Statement from Mr. Harrow and Mr. Kreiter: Welcome to our joint themed literature unit. This years theme is "Never losing hope." During this unit your student will participate in a literature circle with classmates, write a short story about a time when they never gave up hope, and create an art piece to be displayed at the end of unit celebration. While both classrooms will be participating in the same unit, the two classes will not interact until the final celebration when they will get a chance to share stories and compare notes with students from across town. We both hope you and your student are as excited as we are to get this unit started. We both find that these themed literature units teach us as much about life as they teach the students.
Rational for Unit: Never losing hope one is one of the most important things to remember when it comes to survival in this world. With hope and hard work, one can overcome tremendous odds to succeed. The goal of this literacy unit is to teach our students to not lose hope when the going gets tough because no matter what life throws at you, it’s those people that believe and trust in themselves that will succeed and thrive. By providing literature examples of characters never losing hope in their fight for survival, students will have the mental ability to face obstacles, danger and many other issues that life throws at you. There are many different books within this unit that play around the central theme of never losing hope. All of the books will have characteristics such as hard work, bravery, motivation, inspiration and surviving by any means necessary. This unit is very relevant and important for the students to understand because people face difficult times all the time and it is crucial for people to realize that maintaining hope is half the battle. The students will be reading and writing about the books under this theme and the students will hopefully be engaged and connected as they relate their books to personal experiences where hope was a main subject. These learning opportunities are a crucial tool that students should master and it will keep students motivated and interested in their work.
Books:
The Hatchet Summary: A young boy, who is on the way to see his father, gets a gift from his mother. A hatchet. While on the plane making the trip, the pilot has a heart-attack and the plane crashes into a lake. Brian escapes the wreckage and must to learn survive on his own with nothing but the hatchet and hope that one day he will be rescued. Esperanza Rising Summary: Esperanza Rising is about a rich Mexican girl who loses her father, her house, and all her money in a single night. Threatened by her step-uncle, she and her mother flee to the United States with their previous servants. There, Esperanza learns to take responsibility and becomes the head of her family when her mom is ill with a deadly virus. In the end, Esperanza finally achieves her goal of bringing her grandmother to the U.S. with the help of her friend, Miguel. Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Summary: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry takes place during the time when people were discriminated by their color, where it was an everyday struggle to survive because of all of the violence and hatred. This book shows the idea that we should all be tolerant of each other and never lose hope that change can happen. Holes Summary: Stanley Yelnats gets framed for stealing a famous pair of cleats that were donated to a homeless shelter. His punishment is to go to Camp Green Lake and dig holes all day until he and "Zero" Hector eventually find a way out. Bridge to Terabithia Summary: Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. Together they create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits. Then one morning a terrible tragedy occurs. Only when Jess is able to come to grips with this tragedy does he finally understand the strength and courage Leslie has given him.
Statement from Mr. Harrow and Mr. Kreiter: Welcome to our joint themed literature unit. This years theme is "Never losing hope." During this unit your student will participate in a literature circle with classmates, write a short story about a time when they never gave up hope, and create an art piece to be displayed at the end of unit celebration. While both classrooms will be participating in the same unit, the two classes will not interact until the final celebration when they will get a chance to share stories and compare notes with students from across town. We both hope you and your student are as excited as we are to get this unit started. We both find that these themed literature units teach us as much about life as they teach the students.
Rational for Unit:
Never losing hope one is one of the most important things to remember when it comes to survival in this world. With hope and hard work, one can overcome tremendous odds to succeed. The goal of this literacy unit is to teach our students to not lose hope when the going gets tough because no matter what life throws at you, it’s those people that believe and trust in themselves that will succeed and thrive. By providing literature examples of characters never losing hope in their fight for survival, students will have the mental ability to face obstacles, danger and many other issues that life throws at you. There are many different books within this unit that play around the central theme of never losing hope. All of the books will have characteristics such as hard work, bravery, motivation, inspiration and surviving by any means necessary. This unit is very relevant and important for the students to understand because people face difficult times all the time and it is crucial for people to realize that maintaining hope is half the battle. The students will be reading and writing about the books under this theme and the students will hopefully be engaged and connected as they relate their books to personal experiences where hope was a main subject. These learning opportunities are a crucial tool that students should master and it will keep students motivated and interested in their work.
Books:
The Hatchet
Summary: A young boy, who is on the way to see his father, gets a gift from his mother. A hatchet. While on the plane making the trip, the pilot has a heart-attack and the plane crashes into a lake. Brian escapes the wreckage and must to learn survive on his own with nothing but the hatchet and hope that one day he will be rescued.
Esperanza Rising
Summary: Esperanza Rising is about a rich Mexican girl who loses her father, her house, and all her money in a single night. Threatened by her step-uncle, she and her mother flee to the United States with their previous servants. There, Esperanza learns to take responsibility and becomes the head of her family when her mom is ill with a deadly virus. In the end, Esperanza finally achieves her goal of bringing her grandmother to the U.S. with the help of her friend, Miguel.
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
Summary: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry takes place during the time when people were discriminated by their color, where it was an everyday struggle to survive because of all of the violence and hatred. This book shows the idea that we should all be tolerant of each other and never lose hope that change can happen.
Holes
Summary: Stanley Yelnats gets framed for stealing a famous pair of cleats that were donated to a homeless shelter. His punishment is to go to Camp Green Lake and dig holes all day until he and "Zero" Hector eventually find a way out.
Bridge to Terabithia
Summary: Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. Together they create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits. Then one morning a terrible tragedy occurs. Only when Jess is able to come to grips with this tragedy does he finally understand the strength and courage Leslie has given him.
Family Fun Activities Center
Family Support: Making Connections
Family Support: Literature Circles
Family Support: Character Traits
Magnuson Park Joint Classroom Celebration
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