Judith J. Katz
The target classes for this unit are the tenth-grade Creative Writing classes at Co-op (there are two that run concurrently). The tenth-grade is likely to be a class of approximately forty students who range from exemplary to special needs students. The unit is suited to all learners because its focus is on developing the individual's authentic voice through the steps of Bloom's Taxonomy (remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating). These steps are accessible to all learners. The unit can easily be modified so that students who work at a slower pace or at a lower skill level can work with shorter (more accessible) pieces of writing, as well as with fewer literary elements at a time.
Although the activities in this unit are designed to lead to an increasing understanding of the grieving process and the integration of what is lost into the person who has lost it, the parts could be separated. Each part could also work as a much smaller and less time consuming stand-alone unit.