High School Novel Study Motown and Didi by Walter Dean Myers

Item description

High school novel unit featuring Motown
and Didi by Walter Dean Myers with literature circle activity, reader response,
quotes analysis, character analysis, and vocabulary.

Included with this unit:

·
4 reader response journal writing prompts

·
Anticipatory set and guide questions for the whole novel, with detailed answer
key

·
Short answer rubric to score guide questions

·
13 partially-completed Frayer models that students will finish to help them
learn the words

·
Quotes analysis double-entry journal with pre-selected quotes

·
Narrative point of view anchor chart

·
Dynamic vs. static characters anchor chart

·
Graphic organizer for evaluating dynamic and static characters

·
Context clues practice sheet for vocabulary words, with answer key

·
Literature circles materials (task cards and job sheets to complete) with
choice of up to six roles: predictor, clarifier, questioner, summarizer,
connector, and passage picker

·
Narrative map and enhanced plot diagram organizer featuring plot elements –
students can decide which organizer they’d like to complete after reading the
novel

·
Culminating activity – writing an imagined ending, with rubric

There
are four questions in the anticipatory set, and 50 short answer questions
covering the whole novel–this is all one document you can staple together and
hand out at the beginning of the unit, and students can complete it as they
read. The 50 short answer questions are ordered and marked by chapter or range
of chapters. There is an included rubric for scoring short answer questions if
you choose to use it.

The
13 partially-completed Frayer models were designed to make the words accessible
and easy for students to work with. Selected sections of each Frayer have been
already completed to assist students in this process, and I often use a jigsaw
with these—each group of students does a few words and then presents to the
class. This is a nice time-saving option. Included to enhance the vocabulary
instruction is a context clues practice activity, which is designed to be done
after students have become acquainted with the words via the Frayer models.

To
help teach literary elements, there are anchor charts for static vs. dynamic
characters and narrative point of view, as well as a graphic organizer for
types of characters. Also, one of the reader response journal prompts asks
students to discuss the author’s use of narrative point of view. Finally, there
are two different graphic organizers students can choose to complete after
finishing the novel. Each one features all the narrative elements students need
to know, and you can allow students to pick the one they’d like to complete.

For the quotes analysis, the included double-entry journal has pre-selected
quotes entered, and students must interpret and analyze their relevance to the
text. This activity can also be used for enrichment or to differentiate, and as
a time-saving option, a jigsaw also works nicely here.

I’ve
also included task cards and job sheets for up to six roles for literature
circles, if you choose to have your students do this. I personally love
literature circles, and generally students do as well. You choose which roles
you want students to fill, how many students to have in a lit circle (up to
six), and how often to engage students in this type of activity. This just
gives you another option to use during this novel study.

Finally,
the culminating activity is an imagined ending, because so many students I’ve
taught this to over the years have their own intricate and detailed ideas about
what happens to Motown and Didi after their ambulance ride at the end of the
book. I also think it’s sometimes nice to NOT ask students for a heavy literary
analysis paper at the end of a novel unit, especially a novel like this that is
filled with deep, heavy issues and may hit close to home for some of your kids.
There is a rubric included for this writing assignment that is, once again,
optional—I always recommend a rubric, but if you already have one for this
style of assignment that you like, feel free to substitute it.