BKelly

**Diverse Text Set Assignment **  Text #1: __The Giver __ Citation: Lowry, Lois. (1993). //The giver. // New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Text Summary: This novel is about a seemingly utopian community that has hundreds of rules to govern their society and keep the people of the community in line. The novel's purpose is to demonstrate a society where people do not have the freedom to make their own choices, as well as to draw comparisons and distinctions from our own culture. Rationale: The reason I have included this novel is because it is the basis for further discussing the themes that will be elaborated on in the unit. Use of text: Students will use this text to build a basic understanding of some of the most complex themes in the novel. They will be expected to read the entire novel, some in class, and some on their own. Attachment: See attachment 1
 * Brenda Kelly **
 * Context for using the text set **: This text set is designed to accompany a unit on the reading of Lois Lowry's __The Giver. __  This unit would be taught in an eighth grade English classroom. The learning abilities of the students in the class would range from reading levels of sixth to tenth grade. While some students struggle to read at a lower level, other students excel and read higher than an eighth grade level. The texts are focused on the important themes that can be found within the book, such as the significance of human memory, and societal individuality. The diversity of the texts corresponds to the diversity of learners in the class, and the different learning styles that should be used to facilitate them.
 * A. Print Resources **

Text #2: "Award-winning book frequent target in schools" Citation: Fetters, M. (2001, July 8). //Award-winning book frequent target in schools. // The Associated Press. Retrieved March 4, 2010, from http://www.freedomforum.org/templates /document.asp?documentID=14344 Text Summary: This text is an article from the Associated Press that discusses why "The Giver" has been consistently banned from schools for years. Rationale: This kind of information is often intriguing to students, and makes them more interested in seeing what the book has to offer. I included this text because I think that students could benefit from learning the different ways that some people in our own society attempt to limit certain information, as is the case in "The Giver". Use of text: Students will use read the article as a class to spark a discussion or debate on the topic of censorship in American education. This article is directly related the novel "The Giver" because it covers the same issue of restriction and suppression of freethinking. Attachment: See attachment 2

Text #3: "Newbery Acceptance Speech" Citation: Lowry, L. (1994, June). Newbery acceptance speech: Lois Lowry. Retrieve March 7, 2010 from http://www.loislowry.com/pdf/Newbery_Award.pdf Text Summary: This text is the speech that Lois Lowry made when she accepted her the Newbury Award for "The Giver" in 1994. The speech explains Lowry's life experiences that led her to this point as well as the people that helped her get this far while incorporating some of the key points of her work. Rationale: I included this text because I felt that students would greatly benefit from being able to see two sides of the way the book has been perceived. Although it has been banned in many instances, it has also won the acclaim and praise of the Newbury Award committee. Use of Text: The students would be able to use this text alongside the article about the book being banned. They would be able to see both sides of the issue, and then decide what their personal stance on "The Giver" is. Attachment: See attachment 3.

Text #4: __Anthem __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Ayn Rand Citation: Rand, A. (1946). //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anthem. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Caldwell, ID. The Caxton Printers. Text Summary: Anthem is a novel that addresses many of the same issues as "The Giver" does. It is based on a different kind of controlled society in which all the characters are governed by strict rules and stripped of their identities. Rationale: This novel is at a slightly higher reading level for the students, which will encourage them to use the foundational understanding they gained from the previous book to understand this one. Use of Text: Because this is a much more complex and difficult book to read, I would select a specific passage from the book that speaks to the idea of a society that lacks uniqueness. I would have students work in pairs to help one another gain an extensive comprehension of the passage, so that we could discuss it as a class. Attachment: Text too long to include.

Text #5: __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Verdi __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> by Janell Cannon Citation: Cannon, J. (1997). //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Verdi. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Orlando, FL. Janell Cannon. Text Summary: Verdi is a children's picture book about a snake who is finding it difficult to fit in with the other snakes. Rationale: I included this text because a children's book such as this does a wonderful job of focusing closely on a specific theme, in this case: individuality. Using this book would be a good way to help students who are struggling with the theme. Use of Text: This book would be read aloud during class and students would then write a few short paragraphs on how they think this book could possibly relate to other texts they have been reading. Attachment: Text too long to include. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text #6: Interview of Lois Lowry Citation: WETA. (2008). //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A video interview with Lois Lowry: "the giver". //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[video file]. Retrieved March 8, 2010 from http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/lowry Text Summary: This text is a video clip of an interview with the author of "The Giver" Lois Lowry. In the interview she speaks about her intent for writing the book, how she meant for people to interpret it, and the underlying themes that she delves into. Rationale: In using this text, the students will get a better understanding of what the book is about, and how they can relate it to their own lives. Being able to actually see the author in person and hear her speak about the book also gives the students more of a connection and desire to understand the novel. Use of text: The video will be played after students have started the reading of "The Giver" but before they have started to understand what is truly going on in the book. They will be asked to pay attention the video so that the class can have a discussion on the clip. Attachment: See attachment 4 for video link.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">B. Media Resources **

Tex #7: "How does your memory work?" Citation: BastisWifey07. (2008, September 10). //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How does your memory work?: part 1. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[video file]. Retrieved March 8, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxVb6M8UPTQ& feature=related Text Summary: This youtube video is part of a documentary on the human memory. It goes into detail about why it is so crucial for humans to possess this feature. Rationale: I included this video so that students can understand how dependent our world is on memory and then see the differences in the world that is created by Lois Lowry. Use of Text: Students would watch this video in class and then write a short essay on their opinion on memory. ie. Do they think memory is important to live in our society? Why or why not? And how does memory play into "The Giver". What are the differences in Jonas' society compared with our own? Attachment: See attachment 4 for video link. C. Online Interactive Resources ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text #8: "Neuroscience for Kids" Citation: Chudler, E.H. (1996-2008). //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neuroscience for kids: online short term memory games. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Retrieved March 4, 2010 from http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmemory.html Text Summary: This text is a website that is designed to help students learn about the human memory and the way the brain works. The website includes some information as well as some interactive games that demonstrate the significance of memory and some strategies for improving memory skills. Rationale: The reason I included this text is because it is an interactive website that students can use to get more information about the theme of "memory" while playing games and staying interested in the topic. Use of text: Students would be required to read the information on the website and answer some basic questions that I will provide on the memory. Then students will be able to play some of the interactive games on the website to show them the best techniques for remembering important information. Attachment: See attachment 4 for website.
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Text #9: Interactive Quiz Citation: Miller, G. (2008). //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The giver. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Retrieved March 7, 2010 from http://www.mce.k12tn.net/ reading17/GIVER.HTM Text Summary: This is a website that gives interactive online quiz questions for each specific chapter of the book, "The Giver". Rationale: The reason I included this text was because it is an efficient way to see if students are on task with their reading, while engaging them in online learning. Use of text: The students will use this website several times throughout the reading of the novel. They will be asked to go to the website during class and answer the questions on a specific chapter of the book to the best of their ability. This will also help the students to reinforce the knowledge they have about the book so far. Attachment: See attachment 4 for website. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text #10: "Giver Lesson Plan" Citation: Chandler, J. (2010). //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Giver lesson plan. //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Retrieved from Scholastic Inc. website: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/lessonplan.jsp?id=1010 Text Summary: This text is a lesson plan on "The Giver" found on the Scholastic website. The lesson uses many different techniques to help students become engaged in what they are learning while gaining a sense of the important elements of the novel. Rationale: I chose to use this lesson plan because I felt that the second "lesson extension" on the bottom of the page was a fun and interactive way for students become more involved in the book. Use of text: The lesson extension that is outlined here states that students will be handed a piece of paper upon entering the classroom that has an occupation on it. This is what they will do for the rest of their lives, and they have no say in the matter, similar to the way the characters live in the novel. Finally, at the end of the class, students are able to discuss their feelings on this system of choosing life paths. Attachment: See attachment 5 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Content area learning objective: Students will be exposed to several different kinds of texts and will be able to efficiently analyze and draw conclusions from these texts in order to complete writing assignments. (NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts) 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">D. Instructional Resources **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Using these texts together in the classroom: **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The main text that these lessons would focus on is "The Giver". I would use the Newbery Acceptance Speech and the article about the banning of the book in the beginning of the unit. These texts allow the students to generate their own opinions of the text after having seen both sides of the issue. The speech would help students to recognize the intellectual and educational value of "The Giver", while the article may encourage them to think about the reasons that it may be considered controversial. "Anthem" and "Verdi" would be used later in the unit either during or after students have finished the main novel. "Anthem" is a more complex novel that deals with the analogous theme of individuality, which would be used to challenge those learners who already have a handle on the idea. "Verdi" would be used as a way to help students who may be struggling at a lower reading and comprehension level to get a more focused understanding of the theme of being an individual. The interactive websites I included will be used prior to and during the reading of the book. The memory websites help students to become familiar with the concept of memory and its significance to us as human beings. The interview of Lois Lowry would give students a glimpse into the world of the woman who wrote the book they are studying and help them relate better to the ideas within it.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learning Objectives: **

Reading strategy objective: Students will be able to draw comparisons and distinctions between different kinds of texts while they read, formulate their own opinions on them, and relate the texts to their own lives. (State Standards) R-5-5.3: Making inferences about cause/effect (e.g., explaining how an event gives rise to the next), internal or external conflicts (e.g., person versus self, person versus person, person versus nature/society/fate), or the relationship among elements within text.