A Unit Plan for Teaching Louis Sachar's Holes to 6th Graders
As part of my coursework for Teaching Upper Elementary and Middle Literacy, I created a unit plan for Louis Sachar's Holes. This book was well-loved by myself and many of my peers in middle school, and the movie is, in my opinion, a rather phenomenal adaptation of the book. The fond memories I have of reading this engaging and mysterious novel spurred me to create a unit plan that will not only teach content, but also enable students to develop a love for reading.
A Project-Based Approach
I firmly believe that in order for students to love reading, they need to be given the freedom to make it their own. While my unit plan includes plenty of teacher-guided mini-lessons, I also made a significant portion of the unit project based. The students will be given the opportunity to complete three different creative projects as a response to their reading, and two are of their own choosing. Take a look through the above slideshow to see what projects my students will get to create!
Cross-Curricular Content
Holes provides a wonderful opportunity to incorporate cross-curricular content. Not only will the students be able to learn about literary techniques such as flashbacks and the use of themes, but they will also be exposed to topics such as racism, Jim Crow Laws, and what life was like for Americans in the early 1900's. Students are given the opportunity to discuss with their peers about these important topics, and are provided primary source documents to aid their learning. The teacher also guides the students as they compare American society in the 1900's versus today, which helps students to develop an understanding of the idea that history involves both change and continuity. Not only that, but we are changing history and can use the study of past problems to solve future ones.
Groupwork to Facilitate Learning and Positive Peer Interactions
In our classroom, we are a community of learners. We treat each other, each others' belongings, and each others' ideas with respect and kindness. This is carried out in classroom conduct and how we treat each other when learning. In order to facilitate this, I have included many opportunities for students to practice working with one another. Through plenty of group projects, the students will learn expectations for groupwork, as well as how to listen and respond to differences in opinions and ideas.
And so much more...
Interested in seeing more of the unit plan? It's all here for you! Take a look at the attached documents for access to my unit plan and its additional materials. Feel free to make use of it and share with other teachers!
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