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media type="custom" key="6468943" width="418" height="418" __**Unit Plan on Poverty For 9th grade English**__

__ **Description of the community and its importance:** __ The area I have chosen to teach the Unit Plan on Poverty is in an upper class community, where students have a lot of resources available to them within their homes, community and schools.This group of students doesn’t have a problem getting the clothing, technology and vehicles they desire. They enjoy eating out at restaurants with friends and family and swimming in their private pools. This group of students is important to teach a lesson on poverty to, because they are not around situations with substantial poverty problems. These students could learn a lot about the poor communities that they may live closer to than they realize.Another good reason for them to learn about poverty in today’s society is having students that have such readily available resources could have great impacts on poor communities.This could be a wonderful eye opener to some of these students. __ **Description of reading, research, and activities** __ Students will start the unit with a mini research project to help them learn about poverty.Each student will also be reading a fiction book related to poverty to help them build more relationships between their non-fiction readings and their fiction readings. They will also keep a three ring binder that they will help them keep track of a reading log, new vocabulary they are learning, and any notes from class discussions or mini lessons.Students will also be given the opportunity to participate in a poverty simulation activity to help bring the topic to a personal level for them.After they have completed their Project Poverty activity and the simulation activities they will come up will ways to help the community and then proceed with some of their ideas.The students will start by creating a booth for the school cafeteria to inform their fellow classmates about poverty and what they can do to help. __ **Description of writing assignments in Unit plan:** __ Project Poverty Journal: this is a mini research paper. Students will have to have 11 different writings leading up to a final paper.This will be their first assignment for the unit. Fictional Reading book Choice: Students will choose a book related to poverty and keep a reading log. They will write a summarization about what they’ve read along with any questions, thoughts or connections they make from their reading relating to their life or the research they are doing. Poverty Simulation Activity: Students will be required to complete a one page paper about their thoughts of how this activity made them feel. Cafeteria Booth: Students will be required to create Posters, Brochures, Handouts, and Flyers to hand out to the student’s body. Students will write a letter to someone of their choice in the community to help make a difference regarding poverty. __ **Learning Objectives:** __ -Students will be able to organize thoughts on paper. -Students will have learned an array of new vocabulary based is their readings. -Students will gain experience in their community. -Students will know how to revise and draft a paper. -Students will be able to participate in classroom discussions. -Students will learn to work together by asking each other questions and sharing their thoughts**.** [|State of Michigan Content Standards]

**Day 1:** Wordle Activity- This activity will help get students oriented with the new unit on poverty. It will help them brainstorm for their project poverty journal, get their minds turning and create new vocabulary words. The activity description is found under the resources section. Project Poverty Journal Assignment- This is a handout under the resources section. Have the materials ready and available for the students to create their journals while in class. Simply go over the assignment with them and check for understanding. Once they have finished this allow some students to access the library and others to use the classroom books to start their first journal entry. Homework: Finish first journal entry. ** Day 2: ** Start the book club activity. The description is in the resources section. Explain how it works to the students and then allow them to read for 30 minutes during class time and have them make their first reading log record. Have the students gather into their reading groups and discuss readings.They can talk about how they like their book choice any questions they have about the reading they completed or connections they made. Homework: Read Fiction Book and complete another reading log.
 * __ Unit Plan: Poverty __**
 * Week 1: **

** Day 3: ** Take the class to the computer lab.Have them use the internet and Microsoft word to conduct research on their project poverty and then use Microsoft word to create a journal entry. This can take up about half of class time or 45 minutes. End the class with a great discussion about poverty and the student’s findings. Take notes from the discussion on the board and have the students take notes in there mini lesson section of their three ring binders. ** Day 1: ** Show the U tube video from []. Have a short discussion about this video then show the other video that’s on the same page followed by more discussion.Have the students come up with a list of things they can do to help the poor communities and write them on the board. Then have the students spend time writing a letter to someone in the community with a purpose to inform them of their findings and give some solutions. Homework: Read fictional Book and make a journal entry in Project Poverty Journal. Homework: make final revisions on letters to be mailed out during the next class period. ** Day 1: ** Have the students get into their Book club groups for discussion then come together as a whole in a circle and discuss more connections from the research project, their fictional books and any thoughts they may have. When this is finished, use the remaining of the class to read their books or do more research. Homework: Finish up the research project to bring to the next class for revision. ** Day 2: ** Peer revision day. Have students help one another revise their final papers for their research project. Homework: Finish Project poverty Journal to turn in at the next class period. ** Day 3: ** Talk about the Poverty Simulation Event that they will be required to attend. Handout stationary to each student and have them make invitations to the Poverty Simulation Event. They should invite family, friends, and teachers. Make sure students understand this is part of an outreach to their community to help educate them about poverty. Once they have finished the invitations go right into the Cafeteria outreach booth activity. Give the students the Handout under the resources section. Have them read over it and then get divided into their groups.Allow them to get started with their plans. Tell them to brainstorm with their groups and decide who can bring what materials to the next class. Homework: Handout invitations and keep reading fictional book. ** Day 1: ** Have students work on their cafeteria outreach booth. Homework: Finish cafeteria booth assignments. Students may need to get together outside of class. ** Day 1: ** Set up the booth in the cafeteria before lunch hour and assign groups the lunch hours they are going to stand at the booth.Then use the remaining of the class to read and hopefully finish their fictional reading books followed by the last reading log. [] ** : ** Here you can create a Wordle. [] : This is a website about students that have made a difference for hunger in their communities. There is also a great U Tube video here.You will also find ideas for different ways students can make a difference. [] : This is an Article about children and poverty in the U.S. [] : This is an article about children and poverty in the U.S.  [] : This website contains statistics about poverty in the U.S.  [] : this would be something for students to be required to attend and encouraged to invite friends and family. [] : This is a website that has a video about people’s responses to a poverty simulation and another about poverty in the community. The website also contains a wealth of information about poverty. [] : this is a website that talks about poverty simulations for Idaho and Washington. [] : This website is where you can find out how and when a poverty simulation will be held for west Michigan. Rich World Poor World by Melanie Jarman. Poverty Opposing View Points multiple authors Social Issues Firsthand: Poverty Welfare Opposing View points If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser Half World by Hiromi Goto Beneath My Mothers Feet by Amjed Qamar Bowery Girl by Kim Taylor Life After We Knew It by Susan Pheffer A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
 * Week 2: **
 * Day 2: ** Use this day as a peer revising day and teacher student conferencing day.Have the students help each other with their letters and then as the teacher have a conference with each student only lasting a few minutes, to discuss how their research project is going and for any questions they may have.
 * Week 3: **
 * Week 4: **
 * Day 2: ** Computer Lab day. Students will be able to use this time to find information on the internet about poverty for their project and also use the computers to help make their assigned areas look attractive.
 * Week 5: **
 * Day 2: ** Conduct the final book club meeting. For the class discussion make sure to touch on the different vocabulary words the students learned. Have the students do the wordle activity again and see the difference in the words they come up with after they have completed the unit on poverty.
 * __ Resources: __**
 * Online- **
 * Books- **
 * Non-Fiction **
 * Fiction **


 * __Handouts:__**


 * __ Activity Descriptions __**

** Book Club Activity Description: ** Materials needed: Reading Log, Three Ring Binder with dividers (reading log, vocabulary, mini lesson notes), student choice of fictional book related to poverty, pencils and highlighters. Have students choose one book out of about five different titles. The idea is to have fewer titles so the students can pair up into small groups that have the same book choice. They will read their books separately but go into small groups once or twice a week to discuss their reading and refer to their reading logs as well as vocabulary list. After they have met in small groups have the class join together into a large circle for a class discussion to make connections between the different books of fiction, the non-fiction research they are doing and life in their community. Materials needed: Dry Erase board, dry erase board markers, computer, and a copier. This activity will be a great introduction into the new unit on poverty. At the beginning of class discuss the new unit with the students explain to them what a wordle is a compilation of words all mixed up kind of like a word puzzle.Have the students call out words that have anything to do with poverty as you write them on the dry erase board.With some of the words it would be fun to discuss what they mean and how they relate to poverty. When this is complete put these words into a word document on the computer and copy and paste them into [] .Make a copy of this wordle for each student and have them place it at the beginning of their vocabulary section of their three ring binders for future references. The students will use stationary to create invitations for family and friends to invite them to this after school event. This event will be held by a non-profit organization that students, friends, family and teachers should attend. This information can be found at [] .Depending on your students and their family participation this could become an extra credit activity.
 * Wordle Activity: **
 * Poverty Simulation Event: **