Mackenzie Schaum

Unit Plan Rationale and Calendar

Dr. Allman
SCED 357-001
27 April 2020

What are we waiting for? Exploring Beckett’s ​Waiting for Godot

Rationale: In high school and college, I had the opportunity to see multiple productions of WFG and explore its themes and contexts
in depth. I feel adequately qualified to teach this play, as I bring not only this experience but an interest in its meaning and impact.
This five-week unit explores multiple interpretations of the play using contextual knowledge about drama, historical implications, and
literature. In this unit, students learn and review skills such as close-reading, scene analysis of film/theater, discussion, textual
analysis, analytical writing, and editing.

In this unit students will:

- Know background and context of ​Waiting for Godot
- Understand how context influences a text
- Be able to close-read a passage for context, literary devices, and authorial choice
- Discuss a text
- Analyze a film or production for similarities and differences with a written text
- Develop a thesis and write an argument
- Edit, revise, and reflect on their own writing

Week 1-2: Students will be introduced to background and context of the play. Beginning the unit, students will already have read the
play in its entirety. A KWL chart allows me to check in with students and see what they already know about the context of the play,
and ensures that their questions gets answered during the lesson. This is followed by two watch days for the production of the play.
Students are guided by a worksheet through their viewing of the production. Additionally, on the first watch day, students are
introduced to the concept of scene analysis. During the viewing, we will pause the production to conduct one scene analysis per
watch day. The scene analyses transition into Day Four’s close-read, in which students conduct a jigsaw activity to close-read
passages from the play. Finally, week two is wrapped up with a whole class discussion of the play. From weeks 1 and 2, writing
journal warm-ups and closures, the watch guide with scene analyses, close-read pages and discussion notes will be collected and
graded.

Week 3: This week begins with passage finding, in which students will seek out valuable passages to be close-read and used to
support an argument in their paper. We will discuss the characteristics of a good choice for passages, and how to include them in a
paper. This lesson is followed up with a workshop for thesis building. This allows students to self-monitor their work time with my help
in creating an arguable thesis for their paper. This week's assessments include a journal check-in and the elevator pitch for the thesis
day.

Week 4: This week targets the drafting steps of the writing process. Students begin the week with background, a working thesis, and
passages from previous weeks. Students will outline their paper on Monday, followed by two in-class writing fays. The writing days
begin with the students setting or re-evaluating standing goals for their work time, and are wrapped up with journal check-ins for their
process. Assessments this week are the students’ journal check-ins and the outline.

Week 5: The final week in this unit is all about editing, revising, and reflecting. Tuesday is an editing day, with both peer and self
editing. Students exchange papers with two peers to peer edit, and follow with individual editing time to make adjustments. Students
have until 11:59 pm to turn in an electronic version of their final paper. The last day of the unit is a day of reflection and post-grade
revision. Students first reflect on their paper before getting their grade, and then have the opportunity to make revisions for an
adjusted final grade.

State Standards:
- RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama
(e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
 - L.11-12.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices
for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
- RL.11-12.7 Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded
novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text.
- SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led)
with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly
and persuasively
- W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant
and sufficient evidence.
- W.11-12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach,
focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.

Assessments:
- writing journal: includes daily warm-up/closures, reflections, and notes
- Elevator pitch: a 1 minute elevator pitch explanation of thesis argument
- Final essay: demonstrates analytical reading and writing skills
- Revision/Reflection: brief reflection accompanying revisions to demonstrate understanding of writing process
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

A Background Lesson A Watch Day 1 A

SL.11-12.2, L.11-12.6 RL.11-12.5, RL.11-12.7
Students will examine Students will view WFG
context and background part 1 in order to
for WFG in order to conduct a scene
make connections in the analysis and interpret
text. meaning.
1. KWL Chart (5) 1. How do we
2. Share out for watch a play
K/W (5) analytically? And
3. Presentation on What is a scene
Context (15) analysis? TPS
4. Connections (15)
group 2. Watch part one
assignment (30) of film with
5. Group watch guide;
presentations Pause for scene
(30) analysis (70)
6. L closure (5) 3. Return to Obj for
Assessment: KWL chart closure (5)
in journal Assessment: watch
guide (submitted upon
completion of play)
Watch Day 2 A Close-Read
RL.11-12.5, RL.11-12.7
Students will view WFG
part 2 in order to
conduct a scene
analysis and interpret
meaning.
1. Refresh where
we left off (5)
2. Watch part two
with scene
analysis (80)
3. Reflection
share-out (10)
Assessment: watch
guide/reflection
A Discussion
RL.11-12.3, RL.11-12.6, RL.11-12.2, SL.11-12.1
L.11-12.5 Students will contribute
Students will identify to a whole-class WFG
literary devices in discussion in order to
passages from WFG in develop ideas for future
order to analyze writing about the text.
authorial choice and 1. Arrange
meaning in the text as a classroom (10)
whole. 2. Set discussion
1. Vocab norms (10)
anticipation 3. Discussion (65)
guide (10) 4. Synthesis (5)
2. Review Vocab Assessment: student
(15) participation is
3. Model continually assessed
Close-read and throughout the
assign passages discussion; discussion
(10) notes are submitted
4. Close-read (15)
5. Jigsaw
Directions (5)
6. Jigsaw part 1
(15)
7. Jigsaw part 2
(15)
8. Exit ticket: what
is the theme?(5)
Assessment: Exit ticket
A Passage Finding A Thesis Workshop A
RL.11-12.3, W.11-12.9 SL.11-12.4, W.11-12.1
Students will identify Students will construct a
characteristics of useful thesis in order to
passages in order to develop an argument for
prepare quotations to their final paper.
use in their final paper. 1. Grammar
1. Passage warm-up (5)
comparison 2. What is a
warm-up (10) thesis?
2. Discuss what Presentation
makes a good (10)
passage for 3. Thesis building
analysis and workshop (30)
task directions 4. Elevator pitch
(15) explanations
3. identify 5 (10)
passages in the 5. Elevator pitches
play that they (35)
can analyze and 6. Journal
include in their submission:
essay (60) thesis
4. Journal Assessment: Elevator
submission pitch
including
justification for
quotations (5)
Assessment:journal
entry
Outlining A Writing Day 1
W.11-12.1 RL.11-12.1, W.11-12.4
Students will identify Students will set goals
major points of their for their writing time in
paper in an outline order to successfully
format in order to write their essay.
support their thesis. 1. Writer’s goals
1. Topic sentence and standards
brainstorm (10) (10)
2. Outline 2. Writing time with
expectations consultation (70)
(10) 3. Check-in closure
3. Outline (10)
Worktime (60) Assessment: Check-in
4. Check-in closure exit ticket allows
(10) students to self-monitor
Assessment: Outline is progress; students are
included in writing observed during work
journal time to ensure use of
time.
A Writing Day 2
RL.11-12.1, W.11-12.4
Students will
re-evaluate their writing
goals in order to
continue writing their
paper.
1. Evaluate goals
(5)
2. Writing time with
consultation (70)
3. Check-in and
assign
homework
(complete essay
for Tuesday)
(15)
Assessment: Check-in
exit ticket allows
students to self-monitor
progress; students are
observed during work
time to ensure use of
time.
Editing Reflection
W.11-12.5 W.11-12.5, W.11-12.10
Students will assess Students will self-reflect
peer writing in order to on graded essays in
provide constructive order to modify writing
criticism. with improvements.
1. Practice editing 1. Journal
sentences (10) strengths and
2. Peer editing needs
expectations improvements
(10) (5)
3. Peer editing time 2. Return graded
(minimum 2) (30 papers and
or 15 with each provide revision
peer) directions (10)
4. Self-adjustment 3. Revision time
(30) (60)
5. Journal 4. Return to WU to
reflection (10) reflect on
Assessment: reflection revised paper
is included in journal; and turn in
final essay is submitted revised paper
(15)
Assessment: Revised
essay is submittied