By Christina Vasbinder, Northside High School, Onslow County Schools, North Carolina
OVERVIEW OF LESSON:
In this Literature Circles/ Book Club unit, students will select novels to read in groups that all focus on the experiences of Indigenous peoples. They will conduct group meetings to discuss their selected novel and explore the themes and ideas presented in their novel to help them understand its cultural significance and impact. Students will then create a multi-genre project with their group using a menu board of project ideas to creatively showcase their understanding of Indigenous cultures. Students will use the knowledge obtained in their reading as well as conduct research to further their understanding. Students will then present their projects to their class or at a Literary Book Fair event to demonstrate their learning to other students in the school as a way to showcase the many facets of Indigenous cultures. This unit will take about six weeks to complete.
SUGGESTED GRADE LEVELS: Grades 9-12
SUBJECT: English Language Arts
CORRESPONDING NATIONAL AND/OR STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA STANDARDS:
North Carolina Standard Course of Study
Reading Standards for Literature
RL.1, RL.2, RL.3, RL.4, RL.5, RL.6
Writing Standards
W.2 a-h, W.3 a-g, W.4, W.5, W.6
Speaking and Listening Standards
SL.1 a-d, SL.2, SL.4, SL.5
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
- Whose stories/narratives are represented in the traditional literary cannon?
- Why is it important to include diverse Indigenous voices, perspectives, and experiences in a more inclusive canon?
- How can reading about Indigenous cultural perspectives and experiences shape our own viewpoint and identity?
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
Students will know and be able to:
- Cite strong, thorough, explicit textual evidence. (RL.1)
- Analyze explicit ideas in the text. (RL.1)
- Draw inferences from the text. (RL.1)
- Determine where the text leaves things uncertain (RL.1)
- Determine theme or central idea. (RL.2)
- Analyze how specific details shape the development of the theme. (RL.2)
- Analyze how themes build on one another. (RL.2)
- Present an objective summary. (RL.2)
- Analyze how setting affects story. (RL.3)
- Analyze the impact of the sequence of events. (RL.3)
- Analyze how characters are introduced and developed. (RL.3)
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as used in the text. (RL.4)
- Figurative meanings
- Connotative meanings
- Analyze the impact of word choice on meaning and tone. (RL.4)
- Analyze specific parts of text. (RL.5)
- Examine how author’s choices contribute to overall structure and meaning. (RL.5)
- Distinguish between what is directly stated and what is meant. (RL.6)
- Distinguish among satiric, sarcastic, ironic, and understated points of view. (RL.6)
BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE EDUCATOR or RESOURCES TO EXPLORE FURTHER:
Students will benefit from background knowledge on Indigenous Peoples. Below you will find a few TED Talks and other sites that can offer great context for students:
Indigenous In Plain Sight, Gregg Deal
The Modern Native American Story, Eric Hernandez
A collection of stories, lessons, and films about Indigenous Cultures
When viewing TED Talks, using a graphic organizer can be beneficial to students.
Literature Circles, sometimes referred to as “Book Clubs” are a research-based reading strategy that allows student choice in their reading and encourages authentic discussions in collaborative groups. You can scaffold the unit by adding extra discussion supports, creating reading quizzes to demonstrate knowledge or any other modifications needed based on your students’ needs. For this unit, students will complete reading analysis journals to cover ELA standards and to prepare for discussion in lieu of “traditional” Literature Circle roles. For more information on Literature Circles, visit this how to guide for facilitating Literature Circles.
For more novel options, this site has a list of critically acclaimed novels centered around Indigenous People.
For more information on multi-genre projects, this site has a general overview of the concept.
For examples of multi-genre projects, check out this site.
SPECIFIC STUDENT STRATEGIES & ACTIVITIES:
| Unit Calendar | ||||
| Day 1
· Indigenous Novel Book Club PPT · Students choose novel |
Day 2
· Students create reading schedule · Students read and prepare for 1st meeting |
Day 3
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
Day 4
· Meeting #1 · Task 1 in analysis journal
|
Day 5
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
| Day 6
· Meeting #2 · Tasks 2-3 in analysis journal |
Day 7
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
Day 8
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
Day 9
· Meeting #3 · Tasks 4-6 in analysis journal |
Day 10
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
| Day 11
· Meeting #4 · Tasks 7-9 in analysis journal |
Day 12
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
Day 13
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
Day 14
· Meeting #5 · Tasks 10-13 in analysis journal |
Day 15
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
| Day 16
· Meeting #6 · Tasks 14-17 in analysis journal |
Day 17
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
Day 18
· Student reading/ journaling day
|
Day 19
· Meeting #7 · Tasks 18-20 in analysis journal |
Day 20
· Multi-genre Project Overview · Students begin the multi-genre project |
| Day 21
· Multi-genre project workday
|
Day 22
· Multi-genre project workday
|
Day 23
· Multi-genre project workday
|
Day 24
· Multi-genre project workday
|
Day 25
· Multi-genre project due date/ presentations · Reflective Writing |
Day 1:
- “Book Club” Overview
- Begin introducing the unit to students as laid out in the Indigenous Novel Book Club Side Deck
- Briefly present the book options students can choose from:
- Elatso
- Fire Song
- Firekeeper’s Daughter
- Man Made Monsters
- Warrior Girl Unearthed
- The Round House
- The Marrow Thieves
- House of Purple Cedar
- Go over slides 11-14
- Slide 11 gives students a general overview of the major components of the unit: novel assignment, book club meetings, and a multi-genre project. These components will be described in detail later.
- Slide 12 gives students a breakdown of what will be expected of them each week. They will have 4 weeks to read their novel and complete their analysis journal.
- Slide 13 introduces students to the Reading Analysis Journal. The teacher will go over all requirements for this assignment.
- The Reading Analysis Journal consists of 20 prompts and is divided into 7 sections so that each Book Club meeting has a focus. The number of reading analysis tasks can be modified for students who receive accommodations as needed.
- Slide 14 introduces students to the Book Club Meeting Notes template. The teacher will go over how students will take notes and be active listeners in their group meetings.
- For students who receive modifications, the notes template could be shortened, or a copy of another student’s notes could be provided to accommodate their specific learning needs.
- Then, have students research the available novels and choose their top three choices.
- The teacher will select student groups before the next class based on student input. Groups can be created based on student needs, taking into consideration student IEP modifications, ESL accommodations, and student personalities.
- Briefly present the book options students can choose from:
- Begin introducing the unit to students as laid out in the Indigenous Novel Book Club Side Deck
Day 2:
- The teacher will inform students of their assigned novel and students will move to be with their group.
- Once novels have been assigned and groups formed, students will work with their group to create a reading calendar so that everyone in the group knows how many pages to read to prepare for each book club meeting.
- For example: If their novel is 203 pages long, they will divide the number of pages into seven sections. They would then know to read 29 pages before each meeting.
- Students will then begin reading to prepare for Meeting #1. The teacher should remind students to also complete the meeting #1 tasks in their Reading Analysis Journal. (For meeting #1 there is only 1 task.)
- As students are reading independently, the teacher should monitor students and ensure that they are on task.
Day 3:
- Student reading/ journaling day
- The teacher will monitor students as they continue to read and prepare for their book club meeting.
Day 4:
- Book Club Meeting #1
- The teacher will ensure each group has enough copies of the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
- Each group will begin their meeting. Students should start by discussing the required task from their Reading Analysis Journals assigned for that meeting.
- Once everyone in the group has had a chance discuss their response to the analysis topics, groups should discuss other things that they found interesting in the reading, make predictions, and include a summary of the reading as outlined on the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
Day 5:
- Student reading/ journaling day
- The teacher will monitor students as they continue to read and prepare for their book club meeting.
- The teacher should remind students that they need to complete topics 2-3 to prepare for Meeting #2.
Day 6:
- Book Club Meeting #2
- The teacher will ensure each group has enough copies of the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
- Each group will begin their meeting. Students should start by discussing the required task from their Reading Analysis Journals assigned for that meeting.
- Once everyone in the group has had a chance discuss their response to the analysis topics, groups should discuss other things that they found interesting in the reading, make predictions, and include a summary of the reading as outlined on the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
Days 7-8:
- Student reading/ journaling days
- The teacher will monitor students as they continue to read and prepare for their book club meeting.
- The teacher should remind students that they need to complete topics 4-6 to prepare for Meeting #3.
Day 9:
- Book Club Meeting #3
- The teacher will ensure each group has enough copies of the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
- Each group will begin their meeting. Students should start by discussing the required task from their Reading Analysis Journals assigned for that meeting.
- Once everyone in the group has had a chance discuss their response to the analysis topics, groups should discuss other things that they found interesting in the reading, make predictions, and include a summary of the reading as outlined on the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
Day 10:
- Student reading/ journaling day
- The teacher will monitor students as they continue to read and prepare for their book club meeting.
- The teacher should remind students that they need to complete topics 7-9 to prepare for Meeting #4.
Day 11:
- Book Club Meeting #4
- The teacher will ensure each group has enough copies of the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
- Each group will begin their meeting. Students should start by discussing the required task from their Reading Analysis Journals assigned for that meeting.
- Once everyone in the group has had a chance discuss their response to the analysis topics, groups should discuss other things that they found interesting in the reading, make predictions, and include a summary of the reading as outlined on the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
Days 12-13:
- Student reading/ journaling days
- The teacher will monitor students as they continue to read and prepare for their book club meeting.
- The teacher should remind students that they need to complete topics 10-13 to prepare for Meeting #5.
Day 14:
- Book Club Meeting #5
- The teacher will ensure each group has enough copies of the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
- Each group will begin their meeting. Students should start by discussing the required task from their Reading Analysis Journals assigned for that meeting.
- Once everyone in the group has had a chance discuss their response to the analysis topics, groups should discuss other things that they found interesting in the reading, make predictions, and include a summary of the reading as outlined on the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
Day 15:
- Student reading/ journaling day
- The teacher will monitor students as they continue to read and prepare for their book club meeting.
- The teacher should remind students that they need to complete topics 14-17 to prepare for Meeting #6.
Day 16:
- Book Club Meeting #6
- The teacher will ensure each group has enough copies of the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
- Each group will begin their meeting. Students should start by discussing the required task from their Reading Analysis Journals assigned for that meeting.
- Once everyone in the group has had a chance discuss their response to the analysis topics, groups should discuss other things that they found interesting in the reading, make predictions, and include a summary of the reading as outlined on the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
Days 17-18:
- Student reading/ journaling days
- The teacher will monitor students as they continue to read and prepare for their book club meeting.
- The teacher should remind students that they need to complete topics 18-20 to prepare for Meeting #7.
Day 19:
- Book Club Meeting #7
- The teacher will ensure each group has enough copies of the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
- Each group will begin their meeting. Students should start by discussing the required task from their Reading Analysis Journals assigned for that meeting.
- Once everyone in the group has had a chance discuss their response to the analysis topics, groups should discuss other things that they found interesting in the reading, make predictions, and include a summary of the reading as outlined on the Book Club Meeting Notes template.
Day 20:
- The teacher will go over the Multi-genre Project. The goal of the project is to showcase their knowledge and understanding of the themes and characters in the novel by creating pieces of writing in different genres that are all connected by a major theme found in their novel.
- Students will use the menu board of project options/ideas to create various pieces of writing.
- There are multiple options for each genre of writing. Students should be encouraged to be creative! If students have an idea that is not listed, the teacher can decide to allow students the freedom of choice.
- Students will follow the pre-writing and planning prompts to help them organize their project.
- At the end of the project, each group will present their project to the class to share their understanding of the text and it’s meaning with other students. The teacher can decide the best way for students to present. Some options include groups presenting one at a time to the rest of the class or using a gallery walk format where students rotate around the room to look at each group’s project.
- Students will use the menu board of project options/ideas to create various pieces of writing.
- After the teacher has explained the project to students, they should begin working on the project with their group.
Days 21-24:
- Multi-genre Project Workdays
- The students will work with their group to complete the requirements for their multi-genre project
Day 25:
- Multi-genre Project Presentations
- Each group will present their project to the class The teacher can decide the best way for students to present. Some options include groups presenting one at a time to the rest of the class or using a gallery walk format where students rotate around the room to look at each group’s project.
- After all presentations have been viewed, students will begin working on the Reflective Writing assignment. Their writing should include all requirements outlined in the assignment.
ASSESSMENTS:
- Students will create a final, multi-genre project with their group that will include outside research about the author and Indigenous culture/ perspectives presented in their book.
- End of Unit Reflection (See Book Club Unit Reflective Writing Handout for specific guidelines)
- Prompt: How did your book change your view of yourself and/or the world?
- 1-2 page reflective response about the book and student learning as well as their thoughts on the Book Club format of the unit.
- Should include textual evidence from their novel to support their ideas and be able to reference specific activities from the unit.
- Prompt: How did your book change your view of yourself and/or the world?
LEARNING EXTENSION:
- To further develop student knowledge on Indigenous cultures, have students reach out to an Indigenous tribe and conduct an interview! Student can present this knowledge to the class.
MATERIALS:
The Impact of Indigenous Novels: A Book Club Unit Slide Deck
Book Club Meeting Notes Template
Book Club Unit Reflective Writing Directions and Rubric
REFERENCES:
American Indians. (2024, March 11). American Indians. https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/american-indians/
ELA Standard Course of Study | NC DPI. (n.d.). ELA Standard Course of Study | NC DPI. Retrieved March 11, 2024, from https://www.dpi.nc.gov/documents/files/ela-standard-course-study
Elatsoe. (2024, March 11). Bookshop.org. https://bookshop.org/p/books/elatsoe/18400590?ean=9781646140053
Firekeeper’s Daughter. (2024, March 11). Firekeeper’s Daughter. https://socialjusticebooks.org/firekeepers-daughter/
Fire Song. (2024, March 11). Bookshop.org. https://bookshop.org/p/books/fire-song-adam-garnet-jones/10110006?ean=9781554519781
House of Purple Cedar. (2024, March 11). House of Purple Cedar. https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/house-of-purple-cedar/
How to Facilitate Awesome Literature Circles in Secondary ELA. (2024, March 11). How to Facilitate Awesome Literature Circles in Secondary ELA. https://jennacopper.com/how-to-facilitate-awesome-literature-circles/
Indigenous Cultures. (2024, March 11). Indigenous Cultures. http://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/collections/indigenous-cultures
Indigenous In Plain Sight. (2024, March 11). Indigenous In Plain Sight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3FL9uhTH_s
Man Made Monsters. (2024, March 11). Bookshop.org. https://bookshop.org/p/books/man-made-monsters-andrea-rogers/18261944?ean=9781646141791
The Marrow Thieves. (2024, March 11). The Marrow Thieves. https://socialjusticebooks.org/the-marrow-thieves/
The Modern Native American Story. (2024, March 11). The Modern Native American Story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuPxhromP3w
Multigenre Projects. (2021, March 11). Multigenre Projects. https://theteachingfactor.wordpress.com/2021/06/18/multigenre-projects/
The Round House. (2024, March 11). The Round House. https://socialjusticebooks.org/the-round-house/
TED Talk Graphic Organizer-2. (2024, March 11). TED Talk Graphic Organizer-2. Studocu. https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/western-texas-college/mj-language-arts-3-advanced/ted-talk-graphic-organizer-2/47349163
Warrior Girl Unearthed. (2024, March 11). Warrior Girl Unearthed. Bookshop.org. https://bookshop.org/p/books/warrior-girl-unearthed-angeline-boulley/18698955?ean=9781250766588