The unit will consist of five parts: what is voice; finding the voices we hear as we read; finding the author's voice; finding our voice in the classroom; and finding our voice as writers/creators. Since this unit will begin within the first three weeks of school, the first part will address how I teach students to interact with texts to comprehend what is happening on a literal level. The second part, which largely overlaps with the first, will focus on teaching students to analyze a text for the author's voice/truth and to begin to look for the voices the writer does not address, the voices missing from the text. The third part will speak to teaching students how to have an authentic discussion in class: expressing their pre-recorded thoughts clearly and articulately, actively listening, and responding in a way that encourages further thinking. This is strikingly different from many classroom "discussions." The teaching also focuses on respecting and appreciating divergent thinking - having the difficult conversations and making our voices heard even when the rest of our peers disagree with our perspective. The last part, teaches students how to stop "playing school" so they see themselves as real writers doing the things real writers do. I will also have students create a non-print text (a documentary, power point, etc.) to voice their perspective on an issue.
