Teacher(s) Tijwana Nesbary, Melissa Noriega

Subject group and discipline Language and literature: Language and literature

Unit title

MYP Year

Unit 5: The Power of Choice

Year 4

Unit duration 5 weeks (25 hours)

Inquiry: Establishing the purpose of the unit

Key concept

Related concept(s)

Perspective

Language and literature

Purpose
Theme

Global context
Self-expression

Identities and relationships

Exploration to Develop: Identity formation, selfesteem, status, roles and role models

Statement of inquiry
Who we believe we are is shaped by and shapes our place in the world and how others see us.
Inquiry questions
What are the techniques authors use to
tell the story of who they are?
Features of memoir and poetry.

How do our choices shape our identity

and how does our identity shape our choices?
Choices make us who we are.

Objectives

Summative assessment

A: Analysing
analyse the content, context, language,
structure, technique and style of text(s) and the
relationships among texts
justify opinions and ideas, using examples,
explanations and terminology
evaluate similarities and differences by
connecting features across and within genres and
texts.
B: Organizing
employ organizational structures that serve the
context and intention

Outline of summative assessment task(s) including assessment

criteria:

Factual

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

Conceptual

Task
March

5
Thursday

9:00 AM

"Ten Lessons I Learned from

Life" (A, B)
Students will work with a partner to
put together a PowerPoint or Prezi
presentation in which they address
the statement of inquiry by
explaining 10 life lessons they have
learned through choices they've
made and how those choices have
been shaped by who they are.

To what extent do we control who we

become in life?
Nurture versus Nature
Debatable

Relationship between summative assessment task(s) and

statement of inquiry:

For the unit 5 performance task, students will work with

a partner to create a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation
on "10 Lessons I've Learned from Life". Students will
identify choices and events that have shaped their
identities and also explain how their identities shaped
those choices.

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Approaches to learning (ATL)

Communication

I. Communication skills
Reading, writing and using language to gather and
communicate information
Read critically and for comprehension
Take effective notes in class

Learning Experiences
Close Reading orally and independently
Take notes in a double-entry journal as a whole
class, in small groups, and independently
Read and annotate texts "talking to the text"

II. Collaboration skills

Working effectively with others
Listen actively to other perspectives and ideas
Social
Action: Teaching and learning through inquiry
Content

Learning process
Learning Experiences

Standards:

Reading: Literature
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite strong and thorough textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn
from the text.
3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g.,
those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact
with other characters, and advance the plot
or develop the theme.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze
the cumulative impact of specific word

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

Rubrics and examples will be provided for double-entry (dialectical) journals, presentations, and essays
Students will participate in close readings of texts as a whole class/teacher-led, in small groups/peer-led, and
independently/self-led
Teacher will model double-entry journals, presentations, and essays through think aloud and modeling
Students will develop a better understanding of vocabulary and literary terms through word analysis and
concept maps
Students will do weekly reflective writing prompts and share with peers and teacher for further development
Students will have weekly quizzes to assess master of the skills and concepts
Teaching strategies

Feedback orally during discussion of texts and tasks

Feedback in writing through shared Google docs and on written assessments
Extended time for reading and assessments
Work one-on-one with CTT teacher
Provide assistance with organizational skills
Give multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery

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choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the

language evokes a sense of time and place;
how it sets a formal or informal tone).
7. Analyze the representation of a subject
or a key scene in two different artistic
mediums, including what is emphasized or
absent in each treatment (e.g., Audens
Muse des Beaux Arts and Breughels
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).
Writing
Text types and Purposes
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to
examine and convey complex ideas,
concepts, and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content.
a. Introduce a topic; organize complex
ideas, concepts, and information to make
important connections and distinctions;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics
(e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when
useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with well-chosen,
relevant, and sufficient facts, extended
definitions, concrete details, quotations, or
other information and examples appropriate
to the audiences knowledge of the topic.

Limit number of skills assessed at one time

Describe how you will differentiate teaching & learning for this unit?
Extended time for reading and assessments
Work one-on-one with CTT teacher
Provide assistance with organizational skills
Give multiple opportunities to demonstrate mastery
Limit number of skills assessed at one time

Learner Profile
Reflective: As students read autobiographical texts, they will make connections and reflect in discussion and writing on how their lives have been impacted by their own
choices and how their choices have been impacted by their lives.
Resources
Journal:
Gifted Hands by Ben Carson
"Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" poem by Maya Angelou

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

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"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

Google Docs
PowerPoint/Prezi
Reflection: Considering the planning, process and impact of the inquiry
Prior to teaching the unit

During teaching

After teaching the unit

What does experience tell us about what to expect in

this unit?
Students are not yet adept and reading critically on
an independent level and will need scaffolding and
guiding questions to help them focus and develop
these skills.

Middle Years Programme Unit planner

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