1. Elizabeth Marshall
CURR 665
Unit Plan 1: Differentiating Content
Course: Honors English 9
Preparing to Differentiate……. Pages 2-6
Lesson 1……. Page 7
Lesson 2……. Pages 8-9
Lesson 3…….Pages 10-11
Appendix of Handouts……. Pages 12

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9th
Grade Honors English Student Survey
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name:________________________________________________________________________
Preferred Name: _______________________________________________________________
Birthday:______________________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian’s name(s): _______________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________________________
Home phone number:____________________________________________________________
Student cell phone (if applicable):__________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian cell phone (if applicable):___________________________________________
FAMILY
I live with… Both parents Father Mother Relative:________________
ACADEMICS
What are your favorite subjects? Why? What are your LEAST favorite subjects?
Why?

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Do you, or want to, participate in any extracurricular activities (sports, dance, band, clubs)? If yes, what are
they?
TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION
Do you have a computer with internet access at home?
□ Yes, all the time. □ Yes, most of the time. □ No
Do you have a smart phone?
□ Yes □ No
What are your computer skills?
□ I’m a pro
□ I can figure most things out on my own
□ If someone guides me, I can figure most things out
□ I know what I’m doing but I get lost sometimes
□ I can check e-mail and use Microsoft Word (or other word processor)
□ I need continual instruction on how to use the computer
READING INFORMATION
Do you enjoy reading?
□ Yes □ No
Do you read for pleasure (outside of school)?
□ Yes □ No
If yes, how often do you read? If no, why not?
What was the last book you read?
PERSONAL INFORMATION
How would you describe yourself?
What’s your greatest strength?/ What do you like most about yourself?

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Is there anything else I NEED to know about you as a student? Anything else you’d like to share? Or is there
anything you need to know about me?
Student Learner Profile
Students took ‘What’s My Learning Style?’ quiz on http://www.whatismylearningstyle.com. The
questions were primarily about how they prefer to learn, how they remember best, and about how they give
instructions. They had to indicate “seldom” “some” or “often” for each question. When they were done, they
submitted their results and a new window opened explaining what their learning style was.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Sutdents
Visual
Auditory
Tactile/Kinesthetic
Out of a class of 32, 35% are visual learners, 15% auditory, and 50% tactile-kinesthetic.
Initial Personal Reflection of the Results: These results are not surprising to be however I do find them to be
difficult to reconcile in a high school English classroom. Sure I can incorporate some more activities that
require movement and hands on learning; but my subject is about reading and writing, do disciplines that by
nature are solitary and sedentary. Additionally I find myself in a tough position because part of my job as a high
school teacher is to prepare my kids for college, which is almost exclusively auditory and visual learning—at
least for the first year or two while one completed basic graduation requirements.

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Upon Further Review: After considering these results a little further, I realized that I could really use this high
percent of tactile-kinesthetic to my advantage in teaching how to write a research paper while also fostering
critical thinking and really push my students to a transformational and social action level on Banks’
Multicultural Model. By selecting a meaningful and multicultural topic for students to research, I can broaden
their world knowledge and thinking but also teach them the skill of writing a research paper.
Student Readiness Profile
Readiness Grouping
Methods used to determine grouping:
• NWEA Reading MAP RIT Scores and Lexile Levels
• Classroom observations and past course work
Struggling Learner Advanced
M. Chandler
K. Ward
Y. Jones
S. Slone
N. Craig
D. Glenn
J. Melchor
K. Richards
L. Barksdale
M. King
D. Zagula
A. McClendon
B. Boatmon
D. Davis
J. Skogland
B. Walker
K. Sauers
D. Budai
A. Bustamante
N. Terry
A. Vargas
R. Bohannon
T. Haile
K. Kouba
K. Leondard
I. Foster
R. Pinkowski
T. VanNorman
J. McRae
M. Schneider
“Night” by Elie Wiesel and Global Genocide Research Paper Unit

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The following lessons are all part of a much larger unit of lessons and activities. The lessons that follow are
near the middle to end of this unit, so the following presumptions must be made:
• Students have already had a lesson about the five stages of the Holocaust
• Students have already completed their reading of “Night” by Elie Wiesel
• Students have engaged in several in-class essays in which they explored and analyzed specific sections
of the text.
• Students have been working on reading packets that have questions about each chapter.
Purpose: The purpose of this unit beyond increasing reading and writing proficiency, and developing critical
reading and writing skills, is to engage students in global history and injustices. The unit was developed to teach
the skills of critical analysis and research paper writing, however I wanted my students to learn deeply about
their topics or research and feel connected to the material on a deeper level.
Materials: The following resources will be needed
• “Night” by Elie Wiesel
• MLA Formatting guide (Purdue Owl- online or an MLA handbook)
• Computers with internet access for all students
• Poster board /butcher paper
• Markers, colored pencils, construction paper, and/or crayons
• Copies of the accompanying handouts for students.
• Smartboard or a projector
Lesson 1: “Night” Review for Final Test
Focus Strategies: Blooms Taxonomy and Multiple Intelligences- indicated in blue font on
the handout in Appendix A
This activity would take one week: 2 days for groups to work on presentations and 3 days for students to present
Day 1-2 (Day 1 is in the classroom and computer lab, Day 2 is in the computer lab)
Opening: Students are to get out their “Night” Reading Packets and a copy of the book (pass out if a class set).
Say: We are going to start reviewing for our final “Night” test. To do this, we are going to have mini
chapter projects and presentations.

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Procedures:
1. Pass out copies of the “Night” Chapter Review Mini Project Assignment Sheet (Appendix A) and read
over it with the whole class
2. Instruct students to get into groups of 3-4 (nine groups are needed).
3. Once students are in groups, walk around with cards numbered 1-9 fanned out, number side down to
have students randomly select their chapter.
4. A few minutes will be allowed for groups to divide up parts of the project/ develop a plan of attack to
create the presentation once in the computer lab.
5. After students have their chapter, they are to follow the directions on the assignment sheet to create their
presentations.
6. As groups work on developing their presentations, circulate throughout the room asking questions about
discussions, offering assistance when asked, monitoring division of labor for struggling groups
a. Differentiation Intervention- Struggling learners will receive the most attention during this time
initially. Visits with groups with these struggling is needed to make sure that they are asking the
struggling learner to participate and/or that the work assigned to help is at their skill level and
interest level.
b. Periodically remind the class to save any document or presentation that they have begun creating
***Steps 5 and 6will be repeated for Day 2 in the computer lab.
Closing: With 5-7 minutes remaining in class
• Address positives and negatives that I observed the day
• Remind students again to save their assignments
• Tell students that Presentations will begin in two/one day(s) and that they will present in chapter order
Lesson 2: Intro to Genocide Research Paper
Focus Strategies: Williams Taxonomy
This activity would take 2-3 days to complete
Day 1 (Day 1 is in the computer lab, Day 2/3 is in the classroom)
Opening: Students need their writer’s notebooks and a pen or pencil.
Say: We have been reading and learning about the Holocaust through reading Elie’s narrative in
“Night”. Now I want to deepen our understanding of what the Holocaust was and relate it to more events in
history.
Procedures:
1. Instruct students to look up a definition of “Genocide” and record the definition in their writer’s
notebooks.
2. Next, instruct students to write down 3 reasons why the Holocaust would be considered a genocide
based on the definition they found. (Fluency)
3. Instruct students to look up at the board and research each of the genocides listed (Listed genocides
include: War in Darfur, Rwandan Genocide, Armenian Genocide, and Cambodian Genocide). As they
look up each genocide, they need to write down 2-3 reasons why each event would be considered a
genocide. (Fluency)
a. As students are working, I will be circulating throughout the room assisting students.

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b. Differentiation: Struggling learners will be given a list of preselected websites about each
genocide. This websites have the information about the genocides written at an easier level so
students can accomplish the same task as their peers with confidence.
Closing: 5-7 minutes before the end of class
Exit Ticket: Pass out index cards and instruct students to write their name on one side and then write
their reactions to what they read and learned today.
Day 2/3 (Day 2/3 is in the classroom)
Opening: Students need their writer’s notebooks and a pen or pencil.
Say: “Yesterday we defined genocide and used that definition to prove that the Holocaust and the other
events were genocides. Now we are going to explore the importance of learning about these genocides”
Procedures:
1. Instruct students to get with a partner, and to grab the following supplies from the front table:
Poster paper and markers/crayons/colored pencils
2. Instruct partners to discuss the genocides that were researched yesterday and come up with an
explanation for why it is important for other students to learn about genocide. (Flexibility)
3. Instruct partners to create a poster that tells their peers the importance of learning about
genocide. (Originality) And on the other side of the poster, they need to create a design or image
that shows how genocide makes them feel. (Elaboration)
4. As groups work, I will be circulating to monitor progress and discuss with students.
a. Differentiation- struggling students will be visited early during discussion about why it is
important to learn about genocide to guide their thinking and question them deeper about
their responses.
Closing: with 5-7 minutes remaining
• Ask students if anyone would like to share what she/he and their partner came up with.
• What I saw and heard
• Clean up of materials
*** Day 2 may need to extend into a third day. It depends on how quickly students are able to create their
posters.

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Lesson 3: Genocide Research Paper Formatting and Compare and Contrast Paragraph
Focus Strategies: Banks and ARCH
The research paper assignment (Appendix B) as a whole is an example of Banks’s Transformational level of
Multicultural Integration.
These lessons should be done as mini lessons, the formatting at the beginning of the research and then the
Compare and Contrast later on, once students have researched and have already written the informative part of
the research paper. When before turning in their papers students will write a short reflection about that they
learned during the unit and how they would have felt or reacted if they were a victim of the genocide that they
researched.
MLA Format
The assumption is that students have already been assigned their research paper and have already begun
researching.
Opening: Students are to have their writer’s notebooks out and a pen or pencil
Say: “As we start to finish up our research and near the actual writing, we have to talk about format.
Instead of telling you, I want to show you examples of previous student’s papers.”
Procedures:
1. Students will need to be in small groups (3-4 people per group). Groups will be given 3-4 example
papers from pervious students. All papers are in MLA format with works cited pages.
(Authentic/Accurate, and Holistic)
2. Instruct students in their groups to examine the papers and to look for similarities in how they look.
They each need to keep a list of the similarities in their writer’s notebooks. (Authentic/Accurate, and
Holistic)
3. After 10 minutes, bring the class together for whole group discussion of what was similar.
4. Show students papers I have written in college and graduate school. (Authentic/Accurate, and Holistic)
a. Questions to ask the whole group:
i. What are the similarities to the papers you viewed?

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ii. Why do you think formatting is an important skill?
b. Key points: formatting keeps things fair- i.e. page requirements. Formatting keeps things neat.
Formatting keeps writers from plagiarizing- works cited pages.
5. Pass out copies of MLA format and the steps for doing it in a word document. Review those steps while
creating a correctly formatted word document on the smartboard.
Compare and Contrast to the Holocaust Paragraph
Opening: Students are to have their writer’s notebooks out and a pen or pencil
Say: “Now that you are becoming an expert on the genocide that you chose for your paper, it is time to
talk about how you will compare that genocide to the Holocaust.”
Procedures:
1. Review the Dos and Don’ts of compare and contrast PowerPoint Slides (Appendix C).
2. Ask students to create a Double-Bubble Thinking Map in their writer’s notebooks and to use the
questions listed on the Dos list to start brainstorming comparisons and contrasts with the genocide you
researched and the Holocaust. (Context)
3. Once students have brainstormed ideas, they need to draft their paragraph in their writer’s notebook.
Final Reflection:
1. Once students have completed and printed their papers, instruct them to write a reflection on what they
learned during this unit and how they would have reacted or felt if they had been a victim of the
genocide that they researched (Banks- transformative).
2. Tell students to brainstorm their response before writing and to check their grammar and spelling.
3. Once students have written their reflections, they will turn them in with their final papers.
Closing: 5-7 minutes before the end of class
• What I saw or noticed during brainstorming and drafting time.
• Open the floor for student questions and remarks.

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Appendix A
“Night” Test Review Mini Chapter Group Project
Directions: Once your group has been assigned a chapter from “Night”, your group must create
a digital project (Multiple Intelligences- verbal and visual) that your group will present to the
class. Your presentation must ONLY focus on your assigned chapter.
In your presentation your group must:
• Give the Chapter Number and create an appropriate title for the chapter (Blooms- Create)
• Provide a short chapter summary (Blooms-Remember)
• Explain how your group thinks Elie is feeling during this chapter, and use two quotes to
support this conclusion (Blooms- Understand, Multiple Intelligences- Interpersonal)
• Identify the stage in the Holocaust represented in your chapter (Blooms- Apply)
• Create a 2-3 song playlist that your group feels would match Elie’s emotions or thoughts
(Blooms- Create, Multiple Intelligences- Musical)

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Appendix B
The Holocaust and Other Global Genocides Research Paper
Genocide is the intent to systematically eliminate a racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic (language),
cultural or national group. The Holocaust was the largest genocide in world history, however there are
some other very important and just as horrific genocides in history that deserve our attention and
remembrance. This research paper is designed to do just that.
Project Overview: For this paper, you will conduct preliminary research to determine which of the
preselected genocides in history most interests you. Then once you have determined which genocide you will
focus on, you will conduct research using MEL.org and other sources to learn about the genocide. You will then
write a research paper that first informs your reader about the genocide, and then compares it to an aspect or
aspects of the Holocaust. This is a major assignment and we will therefore be spending a great deal of time on
researching and writing the paper.
Possible Genocides to Research:
Armenian Genocide (WWI)

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Cambodian Genocide (late 1070s)
Rwandan Genocide (1994)
War in Darfur
***if there is a genocide that you would like to research that is not on this
list- SEE ME
Preliminary Research
To begin, you must read up on these genocides to see which you would like to learn more about. To do
this, conduct a basic internet search (Wikipedia is fine at this stage) and fill out the chart that will be given to
you to record your findings. This step is really important because you will want to select a genocide that you are
interested in so that the paper is more meaningful and fun for you!
Research Requirements
For your paper you will a minimum of need 5 sources. All sources will need to be cited correctly in
MLA format on your works cited page AND in your paper. Your sources must come from CREDIBLE sources,
Wikipedia at this stage is no longer acceptable. We will primarily be using MEL.org databases, which filter out
only reliable and factual information for you- bonus: almost all of these databases have these sources already
documented in MLA format for you.
What to Research
You will want to find out the following information about the genocide you have chosen:
• Where and when it took place
• Groups involved: those committing the genocide and the victims
• Causes
• Major events
• Resolutions- some of these may be on going but know how the situation stands now
• Any remaining problems currently? Are there any side effects or lasting impacts of the
genocide?
Compare and Contrast to the Holocaust
You will also need to decide how or in what ways the genocide you chose is similar and different to the
Holocaust. You will likely not find this in your research, so this will be a judgement that YOU make based on
YOUR research and knowledge of the Holocaust. Selection one aspect of the Holocaust and the genocide to
focus on: such as how the victims were treated/killed, how/why the dominate group rose to power, or how
resolution was brought about. Do not simply say that the Holocaust was larger and the genocide was smaller; I
want you to think critically about how these genocides compare to one another.
The Research Paper
Your paper will be 2-3 pages long with a separate works cited page documenting your 5, or more,
sources. The paper will have two parts: Information on the research genocide and a compare and contrast to the

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Holocaust. The first part should make up about 2/3s of your essay, with the later only 1/3. The primary focus is
on presenting your research, not the comparison to the Holocaust.
Additional must haves:
• Minimum of 3 quotations, and no more than 5.
• Minimum of 2 paraphrases
• Correct MLA in text citations for each quote and paraphrase
• Correct MLA format for the paper and the work cited page
Appendix C

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