DAY 1: Meeting at the Trailhead

Unit Working Title: Reading & Writing to Explore

Unit “Big Idea” (Concept/Theme): Exploration
Unit Primary Skill focus: Exploratory Writing
Week 1 of 5 ; Plan # 1 of 12; [90 mins.]
Plan type: Summary

Strategy Requirement Satisfied: Reading Experience with Vocabulary Instruction

Text: Chabon, Michael. “Maps and Legends.” Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing along
the Borderlands, HarperCollins Publishers, 2009, pp. 15-21.
 Link to text
 Genre: nonfiction

Objectives (KUD format)

SWBAT:
1. Students will understand that uncharted “territory”—including ideas, people, places, and
more—invites imaginative exploration that often leads to discovery.
a. Students will understand that exploration begins with inquiry, which can lead to
original discoveries.
b. Students will be able to relate the process of exploration to their lives as students.

PERFORMATIVE (Do)

6. Students will be able to identify the original discovery within exploratory writing.
b. Students will be able to infer the implicit questions an author is asking in a piece
of exploratory writing based on the apparent discoveries that are made throughout
the text.

AFFECTIVE (to feel/value) &/or NON-COGNITIVE

1. Students will value exploration as a means for embracing the unfamiliar and developing
ideas.

SOLs:
10.3 The student will apply knowledge of word origins, derivations, and figurative language to
extend vocabulary development in authentic texts.
b) Use context, structure, and connotations to determine meanings of words and phrases.
f) Extend general and cross-curricular vocabulary through speaking, listening, reading, and
writing.
CCSSs:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative
and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on
meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a
formal or informal tone).

Methods of Assessment:
[How will you know if the intended learning occurred?] Describe all methods of assessment used
in this lesson or which are related to this lesson and come in a future lesson (use the sentence
stems provided). After each assessment, indicate in brackets the number(s) of the related lesson
objectives that the assessment is evaluating.

Diagnostic Formative Summative

Title of assessment tool:
Think-Pair-Share
Students will demonstrate
what they already know about
the physical/literal function of
maps by participating in a
think-pair-share in response
to the question: “How do
maps—both old and new—
serve us? How do they
function in our lives?” They
will respond to this question
after watching a clip from
Parks and Recreation in
which Leslie Knope says,
“Let’s embark on a new
journey together. Let’s break
out a map—not the old, out-
of-date one that shows where
we’ve been, but a crisp, new
one that shows where we
might go. Let’s embark on a
new journey together and see
where it takes us.”
Criteria:
 Maps can show us
where we’ve been
 Maps can show us
where we’re going
 Maps can show us
places that exist but
where we may never
visit
Title of assessment tool: Mock
Jigsaw Discussion
Students will show their
progress toward understanding
the process and outcomes of
exploration by participating in
a variation of a jigsaw
discussion in small groups.
Each student will choose a
question that interests them
most (I may eliminate a
question or do some micro-
managing if students are
unevenly distributed). After
thinking and writing out their
response to the question, they
will meet in same-question
groups to discuss and share
answers, adding new insights
to their thinking. Then, they’ll
meet in different-question
groups to share their responses
to each question. The
questions follow.
1. How do Chabon's
experiences with the map
as well as his general
comments on maps
compare to and influence
your previous thinking
about maps that you
discussed at the
beginning of class?
Title of assessment tool:
Exploratory Writing: The
Conclusion
Students will ultimately be
assessed (today or in a future
lesson) on their exploratory
writing skills by writing a
conclusion to their inquiry-
based research surrounding
their passions.
Criteria:
 2-3 pages in length
 Identify the original
discovery(ies) you
made during your
exploration
 Articulate in detail how
you learned what you
learned (reflect on the
writing process as a
whole) What kinds of
questions did you
wrestle with? What
kinds of questions were
most helpful to your
learning? How did
continuously writing
about your thoughts
help you learn?
 Explain how the
process of exploration
both influenced and
showcased your
  New maps can show 2. What kind of discoveries thinking (Influenced –
us places that don’t did Chabon make due to how did the exploratory
exist yet his childhood exploration writing CHANGE your
 Maps guide us and of Columbia? thinking in some way?
help us avoid getting 3. How might Chabon's Showcased – how did
lost, help us get back journey/experiences as a the exploratory writing
on track child in Columbia reflect effectively highlight or
your journey as 10th- reveal your thinking?)
How data will be used: graders and students?  Reflect on how you feel
I will use data to… 4. Turn the text inside about your own writing
 Correct any out...What kind of and thinking after
misconceptions if implicit (hidden) having completed this
there are any questions do you think process
 Take note of different child-Chabon had that led
components that some him on the path he took? How data will be used:
students understand Students’ grasp of exploratory
more clearly to refer Criteria: writing will inform how I
to later in the lesson  New maps can show us approach future writing
during and after places that don’t exist instruction in my classroom.
reading the text yet With a strong command of
 Use any responses  Maps guide us and exploratory writing, students
they’ve thought of to help us avoid getting will be able to enter new
help make lost, help us get back avenues of craft and strategy as
connections to the on track the writers that I know they all
text and the concept  Maps invite are.
of exploration exploration and
imagination How students will receive
How students will receive  Chabon discovers the feedback: Students will receive
feedback: pleasant and a lot of feedback before
 Immediate verbal unpleasant realities of submitting their “final” draft;
peer feedback from childhood and growing however, I’ll also write each
elbow partner and up, including divorce student a message to return
other classmates and turbulent race after they’ve finished the
during the “share” relations; he discovers assignment. The message will
portion “the borders of [his] highlight the student’s
 Immediate verbal town and [his] strengths and areas for growth
feedback from teacher imagination” (20) and ways I see that student’s
during pair and share  Chabon may have been skill paying off in the future.
(walk around during implicitly asking:
pair to affirm and What caused the dream Objectives Assessed: All [1,
inquire about of Columbia to fail? 1a, 2, 3, 3a, 4, 5, 5a, 5b, 6,
responses; do the Can integration happen SOL 10.3.f, SOL 10.6.a, SOL
same in a whole-class as suddenly as The 10.6.i, CCSS.ELA-
format during Plan demands? How LITERACY.RL.9-10.2,
“share”) will the contents of the CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-
10.2, CCSS.ELA-
Objectives Assessed [1, 7] map transfer onto the LITERACY.W.9-10.2.F,
real city of Columbia? CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-
 As students, we are 10.7]
often provided guides
(syllabi, curriculum,
and schedules) that
give us an idea of what
our year will look like,
but we often discover
new, unpredicted
things inside and
outside of the
classroom that we
never knew we had to
prepare for

How data will be used:

I will use data to…
 Correct any
misconceptions if there
are any
 Take note of different
components that some
students understand
more clearly to refer to
in our whole-class
debrief
 Use any responses
they’ve thought of to
help make connections
to the text and the
concept of exploration

How students will receive

feedback:
 Immediate verbal peer
feedback from same-
question and different-
question groups
 Immediate verbal
feedback from teacher
during small-group
discussions and whole-
group debrief (walk
around during small
groups to affirm and
 inquire about
responses; do the same
in a whole-class
debrief)

Objectives Assessed [1a, 1b,

6b, 7]

Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:

(This is where you identify specific aspects of this lesson which have been differentiated in order
to address the needs of one or more of your profiled students—identify them by name)

What have you done (visible in the lesson plan procedures) that differentiates for the a)
readiness, b) interests, and/or c) learning environment for your profile students.

Student Name Readiness Interest Learning

Environment
During the “Association
Ji-Hoon Words” activity, I will
have student volunteers
define/explain each of
the association words in
case any student is
unfamiliar with one of
them. This will prepare
Ji-Hoon to make the
associations even if he
hasn’t been exposed to
all of the terms being
used for the activity—
which, likely, many
other students can relate
to.
Beginning class with a
Samson video clip from Parks and
Recreation will likely peak
Samson’s interest even if he
doesn’t watch the show.
Simply tuning into his
interests using video before
texts will prime him to
engage later in the lesson.
 I will read the text aloud
Emily to students to increase
the likelihood that Emily
will understand the
content. I’ll provide
additional scaffolding
by pausing throughout
the reading to monitor
students’ comprehension
and clarify any tricky
words or phrases.
Giving students a choice
Ireland of questions in the
formative assessment
will allow Ireland to
select a more
challenging discussion
in which to participate
since the questions offer
a spectrum of readiness
levels (e.g., question 4
will likely lead to the
most challenging
investigation).

Procedures/Instructional Strategies

Beginning Room Arrangement:

Desks will be arranged in a large circle with plenty of space in the middle of the room. There
will be a desk with a bin of markers, loose-leaf paper, and the student interest inventory in the
middle of the circle. Behind students is a whiteboard where the day’s schedule is written along
with and assignments.

It is the first day of school and students are allowed to sit wherever they feel most comfortable.

1. [2 mins.] Welcome/greeting/announcements
I will welcome each student as they walk in the door with a piece of construction paper and ask
that they make a name tent using one of the markers in the bin to place on their desk. I’ll let them
know that they can sit wherever they’d like for today and ask that they read the instructions on
the board, which say:
1. Make a name tent using construction paper and a marker in the middle of the
room (see model in the middle of the circle).
2. Take a Student Interest Inventory and put it somewhere where you won’t lose
it (this is your homework due next class).
3. Sit wherever you’d like.
4. Take out a piece of paper or grab one from the middle of the circle.
 2. [7 mins.] Teach Entrance Routine + Warm-Up Prompt

I’ll tell students: I’m so excited you’re here and can’t wait to meet each of you and learn
everyone’s name. For now, though, we need to practice the way we’ll enter the room every day.
Every day you come into class, you’ll see a warm-up prompt written on the board [display slide
with journal prompt]. The very first thing you’ll do when you enter the room is write a response
to the prompt until I instruct you to stop. That means if I don’t say anything for five minutes,
you’ll write quietly for five minutes. These writing prompts do not have correct answers, they’re
really to get you thinking and writing. For today and maybe next class, you’ll write your
response on a sheet of paper, but after that, I expect that each of you will have a composition
notebook—that means it doesn’t have a spiral binding [show model]—that will stay in this room
that you’ll write your warm-ups in. Again, we’ll begin class like this every day, and today is no
different. What questions do you have about this warm-up routine? [wait] Go ahead and get
started on responding to the prompt.

Warm-up prompt: If you could learn about anything in the world, what would you like to
learn about? What kinds of things do you wonder about?

Students will write for two minutes before I tell them to stop. While they’re writing, I’ll take
attendance as best I can with the names students have written on their name tents and begin to
make note of students’ names. When I tell them to stop, I’ll remind them to write their names
and dates on the paper and put them in the bin labeled “Block 1” in the back of the room. This is
where their warm-up journals will go upon completion each class.

3. [15 mins.] Icebreaker: Name Game

After turning in their warm-ups, I’ll instruct students to stand up inside of the circle. We’re going
to go around and say our names. But there’s a twist! Each time a new person says their name,
they have to also say the names of the people who went before them. They can get help if
necessary but should try to complete the activity as independently as possible. I’ll go last so that
I can practice saying everybody’s name. Then, we’ll level-up and start using a tennis ball.
Someone will start and say someone else’s name before tossing them the tennis ball; then that
person will repeat the process. After a minute, I’ll instruct the students who haven’t yet caught
the ball to form a smaller circle and play with only that group until everyone’s name has been
said and they’ve all caught the ball. After everyone has gone, I’ll ask (and help) students to move
desks into rows.

4. [5 mins.] Bridge and/or Hook to lesson + Diagnostic Assessment

I’ll announce that we’re switching gears to transition into some thinking and reading. Play clip
(18:51-19:51) from Season 4, Episode 22 of Parks and Recreation in which Leslie Knope makes
her victory speech after being elected City Councilwoman. While it’s playing, I’ll pass out
graphic organizers for kids to use for the rest of the day. After playing the clip, display the slide
that shows her quote: “Let’s embark on a new journey together. Let’s break out a map—not
the old, out of date one that shows where we’ve been, but a crisp, new one that shows where
we might go. Let’s embark on a new journey together and see where it takes us” along with
the guiding questions: “How do maps—both old and new—serve us? How do they function
in our lives?” I’ll tell students to take a minute to silently respond to the questions on their
graphic organizers. When they’re finished, they’ll get with an elbow partner and share responses
for one minute. Finally, we’ll take two minutes for students to volunteer their responses to the
questions.

5. [15 mins.] Frontload Vocab: Word Associations

New vocab words:

1. acuity n. sharpness or keenness, as in a sharp mind
2. incantatory adj. having the magical power often associated with chanted words
3. subcutaneous adj. below the surface or outer layer
4. parturition n. the act of being born or coming into existence
5. terra incognita n. Latin for “unknown land”; an unknown or unexplored land, region, or
subject

Before reading “Maps and Legends,” I will teach the class five new vocabulary words that
appear in the text. The Google Slideshow presents the vocabulary word on one slide with the
definition on the next so that I’ll be able to ask students if they know the definition of the word
before I show the actual definition. I will only allow one student to offer a definition before
explicitly teaching it to them so that it doesn’t turn into a guessing game that may never end.
Students will be instructed to copy the definitions down on their graphic organizers in
preparation for the word associations activity that will follow the presentation of new material.
After all definitions have been taught, I’ll display the slide that reveals the five new words next
to a list of five association words, which are:
 uncharted
 inquire
 scalpel
 conceive
 ritual
Students will take about eight minutes with a partner of their choice to determine which
association word pairs well with one new word. They need to indicate the pair and then write an
explanation for why the two words go together on their graphic organizer. I’ll explain that there’s
not necessarily a “correct” pairing for each of these, but that their justifications are the most
important part. I’ll give them an example: If we had just learned the word “accomplice,” and
one of the association words was “crook,” I might pair them because a crook sometimes needs
an accomplice. Does that make sense?

Before students get into pairs, I will ask for five volunteers to give a brief definition or
explanation of the association words in case any student is unfamiliar with one or more of them.
Then, I will let them begin. While they work in pairs, I will walk around to note any unusual
associations and check on students’ justifications. I’ll make a note of any unexpected
associations that have particularly astute or creative justifications so that I can call on that pair
during the sharing portion of the activity.
After eight minutes, students will stop working, and I’ll call on pairs to share one word
association with their justification. Then I’ll ask if another pair had a different association and
why. We’ll continue this until all new words have been given associations and all association
words have been paired off.

I’ll tell students to look out for the new words as we read “Maps and Legends,” which I’ll then
pass out to each of them.

6. [17 mins] Read “Maps and Legends” aloud

I will enthusiastically read “Maps and Legends” aloud to the class. I’ll pause at each of the new
vocabulary words, and cold call students to remind us of their definition (which each of them
will have written down on their graphic organizers in front of them).
 acuity p. 16
 incantatory p. 19
 subcutaneous p. 20
 parturition p. 16
 terra incognita p. 21

I’ll also pause at a few different parts to explain phrases and define words and invite students to
stop me by calling out if they are confused or have a question about a word or phrase:
 deep pockets p. 16
 arcane p. 19
 pernicious p. 16
 Joseph Conrad’s Marlow p. 18

I’ll ask students what questions they have about what we read and encourage other students to
answer them. I’ll correct misconceptions and expand upon students’ answers if necessary.

7. [23 mins.] Mock Jigsaw

I will display the four guiding questions students can choose from:

1. How do Chabon's experiences with the map as well as his general comments on
maps compare to and influence your previous thinking about maps that you
discussed at the beginning of class?
2. What kind of discoveries did Chabon make due to his childhood exploration of
Columbia?
3. How might Chabon's journey/experiences as a child in Columbia reflect your
journey as 10th-graders and students?
4. Turn the text inside out...What kind of implicit (hidden) questions do you think
child-Chabon had that led him on the path he took?

I’ll give them a minute or two to read the questions and choose one. They’ll spend about five
minutes writing answers to the questions and then will move themselves into a corner of the
room corresponding to the number question they chose. I’ll label the corners with sticky notes
while they’re writing. Once they’re in same-question groups, they’ll sit down and spend ten
minutes comparing and developing their responses. I’ll walk around during this time and pay
particular attention to students responding to question 4, which is especially challenging. I’ll help
them by pointing to different pieces of the text and ask them what they think led Chabon to say
or do whatever it was he did. After ten minutes, students will assign themselves a number
between 1-4 within their small groups and then meet in different-question groups for six minutes
to discuss and compare responses to different questions. They’ll take notes on all questions on
their graphic organizers.

8. [6 mins] Closure + HW

We’ll spend the final minutes of class sharing any revelations, epiphanies, remaining questions,
confusions, and general musings about “Maps and Legends” and the four questions they just
spent time answering in class. I’ll finish by announcing that our first unit is called “Reading &
Writing to Explore” and we’ll be doing a lot more thinking like we did today over the next few
weeks.

Before students leave, I will remind them to complete the student interest inventory that they
picked up at the beginning of class to turn in before next class. I’ll emphasize that it’s really
important that they answer these questions honestly and as openly as they feel comfortable so
that I can best structure these first few weeks of class to suit their needs.

Materials Needed (list):

 Computers
 Projector
 Construction paper
 Markers
 Loose-leaf paper
 Tennis ball

Materials Appendix: (e.g., supplementary texts, Ppts, overheads, graphic organizers,

handouts, etc.)
Appendix A: “Maps and Legends” text
Appendix B: Google Slide Show
Appendix C: Parks and Recreation clip
Appendix D: Student Interest Inventory