Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: Themes in Literature

Name: Patrick Funnamark

Content Area: English Language Arts

Grade Level:11-12

CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):

RL.3.2 Analyze the way in which the theme or meaning of a selection represents a view or
comment on life, using textual evidence to support the claim.
CA Content Standard for ELA:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex
account; provide an objective summary of the text
Big Ideas:
What themes from the literature can you apply to key issues today? Think of things you see/hear about in the news or even
situations youve encountered in your own life.
How are the themes from the reading relevant today socially and/or personally?
Unit Goals and Objectives:

Students will be able to discern and make inferences about theme/central idea and identify specific details that develop
theme and establish connections.
Students will be able to identify and implement evidence in supporting their ideas about theme/central idea.
Students will be able to recall and recognize basic facts, details, events, or ideas explicit in text.
Students will be able to determine and summarize main ideas of text.
Unit Summary:

Students will strengthen their ability to discern various themes from literature. Although this unit will focus on themes
found within literature (novels, short stories, poetry, etc.), visual art and music will also be incorporated into the unit to
further strengthen student ability in discerning and talking about theme. Understanding the relevance of these themes

today, students will apply them to current issues in social and personal contexts. Using various activities, students will
develop their own opinions and ideas on these themes as they relate to them today. During this lesson, students will
use and incorporate tech tools to help chart and organize their thoughts on theme in literature. These digital tools
involve presentations, graphic organizers, Venn diagrams, and assessments. Using these tools will also help students to
better communicate their thoughts to their peers and to the teacher.
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level:

Individual and Class Brainstorming

Questions

Formative:

Quizlet

Quickwrite

Critical-thinking Questions

Graphic Organizer

Summative:

Exit Slips using Padlet

Reflection and Discussion

Lesson 1
Student Learning
Objective:

Students will be
able to discern and
make inferences
about theme/central
idea and identify
specific details that
develop theme and
establish
connections.

Acceptable Evidence:
Students complete a
set of guided notes
involving questions
requiring various
levels of thinking.
Students will provide
an example of one
theme from a literary
work by submitting
digital exit slips.

Instructional
Strategies:
X Communication
Collection
Collaboration
X Presentation
Organization
X Interaction

Lesson Activities:
Individually and then as a class, students will create a
working definition of theme. Then students will use this
definition in order to brainstorm possible themes in various
art pieces.
Using Prezi, the teacher will introduce the ideas of theme ,
thematic concept, and thematic statement. In addition to this
lecture, students will complete a set of guided notes
involving various levels of thinking.
At the conclusion of the lesson, students will submit digital
exit slips using Padlet. The exit slips include a relevant
theme from one of three literary works.

Lesson 2
Student Learning
Objective:

Students will be
able to identify and
implement evidence
in supporting their
ideas about
theme/central idea.

Acceptable Evidence:
Students complete a
Venn diagram in order
to compare and
contrast the
treatment of one
theme across two
different
narratives/literary

Instructional
Strategies:
Communication
X Collection
X Collaboration
Presentation
Organization
X Interaction

Lesson Activities:
Students will take a quiz about the previous lessons lecture
using Quizlet.
Students will answer several critical-thinking questions
related to the theme of a literary work.
Students will work in small groups to complete a Venn
diagram which compares and contrasts the treatment of one

theme across two different literary works. Students will do

this by finding several different stories which address the
same theme. Students will then read and analyze these
stories to discover how each treats this theme similarly and
differently.

works.

Students will be
able to determine
and summarize
main ideas of text.
Lesson 3
Student Learning
Objective:

Students will be
able to identify and
implement evidence
in supporting their
ideas about
theme/central idea.
Students will be
able to recall and
recognize basic
facts, details,
events, or ideas
explicit in text.

Acceptable Evidence:
Students will
complete a graphic
organizer linking
evidence from the
text to their own
ideas about a
particular theme.

Instructional
Strategies:
Communication
Collection
X Collaboration
X Presentation
X Organization
Interaction

Students will write a

reflection about one
theme from the text.
Students will then
share their thoughts
in small groups.

Unit Resources:
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=1732280&present=true

Useful Websites:

Lesson Activities:
Students will answer several questions about theme from a
particular text. These questions will be text-explicit, textimplicit, and experience-based.
Students will complete a quickwrite about the theme of a
text and use textual evidence to support their ideas.
Students will work in pairs in order to complete a graphic
organizer.
Students will organize their thoughts within the graphic
organizer to show a clear and logical link between the textual
evidence and the students own ideas about theme and its
treatment by the author.