Unit 5 — Game On!
Description
In this unit, students explore how games and sports impact lives and bring communities together. Through reading short stories, informational texts, and novels in verse, students analyze themes of perseverance, competition, and growth. Students examine how point of view shapes narrative and how character decisions drive plot. Writing focuses on narrative development with emphasis on satisfying conclusions and character change. Students make connections between texts through discussion and comparison. Independent reading emphasizes literature related to games and sports.
Essential Questions
- How do games impact our lives?
- How do sports bring together friends, families and communities?
- How can a person's decisions and actions change his/her life?
- How do writers create a satisfying conclusion to a narrative?
Learning Objectives
- Cite textual evidence to support analysis and inferences.
- Determine theme and analyze its development throughout a text.
- Analyze how story elements interact and influence each other.
- Analyze author's development and contrast of different characters' points of view.
- Write narratives developing real or imagined experiences with effective technique.
- Engage and orient readers through context and character introduction.
- Use narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, and description.
- Provide conclusions that follow from and reflect on narrated experiences.
Suggested Texts
- Ball Hawk — short story
- Get in the Zone: The Psychology of Video-Game Design — informational text
- It's Not Just a Game! — informational text
- The Crossover — novel in verse
- Double Doubles — poem
Supplemental Resources
- Graphic organizers for tracking character development and plotting narrative events
- Printed word lists for sports-related vocabulary and academic vocabulary
- Blank booklets for students to publish short narratives
Language
Reading: Literature
Speaking and Listening
Writing
Students use digital platforms and technology tools to produce and publish writing, conduct research, create multimedia presentations, and engage in online collaboration and communication.
Students develop critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills through discussions, presentations, and written work that prepare them for post-secondary success and informed citizenship.
Formative Assessments
- Epilogue writing continuing narrative events
- Baseball card creation showing character details
- Discussion of player struggles and character motivation
- Video game storyline narrative
- Sketchnote summarizing central ideas
- Group discussion on sports psychology
- Opinion piece about games and their value
- Infographic presentation on sports topics
Summative Assessment
Write a short story or narrative about a game or sports experience with developed characters and satisfying conclusion.
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through oral retelling of a text's theme and character development, supported by graphic organizers that map story elements. Visual aids such as character trait charts or plot diagrams may be provided to support written or spoken analysis of how point of view shapes the narrative.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students with IEPs may benefit from scaffolded support when analyzing how point of view and character decisions shape narrative, such as graphic organizers that help map story elements and character change across texts. For narrative writing, providing a structured planning template that breaks the writing process into manageable stages — establishing context, developing character, and crafting a conclusion — can support students who need additional guidance with organization and sequencing. Teachers may offer extended time and allow students to dictate or orally record narrative responses when written output is a barrier. Audio versions of texts and pre-taught vocabulary related to sports and competition will support comprehension before and during reading.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should be given extended time on reading and writing tasks in this unit, particularly for the summative narrative writing assignment. Preferential seating during group discussions and read-alouds can help reduce distraction and improve focus when engaging with complex texts about sports and perseverance. A print copy of any directions or discussion prompts displayed on the board ensures students can reference instructions independently throughout the unit.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners will benefit from visual supports that connect the unit's themes — such as images, short video clips, and diagrams related to games and sports — to build background knowledge before engaging with texts. Pre-teaching key vocabulary tied to the sports and competition content, including narrative craft terms like point of view, theme, and character motivation, will help students access both reading and writing tasks. Teachers should provide simplified directions for assignments and encourage students to use their home language as a thinking tool when brainstorming or planning their narrative writing.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be connected to the unit's themes through familiar personal experiences with games, sports, or competition, which can serve as accessible entry points for both discussion and writing. Reading tasks may be supported by providing shorter passages or text summaries that highlight key ideas about character and theme, allowing students to build understanding before engaging with lengthier texts. For narrative writing, reducing the scope of the task — such as focusing on one clear character moment rather than a full story arc — can help students experience success while still practicing essential skills like character development and conclusion writing.
Gifted & Talented
Gifted students should be encouraged to go beyond surface-level analysis of theme and point of view by examining how multiple authors across the unit's texts use narrative structure and voice differently to convey similar ideas about perseverance and community. In their narrative writing, students can be challenged to experiment with unconventional narrative techniques — such as shifting point of view, nonlinear timelines, or an unreliable narrator — to deepen the complexity of character and plot. Independent reading selections can be extended to include more challenging literary works in the sports and games genre, with students developing their own thematic comparisons across texts through self-directed inquiry.