Catherine Steinke

Dr. Vonder Haar

LITR 415
April 28, 2018
Unit Plan Project on The Hate U Give

Introduction:

Literary Content:

This literary unit is based around the novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This novel is extremely

modern, published in 2017, which makes it relevant and relatable. It’s about a black girl named Starr who feels

like she lives two different lives, one in her poor, black neighborhood, and the other at her suburban,

predominantly white, school. In addition to that conflict, Starr also witnesses her childhood best friend die at the

hands of a white police officer, and she struggles to find her voice to stick up for her lost friend. Themes in this

novel include racism, fitting in, and dealing with loss, which are all relevant themes to young adults.

Rationale:

I’m choosing to teach a unit on The Hate U Give because I recently read it for LITR 327 and I think it’s

an important novel that is relevant and gives students perspective on a culture they might not be familiar with. It

is also really relevant today, dealing with issues like racism and police brutality which have been common these

past few years. I think this novel brings some issues to light that students might not be familiar with, but it does

so in a way that it is relatable to them still. The novel is extremely modern, using familiar things like social

media that can help students connect with it.

Target Student Group:

This unit would be for an English 12 class. It would take place in the first semester, possibly soon after

school starts. Seniors should have had a lot of practice with reading and writing about literature, since they have

been doing it for years, so they should have all the prior knowledge they need for this unit. If I were to teach

this in the setting which I am most familiar with, which is Tri-County High School in Howard city, the majority

of the school and the community are white. It is a lower socioeconomic area, where 44% of students receive

reduced or free lunch.

Unit Outcomes: Introduce selections and what shaped them

 a. At the end of this unit, students will be able to: use explicit details and implicit information from

the text to support the inference or conclusion provided.

b. At the end of this unit, students will be able to: analyze interrelationships among literary

elements (e.g., setting, order of actions, characters) or analyze and distinguish point of view.

c. At the end of this unit, students will be able to: make an inference or draw a conclusion about the

text (e.g., development of individuals, ideas or events; author’s point of view/purpose/author's

differing points of view; evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or

formats; delineate and evaluate the author's premises and specific claims) and use supporting

evidence as justification/explanation.

Unit Plan Narrative:

Time-Frame/Calendar:

My calendar begins with two days of framing activities centered around the Black Lives Matter

Movement. The novel deals with similar issues like racial bias and police brutality which also tie into current

events. Students will also begin their K-W-L-R chart that they will work on throughout the reading of the novel

and will eventually help them write their final paper. Students will begin reading after day two. On day three,

students will start discussing the novel, and that will go on for the next week. Then, after we finish the novel,

we will begin writing the final paper.

I chose this plan for the unit because this is how the units I have observed at Tri County are organized.

They spend some time reading and discussing the novel and then begin their final paper, which they have time

to work on in class. This also allows me to keep an eye on where my students are at and help them comprehend

the novel and improve their papers. I made the final paper due on day 16, which theoretically should be a

Monday, because I want students to have the weekend to really work on their papers and get them ready to turn

in.

Unit Calendar:

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Introduction to The More discussion Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read
Hate U Give and and videos about Group Discussion Group Discussion Group Discussion
one of the themes in BLMM Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read
 the novel (Black Begin reading Partner Discussion Partner Discussion Partner Discussion
Lives Matter)
K-W-L-R chart
Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10
Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read
Group Discussion Group Discussion Group Discussion Group Discussion Group Discussion
Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read Silent Read
Partner Discussion Partner Discussion Partner Discussion Partner Discussion Partner Discussion
Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15
Wrap-up Discussion Paper planning Paper planning Writing Workshop Rough draft due
Introduction and worksheets Writing workshop Peer Review
explanation of final Discussion
paper

Day 16
Final drafts due

Example Lesson Plan:

The following is the lesson plan for the first day of this unit. Four additional lesson plans from this unit

can be found in Appendix A.

Name: Catherine Steinke Date: Day 1

Curriculum/Course: English Grade level: 12

Time/Period: 55 minutes Materials: Computer, projector, speakers

Standards: List the state or national standards that you are using in this unit/lesson. This section also includes technology
standards.

Objectives (I can statements):

Students will become familiar with the Black Lives Matter Movement and prepare to begin reading The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas.
Introduction/Hook: (Warm-up, review of previous day’s lesson, check for understanding of previous knowledge, questions you
will ask)
The introduction will be the video “Tupac Inspired Angie Thomas’ New Book”

Steps in the lesson: (Include ideas for whole-class instructions, if any; differentiated activities; sharing, etc.)
1. Introduce the novel, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and how it was inspired by the Black Lives Matter
Movement
2. Play the video “Tupac Inspired Angie Thomas’ New Book”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ufAb82GJ0)
3. Hand out K-W-L-R charts and have students fill out the K and W sections about what they know about the
Black Lives Matter Movement and what they want to know about it.
4. We will then watch another video about the Black Lives Matter Movement to give students more of a
background on the subject.
5. Then I will talk about how we can discuss issues like this without being hateful and offensive, and then we
will do a group discussion about how the Black Lives Matter started and what the goal of the movement is.
 6. Then I will explain how this topic relates to The Hate U Give and what to expect in the novel.

Closure Activity/Wrap up: This may be in the form of independent practice, a chance to share, or explicit restatement of the goals of
the lesson.
Class will conclude with an explanation about how the Black Lives Matter movement relates to the novel and what
to expect as we begin reading.

Assessment (Formative, Summative): thumbs up/down, exit ticket, quiz, chapter test, rubric (attach if appropriate), etc.

N/A

Extension Activities:

N/A
 As I stated above, this is the first lesson that introduces the unit. I will use a video of the author Angie

Thomas explaining her inspiration for the novel to get students familiar with the theme and content of the novel.

Then I will give students their K-W-L-R chart and have them fill out what they know about the Black Lives

Matter Movement and what they want to know about it before I show another video dealing with the movement.

We will then have a discussion about how to behave while discussing controversial topics in a mature and

respectful matter. I wanted to spend the first day doing these things because I think it’s important to give the

students a good first impression for the novel and introduce the topic they will be focused on throughout the

unit.

Assessment:

My formative assessments are going to be the K-W-L-R chart, reading journals, and the paper planning

worksheet. The K-W-L-R chart will help students take notes while reading the novel that will hopefully help

them write their final paper. The reading journals will encourage them to think critically and connect with the

text, and will also be a way for me to see if they are actually reading or not. Then the paper planning worksheet

will help them write their final paper as well.

My summative assessment will be an argumentative literary essay about how the theme of the text

connects to the Black Lives Matter Movement. This will make students connect the text to real life, as well as

have them gain experience writing an argumentative essay. I think this will be effective because students will be

able to write an essay that deals with a real world issue while also incorporating the text.

Resources:

The Hate U Give was published so recently that there are few resources out there for it. Because of that,

not all of my resources are specific to the novel. Please see appendix B for an annotated bibliography of these

resources.

Student Resources/Materials:
 Like most novels, there are many resources that students might use such as GradeSaver and

BookRags. These sites, if a student pays for them, gives chapter summaries, analysis, and even sample

essays for the novel.

Teacher Resources:

There are a few resources for teaching this novel specifically that can be found online. In

addition to those, there are a few articles that discuss the themes and issues in the novel. There are also

resources that involve teaching controversial texts in general that can be used to teach this novel. The

most valuable source to me was a lesson plan I found on readwritethink. This lesson gave me the idea

for connecting the novel to the Black Lives Matter Movement. There are also resources on

teacherspayteachers.com as well. I think as this novel becomes older and more popular, there will be

many more resources and lesson plans available online.

Interviews:

In preparation for this unit plan, I interviewed two veteran teachers at Tri County High School. The first,

Mrs. Pearson has been teaching English at Tri County High School for the past 24 years. She currently teaches

five classes of sophomore English. I had observed Mrs. Pearson’s classroom and noticed she was teaching the

novel Speak, so I knew she had some experience with teaching controversial novels. I also wanted to gain some

insight from her about teaching literature in general. The following are the questions I asked Mrs. Pearson:

1. How have you gone about teaching controversial novels such as Speak?
2. How do students respond to and talk about issues like the issues in Speak?
3. Have you ever received complaints from parents or students about any literature you have taught? If so,
how did you handle those?
4. Is there a school policy for handling backlash over literature? If so, what is it?
5. Do you think you would have any issues teaching The Hate U Give? Why or why not?
6. What advice do you have about teaching controversial novels?
7. How do you introduce texts?
8. What have you found to be an effective way to teach literature?
9. What is the best piece of advice you can give about teaching literature?
10. What kind of assessment do you do for literature?

Mrs. Pearson gave me a lot of good information about teaching controversial texts and teaching literature in

general. She told me she has never had an issue with teaching controversial novels, but she does so in a
sensitive way. She tries to make her classroom a safe environment where students feel able to talk about the

issues that the books involve. She also commented that students respond to these issues differently, some take it

seriously and some get uncomfortable or make jokes. When this happens, she tries to steer the conversation

back to being relevant to the novel. She has never had a student or parent complain or challenge any literature

she has taught in her class, but the school does have policies in place to help. The school requires that texts be

cleared by the board, and parents must be notified if the text might be racy or controversial. The board must

approve it and sometimes it is required to have permission slips signed for texts. Mrs. Pearson suggests getting a

feel for your class/students before teaching a controversial novel. She also suggests opening discussions before

introducing the material to “weed out issues that could arise later on.”

Mrs. Pearson introduces texts by doing a book talk where she introduces the novel, reads the back

cover/summary, and a few pages from the text. She also will open up discussions about the topics to see what

they already know. Her advice for teaching literature is to plan ahead for things that might occur. She suggested

strategies for students who are not reading to get them to read also.

I learned a lot from Mrs. Pearson about teaching literature in general, as well as about teaching texts such as

Speak. She also told me she thinks The Hate U Give is a great novel to teach.

My second interview was with Mr. Mercer, who is currently teaching senior English. Mr. Mercer has

been teaching for 14 years. My goal for interviewing him was to get a feel for how seniors handle texts in

comparison to younger students, and what his experience with teaching controversial texts was. The following

are the questions I asked Mr. Mercer:

1. Have you ever taught a controversial novel such as Speak? If so, how do students respond to and talk
about issues like the issues in Speak?
2. Have you ever received complaints from parents or students about any literature you have taught? If so,
how did you handle those?
3. Do you think older students are able to handle these topics better? Specifically seniors?
4. Do you think you would have any issues teaching The Hate U Give? Why or why not?
5. What advice do you have about teaching controversial novels?
6. How do you introduce texts?
7. What assignments do you do throughout the reading of the novel?
8. Have you done projects with literature? If so, what are they?
9. What is the best piece of advice you can give about teaching literature?
 Mr. Mercer talked to me a lot about how he handles teaching controversial texts. He explained how he is

handling teaching Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep right now. He said he sent home a permission slip for

both the novel and the movie before he began the lesson, and required that every single slip came back or they

couldn’t read it. He thankfully got them all back and they were able to continue with that text. He explained

how he likes to make sure they talk about issues going on in the world and he uses that to relate it back to the

materials they are learning. He makes his classroom a safe place for discussion. He also makes sure that he

steers the conversation in the right direction, and if it gets off topic, he brings it back to being relevant to the

discussion. Mr. Mercer said that even as seniors, some of the class might not be emotionally mature enough to

handle the topic, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t teach controversial texts. You just have to know your

students.

Mr. Mercer introduces texts by relating them to current topic and the real world. For assignments, he does

things like character webs, bookmarks, and short answer questions. For projects, he does papers in a range of

topics dealing with literature, depending on what the unit is on. His best piece of advice is to choose texts that

students will enjoy reading. He said students are more engaged when they actually enjoy what they are reading,

and it’s okay to steer away from the literary canon to find things that are actually relevant to the students.

Mr. Mercer’s interview was a little more insightful, just because he gave specific examples of how he is

handling teaching his novel right now, and he teaches the grade level I intend this unit to be for. Overall, I think

both interviews were extremely helpful and I enjoyed learning from these two great teachers.

Reflection:

I learned a lot of things from doing this unit plan. First of all, it’s really hard to create a unit from

scratch, especially one for literature and writing. Writing one lesson plan is one thing, but having to create an

outline for a whole month of lesson plans. I also learned a lot from the interviews. I think the interviews were

the most insightful part of this whole thing because I learned so much from the teachers. Talking to them gave

me many ideas and helped me know what to expect when I teach literature. This whole thing was a major

learning experience because I haven’t had much experience with teaching English.
 I think the ideas in this unit plan are the main strength. I think that it would be a really successful unit

that students would actually enjoy and be engaged in. The actual content of this unit plan is the weakness of this

unit plan. I need to spend much more time on this to make it live up to its potential. Because there are few

resources out there for this novel, it was hard to find ideas of what to do. I also didn’t give this assignment the

attention it needed because of all of the other things I had going on.

Even though this unit plan is not the best, I think doing this project was an amazing learning

opportunity. I learned a lot about how to teach literature, what strategies to implement, and how much time and

work goes into planning a unit. The most valuable thing I’m going to take from this project is the expectation

that planning lessons and units take a lot of time and are a lot of work, so I should always make sure I prepare

well in advance. Had I given this project the time and effort it deserved, I think it could have been great. I hope

to be able to revise and improve this unit and use it someday in my classroom.

Appendix:

A. Lesson Plans:

Name: Catherine Steinke Date: Day 1

Curriculum/Course: English Grade level: 12

Time/Period: 55 minutes Materials: Computer, projector, speakers

Standards: List the state or national standards that you are using in this unit/lesson. This section also includes technology
standards.

Objectives (I can statements):

Students will become familiar with the Black Lives Matter Movement and prepare to begin reading The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas.
Introduction/Hook: (Warm-up, review of previous day’s lesson, check for understanding of previous knowledge, questions you
will ask)
The introduction will be the video “Tupac Inspired Angie Thomas’ New Book”

Steps in the lesson: (Include ideas for whole-class instructions, if any; differentiated activities; sharing, etc.)
 7. Introduce the novel, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and how it was inspired by the Black Lives Matter
Movement
8. Play the video “Tupac Inspired Angie Thomas’ New Book”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6ufAb82GJ0)
9. Hand out K-W-L-R charts and have students fill out the K and W sections about what they know about the
Black Lives Matter Movement and what they want to know about it.
10. We will then watch another video about the Black Lives Matter Movement to give students more of a
background on the subject.
11. Then I will talk about how we can discuss issues like this without being hateful and offensive, and then we
will do a group discussion about how the Black Lives Matter started and what the goal of the movement is.
12. Then I will explain how this topic relates to The Hate U Give and what to expect in the novel.
Closure Activity/Wrap up: This may be in the form of independent practice, a chance to share, or explicit restatement of the goals of
the lesson.
Class will conclude with an explanation about how the Black Lives Matter movement relates to the novel and what
to expect as we begin reading.

Assessment (Formative, Summative): thumbs up/down, exit ticket, quiz, chapter test, rubric (attach if appropriate), etc.

N/A

Extension Activities:

N/A
 Name: Catherine Steinke Date: Day 3

Curriculum/Course: English Grade level: 12

Time/Period: 55 minutes Materials: Computer, projector

Standards: List the state or national standards that you are using in this unit/lesson. This section also includes technology
standards.

Objectives (I can statements):

Students will be able to discuss the novel with their peers to gain a better understanding of the story and
themes.
Introduction/Hook: (Warm-up, review of previous day’s lesson, check for understanding of previous knowledge, questions
you will ask)
The introduction will be students will silent read for 15 minutes.

Steps in the lesson: (Include ideas for whole-class instructions, if any; differentiated activities; sharing, etc.)
1. Students will silent read for 15 minutes.
2. I will post discussion questions on the board for students to discuss in their table group. The first set of
questions will be: What do you think this book will be about? Why do you think that? What do you know about
the topic of the book? Does the topic of the book realte to something you know or have done?
3. Students will be able to share what they talked about in their groups with the whole class.
4. Students will then silent read for 15 minutes.
5. I will then post more discussion questions that students will discuss with a partner. The questions will be: Who
are the main characters we have seen so far? Where does this story take place? What has happened in the
story so far? What do you like/dislike about the book so far?
6. Students will again be able to share what they talked about with the whole class.
Closure Activity/Wrap up: This may be in the form of independent practice, a chance to share, or explicit restatement of the
goals of the lesson.
N/A

Assessment (Formative, Summative): thumbs up/down, exit ticket, quiz, chapter test, rubric (attach if appropriate), etc.
Working on the K-W-L-R chart while reading and complete a reading journal for homework.

Extension Activities:

N/A
Name: Catherine Steinke Date: Day 10

Curriculum/Course: English Grade level: 12

Time/Period: 55 minutes Materials: Computer, projector

Standards: List the state or national standards that you are using in this unit/lesson. This section also includes technology
standards.

Objectives (I can statements):

Students will be able to discuss the novel with their peers to gain a better understanding of the story and themes.
Introduction/Hook: (Warm-up, review of previous day’s lesson, check for understanding of previous knowledge, questions you
will ask)
The introduction will be students will silent read for 15 minutes.

Steps in the lesson: (Include ideas for whole-class instructions, if any; differentiated activities; sharing, etc.)
1. Students will silent read for 15 minutes.
2. I will post discussion questions on the board for students to discuss in their table group. The first set of
questions will be: Why do the characters do what they do? Are their actions justified? Describe the dynamics
between characters. Do you admire or disapprove of them?
3. Students will be able to share what they talked about in their groups with the whole class.
4. Students will then silent read for 15 minutes.
5. I will then post more discussion questions that students will discuss with a partner. The questions will be:
Are the main characters dynamic- maturing or changing? Are they learning about themselves, how the world
works, or their role in it? What was your favorite thing about the story?
6. Students will again be able to share what they talked about with the whole class.
Closure Activity/Wrap up: This may be in the form of independent practice, a chance to share, or explicit restatement of the goals of
the lesson.
N/A

Assessment (Formative, Summative): thumbs up/down, exit ticket, quiz, chapter test, rubric (attach if appropriate), etc.
Working on the K-W-L-R chart while reading and complete a reading journal for homework. They should also finish
the novel over the weekend.

Extension Activities:

N/A
Name: Catherine Steinke Date: Day 14

Curriculum/Course: English Grade level: 12

Time/Period: 55 minutes Materials: Computer, projector

Standards: List the state or national standards that you are using in this unit/lesson. This section also includes technology
standards.

Objectives (I can statements):

Students will be able to use the information they learned about the Black Lives Matter Movement and themes and
events in the novel to write an argumentative essay.
Introduction/Hook: (Warm-up, review of previous day’s lesson, check for understanding of previous knowledge, questions you
will ask)
I will answer any questions student might have about their final essay to begin class.

Steps in the lesson: (Include ideas for whole-class instructions, if any; differentiated activities; sharing, etc.)
1. I will begin class by answering any questions that might have come up while students are working on their
final essay.
2. Students will work independently on their final essays.

Closure Activity/Wrap up: This may be in the form of independent practice, a chance to share, or explicit restatement of the goals of
the lesson.
N/A

Assessment (Formative, Summative): thumbs up/down, exit ticket, quiz, chapter test, rubric (attach if appropriate), etc.
Students will keep working on their final essay for homework.

Extension Activities:

N/A

Name: Catherine Steinke Date: Day 15

Curriculum/Course: English Grade level: 12

Time/Period: 55 minutes Materials: Peer review worksheets
Standards: List the state or national standards that you are using in this unit/lesson. This section also includes technology
standards.

Objectives (I can statements):

Students will be able to critically analyze and discuss their argumentative essays with two peers.
Introduction/Hook: (Warm-up, review of previous day’s lesson, check for understanding of previous knowledge, questions you
will ask)
Students will be put into groups of 2 or 3 and given peer review sheets.

Steps in the lesson: (Include ideas for whole-class instructions, if any; differentiated activities; sharing, etc.)
1. Students will be put into groups of 2 or 3.
2. Students will read their peer’s essays and fill out the peer review worksheet.

Closure Activity/Wrap up: This may be in the form of independent practice, a chance to share, or explicit restatement of the goals of
the lesson.
N/A

Assessment (Formative, Summative): thumbs up/down, exit ticket, quiz, chapter test, rubric (attach if appropriate), etc.
Students will need to revise their essay to turn in the final draft the following Monday.

Extension Activities:

N/A

B. Annotated Bibliography:

i. Student Resources/Materials:

1.“The Hate U Give Study Guide.” GradeSaver: Getting You the Grade,
www.gradesaver.com/the-hate-u-give.
This website provides summaries, analysis, and sample essays that
deal with the novel. This is likely a website students will be checking out
throughout the unit to try to get around actually reading the book, but it
could also help them better understand the novel.
 2. “The Hate U Give Summary & Study Guide.” BookRags, BookRags,
www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-hate-u-give/
This website is like gradesaver, where it provides summaries,
themes, character lists, etc. This is likely a website students will be
checking out throughout the unit to try to get around actually reading the
book, but it could also help them better understand the novel.
ii. Teacher Resources/Materials:

1.Filkins, Scott. “Developing Critical Consciousness through Angie Thomas’

The Hate U Give.” ReadWriteThink, NCTE,
www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/developing-
critical-consciousness-through-31231.html
This source is a unit plan focused on the themes in the novel, like
the police violence, codeswitching, and gang culture. The unit includes
standards, resources and preparation information, the instructional plan,
and related resources.
2.Halstead, John. “The Other Reason White People Say ‘All Lives
Matter.’” Huffington Post, 6 July 2017.
This article is about why some people are offended by the saying
“Black Lives Matter.” It looks at communities that are predominantly
white and others that have more minorities and how they react to the
saying. This is useful to see how the students in your class might react and
you can show this article to them even to help with the controversy.
3.Hirsch, Afua. “Angie Thomas: the debut novelist who turned racism and
police violence into a bestseller.” The Guardian, 26 March 2017.
This source is an article about modern politics and how they
connect to the novel. It also includes an interview with the author, Angie
Thomas. She talks more about the influence of the book and why it is
important.
4.Kauer, S. (2008). A Battle Reconsidered: Second Thoughts on Book
Censorship and Conservative Parents. The English Journal, 97(3), 56-60.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.ferris.edu/stable/30046832
This article is about book censorship and what the author did when
she received backlash from parents about almost every book she assigned to
her tenth grade students. She used the NCTE article “Students Right to
Read” to help make arguments to persuade parents to let their children read
the books she assigned, but it didn’t always work. This article provides
insight to what might happen when I assign a controversial text like The
Hate U Give.
5.Ramirez, Adriana E. “Adriana E. Ramirez on Why Readers Love The Hate
You Give.” LA Times, 2 June 2017. Reads THUG as a dystopian novel.
This source is an article about how The Hate U Give can be
considered a dystopian novel that is set in reality. It also talks about how
students can connect to this novel and why it is important.