CMWhitmillerFINALPORTFOLIO

Chelsey Whitmiller

This is actually supposed to be my Final UNIT PLAN...I am not sure why I entitled it as final portfolio.



Chelsey Whitmiller “Finn” Unit plan – 10th grade Literature for Young Adults 2013 Dr. Sherry

Unit Rationale: What are books//, REALLY?// American academic Charles William Eliot once said, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers” (Hameed.) Books are much more than just objects with words on paper. They are works of purposeful, meaningful art chalked full of life lessons, adventures, dreams, and realities relative to individuals of every race, religion, background, culture, and kind. Books are alive, and they breathe life into their readers as each of their unique worlds are opened, studied, and marveled. They take all elements of life and show readers what it means to imagine; that the impossible is actually possible and that no dream is too wild or too vast to reach. Indefinitely, as Eliot argued, they are our friends. What a shame it would be if students were never taught what books truly are; how many windows would be closed, dreams broken, and hope lost. Background of //Finn// In the late 1800’s, Mark Twain wrote his now classic //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//, which centers around a young boy named Huck and a runaway slave named Jim. In an attempt to break free of his alcoholic and abusive father Pap Finn, Huck fakes his own death, runs away from his home, and travels through the woods in search of a new life. Along the way, he meets Jim, who has run away from his slave owner Miss Watson. While both Huck and Jim are initially searching for freedom, they end up gaining much more. Through each other, they find friendship, family, courage, strength, and happiness. At the end of the book, Pap Finn’s body is found. Due to the fact that he is rarely mentioned throughout the story, the reader is left to interpret and imagine both the life and death of Pap’s character on his/her own. Nearly one-hundred twenty-three years after Mark Twain’s novel made its debut, Jon Clinch’s //Finn// made its own appearance. //Finn// is a dark, twisted, modern spinoff of Twain’s classic. However, rather than focusing on Huck and Jim, the book takes a “behind the scenes” look at Pap Finn’s character. Throughout the story, Clinch portrays Pap’s character as a sort of monstrous, psychopathic murderer. He takes his readers into the mind of Pap and fills in the missing pieces of Twain’s original piece. Why is it important?

Across the boards, the English Language Arts’ programs have always made the point to include classic writers into the curricula but have rarely ever made the effort to expose students to the great writers of today. This leaves most students constantly asking the same question: “Why do we have to read literature from hundreds of years ago?” Quite arguably, issues from the “ancient” texts can still be analogous to students. However, cannot the issues presented in more modern texts be even more relative to them? In my opinion, not only can the modern texts be more relative, but also more appealing. So, why is this important? The more familiar and relative the literature is to students, the more interested they will be in reading it. The more interested students are in the material they are reading, the more they will learn, gain, and grow in the classroom. Why //Finn//? Although //Finn// draws parallels to Twain’s classic, the text itself is the antithesis of //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. Therefore, teaching tidbits of //Huckleberry Finn// along with the entirety of //Finn// will allow for the perfect mix between classic vs. modern, life vs. death, friends vs. foes, gaining vs. losing, rewards vs. consequences, understanding vs. lack thereof, love vs. hate, happiness vs. madness, and good vs. evil. Comparing these two pieces of literature together, while focusing primarily on //Finn//, will give students the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of both Huck and Pap. It will enable them to draw their own conclusions based off the characters, see the importance of comparing two texts, and take note of the possibilities of interpreting one piece of literature. //Finn// narrows in on some extremely important matters of both the past and the present. For example, the book observes the positive and negative impacts family members and their personal actions can have on others. In addition, the book hits on the issues of discrimination, labeling, and racism. It clearly recognizes through Pap’s character, as well as Jim’s character to a degree, the emotional, social, and psychological effects these issues can have on individuals. For example, labeling in //Finn// goes beyond race. Pap is labeled as an illiterate alcoholic to the people in his town. Readers are able to see how the judgments of others can influence a person’s success or failure. Perhaps what is most valuable of all in teaching this text to students, however, is the opportunity provided for students to place themselves in the shoes of someone else. Due to the fact that the book takes the readers into Pap’s mind, the readers are able to feel his emotions, sense his lack of confidence, and get an idea of who Pap truly is. Is he capable of love, or is he truly a monster? What is a monster? How is a monster created? Jon Clinch’s //Finn// is just one interpretation of Pap. Students will be encouraged and feel enabled to make their own conclusions about his character throughout the unit as parallels are made to Twain’s classic. Parental concerns? While there is some content that is considerably mature, the material in //Finn// is no more controversial than the material in Mark Twain’s novel. I believe that exposure to these matters benefits the students, as it broadens their views of thinking and creates new openness and willingness to learn. Parents should not be concerned, because the focus of the lessons will not be on the more mature material content of the book, such as sex, murder, etc. This unit is entirely devoted to showing students the importance of comparing two texts, one classic and one modern, the value in placing oneself into the shoes of another individual, and the opportunity interpretation provides in literature. While some aspects of the mature content may be minutely discussed, none of it will serve as the focal point of any one lesson in the unit. What should be expected? Throughout the unit, students will be expected to keep a daily journal. In these journals, students will answer questions provided in class, such as “How did you feel when Pap…” or “What would you have done different if…” etc. These questions are to be answered in the first five minutes of class, and they are to be discussed in the last five minutes of class. All journal entries will each be worth three points and will be handed in to me at the end of every class. Sometimes the questions will be opinion-based, while other times they will measure what students have taken away from an assigned reading. At the end of the unit, students will be required to make a portfolio. Five journal entries that best represent what students have taken away and learned from the unit are to be included in their portfolios. Throughout the unit, students will be required to complete supplementary readings in addition to //Finn//. Supplementary readings will include parts of //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//, parts of Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstein//, as well as short stories/chapters selected by me. All supplementary readings will be provided in class and are only to be used as an aid in understanding the overall meaning of //Finn//. The unit will continue for a length of eight weeks. In those eight weeks, students will be assigned nightly readings. The unit has been broken down so students are required to read between ten and fifteen pages per night. During these readings, students will be encouraged to highlight parts significant to them, as well as post sticky notes in their books with questions, comments, and concerns they would like to be discussed in class. Students will be randomly picked each day to share their sticky notes with the class. In addition, students will be required to complete an interpretive group project. Students will be asked to make a collage, paint, draw, or piece together their own interpretation of what Pap Finn would look like. They will include a portrait of him, his childhood home, his hobbies and interests as a child, as well as his childhood aspirations. Students are to interpret Pap’s character as a child and determine within their groups how his childhood could be a reflection or an opposition to his adulthood. In //Finn//, Jon Clinch chose to portray Pap as a monstrous individual. It is up to the students and their groups to create an interpret Pap’s character in the same way as a child. Also, students will be assigned a creative writing assignment. They will look at Pap’s character and create their own versions of his character’s ending. In this assignment, they can either argue against Jon Clinch’s interpretation of Pap’s character or for it. Their writing will serve as a parallel to Mark Twain’s //Huckleberry Finn//. Expectation alignment to standards: CC.1.3.9-10.A: To meet this standard, I am having students develop their own portfolios. Ten of their journal entries will be included in this portfolio. Not only will the portfolio serve as a summary of the text, but also as a summary of what they have taken away from the unit itself. The portfolio itself will have to follow two themes: one from //Huckleberry Finn// and one from //Finn//. Both themes will be an opposition to the other. Example: Good vs. Evil. In their portfolios, students will explain how these themes effect Pap’s character and how they are relative to the students’ own lives. To meet these standards, I am having students complete their daily journal entries. These journal entries will measure what they have learned, what they have read, and will also give room for them to interpret //Finn// on their own. Once they’ve completed these journal entries, they will discuss them at the end of almost every class. I’ve also arranged to have a series of collaborative discussions throughout the unit. To meet this standard, I am using the interpretive group project, as well as the creative writing assignment. Due to the fact that students are comparing //Finn// to //Huckleberry Finn//, students are able to see how Jon Clinch developed Pap’s character through the events and characters in Twain’s classic. However, students are also able to develop Pap’s character through their own interpretations with these projects. They are able to decide if his character was misrepresented by Clinch, how a representation of his childhood could have negatively or positively impacted his character, and how his choices and his background influenced his actions in his adulthood. Not only are they determining how another writer developed his character, but they are also developing and interpreting Pap’s character on their own. Big Question: How do the choices we make (past, present, future) effect who we are as individuals? This is the question I want students to be thinking about throughout the unit. I want students to think about how their choices today will affect them tomorrow and in their futures, just as Pap’s choices affected him throughout Clinch’s novel. Due to the fact that students are being asked to place themselves in Pap’s shoes in this unit, I want them to think about their own experiences, as well. I also want them to think about these other questions: How do their personal experiences compare to Pap’s? How do the judgments of others impact their own lives? How does having friends and support help to shape individuals? If Pap had more support as a child, would Clinch have made him a different character? Frankenstein starts out as a friendly being looking for love. Is Pap comparable to Frankenstein? Are Pap and Frankenstein monsters? How would Pap’s life turned out if he had a father figure like Jim in his life? Goals/Objectives: 1. Using //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn// as an aid, students will be able to create their own interpretations of Pap Finn’s character through a creative writing assignment and interpretive group assignment. 2. While reading //Finn//, students will be able to answer questions about Pap Finn’s character that are also relative to their own lives and others they know. 3. After reading //Finn// and parts of //Huckleberry Finn//, students will be able to create a portfolio that best represents what they have taken away and learned from the overall unit while connecting two opposing themes (one from each story).
 * Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.**
 * CC.1.5.9-10.A: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.**
 * CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.**

Works Cited Clinch, Jon. //Finn//. Thorndike, Me.: Cemter Point Pub., 2007. Print.

Hameed, Junaid B. "This Is a Good Book." //Charles William Eliot Profile//. N.p., 2013. Web. 09 Sept. 2013.

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, Susan J. Wolfson, and Ronald Levao. //The Annotated Frankenstein//. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2012. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Identity **Date:** Day 1 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **CC.1.2.9-10.A:** Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: 1. Upon entering the classroom, students will see the desks have been broken into groups. The desks will have numbers in the center. To find which group they are in, students will look at the overhead projection screen. The number of the group they are in will be next to their names. Once students have been placed into their groups, I will hand each of them pictures of famous people: Abraham Lincoln, Marilyn Monroe, Derek Jeter, Ellen DeGeneres, Kim Kardashian, and Morgan Freeman. Students will be asked to write down, within their groups, 5 things they know about the person they’ve been given. Instructional Objectives: 1. By looking at the characteristics that make up famous people, students will construct a class definition of identity. 2. Using the definition the class created, students will construct their first journal entry and discuss their own identities. Goals: 1. To help students understand the definition of identity, as well as its importance to //Finn//. 2. To give students a connecting point to Finn by allowing them to consider their own identities and what has shaped them into who they are. 3. To give students an introduction/overview of the novel //Finn// and its characters. Procedure: 1. Students will get into groups upon entering classroom. 2. Groups will be handed their picture of their famous person and will produce five characteristics that make up that person within their small groups. 3. Students will get into a large circle to have a group discussion on the purpose of the motivational device. 4. Using the characteristics of their famous people, students will construct a class definition of what identity is. This will be used as a central theme throughout the novel //Finn//. 5. Once students have constructed their definition, daily journals will be explained. 6. Students will have five minutes to complete their first journal entry to answer the question, “What makes up your own identity?” By considering this question, students will be able to better connect to the text. 7. Upon completion of the journal entry, students will be given copies of the novel //Finn//. 8. I will ask students to turn to the Author’s Note in the back of the text. I will read the author’s note aloud to students as they follow along. I will retrace my steps back to this paragraph: “Throughout, I have followed such narrative threads as the elder Finn and his particular brands of selfishness and bigotry have suggested to me, dealing with the facts of //Huckleberry Finn// at least as fairly as Twain himself treated his own sources. My aim has been to follow the Missourian’s own injunction: “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as you please.” 9. Using this phrase, I will explain to students the idea of interpretation. I will tell them that Pap’s character has been interpreted by Jon Clinch, and it is here that Clinch is admitting his perceptions of Pap have been distorted by his own imagination and interpretation. This is important for students to know, as I will be asking them to also do their own interpreting throughout the novel. 10. Using the Author’s Note, the class will construct an identity for Pap Finn before they even read the novel. I will leave this posted for students in the classroom so they can determine whether or not their initial perceptions held true or not by time they are finished reading. 11. I will explain them to them how the chapters have been scattered throughout the novel, and I will ask them to consider why the author has chosen this method. 12. I will pass out a short handout on a summary of //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. 13. Students will be asked to read this handout in addition to reading up to page 30 in //Finn//. 14. IMPORTANT: I will also tell students about their portfolios, and I will pass out the portfolio assignment sheet. I will tell them they will be responsible during their readings to pick out quotes they find meaningful to them and their understanding of Pap’s character. They will be asked to pick a total of 5 quotes with a short description (2-5 sentences) on why they chose these quotes and add them to their portfolios. I will tell students it is their responsibility to find these quotes and add them on their own time. I will tell them these quotes will be best found during their readings for homework. They can mark these quotes through the use of their sticky notes and highlighted areas. 14. If time allows at the end, students will be given the opportunity to discuss their journal entries.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using the internal and external factors they have determined for their famous person. Students will also participate in the discussion after silently listening to the Author’s Note I’ve read aloud. They will make predictions about Pap’s character. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry using only external factors from their famous person. Students will also participate in the discussion after reading the passage from the Author’s note aloud with a friend. They will contribute one prediction about Pap’s character. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without referring to any internal or external factors. They will have the Author’s Note read to them, and they will also read it aloud to an Aid. These students will be active listeners in the discussion. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, //Huckleberry Finn// handout, pencils, paper, poster, markers, pictures of famous people Technology Needed: computer, projector Homework: Read up to page 30 in //Finn//. Read //Huckleberry Finn// handout. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN By Mark Twain Huckleberry Finn, a young boy, is the narrator, protagonist, and one of the main characters in the novel. He is admired by his peers and disliked by adults. Recently, he has been adopted by Widow Douglas. He dislikes his new, cleanly lifestyle, because he is used to seeking adventure with his friend Tom Sawyer. When Huck’s drunken father Pap comes to town, he is aware of the robber’s stash of gold Huck and his friend Tom have found. He wants to take hold of the money Huck gained from the find, so he attempts to take Huck back into his custody through legal procedures. This attempt fails, because Pap Finn is seen as a father who is incapable of taking care of his child. The novel itself is set in St. Petersburg, Missouri, which lies directly on the banks of the Mississippi River. The river, throughout the novel, becomes a symbol of freedom for Huck, as well as Jim. Jim is the second main character the beginning of the novel. He is a black slave who is owned by a lady named Miss Watson. In search of freedom, Jim runs away into the woods of St. Petersburg towards the Mississippi River. Pap Finn is notably upset that he cannot get a hold of Huck’s trust. Rather than trying to reform himself to get custody of his son, he decides to kidnap him. He keeps Huck locked up and beats him frequently to show his disproval of Huck receiving an education. (It is thought that perhaps Pap was so bitter about this because he was illiterate himself.) In order to escape, Huck decides to fake his own death using a pig. He runs away into the woods in search of a better life, where he meets Jim. Together, Jim and Huck go through adventures and trials in search of freedom. However, they find more than just freedom. They find the family they have both always longed for. In the end of the novel, Jim and Huck find a dead man’s body. There is little detail as to what happened to the man, and it is up to the reader to imagine the events that took place during his death. Ultimately, the readers find out that the body was actually Pap’s. One-hundred and twenty-three years after //Huckleberry Finn// was written, Jon Clinch published //Finn//. The novel starts by taking the actual scene from Mark Twain’s classic where Huck and Jim find Pap’s body and placing it before page one even starts. This scene marks the untold stories that are about to unfold for readers.

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Who done it? **Date:** Day 2 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **C.C.1.3.9-10.C:** Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 3. **CC.1.2.9-10.G:** Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: 1. Upon entering the classroom, students will complete their journal entry question. After they’ve completed this, they will get into small groups. They will watch a short video: [|__http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27aMKCyfQ5o__] In their groups, they will answer the following questions: What does this say about Huck’s relationship with his father? What does this say about Pap as a father? What does this say about Pap’s identity? How does this video relate to the introduction of Pap’s character in //Finn//? In //Huckleberry Finn//, a new judge did try to reform Pap, but he failed. Why do you think this happened? Instructional Objectives: 1. Considering the video, students will be able to discuss Pap’s character in small groups and answer a series of questions. 2. With their questions and journal entry, students will be able to participate in small and large group discussions. 3. Using specific passages from //Finn//, students will be able to analyze the murder, as well as Pap and make predictions about his character. Goals: 1. To analyze the introduction of Pap’s character. 2. To discuss the affect the murder has on Pap and his identity. 3. To determine why an intervention failed on Pap. Procedure: 1. When students enter the classroom, there will be journal questions written on the board: “What does Pap attempt to do in order to cover up the murder? What does this say about his character?” – They will be given five minutes to answer this question. 2. Once students have answered these questions, there will be groups posted on the overhead projection screen. Students will be required to get into these groups. 3. After students are settled in their groups, they will watch a short, YouTube Video made by students about Pap Finn. 4. After the video is complete, students will discuss and answer questions in their small groups. – They will be given ten minutes to do this. 5. Students will then get into a large circle and discuss these questions with the class. 6. We will look at the following passages from Finn: He went and bent down and looked, and says: “It’s a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked too. He’s ben shot in de back. I reck’n he’s ben dead two er three days. Com in, Huck, but doan’ look at his face--it’s too gashly.” I didn’t look at him at all. Jim throwed some old rags over him, but he needn’t done it; I didn’t want to see him. There was heaps of old greasy cards scattered around over the floor, and old whiskey bottles, and a couple of masks made out of black cloth; and all over the walls was the ignorantest kind of words and pictures, made with charcoal. There was two old dirty calico dresses, and a sun-bonnet, and some women’s underclothes, hanging against the wall, and some men’s clothing, too. We put the lot into the canoe; it might come good. There was a boy’s old speckled straw hat on the floor; I took that too. And there was a bottle that had had milk in it; and it had a rag stopper for a baby to suck. We would a took the bottle, but it was broke. There was a seedy old chest, and an old hair trunk with the hinges broke. Page 13 … “In the end, even after he’s taken the cloth into his mouth and suckled it like a woman’s breast, it is only enough to fuel his need for more.” Page 10 - “He slops paint onto the wall as if he has it to spare, which he does not. The money that he discovered in the woman’s apron pocket, a dollar and change which he reassures himself he must have given to her at some time or another for he is no murdering theirf--he may be many things but he is at the very least no murdering thief--the mone that he found in her apron pocket bought the better part of a three-gallon pail of whitewash, although at the rate he’s going it will be barely enough to cover the four walls and he’ll still have the floor to do after that, along with the ceiling if it holds out. 7. I will call on students to read these passages aloud. We will discuss each passage and determine what each one says about Pap’s identity, his relationship with Huck, and his character’s personality. 8. In the last five minutes of class, students will discuss their journal entries. We will look specifically at how Pap has handled covering up the murder and what this says about his character.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the last discussion and volunteer to read the passages aloud. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the discussion, but they will not be asked to read the passages aloud. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will be active listeners in the class discussion, and they will be assigned with partners to read the passages. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, //Huckleberry Finn// handout, pencils, paper, question sheets for video Technology Needed: computer, projector screen, YouTube Video\ Homework: Read up to page 60 in //Finn//. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

VIDEO QUESTION SHEET: In your groups, answer the following questions.

( “Hello, what’s up?”)

What does this video and the picture above say about Huck’s relationship with his father?

What does this video say about Pap as a father?

From this video, how would you describe the identity of Pap?

How does this video relate to the introduction of Pap’s character in //Finn//?

In //Huckleberry Finn//, a new judge did try to reform Pap but ultimately failed. Why do you think this happened?

If Pap was alive today, do you think an intervention would have worked? Why or why not?

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Monster? **Date:** Day 3 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s):

1. **C.C.1.3.9-10.C:** Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 3. **CC.1.3.9-10.A:** Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device:

1. Have students draw a picture of what they think a monster looks like. Have students get into a circle and share their pictures with the class. Instructional Objectives:

1. Using the motivational device, students will create a definition for a monster. 2. Using supplementary readings from Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstein//, students will compare her “creature” to Clinch’s Pap. 3. Students will participate in a group discussion using these comparisons. 4. Students will get into small groups and come up with their own interpretations of Pap’s childhood by filling out a worksheet. Goals:

1. Students will understand the definition of a monster. 2. Students will determine what drives individuals to carry out monstrous acts. 3. Students will gain a better sense of Pap’s identity as a character. Procedure:

1. Students will enter the classroom and answer their journal entry for the day. “How has your childhood shaped you into the person you are today?” 2. After completing the journal entry, students will be given crayons and paper. They will have five to six minutes to draw a picture of what they think a monster should look like. 3. Students will put their desks in a big circle. 4. They will share their drawings with the class. 5. We will read two passages aloud from Mary Shelley’s //Frankenstein//. 6. After we read these passages, students will make some conclusions about the characteristics Shelley’s “creature” has. 7. The class will come up with a definition for a monster. 8. Students will compare the creature to Pap Finn and discuss similarities and differences between the two. 9. I will ask the question, “Is Pap Finn a monster?” – This will be the focal point of our discussion. 10. I will allow students to discuss their journal entries aloud. 11. I will break apart students into small groups. 12. They will be given a worksheet to complete on Pap’s childhood. They will finish filling out the worksheet in class tomorrow. 13. Students will be assigned to read up to page 90.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also complete their drawings of monsters and offer incite into what the definition of a monster is. They will be active participants in the discussion. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will complete their drawings of monsters. They will share their thoughts on the discussion to their small groups. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will complete their drawings of their monsters. They will actively listen to the discussion happening in the class. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, //Frankenstein,// pencils, paper, crayons, graphic organizer Technology Needed: computer, projector screen Homework: Read up to page 90 in //Finn//. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, Susan J. Wolfson, and Ronald Levao. //The Annotated// Frankenstein. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2012. Print Life of Pap Finn In your groups, answer the following questions below. Remember, this is based on your own interpretations of his character. Be creative!

What were some of Pap’s hobbies/interests as a child?

What did Pap aspire to do with his life?

What were 3 reasons Pap’s life turned out the way it did? This question could be answered using evidence from the text.

How could Pap’s childhood have been a reflection or opposition to his adulthood?

Who would have been Pap’s childhood friends?

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Pap as a child **Date:** Day 4 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **C.C.1.3.9-10.C:** Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: 1. Have students complete their journal entry. “How has Pap’s identity been shaped up to this point in the novel?” Instructional Objectives: 1. Using their own interpretations of Pap, students will get into groups to finish filling out yesterday’s worksheet. 2. With their worksheets, students will create a drawing, sketch, collage, or painting of Pap as an adult, Pap as a child, as well as Pap’s childhood home. 3. Students will use their group art projects to better understand how Pap’s identity has been shaped up to this point in the novel. Goals: 1. Students will complete a collaborative group project. 2. Students will understand what goes into shaping a character’s identity as well as their own. 3. Students will relate Pap’s childhood to their own childhood. Procedure: 1. Students will enter the classroom and answer their journal entry question. “How has Pap’s identity been shaped up to this point in the novel?” 2. After students have answered their journal entry questions, they will break back up into their groups from yesterday. 3. They will have five minutes to finish answer their questions from yesterday. 4. I will explain the Interpretive Group Project to students. 5. They will have twenty minutes to complete their group projects. 6. Students will use the remainder of their class to present their projects. 7. We will discuss journal entry questions if time allows. 8. The projects will be hung up throughout the classroom. 9. Students will be asked to choose 1 picture that best represents Pap’s character and add it to their portfolios. They will be asked to write 1 or 2 sentences to convey the significance of the picture to their understanding of him and the novel and add it to their portfolios.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will be active participants in the collaborative group project. They will each be part of presenting the project. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also be active participants in the collaborative group project. They will each be part of presenting the project. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will assist their group in the collaborative group project. They will not be required to help present the project. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, pencils, paper, crayons, markers, paint, magazines, poster paper Technology Needed: computer, projector screen Homework: Read up to page 120 in //Finn//. Choose 1 picture that best represents Pap’s character thus far in the novel. Write 1 or 2 sentences about its importance and add it to your portfolio. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Characters **Date:** Day 5 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **C.C.1.3.9-10.C:** Analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: 1. No motivational device for today Instructional Objectives: 1. Using their knowledge of //Finn//, students will be able to successfully take a class quiz. 2. Students will be able to answer their journal entry question for today based off their knowledge from the text. 3. Using the text, students will further analyze characters in the novel and how they affect Pap by completing a Jigsaw activity. Goals: 1. Students will be able to retain knowledge from past readings. 2. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the influences others have on one’s identity, as well as their own. Procedure: 1. Students will have the first ten minutes of class to complete a group quiz. They will use whiteboards to answer these questions. If the majority have the answer right, they will get the point for that question. All students must participate! 2. Questions that students answer wrong will be discussed thoroughly. 3. Students will answer their daily journal questions: “Why was it important to consider Pap’s childhood in reference to his character’s identity? How is your own identity influenced by specific people in your life?” – They will have five minutes to complete this entry. 4. Students will be broken up into groups. Each group will be given a character from the novel. (Mary, Huck, Pap, Bliss) 5. Students will have to fill out a graphic organizer to show how the character they’ve chosen affects Pap’s character. 6. Once all groups have filled out their graphic organizers, we will break the groups up into smaller groups. (Jigsaw Activity) 7. Each member of the group will be asked to teach their group about the character they’ve chosen. Their classmates will be responsible for filling out any blanks on their worksheets. 8. The groups will be brought back into a circle for a large group discussion on the activity, as well as the journal entries. 9. Students will be assigned to read up to page 150. They will also asked to choose 2 pictures to add to their portfolios that best represent Pap’s character. They will be asked to write 1 or 2 sentences as to why they’ve chosen these pictures, and why they are important to understanding Pap’s character.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will fill out their own graphic organizer about the character they’ve been assigned and present it to their small group. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will fill out a graphic organizer with a partner on the character they’ve been assigned and present it to their small group with their partner. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will fill out a graphic organizer with a partner on the character they’ve been assigned. They will fill the rest out with the group as they listen to the presentations of the other characters. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, pencils, paper, worksheets Technology Needed: computer, projector screen Homework: Read up to page 150 in //Finn//. Choose 2 pictures to add to the portfolio. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.

CLASS QUIZ QUESTIONS: Where does //Finn// take place? A.) Alabama B.) Missouri C.) Mississippi How does Pap cover up the murder? A.) burying the body B.) putting the body in the trash C.) throwing the body down the river

What novel is Finn based off? A.) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer B.) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn C.) Uncle Tom’s Cabin Who wrote Finn? A.) Jon Clinch B.) Mark Clinch C.) Mark Twain What was the body missing when it was found? A.) head B.) arms C.) skin What does the author insinuate about Huck in //Finn//? A.) He is a mulatto B.) He is a racist C.) He killed his father What killed Mary? A.) Huck B.) Jim C.) Pap How did Pap meet Mary? A.) In the woods B.) On a boat C.) At a trial

What did Pap NOT do to Mary? A.) claim her as his prize B.) set her free C.) kill her What is the blind bootlegger’s name? A.) Bliss B.) Ignorance C.) Jim

Character analysis

Factors || Important scene || Prediction ||
 * Pap || Internal Factors || External
 * Huck ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Mary ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Bliss ||  ||   ||   ||   ||

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Huck **Date:** Day 6 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s):

1. **CC.1.2.9-10.A:** Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device:

Upon entering the classroom, students will choose numbers out of a hat. If they are a number 1, they will sit on the left half of the room. If they are a number 2, they will sit on the right half of the room. Instructional Objectives:

1. Students will participate in a class debate in order to better understand Jon Clinch’s interpretation viewpoint, as well as Pap Finn’s character. 2. Students will answer their journal question in order to give their own opinion/interpretation of whether or not Pap Finn is a “proud” father. Goals:

1. Students will be able to understand the significance of the introduction of //Finn// by questioning whether or not Huck was a mulatto. 2. Students will be able to build on their own interpretation of Pap. Procedure:

1. Students will enter the classroom and pick numbers out of a hat. They will sit in their designated spots based on the numbers they choose. 2. Once seated, students will answer their journal entry question: “Do you think Pap is proud of having Huck as his son?” - They will have five minutes to answer this question. 3. After they’ve answered this question, I will explain today’s activity to the class. 4. I will ask students to consider whether or not they believe Huck is a mulatto. 5. Group 1 will be responsible for proving Huck is a mulatto. Group 2 will be responsible for proving Huck is not a mulatto. 6. Each person of both groups will be given roles: Two people will be in charge of speaking on behalf of their groups. Two people will be in charge of handing out and collecting materials for their groups. Two people will be in charge of making sure their groups stay on task. Two members of each of the groups will be in charge of making the group posters. All members of the groups will be required to help find passages to support their ideas/arguments from both //Finn// and //Huck Finn//. 7. Once students know their roles, they will have 20 minutes to make their arguments: Huck is a mulatto. Huck is not a mulatto. 8. The groups will write down their reasoning and their passages on their posters. 9. Once the groups have finished, the class will have a debate. 10. Two students from each group will come forward to represent their groups arguments. 11. The students will use their posters and their groups’ discussion to support their claims. 12. Students who have a point to add to their representatives’ arguments will be required to hold up a “green card.” The green card will give them the “go” to support something their representatives have said. Students from an opposing group may also choose to use their “red” card to disprove or disagree with something another group has said. 13. I will bring the discussion back to the journal entry at the beginning of class after the debate has ceased. 14. Students will be asked to find their final two pictures to represent Pap’s character and their understanding of the novel for homework. They will add these pictures with 1 or 2 sentence descriptions for each to their portfolios.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the debate after individually finding evidence from both //Huck Finn// and //Finn// to support their claims. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the debate after finding evidence from either //Huck Finn// or //Finn// with a partner to support their claims. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the debate after choosing one of three direct pieces of evidence from //Finn// given to them to support their claims. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, //Huckleberry Finn//, pencils, paper, poster, markers Technology Needed: computer Homework: Read up to page 180 in //Finn//. Read //Huckleberry Finn// handout. Pick final two pictures that represent Pap’s character. Place these pictures with their descriptions in your portfolios. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Stereotypes **Date:** Day 7 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **CC.1.2.9-10.A:** Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: Once students have answered their journal entry questions, they will watch a clip from the movie “The Breakfast Club.” Instructional Objectives: 1. Students will watch a movie clip in order to compare the movie’s “rebellious” character to Pap. 2. Students will be able to “stereotype” the characters in the movie clip in order to understand the negative connotations that come with stereotyping. Goals: 1. Students will understand the meaning of empathy and the negative consequences that come with stereotyping. 2. Students will be able to look deeper into Pap’s character by comparing him to a character from a movie.

Procedure: 1. Students will enter the classroom and answer their journal questions: “Is there ever a moment you’re able to feel sorry for Pap? Why or why not? Is Pap really evil or just misunderstood? 2. Students will watch a clip from the breakfast club. 3. The students will be broken apart into four groups. 4. Each group will be assigned a character from the clip. 5. The groups will be required to discuss the clip and the character they’ve chosen. On a poster, they will write down a list of characteristics to describe the person they’ve been assigned. 6. Once finished, each group will present their posters to the class. 7. As a whole, the class will discuss the negative connotations that come from some of the stereotypes they’ve just created for the characters from the clip. 8. We will observe Pap’s character and create a list of characteristics from him. 9. We will directly compare Pap’s character to the “rebellious” character from the breakfast club. 10. Students will reflect on their journal entries at the end of class and decide whether or not they can actually empathize with Pap. 11. Before students leave, I will tell them to choose one journal entry they feel is important to understanding Pap’s character and the novel itself to add to their portfolios. They will be required to write one paragraph (3-5 sentences) on the significance of this entry. They will bring their portfolios to class tomorrow, as they will add to it during the next class period.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the stereotyping activity. Each student will be required to come up with 2 different descriptions for the character portrayed in the clip. Each student will also be required to make 2 contributions during the whole class discussion. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the stereotyping activity. Each student will be required to come up with 1 description for the character portrayed in the clip. Each student will also be required to make one contribution to the whole class discussion. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will also participate in the stereotyping activity. Each student will come up with 1 description for the character portrayed in the clip with a partner. The student will respond to one contribution his/her peer has made during the whole class discussion. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, //Huckleberry Finn//, pencils, paper, poster, markers Technology Needed: computer Homework: Read up to page 210 in //Finn//. Read //Huckleberry Finn// handout. Choose one journal entry to add to the portfolio and write one paragraph (3-5 sentences) and explain its importance and significance into your understanding of Pap and the novel itself. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print. Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Read Aloud **Date:** Day 8 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **CC.1.2.9-10.A:** Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: None for today Instructional Objectives: 1. Students will complete a journal entry in order to provoke their thoughts about the interpretation of Pap’s story. 2. Students will use their perspectives of Pap’s character in order to begin their own, creative ending to his story. 3. Students will begin putting their portfolios together in order to gain a better understanding of the requirements.

Goals: 1. Students will be able to use their knowledge of Pap to be able to write their own endings for his character. 2. Students will add two more elements into their portfolios. Procedure: 1. Students will enter classroom and answer journal entry question: “Why does the author choose to make the narrator of the story anonymous? 2. I will hand out students’ creative writing assignment.(This assignment was already made up under the Rationale section - It requires students to make up their own ending for Pap.) 6. Students will have the opportunity to begin their creative writing assignments in class. (First 20 minutes) 7. Students should be able to complete, at least, the introductions of their creative writing pieces in the time they’re given. 8. I will tell students they will have time to complete their creative writing assignments in the computer lab tomorrow. 9. I will ask students to pull out their journal entries. They will be asked to pick Two journal entries they feel have been most important to understanding Pap’s character and the novel as a whole. For each journal entry they choose, they will write one paragraph (3-5 sentences) on the importance of that entry. 10. Once students have completed this assignment, I will ask them to place these journal entries into their portfolios. 11. I will tell students they will have the option of working on their creative writing assignments at home.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will follow along and analyze several passages of //Finn// as a whole class. Students will brainstorm ideas and write introductions for creative writing assignment. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will follow along and analyze two passages from //Finn// with a partner. Students will brainstorm ideas for creative writing assignment individually. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will follow along and analyze one passage from //Finn// with a partner. Students will brainstorm ideas for creative writing assignment with partners. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, pencils, paper Technology Needed: computer Homework: Read up to page 245 in //Finn// + work on creative writing assignment. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Alternate ending **Date:** Day 9 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **CC.1.2.9-10.A:** Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

3. **CC.1.4.9-10.M:** Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.

BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: There will be a brief discussion at the beginning of class on last night’s reading. Instructional Objectives: 1. Students will use their knowledge, ideas, and perceptions of Pap to create their own, alternate endings to his life. Goals: 1. To enable students to understand the importance of interpretation in literature. 2. To give students extra time to turn in products they are proud of. Procedure: 1. Students will come directly to the computer lab. 2. For the first 7 minutes of class, we will discuss last night’s reading. 3. I will ask students the following questions: What is the text insinuating at this point about the demise of Pap? What can we concur about the author’s overall feelings of Pap as a father? As a person? What was the importance of the way Jon Clinch started the beginning of the novel? How does it connect to the way Clinch plans to end it? 4. For the last forty minutes of class, students will have the opportunity to c omplete their creative writing assignments. 5. They will add their assignments to their portfolios at the end of class. They will then hand their portfolios to me so that I can grade their creative writing assignments. 6. I will ask students to finish Finn. I will also ask them to choose their final two journal entries and write one short paragraph (3-5 sentences) explaining the significance of each to add to their portfolios the following day.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will participate actively by offering new topics of discussion at the beginning of class. Students will finish their creative writing assignments individually. || Students in their tier will respond to their peers in the class discussion at the beginning of class. Students will finish their creative writing assignment with the help of the teacher. || Students in their tier will listen to the discussion at the beginning of class and be encouraged to participate. However, no penalties will result if they choose not to participate in the discussion. Students will finish their creative writing assignments with their aids’ help and the help of the teacher. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, pencils, paper Technology Needed: computers Homework: Finish //Finn//. Choose the final two journal entries for the portfolio and write one paragraph for each about why it is significant and important to your understanding of Pap’s character and the novel itself. Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

Unit: //Finn// **Lesson:** Who is Pap? **Date:** Day 10 **Approx. Length:** 50 minutes Academic Standard(s): 1. **CC.1.2.9-10.A:** Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. 2. **CC.1.5.9-10.A:** Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grades level topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. BIG QUESTION: What is an identity? Motivational Device: Journal Entry will be answered: “Who is Pap?” Instructional Objectives: 1. Students will answer their journal entry in order to demonstrate their knowledge of Pap’s character. 2. Students will use their knowledge, interpretations, and understanding of Pap in order to create their portfolios. Goals: 1. To help students connect all lessons by using portfolios as a form of summative assessment. Procedure: 1. Students will enter class and answer their journal entry question. 2. We will discuss their journal entry question immediately after they’ve answered it. 3. I will ask students a series of questions: “Who helped to shape Pap throughout the novel? How did Pap deal with his problems? - By this, I am asking students to question whether or not he abused alcohol as a way of coping with his issues. How did Pap handle others’ perceptions of him, or did he simply not care what people thought? What makes a person who they are? I will have students discuss internal and external factors. - I will tie this back into the first lesson. 4. After the first 10 minutes of discussion, I will hand back the students’ portfolios so they can add their final two journal entries to them. I will talk about portfolios with the students. These portfolios should have been completed throughout the unit by students. 5. I will tell students they will have a chance to present and display their portfolios.


 * Tier 1 || Tier 2 || Tier 3 ||
 * Students in this tier will complete their journal entry, using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will participate actively during class discussion twice by giving specific examples and evidence from the text. || Students in their tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will participate during the class discussion once by responding what another peer has said. || Students in this tier will complete their journal entry without using specific evidence from the text to support their answers. Students will actively listen to the class discussion. ||

Materials Needed: //Finn//, pencils, paper Technology Needed: computer Homework: Finish portfolios Resources: Clinch, Jon. //Finn: A Novel//. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Twain, Mark. //Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//. New York: Random House, 1996. Print.

Daily Journal Rubric


 * || 3 Points || 2 Points || 1 Points || 0 Points ||
 * HAS DAILY QUESTION BEEN ANSWERED? || Student answers daily question to full capacity. || Student only partially answers daily question by leaving out one part. || Student leaves out two parts of the daily question, only answering one. || Student has not completed his/her journal entry. ||
 * HAS STUDENT USED DETAIL FROM READINGS? || Student takes at least 3 specific details from the readings to support entry. || Student takes at least 2 specific details from the readings to support entry. || Student takes at least 1 specific detail from the readings to support entry. || Student has not completed his/her journal entry. ||

ASSIGNMENT: Throughout this unit, you will be required to keep individual journals. These journals will be used at the beginning, as well as at the end of each class. All journals will be kept inside the classroom unless advised otherwise. Upon entering the classroom, you will notice a question (or several) posted on the board. It is your job to answer this/these question(s) so the best of your ability. Sometimes the questions will be opinion-based, and sometimes the questions will be reading-based. Regardless of the type(s) of question(s), you will be required to support your journal entry answers with at least three details from the material you’ve read the night before. You will not be required to use direct quotes. I am more interested in your answer to the question(s), your demonstration of your understanding of the question(s) and the reading(s), as well as your reaction/opinion to the question(s)/reading(s). This portion of the journal entries will be done within the first five minutes of class. In roughly the last five minutes of class, we will reflect back on your journal entries. It is your job to participate in this discussion, as it is important for you and your peers to react to one another. Part of your for the entries will be participating in the discussion. If you actively participate in at least 3 class discussions per week, I will not take points off the personal reaction portion of the rubric. However, this is up to you! Each entry will be worth a possible 9 points.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING QUIZZES/STICKY NOTES Throughout the semester, you will be required to read several supplementary readings in addition to “Finn.” To ensure you have read this material, I will ask you questions that come directly from the readings in the form of a quiz. Sometimes the quizzes will be individual, and sometimes the quizzes will be done as a class. When the quizzes are done in class, they will be done within the first ten minutes of class. You will have at least ten questions for each of these readings. Some of the questions may also come from “Finn.” These questions will not be multiple choice. They will be short answer questions. When the quizzes are done as a class, we will use our white boards. I will post questions up using a PowerPoint format. These questions will be multiple choice. A, B, C, or D. You will mark on your white board which answer you think best reflects the question. I will say, “Time is up,” and you will hold your white boards up as a class. If the majority of you have the correct answer, you will get the point for that question. However, if the majority has the wrong answer, you will not get the point. Regardless, we will discuss each question as a class to ensure everyone understands why that answer was the best choice. These quizzes will also be done within the first ten minutes of class. They will also be ten questions long, usually, depending on the reading assigned. All of these quizzes will be done to ensure you are reading the material required for class. These readings, although supplementary, will give you a better understanding of “Finn.” STICKY NOTES: During ALL readings, you are encouraged to use sticky notes. Much of this unit is discussion-based. Therefore, everyone needs to come prepared with topics for group/whole class discussions. If you choose not to use sticky notes, I would also encourage you to take notes in a separate notebook, or highlight areas of importance. Students will be randomly picked each day to share their sticky notes, personal notes, or highlighted notes with the class to help further our discussions.

NOTE* When we do these quizzes, no journal entry will have to be completed on this day unless one is assigned for homework.

BE PREPARED! You never know when a quiz might be coming! J  INTERPRETIVE GROUP PROJECT As you know, “Finn” is based around Jon Clinch’s interpretation of Pap. He chooses to turn him into a monstrous, murderous character to tell Pap’s “behind the scenes” story. Towards the middle of this Unit, you will be required to complete an interpretive group project based on Pap Finn’s character. I will assign each of you to a group. You will be asked to consider your own interpretations of Pap Finn through a series of questions: Why did Jon Clinch choose to make his character so devious? What was Pap’s childhood like that could have shaped him into this type of person? Etc. You will be asked to make a collage, paint, draw, or piece together a portrait of Pap Finn. You MUST address these questions upon completing this project through your collage, painting, drawing, etc. 1. What do you think Pap would have looked like as an adult based off Jon Clinch’s interpretation? 2. What do you think he would have looked like as a child? 3. What were some of Pap’s hobbies/interests as a child? 4. What did Pap aspire to do with his life? 5. What were 3 reasons Pap’s life turned out the way it did? 6. How could Pap’s childhood have been a reflection or opposition to his adulthood? 7. What did Pap’s childhood home look like? 8. Who would have been Pap’s childhood friends? It is up to you and your group to portray Pap Finn as a child, while creating the image of what he might have looked like as an adult through Jon Clinch’s eyes. Regardless if you choose to do a collage, drawing, or painting with your group, under each picture you create, you must give an answer to each of the 8 questions posted above. For example: If I chose to do a collage, I might put a picture of a dog. I would put underneath this picture a description of why I think this dog would have been of importance to Pap as a child. Perhaps this dog meant a lot to Pap. OR I might paint a picture of Pap’s childhood home with a picture of Pap inside the basement of the home. I might choose to make this look like a dark, dreary basement, and I might explain why I think this basement is where Pap was kept as a child. I could argue that Pap had a great childhood or a poor childhood. Your group will be given 2 periods of class time to complete these projects. All materials you need will be supplied for you. Crayons, markers, paint, brushes, magazines and newspapers (for collages), construction paper, scissors, glue, etc. If you __DO NOT__ complete this project within the 2nd class period, you will have the opportunity to take it home to complete it. The projects will each be presented on the third day of class. INTERPRETIVE GROUP PROJECT RUBRIC

PRESENTATION || All group members participate equally in presentation. || Only 5 of the group members participate in presentation. || Only 4 of the group members participate in presentation. || 3 or less of group members participate in presentation. || CREATIVITY || All pictures and descriptions are neatly done & show thought & creativity. || 2 of the pictures or descriptions are not fully thought out or represented. || 4 of the pictures or descriptions are not fully thought out or represented. || 6 or more of the pictures or descriptions are not fully thought out/represented. ||
 * || 15 Points || 9-14 Points || 5-8 Points || 0-4 Points ||
 * HAVE QUESTIONS BEEN ANSWERED? || All 8 questions answered through **pics AND descriptions.** || Only 6 questions answered through pics AND/OR descriptions. || Only 4 questions answered through pics AND/OR descriptions || 3 or less answered through pics AND/OR descriptions. ||

This project will be worth a total of 60 points. As long as you and your group work together, you should receive the full 60 points. Presentations will be given on the 3rd class day. There will be a total of five groups. Each group will have a total of 5 minutes to present their poster. Once presentations are completed, we will have a discussion about the posters: What we liked, what we didn’t like, how we think this in-class project helped us to have a better understanding of Pap, how vastly different interpretations can be, etc. REMEMBER TO BE AS CREATIVE AS YOU CAN WITH THIS PROJECT! I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT YOU ALL COME UP WITH! J  CREATIVE WRITING ASSIGNMENT!

GRADED CHECKLIST POSSIBLE EARNED Used Details from “Finn” to support writing 3 _ Used Parallels between “Finn” & “Huck Finn” 3 _ Chose a unique, creative ending for Pap 3 _ Spelling/Conventions 3 _ TOTAL: 12 TOTAL: _

For this assignment, you will choose your own, unique ending for Pap. Perhaps you will choose to have his life end tragically the way Jon Clinch did **OR** you might choose to have Pap die heroically instead. The choice is yours. It is all up to how you’ve come to interpret his character through “Finn,” as well as our supplementary readings. This assignment MUST: Be at least 2 pages in length, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 Pt Font, Have an original title/heading at the top For this assignment, I am asking you to use details from “Finn” to support your writing. You might choose to start your writing at a specific scene in “Finn,” for example. Also, please use parallels from the supplementary readings from “Huck Finn.” You might choose to use details from “Huck Finn” to support your alternate ending of Pap’s character. I want you to take on your own voice for this assignment. Tell Pap’s ending through your own eyes, and argue for or against his character being good. Spelling and conventions do count for this assignment. However, I will be lenient. Be creative while demonstrating your understanding of the text, the readings, and Pap Finn’s character. You DO have the option of telling this story through Pap’s eyes instead of your own. Perhaps having Pap tell his own ending to his readers. The choice is YOURS! HAVE FUN AND MAKE THIS ENDING YOUR OWN! J  FINAL PORTFOLIO PROJECT (HAND OUT ON FIRST DAY & EXPLAIN) GRADED CHECKLIST POSSIBLE EARNED Table of Contents 5 _____ __Page Numbers 5__ _

Title Page 5 _____ __Original Front/Back Cover 10__ _ Tabs with 5 meaningful quotes from “Finn” 10 _____ __5 Journal Entries (Demonstrates learning) 20__ _ 5 Reactions to Journal Entries (Shows Importance) 20 _____ __Creative Writing Assignment 15__ _ 5 Pictures w/ Descriptions that reflect Pap’s character 10 _____ __TOTAL: 100 pts__

Instead of a Unit Test, you will be required to complete an individual portfolio as a form of summative assessment. The majority of this portfolio will be completed throughout the Unit. However, there are a couple parts that you must complete ON YOUR OWN in order to get full credit for the assignment. Above is a checklist the show the requirements for this assignment. You will be required to put your portfolio in either a folder, or a 1 inch binder. The outside of the portfolio must be decorated on the front and the back. The front cover should represent your understanding of Pap’s character. The back of the portfolio should represent Jon Clinch’s interpretation of Pap’s character. This can be done through drawings, pictures, collages, quotes, etc. The inside of the portfolio must have a title page, a table of contents, page numbers, and tabs. Each tab must have a quote that is specifically meaningful to you, as well as Pap’s character from “Finn.” All is I need is the quote and page number the quote is on. Underneath the quote, I would like a short description (3-5 sentences) to explain why you chose this quote, why it is significant to you, and why it is important to understanding Pap’s character. In addition to the tabs, you will notice that ten journal entry reactions are required for this portfolio. At the beginning of each class, we will write one journal entry. I want you to choose FIVE of these entries to use as part of your portfolio. As we write these journal entries, I recommend that you place stars next to the ones you think have helped you to take away the most from this unit. For example, you might choose a journal entry that causes you to ask yourself what a monster is when we compare Pap to Mary Shelley’s “monster.” Perhaps this particular journal entry made you realize that Pap is or is not a monster. I want you to think about the discussions that we have at the end of each class after you’ve written these journals entries. How have the discussions influenced your portrayal of Pap’s character? Which journal entries helped you to understand his story and his character the most? These are the entries I would like for you to include in your portfolio. Once you’ve chosen your entries, I would like you to write a small reaction to the entry. Explain, in one or two paragraphs, why this journal entry was significant to you in helping you to understand Pap. Place these reactions in your portfolio right next to the journal entries. The creative writing assignment is also required to be part of this portfolio, as it is an important exercise to show how interpretation can alter a text’s meaning. For the last part of this portfolio, I would like you to choose 5 pictures that you think best represent Pap’s character/story. Perhaps you can take ideas from your interpretive group project to complete this portion of the portfolio. You can even take ideas from other groups that presented their posters to the class. Underneath each picture, please write 3-5 sentences to explain why you chose this picture. You might want to say why it was significant to Pap’s character, to Jon Clinch’s interpretation, or to your own interpretation of Pap and his story. Each student will have an opportunity to present their portfolios to the class in the last two days. Therefore, the portfolios will be due on the third to last day of the unit. They will be displayed in the classroom after everyone has presented.