Understanding by Design Unit Template

Title of Unit / Big The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: Year 8

Idea Friendships across cultures
Curriculum Area English Time Frame 4 Weeks
Cohort Description The cohort has middle range literacy skills, can all read and write to an appropriate standard. The school is co-ed and is
situated in the suburbs of the city of Adelaide. The students are all from middle class families with some ethnic diversity.

Developed By Ashlea Wellington

Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)
Content Descriptions

- Explore the ways that ideas and viewpoints in literary texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts may reflect or
challenge the values of individuals and groups (ACELT1626)
- Understand and explain how combinations of words and images in texts are used to represent particular groups in society, and how texts
position readers in relation to those groups (ACELT1628)
- Recognise and explain differing viewpoints about the world, cultures, individual people and concerns represented in texts (ACELT1807)
- Apply increasing knowledge of vocabulary, text structures and language features to understand the content of texts (ACELY1733)
- Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to create, edit and publish texts imaginatively (ACELY1738)
- Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content, including multimodal elements, to reflect a
diversity of viewpoints (ACELY1731)

Achievement Standards
Receptive modes
By the end of the unit, students will be able to explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to represent different ideas and
issues in texts.
Students can select evidence from the text to show how events, situations and people can be represented from different viewpoints.

Productive modes
Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects..
Students create texts for different purposes, selecting language to influence audience response. They make presentations and contribute actively
to class and group discussions, using language patterns for effect. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary for effect and
use accurate spelling and punctuation.

General Capabilities Cross-curriculum Priorities

Personal and Social Capability
Intercultural Understanding
Ethical Understanding
Critical and Creative Thinking
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
Literacy
Understandings Essential Questions
Overarching Understanding Overarching Topical
Cultural background influences the way people are treated and accepted What is Bruno's first reaction to What literary techniques and
Shmuel? How does his conventions has Boyne used to
Society has not treated all of its constituencies with equity, and literature understanding of Shmuel change make meaning?
is a means by which inequities can be identified, protested, and possibly over time?
rectified. How does Boyne convey the
Is friendship more important perspective of different
Friendships can be formed under a range of circumstances than other underlying factors? characters?
Related Misconceptions
Social and cultural inequality doesnt affect me What differences are there How does Boyne portray the
between Jews and non-Jews in importance of friendship and
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas? loyalty?

Knowledge Skills
Students will know Students will be able to

That literature is a medium for social action and change Identify language techniques and conventions
That class structure shapes and controls lives Communicate how language techniques and conventions are used to
That people are treated differently based on their culture make meaning
What Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, and the concentration camps were Analyse and synthesise multiple elements of a text to create a
and explain how they came to be response
The transformational power of friendship
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
Performance Task Description
Assessment 1: Diary Students will be given the choice of two options to develop a diary entry that explores a day in the life of either a
Entry person living in one of the concentration camps during WWII or one of the Nazi Soldiers monitoring the camps.
Students will create a 300-400 word essay that explores how the author uses literary techniques to make meaning of
Assessment 2: Essay
the text and to develop the characters. The students will be able to choose 1 of 2 different essay questions to respond to.
Other Evidence
 Journal Entries Every 5 chapters with set questions to answer
Venn Diagrams to show character comparisons and understanding the differences between such characters
Essay Drafting
Contribution to class activities/discussions
Learning Plan (Stage 3)

Week 1: Lesson 1: (90 mins)

Introduction to Novel and WWII
(ACELT1807)
Overarching understandings:
- Cultural background influences the way people are
treated and accepted
Essential Question:
What differences are there between Jews and non-
Jews in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?
Guided reading of text
Assessment task 1 introduced
- Teacher introduces the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and provides a basic
context about WWII
- Activity: Students work in small groups to discuss what they know about WWII
(which countries were involved, where the action was, what happened to the
Jewish population, also including key terms such as: Auschwitz, Hitler,
concentration camps)
- Guided reading of text in class up to chapter 5. Students are to read to chapter 10
for homework
Lesson 2: (50 minutes)
- Activity: Students use computers to find the causes of World War II and research
the definition of key terms.
- Teacher discusses researching on the internet and the ways in which students
should approach their searching, ensuring to inform what credible sites are and
how to find information
- Teacher introduces journaling and provides questions for students, informing
them the first 5 chapter questions are due next lesson

Lesson 3: (50 minutes)

- The teacher hands out a hard copy of Assessment 1 and explains the task
- Check journals
- Activity: Crossword puzzle worksheet for students to complete to help broaden
understanding of key terms from the text
- Guided reading of chapters 10-15 for homework students must read up to chapter
20

Week 2 Lesson 4: (90 mins)

- In class reading of text: revisit chapter 15
- Activity: Readers Theatre: Create a short script for chapter 15 in the play and
Exploration of characters and their development allocate students characters.
(ACELT1626) - Following activity have a class discussion to reflect on how each character was
(ACELT1807) portrayed and how this may influence the text
(ACELY1731) - Students are told they need to finish reading the book in their own time for
homework
Guided reading of text
Lesson 5: (50 minutes)
Essential Questions: - Activity: In small groups, the students read two passages - pages 14-23, and pages
How does Boyne convey the perspective of different 42-48 and take notes on what they learn about each character, ie. their
characters? characteristics, opinions and views
What differences are there between Jews and non- - Class discussion to share what they have learnt from the passages
Jews in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas? - Time allocated in class to work on assessment 1 and ask any questions about task
- Check journal reflections

Lesson 6: (50 minutes)

- Introduce and discuss use of Venn diagrams to compare characters and ideas
- Activity: Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the characters such as:
Bruno and Gretel, and Bruno and Shmuel
- Get students into pairs to share and discuss their ideas and opinions
- Activity: Get students to create a character sketch of one of the main characters (ie.
What do/dont they like about them, their description)
(https://kelseyelliott.wikispaces.com/file/view/Handouts,
- +info,+etc+for+Boy+in+the+Striped+Pajamas+unit+plan.pdf)
-
(Assessment task 1 due)
Week 3:
Lesson 7: (90 mins)
Themes - Teacher discusses the concept of a theme to students
(ACELT1628) - Activity: As a class, students brainstorm what they think could be some of the
(ACELT1626) themes of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
- Focus on theme of friendship and pose questions to the class about critical aspects
Structure & Style of text (ie. How is it possible for Bruno and Shmuel to have fun together and
maintain their friendship in the midst of their circumstances? How does Bruno
Overarching understandings: justify continuing his friendship with Shmuel despite what his father, sister, and
- Friendships can be formed under a range of tutor have said about Jews?)
circumstances - Break class into groups for discussion and to gather ideas to present back to class

Essential Questions: Lesson 8: (50 minutes)

How does Boyne portray the importance of - Follow on from previous lesson about themes and begin discussion on structure
friendship and loyalty? and style.

What is Bruno's first reaction to Shmuel? How does
his understanding of Shmuel change over time?
Is friendship more important than other underlying
factors?
Week 4:
Introduce Assessment 2: Essay
(ACELY1738)
Essay writing skills and planning
(ACELY1733)
Review of concepts in text
- Show powerpoint and give examples of literary techniques and how they are
applied in the text. Discuss point of view, development of plot, etc
- Activity: Students create posters that outline the different themes and literary
devices that portray these themes. Students are to include a definition of the theme
or literary device and one example.
- Check journal reflections
Lesson 9: (50 minutes)
- Activity: Students are given blank paper to reflect on their friendships and
relationships with their peers (ie. Write down how they met, if they are of the same
background, etc)
- Once given time to complete, class comes back as a group to discuss the different
types of friendships they may have and if they can connect their friendships in a
similar concept to Bruno & Shmuel (ie. Are they catholic and their friend is muslim,
or do they have an English background and their friend has an Asian background)
(Assessment 1 marked and returned to students)
Lesson 10: (90 mins)
- Introduce Assessment 2, give students hard copy of task sheet
- Show powerpoint refreshing paragraph writing and short essay writing structure
- Use paragraph hamburger tool to explain how to write paragraphs
(http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/paragraph_hamburger)
- Activity: Get students to develop a paragraph on a simple topic outlining topic
sentence, body of paragraph and concluding sentence
Lesson 11: (50 minutes)
- Recap lesson. Review work done on themes and characterization
- Class discussion brainstorming what they have learnt or what they have found
interesting about the text
- Activity: Students get into groups to re-create the last chapter of the book to what
they think would be a better ending of the text
Lesson 12: (50 minutes)
- Re-address paragraph writing tools and essay planning skills
- Time allowed for essay planning and drafting
(Assessment 2 due two weeks from when introduced)
From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)

Assessment Task 1:
A Day in the Life of.
This assessment aims to promote understanding of the characters and the ways in which they are
represented in the novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Students are to choose one of two options for assessment to show their learning and understanding.

Students are to write a one paragraph diary entry from the perspective of:

- A person living in one of the concentration camps

OR
- A soldier patrolling one of the concentration camps.

Students are to show their understanding of the character and the perspective of the character through
their diary entry. Students should also demonstrate good literacy skills including grammar, sentence
structure and spelling, along with an understanding of the conventions and expectations of a
diary/journal entry.

Assessment Rubric
By the end of year 8,
students will meet
the following Approaching Year 8 At Year 8 Standard Above Year 8 Standard
Achievement Standard
 standards
Understand how
the selection of Some understanding of how language Sound understanding of how language Strong understanding of how language
language features features can be used for particular effect features can be used for particular effect features can be used for particular effect
can be used for
particular purposes
and effects
Combine ideas,
images and Attempts to use images and language Uses images and language features from Expertly utilises images and language
language features features from other texts, students show other texts, students show how ideas can be features from other texts, students show
from other texts, how ideas can be expressed in new texts expressed in new texts how ideas can be expressed in new texts
students show how
ideas can be
expressed in new
texts
Demonstrate
understanding of Some evidence of appropriate vocabulary Appropriate vocabulary and accurate Astute choice of appropriate vocabulary
grammar, select and attempts made at accurate grammar grammar, spelling and punctuation and precise grammar, spelling and
vocabulary for spelling and punctuation punctuation
effect and use
accurate spelling
and punctuation

Student comment and self assessment:

(eg. What goals did you set yourself? How successful do you think you have been with this assignment? What was difficult and what was enjoyable?)

Teacher assessment:
Approaching Year 8 Standard At Year 8 Standard Above Year 8 Standard

Teacher comment: