FARINA, JENNIFER

Unit 1: A Deep Understanding of Character 

Summary: In this unit, students will examine not only fictional characters but characterization (how authors create those characters). Readers will learn to notice what shapes the perspective of characters, and how the author's style and craft impact a reader's response to literature. Students will employ note taking strategies to deepen their thinking and will engage in literary conversations with their peers. 

Through close reading students will analyze how an author’s tone of a text develops the mood. Lastly, students will practice open-ended constructed response writing to express their understanding of 

characters, setting, plot, and events of the texts explored.Through close reading students will analyze how an author’s tone of a text develops the mood. Lastly, students will practice open-ended constructed response writing to express their understanding of characters, setting, plot, and events of the texts explored.

Unit 2: Literary Analysis 

Summary: In this unit, students will develop their literary analytical skills and compose a literary analysis. Students will: identify and analyze the author's purpose in particular selections. Identify some of the literary elements used within a particular selection, including characterization, setting, plot, and theme. Finally after students have written their process piece of writing they will be expected to write an on demand literary analysis. In the end the students will research and connect real world issues with the novel and summarize their findings in a slideshow.

Unit 3: Reading Non-Fiction Across Text Sets 

Summary: This unit aims to apply the NJSLS Reading Informational skills while examining how authors use literacy to affirm all aspects of one’s identity and understand, connect to, and respect other perspectives and cultures. Through examining text structures and text features, learners will evaluate how authors organize writing, convey perspectives, and make connections to events that have shaped the world in which they live using guided annotations to highlight key elements of the text. By the end of the unit, students will be able to determine the central idea, text structure, and unique qualities of informational texts. Students will analyze structure and reflect on historical/cultural context through nonfiction historical personal accounts of events that shaped the world in which we live.

Unit 4: Informative/Explanatory Writing

Summary: The purpose of this unit is to use various nonfiction sources to explain key points of the Civil Rights Movement and the structure of an essay. Students will organize a topic, using a choice text structure to convey ideas, concepts, and information through selecting, organizing, and analyzing relevant content. Students will cite relevant evidence from various sources to support their claims about the  Civil Rights Movement. By the end of the unit, students will demonstrate their ability to read and comprehend information texts and use their research to organize an informative / explanatory essay. 

After completing a process explanatory essay students will use resources to write an on demand explanatory writing. 

Unit 5: Dystopian Short Stories & play

This unit has been designed to develop students' reading, writing, thinking, listening and speaking skills through exercises and activities related to Dystopian short stories. Students will understand the elements of short stories and the literary devices exemplified in this genre of literature. Students will explore dystopian societies by analyzing the characters' development and their motivations as well as actions. This will help students to interpret what comments the author is making about our society through stories and a play.

Unit 6: Narrative Writing

Summary:  In this unit students will create their own narrative using a plot diagram as a guide for structure. Students should be able to create characters through physical description, actions, reactions, and dialogue. Through this story telling exercise, writers should develop a descriptive setting, rising actions, a conflict, falling actions, and a resolution. While creating a plot description and figurative language should be used to enhance student writing through the writing process.

After completion of their narrative writing students will complete an on demand narrative with parameters set with a writing prompt. 

Unit 7: Understanding Argumentative Techniques

Summary: This unit will explore informational texts that argue two sides of an argument. Students will be able to trace the arguments and what makes them effective, identifying strong reasoning. Through close reading students will examine how an author conveys or develops purpose in a text through distinguishing their position from that of others using evidence and examples. Through reading and writing, as well as group discussions students will trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims. In the end students will write an argument essay through a process and on demand piece of writing. 

Unit 8: Historical Fiction 

Summary:  The purpose of this unit is to research historical periods to gain knowledge about specific periods as a foundation for understanding the historical/cultural context of people and events. Through research and the presentation of information, learners can investigate how lives were shaped by the events in which they lived. By the end of the unit, students will demonstrate an understanding of the era in order to analyze historical fiction texts. Students will realize the affect of a time period on characters, how the setting affects the plot and conflict as well as learning about that point in history. Next students will read short stories or novels to understand how this setting affects characters’ motivations and conflict resolutions in that era to learn from the past and history.