Unit: Water as a Civil Right Writing Unit Teacher: Ms.

Fulgiam

Quart 3 Unit Plan and Instructional Calendar - Freedom Prep Secondary ELA

From Understanding by Design by McTighe and Wiggins

Stage 1 Desired Results

Interim Assessment Alignment BIG IDEAS

Students will explore these conceptual ideas…

What text types and writing

content standards will this interim
Sameness, individuality, and equality.
assessment cycle address? Science
Fiction and narrative writing. Meaning

UNDERSTANDINGS ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

Students will understand that… Students will keep considering…

What specifically do you want students to understand? What thought-provoking questions will foster inquiry, meaning-
making, and transfer?
● Water is an essential resource. It is fundamental to all
forms of life. We need to protect this resource now and for ● Why is access to clean water a civil right?
the future.
● What does a government owe its constituents?
● Constituents expect that their government will protect
● What makes a good source?
their life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Protecting
the community’s water source is vital to this expectation. ● What are the mindsets and habits I need to develop in
The disastrous Flint, Michigan water crisis i an example of order to engage in productive research? How
what could happen when a government cuts corners to
save costs at the expense of a community’s safety.

● Credible and relevant sources are the only sources we

should use for research. We need trustworthy sources
written by experts and published by reputable
organizations. These sources also must be on topic we’re
studying to help us learn about our research issues and
 report our knowledge back to our audiences.

● Research requires persistence, suspending judgment, and

continual inquiry. To engage in research, it is important
that you engage in the act of learning first, you question
your sources, and that you continue to revise and refine
your thinking as you learn more. It’s never ok to accept the
first answer you receive from the first source.

Acquisition

Students will know… Students will be skilled at…

What facts and basic concepts should students know and be able What discrete skills and processes should students be able to
to recall? use?

● Students will build knowledge on the topic of water and
then research to find out what happened to cause the Flint
Water Crisis and the problems it presented to the
community, as well as develop potential solutions that are
interesting to them and what they would like to write
about.
● Narrow and conquer key research skills that are unique
to 6 th grade, particularly finding credible and relevant
resources given a specific task, and using questions to
refocus and continue research.
○ Annotate and analyze the central idea of articles

○ Think critically about the information provided

● Key terms:
○ Research, search terms, research questions,
credible source, logical reasoning, claim, sub-
claim, framing, context, interpretation (analysis),
range and quality, sentence fluency
○ Surface water, ground water, fresh water,
reservoir, watershed, and lead.
and apply it to their understanding of the world
○ Determine topics of further research after initial
learning
○ Identify relevant information within sources
○ Identify credible and relevant sources to take
notes on
○ Accurately summarize information and quote
 when necessary, avoiding plagiarism

○ Create a works cited page

○ Distinguish between credible and relevant, and

irrelevant or untrustworthy sources

○ Determine the most relevant proof for an

argument

○ Determine the appropriate transition words to

connect two ideas or introduce one

○ Properly use commas along with transition

words

Unit internalization questions:

● Why this book or unit?

○ This unit is a great opportunity for students to gain insight into government issues and how they affect communities. Subsequently, students
can also examine the lead within the Shelby County Schools and assess what happened and what issues has it caused for their communities.

● Personally, what aspect of this unit are you most excited about/invested in and why?
○ Students engaging in research and becoming more insightful regarding Flint. Moreover, students can look into the efforts of Little Miss Flint.

Instructional Calendar Expectations:

By end of day Thursdays, Secondary ELA teachers will have updated their instructional calendar for the upcoming week. Jackie Dean will check for completion
and submit any questions, comments, or feedback to teachers by end of day Friday.

This calendar IS: a way to track where teachers are in the curriculum and a foundational component to the planning process (objectives, standards, assessments)
 This calendar IS NOT: a completed Intellectual Prep. Rather, completing this calendar BEGINS the IP process by identifying texts to internalize, lessons to
annotate, exemplars to complete, etc.

Stage 3 – Instructional Calendar

Date Objective (SWBAT) & Standard(s) Assessment & CFS (if not included in Text & Page #s AF Lesson # Notes (optional)
AF materials)
Example (RL8.3-RL8.4) SWBAT analyze how Lee uses diction and Exit Ticket: TKAM Chapter 1 2
details to reveal aspects of Scout’s character and Maycomb.
1. As readers, what do we learn about Scout?
About Maycomb?

2. How does Lee characterize Maycomb?

Week 1: Knowledge-building on local/global water issues

(Common Assessment 3.1 to be administered this week)

M 1/6 SWBAT explain the global water crisis and ● Do Now: Watch Video Lesson 0 HW:
its impact on communities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch? Anticipation Guide
v=VieZ3hqztlE&feature=c4-overview-
vl&list=PLtaayxEPf2h4zsZsX6yBdQsaRi9 Answer the following 9
questions first with your prior
Gr0bGR.
knowledge and your best
guesses. Check your answers
at the bottom of the page.
● Tanzania Case Study (Overview Which answers surprised you
and Personal Calculation) the most?
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-we-
get-our-fresh-water-christiana-z-
peppard HW:

Water Article

● Exit Ticket: There is a Global http://www.charitywater.or

Water Crisis because… There is g/stories/i-feel-beautiful-for-
a Global Water Crisis, but… the-first-time
 There is a Global Water Crisis,
so...

T 1/7 SWBAT conduct initial research to learn Exit Ticket: Lesson 1 HW:
about the importance of water life.
Informative Paragraph +
Outline
What did you learn today about water?
Be sure to include which answers to
the WebQuest surprised you the most.

W 1/8 HW:

N/A

Complete Webquest

Revision of Paragraph

TH 1/9 Common Assessment HW:

F 1/10 SWBAT conduct initial research on their Exit Ticket: Articles: Lesson 2 HW:
community’s water source by listing out
The Memphis (lesson will be Language Arts Packet
step by step process.
Sand altered to
Where does your water come from? Memphis (will review Monday)
Describe the process water supply)
State Water Plan
Seeks to Protect
Memphis Sands

Week 2: Basic paragraph writing: HOW do we get our water locally?

M 1/13 SWBAT create a single paragraph outline to Exit Ticket: Lesson 4 HW:
answer all parts of the prompt.
Where does your water come from? Research Skills

Sentence Combining Practice

Describe the process of Memphians https://www.k12reader.com

getting their water. /worksheet/sentence-
patterns-combining-
sentences/view/
- Students place steps in order https://www.allthingsgram
(using relevant articles) mar.com/uploads/2/3/2/9/2
- Make steps into complete 3290220/atg-worksheet-so-
sentences using 5 W’s because20.pdf

- Add time and sequence words

to sentences

T 1/14 SWBAT use sentence combining to Exit Ticket: Lesson 5 HW:

effectively write sentences.
Where does your water come from? Essay outline of informative
writing

Describe the process of Memphians

getting their water. Complete Outline

W 1/15 SWBAT revise and edit their essay Exit Ticket: Read the excerpts below. Students will use Lesson 6 HW:
sentences. Choose the best answer to describe 15 minutes to
Identifying Informational
the text structure. edit their essay
for the final Text Structures
draft to submit. https://www.ereadingworks
Pre-Work heets.com/text-structure-
 https://www.ereadingworksheets.com worksheets/identifying-text-
/text-structure-worksheets/identifying- structure-2.pdf
text-structure-1.pdf Powerpoint on
informational https://www.ereadingworks
text structures. heets.com/text-structure-
worksheets/text-structure-
Text Structures Lesson Or Informative 3.pdf
Writing
https://docs.google.com/presentation/
d/1q-
isQMJHNIeP9CWq9qQzqVNN9LRM9yS
YdjBdlFuKIGM/edit#slide=id.gc6f88989
3_0_0

TH 1/16 SWBAT take Cornell notes on a video and a Exit Ticket: What happened in Flint, Flint: Lesson 7 HW:
website to learn about Flint, Michigan Michigan and what lesson should the https://www.mli
Flint and Memphis Water
Water Crisis. public learn as a result? ve.com/news/pa
ge/still_standing Article (TWR practices)
_flint_residents.h
tml
https://storyboardmemphis.
com/op-ed-corner/how-the-
PBS: water-flows-flint-michigan-
vs-memphis-tennessee/
https://www.pbs
.org/newshour/e
xtra/daily-
videos/poison-
water-in-flint-
affects-
everyones-
health-especially-
kids/
F 1/17 SWBAT identify credible and relevant Exit Ticket: Lesson 8
sources.

Week 3: Knowledge-building on water issues (Flint)

M 1/20 MLK Day - No School

T 1/21 SWBAT create a timeline of key events in Exit Ticket: How does constructing a Timeline Notes: Lesson 9 HW:
the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis. timeline help us understand an
ongoing event? What mistakes were made in
Flint, Michigan and how
(students will could they have been
create a timeline avoided?
(students will submit timeline) using cut outs -
Mrs. Robinson’s
group will have
What lessons should
Do Now: Without looking at your full completed
cut outs / government officials and the
notes, what were the 3-4 big events public learn from this crisis?
that happened in the Flint Water everyone else
will turn What else do we need to
Crisis? research?
fragments into
sentences)

(bullet point ideas +

paragraph)

W 1/22 SWBAT participate in a seminar to Exit Ticket: What happened in Flint, Silent Chalk Talk Lesson 10 HW:
determine the role of government in Flint’s Michigan, and what lesson should the
water crisis and the steps that should be public learn as a result? Redo Dwindling Freshwater
taken to prevent a similar crisis elsewhere. *document with Do Now:
 expectations

Write a letter to your state

congressman or woman explaining why
Flint, Michigan concerns you and what
you hope he or she will do as a result.

TH 1/23 SWBAT identify credible and relevant Exit Ticket: Do Now: Skill Lesson 11 HW:
sources. (narrow their research to potential
F 1/24 solutions and steps identified in the ● What are two research Draft letter regarding Flint
potential solutions for the Flint Water Crisis concerns and
seminar). Model: Research
Water Crisis? hopes
Solutions
● What did you learn today
about creating search terms?
Student Solution Article

Week 4: Basic paragraph writing: Flint

M 1/27 SWBAT outline their letter with paragraph Exit Ticket: Review Feedback Lesson 12
outlines. of First Draft
● Submit outline

● How do paragraph outlines

help your writing? (Text Preview:

S.S: focus)

After five years, Flint's citizens are still without clean drinking water. There have been multiple debates regarding the possible solutions that would both fix
the crisis and gain back the communities' trust.

You have read multiple perspectives on the Flint water crisis, including varying opinions on the best possible solutions. Using the texts from class, write a
letter to the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, arguing for the best solution. In your letter, be sure to address how your solution would both fix the
water issues in Flint and gain back the communities’ trust.
Write a well-organized, text-dependent response. Be sure to save time to edit and review your work for complete sentences, spelling, punctuation, and
appropriate language.