The unified unit plan for Hokkaido International School, Secondary school. This is the initial unit for each academic year, with changes according to theme.

1. Curriculum Action Plan for Implementation
Unified Unit Plan August 2011
Academic and Social Support
For Beginning Junior High School
Students

2. Hokkaido International School
 Pre-K-12 International School
 Based in Sapporo, Japan
 Large percentage of non-native English
speakers
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

3. Factors in Junior High Transition
 Multi-age classrooms
 Different school structure
 Many different teachers
 Higher expectations
 Soft skills/Life skills

4. Peer-
editing Note-
Curriculum Map skills
ML
A
taking
Library/
form online
6+1
at resources
writing
Multi-age traits
classrooms Study
skills
Soft
skill
s
Grade 7
There are many Support Life
areas in which Higher skill
beginning junior expectations s
high school
students have Differen
t school
difficulty in structur
transitioning to Many
e
secondary school Different
teachers

5. Study Skills
This unit attempts to introduce the following study skills:
 6+1 Writing Traits
 Note-taking QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
 Self/Peer Editing
 MLA Format
 Research

6. Purpose
 Introduce beginning Junior High School
students to the new procedures and rules of
Junior High School
 Assist them through the transition of both
social and academic roles in Junior High
School
 Explicitly explain the MLA writing process
used at HIS

7. Daily Junior High Schedule
 Rotating A-day/ 8:30-9:50 Block 1
B-day schedule 9:50-10:20 Homeroom/Assembly
 All classes are 10:30-11:50 Block 2
multi-age 11:55-12:30 Lunch
(Gr. 7-12) 12:35-1:55 Block 3
2:05-3:30 Block 4

8. Initial Two Days of School
Thursday, August 18th Friday, August 19th
8:30-9:50 First Homeroom 8:30-9:50 B-day rotation
(20 mins/class)
9:50-10:20 First Assembly 9:50-10:20 Homeroom
10:30-11:50 A-day rotation 10:30-11:50 Session 3
(20 mins/class)
11:55-12:30 Lunch 11:55-12:30 Lunch
12:35-1:55 Session 1 12:35-1:55 Session 4
2:05-3:30 Session 2 2:05-3:30 Session 5

9. Specifics
 In Homeroom  At Assembly
 be introduced to their  introduce all new students
homeroom teacher
 begin the year as a consolidated
 policies and procedures with
group
explicit instructions common to
all secondary students  recognize that beginning
 be given lockers and an students may feel
opportunity to settle in. uncomfortable in this large
 Give ample time for beginning group and will need reassurance
student to adjust and offer as well as explicit instruction.
opportunities for new students Instruction should be repeated
to learn more about school and during homeroom sessions.
classmates.

10. QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
 Students are separated into five heterogeneous groups of grades seven
to twelve, and rotate to five different topics supporting their learning
in junior and high school. This year’s humanities is based in Japanese
(JH) and European (SH) History, and the chosen genre of writing is
persuasive writing.
 This is the first opportunity for many students to work with students
older (or younger) than themselves. Opportunities for exemplar group
work and explicit instruction should be taken up.

11. Session Breakdown
Note-taking 6+1 Writing Traits Research Skills
Taught by:
Taught by: Taught by: Dan,
Kathleen,
Megan, Kris, Naoko, Colleen
Derek, Ethan
Sophie
MLA Format Peer-editing
Taught by: Taught by:
David, Owain Shannon,
Yutaka, Makoto

12. Note-taking
(Megan, Kris & Sophie)
 Present note taking skills according to Cornell notes
 Introduce content
 Introduce the essay topic:
 JH“In your opinion, who was one of the most influential Japanese in the field of
science, literature or government. Explain why and how his or her work affected the
world.”
 SH “In your opinion who was one of the most influential Europeans in the field of
science mathematics, music, or art? Explain why and how his or her work affected
the world.
 Present each group with a list of appropriate personalities
to choose from (others may be chosen with approval)

13. MLA Format
(David, Owain, Yuya)
 Present techniques in Word and Pages
format to format MLA documents
 Clarify citation, headers, pagination

14. 6+1 Writing Traits
(Dan, Naoko, Colleen)
 stress the importance of a strong thesis
statement, paragraph structure and clarity of
thought
 show through examples and exemplar how
the conclusion restates and supports the
thesis statement by clarifying the supporting
information
 Introduce persuasive writing

15. Self/Peer-Editing
(Shannon, Yutaka, Makoto)
 Introduce the markings for editing based on
6+1
 Stress correct grammar usage
 Use UNE PowerPoint on peer feedback to
promote positive editing

16. Research
(Kathleen, Derek, Ethan)
 Demonstrate library research process for
books and new online database
 Reinforce different types of research
modems and reliability issues

17. Goals
 Teachers should at all times remember that
the goal of this unified unit plan is to
accommodate and introduce beginning
junior high students to the social and
academic expectations of HIS.
 At all times, explicit instruction is needed
for each session, regardless of age or grade
of the students.

18. Language Arts Curriculum
Standards Being Addressed
 Standard 1  Standard 2
 Use the General Skills and  Demonstrate Writing Applications
Strategies of the Writing Process
(Different Types of Writing and
 Benchmark 1: Prewriting: Generate,
Gather and organize ideas for writing Their Characteristics).
through discussions with peers and
teachers  Benchmark 1: write for a variety of
 purposes and audiences with a
Benchmark 2: Thesis statement:
Formulate a thesis statement and particular emphasis on cycle essays
distinct topic sentence
 Benchmark 3:Write drafts of various
genres using the six writing traits
 Benchmark 4: Plan and organize writing
to address a specific audience and
purpose.

19.  In your opinion, who was one of the most
Essay Topic influential Japanese in the field of Science,
Literature or Government? Explain why and
how his or her work affected the world.
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
 Some choices available:
are needed to see this picture.
Science Literature Government
Hiroshi Ishiguro Haruki Murakami ItagakiTaisuke
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Leo Esaki Natume Souseki Sadako Ogata
Shushiro Hayashi Yukio Mishima Akio Morita
Kotaro Honda Akutagawa Ryunosuke Koizumi Junichiro
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
(Atsushi) Jun Ishiwara Endo Shuusaku Makiko Tanaka
are needed to see this picture.
Noguchi Hideo Miyamoto Musashi Tojou Hideki
Bolded names are personalities shown to the left.

20. Teacher Schedule and Student Due Dates
Wed June 15
Carry-over Teacher
Collaboration
Mon Aug 15 Tues Aug 16 Wed Aug 17 Thurs Aug 18th Fri Aug 19th (B)
(A) Day 1 Day 2
New Teacher Session teacher Opening Ceremony Introduction (A) (B) rotation
Prep collaboration rotation
Mon Aug 22nd Tues Aug 23rd Wed Aug 24th (A) Thurs Aug 25th Fri Aug 26th (A)
(A) Day 3 (B) Day 4 Day 5 (B) Day 6 Day 7
History Class: Research History Class: Outline Literature Class:
+ELL Class +ELL Class Peer Editing
+ELL Class
Mon Aug 29th Tues Aug 30 Wed Aug 31 (B) Thurs Sept 1st Fri Sept 2nd (B)
(B) Day 8 (A) (A)
Literature Class: Personal Work Days Completed Essay Due
Peer Editing
+ELL Class

21. Assessment Areas
 Using the HIS General Writing Rubric, each final essay will be
assessed according to:
 1. Introduction and Conclusion
 2. Content
 3. MLA format
 4. Organization
 5. Word Choice

22. Assessment Practice
 Teachers will assess areas in which they
focused instruction i.e. teachers who taught
MLA format will assess that.
 Teachers of each session will divide up the
essays among themselves
 Students will be graded in history class for
their total essay grade.

23. HIS General Writing RubricBeginning = 1 Developing = 2 Accomplished = 3 Exemplary = 4
Introduction/ You do not encourage You encourage some You heighten You creatively
Conclusion. interest in the topic interest in the topic interest in the introduce the topic to
(The first and last through your through your topic, and have an heighten interest, and
paragraphs of introduction. The introduction. The effective the conclusion is
what you write) writing ends without a conclusion would concluding clear.
real conclusion. benefit from statement.
rewriting.
Organization. You use little You use some Your writing is Your writing is well
(This is how the organization and your organization and organized and organized with fluid
sentences and writing is not fluid. write somewhat fluid. Things fit transitions.
paragraphs fit Things do not fit fluidly. Things fit together in a fairly Everything about the
together in a way together in a logical together and make logical, organized structure is consistent
that flows and way. some sense, but not way. and logical.
makes sense) consistently. Everything makes
sense.
Style and Word You display little or no You display some You display a You display a strong
Choice. (This is sense of audience. sense of audience. sense of audience. sense of audience.
how readable, Your writing does not Your writing makes Your writing Your writing makes
appropriate and make the topic sound the topic somewhat makes the topic the topic truly
engaging your interesting. You use interesting. Your interesting and interesting and your
writing is to only basic or word choices are your word choices vocabulary is mature
those who read inappropriate somewhat interesting are good, although and appropriate.
it) vocabulary. and appropriate. not exemplary.
Content. (This is You provide little or You provide some You provide You provide
the topic and no detail to support the details to support the sufficient details interesting details
how well you topic. No concrete topic. There are few to support the that clearly support
explore it or examples are used in concrete details and topic. Concrete the topic. You use
discuss it) your writing. examples in your examples and details and concrete
writing. details are used in examples.
your writing.
MLA format. You make numerous You make several You make few You make few
(This means that errors in layout, errors in layout, errors in layout, layout, citations,
your paper citations, works cited citations, works cited citations, work work cited, etc. Your
follows MLA You have little use of etc. You have some cited, etc, and you paragraphs are well
rules for writing paragraphs. use of paragraphs. use paragraph constructed.
papers) form.