ELA UPdate - Truth unit

Information About the New Unit
This week in ELA, we started a new unit centered around the concept of the truth. The essential questions of the unit are:

• What is the truth?
• Who makes the truth?
• Is there such a thing as 100% truth?

During this unit, students will be reading the novel Nothing But the Truth, by Avi, and writing a research paper analyzing truth in the media. Personally, I think that with so much going on in the media with fake news, this unit will help students understand how to find the truth in such a complicated world. 

So far this week, we've learned how and why false news spreads, and we read an article about the First Amdendment to the Constitution and students formed opinions about whether it should protect false news. Students also learned about the format of the novel and started to read. 

Today, I asked the students to make a "Week in Review" document, to help tie together the two concepts. Check out these examples of excellent work!

How You Can Help at Home

• You should see your son or daughter reading the novel at home. They are annotating for how plot events impact character's decisions, drive the plot, or provoke a decision.
• Talk to your child about truth in the media.
• Ask them whether they think the First Amendment should protect false news.

As always, contact me with any questions or concerns!