Updated January 2018

SB463 English 2 Project

You have been approved to complete a comprehensive research project to

demonstrate your mastery of the English 2 student expectations. Selection to

complete this project is not a guarantee that you will meet the requirements of

graduation; you must complete this project within the guidelines specified and

must meet all other requirements for graduation, which includes, but is not limited to

the following: attendance, passing the classes in which you are currently enrolled,

and successful completion of the other STAAR/EOC exams that you are required to

pass.

You will read four texts that speak to the theme of education. You will visit the

essential question “How can education be used to create change?” throughout

the unit. You will read thematically-paired texts and complete a graphic organizer

that will help you track your own understanding of this theme to prepare for an

analysis essay.

The following is included in this packet:

• The four reading selections with comprehension questions and graphic

organizer chart

• A weekly checkpoint guide

• Essay planning materials

• The rubric that will be used to grade your project

• EOC Assignment Rubric (scoring)

Please ensure that you meet all assigned deadlines and that you meet with your

mentoring teacher at least weekly. Your mentor teach will assist you with any

questions you may have.

Weekly Checkpoint Guide

This guide will assist you in keeping track of your progress on the assignments. You will need to meet weekly with your teacher mentor.

Checkpoint Dates

Assignment Student Task Mentor Signature

Date Submitted

Week 1 “Behind the Native American Achievement Gap” and starton next selection “The Last Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian”

• ComprehensionQuestions

• Graphic Organizer

Week 2 Complete “The Last Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian” and pairing of “Behind the Native American Achievement Gap” and “The Last Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian”

• ComprehensionQuestions

• Graphic Organizer

• PairingQuestions

Week 3 “Teaching Shakespeare in a Maximum Security Prison” and start “Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers”

• ComprehensionQuestions

• Graphic Organizer

Week 4 Complete “Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers”and pairing of “TeachingShakespeare in a Maximum Security Prison” and “Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers”

• ComprehensionQuestions

• Graphic Organizer

• PairingQuestions

Week 5 Analysis Essay Draft • Refer to graphic organizer

• Outline Draft

Week 6 Analysis Essay Final • Final essay

Notes:

Essay Rubric

4Effective

3Adequate

2Inadequate

1Little Success

0

• Writereffectively defends, challenges or qualifies the prompt.

• Writer effectively supports the claim by effectively synthesizing sources.

• The writer’s claim is convincing and the cited sources effectively support the claim.

• The writer demonstrates an ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing but is not flawless.

• Writer adequatelydefends, challenges or qualifies the prompt.

• Writer supports the claim by adequately synthesizing sources.

• The writer’s claim is generally convincing and the cited sources generally support the claim.

• The writer may contain lapses in diction and syntax, but the essay is clear.

• Essay inadequatelydefends, challenges or qualifies the prompt.

• Writer tries to support the claim by synthesizing and citing sources but misunderstands, misrepresents, or oversimplifies the sources included.

• The link between the claim and sources is weak.

• The essay demonstrates underdeveloped control of writing.

• Essay demonstrateslittle success in defending, challenging or qualifying the prompt.

• Writer alludes to knowledge gained from reading the sources rather than citing the sources themselves.

• The writer may have misread the sources, fail to present a claim, fail to respond to the prompt, or merely summarize the sources.

• The writer demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing, such as a lack of development or organization, grammatical problems, or a lack of control.

• Writer merely repeats the prompt.

Draft OrganizerEssential Question: Why do people act heroically?

Title and Author of 1st

Text Selected:

____________________

Title and Author of 2nd

Text Selected:

___________________

Text evidence to support author’s message #1

Text evidence to support author’s message #2

Text evidence to support author’s message #3

Sample Essay Outline

I. Introduction and Thesis (thesis has to be a judgement about the text—remember the essential question: why do people act heroically?)

I. Main Idea #1 Related to the Thesis; Source #1A.Text evidenceB.Text evidence

II.Main Idea #1 Related to the Thesis; Source #2A.Text evidenceB.Text evidence

III.Closing

Final Essay Guidelines

Font: Times New Roman, 12 point

Double spaced

The heading is left justified and

contains your name, teacher’s

name, class, and date

All paragraphs are indented.

The page number and your last

name go in the top right-hand

corner.

Please see next page for an

example.

Final Essay Format Sample

EOC Assignment Rubric

Assignment 4 3 2 1

“Behind the Native American Achievement Gap”Comprehension Questions

“The Last Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian” Comprehension Questions

“Behind the Native American Achievement Gap” and “TheLast Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian” Paired Questions

“Teaching Shakespeare in a Maximum Security Prison” Comprehension Questions

“Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers” Comprehension Questions

“Teaching Shakespeare in a Maximum Security Prison” and “Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers” Paired Questions

Essay*(Graphic Organizer Chart/Draft/Outline/Final)

4 3 2 1

• Shows complete understanding of the required language arts knowledge

• The response completely addresses all language arts components presented in the task.

• Shows nearly complete understanding of required language arts knowledge

• The response addresses almost all language arts components presented in the task; there may be minor errors.

• Shows some understanding of required language arts knowledge

• The response addresses some but not all language arts componentspresented in the task.

• Shows limited or no understandingof the required language arts knowledge; perhaps only copying the text or task

• The response addresses none of the language arts components required to complete the task.

*Use scoring rubric included Total points possible 28

Overall Score ______ (>16 is the passing standard)

ASSIGNMENTS

Name: Class:

"Male Carlisle School Students 1879" by John N Choate is in thepublic domain.

Behind The Native American Achievement GapBy Celeste Headlee

2012

In this radio interview, Celeste Headlee discusses how Native Americans are performing academically todaywith Anton Treuer. Truer is an American academic and author who focuses on Ojibwe language andAmerican Indian studies. In addition to talking about education of Native Americans today, he alsodiscusses how the education of Native Americans has changed over the years. As you read, take note of howthe education of Native Americans has changed, continues to change, and the effects of this on theiracademic performance.

Over five million people in the U.S. claim someform of Native American identity, according tothe U.S. Census Bureau. For Native AmericanHeritage Month, guest host Celeste Headleechecks back in with author Anton Treuer abouthistoric education challenges Native Americanshave faced and what’s being done to close theachievement gap.1

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST: This is TELL ME MORE,from NPR News. I’m Celeste Headlee. MichelMartin is away. Coming up, we’ll bring you somemobile shopping tips, so you don’t have to go intothe crowds of Black Friday. That’s in just a fewminutes.

But first, it’s Thanksgiving, and it’s Native American Heritage Month, as well. All month, we’ve focusedon different aspects of Native American identity, politics and pop culture. Today, we’re going to end ourmonth-long series by examining the state of Native American education.

Once again, we’re joined by Anton Treuer. He’s a professor of Ojibwe History and Language at BemidjiState University. He’s also the author of several books. His latest is “Everything You Wanted to KnowAbout Indians but Were Afraid to Ask.”

Welcome back to the program.

ANTON TREUER: Thanks for having me on.

HEADLEE: I think when you say education to many native people, they often immediately think aboutboarding schools. In the 1970s, of course, there were about 60,000 Native American kids in thoseschools. But for the listeners who don’t know what these boarding schools were, could you kind ofexplain?

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1. the difference in academic performance between different groups of students

1

TREUER: Sure. For Native Americans, education was a tool used to assimilate2 and acculturate.3

Starting in the late 1800s, the United States government engineered an education policy for nativepeople, and it required Native American children to attend residential boarding schools, where theylived at the schools. And it was designed to enable the government to remove kids from their home,culture and language and immerse them entirely in mainstream American language culture andcustoms.

In spite of a separation of church and state in the United States, the residential boarding schools forNative Americans taught native people to pray in the Christian tradition. They also severely punishedand beat children for speaking tribal languages. Even for...

HEADLEE: They made them cut their hair, even if it was part of their culture or tradition.

TREUER: That’s right. They’d get a makeover on day one. So the long braids would be chopped off.Their traditional clothes would be burned up, medicine bundles4 burned up. And it must’ve been quitea culture shock for the people who went there.

HEADLEE: And for many people — for many kids, at least, that I’ve spoken to — scarring. I mean, we’retalking about something that went on from the late 19th century through most of the 20th century. Sodo you think it’s had a real impact on now two generations of Native kids, it is an impact that’s stillbeing felt?

TREUER: Oh, absolutely. I, you know, my grandmother went to one of these schools. Almost all of thegrandparent generation throughout Indian country have been to these schools, and it had a very deepimpact. At the time of World War II, most of Indian country had a 100 percent fluency rate in triballanguages. That’s over 500 distinct tribal languages being spoken in the United States and Canada.

Today, there are only 183 tribal languages spoken. Of those, only 20 are spoken by children. So you arelikely — you know, if you have any listeners who are in their 20s, 30s and 40s, you know, they are likelyto see 163 tribal languages in the United States go extinct in their lifetimes. And of those remaining 20languages, there are really only four that have large, vibrant populations of speakers where, you know,we’re sure that they’ll be here 100 years from now. And the others are — you know, could really goeither way.

So the impact on tribal languages was profound.5 But imagine, too, the impact on human beings:tuberculosis6 was rampant.7 Schools like Haskell and Carlyle kept cemeteries for the children. I don’tknow how many of you could imagine sending your children to school and not even getting the bodiesback for burial. But that was the impact.

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2. Assimilate (verb): to conform to the customs, attitudes, and habits of a group or nation3. to modify a culture of an individual or group of people by adapting to or borrowing traits form another culture4. A “medicine bundle,” also known as sacred bundle, was a wrapped collection of sacred items held by a designated

carrier.5. Profound (adjective): very great or intense6. an infectious disease that may affect almost any tissue on the body, especially the lungs7. Rampant (adjective): spreading unchecked

2

HEADLEE: And I want to remind our listeners, A, that these were mandatory. They were compulsory.And B, we’re not talking about ancient history. As I said, the largest number of Native American kids atthese boarding schools was in the 1970s, the mid-1970s. And yet, Anton Treuer, many people will saywell, look, that was 50 years ago. How can this possibly be to blame for any problems with education intribal country?

TREUER: Well, on many different levels. First of all, if you could imagine children going to these schools,and after all of it, you know, they’re supposed to provide economic opportunity. But hello, there was a,you know, racial barrier to gainful employment for people of color in the United States.

Upon graduation from these schools, the kids didn’t fit in as adults in mainstream American society, inspite of their knowledge of English language, so they drifted back home to the reservations, wheresometimes they couldn’t even recognize or speak the same language as their own parents.

And although we are now reforming8 the way we do boot camp for adults who volunteer for the ArmedServices today because, you know, being yelled at, sworn at, having poor nutrition or sleep deprivationare considered bad things, that’s for adults who volunteer. What if it’s little children? So a lot of theproblems that we have in Indian Country are directly connected to our negative experience, beingbeaten by our educators.

HEADLEE: If you’re just joining us, this is TELL ME MORE, from NPR News. I’m Celeste Headlee. On thisThanksgiving Day, I’m speaking with Anton Treuer, the author of “Everything You Wanted to KnowAbout Indians but Were Afraid to Ask.” He’s our guest for a month-long series of conversations duringNative American Heritage Month.

And this might be one of those things that people don’t want to ask about, because we don’t want tothink about it. And it’s difficult now to even look at the statistics of how it’s still affecting native country.I mean, Native Americans have a lower overall high school graduation rate than the rest of the country,and a much, much lower college graduation rate. I went to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff,and I know there were a lot of native kids that came in as freshmen and never finished as seniors.Why?

TREUER: What it really boils down to is that, in spite of it all, although the, you know, the residentialboarding school system has been reformed, although not eliminated — believe it or not, there are stillfour Indian boarding schools run by the United States federal government today. They’ve beenreformed, so they’re not beating people for the speaking of their tribal languages anymore, but they’vekind of survived as a vestigial9 remnant of this experience.

But in spite of all it, going to school native in this country really still means getting an assimilation. Yougo to school. You get a sugarcoated version of Christopher Columbus and the first Thanksgiving. Andyou get very few other opportunities, even if you’re native, to learn about yourself. And it’s not theintention of people who design curriculum standards or those who teach it to out or marginalize10

others, but it is the effect.

[20]

8. Reform (verb): to make changes in order to improve something9. Vestigial (adjective): forming a very small remnant of something that was once much larger

10. Marginalize (verb): to assign someone to a powerless or unimportant position within a society or group

3

And I can share one counterexample, because we can point to a lot of things that don’t work, like 50percent of the Native population are failing state-mandated tests in English and math in this country —half. But I’ll share a story about something that is working, because to me that really tells a lot.

On the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation, which is located in Wisconsin, there’s a public school systemnearby in the town of Hayward. And their statistics for the Native population mirror the nationalaverage. Around half of the kids were failing state-mandated tests in English and math.

There’s a group of people who created a tribal language immersion school. So they said: We will meetall state-mandated curriculum guidelines. We’ll just use the tribal language to deliver the material tothe kids. To make a long story short, because there are a lot of things that they did over there to makethat happen. To make a long story short, for 13 years in a row, the tribal language immersion schoolhas had a 100 percent pass rate in state-mandated tests in English, administered in English.

HEADLEE: Wow.

TREUER: And their teachers teach them in Ojibwe.

HEADLEE: You know, Anton, since you mentioned Thanksgiving and Christopher Columbus earlier on,and, you know, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving, I’ve got to ask you: For the rest of the country — youknow, Native Americans are a pretty small population of the America. How can we celebrateThanksgiving, which honors the native half of that holiday?

TREUER: Yeah, it’s a great question. You know, I think, really, the challenge for us, and the one that weshould be trying to meet, is that Thanksgiving is one of those rare opportunities where there’s a littlebit of attention being directed at the native experience. So we can use that as an entry point to try todeliver a deeper understanding of the first people of the land.

Just to juxtapose11 a couple of points, you know, we all know the kind of typical Thanksgiving story andscenario. And there are parts in the, you know, mythologized version of Thanksgiving that resonateand are true with the historical experience.

But it’s also true that King Philip, who was a Native American chief in New England, was killed by thePuritans and his head was put on a pike outside the village of Plymouth, where it was kept for 20 years.

So when you take that one little fact, maybe at Thanksgiving, it provides an opportunity for us to dig alittle deeper into exact what happened and why, look at ways that native people have shared thingswith the rest of the world and helped make it a better place, and look at ways that, you know, allhuman beings of all races have been really hard on each other throughout history and acknowledgingthat part of the human experience and the particular experience of native people as victims ofgenocide12 in many places, I think we can arrive at a deeper understanding that will make us all notonly more knowledgeable, but able to lead a better life and hopefully make this country a lot betterplace.

HEADLEE: Can you tell us what you do for Thanksgiving, how you celebrate?

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11. Juxtapose (verb): to place or deal with close together for contrasting effect12. Genocide (noun): the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or

nation

4

©2012 National Public Radio, Inc. News report titled “Behind The Native American Achievement Gap” was originally broadcast on Tell MeMore on November 22, 2012, and is used with the permissions of NRP. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

TREUER: Oh, you know, honestly, I have nine children, and we have a very large extended family. So wetake the two days off from school and the long extended weekend and we, you know, we kind of dothe, you know, like, the 12 days of Christmas, we kind of have 12 days of Thanksgiving to go aroundand take advantage of the opportunity to visit and meet with people.

I also do use that time to tell my children about different perspectives on history. And one of the thingsI really I try to emphasize a lot with my own children are our own cultural values about expressingthanks and reciprocity.13 We have a lot of different ceremonies that revolve around our fall: harvest ofwild rice and hunting, fishing and so forth. And so we try to do Thanksgiving from, you know, a veryOjibwa-specific point of view.

HEADLEE: What is an Ojibwa menu?

TREUER: Traditional Ojibwa food would be wild rice, wild game, so ducks, geese, venison14 and so forth– moose meat. And then lots of different kinds of berries, maple syrup. And those are kind oftraditional staples in this area. And we do practice harvesting all of those things with the children. Soone of the nice things for them is that they get to see the fruits of their own labor put on the table, andwe use those entry points to kind of develop the children from dependence to providers for thepeople.

HEADLEE: How do you say thank you so much in Ojibwe?

TREUER: (Ojibwe spoken)

HEADLEE: Well, what you said, Anton Treuer. Thanks.

TREUER: Thank you.

HEADLEE: Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University. He’s also the author of severalbooks. His latest: “Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask.” He joined usfrom Northern Community Radio in Bemidji, Minnesota.

Thank you so much for speaking with us all this month of Native American Heritage Month.

TREUER: Thank you. It’s been my pleasure.

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13. Reciprocity (noun): the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit14. deer meat

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Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which statement identifies the central idea of the text?A. While education of Native Americans has improved over the years, Native

Americans continue to be isolated from their culture and history in theclassroom.

B. While the boarding schools of the 1900s were traumatic for Native Americans, itis unlikely that this is the reason the current generation is struggling in school.

C. While a majority of the Native American boarding schools have been eradicated,the few that continue to use violence to force assimilation negatively impact thewhole community.

D. Native Americans often don’t succeed in school because they have a drasticallydifferent perspective of historical events in America.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?A. “And yet, Anton Treuer, many people will say well, look, that was 50 years ago.

How can this possibly be to blame for any problems with education in tribalcountry?” (Paragraph 16)

B. “What it really boils down to is that, in spite of it all, although the, you know, theresidential boarding school system has been reformed, although not eliminated— believe it or not, there are still four Indian boarding schools run by the UnitedStates federal government today.” (Paragraph 22)

C. “But in spite of all it, going to school native in this country really still meansgetting an assimilation. You go to school. You get a sugarcoated version ofChristopher Columbus and the first Thanksgiving.” (Paragraph 23)

D. “To make a long story short, for 13 years in a row, the tribal language immersionschool has had a 100 percent pass rate in state-mandated tests in English,administered in English.” (Paragraph 26)

3. PART A: How do paragraphs 13-14 contribute to the development of ideas in the text?A. They show that despite past hardships, it is likely that Native American culture

will fully recover.B. They show how Native American culture continues to be impacted by forced

assimilation that occurred in the past.C. They show how older Native Americans continue to be impacted by past forced

assimilation.D. They show how Native American children of today are responsible for keeping

their languages alive.

6

4. Part B: Which quote from the text best supports the answer to Part A?A. “Almost all of the grandparent generation throughout Indian country have been

to these schools, and it had a very deep impact.” (Paragraph 13)B. “At the time of World War II, most of Indian country had a 100 percent fluency

rate in tribal languages.” (Paragraph 13)C. “So you are likely — you know, if you have any listeners who are in their 20s, 30s

and 40s, you know, they are likely to see 163 tribal languages in the UnitedStates go extinct in their lifetimes. (Paragraph 14)

D. “there are really only four that have large, vibrant populations of speakerswhere, you know, we’re sure that they’ll be here 100 years from now. (Paragraph14)

5. How does the education of Native Americans today compare to their education during thelate 19th century and 20th century?

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Discussion QuestionsDirections: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared toshare your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In your opinion, how does this text emphasize the importance of knowing multipleperspectives of a historical event?

2. In the context of the text, how has American changed over time? How has America’streatment of Native Americans changed over time? In what ways does America need tofurther change in its approach to its history with Native Americans? Cite evidence from thetext, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

3. In the context of the text, what is the goal of education? How do the goals of educatingNative Americans in the past compare to today’s goals? Cite evidence from this text, yourown experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

4. In the context of the text, can you change your identity? What was the effect of forcedassimilation? Cite evidence from the text, your own experience, and other literature, art, orhistory in your answer.

5. What are the effects of prejudice? How were the boarding schools that Native Americanssent to a result of prejudice? Do you think prejudice against Native Americans continues toexist today? How could this be combatted?

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Name: Class:

"Image from The New York Times publication of 'The Last Class:The Story of the Little Alsatian'" by Unknown is in the publicdomain.

The Last Class: The Story of a Little AlsatianBy Alphonse Daudet

1917

Alphonse Daudet (1840-1897) was a French writer. This story takes place in Alsace, a region of France thatborders Germany. In 1870, France lost a war with Prussia, a region in northern Europe that included part ofGermany. After this war, France had to give Prussia some mainly German-speaking regions previously underFrench control. These were the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. Today, the overall culture of Alsace isgenerally more German than French. In this story, a young Alsatian boy is met with a surprisingannouncement when he arrives at his French class. As you read the story, take notes on the story’s moodand the ways the author portrays the character’s reactions to change.

I was very late for school that morning, and I wasterribly afraid of being scolded, especially asMonsieur1 Hamel had told us that he shouldexamine us on participles, and I did not know thefirst thing about them. For a moment I thought ofstaying away from school and wandering aboutthe fields. It was such a warm, lovely day. I couldhear the blackbirds whistling on the edge of thewood, and in the Rippert field, behind thesawmill, the Prussians going through their drill.All that was much more tempting to me than therules concerning participles; but I had thestrength to resist, and I ran as fast as I could to school.

As I passed the mayor’s office, I saw that there were people gathered about the little board on whichnotices were posted. For two years all our bad news had come from that board—battles lost,conscriptions,2 orders from headquarters; and I thought without stopping:

“What can it be now?”

Then, as I ran across the square, Wachter the blacksmith, who stood there with his apprentice, readingthe placard, called out to me:

“Don’t hurry so, my boy; you’ll get to your school soon enough!”

I thought that he was making fun of me, and I ran into Monsieur Hamel’s little yard all out of breath.

Usually, at the beginning of school, there was a great uproar which could be heard in the street, desksopening and closing, lessons repeated aloud in unison, with our ears stuffed in order to learn quicker,and the teacher’s stout ruler beating on the desk:

“A little more quiet!”

[1]

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1. the French word for mister2. conscription is when a nation forces a person to join the military

1

I counted on all this noise to reach my bench unnoticed; but as it happened, that day everything wasquiet, like a Sunday morning. Through the open window I saw my comrades3 already in their places,and Monsieur Hamel walking back and forth with the terrible iron ruler under his arm. I had to openthe door and enter, in the midst of that perfect silence. You can imagine whether I blushed andwhether I was afraid!

But no! Monsieur Hamel looked at me with no sign of anger and said very gently:

“Go at once to your seat, my little Frantz; we were going to begin without you.”

I stepped over the bench and sat down at once at my desk. Not until then, when I had partly recoveredfrom my fright, did I notice that our teacher had on his handsome blue coat, his plaited ruff, and theblack silk embroidered breeches, which he wore only on days of inspection or of distribution of prizes.Moreover, there was something extraordinary, something solemn4 about the whole class. But whatsurprised me most was to see at the back of the room, on the benches which were usually empty,some people from the village sitting, as silent as we were: old Hauser with his three-cornered hat, theex-mayor, the ex-postman, and others besides. They all seemed depressed; and Hauser had broughtan old spelling-book with gnawed edges, which he held wide-open on his knee, with his greatspectacles askew.

While I was wondering at all this, Monsieur Hamel had mounted his platform, and in the same gentleand serious voice with which he had welcomed me, he said to us:

“My children, this is the last time that I shall teach you. Orders have come from Berlin to teach nothingbut German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new teacher arrives tomorrow. This is the lastclass in French, so I beg you to be very attentive.”

Those few words overwhelmed me. Ah! the villains! that was what they had posted at the mayor’soffice.

My last class in French!

And I barely knew how to write! So I should never learn! I must stop short where I was! How angry I waswith myself because of the time I had wasted, the lessons I had missed, running about after nests, orsliding on the Saar!5 My books, which only a moment before I thought so tiresome, so heavy tocarry—my grammar, my sacred history—seemed to me now like old friends, from whom I should beterribly grieved to part. And it was the same about Monsieur Hamel. The thought that he was goingaway, that I should never see him again, made me forget the punishments, the blows with the ruler.

Poor man! It was in honour of that last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes; and Iunderstood now why those old fellows from the village were sitting at the end of the room. It seemedto mean that they regretted not having come oftener to the school. It was also a way of thanking ourteacher for his forty years of faithful service, and of paying their respects to the fatherland which wasvanishing.

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3. Comrade (noun): a friend, especially one who shares the same interests or is a fellow member of an organization4. Solemn (adjective): very serious or formal in manner, behavior, or expression5. a region along the German-French border

2

I was at that point in my reflections, when I heard my name called. It was my turn to recite. What wouldI not have given to be able to say from beginning to end that famous rule about participles, in a loud,distinct voice, without a slip! But I got mixed up at the first words, and I stood there swaying against mybench, with a full heart, afraid to raise my head. I heard Monsieur Hamel speaking to me:

“I will not scold you, my little Frantz; you must be punished enough; that is the way it goes; every daywe say to ourselves: ‘Pshaw! I have time enough. I will learn tomorrow.’ And then you see whathappens. Ah! it has been the great misfortune of our Alsace always to postpone its lessons until to-morrow. Now those people are entitled to say to us: ‘What! you claim to be French, and you can neitherspeak nor write your language!’ In all this, my poor Frantz, you are not the guiltiest one. We all have ourfair share of reproaches6 to address to ourselves.

“Your parents have not been careful enough to see that you were educated. They preferred to sendyou to work in the fields or in the factories, in order to have a few more sous.7 And have I nothing toreproach myself for? Have I not often made you water my garden instead of studying? And when Iwanted to go fishing for trout, have I ever hesitated to dismiss you?”

Then, passing from one thing to another, Monsieur Hamel began to talk to us about the Frenchlanguage, saying that it was the most beautiful language in the world, the most clear, the mostsubstantial; that we must always retain it among ourselves, and never forget it, because when a peoplefalls into servitude,8 “so long as it clings to its language, it is as if it held the key to its prison.” Then hetook the grammar and read us our lesson. I was amazed to see how readily I understood. Everythingthat he said seemed so easy to me, so easy. I believed, too, that I had never listened so closely, andthat he, for his part, had never been so patient with his explanations. One would have said that, beforegoing away, the poor man desired to give us all his knowledge, to force it all into our heads at a singleblow.

When the lesson was at an end, we passed to writing. For that day Monsieur Hamel had preparedsome entirely new examples, on which was written in a fine, round hand: “France, Alsace, France,Alsace.” They were like little flags, waving all about the class, hanging from the rods of our desks. Youshould have seen how hard we all worked and how silent it was! Nothing could be heard save thegrinding of the pens over the paper. At one time some beetles flew in; but no one paid any attention tothem, not even the little fellows who were struggling with their straight lines, with a will andconscientious9 application, as if even the lines were French. On the roof of the schoolhouse, pigeonscooed in low tones, and I said to myself as I listened to them:

“I wonder if they are going to compel10 them to sing in German too!”

[20]

6. Reproach (verb): an act of blame or scolding7. a unit of French currency8. being completely under the control of or serving someone else9. Conscientious (adjective): careful, diligent

10. Compel (verb): to force

3

The Last Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian by Alphonse Daudet is in the public domain.

From time to time, when I raised my eyes from my paper. I saw Monsieur Hamel sitting motionless inhis chair and staring at the objects about him as if he wished to carry away in his glance the whole ofhis little schoolhouse. Think of it! For forty years he had been there in the same place, with his yard infront of him and his class just as it was! But the benches and desks were polished and rubbed by use;the walnuts in the yard had grown, and the hop-vine which he himself had planted now festooned11

the windows even to the roof. What a heart-rending thing it must have been for that poor man to leaveall those things, and to hear his sister walking back and forth in the room overhead, packing theirtrunks! For they were to go away the next day—to leave the province12 forever.

However, he had the courage to keep the class to the end. After the writing, we had the lesson inhistory; then the little ones sang all together the ba, be, bi, bo, bu. Yonder, at the back of the room, oldHauser had put on his spectacles, and, holding his spelling-book in both hands, he spelled out theletters with them. I could see that he too was applying himself. His voice shook with emotion, and itwas so funny to hear him, that we all longed to laugh and to cry. Ah! I shall remember that last class.

Suddenly the church clock struck twelve, then the Angelus13 rang. At the same moment, the bugles ofthe Prussians returning from drill blared under our windows. Monsieur Hamel rose, pale as death,from his chair. Never had he seemed to me so tall.

“My friends,” he said, “my friends, I—I—”

But something suffocated him. He could not finish the sentence.

Thereupon he turned to the blackboard, took a piece of chalk, and, bearing on with all his might, hewrote in the largest letters he could:

“VIVE LA FRANCE!”14

Then he stood there, with his head resting against the wall, and without speaking, he motioned to uswith his hand:

“That is all; go.”

[25]

[30]

11. an ornamental chain of flowers12. a governed region13. a prayer recited in Roman Catholic churches, convents, and monasteries three times daily: 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00

p.m.14. a French patriotic expression meaning "long live France"

4

Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. PART A: Which of the following best states a theme of the story?A. Sometimes you don’t fully appreciate something until it is too late.B. Always embrace change, or you will live with bitterness.C. Hold strong to your traditions and stand up for them.D. War only brings pain and loss.

2. PART B: Which paragraph from the text best supports the answer to Part A?A. Paragraph 1B. Paragraph 14C. Paragraph 20D. Paragraph 31

3. In paragraphs 9-12, how does the description of the setting contribute to the mood of thestory? What does this tell you about the town’s attitude toward the announcement?

4. Explain the figurative language in the following quotation from paragraph 23. What is thepurpose of this comparison? “For that day Monsieur Hamel had prepared some entirelynew examples, on which was written in a fine, round hand: ‘France, Alsace, France, Alsace.’They were like little flags, waving all about the class, hanging from the rods of our desks.”

5

Discussion QuestionsDirections: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared toshare your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the context of this story, what are some reasons why people are resistant to change? Citeevidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in youranswer.

2. Although the story is fiction, it is based on real events in Alsace after the Franco-PrussianWar. Consider the effects of the war on the lives of the everyday people in this town. Howdoes war change people? Is it ever for the better? Cite evidence from this text, your ownexperience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

6

Name: Class: Date:

Pairing Questions for "Behind The Native AmericanAchievement Gap" and "The Last Class: The Story of a Little

Alsatian"Directions: After reading the texts, choose the best answer for the multiple-choice questions below and respond tothe writing questions in complete sentences.

A. They demonstrate the pride that both Truer and Monsieur Hamel have intheir culture.

B. They help prove how education can be used in a negative way.C. They are both examples of how Truer and Monsieur Hamel were culturally

assimilated.D. They are evidence of how education can be mishandled.

1. How do paragraph 36 in “Behind the Native American Achievement Gap” and paragraph 22in “The Last Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian” contribute to the development of ideaswithin each text? [RI.5, RL.5]

2. Having read “The Last Class: The Story of a Little Alsatian” and “Behind the Native AmericanAchievement Gap,” how is assimilation through education viewed by Truer and MonsieurHamel? [RI.9, RL.9]

1

Name: Class:

"Bibliothèque de prison - Prison library" by Michael is licensedunder CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Teaching Shakespeare in a Maximum SecurityPrison

By Michel Martin2013

In this National Public Radio interview hosted by Michel Martin, Professor Laura Bates discusses herdecision to teach Shakespeare in a maximum security prison as a way of educating inmates—anddiscovering new insights into the Bard’s drama. As you read, take notes on the perspective behind Bates’approach to teaching Shakespeare in this setting and other central ideas in the text.

Many people thought Laura Bates was out of hermind when she offered to teach Shakespeare inthe maximum security wing of an Indiana prison.But the prisoners found a deep connection withthe playwright’s words. Laura Bates talks abouther experience in her new book ShakespeareSaved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard.1

She speaks with host Michel Martin.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: I’m Michel Martin andthis is “TELL ME MORE” from NPR News. We wantto talk about Shakespeare now, so quick: whatdoes that bring to mind? Maybe you think aboutstruggling to get through sophomore English.Maybe you think about well-trained actorsperforming in beautifully appointed theaters, butwhat probably does not come to mind are convicted murderers in some of the most restrictivecircumstances in the country. But that’s actually where Laura Bates chose to teach when shevolunteered to teach English in Indiana’s Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. And not just there, but inthe super max facility where some of the most notorious2 prisoners were held.

How she came to teach Shakespeare there and what she learned herself from that experience is thesubject of her new book, Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard. And Laura Batesis with us now.

Welcome. Thank you so much for joining us.

LAURA BATES: Thank you for having me, Michel.

MARTIN: I think we should answer the question that most people are going to have, which is, whatgave you the idea to teach Shakespeare, not just to people who are in prison, but people who areconsidered the worst of the worst, the people who are in the most restrictive circumstances?

[1]

[5]

1. "The Bard" is a nickname for Shakespeare. In medieval Gaelic and British culture, it means a professional poet orstory teller.

2. Notorious (adjective): famous or well known, typically for some bad quality or deed

1

BATES: Exactly. And that is the phrase that is often used, the worst of the worst. Here in the state ofIndiana, we have a few super max units and they do house what are considered to be the most violentoffenders throughout the state of Indiana, and I didn’t even know there was such a unit. It was a shockand a learning experience to me when I discovered this unit even existed.

And briefly, what happened was I was teaching freshman English classes at the facility, Wabash Valley,for prisoners in the general population. I was a part-time professor at the time at Indiana StateUniversity. In those days, we had a college degree granting program for prisoners, and one of mystudents got in trouble and he was taken out of class and I started to ask around. You know, where’sDon? What happened to him? Where’d he go? And my prisoner-students told me about this unit, thishighly restricted unit, super max, and that’s where my student, Don, had been sent.

So I was told at the time, well, there’s no education in this unit. No teacher has ever gone into this unit.So, of course, that made me want to get into that unit. I asked for permission from the administrationand the warden3 at the time knew me and knew me to be, you know, a good college professor formany years. He literally opened that door for me and ended up inviting me to begin a voluntaryprogram based on Shakespeare, which is my specialty, for these inmates that not only are the worst ofthe worst, at least in the eyes of the public, but more importantly, in my own eyes, they were the onesthat needed education the most. They had the greatest need for education and for really any kind ofprogramming and, ironically, they had the least available to them.

So these are the prisoners who, over and over and over, have been told that they are not capable, thatthey are certainly not intelligent, that they are not able to take on these kinds of, you know, intellectualchallenges and so here comes somebody from the street knocking on their cell door and saying, hi,would you like to read some Shakespeare?

So, initially, that gets their attention.

(LAUGHTER)

Who are you and what do you want? And that confused a lot of them and, really, what happened was awonderful word of mouth within the prison setting itself. I kept telling my husband, if only I can getone. I just want one prisoner, you know, who’s willing to take this on and, if I can, you know,demonstrate to both the prisoner population and the administration itself that this is successful, thenit’s going to grow. And, goodness, it grew. It grew to where we had 50 people on the waiting list at onepoint.

MARTIN: Well, you know, what got me is that people—I thought it was hilarious—is that—well, Ithought it was funny because it didn’t happen to me. But you describe how people, like, literallyslammed doors in your face. You know, you kind of have this idea that, you know, people would behungry for something to do, but when you raise this, you literally went knocking on the steel doors...

BATES: Yeah, yeah.

[10]

[15]

3. Warden (noun): the head official in charge of a prison

2

MARTIN: ...asking if anybody wanted to read. And there—a couple of people literally slammed thedoor in your face, but a few people did give it a shot and you started with Macbeth.4 What do you thinkit was about this play? And from almost instantly, the people who did agree to study the workimmediately got it and had some really powerful insights and you were saying, gosh, some of theirinsights were beyond those of students who you’d been teaching for years. What is it about that playyou think just grabbed people right off the bat?

BATES: And I have to say some of their insights were beyond those of world-renowned professors I’vestudied with—from whom I’ve learned a great deal. But these prisoners were able to make sense ofsome passages that professional Shakespeare scholars have struggled with for 400 years.

Well, the play Macbeth, I chose it partly because it does have a subject matter that these prisoners I feltwould relate to. It is a story of a good man, Macbeth is a good man, a good honorable general at thebeginning of the story, but he is tempted by a number of outside influences. We might call them peerpressure. There are these weird women he encounters, the witches, that kind of fill his head with someideas. And then that’s reinforced by the nagging wife, all of this kind of urging him on to kill the king inorder to become king himself. But throughout the play, what’s wonderful about this play is that thereare so many moments where Macbeth himself recognizes this is wrong, I might be tempted, I mighthave ambitions, but to kill a good man is not the right way to go. And so what happened was theprisoners on the one hand got caught up in the story. It is an action-packed drama. But ultimately theyfound themselves relating not only to the characters’ actions but to that inner struggle, and as theyanalyzed Macbeth’s motives, why he’s giving in to do something that he knows that he doesn’t want todo, it made them question their own motive. And one of the prisoners said in so many words, the moreinsight you get into Shakespeare’s characters, the more insight you get into your own character.

MARTIN: If you’re just joining us, I’m speaking with English professor Laura Bates. We’re talking abouther new book Shakespeare Saved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard.

You focus a lot of the book on—and I think the title comes from here too—is your friendship with oneof the prison’s, you know, again, we’re using this kind of loaded language, but notorious prisoner,somebody named Larry Newton. And you weren’t sure that even you could reach him when you firstmet. But he turned out to be a remarkable student. He impressed you as soon as you started talking tohim about Richard II.5 And he eventually wrote a number of workbooks...

BATES: Yes.

MARTIN: ...that you then used in the program and that other people can use in other programs too.Could you talk a little bit about him?

[20]

4. Macbeth is a Shakespearian tragedy about a Scottish general, Macbeth, whose ambition to be king eventually leadsto his downfall.

5. King Richard II is one of Shakespeare’s historical plays, based on the life of King Richard II of England (ruled1377–1399).

3

BATES: Absolutely. In fact, one of the results of publishing this book I hope will be that we get some ofthese other materials—these workbooks that Larry and I created together. I hope we get those out intoa wider audience because I am using them, not only in the other prisons that I’m working with nowthroughout the state of Indiana, and I’m even working now in the Federal Bureau Of Prisons, I’m usinghis workbooks even with college students on campus and with area high school students. So it has awide, wide range of appeal. What Larry’s basic approach was exactly that idea, that getting insight intoShakespeare’s characters, providing insight into your own characters. So he and I together created fulllength workbooks to 13 of Shakespeare’s plays. And in each of those workbooks there is a day by daywhat he calls considerations, a point to consider in the play that involves examining the motives of thecharacter and always bringing it right back to your own motives and your own choices.

And one of the most remarkable projects actually dealt with the play of Romeo and Juliet.6 In theintroduction you mentioned struggling through sophomore English classes and most of your listenersI’m sure can remember a similar experience. And too often in high school the approach that is taken toa play like Romeo and Juliet is sort of the what I call the lovey-dovey stuff, the love story, the idealized,you know, suicide of these teenage lovers. But through my work with the prisoners I really found that apart that is so often overlooked is the violent society in which a teenager like Romeo ends up becomingactually a serial killer. He kills more than once throughout that play and he’s a good kid, he’s a goodyoung man, and yet by looking at the kind of society that he grows up in, I think could really be apowerful opportunity for high school teachers across the country to use the play of Romeo and Juliet todiscuss this extremely important issue of teenage violence.

MARTIN: Do you mind if I ask—why is Larry in prison?

BATES: Well, from the ages of 10, you know, he was in a super max situation at age 10, actually. He waslocked in a concrete closet in the dark as a juvenile and I went to seek out that facility which, thankgoodness, is no longer functioning. But back in the ‘80s, there was actually this kind of hard-coreenvironment for kids. So between the ages of 10 and 17 he was in and out of juvenile facilities, so hehad quite a long extensive record. A lot of things like runaways and vandalism and, you know,shoplifting, that sort of thing. Then at the age of 17 he and three other peers were arrested for amurder. Larry pled guilty ‘cause he was at that time facing a death penalty. And evidence suggests thatit may not have been him who was the actual person who pulled the trigger, it’s uncertain, but he isdoing a life without parole sentence. And he did also at the age of 17 waive his right to ever appeal thesentence. So he’s going to be there forever, that’s why he’s in prison. Now, why he was a record 10 anda half years in segregation, solitary confinement, is because he did have quite an extensive historywithin the prison of violent behaviors.

MARTIN: Larry told you that Shakespeare saved his life. What did he mean by that? Can you tell us?

BATES: Sure. Absolutely. In fact, when I first heard that expression, I thought he was joking.

(LAUGHTER)

[25]

6. Romeo and Juliet is a Shakespearian tragedy about two star-crossed lovers from feuding families.

4

He has a good sense of humor so I thought, oh, he’s just being silly, being flippant. It wasn’t until a fewyears after he made that comment that I was able to ask you him, you know, what did you really meanby that? To sum up briefly, he says that he meant it both ways, both figuratively as well as literally. Andwhat I was not aware of the day that I came knocking on his cell door, his life had been so desperate,so bleak for so many years that he was literally at the point of suicide. And so in that sense byShakespeare coming along, presenting something positive in his life for maybe the first time, givinghim a new direction, it did literally keep him from taking his own life.

And you know, as I work with other prisoners, you know, if I feel that I’ve been able to turn their ownlives around—remember, these are some of the most violent offenders in particular, I feel like it’s notonly saved the prisoner’s life but it may very well save the future victim’s life. So on a literal level wehave Shakespeare saving lives. And then beyond that, Larry spoke about the more figurative,metaphorical way that Shakespeare just unlocked his mind in a sense, gave him a new positive way oflooking at life. And as he said, in a figurative way Shakespeare generally freed him, so both literally andfiguratively saved his life.

MARTIN: You do kind of get new respect for Shakespeare and his understanding of human behavior,right?

BATES: Yeah.

MARTIN: Because he really did seem to get it, like why it is that people behave the way they behaveand the things that people do when they’re guilty, and the things that people do when they’re in a rage.

BATES: Right.

MARTIN: And why people can have such poisonous feelings about other people and then regret it. Youknow, on the other hand, it really does, it sounds to me like you were able to see a lot of these menin—kind of in a three dimensional way, that they were more than just a jacket, you know, more thanjust a rap sheet of things that they had done.

BATES: Exactly.

MARTIN: That’s interesting. But why do you think you were able to do this? I mean you don’t brag onyourself in the book, I’ll just say this, but you clearly were able to have a rapport.7 It did not faze youbeing there. You can see a lot of, you can understand why a lot of people would not be able to teach inthat environment and certainly wouldn’t have persisted to the degree that you did—because you reallydid. Why do you think you did?

[30]

[35]

7. Rapport (noun): relation; especially: a relationship marked by harmony or affinity

5

©2013 National Public Radio, Inc. News report titled “Teaching Shakespeare In A Maximum Security Prison” was originally broadcast on NPR’sTell Me More on April 22, 2013, and is used with the permission of NPR. Any unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited.

BATES: Well, I think part of it is due to my own background because actually I feel more comfortable inprison than on a college campus, because I grew up in, you know, in inner-city Chicago. The wholecollege atmosphere is something I was not familiar with, you know, my parents were not collegeeducated, and my peers, you know, more of them spent time in prison than in college. So I think thatwas just a very comfortable environment for me, I guess, sad to say, whereas the typical collegeprofessor, you know, probably would feel more, you know, uncomfortable, I guess less familiar withthat kind of a setting. And so I think from the get-go that establishes a bit of a rapport. But honestly,any volunteer that comes into a prison setting immediately has a good rapport from the beginningright there because the prisoners do recognize that, you know, you came here because you wanted to,nobody’s paying you, you’re not required and that’s a huge start toward establishing a good rapport.

MARTIN: I understand that Shakespeare’s birthday is upon us.

BATES: Yes, it is.

MARTIN: April 23. How shall we celebrate knowing what we know now about how Shakespearechanged so many lives?

BATES: I think that’s an excellent question. A wonderful thing to do on Shakespeare’s birthday, I think,would be to take a look at any passage from Shakespeare from any play and maybe read it withsomeone who has not been introduced to Shakespeare before. Your own children, possibly ayoungster in the family, or if you have access to prison, of course, to go in and maybe introduce it tosomeone who hasn’t read it there, or maybe just a student, just to find some way that Shakespeare canrelate to each of us, really, today.

MARTIN: Laura Bates is an assistant professor at Indiana State University. Her new book, ShakespeareSaved My Life: Ten Years in Solitary with the Bard, is out now. She joined us from member station WFIU inBloomington, Indiana.

Professor Bates, thank you so much for speaking with us.

BATES: Thank you for having me.

[40]

[45]

6

Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. Summarize the central ideas of the interview on the lines below.

2. PART A: Reread paragraph 2. What is the host’s likely purpose for beginning the interviewsegment in this way?

A. By using rhetorical questions, the host is highlighting the ubiquity ofShakespeare.

B. By asking listeners to recall their associations with Shakespeare, the host ismaking the interview seem more relevant to the audience.

C. By bringing to mind more common associations with Shakespeare, the host isemphasizing the remarkableness of Bates’ story.

D. By asking Bates about her own memories of Shakespeare, the host isattempting to learn more about the origins of her interest in Shakespeare.

3. PART B: Which quotation best supports the answer to Part A?A. "a deep connection with the playwright’s words”B. "Maybe you think about struggling to get through sophomore English”C. "well-trained actors performing in beautifully appointed theaters”D. "what probably does not come to mind are convicted murderers”

4. PART A: Which statement best explains why Bates teaches maximum-security prisoners?A. She strongly believes all people deserve a quality education.B. She felt a personal connection to the prisoners.C. She felt a sense of duty to take on the challenge despite reservations.D. She enjoys learning about and exposing herself to dangerous and risky

environments.

7

5. PART B: Which piece of evidence provides the best support for the answer to Part A?A. “…one of my students got in trouble and he was taken out of class and I started

to ask around… And my prisoner-students told me about this unit” (Paragraph 8)B. “No teacher has ever gone into this unit. So, of course, that made me want to

get into that unit.” (Paragraph 9)C. “these inmates that not only are the worst of the worst, at least in the eyes of

the public, but more importantly, in my own eyes…” (Paragraph 9)D. “so here comes somebody from the street knocking on their cell door and

saying, hi, would you like to read some Shakespeare?” (Paragraph 10)

6. Which statement best describes what Bates’ work with the inmates helped reveal about theplay Romeo and Juliet?

A. It is often considered to be about romance, but can also be examined as a storyabout the impact of violent environments on youth.

B. It is often read as a play about teenage melodrama, but the focus should beshifted to the older generations in conflict.

C. It is often considered to be a play about teenage violence, but can also be readfor its themes related to suicide.

D. It is often analyzed in an Elizabethan context, but should be analyzed for itsmodern application as well.

7. PART A: What does the word “jacket” most closely mean as it is used in paragraph 36?A. AppearanceB. LabelC. DisguiseD. Bad reputation

8. PART B: Which antonym for the meaning of the word “jacket,” as it is used in paragraph 36,best helps the reader identify the answer to Part A?

A. "poisonous feelings"B. "three dimensional"C. "rap sheet"D. "things that they had done"

9. How did Shakespeare save the life of an inmate, literally and figuratively?

8

10. What do Martin’s questions reveal about her point of view toward Bates’ work?

9

Discussion QuestionsDirections: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared toshare your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. The people who need education the most often have the least access to it. Why do youthink that is? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, orhistory in your answer.

2. How can new perspectives provide new insights into a subject? Is this an ideal process ofeducation? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, orhistory in your answer.

3. What is the goal of education? Cite evidence from this text, your own experience, and otherliterature, art, or history in your answer.

10

Name: Class:

"Image from page 337 of “A'Chu and Other Stories”" is licensedunder Public domain.

Village Schools and Traveling SoldiersBy Arthur Henderson Smith

From Village Life In China: A Study In Sociology 1899

Arthur Henderson Smith (1845-1932) was an American missionary who traveled to China in the late 19thcentury and wrote books describing the country and its customs to foreign readers. In this excerpt, hedescribes traditional Chinese views on education. As you read this text, take notes on the differencesbetween what is expected of the educated and the uneducated child.

The object of Chinese education is to pump upthe wisdom of the ancients into the minds of themoderns. In order to do this, however, it isnecessary to keep the stream in a constant flow,at whatever cost, else much of the precedinglabour is lost. According to Chinese theory, orpractice, a school which should only be in sessionfor six months of the year, would be a grossabsurdity. The moment a child fails to attendschool, he is supposed (and with reason) tobecome “wild.”

The territory to be traversed is so vast that themost unremitting1 diligence is absolutelyindispensable.2 This continues true, howeveradvanced the pupil may be; as witness thepopular saying, “Ten years a graduate (withoutstudying), and one is a nobody.” The same sayingis current in regard to the second degree, andwith not less reason.

The necessity of confining one’s attention to study alone, leads to the selection of one or more of thesons of a family as the recipient of an education. The one who is chosen is clothed in the best stylewhich his family circumstances will allow, his little cue3 neatly tied with a red string, and he is provided,as we have seen, with a copy of the Hundred Surnames and of the Trimetrical Classic. This youngConfucianist4 is the bud and prototype of the adult scholar. His twin brother, who has not been chosento this high calling, roams about the village all summer in the costume of the garden of Eden,5

gathering fuel, swimming in the village mud-hole, busy when he must be busy, idle when he can beidle. He may be incomparably more useful to his family than the other, but so far as education goes heis only a “wild” lad.

[1]

1. Unremitting (adjective): non-stop2. Indispensable (adjective): absolutely essential; so important that it would be impossible to function without3. A traditional Chinese hairstyle for men, a low braid or ponytail at the back of the head.4. Confucianism is a Chinese philosophy sometimes classified as a religion that emphasizes family relationships and

ethical living.5. According to the Bible, in the Garden of Eden people were naked until they decided to cover themselves with leaves.

1

Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers by Arthur Henderson Smith is in the public domain.

If the student is quick and bright, and gives good promise of distinguishing himself, he stands anexcellent chance of being spoiled through thoughtless praises. “That boy,” remarks a bystander to astranger, and in the lad’s hearing, “is only thirteen years old, but he has read all the Four Books, and allof the Book of Poetry, etc. By the time he is twenty, he is sure to graduate.” When questioned as to hisattainments,6 the lad replies without any of that pertness7 and forwardness which too oftencharacterizes Western youth, but as he has been taught to do, in a bashful and modest manner, and ina way to win at once the good opinion of the stranger. His manner leaves nothing to be desired, but inreality he is the victim of the most dangerous of all flatteries, the inferiority of what is around him. Inorder to hold his relative position, it is necessary, as already pointed out to bestow the most unweariedattention on his books. His brothers are all day in the fields, or learning a trade, or are assistants tosome one engaged in business, as the case may be, but he is doing nothing, absolutely and literallynothing, but study.

So much confinement, and such close application from the very earliest years, can scarcely fail to showtheir effects in his physical constitution. His brother hoes the ground, bareheaded throughout theblistering heats of July, but such exposure to the sun would soon give him the headache. His brotherworks with more or less energy all day long (with intermittent sequence), but were he compelled to dothe same the result would not improbably be that he would soon begin to spit blood. That he isphysically by no means so strong as he once was, is undeniable. He has very little opportunity to learnanything of practical affairs, and still less disposition.8 The fact that a student has no time to devote toordinary affairs is not so much the reason of his ignorance, as is the fact that for him to do commonthings is not respectable. Among the four classes of mankind, scholars rank first, farmers, labourers,and merchants being at a great remove.

The two things that a pupil is sure to learn in a Chinese school are obedience, and the habit ofconcentrating his attention upon whatever he is reading, to the entire disregard of surroundingdistractions. So far as they go these are valuable acquirements, although they can scarcely be termedan education.

[5]

6. Achievements7. Pertness (noun): forwardness; being unafraid to say what you think and even saucy in a way that could be perceived

as rude8. Disposition (noun): natural tendency or desire

2

[RI.3]

[RI.2]

[RI.1]

[RI.4]

Text-Dependent QuestionsDirections: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences.

1. Compare and contrast the lives of the twins described in paragraphs 3-6. Citeevidence from the text in your response.

2. PART A: Which TWO of the following best identify the central ideas of this text?A. Traditional Chinese education requires constant study.B. Education in China is superior to education elsewhere.C. Without traditional Chinese education, children will become arrogant.D. The goal of education is to master many skills, both practical and intellectual.E. Education is only for some—others become “wild” laborers.F. With a good education, a “wild” child can become more useful to his family.

3. PART B: Which TWO phrases from the text best support the answers to Part A?A. “The object of Chinese education is to pump up the wisdom of the ancients into

the minds of the moderns” (Paragraph 1)B. “According to Chinese theory, or practice, a school which should only be in

session for six months of the year, would be a gross absurdity” (Paragraph 1)C. “The same saying is current in regard to the second degree, and with not less

reason” (Paragraph 2)D. “He may be incomparably more useful to his family than the other, but so far as

education goes he is only a ‘wild’ lad” (Paragraph 3)E. “He has very little opportunity to learn anything of practical affairs, and still less

disposition” (Paragraph 5)F. “So far as they go these are valuable acquirements, although they can scarcely

be termed an education” (Paragraph 6)

4. PART A: What does the word “gross” most closely mean as it is used in Paragraph 1?A. Largely unacceptableB. Muddy or dirtyC. NauseatingD. Undiscovered

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[RI.1]5. PART B: Which phrase from the text best supports the answer to Part A?A. “The object of Chinese education is to pump up the wisdom of the ancients into

the minds of the moderns.” (Paragraph 1)B. “a school which should only be in session for six months of the year” (Paragraph

1)C. “The moment a child fails to attend school, he is supposed (and with reason) to

become ‘wild.’” (Paragraph 1)D. “The territory to be traversed is so vast” (Paragraph 2)

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Discussion QuestionsDirections: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared toshare your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. How do the lives of the twins described in the text compare to your own? Is there one thatmore closely resembles the system of education where you live? Explain.

2. According to this text, one brother is educated and the other must do hard labor. Is this fair,or, if not, who gets the better deal? How might a system like this impact society?

3. The author writes that this “can scarcely be termed an education” (Paragraph 6). Why doyou think he says so? What should an education be and do? Should all people be educatedin the same way?

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Name: Class: Date:

Pairing Questions for "Teaching Shakespeare in a MaximumSecurity Prison" and "Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers"

Directions: After reading the texts, choose the best answer for the multiple-choice questions below and respond tothe writing questions in complete sentences.

A. One text is about reformed prisoners while the other text is about a refusalto reform.

B. These texts demonstrate how education can be used to both reform andrestrict.

C. The texts help demonstrate how education leads to your freedom andpleasure.

D. The texts show how education worked in the past and how it works in thepresent.

1. Which statement best describes the contrast between “Teaching Shakespeare in aMaximum Security Prison” and “Village Schools and Traveling Soldiers”? [RI.9]

2. Compare and contrast “Teaching Shakespeare in a Maximum Security Prison” and “VillageSchools and Traveling Soldiers.” Explain the differences in the articles’ points of viewregarding education. [RI.9]

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Name: ______________________ Class: _____________________ Date: _____________________

Education: Final Assessment Directions: Please respond to the prompt on the lines below. Use complete sentences. Cite evidence when appropriate. Prompt: Over the course of this unit, you have gathered information about the variety of ways that education can be used to create or resist change. Use the information you have gathered to answer the question: How can education be used to create change? Support your answer using reasons and evidence from a variety of the texts covered in this unit.

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