S+Kahler,+Michael

**Office:** **Office Phone:** **Office Hours:** ** E-mail: mikemk17@hotmail.com **
 * Teacher: Mr. Kahler**

=Summary of Unit= This unit will cover the literary significance of the popular American novel __The Great Gatsby.__ The unit will not be limited to work on this novel though. Reading comprehension will also be a primary focus in this unit. By reading a wide range of short stories by other powerful writers, such as Hemmingway, and excerpts from other popular American writers, such as Kerouac, Thompson, Melville and Ginsberg, students will develop the skills necessary to read and comprehend great works of literature. Reading strategies will be taught at the beginning of the unit to help guide students through some of the more challenging reading later in the unit. These strategies will help students through the actual reading, but their comprehension and its development will be another major focus of the unit. By teaching students to recognize literary devices and think about what it is the author is actually saying they will develop and understanding of literature, and an appreciation for its subtle complexities. This exposure to a wide range of texts in multiple mediums will build the students to be stronger readers on many different levels. This skill will then guide them through all of their future studies. Their increased understanding of themes will help students to get the most out of their readings, and this skill is necessary in all subjects.

=Establish Goals= Common Core State Standards Content area: Reading Grade Level: 11-12 Domain: Literature Standard: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories,drama, and poems, in the grade 11 CCR text complexity band proficiency, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

= = =Students will understand that= •Adequate exposure to range of texts including poems, dramas, and stories. •Read and comprehend a wide range of texts. •Learn to work through upper level material.

= = =Essential Questions= •How do I understand complex literary and informal texts? •Why do I need to be exposed to a wide range of pieces in different mediums? •How do I work through higher level material?

= = =Students will know= •Critical Details: significance of works, interconnectedness of themes, themes, reading strategies, mediums, style, plot, characters. •Terminology: Poem, Novel, theme, speaker, short story, tone, symbol, speaker, Metaphor. •Important people and Events: Gatsby, Tom, Nick, Daisy, the green light, Gatsby's death.

= = =Students will be able to= •**Exhibit** an understanding of many texts in various mediums. •**Evaluate** the significance of many pieces of literature. •**Create** new strategies to get through readings. •**Analyze** texts and their meanings. •**Consider** the role of __The Great Gatsby__ as a piece of literature. •**Recognize** strengths and weakness in your reading ability.

**Performance Task Overview** Congratulations! you, an independent filmmaker, may have just hit the big time. Your script for an adaptation of your favorite novel has been discovered, and a bunch of producers are fighting over who will get the rights to your film. Although the script is good these producers are wondering whether of not they should trust a Hollywood rookie with the direction of their investment. You are tasked with creating a trailer for the film which will capture the essence of the piece as a whole. This will be presented to the producers in three weeks time, and they will decide if they want to fund your project or not. Music, video, and some dialogue are all expected to be in the trailer. Show the power that this film can have in only a few minutes. The producers want to know just how good it can be. Good luck! and get creative!

=Expectations=
 * Classroom Expectations-** The number one rule here is respect. You must respect me and your peers. Treat others as you would like to be treated and we will get along fine. This means following all of the policies outlined below, and maintaining a happy, healthy environment.


 * Absences**- My absence policy is very simple. When you miss a day come to my room first thing the next morning to receive all of the work that you missed, and to hand in any work that was due. If you're going on vacation, or have any planned absence of some sort be sure to tel me so that I can give you work in advance in order to keep you up to date on what we are doing in class.


 * Late Work-** Late work is accepted, but not encouraged. If you miss an assignment a letter grade will be deducted every two days it is late for your first missed assignment. After that a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade every day that it is late. I understand that sometimes work from other classes can be overwhelming, so don't waste your only day of consequence free late work. This resets every grading period. So, every grading period you are allowed to pas in one project one day late with no consequence.


 * Citations-** All citations will be done in MLA format. Be sure to cite all of your resources. If you fail to do so you will fall victim to my plagiarism policy. I am lenient on this, so if you fail to cite something once I will give you one day to get me the proper citation. Every failure to cite a resource after that will not be accepted. To be safe you should pass projects in a day early so that I can help you with proper citation if you need it.This will exempt you from any consequences.


 * Plagiarism Policy-** All all instances plagiarism will be met with a zero, and referral to the proper school authorities who can further deal with the matter, so do not plagiarize. See the school's plagiarism policy for further details.

=Benchmarks= •**Prezi**: Show the interconnectedness of a novel, poem, and short story from this grading period by creating a Prezi. Look at the writing styles and themes utilized in three works to show you understand the material, and present your project to the class. Everything we look at during the unit is fair game for this project. This presentation should be 4 minutes long, and show that you have a full understanding of the content. **20 Points**

•**Webspiration:** Connect several pieces of literature based on common themes using Webspiration. Utilize as many of the program's functions as possible, and be sure to show me everything that you know and make as many connections as possible. All of the material that we cover is fair game, and at least four works need to be included in this project. **15 Points**

•**Comiclife:** You will need to create a comic using Comiclife which details your personal reading strategies and other strategies from class that you plan to implement in the future. at least three need to be included in a first draft with a fourth being added after I give you feedback. This is not optional. The comic should be long enough to adequately explain what your strategy is, and how it help you with your reading and comprehension. **15 Points**

•**Blog:** Discussion Questions will be posted on my blog after reading the first five chapters of __The Great Gatsby__. You will be required to post both original thoughts about what these questions address and responses to things that your peers talk about in the comments section. Make sure you put thought into your comments. After a day of discussion following your initial posts you will then be expected to make further comments. More questions will be posted as we work our way through the rest of the novel. **50 Points**


 * •Wiki:** You will be required to write an essay on the themes, characters, or symbols in __The Great Gatsby.__ This essay will be a minimum of 750 words and have a strong thesis. You will also be required to cite a minimum of 5 pieces of evidence from the book to support your thesis. This essay will then be posted onto a wiki for peer review by one or more classmates. Be aware that peer review is required, and factors into your grade. *Note that I left the topic very open. It will be a challenge writing a focused essay, so you will also be required to clear your thesis with me before beginning. **100 Points**

•**Blog:** Write a blog entry detailing your strengths and weaknesses as a reader. This must include hyperlinks to strategies that will help you overcome your weaknesses. **15 Points**


 * Performance Task**: (see description above) **100 Points**


 * 315 Total Points**

=Grading Scale= **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76), **C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59)