Unit 3: Dystopia- What's Happened to Our World?
Essential Questions:
- What are some aspects of our society that we want to change? How can we change them?
- What does it mean to be “humane”? How does humanity change over time (or does it)?
- What can one individual do in the scope of a whole society? (Can one person make an impact?)
Materials Needed:
- Copies of The Hunger Games for each student
- Copies of each literature circle novel for each student in the group
- Computer access for each literature circle group
- Recording technology for literature circle discussions
- Editing software to review literature circle discussions
- Internet access to post/review podcasts
- Journals for each student (to remain in-class)
- Art supplies (posters, markers, construction paper, glue, scissors, paint, etc.) to create "propaganda" posters
Standards:
Reading:
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
6. Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
6. Analyze how differences in the points of view of the characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created through the use of dramatic irony) create such effects as suspense or humor.
Speaking & Listening:
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
Writing:
1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
Partner Texts:
"Feed" by M.T. Anderson
"Unwind" by Neal Shusterman
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:
This novel will be the foundation text for the unit on dystopia, and will be the one novel we read together as a class. Using this novel we analyze the relationship between the individual vs. society, corruption, rebellion, and “humanity".
This novel will be the foundation text for the unit on dystopia, and will be the one novel we read together as a class. Using this novel we analyze the relationship between the individual vs. society, corruption, rebellion, and “humanity".
Literature Circle Novels: The novels included in the literature circle groups allow students to choose between different dystopian novels they will read. They will use these novels to form groups to conduct discussions on dystopian themes. The novels range in reading levels and themes, but all novels encompass the ideas of social justice, power and privilege, and a protagonist who seeks change.
"The Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
"The Giver" by Lois Lowry
"V for Vendetta" by Alan Moore
"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Formative and Summative Assessments to Include:
1. Podcast Discussions:
This formative assessment will be the bulk of assessment for this unit. The class will be divided into literature circles based on the novels that the students have chosen and will perform the following tasks: each group will be required to record their discussions; work together to evaluate which sections of their discussions “worked well”, did not come across clearly, and what points were the most important; respond to other groups’ postings.
The original podcast (based on the group’s initial discussion of their own novel) will be done once per week, and the discussion in response to the novel that their peers are presenting will be done once per week as well. This will give us two pieces of evaluation throughout each week they are working in their literature circles.
2. In-class Journaling:
Journaling will be a continual, pre-class activity, where students will be given “universal” prompts on dystopia that they will have to connect with the novel their group is reading. The questions will be based on a theme, and that theme will relate to the questions prompted in the group discussions during their literature circles (this way, they will serve as a form of pre-writing for students to get ideas down before discussing). They will be evaluated when collected at the end of each week, and will be somewhat informal (ie. Needs to show relevant connections to their text, but does not need to be a formal piece of writing).
3. Whole-Class Reflective Discussions:
Every week on Friday the class will come together as a whole to conduct a discussion based on their podcasts during the literature circle portion of the unit. These discussions will serve as a connection between groups who are posting and responding to one another-it will allow each group to share their themes, plots, concerns, and interests with their peers, and to see trends throughout the novels.
This will be a very informal version of assessment, where each group must be able to call-out, but each individual student will not be held accountable for speaking (although, the teacher and other peers will be able to address individual students and ask their opinions).
This formative assessment will be the bulk of assessment for this unit. The class will be divided into literature circles based on the novels that the students have chosen and will perform the following tasks: each group will be required to record their discussions; work together to evaluate which sections of their discussions “worked well”, did not come across clearly, and what points were the most important; respond to other groups’ postings.
The original podcast (based on the group’s initial discussion of their own novel) will be done once per week, and the discussion in response to the novel that their peers are presenting will be done once per week as well. This will give us two pieces of evaluation throughout each week they are working in their literature circles.
2. In-class Journaling:
Journaling will be a continual, pre-class activity, where students will be given “universal” prompts on dystopia that they will have to connect with the novel their group is reading. The questions will be based on a theme, and that theme will relate to the questions prompted in the group discussions during their literature circles (this way, they will serve as a form of pre-writing for students to get ideas down before discussing). They will be evaluated when collected at the end of each week, and will be somewhat informal (ie. Needs to show relevant connections to their text, but does not need to be a formal piece of writing).
3. Whole-Class Reflective Discussions:
Every week on Friday the class will come together as a whole to conduct a discussion based on their podcasts during the literature circle portion of the unit. These discussions will serve as a connection between groups who are posting and responding to one another-it will allow each group to share their themes, plots, concerns, and interests with their peers, and to see trends throughout the novels.
This will be a very informal version of assessment, where each group must be able to call-out, but each individual student will not be held accountable for speaking (although, the teacher and other peers will be able to address individual students and ask their opinions).
4. Creating and Defying Dystopias:
At the end of reading both The Hunger Games and finishing our novels in the literature circles, I will have the students complete a summative assessment. For this assessment, each literature circle group will work together to create an example of their most-feared dystopia. They will reflect on the novels and pull themes from class exploration on what makes a dystopia, and create their own. This will be done in small-group discussion, with leading questions provided throughout the time period. To exhibit their work, they will create a type of “propaganda” to promote their society. This could look like a video (newscast on what’s happening in the society, a movie skit of “every day life”), a magazine article, interview with a political leader/everyday citizen (options will be open to interpretation, and students may ask to do their own ideas as well).
After each group has completed their dystopia campaign the groups will switch their societies with one another, and they will have to come up with a social/individual plan to “fix” the dystopia they are given. They will have to reflect on the novels and work as a group to come up with a “feasible” solution to the problems in the society. This will be done by way of creating a political/social campaign against the dystopia; the teacher and students will create a system of questions that ask the class to reflect on what the “problems” are in the dystopia, what they would want instead, to develop a “leader” or social group that is the “rebel-cause”, and to create a campaign using posters/videos/speeches etc. that will persuade others to join their cause.
At the end of this week-long assessment, the class will take a day to “share-out”, where the group who created the dystopia and the group with their “solution” would come up together and present.
At the end of reading both The Hunger Games and finishing our novels in the literature circles, I will have the students complete a summative assessment. For this assessment, each literature circle group will work together to create an example of their most-feared dystopia. They will reflect on the novels and pull themes from class exploration on what makes a dystopia, and create their own. This will be done in small-group discussion, with leading questions provided throughout the time period. To exhibit their work, they will create a type of “propaganda” to promote their society. This could look like a video (newscast on what’s happening in the society, a movie skit of “every day life”), a magazine article, interview with a political leader/everyday citizen (options will be open to interpretation, and students may ask to do their own ideas as well).
After each group has completed their dystopia campaign the groups will switch their societies with one another, and they will have to come up with a social/individual plan to “fix” the dystopia they are given. They will have to reflect on the novels and work as a group to come up with a “feasible” solution to the problems in the society. This will be done by way of creating a political/social campaign against the dystopia; the teacher and students will create a system of questions that ask the class to reflect on what the “problems” are in the dystopia, what they would want instead, to develop a “leader” or social group that is the “rebel-cause”, and to create a campaign using posters/videos/speeches etc. that will persuade others to join their cause.
At the end of this week-long assessment, the class will take a day to “share-out”, where the group who created the dystopia and the group with their “solution” would come up together and present.
