Preliminary+Unit

**Wintergirls: Narrative Lesson Plans**
 * Mattie Frank**
 * Brittaney Gardner**
 * Day 1:** On the first day, students will simply be asked to journal their initial thoughts from the first chapter the teacher reads to the class. They will be asked to think about, but not limited to “why is Lia obsessing over a missed phone call? And “how would you describe the relationship between her and her stepmom, Jennifer, thus far? Then explore these questions in a class discussion. Then ask the students to break into groups of three to five and discuss in further detail their thoughts on the subject. In addition, have them write down some of the group’s main ideas on a sheet of paper. After about 10 minutes, ask if any of the groups would like to share their responses with the class, and write down their ideas on the overhead. Lastly, introduce the novel //Wintergirls// by Laurie Halse Anderson, and explain to the class that they will be spending the next few weeks dissecting the text, which is about a girl with family and friend issues, who has become anorexic. Read to the class for the last few minutes of the class period. Assign pages 1-13 as homework (chapters 1-4).


 * Day 2:** Have a journal prompt waiting for the students on the overhead when they walk into the classroom. The journal prompt will ask the students to think about their own support system. After approximately five minutes, have students share their journal responses with a partner, and then briefly with the entire class. Also, discuss initial impressions of the novel as a class. Pass out pre-made bookmarks which explain important literary elements in a novel on one side and popular literary devices on the opposite side. However, don’t go into further discussion about it now. Read to the class for the remainder of the class period and assign pages 14-27 for homework (chapters 5-7).


 * Day 3:** At the start of class, have another journal prompt for the students set up. Ask the students to write about how Lia is dealing with the death of her “old” best friend Cassie. Can you think of any examples in the novel of reoccurring imagery or voice that describe how she is feeling? Have students share their journal responses with a partner. Then bring the students back to whole-class discussion for a minute or two. Ask them to think about what specific passages reveal Lia’s distress. Bring up Lia’s thoughts about Cassie being in the morgue on page 15, in addition to her counting to the number “33” on page 18. Also bring up her trip to the nurse’s office and her discussion with the nurse herself. Ask many students to share their thoughts with the class. What do these specific passages in the novel say about Lia’s subconscious and conscious thinking? Does the imagery represent her desire to avoid death? Her mood? Lastly, read for ten minutes, and assign pages 28-42 for homework (chapters 8-10).


 * Day 4:** Have students respond in their journal to the following questions: What is Lia’s family structure and home life like? How does this contribute to her separation from her family? Does Lia remember a better time in her life? Discuss various responses with the class. Discuss Plot in today’s lesson. Bring up one of the flashbacks in the novel, such as when Lia first met Cassie. Ask the students to get into groups of three, and ask them to discuss this and other flashbacks in the novel. In addition, ask them to contemplate what the line “when I was a real girl” represents. What does she mean when she says “real girl”? Have all groups briefly share their response with the class. Discuss how language, voice, and plot come together in this example. Read for the last five to ten minutes of class. Assign pages 43-55 for homework (chapters 11-15).


 * Day 5:** Have the following journal prompt ready for students when they enter the class: How do you know that Lia feels guilty about Cassie’s death? Does Cassie’s death intensify Lia’s restrictive eating habits? Why or why not? Have the students discuss their responses with a partner. Center the class discussion on Lia’s character and/or perception of herself. Lia thinks she will be stronger as she reaches each new goal weight. Read the passage on the end of page 52 and beginning of 53, which describes Lia’s point of view about her body weight rather loudly. Ask the students what they think of this passage. This will lead them towards the revelation that her viewpoint is not so reliable. Then discuss the different types of narrators and point of view in a piece text. Read for the last five minutes of class, and assign pages 56-68 for homework (chapters 16-18).


 * Day 6:** In the first five minutes of class, ask the students to respond to the following journal prompt: Why does Lia self-mutilate? Do you think she practices self-mutilation because she is anorexic or because of another reason? Have the students discuss this topic afterward for the next 10 minutes. Remind them that Lia gave her stepsister’s name as her own. What does she think about Emma and the treatment she receives compared to her own? Does this affect the way she feels about herself and the way she handles her feelings? Then bring up the bookmarks that were passed out a couple weeks ago. Ask the students to think about the author’s style in the novel for today’s lesson. What do the words crossed out mean? What do the italicized phrases represent? The chapter headings? How do these phrases and passages reflect the protagonist’s voice? Have them discuss their thoughts with a partner, and share with the class afterward. Also, introduce the multi-genre project. Explain to the students that they will be placed in groups of three and each member either asked to bring in a poem, newspaper article, or song that relates to the reading the night before. Each group will be assigned members and a date, starting with day 9 and ending with day 18. Read for the last couple minutes of class. Assign pages 69-80 for homework (chapters 19-20).


 * Day 7:** Ask the students to write about the following journal prompt on the overhead: Why does Lia connect emptiness with strength? Does this have anything to do with Cassie or strictly due to her eating disorder? Have the students share their responses in pairs, and then briefly with the entire class. Discuss Lia’s perception of her parents now and her parent’s relationship described in the flashback. In addition, discuss the movement of the plot. For homework, make predictions for the next events in the story in about a paragraph. Read for ten minutes to the class, and assign pages 81-97 for homework as well (chapters 21-23).


 * Day 8:** Have the students respond to the following journal prompt: What does the sea-glass mean to Lia? What does she think it can show her? Discuss various responses from students for approximately ten minutes. Center the class discussion on Cassie’s ghost and Lia’s steady visions of Cassie overall. How does the vivid and reoccurring imagery reflect Lia’s mental wellness? How does it reflect the author’s style of writing? Does Cassie’s ghost appear to help or hinder Lia? Have the students write about their ideas individually for ten minutes, and then share their responses with a partner for the next five to ten minutes. Read for the last five minutes of class, and assign pages 98-108 for homework (chapters 24-25).


 * Day 9: First multi-genre group project presents at the beginning of class.** In their journals, ask the students to write about Elijah’s posters on the wall of famous words by various authors and writers. What does this say about needing other people for survival? About being alone? Have a large number of students share their answers with the class. Then have the students explore an excerpt from the Emerson essay in class. Read it once out loud, and then ask for volunteers for someone to read it another time. Ask them what their initial impressions are of the excerpt. Discuss the theme in the essay and in the novel //Wintergirls.// Do they correlate at all? Ask the students to get into groups of three to five and read the excerpt for a third time. Then assign a point of view writing assignment: Ask the students to rewrite a passage from the point of view of a different character, such as Jennifer, instead of Lia from the Day 3 reading, or to rewrite a passage from the point of view of Elijah, instead of Lia from last night’s reading. Read to the class for the remaining five minutes of class. Assign pages 109-123 for homework (chapters 26-28).


 * Day 10: Second multi-genre group presents.** Have the following journal prompt ready for the students as soon as they walk in the door: Lia visits a blog site for girls who are looking for support for their eating disorders? What are they supporting? How do they affect Lia? Have the students discuss their responses in small groups, and briefly share with the class. For homework, ask the students to print off examples of healthy body image blogs or websites, and write approximately 1-2 paragraphs about what they support and what they think about one of the sites in particular. Then discuss how character, language, and style connect in the section. For instance, discuss the reasons behind the nicknames Lia uses to describe her classmates at lunch, such as “spaghetti” and “cheese fingers”. This scene reveals part of Lia’s character through her constant fixation on food. However, it also displays Lia’s unique language choices, which of course reflect the voice of the character. Is Lia surviving on her own? Have the students discuss their thoughts in pairs, and then reconvene with the entire class. Read to the class for the last remaining minutes of class, and assign pages 124-143 for homework as well (chapters 29-32).


 * Day 11: The third multi-genre group presents.** In their journals, have the students explore the term “wintergirl” Discuss the symbolism of winter and cold found throughout the story. What role does it play in comprising the main themes in the novel? Have students get into pairs and discuss their thoughts on paper for the next ten minutes, and then reconvene with the class to share their thoughts. Read the passage on page 133 about Lia feeling like the mountains in the distance have been engulfed by a snowstorm. Ask them to think about this passage relates to the term “wintergirl” specifically. How it relates to society and solitude? Explore these ideas in a whole-group discussion for the next fifteen minutes. Then Read to the class for the last five to ten minutes, and assign pages 144-157 for homework (chapters 33-35).


 * Day 12: The fourth multi-genre group presents. .** In their journals, have the students write about Lia’s unstable relationship with her mother. How does her mom talk to her? How does Lia perceive her mother’s words and actions? Is it the typical mother-daughter relationship? After about 5 minutes, ask the students to share their responses in pairs, and then with the entire class. Continue the discussion on mother-daughter relationships. Ask students to think about doctor-patient relationships, without making the comparison between the two up front. Achieve this by having the students refer to the passage on pages 154-155, which is conversation between Lia and her mother. Then place the students to get into groups of three and have them search for examples in the novel of “medical” language or references exchanged between Lia and her mother. Read to the class for the last five to ten minutes, and assign pages 157-180 for homework (chapters 36-38).


 * Day 13: The fifth multi-genre group presents.** In their journals, have the students write about Lia and Cassie’s pact they made on New Year’s they made the previous year. What do they think about their promise to one another and the conversation that takes place? After approximately 5-10 minutes, have the students share their responses in groups of 3-5. Then bring the students back to whole-group discussion. Discuss the severity of the resolution the girls made to one another. Leave the question open to the students. Continue the discussion by asking the students to find examples of metaphors in the text, which relate to the deadly promise the girls made. For example, point the students to the metaphor on page 179: “as drops of blood fell, careless seeds that sizzled in the snow.” Discuss other examples of metaphors in the text that they discover. Read to the class for the remainder of the class period, and assign pages 180-203 for homework (39-44).


 * Day 14: The sixth multi-genre group presents.** Have the students’ journal about the repetition that takes place in Lia’s thought process. In what ways does this allow Lia to stick with her severe disordered eating habits? Is it a coping mechanism? Have the students discuss their thoughts in groups of three. Then walk around the room and hear each group out, before bring the whole class back together for further discussion. Read part of the passage on page 185, which contains the repeated phrase “Must. Not. Eat” over and over again. Ask the students what this represents. Bring up the literary term ‘stream of consciousness.’ Set them up for a stream of consciousness writing activity for the next five minutes. Ask them to write down any and all thoughts, in the order in which they form. Then ask the students again about the repetition on page 185. See if their thoughts have changed. Read to the class for the last five minutes of class, and assign pages 204-225 for homework (chapters 45-48).


 * Day 15: The seventh multi-genre group presents.** No journal response today. Have the students engage in a group discussion on self-mutilation. Ask them what they currently know about the subject, and what they are still unsure about. Then place them into groups of 4-5 to do some in-class research on cutting. The class will go down to the library for the next thirty minutes. Afterwards, have the students re-group in the classroom for a sharing discussion on what they found out about cutting. Read to the class for the last couple minutes, and assign pages 226-242 for homework (chapters 49-52).


 * Day 16: The eighth multi-genre group presents.** Ask the students to respond to the following journal response: make a prediction for what is to come in the next section of the novel? Will Lia get better or will she continue to push away from the help she needs? Share your responses with a partner. Center the class discussion on the society theme in the novel. Who is Lia’s “society”? Her friend, parents, websites, and psychiatrist? Have they failed her as a supportive social structure in her life? Who is to blame? Or is her psychological disorder to blame? Leave these questions open to the students. Ask them to gather into groups of 3-5 and discuss these questions together, as well as, write down their main ideas/thoughts. Then have the students share their thoughts with the class. Read to the class for the remainder of the class period, and assign pages 242-262 for homework (chapters 53-58).


 * Day 17: The ninth multi-genre group presents.** Invite the students to journal about why Lia decides to finally open up to her therapist? What has changed? Anything? Have the students share their response with a partner for the next five minutes, and then ask for volunteers to share with the entire class. Discuss the upcoming summative assessment with the class, and remind them of the content test, which will take place two days from now. It will contain literal and inferential questions associated with the entire novel. However, remind them that this will not determine their grade in the class, only strengthen it if they do well. On the other hand, the summative assessment will be worth 100 points. Therefore, great detail will be given on what it entails in text and vocal format. Read for the last couple minutes of the class period, and assign the remaining pages of the novel for homework (chapters 59-65).


 * Day 18: The last multi-genre group will present.** The journal will ask the students to respond to the ending of the novel. Any and all impressions are welcomed. After five minutes, ask the students to think about Lia “thawing,” and her road to recovery. What do you think inspired Lia to finally get well? Have the students discuss their answers out loud to the class. Then Pass out booklets on rehabilitation centers for people who struggle with diseases, such as eating disorders and cutting, in addition to centers for rehabilitating the mind. Ask the students to briefly look them over, and described their thoughts on them with a partner. During the last couple minutes of class, remind the students again of the content test tomorrow, and if they have any further questions about the summative assessment.


 * Day 19: Content Test- literal and inferential questions**


 * Day 20:** Discuss various options for the summative assessment. Hand out a copy of the poem “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth to the students. Ask them to think about similar themes within in this poem and the major themes of the novel. Does it also relate to the Emerson’s Essay on society and solitude? If so, how? Ask the students to brainstorm their ideas for the next ten minutes. Then bring the group back together for whole-group discussion. Have the students share their ideas with the class. Then switch gears, and present an excerpt from Kate Chopin’s novel //The Awakening.// Ask the students the same questions about similar themes within this poem and in the major themes of the novel. Ask them to specifically write about how it relates to Emerson’s essay from the ‘solitude perspective’ for the next ten minutes. Does the main character believe that solitude and independence are separable? Have the student share their ideas with a partner, and then reconvene whole-group discussion. Conclude the class by reiterating to the students these are a couple genre options that can be used for the summative assessment.


 * Day 21:** Discuss another option for summative assessment: a newspaper article. Hand out a copy of an article from //Medical News Today// titled “Loneliness in our Modern Age.” Read it out loud to the class. Ask the students to think about similar themes within this poem and the major themes of the novel. Does it also relate to Emerson’s essay on society and solitude?” Have the students get into groups of 3 to 5 to discuss their thoughts. Reconvene with the entire class after approximately ten minutes. Ask for volunteers to share their responses with the entire group. Conclude the class by reiterating to the students that this is another option the students have as a genre option for the summative assessment. For instance, they are invited to write a newspaper article on the major themes within the completed unit. Use the remainder of the class period as a brainstorming session for ideas for their summative assessment.


 * Day 22:** Students will take part in a PowerPoint presentation on writing in the blog/diary/journal format. Afterwards, they will write in one of the formats themselves for the remainder of the class period (not to turn in, as practice alone).


 * Day 23:** Students will take part in a PowerPoint presentation on writing in the format of a poetry and/or short story. Afterwards, they will write in one of the formats themselves for the remainder of the class period (not to turn in, as practice alone).


 * Day 24:** Students will take part in a PowerPoint presentation in writing in the newspaper article format and interview format. Afterwards, they will write in one of the formats themselves for the remainder of the class period (not to turn in, as practice alone).

Formative assessments for our “Wintergirl Unit”:
 * Day 25: Work on Projects in class**
 * Day 26: Work on Projects in class**
 * Day 27: Peer Review Day**
 * Day 28: Final summative assessment is due.**

-On the first day, students will simply be asked to journal their initial thoughts from the first chapter the teacher reads to the class. They will be asked to think about, but not limited to “why is Lia obsessing over a missed phone call? And “how would you describe the relationship between her and her stepmom, Jennifer thus far? (Day 1) -How is Lia dealing with the death of her “old” best friend Cassie? Can you think of any examples in the novel of reoccurring imagery or voice that describes how she is feeling? (Day 3) -What is Lia’s family structure at home like? How does this contribute to her separation from her family? Does Lia remember a better time in her life? (Day 4) -How does Lia feel about Cassie’s death? Does Cassie’s death intensify Lia’s restrictive eating habits? Why or why not? (Day 5) -Why does Lia give her stepsister’s name to Elijah as her own? What is Lia and Emma’s relationship like? How does Lia feel about Emma? (Day 6) -Why does Lia connect “emptiness” with “strength”? What does this have to do with (i.e. Her eating disorder or something else?) (Day 7) -What does the sea glass mean to Lia? What does she think it can show her? (Day 8) -What does Elijah’s posters on the wall of famous words from authors and various writers have to say about needing other people for survival? About being alone? (Day 9) -Lia visits a blog site for girls who are looking for support for their eating disorders. What do you think about sites like these? How do they affect Lia? (Day 10)
 * Journals:**

-Group Multi-Genre Presentations: Students will be places in groups of three and each member either asked to bring in a poem, newspaper article, or song that relates to the reading the night before. (Days 9-18) -Take home assignment: Write approximately a paragraph of predictions for what is to come in the next section of the novel. (Day 7) -Have students research and print off examples of healthy site websites or blog sites for health and write a 1-2 paragraphs about what they support and what they think about one of the sites in particular. (Day 10)
 * Homework/Assignments/Activities:**
 * -**Point of view writing assignment: Students will be asked to rewrite a passage from the point of view of a different character, such as (Jennifer) instead of Lia from Day 4 reading or to rewrite a passage from the point of view of (Elijah) instead of Lia from Day 9 reading. (Day 9)


 * Michigan State Standards and Benchmarks that correlate with our unit:****Standard 1.2:** //Use writing, speaking and visual expression for personal understanding and growth.//**Standard 1.4:** //Develop and use the tools and practices of inquiry and research-generating, exploring, and refining important questions; creating a hypothesis or thesis; gathering and studying evidence; drawing conclusions, and composing a report.//**Standard 2.1:** //Develop critical reading, listening, and viewing strategies.//**Standard 3.1**: //Develop the skills of close and contextual literary reading.//**Standard 4.2:** //Understand how language variety reflects and shapes experience.//

//** Common Core Standards: **// 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11–12 on page 54.) 1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (oneon- one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on //grades 11–12 topics,// //texts, and issues,// building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well reasoned exchange of ideas. b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed. c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives. d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task. 5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text. b. Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.
 * __Reading Standards__** for Informational Text 6–12:
 * __Writing Standards__** 6–12:
 * __Speaking and Listening Standards__** 6–12:
 * __Language Standards__** 6–12: