TEAM BUILDING
Unit 1:
The Power of the Story:
Inspiring Passion, Purpose, and Leadership Potential
Essential Questions:
Who am I?
What has shaped me into the person I have become?
How does what shapes me build my character?
How can I make my story come alive?
Who am I?
What has shaped me into the person I have become?
How does what shapes me build my character?
How can I make my story come alive?
The Danger of a Single Story
Listen, Learn, then Lead
Activities
- Vocabulary: Students will study challenging vocabulary chosen from the works studied and/or College Board’s SAT book (L.4)
- Activity: How to Guide for Computer use. Google Docs, Google Slides, Keyboard shortcuts, Word/Slides Icons.
- Essay (Personal Narrative)
- Homework [Media]: Create a Personal Blog (weebly, blogster, etc.) and record your personal opinions on American current events (posted on Portal) with the lens of “the power of the story.” OR a “list” on Ms. Usher’s blog (Req’d – 2 posts a week; 2 comments on classmates’ blogs a week) (W.3 & W.6)
- Group Work: Discuss TED Talks as a small group. Discuss form, dialogue, tone, imagery, and characters. (RL.1-4)
- Class Discussion: Without sharing names, I will read pieces of our informal writing. As a class we will discuss how these events have shaped our character. (SL.1)
- Independent Project: What’s in Your Suitcase? With a shoebox, design a creative / aesthetically appealing “suitcase” that tells us about you. Fill it with objects, images, photographs, letters, etc. (See list on Portal)
- Individual Activity: “I am enough.” (As creatively as you can, come up with ways to “embrace your vulnerability” as Brene Brown discussed in her Ted Talk)
- PBL: Create an “I am enough” movement for a school-wide discussion / awareness campaign. (W.3; SL.4)
- Photo Essay: Create a photo essay that explains who you are without any words. You should have at least 12 photos/images that need no explanation. (RL.7)
- Culminating Activity (PBL): Ted/Moth style (tent 10/31/16) Not all students will speak, but all students will submit a script. All students WILL be involved in some way (film, photography, sound engineering, surveying, etc.)
Writing Assignments
- Essay: [Personal Narrative] What or who has shaped you into the person you are at this very moment? If given the chance, would you go back in time to change what kind of person you have become? (W.3)
- If you were writing your story and you were the author, how would your story go? (W.3)
- Informal Writing: Write a story about that time where you faced a challenge, including how you dealt with the challenge and what its outcome was. Be sure to narrate an event or a series of events and to include specific details so that the reader can follow your story. (W.3)
- Ted/Moth styyle Talk (3-18 minutes on ANY topic with the lens of “character”) – SCRIPT must be word for word so that it can be projected on the teleprompter for a ‘just in case’ scenario.
Enrichment Activities
- Interview your parent/guardian, asking them what one event shaped them into who they are. (SL.1 & 4)
- Media: After writing your personal narrative, create a video / voice over for your story. (W.6)
- Media: Create a Wordle type graphic about yourself to accompany your personal narrative. (W.6; RL.7)
Assessments
- Class Participation
- Class Discussion
- Essay (Personal Narrative; Spoken Word)
- Vocabulary Quiz
- Reading Quiz
- Projects (“I am enough” PBL; Photo Essay; Love Letter / Post Secret; Ted/Moth style oral story)
Inspirational TEDTalks
- The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript?language=en
- Listen, Learn, then Lead https://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal
- The Power of Vulnerability https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability
- 10 Ways to have a Better Conversation https://www.ted.com/talks/celeste_headlee_10_ways_to_have_a_better_conversation
- Love Letters to Strangers https://www.ted.com/talks/hannah_brencher_love_letters_to_strangers
- Embracing Otherness https://www.ted.com/talks/thandie_newton_embracing_otherness_embracing_myself
- Living Beyond Borders https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_purdy_living_beyond_limits
- The Power of Introverts https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts
- Practicing Emotional First Aid https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_the_case_for_emotional_hygiene
- If I Should Have a Daughter https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter
Supplemental Resources
- Ted Talk Playlist- Help You Find Your Purpose https://www.ted.com/playlists/313/talks_to_help_you_find_your_pu
- Ted Talk Playlist – Relating to Others https://www.ted.com/playlists/367/when_you_re_having_a_hard_time
- “Name that Literary Element -http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/course/course1/unit/games.shtml
- Voice Thread - https://voicethread.com/
- Wordle - http://wordle.com
- The Moth Story Slam - https://themoth.org/about-moth-events
ASSESSED STANDARDS
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.5
Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.5
Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.7
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.5
Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.