Stage 1 Desired Results

Established Goals:
⁃ Literature Standards
⁃ CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its
development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by
specific details; provide an objective summary of the text
⁃ CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two
different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.
⁃ Writing Standards
⁃ CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive
topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
⁃ CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.1.B Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying
evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that
anticipates the audience's knowledge level and concerns.
⁃ CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support
analysis, reflection, and research.

Understandings: Essential Questions:

⁃ How point of view relates to character ⁃ What is racism?

development, individual opinion of a text, author
intent, and intended audience
- The differences between old and new racism, and
therefore the continued importance of discussion
of racism
⁃ How does ‘old racism’ differ from and set up
‘new racism’?
⁃ How does perspective affect the way we
understand and experience racism?

- How perspective changes how we understand ⁃ How should we discuss/read/learn about

and experience racism racism?

Students will know: Students will be able to:

⁃ How perspective can be limiting in how we
understand racism
⁃ Why racism is a topic that we should be discussing
⁃ Some systemic processes that are used to continue
institutionalized racism
⁃ Analyze a theme from multiple perspectives
⁃ (Through research and writing) develop and
defend opinions about why and how we
should discuss/read/learn about racism
⁃ (Through research and writing) make a claim
about the quality and usefulness of specific
texts to learn about/discuss racism

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:
1. Research Project (Choose One)
a.) Is TKAM a racist book or a book about racism?
How does individual perspective affect the way we
read this book?
b.) How does the ‘old racism’ that we see in TKAM
pave the way for the ‘new racism’ that we see in
Monster?
2. Genre Swap: Take one of the core unit texts (TKAM
or Monster), identify a theme, and repurpose the
ideas and themes of the text into a piece of writing
in a different style we’ve discussed in class
(argumentative, narrative, or informational). The
forms this project can take can be creative. You can
use my ideas or create your own project, but you
must clear your ideas with me and we will create a
rubric together to establish expectations for what
you will cover and be graded on.
3. Perspective/Intention/Connection: Pick one poem
that we’ve used in this class and do a
Perspective/Intention/Connection breakdown.
Identify the perspective of the author-who are
they, when did they live, what would they have
experienced historically? Make an argument for
what you believe the purpose of the poem to be
(To inform? To make a plea? To raise awareness?
To call for action?) Connect the themes present in
this poem to at least one of the core unit texts.
Stage 3 Learning Plan
Other Evidence via Formative Assessment:
⁃ Shows continued work, collaboration,
revision, and improvement within writers’
workshop.
⁃ Participates in peer review for workshops.
⁃ Participates in classroom discussions and
debates about unit themes.
⁃ Creates a unique project for the genre swap
that shows deep understanding of unit
themes.
⁃ Creates individual weekly plan for goals for
that week’s workshop to reflect on writing
process and self-assess what they’ve done
and still need to do on current performance
tasks.
⁃ Writing demonstrates knowledge and
understanding of evolution of racism from
‘old’ to ‘new’ and thoroughly analyzes core
themes of readings, using that analysis to
support and scaffold a cohesive, convincing
argument.
Learning Activities
⁃ Bell ringers: Analyze quote/poem of the day and relate to themes in unit texts. Examples: Paul Lawrence
Dunbar, “Sympathy” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46459/sympathy-56d22658afbc0);
Langston Hughes, “Let America be America Again” (https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/let-america-
be-america-again) (W, H, O)
⁃ Think-Pair-Share: Compare & Contrast Zora Neale Hurston’s “How it Feels to be Colored Me” to Steve’s
experiences in Monster. (W, O) (http://www.casa-
arts.org/cms/lib/PA01925203/Centricity/Domain/50/Hurston%20How%20it%20Feels%20to%20Be%20Col
ored%20Me.pdf)
⁃ Compare & Contrast how the narrators of TKAM and Monster experience and understand racism. (E1, O)
⁃ Whole-group discussion: Use Macaluso reading to define difference between ‘new’ and ‘old’ racism.
Connect to Monster and TKAM, respectively. (E1, R)
⁃ Compare & Contrast the characterization of Tom & Steve. Why are they so different? What does that tell
us about the author/narrator’s perspective? (W, E1, O)
⁃ Perspective Study: “Body Ritual among the Nacirema”
(http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/aa.1956.58.3.02a00080/epdf) blind reading with literature
groups (Questioner, Predictor, Clarifier, and Connector) close with whole-class reveal that Nacirema =
American backwards. What does this tell us about how we view cultures/perspectives we don’t
understand? (H, R, E2)
⁃ Minilesson: the importance of finding credible sources for research. (W, E1, E2)
⁃ Argumentative Writing 101: Elements of the genre and different ways to communicate ideas via
argumentative writing. (This could be revisited multiple times over the unit or implemented in the
writer’s workshop via a minilesson). (W, O, E1)
⁃ Perspective Swap: How does TKAM/Monster read differently if we swap the perspective of the narrator
from Scout->Tom OR Steve ->Lawyer? What changes? (W, R, O)
⁃ Use Macaluso reading (https://blackboard.cmich.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-5299607-dt-content-rid-
42277353_1/courses/ENG311-18300-22337079/Macaluso-2017-
Journal_of_Adolescent_%26amp%3B_Adult_Literacy.pdf) to introduce the ideas of Atticus’ role as the
‘white savior’ and Tom’s role as a plot device in TKAM. How does this change/reinforce the way that you
read the book? Why? (R, E1)
⁃ Jigsaw Activity: Read ‘for’ and ‘against’ the same select TKAM passage. (R, E2)
⁃ Have a ‘should we read this’ classroom discussion on TKAM. Is this the best book to discuss racism? (W, T,
E1, E2, O)
⁃ Have classroom debate about TKAM being either a racist book OR a book about racism. This debate will
help students to form their ideas about the text, which will be helpful before they begin to write their
research paper. (H, T, O)
⁃ Workshop Wednesdays: whole hour is a writer’s workshop workday where students either work on their
Research Paper OR Genre Swap OR Perspective/Intention/Connection breakdown depending on point of
semester. These workshops could be focused on individual conferences, peer review, collaboration, or
individual work time. (W, E2, T)