This year I am teaching a pull-out English class for special needs students.  This is the first time that I have taught this level. Students in the class are 10 and 11th grade students with reading levels in the 3rd to 6th grade range. In writing, they struggle to write compound and complex sentences, and they struggle with organization and adding enough details and description to their work. Therefore, these students would have a very difficult time reading the 11th grade text (Scarlet Letter or Great Gatsby), and writing a five paragraph essay even with significant support. The 11th grade general education classes study an American Dream theme.  The unit that I am presenting adapts the American Dream theme for students at significantly lower reading levels.

Since reading and writing are difficult, introducing them to complicated technology would make the task overwhelming.  Therefore my goal is to introduce and practice using the same technology more than once.  Many of the students in the class benefit from a very consistent and predictable format.

At the beginning of the year, I plan to introduce Edmodo and use it as a calendar and a place to organize all assignments and materials. I also plan to use it a a means to keep in contact with liaisons and parents. My  next step is to introduce the American Dream Unit, and Google by having each student add a page in the American Dream Scrapbook on Google docs.  In addition to learning to use Google presentation, they will be exposed to what the American Dream is. All of the literature throughout the  year will be connected to this theme.  The next step is to read The Witch of Blackberry Pond and as a class, and make an American Dream presentation as a class.  This presentation and experience will then be the example that the students use on the Johnny Tremain Dream Project.  Only on the Johnny Tremain project, they will be working with one or two other students to complete their presentation.  The project is broken down into small chunks and the students are given homework assignments to help them prepare for their group work. This will also help the students keep pace with the project, and have regular check-ins to make sure that they are making steady progress. Each paragraph will be edited before they move on to the next slide (with a new paragraph).  Towards the end of the project, they will be given an editing checklist, and a writing conference to get read for their final presentation.  Students will need to practice presenting their project, and this will help build up their reading fluency.

American Dream Project
American Dream Scrapbook
 Letter to introduce Project.
American Dream Rubric