Unit Plan: Genres

Unit Overview: In this unit students will explore the very many genres and writing techniques that
are used in order to create an interesting plot line. Students will first come to understand specific writing
conventions, which will help students engage in the fluency of writing. We then move into the different
writing styles and genres in order to analyze what makes an effective story, and, furthermore, what
techniques are used to identify a text as belonging to a specific genre.

Overall Learning Goal: Students will learn to analyze a text in order to identify main components
of a writing piece, thus allowing them to categorize it into a specific genre.

Curriculum Expectation:

Overall:
o Oral Communication:
1. Listening to Understand: listen in order to understand and respond
appropriately in a variety of situations for a variety of purposes;

o Reading:
2. Understanding Form and Style: recognize a variety of text forms, text
features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they
help communicate meaning;

o Writing:
1. Developing and Organizing Content: generate, gather, and organize ideas and
information to write for an intended purpose and audience;

2. Using Knowledge of Form and Style: draft and revise their writing, using a
variety of literary, informational, and graphic forms and stylistic elements
appropriate for the purpose and audience;

o Media:
2. Understanding Media Forms, Conventions, and Techniques: identify some
media forms and explain how the conventions and techniques associated with
them are used to create meaning;
 Specific:
o Oral Communication:
1.4 Demonstrating Understanding of Content
1.5 Interpreting Texts
1.6 Extending Understanding of Text

o Reading:
2.1 Text Forms
2.2 Text Features
2.3 Elements of Style

o Writing:
1.2 Generating and Developing Ideas
1.5 Review Content
2.1 Form
2.3 Diction

o Media:
2.1 Form
2.2 Conventions and Techniques
Assessment

As Learning Student Perspective

o Exit cards will be provided throughout the unit to ensure that students understand the
content.
o Thumbs Up: Often the teacher will as the students to put their thumbs up if they
understand the content. Students need to be honest with themselves if they do or do not
understand the content.

For Learning Student Progress

o Thumbs Up: Often the teacher will as the students to put their thumbs up if they
understand the content. Students need to be honest with themselves if they do or do not
understand the content. Teacher will re- explain content that needs more attention.
o Writing Conventions Jeopardy.
o Short Stories group work.
o Literary terms Heads Up

Of Learning Summative Assessment by Teacher

o Unit Assessment: Creative Writing Piece.
Course Overview:

Days 1 - 5 Writing Conventions: Teacher will give an overview of the plot structure in order to
refresh the students memory of a fluent storyline. Once this is established, the teacher will go into
details of the different literary genres and how they relate to a specific text. Genres include that of
Fiction, Non- Fiction, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Gothic, Romance, Tragedy, Fantasy, Mystery. Moreover,
the teacher will go over literary terms, and how they enhance the genre presented within the text.

Teacher will go over the unit assessment that will be due at the end of the unit. This will give the
students a chance to start thinking about the assignment, and takes away any shock or stress. As the unit
goes on, students will be able to brainstorm ideas and create a good understanding of genre to help them
with what is being expected of them.

Day 1 Introduce the Unit

o Plot PowerPoint.
o Watching short films and identifying the plot structure within the video.

Day 2 Literary Techniques

o Present a list of literary techniques (Hand out).
o As a class, apply the literary terms to a short text.

Day 3 Genre Categories

o Genre PowerPoint

Day 4 Introduce Unit Assessment

o Analyzing genre continued.
o Looking at a variety of examples of Genre categories.

Day 5 Jeopardy Game

o Reviewing terms in order to ensure that students understand content.
o Exit Card: Are you comfortable with all the Literary, Genre, and Plot terms?

Days 6 9 Short Stories: Teacher will analyze a variety short stories with the class, finding key
literary components that can help categorize the text into a specific genre. Looking for main plot
structures more intently within the text in order to help enhance understanding of the story and its
quality of genre.

Day 6 Short story elements: PowerPoint

o Structure, theme, character, setting, moral, conflict.

Day 7- Continue PowerPoint, and analyze a short story/video with the class.
 Day 8 Group work:
o In small groups, students will be given a short story, and fill out the Plot diagram, analyze
literary devices, and place into a genre. Giving evidence and reasons for this selected
genre. This will ensure that they understand the plot possess. Groups will give a brief
presentation of their findings.

Day 9 - Group work continued & brief presentations.

Days 10 14 Folklore/ Fairytale/Fables: Teacher will go over the structure of folklore/ fairytales/
fables, and analyze the text with the students using critical literary thinking to categorize the text into
specific genres. Finding the main message/ moral and theme when looking at the text. We will compare
and contrast the Grimm Brothers interpretation of stories with that of Disney interpretations. We will
analyze how the genre shifts, based on literary techniques. We will also be looking at Plot structures
within these texts.

Day 11 Introduction to Folklore/ Fairytales/ Fables

o Looking at the different structures for each. - PowerPoint

Day 12 Looking at examples of Folklore and Fables. Comparing the overlap.

o Joseph Jacobs: The Story of the Three Bears
Lazy Jack
Johnny Cake
Jack and the Beanstalk

Day 13 Comparing old fairytales to their remake. How do they differ? How are they the same?
Would you categorize them into the same or different genre category?
o Charles Perrault: The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods
Little Red Riding- hood

Day 14 Comparing fairytales continued.

o Charles Perrault: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
o Hans Christian Anderson: The Little Mermaid

o Exit card: name 2 differences between Fables, Fairytales, and Folklore.

Days 15 - 20 Poetry: During this portion of the unit, teacher will go over the different forms of poetry.
Again, we will analyze the poems based on structure and literary technique in order to categorize the
text into a specific genre. The Heads Up game will be used in order to go over the literary devices
when there is extra time in class.
 Day 15 List of Poetic forms
o Go over the different forms with the class, and begin to show examples of each.
o Relate literary techniques to poetry, and how they enhance the poetic structure, theme,
and genre.
o Begin with examples of free verse poems.
Hopeful Future by Morgan Deuson
The Pencil Case by Beatrice Alesana- Rennie
A Lot of Anger by Julia Docking

Day 16 Narrative and Epic Poems

o Narrative: Buccaneers by Ted L. Glines
Hurricane Isabella by Amy Aird

o Epic: Aeneid by Virgil

Only looking at key elements of the Epic.

Day 17 Couplet, Limerick, and Haiku Poems

o Couplet: Poor Peter Pumpkin by Jan Allison & Andrea Dietrich
Mountains by Henry Kendall

o Limerick: https://www.poemhunter.com/poems/limerick/page-1/22572547/#content

o Haiku: http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-haiku-poems.html

Day 18 Lyric and Pastoral

o Lyric: http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-lyric-poetry.html

o Pastoral: The Passionate Shepherd to His Love by Christopher Marlowe

Day 19 Visual and Quatrain

o Visual: http://www.webexhibits.org/poetry/explore_21_visual_examples.html

o Quatrain: https://literarydevices.net/quatrain/

Day 20 Sonnet and Ballade

o Sonnet: http://www.thehypertexts.com/Best%20Sonnets.htm

o Ballade:
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/PC_Music/my_favourite_ballads_since_1950___mes_balla
des_preferees_depuis_1950/
 o Exit Card: What is your favorite poetic form? What are the key elements of this form?

Day 21 Work Period: Students will work on their final assignment for the unit.

Unit Assessment: Students will have the choice of either creating their own creative writing piece or
analyze a text. In both cases, the students will have to make clear connections to writing conventions,
give a clear plot overview and genre category.

Resources:

PowerPoints:
Plot PowerPoint: https://www.google.ca/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwj5zNmC35LSAhVK3IMKHbepC
NoQFgglMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.d.umn.edu%2F~eric1030%2Fdocuments
%2FThePlotDiagram.ppt&usg=AFQjCNHlVq2cc-yemkOC5hy0Xp9W-
DkOhQ&bvm=bv.147134024,d.amc&cad=rjt

Genre PowerPoint: https://www.google.ca/url?

sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&ved=0ahUKEwjSv7qB4ZLSAhUI6IMKHcv6CJwQFghO
MAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclassroom.jc-schools.net%2Fsamst%2FUnit1%2FGenres
%2520jr.ppt&usg=AFQjCNGLmyfU4qv3w595XOepRPb86IcgVA&bvm=bv.147134024,d.amc&cad=rjt

Short Story PowerPoint: https://www.google.ca/url?

sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwj3wZLs35LSAhUE6oMKHTrQDE
YQFggiMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fteacherweb.com%2FON%2FSacredHeartHighSchool
%2FMrStriukas%2FShort-Story-
Elements.ppt&usg=AFQjCNFgUXFHEjdSjsU7_RoNWFeMhCOkvQ&bvm=bv.147134024,d.amc&cad=
rjt

Fables/ Fairytale/ Folklore PowerPoint: https://www.google.ca/url?

sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwiporae_JLSAhVI64MKHXoJAW0Q
FgggMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnvhswaiteessentials.wikispaces.com%2Ffile%2Fview%2FMyths%2C
%2BFolktales%2C%2BTall%2BTales%2C%2BLegends.ppt&usg=AFQjCNHC9DE4-
kbVelTVMpvUUDIg2MxB9g&bvm=bv.147134024,d.amc&cad=rjt
Handouts:

Literary Techniques:

Alliteration: The repetition of a sound in a sentence or series of sentences.

Hyperbole: An exaggeration.

Idiom: is a phrase that means what it means, even if it doesnt make sense. Figurative language.

Metaphor: Comparison without using like or as.

Simile: Comparison using like or as.

Onomatopoeia: A word that sounds like the noise or action is it describing.

Personification: makes a non- human thing seem human.

Rhyme: Words that have the same end sounds.

Rhythm: The beat or regular pattern of sounds found in some texts.

Repetition: Using the same words or phrases over and over.

Enjambment: The running on sentence that is over two lines.

Imagery: How the author uses words to paint pictures in the readers mind.

Oxymoron: use of unexpected, unmatched, or opposite terms.

Diction: The choice and use of words and phrases in a speech or writing.

Poetic Forms:

Sonnet - a short rhyming poem with 14 lines. The original sonnet form was invented in the 13/14th
century by Dante and an Italian philosopher named Francisco Petrarch. The form remained largely
unknown until it was found and developed by writers such as Shakespeare. Sonnets use iambic meter in
each line and use line-ending rhymes.
Limerick - a five-line witty poem with a distinctive rhythm. The first, second and fifth lines, the longer
lines, rhyme. The third and fourth shorter lines rhyme. (A-A-B-B-A).

Haiku - This ancient form of poem writing is renowned for its small size as well as the precise
punctuation and syllables needed on its three lines. It is of ancient Asian origin.

Narrative - A narrative poem tells the story of an event in the form of a poem. There is a strong sense of
narration, characters, and plot.

Epic - a lengthy narrative poem in grand language celebrating the adventures and accomplishments of a
legendary or conventional hero

Couplet - two lines of verse which rhyme and form a unit alone or as part of a poem

Free Verse - A Free Verse Poem does not follow any rules. Their creation is completely in the hands of
the author. Rhyming, syllable count, punctuation, number of lines, number of stanzas, and line formation
can be done however the author wants in order to convey the idea. There is no right or wrong way to
create a Free Verse poem

Ballade - Poetry which has three stanzas of seven, eight or ten lines and a shorter final stanza of four or
five. All stanzas end with the same one-line refrain.

Lyric - A poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. Many songs are written using this
type of writing.

Pastoral - A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, romanticized way.

Quatrain -A stanza or poem consisting of four lines. Lines 2 and 4 must rhyme while having a similar
number of syllables

Rhyme - A rhyming poem has the repetition of the same or similar sounds of two or more words, often
at the end of the line.

Visual - The visual arrangement of text, images, and symbols to help convey the meaning of the work.
Visual poetry is sometimes referred to as a type of concrete poetry.

Work Sheets:
Analyzing Short Videos:

If you need more room, use a separate piece of paper.

Title:

Exposition:

Rising
Action:

Climax:

Falling
Action:

Conclusion:

Setting:

Main
Characters:

Type of
Conflict:

Analyzing Short Stories: Group Work

(Front)
Get into groups of 3. Sign up for one of the following Short Stories and complete the work
sheet:

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Trifles by Susan Glaspell
A Dark Brown Dog by Stephen Crane
Home Burial by Robert Frost
The Fly by Katherine Mansfield
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock
The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
Eve's Diary by Mark Twain

1. Read the short story, and fill in the Plot Diagram:

Climax

Rising Action Falling Action

Exposition

Resolution

(Back)

2. What literary techniques are used within the story? Give examples.
 3. How do these literary techniques enhance the story?

4. Based on the structure of the story and the literary techniques, what genre would you
categorize this story into? Give detailed explanation.

Games:
Jeopardy Review: https://www.jeopardy.rocks/12uenglish
Heads Up Literary Review App located on the class IPad.

Book Resources:
Access to Short Stories: https://americanliterature.com/high-school-short-stories
John W. Griffith & Charles H. Freys Classics of Childrens Literature: 6th Addition
Anthology. (Poetry & Fairytales/ Folklore/ Fables).
List of Short Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=oIlIVFBBbNw&list=PLRdoGqw4dzos1yPfYQHyavpvKDvLP0a0J
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh4dTLJ9q9o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-uzJB9Bc9U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVXMkj-CufM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq5gaV4ohn4

Assignment & Success Criteria:

Genre Analysis Assignment:

Students will have the choice of either creating their own creative writing piece or analyze a self- chosen
text. In both cases, the students will have to make clear connections to writing conventions, give a clear
plot overview and genre category. A one page analysis/ explanation of the text is required for both
choices.

Creative Writing & Text Analysis Options

Students can create or analyze any of the following:
A short story
Poem must be at least 250 words
Fable
Fairytale
Legend
Comic strip
Short Video must be minimum 3 min.

If you have an alternate idea, it must be approved by teacher.

Grade 12U: Genre Analysis Assignment

Activity done by: ______________________________________________________

Learning Goal: Students will apply their knowledge of genre, and how writing
conventions, literary techniques and form influence the success of a texts
genre categorization.

I have picked a form of text to either create or analyze.

 I have connected my text piece to plot structure.

I have reflected on and/or used literary terms and forms in order to enhance
the genre of my text.

My paragraph analysis of the text is well written and has been edited for any
grammatical errors.

I have chosen a well suited genre for my piece of work

A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be

determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even (as in the case of fiction)
length. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and can be
overlapped.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Achieves the Achieves the Achieves the Achieves the
success criteria success criteria success criteria success criteria
with limited with some with considerable with a high level of
accuracy or detail. accuracy or detail. accuracy or detail. accuracy or detail.