This project unit—a multimedia self-portrait published in digital form—is the capstone of your students' high school careers. It is a chance for them to pause and reflect on where they've been, where they're going, and who they are as a person. Students will reflect on what they want others to know about them: what they want their message to be and what types of media they might use to convey that message. Students will have the opportunity to express themselves in many different formats—through writing, of course, but also through other media of their choosing. Students will be able to convey your message through visual art, photography, a graphic novel, audio, poetry, or video—practically any type of media they want!

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students will complete a multimedia self-portrait, capturing important aspects of the essence of themselves.
Students will contribute one chapter from their multimedia self-portrait to a class anthology.
Students will present one chapter from their multimedia self-portrait to the class.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

How is late adolescence a moment of internal and external change?
What are the most important qualities of your character—past, present, and future?
How can you portray these key aspects of yourself using multimedia?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

Now it’s time for students to start planning their written chapter. They’ll read prior journal entries and written assignments to help them decide what they want to write about. As they start planning, they’ll consider what anecdotes and memorable characters to include and create a timeline of events.

The purpose of this third informational Benchmark Assessment (Cold Write) is to determine what students know about informational writing. Students respond to a writing prompt, and you will score results as a measure of progress in subsequent assessments. Then students will brainstorm what they want to communicate in their self-portrait and begin to outline their self-portrait.

What do students need to accomplish to complete this project? What part of their work will take the most time? They’ll start to create a planning calendar to establish the steps of their work plan. They’ll schedule due dates for themselves and get feedback on their outline and calendar.

Students will spend time finishing the revision of their written chapter and reviewing possible extensions to include in their work—such as creating an image or writing a poem. They’ll share the ways in which their project work has gone well and any concerns they still have.

Time to write! Students will get started on the first draft of the written chapter of their self-portrait. They’ll spend time focusing on ways to create a strong and memorable opening to draw their readers in.

What questions and concerns do students have with the first draft of their written chapter? They’ll spend time working with a partner to peer edit their draft and get feedback on their writing. They’ll then start planning the revisions they’ll make to their written chapter.

For each of the five lenses, students will think of changes they’ve undergone and character strengths they’ve shown. Are there specific examples that they’d like to include in their self-portrait? They’ll start planning their chapters and the types of media they can use to express them.

What is an artist’s responsibility to truth? What is the role of truth and facts in poetry, nonfiction, and fiction? Students will explore these questions as they consider the truths they want to convey in their self-portraits. They’ll also start interviewing people who know them well.

In this 5-day unit, students will explore the topic of love. After reading six poems from writers in the 16th and 17th centuries, they will decide which poet had a better idea than the others about how to express love to a young woman.

In this lesson, you will take the writing portion of the culminating assessment. You will continue to use the skills you have learned in the first three lessons of this unit.Today, students will take the writing portion of the culminating assessment.They will reflect on all the material they have read in this unit, and they will use their understanding of all the material presented to them to write an essay. You will evaluate their work in both reading comprehension and writing.

The laws that govern and the social norms that regulate society are not always fair, legal, moral, or ethical. What is a person to do about all this injustice? What are the hazards of righting injustices or changing social norms? And what are the dangers of doing nothing?

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read and annotate Antigone, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and Pygmalion.
Students write a literary analysis showing the effect of social class or the law on a character’s life.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

How do social class and legal institutions shape literary characters’ lives (and presumably our lives)?
How does social class affect a person in dealing with the law (protect a person, hurt a person)?
How is social class determined in America and in other places in the world?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

In this lesson, students discuss the ending of Antigone and retake the survey about justice that they took in Lesson 1. They will also write about how the laws in Thebes have shaped the lives of the characters who live there.

In this lesson, students continue to revise their Character Analysis Essay. They will look at an example of an effective conclusion and write an alternative conclusion for their essay. With a partner, they’ll discuss their two conclusions and pick the most effective.

In this lesson, students begin writing their Character Analysis Essay and share what they have written with a partner.

In this lesson, students revise their Character Analysis Essay. They will look at an example of an effective introduction and write an alternative introduction for their essay. With a partner, they will discuss their two introductions and pick the most effective.

In this lesson, students will review each other’s Character Analysis Essays. Then they’ll revise their essays again based on their partner’s feedback.

In this lesson, students learn about civil disobedience—about people purposefully disobeying a law that they feel to be unjust. They’ll read from two examples that address the issue: Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

In this lesson, students finish reading, annotating, and discussing Pygmalion. They’ll write about what they think will happen to Liza after the play ends and discuss how satisfying they found the ending.

In this lesson, students continue reading, annotating, and discussing Pygmalion. They’ll write about the impact of Higgins’s meddling in Doolittle’s life and also Doolittle’s final speech in the play. They’ll also finish their Independent Reading Group Novel for homework.