The project overview document describes a 4-week project for 9th grade English students to read and analyze the novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rodolfo Amaya. The main goal is for students to improve comprehension skills by connecting with characters regardless of ethnicity. Students will work in groups to create posters on characters and take quizzes and a final exam. Throughout the project, students will complete journal entries, essays, and presentations to demonstrate their understanding of the novel and address the driving question: What does Antonio Marez learn from his friendship with Ultima?

1. PROJECT OVERVIEW
Name of Project: Reading Bless Me, Ultima by Rodolfo Amaya Duration: 4 weeks
Subject/Course: English 9A Teacher(s): Carlos Garcia Grade Level: 9A
Other subject areas to n/a
be included, if any:
Project Idea
Summary of the issue,
challenge, investigation, The main idea is for the freshmen to start acquiring higher comprehension skills by making this book connected with their past
scenario, or problem: regardless of ethnic background.
Driving Question What does Antonio Marez learn from his friendship with Ultima?
Content and Skills Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
Standards to be
addressed:
T+A E T+A E
21st Century Skills Collaboration Y Other:
to be explicitly taught and
Y
assessed (T+A) or that
will be encouraged (E) by
Presentation Y Y
project work, but not
taught or assessed: Critical Thinking: Y Y
Presentation Audience:
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2. Group: The students will work in cooperative groups preparing posters and listing all of the 9th
Culminating characters in the book. Class:
Products and
HHS
Performances
School:
L.A.
Community:
Experts: Yes
The student will have quizzes and final exam.
Individual: Yes
Web:
Other: Community
Resources
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Entry event to
launch inquiry,
engage students:
Assessments Quizzes/Tests x Practice Presentations x
Formative
Assessments Journal/Learning Log x Notes x
(During
Project) Preliminary Plans/Outlines/Prototypes x Checklists x
Rough Drafts x Concept Maps x
Online Tests/Exams x Other: Graphic Organizers, Thinking Maps x
Written Product(s), with rubric: The students x Other Product(s) or Performance(s), with rubric: x
Summative will do daily journals and turn in about three Posters
Assessments essays MLA style. __________________________________________________
(End of Project) __________________________________________________
Oral Presentation, with rubric x Peer Evaluation x
Multiple Choice/Short Answer Test x Self-Evaluation x
Essay Test x Other: x
.
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3. Resources On-site people, facilities: Classroom
Needed
Equipment: Laptops, boom-box for cd
Materials: Audio of the book, pencils, laptops, notebooks, giant post-its
Community resources: Possible visit to a local “Botanica”
Reflection Journal/Learning Log x Focus Group x
Methods (Individual,
Group, and/or Whole-Class Discussion x Fishbowl Discussion x
Whole Class)
Survey Other: Socratic Discussions x
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4. PROJECT TEACHING AND LEARNING GUIDE
Project: Course/Semester:
Knowledge and Skills Needed by Students Scaffolding / Materials / Lessons to be Provided
to successfully complete culminating products and by the project teacher, other teachers, experts,
performances, and do well on summative assessments mentors, community members
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5. Knowledge and Skills needed by students Scaffoling/Materials/Lessons to be provided
The students need to finish reading the book to I will make sure that I check for comprehension as we are
successfully pass the final exam. reading the book. Along the way I will also use personal
stories and ask them for their input.
They also need to have successfully passed the quizzes I will make sure that students get prep time before quiz so that
so that I know that they are following the story. they pass it successfully.
They need to have all the journals completed in order to I will make sure that this becomes a daily routine so that the
demonstrate that they are comprehending the material. students get used to it.
The students will complete all the group work such as I will make sure that students are only in groups of four so that
the post-its that they have been doing in their group things stay under control.
work.
They need to be able to do presentations in their classes I will allot time so that all the students present their work to the
on the group work that they have done, classroom.
They need to be able to have submitted their essays in I will make sure that students do graphic organizers, venn
on time along with their rough drafts. They need to have diagrams, they learn MLA style so that they can learn how to
submitted their essays typed in MLA format. write essays.
They also need to have submitted their autobiographies, They will have to turned all of this material on the due dates so
story books, venn diagrams, and graphic organizers. that I can see where they are having difficulty.
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6. Project Calendar
Project: Start Date:
Week One
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week Two
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week Three
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week Four
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
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7. Week Five
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week Three
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week Three
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Week Three
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
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8. © 2008 Buck Institute for Education 8

9. P R O J E C T C A L E N D A R
Project: Start Date:
M O N D A Y T U E S D A Y W E D N E S D A Y T H U R S D A Y F R I D A Y
PROJECT WEEK ONE
Journal Writing: “Who
Journal Writing: “Who Journal Writing: “What is Your Family?” Journal Writing: Tell us
am I ?” is your families’ what you like or dislike
Journal Writing: culture?” & about your
& “Who are My Friends?” neighborhood or
& Reading and Listening community.
Introduction to the & to audio of “Bless Me,
author along with a Reading, Listening and Ultima” &
handout. Reading and discussing “Bless Me,
Listening to audio of Ultima” & Take the quiz
“Bless Me, Ultima”
Prepare for weekly quiz &
Start Post-It on
Characters in the book
PR O JEC T WEEK TWO
Journal Writing: What Journal Writing: Tell me Journal Writing: Tell Journal Writing: What
Journal Writing: “What do you know about what you think about me what you think of are you planning to do
do you like doing an know about New Mexico the book so far. the characters so far. this weekend.
what do you dislike the (they will be given a
most?” handout about New Reading the book Quiz
Mexico) Finish the posters
Presentation of the
Reading the book Prepare for the quiz posters by the groups.
PR O JEC T WEEK TH R EE
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