Literature Unit Plan

Book: The Fighting Ground by Avi

Copy Number (have): 14

Copies (Still need): 15

Goals: goals for your students relate to the development of literature appreciation, interests,
vocabulary, comprehension strategies, author craft and critical thinking.

Teaching Schedule:
Wednesday, 11/9: 40 mins (Launch)
Thursday, 11/10: 40 mins
Friday, 11/11: 40 mins
Wednesday, 11/16: 40 mins
Thursday, 11/17: 40 mins

Plan:
The daily structure that we are looking at for the literature unit is doing a read aloud, splitting
into book clubs by level, and then moving to their research groups. The read aloud will be with
The Fighting Ground as we do a unit about the Revolutionary War. Peter has talked about
having a collection of non-fiction articles surrounding the Revolutionary War for the kids to read,
as well as some historical fiction texts. Some of the different research aspects we are looking
into are maps and timelines but more will come as we continue to plan. Something that I am
thinking about with reading responses is how it might be useful to have individual booklets to
document all of their findings from this time period as well as their responses to readings. We
would like to incorporate some of the musical Hamilton into the unit as well.

Unit Launch: Stevie and Lindsey will find an exciting scene in the book or write their own
preface, write their own scripts, and act it out in front of the students. Students will (hopefully) be
excited and want to read to know what will happen in the rest of the book!

Identify the Unit Focus. The students will be organized by colonies within their book clubs.
There will be discussion of slavery and moral dilemmas within the pages of The Fighting
Ground. Additionally, the question of identity will be brought up and is highly relevant for
students as they are heading into middle school.
TEKS: Social Studies: 2.A, 2.B, 2.C, ELA: 1, 2.B, 2.E, 4, 6.B, 7, 9,

What are the growth areas for the students you will focus on? Thinking critically about
characters and how the decisions they make reflect their traits, then relating this to themselves.
Also, they will work on identifying and using reading strategies and the thoughtfulness of their
reading responses.

Plan a language chart: The language chart will be a clock, as the book is unique with time
segments and not chapters, taking place in one day. The hands on clock will move with each
chapter. Students will write their responses and Stevie and Lindsey will compile them, adding
them to the chart after each day. At the end, the chart/clock will be complete.
Plan for personal/journal type responses. The students will have their own journals for this
unit to respond in. They usually work in two separate journals, one for ELA and one for Social
Studies. However, since these two subjects will be intertwined in this unit they will benefit for it
being in one place. They will respond every day, using strategies we will be co-teaching with Mr.
Oglesby.
Plan for multi-modal responses. We will be using tableaus and drama as a way to connect
with the characters in The Fighting Ground. Each research group will be invited to present their
finding in whatever way they choose.
Plan for a display: Display will be in the back of the room, in the library area. The language
chart will be surrounded by additional books. Response journals will stay in their bins.

Extensions: Our extensions will surround history. Mainly the Revolutionary War. We will look
further into population growth, reading and creating maps, and examining key Revolutionary
leaders.

Assessments: anecdotal observations, looking at their research they find in their groups.
Conducting informal interviews throughout the process.
Student Evaluation: Halfway through, we will check in with the students by asking them to
respond to the different activities that we have done thus far in the unit, specifically around The
Fighting Ground. We will use this evaluation to inform which activities we should repeat and
which we should rethink.
Wrap Up: We will have a final presentation of the research conducted in their research groups
as well as a closing conversation of the unit. Students are invited to dress up if they want to.