Mini-Biographies: Péle and LeBron James
Character Traits: Focus and Determination
This product is for 19 PowerPoint slides, 2 mini-biographies, 6 corresponding questions, 2 writing prompts, and 4 pages for interactive journals. The biographies are about Péle and LeBron James. They are inspired from “The Playbook” by Kwame Alexander. They can be used alone or to correspond with “The Crossover” as a nonfiction connection.
Each lesson contains a mini-biography (less than two pages) with room and instructions to annotate. Each biography focuses on a specific character trait. There are six higher level thinking questions with a key to check for comprehension. In addition, there are two .pnj files with writing journal reflection writing prompts. There are also additional .pnj files to use as a part of an interactive notebook. Also, there are two inductive learning warm up activities. Here, students receive six or eight quotations where they are given a set amount of time to make connections and categorize photographs to prepare for the story. If you are not familiar with inductive learning, it’s a great way to introduce an idea where the students make the connections with their peers. There are many informative videos on YouTube to model this teaching strategy.
If you want to see my entire unit on “The Crossover”, please click here to follow my store. I have absolutely loved teaching this book and my seventh graders LOVED IT!
Official Lesson Plan:
Essential Question(s)
- What or who motivates you?
- How does one overcome obstacles to persevere through life’s challenges?
Guiding Question (s)
- What is each team’s primary objective?
- How do authors support a claim?
- How are central ideas developed?
- How does an individual phrase add to the author’s purpose?
Objectives:
SWBAT understand central idea
SWBAT remember a question type
SWBAT determine how to answer and write a question
Materials:
- Slideshow
- Handouts
- Inductive learning envelopes
- writing journal
Assessment:
- Diagnostic: Inductive learning: Making connections
- Formative: Answer questions from non-fiction text
- Summative: Write a personal response in writing journals:
Discussion Tasks:
- Students will discuss eight slides with various motivational phrases looking for connections.
- Using this inductive learning strategy, students will converse with various classmates to discuss and categorize photographs.
Language/Vocabulary Task:
- Students will know key word: Focus and Motivation
Reading Task:
- Students will read the novel, The Crossover. (Ongoing)
- Students will annotate text and answer higher level questions based on a nonfiction passage.
- Students will answer leveled questions based from this writing piece.
- Students will make a connection between the inductive learning activity, article and novel and respond wot a writing prompt on Focus.
- Students will glue a quotation and a photo of Pele and respond to the writing prompt in one complete paragraph.
Writing Task:
Students will write a reflective journal entry relating the character trait to their own life.
They will incorporate a famous quotation in their writing entry.
The goal of the unit is to read The Crossover, as a class. Different leveled question types will be introduced throughout the lesson and practiced. At each level, students will read, write, discuss and master the question type. It is also a unit to focus on character traits such as motivation, resiliency, focus, determination and the rules.
Gist: The theme of The Crossover is basketball as a metaphor for life. All the poems in the book contribute to the theme of becoming the best person you are able to be and exhibiting character traits that will help to make you this person. Nonfiction text will be used to enhance the unit and connect these themes. Students will use reflective writing to connect the novel to their own lives. In addition, students will participate in literature circles where they chose a novel of their interest and choice to complete in a student center learning environment.
The active learning which occurs in this unit has been very successful. We began with pre-reading activities focusing on predictions and connections. We used photographs and documents to make a story board and predict the novel’s theme. Also, we used the poem, “The Rose that Grew from Concrete” to introduce the idea of resiliency. Also, we visited the gymnasium for one class period where a lesson in the Tier III words of basketball terminology were taught in an authentic session. Throughout the unit, students have kept and interactive writing journal to reflect on their lives in relation to the novel.
A student’s individual needs are met throughout the unit. Copies of class notes are given. Students have also chosen an outside reading book relating to the theme of overcoming obstacles; specifically, with an African American demographic. Student chose a novel of their interest and level to participate in the literature circle portion of the unit
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