Alt+Ed

=Thematic Units: //Alt Ed Comments Below //= Group Members: Erin Basgall Erin Blanchard Joseph Schimmel Tina Van Hoose

=Preliminary Unit Downloadable Doc Files for Printing=

**__MDE Standards & Expectations Alt Ed__**
=== I especially like the lessons (Week 1, L. 2 & 3, Week, L.1) that deal with characters directly and the middle paragraphs of the rationale that address the specific conflicts of two characters and their thematic connection. Thematic units should start with characters and their conflicts and the themes gradually emerge. Otherwise students believe that novels are written only to solve society's problems. === === At the outset, from Day 1, you want students to think of characters, their fears, their values, their oddities. There is a kind of bonding going on in the first half of a novel, and you can lead students to do this by asking them to react to characters' behavior, their deceptions, their relationships, their motives. Don't forget the adult characters, minor though they be, Mr. Duffy and Susan's father. There is also a lot of suspense about each character's reason for being in the group, and students could speculate about that. ===

Bullying is a good theme, but to make it more encompassing, include words like "harassment" and "intimidation" and "abuse" to apply to all the characters.
=== Avoid starting lessons with topics, rather than characters and events. This is especially prevalent in Week 2 (teasing, sexuality, violence). If you discuss the characters and plot expectations, they eventually lead to these topics, but reading comprehension is the first task. === === I like this book especially for showing how each character has a vulnerability, even though only one of them, Susan, shows it outwardly. It extends the notion of victim even to those who seem to have it together. ===