Writing a narrative essay based on a dark time and reflect on how that moment has shaped their

life

Theater exercises before discussing tough topics

Evaluation or Assessment

For the research paper, I will be looking at the sources that the student has used to make

sure that they are credible. It is important to see that they have taken their time analyzing their
sources. I will be looking at how their topic of choice is introduced and look at how it is

significant.

For the narrative essay, I will be looking at the details to see if they can be easily pictured

in my head. It’s important to see into their mind and look at their ways of seeing things that I

may not have seen the way they do. In addition, I will be looking at the dark time and how they

have grown from the experience where their life was dark.

By theater exercises, I mean that they will practice an exercise that will allow for them to

loosen up so they can share what they want to share. It will be more hands on and involve them

trusting their classmates.