Concept Based Unit Plan

The Power of Words -- Identifying Audience

Day 2 of 9, Week 1 of 3
Plan Type: Summary
Content Requirement Satisfied: Embedded Technology

Essential Question:
1. Who is my audience?
2. How can words be powerful?
3. How can words inspire their audience?

Objectives:
SWBAT
1. Understand that words are a powerful tool because of how they affect an audience.
(Cognitive)
A. Words can inspire an audience.
B. Inspiring words are short, powerful, and frequently accompanied by images.

2. Value bravery, kindness, and respect.

A. Be brave by writing down their ideas and expressing themselves.

3. Write and reflect on the power of their words to influence a specific audience.
A. Identify the intended audience of a written work.
B. Write an inspirational message for a someone in need.

SOLs:
7.1 The student will participate in and contribute to conversations, group discussions, and oral
presentations.
d) Use language and style appropriate to audience, topic, and purpose.
7.3 The student will understand the elements of media literacy.
e) Craft and publish audience-specific media messages.

CCSS:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.6
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English
when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 7 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific
expectations.)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Assessments:
Formative:
- Draft of inspirational image
- The students will create their own inspirational image. My expectation is that it
uses the elements of inspirational images we discussed in the previous lesson
and that the students are considering their identified audience, whoever that may
be. This draft will eventually be a part of their portfolio. I will briefly check over
these to ensure that the students are meeting my expectations. If they are not
than I will write a short note to them or have a short conversation with them,
depending on what they need, and give them a chance to revise their image
before incorporating it into their final portfolio. (1A, 1B, 2A, 3A, 3B, 2A)
- Exit ticket
- At the end of the day the students will write who their intended audience is for
their inspirational image and how they used the elements of inspirational images
in their image on a post it note. I will sort these post its into two piles: gets it and
doesnt get it. I will write an affirmational note on those who did get it and have a
short conversation or review some material with those who did not, depending on
the numbers of post its in each pile. These post-its will also inform whether or not
I suggest that a student revises their inspirational image. (1A, 1B, 3A)

Material Needed
- Laptops for each student and for teacher
- Projector and Screen
- Other collage materials: printer paper, magazines, glue, scissors, markers, etc.
- Post it notes for exit ticket
Technology Usage
The students will have the option of using Google Drawings to create their inspirational image.
This is not mandatory, but it will allow some students to learn how to operate the software and
begin to learn how to create and edit images on a computer, which is very much a 21st century
skill.

I will also use Google Slides to help record the students ideas in a place where they can see
them. These slides will later be uploaded to the class website.

Differentiation
The students will be working to create their images independently, rather than in their base
groups. This will be greatly beneficial to Jake, whose IEP states that group work must be
scaffolded for him. This will also help Aniya, who often chafes during group work and has a
tendency to take over. I anticipate that Aniya will also finish early, in which case I will take time
to introduce her to her anchor activity for this unit. Aniya will be independently exploring the
power of words by creating a project about her SSR book. She will have a choice of keeping a
reading diary, writing letters to the author, or illustrating the events of the book.

Procedures
Beginning Room Arrangement: The desks are arranged into five tables of four desks apiece.
There are also soft reading spaces, such as the beanbag corner and two different couches, and
a kidney shaped conference table in the back of the room. When the students enter they know
to pick up handouts by the door, leave their bookbags and class materials at their homebase
seats, and sit anywhere they find comfortable and productive and read their independent book
for the fifteen minute reading caf.

Reading Caf (15)

The students have 15 minutes to read a book of their choice wherever they like in the room. The
only expectation is that they are silent and reading. During this time I take attendance and
circulate the room to conference and read with students.
Greet Students (5) [20]
When the students are done with Reading Caf I would instruct them to make their way back to
their homebase seats.
Okay team! Lets find our way back to our homebase seats.
The students would close their books and return to their homebase seats.

Recap Yesterdays Discussion (15) [35]

I will start the class with a recap of our discussion from the previous day. Students will turn and
talk with their base groups about what they remember about the elements of an inspirational
image. When they are done talking with their base groups I will use Google Slides to record the
students ideas in a place that they can see them. My hope is that they students will be able to
remember that inspiring images use short text, bold, strong words, images of nature, animals, or
clouds or of people doing powerful things. When the students have identified these aspects I will
also introduce them to the idea that inspirational images are often colorful, but because we dont
have a color printer, the images they looked at were black and white.

We will also have a very short discussion on who to remind ourselves of the intended audience
of an inspirational image.

Minilesson: How to Use Google Drawings (15) [50]

When we are done with our discussion I will transition into a minilesson on how to use Google
Drawings by informing students what our plan for the day is: which is to create our own
inspirational images in Google Drawings. In order to be able to do this I need to first show the
students how to use Google Drawings. I will show them how to find it, how to use its different
functions, particularly the shapes, pictures, and text functions, as well as how to change the
colors of things. I will then show them how to share their Google drawings with me and how to
title it and save it in their Google Drive.

Workshop: Inspirational Images (20) [70]

When I am done with my minilesson on Google Drawings I will then tell students my
expectations for their inspirational image. They must create at least one, though they may also
create more than one. Every image they create must include the elements of inspirational
images: bold, short text, colorful inspiring photos, etc, and their image must have a specific
audience that they can identify. This can be anyone: their mom, their friend, even themselves,
but they must be able to tell me who their audience is.
The students will then have twenty minutes to work independently on their inspirational images.
During this time I will circulate and conference with students. If a student grows tired of making
inspirational images and has already made at least one then I will introduce the anchor activity
to them: which is a project based on their SSR book (see Differentiation).

Discussion: Sharing Inspirational Images (10) [80]

When the students are done making their inspirational images than I will have them share their
images with their base groups. They must explain to their base groups who their audience was
and why they choose the elements that they did. I will model this for them before they get
started sharing.

Closure: Exit Ticket (5) [85]

At the end of the discussion the students will then fill out their exit card (see Assessments).

When they are done filling out their exit cards than I will assess them.