Delirium Unit Lesson Plan
This unit was developed under the following circumstances and classroom learning objectives:
In the future, I’ll be teaching middle school English. The four week unit plan will take place in my eighth grade class. The class will be comprised of twenty students on the average educational track. Discussion is important in the classroom; therefore, my classroom will be a circle of desks which will encourage open discussion (see Figure 1 for diagram). Class meets Monday through Friday for forty-five minutes a day. The school year is broken into two semesters. The first semester will focus on Grammar and the second semester will focus on Literature. The six week unit will take place in the second semester and will introduce the class to dystopias. The students will already have a firm basis in Literature. They will have read The Giver and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, The Last Dog on Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft, and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, etc. Students will have explored concrete ethical issues within books. Students will also have transitioned from three point paragraph essays to five point paragraph essays. Thus, allowing them to further analyze texts. This six week unit plan will be an introduction to topics such as government control and scientific advancements. Students will have basic information about dystopias. The six week unit plan will center on the novel Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Delirium has a Lexile rating of 920L. The Lexile range for seventh grade is 735L to 1065L. The Lexile also places the age range for Delirium at 14-18. Since the novel is in the midrange for seventh graders, every student will be able to comprehend the text and actively participate in class discussion and activities. The main goals of the unit are as follows: 1. After the four week unit on the novel Delirium, students will have a concrete understanding of dystopias. 2. Students will have a firm understanding of such topics as government control and police brutality. 3. Students will be able to read fluently. 4. Students will be able to compose their thoughts into coherent and cohesive essays. 5. Students will be able to read critically and relate the text to real life. It is important for students to be able to read and think critically. By delving into the world presented in Delirium, students will learn how to analyze both sides of an argument and evaluate possible outcomes. They will gain an understanding of how to deal with difficult decisions and opinions through this analysis. They will also gain a sense of tolerance, for by understanding both perspectives of an argument, students will be able to comprehend the motivation of both perspectives and respect both opinions. By dealing with the text in a hands-on way, the students will learn how to relate the text to their individual lives and future situations they might be in. Through traditional essays, the students will learn how to compile their thoughts into a comprehensive and cohesive essay that will allow them to write developed thesis statements, as well as, analyze and synthesize the material. |
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