Personal Odysseys of Change

In this language arts unit, high-ability students in grades 4 through 6 study the concept of change by reading autobiographies of writers from various cultures and by looking at change in selected lives. Selected stories from "Junior Great Books" were chosen for their probing of issues of identity. Other literature selections are drawn from multiple genres that include short stories, poetry, autobiographies of published authors and related writing of those authors, and essays. Discussions and reflective writing encourage students to explore their own identities as talented learners. This guide provides goals and outcomes, an assessment model, a paper analyzing the concept of change, teaching models, 20 lesson plans, assessment forms, a list of 74 works taught in the unit and resource materials used in its development, an annotated bibliography of 30 items on change, and a list of 31 computer software resources. (JDD) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software.