1. Unit Plan for Faulkner
2. Assessment for As I Lay Dying
3. Unit Plan for "The Odyssey"
4. Assessment for "The Odyssey"
Backwards planning is key for As I Lay Dying, but I'm a little nervous about what to expect with the students. Faulkner is notoriously difficult and I feel like I've been out of the classroom and the transition to this text is going to be rough. I also am unsure about how to incorporate meaningful technology into the unit. I've outlined some goals that I have for this unit in terms of what we need to study:
- Novel Study Topics
- Existential Dilemmas
- Identity
- Relationship with Family and Environment
- Existence
- Fate, Eternity and Being
- Black Humor
- Reliable Narration (Connect back to Huck Finn, 1984 and The Great Gatsby)
- The Old South and the past
- Gender Roles
- Rhetorical Topics to Review
- Allusion to Bible, The Odyssey and Macbeth
- Narrative Structure
- Symbolism
- Diction, Syntax and Figures of Speech
- Plot Structure
- AP Exam Prep (this is where I start to falter)
- Multiple Choice with Text
- Rhetorical Analysis
I have to design the assessment to really focus on the AP Exam prep, especially since we're cutting it close to the AP exam (I need to do another novel prior to May!). I could infuse non-fiction texts into this unit, but I'm not sure if we'll have time. This is an AP class, but I also have to acknowledge that many of my students take other AP classes or this is their first AP class. As a result, I'm always a little worried that I'm overloading them. I think I'm going to have to be very deliberate as I calendar out these next two units.
With the AP prep as a focal for the assessment, I also want to think about a secondary assessment (project-based) for the students to work on. Prior to leaving on maternity leave, students completed a podcast project. I think that would be something I would like to build on for this unit of study. I believe it could be really successful for narrative voice--which means I may have to have students work in larger groups OR I could have students complete something as individuals and then compile them for one large class product. To be honest, I'm thinking aloud as I type and I'm starting to have a vision for what I want out of this project...it will just take some configuration to figure out how to build it. Students know how to use the technology, it is just a matter of getting them to play around with narrative voice and create something meaningful out of that...
As I reflect on my blog (meta-reflection, I guess), I can see a starting point and I can better figure out how to move forward from this point. My to-do list from above is too broad, which is why I haven't been able to effectively tackle it. Here's an updated to-do list:
1. Calendar out how many days I have to do two novels
2. Review and Read As I Lay Dying to calendar novel checks
3. Craft Podcast Project
I'm going to stop here for now, as I want to pause and actually tackle these 3 manageable goals to move forward. Once I have a timeline, I think I will understand how to move forward.
