Cody+Piechocki

Writing for Change Unit Plan //Letters to Soldiers// 11th Grade English As an individual who has a brother serving in the military and also having had several other members of my family in the armed forces ranging from great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles I realize the importance that a letter can have on those serving abroad. I believe it’s important to help teach our society the difference between supporting the war and supporting the troops. To teach our youth that whether they agree with the war or not, there are still people, our friends and neighbors, who need our support. Not only will this unit provide the students with the opportunity to write an individual serving in the armed forces, it will also teach them how to draw their own opinions about important world topics. This obviously will provide them with the ability to research a topic, write a formal letter, and learn how to make a change in their community.
 * Why is this unit plan important?**

//All Quiet on the Western Front// by Erich Maria Remarque.
 * Reading and Research Activities:**

Join Soldiers’ Angels. A volunteer-led non-profit with hundreds of thousands of volunteers providing aid and comfort to the men and women of the United States Arm, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, veterans and their families.

Watch the movie //Dear John//

Research the War on Terrorism including the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Interview a veteran or currently enlisted soldier about their time serving.

Join Letters’ for Lyrics. (see links/video below for more information).

The goal of the research and readings is to provide students the opportunity to learn more about the life of a soldier as they serve and transition back to everyday life following their service time. Reading //All Quiet on the Western Front//, watching //Dear John//, and interviewing a member of the Armed Forces will provide these students with a lot of detail from the soldiers view point. Hopefully, opening their eyes to the difficulties soldiers have of not only doing what they are asked, but of simply trying to return home and transition back into the United States. The research of the War on Terrorism and the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan is to help the students become more aware of exactly what war we are currently involved in and what the Middle East is like. This will assist the students when writing their letters.

//Daily Journal:// Since this unit may challenge many of the student’s ideals it is important for them to have an emotional outlet. The journal will also serve as a memorandum so that the students will be able to go back and see the changes they have gone through over the course of this unit.
 * Writing Assignments:**

//Research Paper:// The students will be asked to write a 5 page research paper about the War on Terrorism along with brief overviews of the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. The main goal of this paper is to make sure that the students are up to date on the war and have an understanding of the conditions that the soldiers are living in. This research will help prepare them in writing their letters to the soldiers.

//Comparison Paper:// The students will be asked to write a comparison of the book //All Quiet on the Western Front// and the movie //Dear John//. The goal will be to write about the differences and commonalities despite the different time eras, nationalities, and wars. They will also write about any emotional connections they felt for the characters and how this could influence their letter. Finally, it should answer whether these stories will help them when writing their letter.

//Letter to a Soldier:// The students will be asked to write a 2-3 page letter to a member of our armed forces. The students will have the option to write to a service member they know or to join the group //Soldiers’ Angels// and participate in the program known as //Letters for Lyrics// and write to an anonymous soldier//.// Of course they will also be allowed to choose both options if they choose for extra credit.

//Final Reflection:// At the end of the unit the students will be asked to write a 4 page paper on what they gained from the unit. They will use their journal entries, research paper, comparison paper, and letter to draw upon to write their reflection. The students will be asked to detail what they learned, what they thought about the project, and what could be improved upon for future students participating in this unit.

//Michigan 11th Grade ELA High School Content Standards (for writing).//
 * Learning Objectives:**


 * CE 1.1.1**: Demonstrate flexibility in using independent and collaborative strategies for planning, drafting, revising, and editing complex texts.
 * CE 1.1.2**: Know and use a variety of prewriting strategies to generate, focus, and organize ideas (e.g. free writing, clustering/mapping, talking with others, brainstorming, outlining, developing graphic organizers, taking notes, summarizing, paraphrasing).
 * CE 1.1.3**: Select and use language that is appropriate (e.g., formal, informal, literary, or technical) for purpose, audience, and context of the text, speech, or visual presentation (e.g., letter to editor, proposal, poem, or digital story).
 * CE 1.1.4**: Compose drafts that convey an impression, express an opinion, raise a question, argue a position, explore a topic, tell a story, or serve another purpose, while simultaneously considering the constraints and possibilities (e.g., structure, language, use of conventions of grammar, usage, and mechanics) of the selected form or genre.
 * CE 1.1.5**: Revise drafts to more fully and/or precisely convey meaning—drawing on response from others, self-reflection, and reading one’s own work with the eye of a reader; then refine the text—deleting and/or reorganizing ideas, and addressing potential reader’s questions.
 * CE 1.1.6**: Reorganize sentence elements as needed and choose grammatical and stylistic options that provide sentence variety, fluency, and flow.
 * CE 1.1.7**: Edit for style, tone, and word choice (specificity, variety, accuracy, appropriateness, conciseness) and for conventions of grammar, usage and mechanics that are appropriate for audience.
 * CE 1.1.8**: Proofread to check spelling, layout, and font; and prepare selected pieces for a public audience.
 * CE 1.2.2**: Write, speak, and visually represent to develop self-awareness and insight (e.g., diary, journal writing, portfolio self-assessment).
 * CE 1.3.4**: Develop and extend a thesis, argument, or exploration of a topic by analyzing differing perspectives and employing a structure that effectively conveys the ideas in writing (e.g, resolve inconsistencies in logic; use a range of strategies to persuade, clarify, and defend a position with precise and relevant evidence; anticipate and address concerns and counterclaims; provide a clear and effective conclusion).
 * CE 1.3.7**: Participate collaboratively and productively in groups (e.g, response groups, work teams, discussion groups, and committees)—fulfilling roles and responsibilities, posing relevant questions, giving and following instructions, acknowledging and building on ideas and contributions of others to answer questions or to solve problems, and offering dissent courteously.
 * CE 1.4.1**: Identify, explore, and refine topics and questions appropriate for research.
 * CE 1.4.2**: Develop a system for gathering, organizing, paraphrasing, and summarizing information; select, evaluate, synthesize, and use multiple primary and secondary (print and electronic) resources.
 * CE 1.5.1**: Use writing, speaking, and visual expression to develop powerful, creative, and critical messages.
 * CE 2.3.1** Read, listen to, and view diverse texts for multiple purposes such as learning complex procedures, making work-place decisions, or pursuing in-depth studies.
 * CE 2.3.2** Read, view, and/or listen independently to a variety of ﬁction, nonﬁction, and multimedia genres based on student interest and curiosity.
 * CE 2.3.4** Critically interpret primary and secondary research-related documents (e.g., historical and government documents, newspapers, critical and technical articles, and subject-speciﬁc books).
 * CE 2.3.5** Engage in self-assessment as a reader, listener, and viewer, while monitoring comprehension and using a variety of strategies to overcome difficulties when constructing and conveying meaning.
 * CE 2.3.6** Reﬂect on personal understanding of reading, listening, and viewing; set personal learning goals; and take responsibility for personal growth.
 * CE 2.3.7** Participate as an active member of a reading, listening, and viewing community, collaboratively selecting materials to read or events to view and enjoy (e.g., book talks, literature circles, ﬁlm clubs).
 * CE 3.1.5** Comparatively analyze two or more literary or expository texts, comparing how and why similar themes are treated differently, by different authors, in different types of text, in different historical periods, and/or from different cultural perspectives.
 * CE 3.2.5** Respond to literature in a variety of ways (e.g., dramatic interpretation, reader’s theatre, literature circles, illustration, writing in a character’s voice, engaging in social action, writing an analytic essay) providing examples of how texts affect their lives, connect them with the contemporary world, and communicate across time.
 * CE 3.4.1** Use methods of close and contextualized reading and viewing to examine, interpret, and evaluate print and visual media and other works from popular culture.


 * Unit Outline:**

//Week 1// Monday: Introduce the unit. Hand out syllabus for the writing assignments, provide the class with copies of //All Quiet on the Western Front//. Assign Readings. Begin the journal with in class writing on what the students first impression of the unit is. Tuesday: Class discussions about book. Journal entry. Wednesday: Introduce Soldiers Angels and Letters’ for Lyrics. Book discussions. Journal entry. Thursday: Introduce research paper. Take students to the media center to begin researching topics for their paper. Journal Entry. Friday: Research day continued. Research Paper rough draft due Monday. Journal Entry.

//Week 2// Monday: Writing Workshop. Students will work together to edit and revise their research paper. Come up with a list of questions for meeting with teacher. Tuesday: Watch //Dear John//. Wednesday: Finish //Dear John.// Thursday: Class Discussion on //Dear John//. Friday: Writing Workshop. Students meet with teacher about their research paper while having a second opportunity to revise with peers. Final draft due on Monday.

//Week 3// Monday: Research Paper due. Class book discussion. Journal Entry. Tuesday: Class book discussion. Discuss interview syllabus and guidelines. Journal Entry. Wednesday: Class discussion about the differences between //Dear John// and //All Quiet on the Western Front//. Journal Entry. Thursday: Final book discussion. Book to be finished on Friday. Journal Entry. Friday: Begin Comparative Paper. Class brainstorming. Rough draft due Monday.

//Week 4// Monday: Writing Workshop. Comparative paper rough draft due. Journal Entry. Tuesday: Writing Workshop. Students meet with teacher about their research paper while having a second opportunity to revise with peers. Final draft due Wednesday. Wednesday: Comparative Paper Due. Class discussion on what we’ve learned so far through the research paper and comparative paper. Journal Entry. Thursday: Interview Due. Discuss what the students learned through their interviews. Journal Entry. Friday: Begin writing Letters. Introduce proper letter formats. Writing to an audience.

//Week 5// Monday: Writing Workshop for Letters. Tuesday: Writing Workshop for Letters. Wednesday: Soldier Letter Due. Teacher drops off letters to the //Letters for Lyrics// program. Thursday: Teacher hands out the students’ confirmation from the //Letters for Lyrics// program along with their gifts from the program. Class discussion about the letter process. Journal Entry. Friday: Begin writing final reflection.

//Week 6// Monday: Writing Workshop for Reflection. Tuesday: Writing Workshop for Reflection. Wednesday: Final Reflection due. Journals turned in. Thursday: Class discussion about the unit and what they learned. Friday: Journals returned and any other graded materials the teacher still has.

Obviously a letter to the parents may be needed for this unit since the unit discusses the current war. Please follow your schools guidelines for writing parents to describe that this unit is not designed to gain support for the war, but to gain support for our troops. It is a unit to help people, not to help the fighting. If you were to come across a student or student’s family who refused to write to the soldiers, you could assign an alternative task to have the student write their congressman about their objections of the war. This letter would be assigned in replace of the letter to the soldier and would not affect the other assignments. At the bottom of this page I have put links for sample rubrics for several of the writing assignments. Though being as that many of the writings are very personal I would focus more attention on helping the students portray their meaning and expression than their grammar and format.
 * Additional Information/Comments About the Unit:**

To learn more about the Soldiers’ Angels program you can go to their website at []

To learn more about the Letters for Lyrics campaign you can read about it at []

Letters for Lyrics: []

YouTube video about Letters for Lyrics: []media type="youtube" key="GMlfolrcIwI" height="385" width="480"

YouTube video about Letters for Lyrics: []media type="youtube" key="GRtIdfMrWqc" height="385" width="480"

Movie Trailer for //Dear John:// []media type="youtube" key="r0fq5dd0C60" height="385" width="640"


 * Sample Rubrics:**

Writing to Express Rubric: []

Reflective Paper Rubric: []

Letter Writing Rubric: []

Comparison Paper Rubric: []