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When I first read Kira-Kira, it made me laugh and cry and a story like that deserves a great deal of time and care in the classroom. This thematic unit is designed to make students think deeply and critically about, not only, the text they have read, but also their own experiences. Within this series of lessons, students will be asked to debate, do research, write several passages, and work with one another. When given the opportunity to delve into such a rich and emotional story, it is the duty of the teacher to expand not only the students' minds but also their hearts and characters.

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Lesson Title: Chapter 2: Teaching and Accessing Language Arts  Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives: Students will be able to use reading skills to decode text meaning for use in vocabulary and story comprehension.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.6

Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.9

Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.

Academic Language: decode, reading skills, comprehension

Students’ Needs: Students will need to be comfortable with their classmates so as to be able to offer and accept help from their peers.

Materials:

Student Need: Kira-Kira, notebook, writing utensil, space from group work

Teacher Needs: Kira-Kira, white/black/smart board, board writing utensil

Language Function:

Students will be asked to stretch their abilities of self-evaluation and work on their comprehension skills.  They will also need to be able to synthesize the skills offered to them by both their peers and their teachers to gain the ability to read and understand the text.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: Divide students into small groups and explain that these groups are meant to be encouraging, uplifting, and helpful not critical.  Then have students begin reading a passage from the book.

During: Make your way throughout the classroom offering help to each group and check in on what skills or ideas they have taken notes on that were offered within the group.  Also pull students aside to explain what they have understood from the text in a one-on-one discussion setting.

After:  Ask students to share their favorite or most helpful suggestions with the entire class and put them on the board and discuss so that everyone may benefit.

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Lesson Title: Chapter 4: Oral Language  Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives: Students will be able to have reasonable and logical discussions with others wherein they use evidence and are polite to the person with whom they are discussing.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. SL.7.1.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.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. SL.7.1.B

Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.

Academic Language: debate, logic, evidence

Students’ Needs: Students need to understand that disagreements are not uncommon in life and that sometimes you will need to prove your ideas through evidence.  They also need to understand that just because someone disagrees with you, does not mean they are dumber or lesser than you.

Materials:

Students Need: Kira-Kira, notebook, writing utensil

Teacher Needs: Technology to show “Evaluation of an Argument” Video

Language Function:

Students will be asked to make logical arguments and use skills to both interpret and synthesize information in the text into a debate that makes sense and sways the class.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: Students will offer multiple debate topics and these topics will be discussed in class for how workable and logical they are.

During: Students will be given debate topics in groups of four.  Two people in each group will be “pro” and two will be “con.”  The pairs will then work together to formulate an argument for their side.

After:  The pairs will work in tandem to offer their side of the debate and then students will vote on who made the better argument (depending on the class, these votes should be cast without student knowledge).  The purpose of taking a vote is to show the influence of a good argument and to allow the teacher to use it as a small influence on the final grade.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTgBkhWDbXY

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Lesson Title: Chapter 5: The Writing Process Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives: Students will be able to use the Five Steps of the Writing Process to produce well formatted, logical and well-written assignments.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.A

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.B

Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Academic Language: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing

Students’ Needs: Students need to be familiar with the elements of a paragraph and basic grammar principles.

Materials:

Students Need: notecards, notebooks, writing utensil, highlighters

Teacher Needs: 5 Steps poster

Language Function:

Students will be working on their skills of analyzing, explaining, and justifying through the writing process.  They will work on these skills by building a creative writing sample by carefully and thoughtfully using the steps of the writing process.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: Students will be given the writing prompt “A Day in the Life of the Takeshimas.”  From this prompt, each student will pick a member of the family and begin brainstorming ideas for their writing sample(prewriting).  They will write ideas down on notecards and include quotes or facts from the novel.

During: After the initial brainstorming students will begin organizing their thoughts and place them in the order they will write them in(drafting).  In this phase, they may decide to omit some of the ideas from their notecards(revising).

After:  By the end students will work on producing a final copy by sharing their work with their peers for critiques(editing).  The final step will be to rewrite a finished and polished paper to be shared with the entire class and hung on the classroom bulletin board(publishing).

Resources:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Process-Posters-818390

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Lesson Title: Chapter 7: Vocabulary Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives: Using some of the Japanese words through out the novel as a launching pad, students will learn to understand and recognize common Greek and Latin roots and affixes in the English language.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.4.B

Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., belligerent, bellicose, rebel).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.4.C

Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.

Academic Language: root words, affixes, prefixes, suffixes

Students’ Needs: Students need to be aware of the fact that the English language was built from two language families.  They must also know that the structure of languages can be very different from one another and sometimes there is not a one-to-one translation and even some languages use different sounds than English.

Materials:

Students Need: Technology for activity, notebook, writing utensil, dictionary

Teacher Needs: Technology for video presentation, notes on roots and affixes

Language Function:

The purpose of this lesson is to not only build their vocabulary and deciphering skills but to also have students begin to recognize an interesting part of the global culture: language.  Though we may all see visual objects the same way what those objects are called varies between languages.  Understanding just a small piece of the language phenomenon will help students to interpret the global community in which we are living.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: Students will be introduced to the topic of root words and affixes and shown a video on this subject.  They will be asked to take notes and list any common roots, prefixes or suffixes they find in everyday life.

During: The dictionary will then be used to make predictions about the meanings of certain root words, prefixes and suffixes based on the ones which the students provided.

After:  They will begin to play the Scholastic Greek Roots and Affixes game to solidify and practice to use of these new word builders.

Resources:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/athens_games/game.htm#

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN1DxuVt4hI

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Lesson Title: Chapter 9: Nonfiction  Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives: Students will be able to identify and use valid internet resources for research as well as compile and annotate research to build a project.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.7

Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.8

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.9

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Academic Language: research, citation, web search

Students’ Needs: Students will need prior knowledge of writing outlines and creating thesis questions.

Materials:

Students Need: access to technology to research and look at Owl Purdue, notebook, writing utensil,

Teacher Needs: projector and technology to go through research techniques and Owl Purdue

Language Function:

Students will analyze information to see if it is appropriate for a research topic and synthesize several resources to make a final project.  In evaluating cites and books they will be able to justify the information they have arranged and given a presentation.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: Class discussions leading up to this project will revolve around the historical time period in which Kira-Kira takes place.  Students will begin to think critically about immigration, poverty and hard work and begin exploring possible research topics.  The purpose of the project is to allow students to explore a topic of personal interest so as long as their reasoning for selecting this topic is valid and ties into the novel they will be allowed to pursue it

During:  To have students work periodically with and without technology there will be several “stations” or work spaces throughout the room (or school, depending).  Some students will be conducting research using technology (computer lab or classroom) while others will be using books (library or classroom) while a third group is using articles, journals or newsletters (library or classroom).  All students are required to keep track of notes, ideas and sources in a notebook to refer to later.

After:  Students will compile a presentation of their choice based on their research to share with the class.  It could be a speech, slideshow, multimedia presentation etc.

Resources:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

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Lesson Title: Listening and Speaking: Travel Reviews Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives: Students will be able to make comparisons and contrasts and think critically about why these observations appear.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. SL.7.1.D

Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their own views.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. SL.7.2

Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.

Academic Language: comparison, contrast, culture, tradition

Students’ Needs: This lesson is supposed to be fun, explorative, and creative, but the main goal is to have students begin to think critically about the world around them.  Students must have a basic understanding of geography to realize the vast difference between the two places we will be highlighting.

Materials:

Students Need: notebook, writing utensil, technology to share

Teacher Needs: technology to show and project videos and websites, black/white/smart board, board writing utensil

Language Function:

The purpose of this lesson is for students to analyze differences and similarities between Georgia and Japan.  These observations are meant to help them first understand the Takeshimas, but also begin to recognize cultural differences and how these may affect their life right now and in the future.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: Students will be asked about facts they know about Georgia and Japan and we will begin a class list of valid facts.  Then we will view the travel videos as a class and students will be asked to make observations, write them down and share them.

During: Students will be broken up into small groups, share technology and look at the TripAdvisor website for lists and reviews of attractions in these places and take notes on their findings.

After: Each group will produce a Vein Diagram of their findings but these things must stem from deeper thought and can not be items such as “each place has a lot of green scenery.”

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS-hFKC_RKI

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g294232-Activities-Japan.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB4XbL_PmzQ

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g28931-Activities-Georgia.html

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Lesson Title: Listening and Speaking: TV Interviews Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives:  Students will be able to think of and deliver critical questions and also be able to give logical, thought out responses.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY. SL.7.1.C

Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others' questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.

Academic Language: critical questions, researched responses

Students’ Needs: Students will need to feel comfortable speaking in front of several classmates and be prepared to interact in a TV interview setting.

Materials:

Students Need: camera for recording, computer to download and edit footage, notebook, writing utensil

Teacher Needs: black/white/smart board, board writing utensil

Language Function:

Students will be asked to justify their question selections and explain why they believe these questions will prompt good responses and conversation.  Then when giving answers they must explain their reasoning for their responses.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: Students will be broken down into groups of four and self-assign roles.  Two students will be the news reporters and two will be members of the Takeshima family.  They will begin brainstorming questions and responses for this activity.

During: Students will record their interviews and then edit together their work to show to the class (if desired).

After:  Students will either show their work or simply submitted it and then have a “viewing party” one-on-one with the teacher to discuss their work and the choices they made.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwqZ32TmbIU

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Lesson Title: Visual Literacy  Grade:___7____

Goals or Objectives:  Students will be able to understand the influence of culture on art and see differences based on the region and time from which the art originated.

Grade Level Guide: Content Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7

Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

Academic Language: culture, art techniques, region

Students’ Needs: Based on lessons that have come before, during the thematic unit, students must have an understanding of the unique culture of Japan.

Materials:

Students Need: notebook, writing utensil, art supplies: colored paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils (whatever the classroom has to offer)

Teacher Needs: technology to project and share videos

Language Function:

The purpose of this lesson is to stretch students’ ability to describe and interpret art from another culture and discuss influences they believe had an effect on their art.

Analyze, Argue, Describe, Evaluate, Explain, Interpret, Justify, Synthesize

Lesson Plan

Before: The students and teacher will review all the information about Japan they have previously learned and discovered in class.

During: Students will watch several videos about art from Japan and take notes on what they have learned and observed.  After watching the videos the class will discuss what influences the students saw in the art.

After: Students will be asked to imitate, to the best of their ability, the kind of artwork they saw in the videos.   Because this project will be done in the classroom changes to the art form will need to be made.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7708E1bmoxc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGeWIT1JYks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwqZ32TmbIU