Objectives
1.
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To enhance reading comprehension and close reading skills through various texts
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a.
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Students will be given multiple texts to read and comprehend. They will close read each text, in order to identify the qualities of a community
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2.
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To create foundational knowledge of a community
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a.
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Students will learn the basics of community and be able to identify the basic needs of a community
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3.
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To foster self-reflection through journaling and independent research of community
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a.
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Students will be asked to journal daily and research their own communities, so they can self-reflect on their learning
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4.
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To make meaningful connections between different communities presented
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a.
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Though students will be presented with vastly different communities, they will need to find commonalities between them all
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5.
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To strengthen reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills
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a.
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Through reading, writing, speaking, and listening, students will express themselves and learn from others
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6.
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To promote evaluative and analytical skills
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a.
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Students will have to evaluate and analyze different communities presented in different texts
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7.
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To conduct independent and group research/projects/presentations
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a.
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Students will work independently to research their own communities and also in groups to create false communities and evaluate real communities
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8.
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To create foundational knowledge of ethnography
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a.
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Students will conduct an ethnographic study of a community through pictures and surveys
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9.
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To strengthen social interactions and communication skills among students in a variety of settings
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a.
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Students will be forced to work in groups and have classroom discussions, which will not permit independent, silent work
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Overview
This unit will span over the course of a marking period, which is about 45 days of teaching.
The first week of the unit will be more teacher-directed. The students will take notes on community and receive the foundational information they need in order to begin comprehending the texts.
The next six weeks of the unit will be heavily focused on the four core texts of the unit. Students will analyze the texts and engage in various assignments (listed under the "Activities" heading) that will strengthen the texts messages.
The final two weeks of the unit will be dedicated to the final project (listed under the "Final Project" heading). Students will have to conduct research outside of the classroom, while completing other components of the project inside the classroom.
Why This Unit Is Needed
Currently, my students do not question their community or even recognize their place within their community. This unit will directly inform them about communities, how they are created, structured, treated, and separated from other communities. This unit will ask my students to identify qualities of a community, in general, and of specific communities. They will also be asked to identify the communities they are a part of and their role within their community. This unit is not to judge their communities, but to allow students to self-reflect on the purpose of their community and their individual roles within those communities.
This unit will also allow my students to experience, in text form, different communities, which will force them to make comparisons. Their daily journaling will be a space for them to evaluate these communities and possibly question the successes and failures of each community.