Written in Bones

Unit/Lessons Plan: Teacher Led Small Group Instruction

Section 1 (Lessons 1-4):
Lesson 1: Determining the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words
Students will use Greek and Latin roots and affixes to discuss the meaning of the concept “forensic anthropology”. Students will preview Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker and discuss the title of the text.
Lesson 2: Identifying conclusions and evaluating evidence in an informational text
Students read chapter 1 of Written in Bone and determine the meaning of unknown words, identify conclusions, and evaluate the evidence that supports each conclusion.
Lesson 3: Analyzing the structure and an author’s craft moves in an informational text
Student reread chapter 1 and analyze text structures as well as how the author uses craft moves to enhance traditional informational text structures.
Lesson 4: Revising sentences to enhance reader engagement and precise meaning
Students practice revising sentences to promote reader engagement and precision and write a paragraph to express understanding of the central ideas of chapter 1 of Written in Bone.

Section 2 (Lessons 5-6):
Lesson 5: Determining the meaning of unfamiliar words and paraphrasing poetry
Students read the poem “Ode to the Virginian Voyage” by Michael Drayton and discuss unfamiliar words. Students paraphrase each stanza of the poem.
Created By: Louisiana Department of Education
Lesson 6: Analyzing how structure and an author’s word choice impact a poem’s meaning
Students analyze the author’s word choice and the poem’s structure and how these elements contribute to the meaning of the poem.

Section 3 (Lessons 7-9):
Lesson 7: Determining the central idea of a text and how the author develops the central idea
Students read chapter 2 of Written in Bone, identify the main idea of each section, and determine the central idea of the text and how the author develops that idea.
Lesson 8: Analyzing how an author structures major sections of an informational text to contr...
Students read chapter 3 of Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker, identify the main idea of each section, and discuss how sections of the text contribute to the central ideas of the text.
Lesson 9: Analyzing the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in an information...
Students reread chapters 2 and 3 of Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker, analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in the text, and then explain how those interactions lead to conclusions in the text.

Section 4 (Lessons 10-12):
Lesson 10: Identifying claims and analyzing the text evidence that supports the claims in two...
Students read two informational texts and identify claims and text evidence that supports the claims.
Lesson 11: Comparing and contrasting the structure and development of ideas in informational ...
Students use SOAPStone to analyze the structure and development ideas in two different informational texts on a related topic.
Lesson 12: Comparing and contrasting author’s purpose in informational texts
Students complete SOAPStone strategy to analyze the author’s purpose of two informational texts and discuss the similarities and differences in the author’s purpose in both texts.

Section 5 (Lessons 13-17):
Lesson 13: Analyzing how setting and characters interact in a literary text
Students read excerpts from Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone and analyze how setting and characters interact in the text.
Lesson 14: Analyzing how setting and characters interact in a literary text and identifying t...
Students read Blood on the River and analyze how setting and characters interact in a literary text.
Lesson 15: Preparing claims, reasons, and evidence for a class debate
Students prepare for a class debate by preparing a claim, reasons, evidence, and opposing claim and reasons.
Lesson 16: Using the SODA strategy to assess opposing claims and posing questions
Students finish preparing for the debate by creating questions to elicit elaboration, then students engage in a philosophical chairs debate and use the SODA strategy to assess opposing claims
Created By: Louisiana Department of Education
Lesson 17: Comparing and contrasting literary and informational texts on a similar topic
Students read another excerpt from the text by Mastery George Percy and compare the historical figures in that text and Written in Bone to the characters in Blood in the River.

Section 6 (Lessons 18-22):
Lesson 18: Analyzing how an author develops contrasting points of view in a literary text
Students read Blood on the River and analyze how the author develops the POV different characters in the text.
Lesson 19: Analyzing how an author develops contrasting points of view in a literary text
Students read Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone, identify the POV of different characters, and analyze how the author develops the contrasting point of views in the text.
Lesson 20: Analyzing how an author develops contrasting points of view in a literary text and...
Students compare and contrast the points of view of various characters in Blood on the River and consider how and why the author develops the different points of view. Then students read aloud a poem, practice fluency, and paraphrase the text.
Lesson 21: Analyzing how the structure of a poem impacts its meaning
Students read “Pocahontas” by William Makepeace Thackeray, practice fluency, and use TPCASTT to analyze how the structure of a poem impacts its meaning.
Lesson 22: Engaging in a class debate to express opinions supported by text evidence
Students prepare claims and text evidence and then engage in a fishbowl discussion.

Section 7 (Lessons 23-26):
Lesson 23: Analyzing how headings contribute to the central ideas of an informational text
Students read chapter five of Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker independently and analyze how the section headings contribute to the development of central ideas of the text. Students also continue to update the analyzing central ideas
Lesson 24: Analyzing the effectiveness of text structures in contributing to the central idea...
Students read chapter six of Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker independently and analyze how the text structures contribute to the central ideas of the text. Students also continue to update the analyzing central ideas graphic organizer in preparation
Lesson 25: Determining the technical meaning of words and analyzing the impact of word choice...
Students jigsaw read chapter seven of Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker, summarize the text, and determine the meaning of technical words in the text. Students create a chart paper poster to share the summary of the reading, the technical vocabulary
Lesson 26: Structuring a logical argument that demonstrates understanding of a text
Students use sample claims and evidence to practice writing the reasoning component of a logical argument

Section 8 (Lessons 27-32):
Lesson 27: Practicing for the cold read task
Students read an excerpt from chapter 9 of Written in Bone and respond to an open-ended question in preparation for the cold read task at the end of the unit.
Lesson 28: Comparing and contrasting a text to a video version of that text
Students finish reading chapter nine of Written in Bone and watch a video on a similar topic. Then students compare and contrast the text and video and analyze how each text helps to clarify the reader’s understanding of facial reconstruction.
Lesson 29: Drafting an introduction for an explanatory writing task
Students review the culminating writing task and draft an introduction paragraph that introduces a topic clearly and previews what is to follow.
Lesson 30: Drafting a conclusion that follows from and supports the information or explanatio...
Students draft the body paragraphs and conclusion of an explanatory essay.
Lesson 31: Revising writing to include coordinate adjectives
Students revise writing to include coordinate adjectives and engage in a peer conference.
Lesson 32: Revising, editing, and publishing an explanatory essay
Students engage in peer revising and editing and publish their explanatory essay.

Section 9 (Lessons 33-40):
Lesson 33: Using search terms to locate sources to research a question
Students practice using search terms to locate sources to answer their research question. Students generate additional questions for further investigation as they search for sources
Lesson 34: Conducting research using Cornell Notes to quote and paraphrase data
Students begin reading the sources they located in the previous lesson. Students paraphrase the sources and identify important quotes of others and record the information using Cornell Notes.
Lesson 35: Conducting research and engaging in peer conferencing
Students engage in a peer conference to assess the validity of sources, determine whether there is sufficient information to answer the research question/provide clarity on the topic; and determine what questions still need to be answered. Students then...
Lesson 36: Organizing an event sequence to unfold naturally and logically in narrative writing
Students read the exemplar narrative and discuss the key elements to include in their narrative. Students create a storyboard summary for their narrative essay.
Lesson 37: Engaging the reader by establishing a character’s point of view
Students begin drafting the narrative essay, focusing on establishing a character’s point of view.
Lesson 38: Using and adding to historical details in a narrative essay to establish context a...
Students continue drafting the narrative essay, focusing on how to use and add to historical details to establish context and engage the reader.
Lesson 39: Use participial phrases as modifiers to nouns and pronouns to add detail and vary ...
Students practice using participial phrases and then revise their draft narrative. Students should include participial phrases to add detail and vary sentence structure (by adding the phrase as an adjective to the noun or pronoun).
Lesson 40: Peer editing and publishing the narrative essay
Students engage in peer editing and publish the narrative essay.

Section 10 (Lessons 41-42):
Lesson 41: Cold-Read Task, Multiple Choice Questions
Students reread “Puzzles of the Chesapeake” from chapter one of Written in Bone, read “Forensic Anthropology”, and view “30,000 Skeletons. Students answer multiple choice questions for each text and the video.
Lesson 42: Writing an extended response for the cold read task
Students write an extended response comparing and contrasting “Puzzles of the Chesapeake” and “30,000 Skeletons”.


Technology Integration: Student Led Small Group Instruction (weblinks provided below)

The Mystery of the Bones
(pace guide: 2 weeks)

Webquest: Mystery of the Bones (pace guide: 1 week)

The First People
(pace guide: 2 weeks)

Local History: Poverty Point
(pace guide: 1 week)

Pocahontas and the James Town Colony Webquest
(pacing guide: 3 weeks)