Grades 10

Estimated Time: sixteen 50 min sessions; may need more time if students require more information to understand certain concepts.

Ongoing Portfolios: Students will need 2 portfolios. One for personal writing (outline, rough draft, final draft, etc…) and another for group activities (Lit Circle sheets and reading worksheets).

Student objectives

Students will

-Explore unfamiliar words

-Respond to questions and discussion with relevant comments

-Paraphrase and summarize information

-Identify and analyze power dynamics in texts

-Explain relevance’s of class texts to their everyday lives

-Critically read and analyze a text of their choosing

Theory to Practice

- Literature Circles give students an opportunity to be independent readers. It allows for students to engage with others and explore the text and if given the chance to do so before discussion of a text they can be better prepared for the following discussion.

-Teaching towards interpretive geading and great conversations gives students the ability to learn through discussion and reading inquisitively. Highlighted in chapter 6 and 8 of Randy Bomer’s, Building Adolescent Literacy in Today’s English Classrooms.

-Likert Scale and KWL charts are good engaging activities to get the students to start thinking about what they already know about the subject. Then through lecture and discussion they either reaffirm their knowledge or they realize their misconceptions. These ideas are discussed in Kylene Beers, When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do.

Session One

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1. Introduction of unit. Engage students in brief discussion relating to the unit. Questions to ask:

-Who makes the decisions at home/classroom?

-Why do they get to make the decisions?

-Are there situations where you have more power than me?

2. Get students into groups and ask them to discuss the prompt: “When I say Power Dynamics what do I mean?”

3. Get back together in large group and talk about what they discussed. Then introduce your definition of power dynamics: “How does power work? Who has it and why?” Refer back to the earlier discussion and explain why some people make decisions. Simple example would be parents and children. Overt power, such as brute strength vs covert power such as social contracts between government and governed.

4. Introduce reading, “The most Dangerous Game,” and ask them to read it and think about the concept of power dynamics in the story.

6. Pass out Lit Circle handouts and quickly what each role is. Students will choose their roles in their groups for the following session.

Discussion Directorcreates questions to increase comprehension asks who, what, why, when, where, how, and what if

Vocabulary Enricherclarifies word meanings and pronunciations uses research resources

Literary Luminaryguides oral reading for a purpose examines figurative language, parts of speech, and vivid descriptions

Checker/Illustratorchecks for completion of assignments evaluates participation 

helps monitor discussion for equal participation

illustrates an important scene and explains the importance of that scene

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Session two

1. Begin with review of roles in Lit Circles and ask students to get into their groups.

2. As groups finish Lit Circles they can come up and grab the worksheet for the day and work in groups to complete the worksheet.

3. The last 10 minutes of class ask for group directors to discuss with the large group 1 interesting thing that they talked about in their lit circles.

Session Three

1. Ask students to take out their “The Most Dangerous Game” worksheet and for one student to remind/retell the story to the class.

2. Discuss the questions on the worksheet. While discussing questions emphasize how position, strength, and weapons affect who has power in certain situations.

3. Ask students to bring in one item that they think is essential or at least very important to the reason why humans are at the top of the food chain.

Session four

1. Remind students about how position, strength, and weapons affect power.

2. Ask students to share within their groups their items. What is it? Why is it important? What kind of backstory does it have?

3. Come together as a group and go into depths about how come humans are at the top of the food chain. Teacher begins with showing their item and explaining why they think it is important. Tie into TMDG:

- human dominance over animals through tools

- human dominance over other humans through force

4. Wrap up discussion about “The Most Dangerous Game” then have a likert scale with only one prompt: “Racism is more prevalent now than in the 70’s.” Ask students to record their responses and write a reason why they think that way.

5. Give students the story for next class: Chapter 4 from Lame Deer’s Seeker of Visions. Students choose new roles for Lit Circles

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Session five

1. Groups go into lit circles and complete roles. As groups finish Lit Circles they can come up and grab the worksheet for Seeker of Visions and work in groups to complete the worksheet.

2. The last 15 minutes of class ask for group directors to discuss with the large group 1 interesting thing that they talked about in their lit circles and Hand out Seeker of Visions worksheet 2. After having read the piece have their opinions changed?

Session Six

1. Ask students to take out their Seeker of Visions worksheet and for one student to remind/retell the story to the class.

2. Discuss the questions on the worksheet. While discussing questions emphasize how power can come in different forms. Contrast the kind of power dynamics displayed in “The Most Dangerous Game” and in Seeker of Visions.

MDG was mostly about cunning and strength

SOV was mostly due to oppression of American Indians

3. Ask class if they believe racism is more prevalent today. Those who agree will go to one side, those who disagree go to another side of class. Those that can’t decide can stay in the middle. After that tell them that in 2 days they will be having a discussion about it and those in the middle will have to make up their mind then.

Session Seven

1. Work day for students. Hand out Unit paper prompt and explanation. Explain what it is expected from the students.

2. Students will spend their time in the Library searching for a piece of writing to analyze. This will also give students the opportunity to finish their Seeker of Visions worksheet 2 for the following day.

3. Remind them that in 4 days their outline/brainstorm is due.

Session eight

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1. Ask students to take out worksheet 2. Begin get off the fence activity. Split up into the three groups, those for, those against and those in between. Students will engage in discussions and teacher will facilitate.

Things to bring up:

-Individual racism vs. institutional racism

-Civil rights movement

-Reservations and boarding schools

-lynching’s and KKK membership

2. After conversation students in the middle will have to decide and come up with reasons why they choose their side.

3. Pass out KWL chart for next reading, “The Story of an Hour,” and complete it in class. Give students 5 minutes to come up with as many as they can in the know and want to know section. List some up on the board.

Session Nine

1. Groups go into lit circles and complete roles. As groups finish Lit Circles they can come up and grab the worksheet for “The Story of an Hour” and work in groups to complete the worksheet.

2. The last 10 minutes of class ask for group directors to discuss with the large group 1 interesting thing that they talked about in their lit circles.

3. Remind students that in 2 days outline/brainstorm is due.

Session Ten

1. Ask students to take out their “The Story of an Hour” worksheet and for one student to remind/retell the story to the class.

2. Discuss the questions on the worksheet. While discussing questions emphasize how norms and roles affect power dynamics in society.

3. Hand out supplemental reading, “Women in the Middle Class in the 19th Century,” and “Chronology of Woman Suffrage movement.” Not due for next class but if they want to read ahead.

4. Outlines/Brainstorm due tomorrow.

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Session eleven

1. Work Day for students.

2. Conference with students about their papers. Look over outlines/brainstorms.

3. While conferencing students will be working on paper or reading and taking notes on supplemental readings.

Session Twelve

1. Students take out their notes on supplemental readings and K-W-L charts.

2. Discuss what the students wrote down on their K and W portion of the K-W-L charts.

3. Discuss the supplemental readings and fill out L portion of KWL.

Discuss role of women

Their expectations of themselves and others expectations of them

Their contributions to their homes and society

Men’s attitudes towards them

Discuss important dates

1848 – first serious proposal of women’s suffrage

1920 – 19th amendment finally passes

Discuss how the movement slowly began to build momentum and that it took 72 years for the passage of the amendment. If time permits talk about de jure and de facto as well.

4. Give out current events piece: should be an article in dating within that year that shows how power dynamics in a global or foreign setting. I’ll be using 2 articles about the U.N disability treaty.

Session Thirteen

1. Groups go into lit circles and complete roles. As groups finish Lit Circles they can come up and grab the worksheet for current events pieces and work in groups to complete the worksheet.

2. The last 10 minutes of class ask for group directors to discuss with the large group 1 interesting thing that they talked about in their lit circles.

3. Remind students that in 4 days rough draft is due.

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Session fourteen

1. Ask students to take out their current events worksheet and for one student to remind/retell the story to the class.

2. Discuss the questions on the worksheet. Define politics using Harold Dwight Lasswell’s definition “Politics is who gets what, when, and how.” Emphasize how politicians have to appeal to their constituents and how media has a large role in changing the power structure.

Session fifteen

1.Introduce activity for the day.

There are two candidates (Pikachu and SpongeBob) who are running for office and both are neck and neck at the polls. Your class is full of swing voters and whoever wins the class will win the election. Divide the class into ¼, ¼ and ½. ¼ of the class will be voters for Pikachu. ¼ will be voters for SpongeBob. ½ will be swing voters.

Give them the handouts for their parts.

Swing voters will decide on what kind of candidate they like.

SpongeBob and Pikachu voters will decide on what kind of image they want their candidate to have. Their candidates are flexible with everything except for a couple issues.

SpongeBob and Pikachu groups assign pollsters and writers. Writers will have to decide on the stances of the candidates and pollsters will have to go around asking swing voters about what they like/dislike.

Writers will present their candidates stances to the class and swing voters will vote for the candidate that most closely resembles their stances.

2. Discussion of activity. How did it tie in with the articles read? Who are the congressman working for? Why did your candidate have to change so many stances? What were the pollsters really doing? How did media/writers affect the outcome of the elections?

Session sixteen

1.Review unit.

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Power dynamics – it is just that, dynamic. Constantly changing and affected by countless variables.

Brute strength

Oppression (racism)

Social constructs (gender roles)

Politics

Media

2. Discuss who makes the decisions at their homes.

Parents do, for the most part, but what other variables are there?

Parents love for the children?

Parents not home?

Parents can’t see everything?

Naughty children?

3. Work on final unit project and remind students rough draft is due tomorrow.

Session seventeen

1. Peer Reviews within lit group.

2. Remind students of due date.

Standards

Reading Standards for Literature 6-12 (9-10)1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the textsays explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail itsdevelopment over the course of the text, including how it emerges and isshaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of thetext.

4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impactof specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokesa sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

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9. Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specificwork (e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible orhow a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare).

Reading Standards for Informational Texts 6-12 (9-10)

1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the textsays explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the courseof the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specificdetails; provide an objective summary of the text.

3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events,including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced anddeveloped, and the connections that are drawn between them.

4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze thecumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how thelanguage of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how anauthor uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.

8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessingwhether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;identify false statements and fallacious reasoning.

Writing Standards 6-12 (9-10)

1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,

using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effectiveselection, organization, and analysis of content.

4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specificexpectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is mostsignificant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions shoulddemonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades9–10 on page 54.)

10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, andrevision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range oftasks, purposes, and audiences.

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Appendix

1. Literature Circle Hand Outs

o Discussion Directoro Vocabulary Enrichero Literary Luminaryo Checker

2. “Most Dangerous Game” Hand Outs

o Questions

3. Seeker of Visions Hand Outs

o Questions 1o Questions 2

4. “The Story of an Hour” Hand Outs

o Questionso KWL sheet

5.Current Events Hand Outs

o Questionso Voting Activity

Swing Voters Pikachu Voters SpongeBob Voters

6. Final Project Hand Out

o Prompto Peer Review

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Literature Circle Role

DISCUSSION DIRECTORThe “Discussion Director” asks questions to increase comprehension.

Name __________________________________________

Story___________________________________________

1. Why do you think the author had _________________________

happen in the story?

2. How is ______________________________ alike/different from

_________________________________________________ ?

3. If you had been _____________________, how would you have

__________________________________________________ ?

4. How did you feel about _______________________________ ?

5. What do you think caused _____________________________ ?

6. How would the story have been changed if the author had not let

____________________________________________ happen?

7. Tell a short summary of _______________________________ .

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

“The Most Dangerous Game”Richard Connell

1. What animal is at the top of the food chain? Why is this important to the story?

2. What is ironic about how Rainsford treats the jaguar?

3. What happened to General Zaroff at the end of the story? How do you know?

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4. What is the meaning of the title, “The Most Dangerous Game?” How does Rainsford’s occupation help him in his situation?

5. Who holds the power in most of the story? Does this power ever shift? Why?

6. What is the difference between killing for sport and killing for survival? How does this relate to having power?

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

Seeker of VisionsJohn Lame Deer & Richard Erdoes

1. Are there racist things that happen in this chapter? If so, what?

2. What cultural differences does Lame Deer talk about? Why did their culture change?

3. On page 77 Lame Deer asks, “Why do Indians drink?” Why do Indians drink? How is this related to power dynamics?

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4. What does Lame Deer mean when he says he is only half a man?

5. In the chapter following this one Lame Deer talks about one town really being two towns; the white town and the Indian town. Having read this chapter and not that one, what do you think he means by that? Are there instances in this chapter where one town is really two towns?

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

Seeker of VisionsJohn Lame Deer & Richard Erdoes

What is your stance on racism in the U.S? Does it still exist? Give some examples of racism that you have seen or heard of and compare that with what we read in Seeker of Visions. How has racism changed?

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

“The Story of an Hour”Kate Chopin (1894)

1. Describe the setting of the story. Why is it important in showing how Mrs. Mallard feels about her circumstances?

2. What kind of relationships do the Mallards have? What does Mrs. Mallard mean when she says “free, free, free?”

3. “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.” What does she mean by life “might be long?” does it have the same connotation in both instances.

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4. Mrs. Mallard is described as descending the stairs "like a goddess of Victory." In what ways does she feel herself victorious?

5. The last line of the story is this: "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that kills." Is this an ironic statement?

6. What view of marriage does the story present? The story was published in 1894; does it only represent attitudes toward marriage in the nineteenth century, or could it equally apply to attitudes about marriage today?

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

The Story of an Hour

K-W-L Chart – Role of women and Women’s rights.

What do you Know?

What do you Want to know?

What do you want to Learn?

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

Current Events 

1. What are arguments for the treaty? Who is for it?

2. What are Arguments against the treaty? Who is against it?

3. Why do these specific people get to make the decisions and why are they for or against the treaty? (looking for characteristics of the people not pros and cons of the treaty)

4. Are the articles biased? How do they seem biased? If you only read one article how would it affect your perception of the treaty?

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

Analysis/Response Paper

You will read a text of your own choosing: a short story, a play, an article, a television script, etc… From this text you will have to write a 700 word paper that answers these questions, what kind of power dynamics are shown throughout the text? What factors are involved in determining who has power and who doesn’t? How does the power dynamics affect the piece? And most importantly, why is this relevant to you? Give textual evidence to prove that what you are saying is indeed what the author is saying.

The outline is due on:

The Rough Draft is due on:

This Paper will be due on:

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Name__________________________________________ Hour___________ Date __________

Peer Review

Peer reviews are meant to improve the writing of the author and not to scrutinize or belittle their abilities. Anything said should be taken as suggestions or advice and not as an absolute or criticism. Remember that writing is a form of communication and in order to communicate well there must be a sender and a receiver and depending on which position you hold the message may be heard differently. Peer review is a chance to understand how the receiver interprets the message and by understanding such things the sender can improve their abilities.

1) Read carefully and take note of any phrases, word choices, events, etc. that you liked and give reasons why you liked it. Try to keep in mind how they affect the overall feel of the piece.

2) Are there any parts that were confusing, incoherent, not needed or anything that you felt needs to be explained more thoroughly? Once again, take into consideration how these things affect the overall piece.

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