Students begin Unit 3 comparing A Long Walk to Water to the audiobook version of the text, exploring how authors and readers develop tone, mood, and expression. Students draw on this exploration as they start the second half of the unit, planning and then writing a narrative children’s book about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan. Through mini lessons and independent planning work, students focus on developing characters, settings, plot points, and narrative techniques such as pacing, description, and dialogue. Once students complete a draft of their narrative, they convert it into an ebook and publish it by sharing it with others, especially elementary school children.

For homework, students continue to read chapters of A Long Walk to Water in preparation for reading and discussing them in class. When they are not reading the anchor text, they should continue their independent research reading for at least 20 minutes and responding to a prompt. Additionally, students should continue independent research reading over the weekends.

Learn how to identify the text structures of chronological/sequence, cause/effect, problem/solution, compare/contrast, description, and directions by using a list of guiding questions.

Get the facts about the Arctic Fox. Besides finding a physical description of Canada's smallest fox, you'll also learn about some of its unique facts and characteristics. Also included in this Mammal Fact Sheet on the Arctic Fox is information on its habitat and habits, range, feeding, breeding, and conservation efforts. A list of resources completes the fact sheet.

Read about the endangered Asian Elephant. Find out what it likes to eat, where it lives, and its behaviors. Click on the links to the left for more information.

Get the facts about beluga whales. Besides finding detailed physical descriptions of these mammals of the sea, you'll also learn about some of their unique facts and characteristics. Also included in this Mammal Fact Sheet on beluga whales is information on their habitat and habits, range, feeding, breeding, and conservation efforts. A list of resources completes the fact sheet.

Canadian Wildlife site features the Black Bear. Highlights its habitats and habits, range, feeding and breeding characteristics.

Get the facts about Bowhead whales. Besides finding detailed physical descriptions of these mammals of the sea, you?ll also learn about some of their unique facts and characteristics. Also included in this Mammal Fact Sheet on Bowhead whales is information on their habitat and habits, range, feeding, and conservation efforts. A list of resources completes the fact sheet.

Canadian Wildlife site features the Canada Goose. Highlights its habitat and habits, range, feeding and breeding.

Get the facts about coyotes. Besides finding a detailed description of the coyote, you'll also learn about some of its unique facts and characteristics. Also included in this Mammal Fact Sheet on coyotes is information on their habitat and habits, range, feeding, breeding, and conservation efforts. Don't forget to check out the sound clips of coyotes using the link near the top of the webpage. A list of resources completes the fact sheet.

Test yourself and others on a topic by creating quizzes in Google Forms. Time to complete: 45-90 minutes

Create and play a guessing game with classmates. Time to complete: 45-90 minutes

Write a journal about your experiences and add photos to a digital document. Time to complete: 45-90 minutes

Pick a topic you care about and share information about it by creating an interactive presentation. Time to complete: 45-90 minutes

Different techniques for writing detailed descriptions of an object are found on this page.

Students investigate the difference between qualitative and quantitative measurements and observations. By describing objects both qualitatively and quantitatively, they learn that both types of information are required for complete descriptions. Students discuss the characteristics of many objects, demonstrating how engineers use both qualitative and quantitative information in product design.

Edit your resume to make it stronger and more appealing to an employer. Time to complete: 45-90 minutes

This site gives a good description of limerick. Features details about the rhyme scheme and the different forms of limericks. References to the bawdy nature of this verse form.

The 11th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 11th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Students move from learning the class rituals and routines and genre features of argument writing in Unit 11.1 to learning about narrative and informational genres in Unit 11.2: The American Short Story. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

People often say that mankind should learn from history. Charles Dickens, whose books are considered classics, set his novel A Tale of Two Cities in the past. He wanted his readers to learn from the bloody French Revolution and from the widespread brutality in London. Both cities (Paris and London) offer the reader a glimpse into dark and dangerous times. As students read about Dickens's Victorian setting and learn his view of the French Revolution, they will think about what makes a just world. Students will have a chance to think about their own experiences, and, using techniques they have learned from Charles Dickens, they will do some writing that sends a message about your own world.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

To complete the unit accomplishments, students will:

Read the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities.
Read several short pieces, including a biography of Dickens and excerpts from other literature, to help them understand Dickens’s world and the world of the novel.
Explore new vocabulary to build their ability to write and speak using academic language.
Practice close reading and participate in several role plays and dramatic readings to help them experience the dramatic writing style of Charles Dickens.
Write a vignette and a short narrative piece, and practice using descriptive detail and precise language.
Write a reflection about the meaning of Dickens’s novel.

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 does good storytelling affect the reader, and how can a good story promote change in the world?
What was the Victorian view of gender roles?
How can power be abused?
What is loyalty ? What are the limits of loyalty?

In this lesson, students will focus on grammar as it relates to this section of A Tale of Two Cities.