Barth-Franklin

How do the Changing Times Reflect the Evolution

of American Society?

Kady Franklin and Kristen Barth11th Grade Year Long Plan

EDUC 46310 October 2011

We have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistanceKady Franklin and Kristen Barth

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Introduction:The theme for this year-long plan focuses on the changing times throughout

American history and the way that those times have shaped the society that we live in

today. It is geared towards an 11th grade American literature course and the theme will

allow students to read some of the most important literary works in U.S. history. Students

will begin with 17th century literature and gradually move through the works of major

eras in U.S. history until they arrive at the final unit, which is modern American writing.

In each unit students will be challenged to analyze the way that those pieces of literature

reflect the society of the time and how it has changed from the period before. Students

will have the opportunity to explore multiple genres as well as multimedia sources to

expand their literary knowledge. There is a very diverse selection of American authors,

each displaying a unique aspect of American society through their writing. By the end of

the year, students should have an understanding of the way that American society has

evolved into the current world we live in today.

Defense of Over-arching Theme:

Our over-arching theme for this year will be how do the changing times reflect the

evolution of American society? We chose this theme because typically 11th grade

English classes are some form of American literature course in Colorado. Therefore, we

thought it was only appropriate to have it cover something to do with America. Yet, we

did not want to study a cliche topic such as “what it means to be American” or something

of that source. We also wanted to allow our students to read a variety of texts from many

different time periods throughout history. So we decided to study how the changing times

reflect the evolution of society because you cannot help but look back on American

history and note the major changes in society. Also, in this grade students will likely be in

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an American history course, so this theme will allow them to prosper by cross-

referencing the material they are learning between classes.

This theme allows us to discuss many themes in society, such as finding your

“self” and the way that society changes in war. Students are really trying to find

themselves at this age and the transcendentalist unit that this theme covers will help them

with that. Also, America is in a time of war and this theme allows students to read texts

from three separate wars and relate what is going on in their lives right now to what

others have gone through in the past. We thought that this theme was the best theme to

study because it allows students to study American literature in a chronological order that

makes the most sense and allows them to relate what is going on in their lives right now

to what has happened in the past.

Context:

The school that we have chosen to base our classroom context around is Rocky

Mountain High School in Poudre School district in Fort Collins, Colorado. The class will

be an eleventh-grade American literature course with 16-17 year old students. The

enrollment of the entire 11th grade class is approximately 530 students. The ethnic

breakdown for Rocky Mountain High School is; 76.4% Caucasian, 18.1% Hispanic, 1.4%

African American, 3.4% Asian, and 0.6% Indian. The context of the students in our

classroom is as follows:

● The class size will be about 31 students● The ratio of boys to girls will be approximately 51%-49%, which would create a

classroom of 16 boys and 15 girls. ● It will be an 11th grade classroom, but the reading and writing skills may range

from 9-12th grade. ● Based on the demographics of the school, the racial breakdown of the classroom

will be approximately:○ 22 white students

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○ 5 Hispanic students○ 1 African American student○ 2 Asian students○ 1 Indian student

● The context of the community surrounding Rocky Mountain High School is displayed in the tables featured below:

Population Fort Collins city, Colorado Colorado

Total Population 118,652 4,301,261

Male 50.2% 50.4%

Female 49.8% 49.6%

18 years and over 78.5% 74.4%

Housing Characteristics Fort Collins city, Colorado Colorado

Total Housing Units 47,766 1,808,037

Median Home Cost $169,600 $166,600

Number of Households 45,882 1,658,238

Persons per Household 2.45 2.53

Economic Characteristics Fort Collins city, Colorado Colorado

Median Household Income $44,459 $47,203

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Per Capita Income $22,133 $24,049

In Labor Force 72.4% 70.1%

Families below poverty level 5.5% 6.2%

Education Characteristics Fort Collins city, Colorado Colorado

School Enrollment

Elementary School Enrollment 11,654 503,119

High School Enrollment 5,303 239,240

Source: http://www.fortcollins.com/demographics.htmlhttp://eweb.psdschools.org/schools/rockymountain/aboutus/profile.aspx

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Classroom:

Our classroom will be set up in a way that inspires student interaction in a

student-centered environment instead of the teacher being the center of attention all the

time. It is set up with the desks in four rows of eight; however, the rows will be facing

each other so that when class discussion comes around the students can focus on one

another and their own thoughts and opinions instead of what the teacher has to say. The

teacher’s desk is pushed to the corner so that it does not draw too much attention to itself,

yet it is at the front of the classroom so that there is still authority.

The literature circles at the back of the classroom serve to provide a place for

students to go to read when there is class time to do so. It will consist of comfy chairs or

bean bags so the students can get comfortable and relax. Students can go there

individually, or in groups to discuss a text in a smaller group setting. We will regulate the

students that go to the literature circles as to make sure that the area is not being abused

or creating a distraction. We will also use these circles for times when we feel we need

for one-on-one or small group discussions with students who are behind or struggling

with a particular reading or assignment.

We have a white board set up at the front of the classroom so that we can quickly

write any important information on the board that we want students to know. This can

also be utilized by the students themselves to visually express their ideas to their peers if

they need to. We would like to have a smart board at the other end of the classroom

because we think that technology is an extremely important factor in modern education

and we would like to incorporate it as much as possible.

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Standards:

The standards used in our classroom are from the newly updated Colorado state

education content standards for reading, writing, and communication specified for 11th

grade. These standards can be found at:

http :// www . cde . state . co . us / cdeassess / UAS / Printable _ Standards . html

Standard 1: Oral Expression and Listening

1. Verbal and nonverbal cues impact the intent of communication

Through participation in the Socratic seminars and class discussions throughout every

unit (but especially units 2 and 8) students will better their informal communication skills. They

will have to use evidence to support verbal claims in order to prove their ideas or opinions.

2. Validity of a message is determined by its accuracy and relevance

Socratic seminars used in units 2 and 8 will also enforce students’ abilities to engage in

different types of discussion (small group, one on one, and large group/class). They will also

show their ability to evaluate point of view, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone through

their creative reinterpretation of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

Standard 2: Reading for All Purposes

1. Complex literary texts require critical reading approaches to effectively

interpret and evaluate meaning

This standard is most blatantly expressed in unit 4. The argumentative essay students

may choose to write regarding The Great Gatsby and their choice to defend Gatsby’s actions will

show their ability to closely examine and critically read a text in order to determine underlying

themes, figurative language, author’s choice, and determine importance of historical or cultural

context. Also in unit 4 students will watch the movie version of The Great Gatsby and will

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interact in discussion comparing the text and the movie, which will require students to extrapolate

meaning and themes through not only text but film as well.

2. Ideas synthesized from informational texts serve a specific purpose

Through their analysis and close reading of The Scarlet Letter (unit 1) and The Great

Gatsby (unit 4) as well as the close reading of informational texts such as Martin Luther King

Jr.’s speech (unit 6) and watching Roosevelt’s “fireside chats”(unit 4), students will display an

ability to form ideas and draw meaning from all forms of literary genre. They will use evidence

from these different forms of text to show their understanding of meaning and intent through

assignments such as their speech writing (unit 6) and their own rendition of “fireside chats” (unit

4).

3: Knowledge of language, including syntax and grammar, influence the

understanding of literary, persuasive, and informational texts

As students practice their writing skills throughout each unit, they will encounter and

learn about many different components of grammar and mechanics of language. Through their

expansion of knowledge on these topics they will also learn how to apply these ideas to

interpretations of particular texts, such as with poetry in units 2 and 5. (Dickinson and Ginsberg

poems).

Standard 3: Writing and Composition

1. Stylistic and thematic elements of literary or narrative texts can be

refined to engage or entertain an audience

In unit 3 students write their own short-story/narratives of a day in the life of a person

involved in or affected by WWI based on their readings of Hemgingway’s In Our Time.

Engagement in narrative writing builds on students’ knowledge of and ability to identify and

convey themes as well as other literary elements like figurative language and how these choices

affect their tone and audience.

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2. Elements of informational and persuasive texts can be refined to inform

or influence an audience

In unit 4, students write a persuasive essay arguing a point of view based on their reading

of The Great Gatsby. Their exploration and use of persuasive language in this essay will further

their knowledge of how language choice is pertinent in influencing an audience. This idea is also

seen in unit 6 when students write their own speech modeled after the “I Have a Dream” speech.

3. Writing demands ongoing revisions and refinements for grammar, usage,

mechanics, and clarity

Almost all of the units we teach throughout the year will contain some sort of assessment

based around a writing component for that unit. Whether it is through essay writing (Units 1, 4,

5), speech writing (unit 6) ,play writing (unit 5), narrative writing (unit 3), or even daily

journaling (unit 7), students will build on and display their knowledge of the conventions of

grammar and language.

Standard 4: Research and Reasoning

1. Self-designed research provides insightful information, conclusions,

and possible solutions

This component of research standards are seen most in the assignments that directly ask

students to perform research on their own in order to inform their writing successfully. Units that

include research specific assignments include unit 6 with speech writing, unit 1 with their essay

on puritan life, and unit 5 with their essay on post-modernism. Research based around a student’s

particular choice on their assignment topic will influence their ability to discern helpful from non-

helpful information as well as informational value of particular research findings.

2. Complex situations require critical thinking across multiple disciplines

The two units that most utilize this skill are the ones that relate research most directly

with formal writing (units 1 and 5). The application of research to informed writing require

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students to differentiate between credibility and incredibility as well as between biased and

unbiased writing.

3. Evaluating quality reasoning includes the value of intellectual character

such as humility, empathy, and confidence

The ability to evaluate information and “quality reasoning” is found in all of the research

based assignments in the units (1, 5, 7). It is also important that students not only can evaluate

this type of information but be able to use it to inform their own quality reasoning through

discussion situations such as Socratic seminars (2).

Conceptual Units:

List of Units:

○ Early 17th Century Colonial America○ Transcendentalism○ World War I Era○ Roaring 20s/Great Depression Era○ World War II/Postmodernism Era○ Social Justice○ Vietnam/Anti-war Era○ Modern Affairs

The units throughout out this year will transition based on chronological order to

help students to understand the evolution of society. The first unit of the year will start

the class with an introduction into 17th century Colonial America. This unit will focus on

showing lifestyle of a puritan society and the rigid traditions that were incorporated with

this time period. This unit serves to provide the students with an introduction into the way

that American society began by giving them a starting point to reflect on how society has

changed from this time period to the modern affairs unit. Students will transition from

this unit into the transcendentalism unit because transcendentalism magnifies the way

that society shifted from strict, puritan traditions into a larger focus on “the self”. As we

read the three main transcendentalist texts of this unit, students will gain a knowledge of 11

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what transcendentalism means as both a cultural and political movement in American

society. Next, students will transfer into the World War I unit. This is a smaller unit that

uses only a few short stories from an Ernest Hemingway text to show the effects of this

war. We chose to do this because Hemingway is such an influential writer in American

history and this unit will allow the students to focus on his writing without the distraction

of other works. Also, his writing in In Our Time gives deep insights into what American

society was like during and after this war while allowing students to study short stories.

Students will then segue into the Roaring Twenties and Great Depression unit. This is a

much longer unit because these two time periods were extremely significant in American

society. We decided to combine them into one unit because they go so hand-in-hand and

represent the peak and subsequent downfall of American society. Students can see the

“high” of the Golden era through The Great Gatsby, but then can see the “low” of the

Depression through the cultural media clips and “Fireside Chats”. This will allows

students to analyze media works as literary items. The next major era that students will

study in class is the World War II and Postmodernism unit. This unit will display the

influence that the postmodernist philosophy had on society through WWII texts and other

literature that followed the war. This unit will allow students to see the way that society

raised itself out of the Great Depression and evolved, once again, into a time of war.

Students will learn about postmodernism through a variety of genres such as poetry, a

play, and a novel. This will give them insight into the ways that this era effected many

aspects of American society. This will lead us into the unit on social justice. This unit

will focus on the way that Americans changed the face of society by fighting against

social injustices in order to obtain civil rights. Students will read and watch speeches

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from significant figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. to show them the importance of

speech as a form of literature. Students will also write their own speeches about a law

that they think should or should not be passed in order to get them engaged in speaking as

well as intensive research. The social justice movement is followed by the Vietnam War

unit both chronologically and through the way that social injustice carries into this era.

Students will learn that during this era society really focused on anti-war movements and

the growth of individuality and freedom of speech. They will study not only a novel, but

also multi-media sources such as songs and speeches in order to dissect them in the same

way that they dissect a poem or essay. This will show that the culture of the time reflects

American society just as much as the literature does. Finally, we will end the year by

transitioning into the modern affairs unit. This is a short unit and easy unit to wrap up the

year and give them time to work on their cumulative project. This unit will introduce

them to a modern graphic novel that discussing the issue of immigration, which is a very

hot topic in the current American society. They will also read poems from the book

Poetry After 9/11 in order to reflect on how American society and their own lives have

changed since that event. The cumulative project will ask them to incorporate all the

aspects of American society that they have learned over the year into a portfolio in order

to present their understanding of the way that American society has evolved from the

Puritan era to the modern affairs.

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Overarching Theme: How do the changing times reflect the evolution of American society?

Proposed Units:

1. Early 17th century Colonial America (4 weeks)a. The lifestyle of puritan society and the shift away from it.b. Standards Addressed:

i. 2.2.c.ii1. students will analyze seventeenth-century documents and

foundational works. ii. 4.2.a-b

1. I will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of students’ logic using relevance, clarity, accuracy, etc through the essay assigned at the end of this unit.

c. Readings : i. The Scarlett Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne

1. This book displays the values and traditions of the Puritan society and the way it affected the lives on those on the fringes of that society.

ii. “Upon the Burning of Our House” – Ann Bradstreetiii. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” – Jonathan Edwards

1. A look into a famous sermon given by a very traditional Puritan preacher. It will give students insight into what church and religion was like and its value to society during this time period.

d. Assessments : Students will begin a daily journal that they will write in every day at the beginning of class. Most days there will be a prompt relating to the reading or activity for that day, however some days would just be free writes. These will be read but not graded, for the purpose of gauging student response and understanding only.

i. Major assessment for the unit: Based on what you have read in this unit, research an interesting piece of daily puritan life to discuss in a 2-3 page essay. This can be anything from dress, to diet, to important historical events, to a social order. Research this topic and explain it thoroughly in your essay. You must show how it is present in any of the three readings as well as compare it to a similar aspect of modern society. For example, if you are researching the type of clothing women wore in Puritan times, compare it to the way that modern women dress now and how society’s opinion as to what is acceptable has changed.

e. Weekly Breakdown: i. Week 1: Introduce history of puritan society and the time

period surrounding it, as well as the over-arching theme we will be

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connecting it and other units to. Begin reading The Scarlett Letter and explain the way that the Daily Journals will work

ii. Week 2: Introduce research essay assessment. Continue reading The Scarlett Letter

iii. Week 3: Finish The Scarlett Letter and have a class discussion after about the overall feelings about the book and its relation to the evolution of American society.

iv. Week 4: Read “Upon the Burning of Our House” and analyze poetic elements as well as the reflections of the Puritan society. Read “Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God” and discuss the Puritan traditions and restrictions that are present. Turn in the assessment.

2. Transcendentalism: (5 weeks)a. Through the teaching of this unit, students will study the shift from strict

Puritan religious tradition and into a focus on “the self”.b. Standards Addressed:

i. Standard 1.2.a.i-iv and vi1. Students will participate in Socratic Seminars and come to

their discussions prepared, having read and researched material that is being studied. In the seminar, they must refer to the texts in order to participate.

ii. Standard 1.1.a1. The Socratic Seminars will serve as an informal talk given

to the class using verbal and nonverbal interaction. c. Readings:

i. “Nature” – Ralph Waldo Emerson1. This text is often considered the essay that moved

transcendentalism from an idea to a cultural movement. Therefore, it is a good first text to introduce the students to transcendentalism.

ii. “Civil Disobedience” – Henry David Thoreau1. This essay will introduce students to the transcendentalist

idea that an individual should not allow the government to overrule their own consciences. This work by Thoreau shows a less spiritual side of transcendentalism and a more political side.

iii. Emily Dickinson poetry1. Much of her poetry focuses on a search universal truths for

love, death, and other topics. Her non-conformist lifestyle, the way that she wrote, etc display transcendentalist beliefs.

d. Assessments :i. There will be at least one Socratic seminar for every reading that is

assigned this unit, and for larger readings such as Nature and Civil Disobedience there may be two seminars. Each student will be

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required to actively participate in at least three of the Socratic seminars.

1. Major assessment: Students will have an option for their major assessment for this unit.

a. Using Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” as a guide, think of a modern example of a person or a incident in which someone is working for change in the name of justice and of fairness. Write a 2-3 page essay about the reason that they should fight for it. How far should they go to achieve the desired end result? Do you support or criticize their efforts? What do you think Thoreau would say?

b. The second option is to demonstrate in a poster what you think Emerson means by “Nature”. You can draw, use cut outs, or any other artistic means to get your point across. Include a one page paper that describes what your mural means in relation to “Nature”

e. Weekly Breakdown i. Week 1: Introduce transcendentalism to the students, give

backgrounds of Thoreau, Emerson, and Dickinson. ii. Week 2: Read and Discuss “Nature”; have two Socratic seminars.

iii. Week 3: Read and Discuss “Civil Disobedience”; Have at least one Socratic seminar and gauge student response to see whether we need to have another.

iv. Week 4: Read Emily Dickinson poetry and have a Socratic seminar at the end of the week. Introduce the assessment options for this unit.

v. Week 5: Use week to allow the students to work on their assessment projects in-class. Projects are due at the end of the week.

3. World War I era: (3 weeks)a. Focusing on the way that the war affected society and created the “lost

generation”. We will do this by focusing completely on Ernest Hemingway’s texts because of his influence on American literature and society itself.

b. Standards addressed: i. 2.3.c.i-ii

1. students will study Hemingway’s short stories in order to focus on the interpretation of figurative language. In turn, when they write their own short stories, they must incorporate figurative language in order to show their knowledge of the subject.

ii. 3.1.a.i-vii

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1. Students will write their own narratives inspired by their readings of Hemingway’s short stories. These will have all the elements of plot, introduce a narrator and characters. It will use dialogue, tone, and precise wording. Students will provide a conclusion that reflects the the experience of the story.

c. Readings : i. Excerpts from In Our Time – Ernest Hemingway

1. This is a collection of short stories by Ernest Hemingway, many of which are about the war.

a. “Soldier’s Home” specifically discusses the way that the war and PTSD affected the family as well as the soldier.

b. “Big Two Hearted River” – an account of a healing process from war experiences.

c. Allow students to choose 2-3 other short stories to study

d. Assessment : Since this unit is a shorter unit than the rest of the units, the students will only be required to write a two-page day-in-the-life account of a person either in the war, or recently out of the war. These should be inspired by one of the short stories that we read by Hemingway. They will also have mini assessments in the form of reading quizzes throughout the reading of the short-stories.

e. Weekly Breakdown: i. Week 1: Brief historical overview and introduction of WWI.

Introduce biographical information about Ernest Hemingway.ii. Week 2: Read first selected short story from In Our Time and

introduce creative narrative end of unit assignment. Give first reading quiz

iii. Week 3: Read remaining short stories from In Our Time. Give last reading quiz. Collect narrative assignment.

4. Roaring 20s/Great Depression era (6 weeks)a. This unit will show how American society prospered in the 20s, but

subsequently fell during the Great Depression. It will focus on how literature changed dramatically during these years and how that represented society.

b. Standards Addressed: i. 1.2.b-c

1. Students will use the fireside chats as another source of information that is presented in a different format than just literature. When they create their own, they must evaluate the point of view, reasoning, etc.

ii. 2.1.ai-iii and 2.2.a i-iv1. Students will study the Great Gatsby and write a paper that

defend their argument as to why Gatsby is “Great”. In this

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they must use textual evidence, present themes, and analyze the authors choice of elements throughout the story.

iii. 1.1.b-c1. Students will use present their “fireside chats” to the class

as a formal oral presentation with clear enunciation and using Great Depression specific vocabulary.

iv. 2.1.b.i-iii and 1. Students will study Langston Hughes’ poetry in order to

determine the meaning of words and phrases, point of view, and the influence the historical context on the poetry.

v. 2.1.c.i1. Students will analyze the Great Gatsby novel as well as the

Great Gatsby movie to compare the differences and the visual vs literary elements.

vi. 3.2.a.i-v1. Students must defend their reasoning for why Gatsby

should be considered “Great” or not. They must support their claims with an analysis of substantive topics and the text. They must develop their claims, use appropriate syntax, and maintain formal style and tone.

c. Readings : i. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

1. This book really encapsulates the values and lifestyles of the roaring twenties. It is the epitome of the Jazz age.

ii. Langston Hughes poetry; focus on the music and fashion of the time.

iii. Include cultural videos or radio clips of the Great Depression1. Things such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “fireside

chats”2. “The Thin Man” short movies – Dashiell Hammett

d. Assessments : Because this is a much larger unit, students will be assigned two assessments. The first will take place after finishing The Great Gatsby, and the second will be after the cultural videos and radio clips at the end of the unit

i. The first writing assignment is to write a paper that explains why Jay Gatsby is considered “great” when he ultimately suffers a tragic death. Use textual evidence to support your claim.

ii. The second assessment will be to create their own “fireside chat”. It must be a 5-8 minute long speech that they can record or present live. However, they must follow it with a 2-3 minute explanation as to what aspect of the Great Depression they are “chatting” about.

e. Weekly Breakdown: i. Week 1: Introduce the Roaring Twenties. Give visuals examples of

what American society was like during these times. Give students The Great Gatsby and have them start reading.

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ii. Week 2: Continue reading The Great Gatsby - Introduce the essay assignment due in a week.

iii. Week 3: Finish Reading Gatsby half-way through the week. Finish the week with Langston Hughes poetry and open class discussion about how both pieces of literature reflect the culture of the time. Focus on poetic elements when reading the Langston Hughes poetry.

iv. Week 4: Introduce the Great Depression. Give visual examples of how American society fell from the twenties to the thirties and the struggles that people had to go through.

v. Week 5: Spend this week showing cultural videos and “fireside chats”. Discuss the way that this multi-media can be analyzed in the same way as literature. introduce the “fireside chat” assessment activity.

vi. Week 6: Half of this week will be spent giving students class time to work on their “fireside chats” the other half will be spent presenting them.

5. World War II/Post-modernism (5 weeks)a. This unit will introduce the post-modernist movement first through WWII

literature and then through other genres such as drama and poetry. b. Standards Addressed:

i. 2.2.b.i and iii1. students must analyze the post-modernism literature in

order to determine the meaning of select words and phrases in the text, and analyze the structure of the selected readings.

ii. 1.2.a.i-vi1. students will fulfill these standards again through their

dramatic interpretation of “Waiting for Godot”. This will allow for both formal and informal talks in groups. It will also have them initiate and participate in another collaborative discussion with diverse partners.

c. Readings :i. Slaughterhouse-Five – Kurt Vonnegut

1. This book is an introduction into the post-modernist movement in literature. It also offers a unique perspective on the war since it focuses on the Dresden Bombings which isn’t as widely discussed as other parts of the war.

ii. Waiting for Godot – Samuel Beckett1. This play will show students what post-modernist theater

looked like and the rise in popularity of “theatre of the absurd”.

iii. “Howl” – Allen Ginsberg1. Another look into post-modernism through the viewpoint

of the Beat Generation and its effect on society. This text

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shows the effects of the post-war society on the youth of the time through poetry.

d. Assessments : Students will have 2 major assessments during this unit. One will be in the form of an essay in which they will research a post-modernist work or author of their choice. The second major assessment will be a dramatic interpretation of Waiting for Godot. Students will be placed into groups of 4 or 5 and will have the option for creative interpretation of the play that they will perform in front of the class. This can either be filmed beforehand or performed live. Students will have the option of changing the dialect or time period of the piece, as well as making any executive decisions on costume, props, setting, etc.

e. Weekly Breakdown: i. Week 1: Brief historical introductions of WWII, Kurt Vonnegut

and Post-Modernism. Start reading Slaughterhouse-Fiveii. Week 2: Continue reading and discussing Slaughterhouse-Five.

Introduce post-modernist essay assignment. iii. Week 3: Finish Slaughterhouse-Five. Introduce Samuel Beckett

and post-modernist drama. iv. Week 4: Read Waiting for Godot. Introduce and do creative

interpretation assignment during class time (if possible). v. Week 5: Introduce Allen Ginsberg, Beat Generation and read

“Howl”. Turn in research assignment on post-modernism.

6. Social Justice (4 weeks)a. This unit will focus on social justice and injustices around this time and

into the period of the civil rights movement. b. Standards Addressed:

i. 3.2.b1. Students will write a formal essay that informs their

audience about a current event that ties into the theme of racism or social justice. It will convey a complex idea or problem and present the issue clearly and accurately.

ii. 3.3.a1. students must demonstrate the proper conventions of

standard English grammar in their writing.2. In their speech-writing assignment, students must

demonstrate the proper conventions of standard English grammar when speaking as well as writing.

iii. 3.3.b-d1. In both writing assignments students will show the proper

commands of capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.2. They must also develop and strengthen writing with

planning and revising while using clear development and organization.

iv. 4.1.a-f

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1. In their speech writing assignment students will conduct a short research project to answer the question “why should this law be passed or not?”

2. The students must gather information from multiple sources such as print and online.

3. Students must document their sources using MLA4. Students will read a historical document when they read the

“I Have A Dream Speech”.c. Readings :

i. Snow falling on Cedars David Guterson1. Discusses the prejudices against Japanese Americans post

WWIIii. The class will read a variety of speeches and narratives from the

civil rights movement especially focusing on the,“I have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr (watched on video and read aloud as a class)

d. Assessments : i. One assessment will be based on a discussion and class debate on

themes of social justice and racism from both texts studied in this unit. Students will be responsible for searching for a current event or issue that is seen as a social injustice or an example of prejudice and will bring in an article to discuss in class. Topics for the debate will be loosely provided by the teacher but students will also, as a class based on their outside research, work to come up with other examples that can be brought to the table for debate.

ii. The second assessment of this unit will be a speech writing assignment in which each student must write a speech arguing for a law that they think should (or should not) be passed and why. They will be responsible for following conventions of speech writing as well as supplying research-based evidence to support their claims.

e. Weekly Breakdown: i. Week 1: Introduce controversial human rights issues. Begin

researching modern social injustices for the class debate. Begin Snow Falling on Cedars

ii. Week 2: Finish research, have class debate on social justice topics. Finish Snow Falling on Cedars by the end of the week.

iii. Week 3: Read “I Have a Dream” speech and watch the video. Introduce the speech writing assignment.

iv. Week 4: work on Speech writing assignment and perform speeches by the end of the week.

7. Vietnam/Anti-war movements and 60s era (5 weeks)a. This unit will focus on the increasing growth in individuality and freedom

of speech in society that was displayed during the Vietnam War era and

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the counterculture of the 1960s. Also to be discussed: how this era gave birth to not only new literature but new forms of art, music, and lifestyle.

b. Standards Addressed: i. 2.3.a-b

1. By reading their logs, I will determine the students knowledge of how language functions in the different contexts included in this unit.

2. Students will determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words that I have selected from the texts.

ii. 4.3.a-d1. Throughout their logs in this unit students will analyze the

purpose, question at issue, points of view etc based on prompts given to them.

2. They must enter empathatically into the competing points of view presented by the multi-media in this unit.

c. Readings :i. The Things They Carried– Tim O’Brien

1. A non-fiction look into the war in Vietnamii. Viewing multi-media as a text:

1. Music as a form of text/lyrical poetry. (songs by John Prine, Bob Dylan, etc)

iii. News broad castings or articles about the war, anti-war protests, and other political movements (The Stonewall Riots = Gay Rights, Berekly’s Free Speech Movement, etc.)

d. Assessments : As we go through this unit, students will keep a log of all of the things they found most interesting as they learned about this era. They will write about why they found it interesting and they will have the opportunity once a week to delve deeper and discuss with one another the things they liked or didn’t like. At the end of the unit they will choose the aspect that interested them most, and with a partner they will design a creative presentation to the class to teach us about it. This can be in the form of singing a song they learned about, reciting a poem they discovered, sharing an essay or free-write about it, etc.

e. Weekly Breakdown: i. Week 1: Introduce 60s counterculture and background of Vietnam

War and anti-war sentiments of the period. Introduce Tim O’Brien. Introduce writing log assignment. Start reading The Things They Carried.

ii. Week 2: Continue reading The Things They Carried. While reading, examine other elements of 60s counterculture first through songs as lyrical poetry: “Sam Stone” by John Prine, “Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and “The Times They are A’Changin” and “With God On Our Side” by Bob Dylan

iii. Week 3-4: Continue The Things They Carried. Discuss other elements of freedom sought through this time period through

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media (news broadcastings and informational videos on Stonewall Riots and Berkley’s Free Speech Movement as well as other protest videos. Introduce end of unit assignment.

iv. Week 5: Finish The Things They Carried. Discuss connections of the book with modern times and the overarching theme of the evolution of American society through this time period. Present final projects.

8. Modern Affairs (4 weeks)a. This unit will focus on how current literature reflects the status of modern

American society.b. Standards addressed:

i. 4.3.dii. I will evaluate the reasoning of self and others through open class

discussions and Socratic seminars throughout this unit. The main focus of this unit is to develop a strong sense of thinking.

c. Readings :i. American Born Chinese – Gene Luen Yang

1. This is a graphic-novel from the point of view of an American boy who has Chinese immigrant parents. It is a more modern depiction of immigrant’s and non-European American’s life and place in society.

ii. Poems from the book Poetry After 9/11 - Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians (editor)

d. Assessments : One way of assessing students during this unit will be to have discussion prompts that they will discuss in groups based on their readings of Yang’s graphic novel. Observing their discussions, as well as their contributions to class discussion afterwards will be a way to assess their knowledge, comprehension, and analysis of the text. Another mini-assessment will be to have students write their own poems or narratives of their experiences with 9/11 or the current war in Iraq.

e. Weekly Breakdown: i. Week 1: Introduce the theme for this unit. Students start reading

American Born Chinese. Introduce the cumulative assessment for the end of this year

ii. Week 2: Students finish American Born Chinese by the end of this week. Have a Socratic seminar to discuss how this book reflects themes of modern American society such as immigration and stereotypes. Evaluate student discussions. Check-ins for final assessment

iii. Week 3: Have students read poems out of Poetry after 9/11. Discuss elements of poetry and their connections to this poetry and this event. Have students write their own poems or narratives about 9/11. Check-ins for final assessment

iv. Devote this week to working on the cumulative assessment in-class or in the computer labs. Turn it in by the end of the week.

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Culminating Assessment

For their final assessment of the year, students will put together a portfolio of 5-7 pieces of work that they produced over the course of the semester. For each choice they must defend, in a short half page reflection, why they chose it and what they liked or did not like about the piece.

Requirements: - A creative cover page- 5-7 works from the semester - Half-page reflection for each choice- Final reflection on how the pieces they picked reflect the overall theme of the evolution of society through literature and other medias. This reflection can be in the form of a 2-3 page essay, a timeline, or other product as long as it is approved by me. - Rubric

Source: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/25

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Standards Graphic:

Standards Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8

1.1 X X

1.2 X X X

2.1 X

2.2 X X X

2.3 X X

3.1 X

3.2 X X

3.3 X X X X X X X X

4.1 X

4.2 X X X

4.3 X X

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Language Arts graphic:

Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8

Reading Scarlett Letter, additional readings

“Nature”, “Civil Disobedience”, other poetry

“In Our Time”

Great Gatsby, Other poetry

Vonne-gut novel, Play, poetry

Snow Falling on Cedars, MLK speech

O’Brien novel,

Yang novel, 9/11 poetry

Writing Daily Journals, Puritan Research Essay

Essay option Narrative assignment

Gatsby essay

Research essay

Log assignm-ent

personal poetry

Speakin-g

Fireside Chat present-ation

Dramatic Interpr-etation

MLK speech, speech assignment.

Discussi-on of Yang novel

Viewing Watchi-ng “Thin Man” Video

News Broadca-sts

Listenin-g

listeni-ng to fireside chats

Discuss/ class debate

Bob Dylan and other music

Visual Creating an artistic poster

props for interpr-etation

Creative presenta-tion project

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