Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Joey is a young boy being raised by his grandma. He suffers from ADD and gets into a lot of trouble at school. Gantos' story details Joey's difficulties at home and at school with his classmates, teachers and other adults. Joey struggles and must change his ways through medication and a different classroom. Joey's mom also appears to help Joey.

Our goal for this unit is for students to write an explanatory essay in which they share what they have learned about Attention Deficit Disorder.

Unit Roadmap

• Unit’s big idea or theme = Responsibility Requires Action
• Definition: Responsibility is the active side of morality: doing what I should do, doing what I said I would do, doing what is best for everybody; especially doing the one thing I should be doing right now. Ideally this would be posted in your classroom.