Andrew WeberDr. David E. KirklandENG 413Writing Unit PlanUnit Plan Title: Responding to Our World through Multimodal WritingEnglish 11-12Big Ideas: Dealing with Social Injustice through Various Modes of Writing; Writing to Respond; Challenging Structures and Norms by Addressing and Challenging OppressionEssential Questions: How can our writing shape our opinions? What qualifies as writing? How do we respond to oppression in our life, our community, and the world? How do we challenge structures and norms? What is considered a social injustice? What type of writing is beneficial when trying to express our opinion? Student Will Be Able To Do:SWBAT use various forms of writing to respond to various forms of social injustice and oppressionSWBAT exposed to modalities that further progress their writing abilitiesSWBAT critique and discuss the world around them and whether norms or structures perpetuate the social injustice and oppressionSWBAT perform and present their writing process visually and verballyThe following lesson is three weeks long. Many of the activities are inspired by various scholarly articles and websites. Attribution is giving in resource section. WEEK 1 (Writing to Respond and Introduction to Multimodal Writing)DAY 1Finding Our MuseObjectives: introducing Influences in Student LifeMethods and Activities: At the beginning of the class, students will have to research the word muse. Many of the definitions will be based around the Greek mythology definition. Brief discussion should move to what it means to feed our muse and what qualifies as being a muse. Teacher writes Ray Bradburys quote on board: To Feed your muse, then you should always have been hungry about life since you were a child (45). Writing Prompt for Students: What is your muse in life? What do you feed your muse? What do you want to feed your muse?Students should hand-write a brief response to the prompt.Homework or Assessment: For Tomorrow, students must bring in a tangible representation of their muse.Resources: Feeding Our Muse from Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

DAY 2Writing About Your MuseObjectives: activating an unconventional form of writing to expand their narrative skillsMethods and Activities: Students will bring in their tangible representation of their muses. If there is enough time, students should be welcomed to share their muses. Students will then be introduced to writing from a perspective. Students will need to write an autobiography from the perspective of their muse, taking into consideration how to write with a different voice. Writing Prompt for Students: Put yourself in your objects shoes. Pretend you are the object. Write an autobiography from the perspective of the object. What has the object been through? How did the object become your muse, through the eyes of the muse?Students should write this as well. Length and Due Date determined by teacher. Homework or Assessment: Students should bring in any old magazines or newspapers they have at home for tomorrows activity. Resources: If needed, students can use RAFT template to write. (http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/printouts/RAFTWriting.pdf) RAFT template helps students understand their role, audience, format, and topic of their writing, which may be beneficial for perspective writing.

DAY 3Responding to OppressionObjectives: writing about emotional responses to oppression in their life without using a narrativeMethods and Activities: Teachers and students should have brought in numerous old newspapers and magazines, along with scissors and glues. Each student should have a piece of paper to make a collage.Students will begin the class thinking about a time they were oppressed. Instead of focusing on what happened, the teacher should stress on focusing on their emotions while they were oppressed.Students will then create an adjective collage, in which they will search the magazines and newspapers for adjectives that describes their emotions during their oppression. If this proves to be too difficult for students, they can search for any type of word, not just adjectives.Writing Prompt for Students: Remember the last time you were oppressed or treated poorly. How did it make you feel? Go through the magazines to find at least 5 adjectives that described your emotions during that time. Cut them out and glue them onto your paper. You can decorate your verb collage too.Homework or Assessment: If finished before the end of class, students can voluntarily present their verb collages.

DAY 4Thinking about Writing through ResearchObjectives: understand multimodalities through research of current events (students should have access to computers)Methods and Activities: Students will research a news stories about a current oppression or social injustice happening in the world. Students need to find one written article about the story and one video (news report) of the same story. Students will need to critically respond to the two different forms of media. (For example, student will find one written article about the Ukraine-Russia situation and a CNN video clip)Writing Prompt for Students: After finding a written article and video report of the news story, what do you think was the best way to report the story? What are the advantages of using a video news report? What are the advantages of a written article?After they are done with the prompt, the students will form groups (4-5 students per group) in which they share their research. Discussion will lead to another prompt:Discussion Prompt for Students: In your group, think about a specific injustice that is happening at this school. What would a news report of this story look life?Students will proceed to discuss this issue in their groups.Homework or Assessment: Let the students know that their groups will be working on creating a news report about an injustice in school for tomorrows class.Resources: The idea of thinking about writing through research and use of technology was inspired by Making Thinking Visible: Writing in the Center by Mary B. Nicolini

DAY 5Performing a News ReportObjectives: responding to injustice through performance and scripting in a collaborative fashionMethods and Activities: Students will be performing a news report that responds to an injustice at the school. They will create a brief script that provides everyone in the group with a role (anchor, cameraman, interviewer, interviewee, etc.) After scripting is done, the students will perform the news report in front of the class. If student does want to perform, the student should take greater responsibility in the scripting process. Time limits depend on length of class. Writing Prompt for Students: You are going to perform a newscast about an injustice that is currently happening in your school. You will create a script that gives everyone in your group a role to play. Think about the interests of your audience and who they are. What do you want to tell the audience? Entertain AND Inform.Homework or Assessment: NONEResources: Question Prompts borrowed from Newscast Activity: (http://mrsiwek.weebly.com/uploads/9/0/6/5/9065220/requirements.pdf )

WEEK 2 (Dealing With Social Injustices through Application of Multimodalities)DAY 1Discussion of Social Injustice through Editorial CartoonsObjectives: to critically think and discuss various injustices and finding ways to respond to themMethods and Activities: Teachers and students will create a list of social injustices through class-wide discussion. Teacher will then ask the various ways the students can respond to these social injustices in their writing. The teacher will then introduce editorial cartoons in response to social justice and provide examples of editorial cartoons. Students will then make their own editorial cartoon that responds to one of the social injustices that is on the list. Writing Prompt for Students: Create your own editorial cartoon that shows your opinion about one of the social injustices. Try to rely on images to tell your opinion about the social injustice. Two things to consider when creating your editorial cartoon: What prior knowledge is required to understand the cartoon? What is the message of your cartoon?Homework or Assessment: If the students dont finish the editorial cartoon, they can bring it home. If there is time allowed, they can share their editorial cartoon. Resources: adapted from: (http://www.tolerance.org/activity/using-editorial-cartoons-teach-social-justice )

DAY 2Responding to Stereotypes in MediaObjectives: critiquing popular media through the lenses of social justiceMethods and Activities: In groups, students will research the use of a stereotype in popular media (TV show, film, novel, etc.) Students will have a group discussion about why they consider the character or person as a stereotype and whether the stereotypical characteristics are necessary. Students will then rewrite or change the character that combats the original stereotypical nature of the character. The students will present their rewrite to the class. The students can show a clip of a character or find a passage from a book where the character appears. Writing Prompt for Students: After you are done discussing the character, your group must rewrite the character in response to the stereotypical characteristics. Provide the class with a clip or passage where the character appears. Provide a before and after of the character and an explanation to why you changed the character for the better.Homework or Assessment: Tell the students to find a song that deals with social justice and to print out the lyrics for tomorrows activity

DAY 3Responding to Social Justice through MusicObjectives: activating an understanding to other peoples opinions in relation to their ownMethods and Activities: Students will bring in their printed lyrics and they will be asked to swap their lyrics with someone else. The students will then have to read through the lyrics and decide what social justice(s) the song is about. The student must then respond that social justice through their own lyrics. After they are done, students can voluntarily present their lyrics, either by singing their songs or reading them. Writing Prompt for Students: After you are done reading your partners lyrics, you must decide what social justice the song is about (could be more than one). Your job is to write a song that is your response to the social justice. Your song does not need to rhyme, but it should be written in a style similar to the lyrics in front of you. Homework or Assessment: Have students research a social justice organization and how they present themselves on social media (Facebook, Twitter, website,etc.)Resources: List of Social Justice Songs For Examples: (http://www.sojust.net/songs.html )

DAY 4Online Modality (Creating a Facebook PageObjectives: using online resources to create a response to social justiceMethods and Activities: In a group, students must create a fictional organization that deals with social justice. Give students time to research Facebook pages of various organizations. The students will need to have access to a computer. Students will then create a Facebook page of their fictional organization. Writing Prompt for Students: In your group, you will create a Facebook page of your organization. The Facebook page must include your organizations name, profile photo, mission statement (about section), and at least 2 posts by your organization that responds to the social justice.Homework or Assessment: Assigning of Final Assessment (Information Below)Resources: Fakebook Tool (http://www.classtools.net/FB/home-page ), use of modern technology inspired by Thats online writing, not boring school writing by Shelbie Witte

DAY 5Using Photographs to Address Social Injustice Objectives: creating responses through observations of their surroundingsMethods and Activities: In groups, students will need access to one camera per group. Students will have to take a picture of social injustice or social justice in the school building. Students will have to search the school for the perfect photo. The students will then present the photos to the classroom. Writing Prompt for Students: In a group, you have to take a photograph that shows either social injustice or social justice. The photo cannot be set-up, it has to come naturally. If there is anyone in your photo, make sure to ask them for their permission. After you are done, upload it the school dropbox. You will be presenting it to the class.Homework or Assessment: Remind students to work on their assessment

FinalAssessment(DUE AT THE END OF NEXT WEEK)Students will have a week to work on the final assessmentFor the final assessment, the student must respond to issues through Me, My Community, and the World. The students must write about a social injustice that affects themselves, their communities, and the world as a whole (3 separate injustices).The students can use various forms of writing to respond the social injustices, but must use 3 different forms of writing (1 for each social injustice).Examples:-written essay-poems-music (lyrics or performance)-editorial cartoon-acting scene-short video or film-board game-pamphlet-photograph (self-taken)-blog post-collage-etc.Me, Myself, and the World response borrowed from A Social Justice Approach as a Base for Teaching Writing from Chapman, Hobbell, and Alvarado.

WEEK 3 (Addressing Oppression through Exposing Predetermined Structures and Norms)DAY 1Defining Oppression With OppressionObjectives: to allow the students a space where they can openly discuss personal ideas and thoughts without traditional forms of writingMethods and Activities: Students are presented with The Oppression Definition by Augusto Boal & Paulo Freire1. Being without power, when you can get power2. Only doing what another wants you to do who has power over you due to their social position, rewards and coercions, their technical expertise or referent (attraction) that you lack.3. Not being able to VOICE what you want because you do not believe in your voice4. Not being conscious of the power game5. Not being conscious of the resources you have to transcend oppression6. Being temporarily without power (disempowered)7. A conflict of power between the oppressors and the oppressedThe classroom is split into 7 groups (one for each definition). The groups will have to address their definitions without using words. (they can act it out, draw a picture) Students will then present their interpretation to the class.Writing Prompt for Students: Present to the class your definition of oppression without using any words (writing or speaking). For example, you can act out your definition, but you CANNOT speak. You cannot speak during the planning time and the presentation time.Discussion Will Follow. Discussion Questions can be Did you like being silenced? Did it make it more difficult? How does been silenced similar to the oppression definition we discussed?Homework or Assessment: Students will be given a handout with basic and advanced vocabulary words and definitions on it (teacher can choose any words). Let the students know they will be having a vocabulary test tomorrow.Resources: Oppression Definition from: http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/388/games_of_power.htm

DAY 2Challenging the Classroom StructureObjectives: having the opportunity to challenge and change the classroom settingMethods and Activities: Teacher will let the students know that they are having a vocabulary test (from handout given out yesterday), but the students will decided how they want to take the test. The vocabulary test will have definitions on it and students need to write the words. Students will have 10 minutes to work together to structure the class in the most beneficial way for test-taking. This can include writing the words on the board, assigning the teacher to take the test, etc. Teacher shouldnt involve themselves in the discussion and production of the classroom structure. After the 10 minutes, students will then take the test. Discussion will follow in which the teachers and the students reflect and respond to the activity. Students will then be required to write a response.Writing Prompt for Students: Imagine you are in charge of the class for the day. How would you change the structure of the class to benefit you? How you change the structure of the class to benefit everyone?Homework or Assessment: Asks students to research famous oppressions in historyResources: Activity inspired Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed

DAY 3

Digital Response to OppressionObjectives: create a visual representation (collage, scrapbook, etc.) digitally to form a progression of ideasMethods and Activities: Students will need access to computers. Students will need to create a digital representation (photos, videos, music) of a certain group being oppressed. They then have to create a digital representation of a certain group being oppressive. Students will put the two digital representation in a presentable form.Writing Prompt for Students: You will create two digital representations of oppression. One representation will be of a group being oppressed. The other representation will be of a group being oppressive. You can use various forms of media (photos, videos, music etc.) Put them all together so you can present them.Homework or Assessment: Students will present/hand in their digital representationsResources: They can use a Prezi (prezi.com) presentation for the material they find. Inspired by Creating History, Telling Stories, and Making Special by Elizabeth Delacruz and Sandy Bales

DAY 4Drawing Oppression in the LinesObjectives: creating awareness of certain oppression in their school or communityMethods and Activities: Students will have to create a public sign that addresses an oppression that they deal with on a daily basis. The sign must be appropriate and tell an audience why the oppression must be challengedWriting Prompt for Students: You will have to create a sign that challenges a certain oppression. You will be hanging this sign up at the school or in your community. Your job is to raise awareness of the oppression to the public. It must be appropriate to be placed in a public or academic setting.Homework or Assessment: Preparing for Gallery Walk Tomorrow

DAY 5Final AssessmentDueGallery Walk of Student Multimodal ResponsesObjectives: to share their multimodal responses (assessment) with the classMethods and Activities: Students will present their various forms of writing to the classroom. A gallery walk allows for the students to witness all of the work. Students who are performing can have a designated performance time. Students should be welcomed to invite friends and family. Writing Prompt for Students: NONE Resources: Inspired by Dr. David E. Kirkland from ENG 413