Duration days. How does a character s experience determine his/her sense of American Identity?

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1 Middletown Public Schools Unit Planning Organizer Subject American Studies Grade/Course American Studies Honors Unit Title American Identity: Reconstruction to The American Dream Realism and Nationalistic Literature Duration days Essential Question Big Idea Common Core Standards How do specific details and plot and or sequence of information impact the reader s understanding of the text? How does a character s experience determine his/her sense of American Identity? What is the American Dream and how has it evolved over time? The central idea of a text is shaped by specific details and developed over the course of the text. The way in which the struggle for equality influences literary styles and purposes Unit Conceptual Objectives Unit Skill Objectives Common Core Standards RI 10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze 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 RI 10.1 Cite strong and through textual evidence to support analysis of what text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from text Students will be able to: Determine a central idea of a text Analyze development over the course of the text Provide objective summary Cite textual evidence to support analysis Make strategic use of digital media Demonstrate an understanding of the reasons for and outcomes of the Civil War. Describe how an American identity came to be expressed in literature. Evaluate how a national identity is essential to the well-being of its constituency. Examine the influence of geography and location on literary style, content, and intent.

2 Explain the influence of place on American identity and the American Dream. Analyze how the struggle for freedom impacted American expression. Examine the nationalistic feelings expressed by prominent American writers. Evaluate The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as it reflects the realistic period through literary elements (characterization, setting, theme, conflict, literary devices and vocabulary) and determine Mark Twain s contribution to the American novel. Observe Mark Twain s technique of using incongruity to create humor. Analyze the thematic elements of the novel. Trace the evolution of citizens rights. Compare and contrast various American beliefs, values, and political ideologies. Evaluate the role and impact significant individuals have had on historical events. Overarching Standards RI By the end of grade 9 read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9 10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. W Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Priority and Supporting Common Core State Standards Bold Standards are Priority RI Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. RI 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 its shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of text. RI 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 and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. RI 10.9.Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt s Four Freedoms speech, King s Letter from Birmingham Jail ), including how they address related themes and concepts.

3 RL Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. RL Determine the meanings of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. RL Analyze how an author s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise. RL Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment. W Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. W Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. W Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. SL 10.1c Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions. Standard RL 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 its shaped and refined by specific details; Skills What Students Need to Be Able to Do Identify Analyze Concepts What Students Need to Know Theme or central idea of a text; Themes or central ideas of injustice, courage, prejudice, maturity, loss of innocence Themes are shaped and refined by specific details

4 provide an objective summary of text. RL Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. Interpret Analyze Connect Evaluate Develop Complex characters used in throughout the course of a text Motivations of characters throughout a novel Characters to advancement in plot development RL Determine the meanings of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. Determine Analyze Meanings of words and phrases Figurative and connotative meanings Impact of specific words choices on meaning and tone Learning Progressions The standards below represent prior knowledge and enrichment opportunities for standards in this unit. Prerequisite Skills Standard Accelerate Learning RI/RL 8.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text. RI/RL 10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze 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. RI/RL 11.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text. RL 8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most RL 10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual RL 11.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to

5 strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. evidence to support analysis of what text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from text. support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as interferences that draw from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. SL 8.1d Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented. SL 10.1d Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented. Suggested Materials Text Teachers use fiction texts to address aspects of the theme of American Identity: Washington Irving Rip Van Winkle & excerpts The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Mark Twain The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County Mark Twain The Autobiography of Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Walt Whitman Poetry Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom s Cabin excerpts Emancipation Proclamation Abraham Lincoln - Gettysburg Address Frederick Douglass from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Articles related to the fiction and the theme of American Identity: SL d Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task. Media Discovery Streaming The History of American Literature: From Civil War Turmoil to Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism Discovery Streaming Great Books: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Discovery Streaming The History of American Literature: Contemporary Literature of the 1960 s and Beyond 60-Minutes: Should The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be banned? PowerPoints: From Colonial Literature to Romanticism Realism and Naturalism in American Literature Biography information on Washington Irving & Mark Twain Historical Context: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Slang, Dialect, and Other Types of Marked Language Themes and Construction: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

6 Performance Task Unit Assessments Based on class discussion and video segments on censorship, as well as your understanding of the written articles, write a paper in which you either support or refute the following statement: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel and should not be read by high school students. Common Formative Assessment Graphic organizer that features the elements of themes in both the fiction and non-fiction piece of literature. Gallery Walk/Station Activity for building background knowledge on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Hold debates periodically throughout the unit using cooperative groups on the following topics: a. Was the civil war ultimately fought over slavery or not? b. Did Lincoln overstep his powers as a president? c. Did the Emancipation Proclamation free the slaves? d. Was reconstruction a success or a failure? e. Was Mark Twain for or against slavery? f. Was Mark Twain s portrayal of the south accurate? g. Does Huck experience a moral transformation by the end of the novel? Informal Progress Monitoring Role play conversations between northerners and southerners on the following topics: a. Industry b. Harriet Beecher Stowe c. Lifestyles d. Slavery e. Nullification f. Fugitive Slave Act g. Dred Scott Decision h. Battle of Fort Sumter Graphic organizer Guided note-taking with notes or highlighted aspects of articles.