Unit 6
Authors and Actors
Purpose
The purpose of this unit is to ignite students’ excitement to write by giving them the tools to explore experiences in their own lives and to communicate those stories to an audience through theater and writing.
Unit Description
In this unit, students write personal narratives about experiences in their own lives. To prepare, students will explore writing around three different topics. With each topic, they read real authors’ stories and engage in theater exercises as they apply the writing process. Then as authors, students pick one topic to write a whole story about and use acting to support their progress. As a culminating event, the class creates a theater presentation of the stories for an audience, who can see and hear the students’ stories on stage.
Common Core State Standards
Arts for Learning is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. This Overview describes the scope of the standards and this Quick Reference Guide provides each of the standards fully or partially met within this A4L Unit, followed by the charts that specifically identify the standards addressed in each lesson and step in the Unit. The standards are also coded and listed at the beginning of each lesson in the unit. Arts for Learning also provides a comprehensive student assessment program in each unit. This A4L Assessment Toolkit Quick Reference Chart indicates an overview of the locations of the tasks to be scored in the unit..
Each A4L unit is developed on a common framework and contains a 3-part sequence of instruction that educational research suggests will help students become more self-directed, independent learners. There is a gradual hand-off of responsibility--from teacher to students-- that is supported by assessment and teacher help as needed. Throughout A4L units the arts serve as motive and means to advance reading for meaning and writing thoughtfully.
Purpose
The purpose of this unit is to ignite students’ excitement to write by giving them the tools to explore experiences in their own lives and to communicate those stories to an audience through theater and writing.
Unit Description
In this unit, students write personal narratives about experiences in their own lives. To prepare, students will explore writing around three different topics. With each topic, they read real authors’ stories and engage in theater exercises as they apply the writing process. Then as authors, students pick one topic to write a whole story about and use acting to support their progress. As a culminating event, the class creates a theater presentation of the stories for an audience, who can see and hear the students’ stories on stage.
Common Core State Standards
Arts for Learning is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language. This Overview describes the scope of the standards and this Quick Reference Guide provides each of the standards fully or partially met within this A4L Unit, followed by the charts that specifically identify the standards addressed in each lesson and step in the Unit. The standards are also coded and listed at the beginning of each lesson in the unit. Arts for Learning also provides a comprehensive student assessment program in each unit. This A4L Assessment Toolkit Quick Reference Chart indicates an overview of the locations of the tasks to be scored in the unit..
Each A4L unit is developed on a common framework and contains a 3-part sequence of instruction that educational research suggests will help students become more self-directed, independent learners. There is a gradual hand-off of responsibility--from teacher to students-- that is supported by assessment and teacher help as needed. Throughout A4L units the arts serve as motive and means to advance reading for meaning and writing thoughtfully.
