Title: More to Pi than meets the eye

Variety of texts: Bible, science textbook featuring zoology, survival guide, Canadian brochure, book on
Indian Culture, other religious texts, the film adaptation of the text, audio books from YouTube other
videos.
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Lesson 1: The content emphasis in Lesson 1 is language in Life of Pis Part Two and its
vocabulary. Students will be able to look up meanings to misunderstood words and apply the
vocabulary that they have learned to their word map activity. Students will have to consider
which definitions fits the meaning from the novel, how to deduce meaning that is explainable to
others. Students will individual work on this assignment after they have received direct
instruction.
Lesson 2: The content focal point is point of view. Students will be asked to write a scene from
the novel that was in Pis perspective, but now through Richard Parkers view point. They will
have to consider themes, ask what they would do in that situation, use proper grammar and
spelling to complete this task. Students will have direct instruction, think-pair-share, watch a
YouTube video, create a meaning piece of writing. This will help students to meet unit goals:
expanded vocabulary, Animal knowledge, and cultural diversity.
Lesson 3: The content focal point would be levels of taxonomy. Students will be researching
animals from the book the novel Life of Pi and presenting them in pairs to the entire class body.
Students will be graded on their presentation from rubric provided.

Theme and Overview

The theme of this unit is to show students more depth to Pi than just what the texts leads the audience
to believe. Through the use of vocabulary uses, to point of view, and taxonomy of the animals featured
in the book, Life of Pi demonstrates the interconnectedness of self and cultural awareness, spirituality,
grief, and Mother Nature.
Rationale:
This collaborative unit choices concerning the theme and unit goals are appropriate for the students
described in the unit goals are justifiable because they meet common core standards listed in each less
plan, application to rural and real world knowledge, and creative a cultural awareness that they have
never been exposed to. The story is heavy in vocabulary, confronts many understated issues for
conversation, and is a combination of a fiction and an information text. Life of Pi encourages students to
seek knowledge outside of the text to further their knowledge as a human question religion, selfawareness, and friendships. This novel has a strong ethnic setting and character development, several
themes that can be examined and contended, and provides a large base for student investigation
assignments. Students will be expected to be open minded towards this book by appreciating the
experiences that Pi has endured and how different they are from the town of Midwest/southern town
of Booneville, Arkansas. The students will see that there is more to the novel than just words on the
page is the way that there is more to the word than only life in Arkansas. Lesson one helps students to
understand the vocabulary before reading part two of Life of PI. This is justifiable to help students
foreshadow the coming part of the book by examining language, tone, and syntax. Lesson 2 seeks to
question the viewpoints of Richard Parker and Pis life on the skiff. Lesson 3 teaches students about the
level of science taxonomy and helps develop presentation skills that are needed for later on in life.

Since we have read the book before teaching these lessons, we will be able to bring up specific points
that may be lapsed over during the first read of the text. Applying supplementary materials from the list
above helps to show the collaboration this novel fosters.
Diversity:
Booneville 7th grade junior high on level class
The school is located in a rural, low socioeconomic towns with a population of around 4,000 people. The
novel may serve as a culture shock because the school is non diverse and many students have never left
the state of Arkansas. The school just recently downsized to 3A and we currently are losing students
because of lack of industry.
Classroom Characteristics:
The class has two large windows, grouped tables of 4, classroom set of laptops, access to internet and
media specialist, other teachers.
We are on a regular bell schedule of 50 minute classes; the students are in heterogeneous groups
Rules and Routines: Students must raise their hand to talk, assigned seats that are given at beginning of
semester. They are already grouped in the groups that they will perform group work in. They know to be
respectful to peers, themselves, and adult personal.
Student Characteristics: 7th grade, on level class. Since this is a small school, there will be an eclectic
classroom with one special education students that has an aide, and the rest are average students.
The students are around 12-13 years old. This class only has 20 students. There will be 11 girls and 9
boys. The class is majority white with one African American and one Hispanic. The Hispanic are bilingual
and have lived in Booneville their entire lives. The boys and some girls are very interested in hunting and
fishing and love outdoors.