UNIT SUMMARY
Unit Title: Familiar Stories, Foreign Lands
Unit Author: Paula Bellerose
Grade Level: 7th Grade English
Unit
Overview:
This will be an
8-10 week unit exploring, analyzing and creating folktales, with an emphasis
on what themes are
common to many different
cultures. We will explore the cultures of Japan, Thailand and China.
Each student
will pick one of
those countries to become an "expert" on, and produce a brochure, poster,
power point presentation
or web page.
This country will become the culture in which the student sets his/her
original folktale. We will read many
stories from these
three cultures, comparing and contrasting them with the more familiar folktales,
fairy tales and myths
of Western culture.
We will study literary
elements of plot, theme, characterization and imagery. Art activities
will be incorporated into the
unit to help students
further develop their understanding of the culture. The culminating
project will be an original folktale,
illustrated and
in book form, that is set in the culture of Thailand, Japan or China.
Time to Complete
Unit: 8-10 weeks
CULMINATING
ACTIVITY:
Creation and illustration of an original
folktale set in the culture of China, Japan or Thailand. Assessment
tool: ACSU
writing standards for narratives.
Standard # 1.13 Students listen actively
and respond to communication. This is evident when students:
b. Respond through discussion, writing, art forms.
FIELDS OF KNOWLEDGE STANDARDS
Standard #5.3 Students discover
universal themes by comparing a broad range of cultural expressions from
various
times and places.
Standard #5.11 Literary Elements and Devices:
Students use literary elements and devices - including theme, plot,
style, imagery, and metaphor - to analyze, compare, interpret, and create
literature.
ACSU Performance Targets addressed in this unit: