S+Merrifield,+Jared

** E-mail: ** jared.merrifield@maine.edu
 * Teacher:** Mr. Merrifield
 * Office:** Platform 9 3/4
 * Office Phone:** 555-0123
 * Office Hours:** 25 hours a day

=Summary of Unit= Students will read the novel __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__ while garnering an understanding of literary terms, devices, themes, and structural aspects. Their understanding will be presented in many forms, assessments, activities, and program use. These will include collaborative group work regarding each aspect of the lesson, as well as personal reflections on the class. Students will express their understanding of plot structure by developing their own original short stories and creating a skit with a central conflict. They will also use such computer programs as Comic Life, iMovie, and iPhoto to demonstrate a clear understanding of plot structure, themes, and other essential devices, all the while relating it back to __Harry Potter__. This will lead up to a collaborative class project in which the students will work in small groups and act out the entire novel scene by scene using iMovie, with special attention paid to key points in the novel.

=Establish Goals= Maine Learning Results: English Language Arts - A. Reading A2 Literary Texts, Grades 7-8: __Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone__ Students will read fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry, within a grade appropriate span of text complexity, and analyze the characteristics noting how structural features and common literary devices help shape the reader's response.

= = =Students will understand that= • there are a variety of literary devices that constitute a literary text • every text has at least one central theme • every text has a plot, including a conflict

= = =Essential Questions= • How does each literary device affect the text? • How are themes determined, and how do they affect the text and the reader? • Why is conflict important in literature?

= = =Students will know= • Terminology: Hogwarts, Muggle, Quidditch, transfiguration, Devil's Snare • Critical details: Sorcerer's Stone, scar, Fluffy, Voldemort • Sequence and timeline: Harry as a baby, with family, at Hogwarts, etc...

= = =Students will be able to= • demonstrate understanding of literary devices. • evaluate literary themes. • exhibit themes in real-life situations. • compare the effects of literary devices. • relate to characters in conflict. • be aware of the importance of plot structure.

**Performance Task Overview** Congratulations! This is your opportunity to be featured in the next __Harry Potter__ film! Acclaimed author J. K. Rowling has agreed to have her epic, magical story told from a totally different perspective: through the eye of a minor character! She and the filmmakers believe that the viewers will garner a better, or at least unique and intriguing, understanding of Hogwarts' symbolism, metaphor, and conflict if it is told through the eyes of someone other than Harry himself. It is up to you to write the script for this new film and portray the different characters! Using iMovie, you will present specific scenes from the novel in ways that no one has ever seen before! All aboard the Hogwarts Express! Next stop: excitement!

=Expectations= Everyone should be prepared for class when the bell rings, and everyone should know //how// to be prepared for class. This includes gathering the materials needed for the lesson, such as pencils (remember to sharpen!), paper, notebooks, binders, and any books and assignments from the previous lesson. If you are going to be absent for at least one lesson, please try to contact me in advance (with a valid excuse, of course), as well as any student who will be able to catch you up on the assignment. I expect everyone in this class to show proper respect to each other and to myself. This includes raising your hands when you want to ask a question or express an opinion (as opposed to simply shouting out something without referral). You must also treat others and their opinions with kindness and understanding, and if you feel the need to criticize others' work, please do so constructively and positively. There will be no put-downs or insults in this class; we are all about encouragement!

=Benchmarks= These are the main assignments that will be distributed throughout our time in class, and they make up the majority of your final grade. The best possible grade is 900 points.

Blogger: Create an original short story with a cohesive plot and post it to your blog. I will teach you all how to create a blogger account beforehand. (75 points) iPhoto/Photoshop: Take pictures of random objects, people, and events, and consider what each picture could represent in a more complex way. Using the computer programs iPhoto and Photoshop, illustrate how objects in the real world are relative to literary devices. The use of graphics and captions are highly encouraged. Please be creative! (100 points) iMovie: Create a very brief iMovie that exhibits characters engaged in conflict. This could be an original conflict or one inspired by (not plagiarized from!) our text. (125 points) WebQuest: Explore the vast world of literary themes by researching stories and books with different messages and life lessons. Analyze each theme and explain how they can tie in to real life situations. (125 points) PowerPoint: Develop a brief slideshow demonstrating an understanding for the similarities and differences of literary devices, in terms of effect on the text and the reader. There is an extensive variety of devices to be used in this project, so use as many as you find reasonable, but no less than three. (125 points) Comic Life: Using the short story from the first lesson or a new one, use Comic Life (a program that allows you to create a comic strip) to tell a story with an essential theme. A theme from one of the texts you found during the WebQuest is fine, as long as you give the text credit. (150 points) iMovie: The performance task will demonstrate your understanding of the themes, devices, and key scenes in __Harry Potter__ by developing an important scene from the novel retold from the point of view of minor characters. (200 points)

=Grading Scale= **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+** (77 - 79), **C** (73-76), **C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59)