AnnaLeigh Herrin-5313
Big Hairy Audacious Goal “BHAG”
Using the experience gained from research and peer collaboration, learners will compose a persuasive
advertisement for a compelling novel of their choice, and showcase their work through their personal
ePortfolio.
Established Goals:
Reading:
4.6(A) sequence and summarize the
plot’s main events and explain their
influence on future events; (cause &
effect)
4.11© describe explicit and implicit
relationships among ideas in text
organized by cause-and-effect,
sequence, or comparison.
Writing:
4.19(A) write persuasive essay (in
this case, student chooses to write a
Stage 1 Desired Results
Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their
learning to…
 Communicate effectively based on purpose and
audience using appropriate vocabulary and
conventions.
 Develop a conscious reflection of self by exploring
and pursuing viable options based on interests,
experiences, and aspirations.
 Advocate based on personal needs (academic,
behavioral, emotional, and physical) to determine
an appropriate solution.
 Demonstrate self-awareness by reflecting on how
every action causes an effect on their
surroundings.
persuasive ad, brochure, or create a
book trailer that will embed on their
ePortfolio) for appropriate audience
that establishes a position and uses
supporting details. (e.g., Does the
advertisement cause the intended
effect to persuade classmates to read
your novel?)
Listening & Speaking
Social-Emotional Skills
4.29(A) participate in teacher-and-
student-led discussions by posing
and answering questions with
appropriate detail and by providing
suggestions that build upon the ideas
of others (e.g., face-to-face group
collaboration, online discussion
forums with peers). (e.g., What
actions cause an unwanted effect,
vice/vs? How can we use our words
to effectively communicate our
needs?)
 Carefully draft, edit, and polish work to make it
publishable (via ePortfolio).
 Develop social-emotional skills needed to discern
healthy relationship building.
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Learners will understand…
 How to sequence and
summarize the events within a
story.
 How past events influence
future events and be able to
inference the effects.
 How to compare and contrast
the sequences of events in
similar plot lines and apply
those plot-lines to their own
life.
 How to compare and contrast
their text to self.
 How cause and effect helps
cultivate the art of persuasion.
 Why persuasion is an
important skill to have to get
certain needs met.
 Why it is important for a writer
to consider their audience and
occasion while drafting.
 What is order and why is it
important? How can we relate
the sequence of events in a
story to the order in our own
lives?
 Why is it important to learn
from events that happened in
the past? How does this effect
future outcomes?
 Can we be in full control our
lives, or do we simply react to
stimuli around us?
 Which character in the story do
you relate to, and which
character is your polar
opposite, and why?
 Do our words always reflect our
actions? How can we learn the
art of persuasion by
understanding cause and
effect?
 When it is appropriate to use
persuasion and when it will do
more harm than good.
 The power of their words, and
how cause and effect and
sequence can set the stage for
a powerful persuasive
advertisement, written blog
post, or book trailer (depending
on what they chose as their
persuasive platform).
 Why it is important to discover
their own voice, and share it
with the world via an
ePortfolio.
 Why feedback from peers is
important in their own
personal growth.
 The value of developing social-
emotional skills to shape who
they are becoming.
 Why it is important to
determine the difference
between merely “knowing” and
“understanding.” They will
understand that empathy is
what sets the two a part.
 How to relate to something
they “know” (such as facts and
info), vs something they truly
“understand” through
thoughtful reflection and
consideration (deeper
 What are some key
social/behavioral cues in
reading an audience?
 How is language and words
used to manipulate us?
Specifically in what capacity
(media, relationships, social
norms, society, etc.)?
 How do authors use the
resources of language to impact
or persuade an audience?
 What influences a writer to
create?
 How does the study of your
self-selected novel help
construct your meaning of
reality?
 What can you infer about your
subconscious in selecting your
particular novel?
 How can you use this
realization and reflection to
further support your persuasive
argument? How can you tailor
what you understand about
yourself with your intended
audience?
 How does our personal
experiences shape our view of
others, and our ability to share
big ideas with one another?
What social cues make us feel
comfortable sharing our voice,
 connection to the
material/concept).
 How to utilize S.T.E.A.L.
characterization chart to
understand implicit
relationships between
characters.
Acquisition
Students will know… Students will be skilled
 The fundamentals of cause and at…
effect and its relation to
persuasion.
 How to organize the sequence of
events in plot.
 How to utilize the
characterization tool S.T.E.A.L.
to organize ideas and opinions
regarding characters & their
explicit relationships within the
story.
and which trigger
apprehension?
 Is this an internal or external
battle or both?
 Why are building relationships
with others important for a
fulfilling life?
 How does media shape our view
of the world and ourselves?
 How can we use our ePortfolios
to shape the world we wish to
see?
 Why do you think elementary
students can be leaders? How
specifically can they impact
their world?
 How can you become a force of
change in a world full of
setback and difficult people?
 Independently selecting a text
and analyze the elements of the
writer’s craft.
 Create a personal ePortfolio and
maintain a blog page.
 Create an advertisement,
brochure or video with the
intent to persuade.
  The basics of blogging and
building an ePortfolio.
 The mechanics of the writing
process
(prewriting/brainstorming,
drafting, editing, revising,
publication)
 Where to find information
related to ePortfolio mechanics
and video building software.
 How to choose a platform and
create a video.
 How to use their words to
advocate for their needs and the
needs of others.
 How to engage in academic
discussion and collect others’
experiences for later reflection.
 How to read body language of
others to determine audience
engagement.
 Participate in academic
discussions both in their
groups and online.
 Use the writing process to
maintain blog posts, and
edit/revise one another’s posts.
 Use the art of persuasion to
influence new readers.
 Reflect on their own learning
and metacognition.
 Recognize what triggers them,
and use their words
thoughtfully to advocate for
their needs.
 Reading the
social/behavioral/emotional
cues of classmates.
 Recognize one’s own actions
and how it affects others.
 Relate cause and effect to
immediate surroundings.

Stage 2 - Evidence
Evaluative Criteria, Performance Tasks, & Assessment Evidence

 Review and research “how-to” blog and why blogging is important.

 Review and research effective and ineffective student blogs, and take three key takeaways from exemplar
blogs to use in your own.
 Discuss with groups how blogging and an electronic footprint enhances learning.
 Collaborate with peers and compare/contrast themes within the genres.
 Create a personal ePortfolio with thoughtful design and attention to clear detail.
 Read library books each class period while connecting the text to self and other texts.
 Use the connections made with self and peers to communicate, reflect, and respond to blog prompts on
personal ePortfolio.
 Create a persuasive book trailer, advertisement, or brochure and embed it to personal ePortfolio.
 Present platform to the class.
 With the social-emotional skills gained in collaboration w/peers, respond thoughtfully to at least 3
classmates’ posts, providing positive feedback.
 After reviewing classmates’ blogs, choose two new books for future reading.

OTHER EVIDENCE:

 A series of at least 4 blog entries will be used and analyzed to further assess learning.
 Observation of meaningful contribution to discussions with peers in small groups and online.
 Evidence of a thoughtfully crafted ePortfolio that accurately reflects student effort.
 Student’s self-evaluation of growth and reflection on what could be improved.
 Presentation of persuasive argument, and execution in successfully swaying their audience.
 Observation of each student’s ability to utilize social-emotional learning skills gained from this highly
collaborative project.
 Evidence of continued independent reading beyond the completion of the project.
 Student reflections on the project through a blog post.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction
W

Where are we going?

By the end of this project, learners will have composed a persuasive advertisement for a compelling
novel of their choice, and showcase their work through their personal ePortfolio. They will have gained
inspiration and experience through research and peer collaboration. They will be able to apply the
relationship cause & effect has in creating a persuasive argument. This unit is intended to spark
discovery and the learner’s self-efficacy through the application of choice, ownership, and voice.

How will we hook (Introduce this to) the students?

We will watch a series of a few short inspirational, persuasive YouTube videos by Kid President about
leadership and learning, and discuss what exactly he said or did that sparked the first hint of
inspiration to follow his ideas. What part of the video tugged at the heart enough that we felt
persuaded/inspired to make our own impact on the world? What use of graphics, music, videography
techniques, and powerful words did he use that made us self-reflect, and consider what our life is
preaching to the world. Learners will use inspiration from these videos to create a video of their own to
persuade and inspire others to read their self-selected novel. Learners will learn how to hook their
novel to something personal in their lives to move the hearts of their audience. “Your head can never
go where your heart has never been” (Harapnuik, 2019).
We will also watch a video about the basics of blogging, and how it is impactful.

Videos we will watch are below:

https://youtu.be/RwlhUcSGqgs-- A Pep Talk for Teachers and Students by Kid President
https://youtu.be/4z7gDsSKUmU How To Change the World by Kid President
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjwUHXoi8lM What is a Blog? (for elementary students)
E

How will we equip students for expected performances?

Facilitators and staff will review the expectations, procedures, rubric, goals, and purpose of the project
with the class during the Organizational portion (see below). Students will know what is expected of
them.

How will you rethink or revise? What are likely or predictable student
misunderstandings and/or performance weaknesses in this unit? What do the research
and teacher experience say we can expect the greatest difficulties to be? What
suggestions can you offer about how to troubleshoot these issues?

Students’ initial feelings toward reading and writing are generally either a love or hate due to previous
experiences with the content. Their identities seem threatened every time they’re asked to read or
write if it does not come naturally to them or they have always struggled to keep up. The hurdles we
can most likely expect is the learning curve that comes with creating the ePortfolio, and working with
electronic platforms they have never used before. Some students will be vocal about questions, while
others will be silent when they need help. Some students will understand how to incorporate
persuasion well, and others who struggle socially may miss the cues to effectively read and sway their
audience. However, I believe that for both the struggling learner and the confident learner, this project
is tailored to the students’ interests which in turn will promote motivation & connection with the
subject matter. Overall, facilitators will remind students that their experiences and reflections in this
project are their own, and even if it turns out to be a struggling experience, they can still own it and
learn valuable skills by recognizing it. I will remind my students of the word “yet” and the power their
growth mindset has in maintaining motivation and momentum when things don’t go well.
E

How will students self-evaluate and reflect on their learning?

Learners will self-evaluate throughout the course by blogging reflections related to prompts provided
by teacher. Learners will also be encouraged to be conscious of new skills gained, and will be asked to
discuss these reflections with their peers. Students will post reflections on their ePortfolio, and
collaborate by providing feedback to other classmates’ blogs. They will peer edit and revise each
other’s blog posts as well as their own.

How will we tailor learning to varied needs, interests, and learning styles?

Learners will review each other’s’ introductions on their ePortfolio sites, and find classmates with
similar interests. They will then divide into homogenous groups based on similar interest and genre of
novels. Learners will have multiple opportunities to research platforms of their choice to use both for
their persuasive ad/video, and themes for their ePortfolio sites. They will be given time daily to reflect
on their personal learning journey and growth in the process.

How will we organize the sequence of learning?

The following are the engage2Learn (2012) protocols that guide students through a project, but I have
re-worded slightly to fit into my context.
 1. Launch – Pre-assessment (what do they already know, what do they want to know), hook, explain
expectations & the project’s rubric.
2. Plan – Students begin setting up ePortfolios and introductions, select novel based on interest, and
organize into homogeneous groups.
3. Research/Work – Students begin applying the theme and relationships from their novels to their
own stories. Students blog in response to prompts, and write a reflection daily based on their
experience. Students collaborate with one another and respond to one another’s blog posts with
edits, revisions, and feedback. Students create a persuasive/inspirational book trailer/ad/brochure
for their novel.
4. Create/Critique – Finalize research and assign design tasks, create final product, solution, or
presentation for real audience; final peer edit and review with feedback, opportunity to revise and
edit
5. Share – Present project solution to real audience, audience asks clarifying questions, learners reflect
on unit

References:

Engage2Learn. (2012) Learning protocols. Retrieved from

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Odzs4PTQRl90NBc-cQlemBmF49giA0qv/view?ts=5d16794a