Charlotte Teachers Institute

Intisar Hamidullah, Special Education, Morgan School

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Abstract

I want to immerse my 8^th grade Language Arts students in a multi-genre historical journey. I want my students to have an understanding of history during The Civil War and The Civil Rights Movement. I want them to realize that each historical moment was bigger than the events that define it for us today. The pre-Civil War South was more than the Underground Railway and slavery; the 1960’s were more than marches and protests. I want my student to realize that social studies is a major component of literature and vice versa. I want my students to realize that a lot of literary work was created in response to societal demands. I want to use this multi-genre unit to help my students communicate with others who lived in a different time period. In doing so, I want to help students live within this world and understand how they have acquired the freedom they were born into and that has always been granted to them.

Rationale

For the past ten years I have taught children with behavioral and emotional disabilities in a self contained class. Although I have been teaching for 10 years in a public separate school, I sought out a challenge of teaching 8^th grade Language Arts at a middle school in the second largest school district in North Carolina. Even though I teach Language Arts, I enjoy infusing Social Studies in my content, doing this shows my students that their subjects are connected and related. Despite being highly qualified I miss the responsibility of multiple subjects, multiple grade levels with multiple academic needs. So this unit will fill my need to incorporate language arts and social studies. Especially since in 8^th grade students are taught American history starting from European Exploration, Revolutionary War, Framing a New Nation, the Civil War, Reconstruction, World War I, Great Depression, World War II, Civil Rights, Cold War and Vietnam. In language arts children enjoy reading fantasy, fiction, wizards and witches, but they have trouble understanding and wanting to read informational text. Hopefully this unit will inspire a couple if not all students to want to read more informational topics and historical fiction about things they are interested in.

With everything I teach my students I always ensure they can relate to the concepts. I want to guarantee they understand the cause and effect of the occurrence. When I heard the title of this seminar I immediately thought of the students I will have next year. Unfortunately some of my future students have a distorted view of America how it was created and the possibilities of their future in it. In my opinion they see their small version of America, their school, neighborhood, or home as a place to rebel as opposed to a place of exploration. Realizing the way I grew up and the way they are growing up is totally different. I think it will be my mission to expose them to why America is the way it is. I want them to understand how and why the norms of society were developed. I want them to realize that there are significant life-altering consequences for people who act out against the societal norms. Although I do not understand why they do the things they do, I would like to bridge the gap by empowering my students with the knowledge about people who sacrificed to give us the luxury of freedom in America we have today.

My task this year is different than in previous CTI seminars. In the past when I have written units as a special education teacher the outcome of my unit was to teach a social skills lesson to my students. But now that I am teaching 8^th grade language arts I want my unit to have a different purpose. I want to immerse my students in a multi-genre historical journey. I want my students to have an understanding of history during the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. I want them to realize that each historical moment was bigger than the events that define it for us today. The pre-Civil War South was more than the Underground Railway and slavery; the 1960’s were more than marches and protests. I want my student to realize that social studies is a major component of literature and vice versa. I want my students to realize that a lot of literary work was created in response to societal demands. I want to use this multi-genre unit to help my students communicate with others who lived in a different time period. In doing so, I want to help students live within this world and understand how they have acquired the freedom they were born into and that has always been granted to them.

Sometimes I yearn for the ability to turn back the hands of time. Since that is impossible, I show them photographs, films, speeches and songs. I want them to experience history first hand, instead of reading it in predigested form, in a textbook. The standard textbook for my classes omits a lot of literature that could be incorporated to make the course more interesting. As all teachers know, textbooks do not teach everything; most of the additional resources are things teachers have to find on their own. I realize it is unrealistic for me to think that by using literature alongside a textbook my students will instantly appreciate all the benefits they enjoy as citizens of this democratic society. I want to provide my students will various primary historical sources so they will really know why they enjoy the luxuries of reading, attending a diversely populated public school, having access to transportation, voting, equal rights with others and freedom from slavery.

The basic concept for my unit is to introduce topics to the students using picture books. Picture books inspire children’s visual, mental, and verbal imaginations for creative writing. They give students an opportunity to experience the world around them by using language that is developmental appropriate. Picture books use illustrations to help children explore and learn about different concepts. They actively engage readers in dialogue that includes questioning, hypothesizing, speculating, inferring, and interpreting both pictures and text[i]. Books offer a safe, eye-opening look at life through vicarious experiences. There are situations that we would not want our children exposed to in reality because they may be frightening, painful emotionally or physically, or even deadly. Viewed from a safe vantage point, however, such experiences can broaden a reader’s perspectives about people, places, and events especially if the reading is followed by a discussion. Throughout this unit we will explore literature pre and post civil war. We will explore several different genres to ensure every students interest and learning style is captivated. At times students don’t realize that children’s literature, novels, poems, songs, movies, and speeches are written from one common theme. They are written based off inspiration from a social issue that affects everyone.

Historical Summary

Whether it was the Abolitionist movement in the 1820’s and 1830’s,the publishing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852, the Dred Scott decision in 1857, the raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859, or William Lloyd Garrison’s Anti-Slavery Society, the North was making it clear that they were not in favor of slavery. Then the decision of slave versus freed states was an issue during the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. The aforementioned were all coupled with other differences between the North and the South. The North wanted federally sponsored improvements of roads, railways and canals and the South did not. The North wanted a high tariff for manufactured goods, whereas the South thought it would interfere with the established foreign trade for cotton. The North wanted a currency system, whereas the Confederates did not think the currency would benefit them. Of course, the largest issue was slavery with the North being against it and the Confederate being a proponent for it. Finally Abraham Lincoln who was against slavery was inaugurated President on March 4, 1861. The culmination of the aforementioned events was the start of the Civil War on April 12, 1861.

In addition to the Battle of Antietam, Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Fort Sumter, etc. history was also taking place off the battlefield. On January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was instated by President Lincoln. With this decree most African Americans hurried to enlist in the Northern Army. In spite of being free they still experienced discrimination, evidenced by substandard supplies, rations and payment inequities. They were given seven dollars per month plus a three dollar clothing allowance. Their white counterparts were given thirteen dollars plus a three dollar and fifty cent clothing allowance[ii]. The differences were enough for some to refuse to enlist; however, others were eager to be a part of all black regiments, like the Fifty Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts. Two years later, on April 18, 1865 the South surrendered and the Civil War was over. Along with the end of the Civil War, the 13^th Amendment was passed abolishing slavery. The movie Glory is an excellent depiction of how the 54^th regiment was treated.

Introduction

Freedom, Liberty, Justice, Equality, Compromise: these words have a variety of meanings in different contexts. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted the freedom to be educated just like white people. “I have a dream that my four little children will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content in their character” is what Martin Luther King Jr. wanted[iii]. Frederick Douglas said “no man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without last finding the other end fastened about his own neck”[iv]. “Liberty when it begins to take root is a plant of rapid growth” was voiced by George Washington[v]. Finally Barack Obama says “I know my country has not perfected itself, at times we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes and there are times when our actions around the world have not lined up with our intentions”[vi]. The aforementioned quotes are powerful but I’m not sure if my students know what the mistakes are. Do they know what the freedoms in question are? Do they know what Martin Luther King’s dream was? Do they know the context of the freedom, liberty, justice, equality and compromise in question? To explore these questions I have crafted a multi genre unit built around children’s literature that blends language arts and social studies learning objectives and strategies. The unit will be taught at two points in the year, first when we are talking about the Civil War and later when we are talking about the Civil Rights Movement.

Children’s Literature

Read aloud is an essential component in any student’s day. When a teacher reads aloud it helps prepare students for literary learning and helps them acquire essential literary skills. During this time they inadvertently develop an interest in reading and a positive attitude towards reading. It helps students broaden their vocabulary while increasing reading achievement. Additionally it introduces various genres and different styles and triggers ideas for writing. It provides opportunities for social interaction in response to a book while enabling them to enjoy a story especially if it presented by an enthusiastic adult. When an enthusiastic adult is reading it motivates children to read on their own[vii]. Not to mention using children literature, a teacher can model and student can improve the application of effective reading skills and strategies because it lends itself to more practice. Then when a new strategy or skill is taught it can be practiced using other books and the learning with remain. The children books selected reveal my secret obsession with the Civil War along with my enjoyment of using picture books to teach age appropriate cross curricular objectives.

Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation

This book is a great example of how every slave didn’t either work in a field or in a house. In this book a boy named Ben is learning the trade of a tailor. He is also trying to improve his reading skills despite the fact that slaves are not supposed to know how to read. (I think that is a profound statement because a lot of my students or at least a few of them think that reading is the worst thing ever, of course I am talking all students not just African American students, but it would be neat if they would learn about the sacrifices of others with the hopes that they won’t take the free opportunity for granted). Studying words on shelves, barrels, street signs, and names in books was how he practiced reading. While visiting his family at the plantation he was showing his mother how he could read and she promised him a gold dollar when he learned to write and his reply was he didn’t want to disappoint her. During “the war between the states” (The Civil War) the family he was learning the trade from fled but they could not take Ben with them so he was sent to a slave prison until he was sold. One night some of the prisoners bribed a prison guard for a newspaper and jostled Ben from his sleep so they could read it. What he read for the other prisoners was Abraham Lincoln words from the Emancipation Proclamation.

Pink and Say

Pink and Say is a Civil War story passed from generation to generation about two Union soldiers. Sheldon Russell Curtis (Say) is a wounded and left for dead solider and Pinkus Aylee (Pink), meet in a Georgia field. Pink picked up Say and took him back home with Moe Moe Bay, his African American mother. Even though their presence put her in danger she tried to nurse Pink back to health. At the conclusion of the story they have to decide if they are going to rejoin their regiments or remain deserters. When I read this book for the first time I cried. Patricia Polacco has a way with words that our students can learn from as mentor text when they write.

Abe’s Honest Words

This book contains a powerful message about reading. It exposes Lincoln’s views on education and slavery. It gives a short timeline of how he went from being an attorney, to a politician and president. During his journey to becoming president he delivered several speeches in which he reminded people that slavery was evil and it didn’t fit with the Declaration of Independence. It uncovers how relentless he was in doing something about slavery because even thought he didn’t win his first initial elections he finally became president. Then as Commander in Chief he ended slavery. The Civil War started and ended with the Emancipation Proclamation followed by the Gettysburg Address. The book ends talking about Lincoln’s assassination before he was able to see the nation come together.

Ghosts of the Civil War

When I read this book, I thought I was reading a graphic novel. It starts with Lindsey on a field with his family waiting for a reenactment about to start. Then she notices a boy, Willie Lincoln, who looks sad and lonely. Upon starting up a conversation with him he pulls her into the past. During this time he shows her how the United States was divided, the debated between Douglas and Lincoln, his inauguration day and the debates over slavery. He also spoke with her about Battle of Manassas, Ironclads, Antietam and Gettysburg. He even explained the Emancipation Proclamation and abolishment of slavery.

The Gettysburg Address

This is the most famous speech in history even though it was only 200 words. The two minute speech was more important then as it is today especially when people still struggle to be free. The speech was delivered November 19, 1863 at the dedication of Soldiers’ National Cemetery. This book is an irregular size book that on the right side of each page has a line from the Gettysburg Address, whereas on the left side it explains a word or phrase from the right side. Well at least the significance of a phrase or word. It also has quotes that symbolize what is on the opposite page. It is also accompanied with beautiful illustrations that students will enjoy to look at. The illustrations give a great imagery about what the Gettysburg address really means.

Use children’s literature gives a visual image of history because sometimes hearing dates upon dates and people upon people isn’t that interesting but when you can see or hear it being read via children’s book it becomes interesting and captivating. Not to mention all children enjoy being read to, so it is the one time in most students life’s that they can reflect to enjoying the playful nature of school.

Poetry

Although a poem is not as visually intimidating as a long novel or essay, it is challenging to be able to interpret the compressed meaning conveyed in its few lines. Somehow poets are able to pick minimal words and phrases that convey a richer range of meaning than prose normally does. Sometimes the meaning is hidden in such a way that you are unable to grasp it after one read. Czelaw Miloscz, a Nobel Prize winner, says “Poetry opens our life to invisible guests.” Those guests are the gamut of emotions and unexpected thoughts that poetry is able to evoke. According to Georgia Heard, there are three levels at which we read poetry[viii]. For the first level teachers should use poems that spark the interest of the students. The second level should help students make personal connections to the poem. The third level involves analysis of the poem. Heard also says poetry is a way to hold hands with strangers that have more in common with you than you think. That makes students feel as though they are not alone. That statement is helpful because students find poets remote and inaccessible. With this unit, I want to give them background information about the writer, context clues about the primary source to help them scaffold, and a photograph of the author so they can see that the person is a human being like them.

Sonnets

Around 1200, sonnets appeared as expressions of romantic love in Italian courtyards[ix]. Petrarch made the 14 lines popular with Canzoniere, a sequence of 366 poems dedicated to his beloved, Laura. Because the sonnet is short, it obliges poets to use condensed expressions. Petrarch influenced Shakespeare’s English sonnet. Both the Italian and English sonnet usually have a shift in tone, stance and view point. During the early Renaissance the sonnet was used as an expression of love to court an elusive woman. Then during the late Renaissance the sonnet turned for the most part to religious, philosophical and political themes. Recent sonnets are rarely written using strict traditional rhyme schemes and iambic pentameter. The unique structure of the Italian sonnet in particular allows the poet to develop a viewpoint in the first eight lines and then shift to a different position for the remaining six lines of the poem.

A “Wreath For Emmett Till” is a collection of sonnets written by Marilyn Nelson. Most sonnets are 14 lines long and contain a variety of rhyme schemes. There are two types of sonnets, the Italian (or Petrarchan) and the English (or Shakespearean). The Italian sonnet contains an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines). The octave rhyming pattern is typically abbaabba and it contains a narrative, poses a question or presents a proposition. The sestet is identified by cdecde, cdcdcd, or cdedce makes a conceptual comment, applies the proposition and solves the problem. The sudden change of mood in the sonnet, when it occurs, is called a volta. This book contains a heroic crown of sonnets in a sequence of fifteen interlinked sonnets, in which the last one is made up of the first lines of the preceding fourteen. Nelson wrote these poems about lynching because Till’s name was a part of her life since she was nine years old, similar to Osama Bin Laden being a major part of my students’ life.

Emmett Till grew up in Chicago and he spent one summer in Money, Mississippi. During that summer he was accused of whistling at a white women on August 24, 1955. Later that day the women’s husband and brother-in-law took him from his home. His body was found 3 days later. The murderers had tied a heavy metal cotton gin fan to his neck with barbed wire and thrown him in the Tallahatchie River. He was also shot in the head. When they found his bloated body floating in the river his face and body was beaten. His mother had an open casket funeral to show what had been done to her son. The graphic photographs appeared in magazines and newspapers all over the nation. The all white juror deliberated for over an hour and agreed on a verdict of not guilty on the allegations for them murdering Emmet Till. This not guilty verdict helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. Years later, the men who were tried admitted to the murder but were never retried due to double jeopardy.

Walt Whitman

“Oh Captain, My Captain” is a metaphor-rich poem about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The sing-song meter and rhyme that Whitman used in the poem has never been replicated in any of his other poems. The metaphor of comparing a ship to a national state was used by Wadsworth Longfellow before the Civil War. The broken ship represents America and the fearful trip refers to the American Civil War. The titular “captain,” refers to Lincoln’s leadership. The poet refers to the Captain as a father, symbolizing the respect he has for him. Although he ensured that the ship land safely, he himself did not. This sonnet has the feel of an ode. The expression “fallen cold and dead” is repeated three times as if in disbelief.

I Hear America Singing

In his poem “I Hear America Singing”, he is celebrating different people with different occupations and how they are all connected by America. Throughout the poem the people maintain their individuality in addition to being part of a group. Americans doing various jobs there isn’t a difference between the jobs because they are all common people. Singing appears 11 times throughout the poem which figuratively is used to reflect pride in performance of labor. The poem contains several examples of figurative language. Alliteration is used in line 4 with mason and makes and in line 5 boatman, belongs, and boats. There are examples of assonance using the ending -ing in line 8, singing, sewing, and washing.

Claude McKay

In the “America” poem the speaker is expressing his feelings positively and negatively towards America. Most of McKay’s work deals with excitement and struggle during the Harlem Renaissance. The poem is an American sonnet with 3 quatrains ending with a couplet. Throughout the poem America is being compared to the mother as a metaphor. Towards the end of the poem talks about the road ahead may be dark but with time there will be more battles to endure. Another example of figurative language used in this poem is personification. The subject refers to America as “she is feeding breads of bitterness” by giving it a human characteristic.

Song

“Strange Fruit” initially was a poem written by Abel Meeropoles. Someone approached Billie Holiday about singing the song and at first she was apprehensive but when she was reminded of the visual imagery of her father she continued to sing. The song was Time Magazine’s song of the century in 1999. The lines in the song contain a lot of personification and imagery. Trees bearing a strange fruit, black body swinging, smell of burning flesh, are a few of the lines my students will analyze.

Novel

“Black Boy”

Black Boy is a nonfiction account of childhood and youth. Richard Wright’s novel will appeal to a lot of my students. His father left when he was little and he and his brother were raised by their mother. At an early age he was taught how to drink and use inappropriate language. During this time he is unaware of the relationship between blacks and whites. He moves several times in and out of homes of relatives. At this point he became detached from his mother and school. Even though he is somewhat detached he becomes the Valedictorian at his high school.

Despite growing up in a single parent home, moving around with religious relatives, leaving school to help the family earn money, reenrolling in school, he is reading voraciously and becoming valedictorian of his class. After high school he started working up north in a post office and writing in his spare time. He was asked to speak at Fisk University about his experience with racism. The feedback he received was his inspiration to write Black Boy. The novel is written in two parts: the first southern night is about his childhood in the south whereas the horror and the glory is about his early adult years. A lot of my students will be able to connect with the family dynamic that Richard Wright dealt with growing up. During his childhood he enjoys setting fires and finds his initial love for reading. However since religion is pushed heavily on him at a young age he decides to become an atheist. Using this story will enable my students to realize that although you go through devastating circumstances you can still be successful if you work hard.

Speech

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Frederick Douglas writes and delivers the speech in an effort to make people freed individuals, abolitionists and slaves aware that the Fourth of July shouldn’t be a celebration for slaves or African Americans. Throughout his speech he uses language that has a double meaning like you, me, us, and them. To exemplify the difference between whom the Fourth of July is for and who is isn’t for. Additionally he refers to the Declaration of Independence as that instead of the. Within the speech he tells his white audience to rejoice because his people don’t have freedom or liberty, they don’t have anything to rejoice for instead his people mourn and the holiday is a mockery. In the speech he calls people who disagree the devil because they are not only disagreeing with him (Frederick Douglas) but you are going against the Constitution, Bible and God.

“Ain’t I A Women”

Sojourner Truth was inspired after the Blood Riots that occurred in Cincinnati where blacks were denied their civil and educational. In 1829, 1836, and 1841 these incidents caused blacks to leave the state and or arming themselves. In 1850 she went to a National Women’s Convention because she was deeply interested in women’s rights.

“Gettysburg Address”

One of the most known speeches in American History the Gettysburg Address was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, as a dedication for the cemetery at Gettysburg. The speech was 200 words and took Lincoln about 2 minutes to deliver. After the audience had been listening to Edward Evert speak for over two hours. Lincoln’s speech appealed to the emotions of Americans to motivate the audience to ensure our nation is preserved. Additionally the purpose of his speech was to let the audience know that the struggle was not just for the Union but to bring equality to all citizens.

Conclusion

The purpose of this unit is to fulfill my ambition to integrate language arts and social studies. In language arts children enjoy reading fantasy, fiction, wizards and witches but lack the desire for informational text. Hopefully this unit will inspire a couple if not all students to want to read more informational material and non-fiction about things they are interested in. I also want to make history come alive; I want it to be memorable and interesting. I want to help students feel like they were a part of history so they will learn about what happened in the past and figure out for themselves what kind of impact it will have on their future.

Using the curriculum unit it will be students will be able to hear the information more than once. During the unit will talk about small portions of history then when they got to social studies they will have prior knowledge and they will be able to participate in the discussion from what they learned from using this unit. They will have something to connect what they have learned and what they are learning.

Teaching Strategies

Socratic Seminar

This strategy is great when you want to track or assess how the students understand the concepts that have been taught and how they make connections with their classmates’ thoughts. As the teacher you will arrange the classroom desks in a circle so everyone can see each other. Then you will throw a statement or question and let the students respond. The statement needs to be open ended so the discussion can lead to a wide range of topics. Then while the students are discussing the teacher should have a map of the students’ desks and track the conversation by drawing lines to the students to see who is participating the most or least in the discussion.

Graphic organizer

Graphic organizers are used for students to organize new information. They can use graphic organizers to help understand material presented. They can be used in all phases of learning from brainstorming ideas to ordering new findings. This strategy is known to help the brain recall information better when personal creativity is involved. For the purpose of this unit students will organize their information using the graphic organizer at their discretion.

Daybook

Ralph Fletcher states a daybook is your personal space to write badly[x]. My students use daybooks as their safe space to record thoughts, feelings, highlights, low lights, newly learned concepts, notes from the board, formulation of plans for potential writing pieces, handouts from class etc.

Turn and Talk

Students will turn and talk to one another throughout various activities within the unit. The feedback from a peer is essential for students to be comfortable with one another. Their feedback is imperative for the thinking and writing process. Peers have just as much impact on each other’s growth as the teacher does. So it is important that they are comfortable receiving peer feedback. Additionally peer feedback gives them the opportunity to learn how to take and use constructive criticism.

Word Wall

Rupley, Logan and Nichols (1999) stated that students who have strong vocabularies have less difficulty learning unfamiliar words, because those words are more likely to be related to words that students already know. As a result I will use a Word Wall with my students to introduce, enforce and review vocabulary words associated throughout the unit. Additionally when students are searching for the correct spelling of a new word they will be able to find it on the word wall. Every word is placed on a sheet of construction paper with the corresponding letter. The words are color coded to align with the subject.

Literature Circle[xi]

Picture books use illustrations, graphics and or photographs in addition to text making them necessary and helpful to reinforce concepts in science and social studies.[xii] My students perform academically on different grade level so I need to have a variety of books for students to read in order to accommodate their reading and interest level. During literature circles students will be broken into groups. I have found that when I let students pick their group members they hold one another accountable and help each other accomplish the academic task. During Literature Circle students have different roles within each group. Discussion Director, Illuminator, Illustrator, Connector, Word Watcher and Summarizer are the different roles. The Discussion Directors develops questions that the group needs to discuss and is responsible for facilitating the groups discussion. The Illuminator finds passages that are memorable, interesting, puzzling, funny or important for the group to reference. He or she must also reference where the word is located in the selection. The Illustrator draws what he or she reads. It could be a cartoon sequence, an important scene, organizational tree, or a map. The Connector connects what he or she is reading to what is being learned in class, books you have already read, current events, or popular trends. The Word Watcher looks for words worth knowing. He or she must also reference where the word is located in the selection. The Summarizer prepares the summary for the reading. He or she could make a timeline of events or write summaries as the selection progresses. Literature Circles are an excellent way for the students to discuss text with each other.

Activities

The activities below are meant to be taught after the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement documents have been analyzed. Some of the activities are dependent on students being exposed to text from both time periods. There isn’t a set time period on the activities. Each activity differs due to the depth at which they are analyzed.

1-Freedom

To start the unit I want my students to think about their views on the following questions. We will start and end the unit with the same writing activity to see views were altered as a result of reading or viewing primary sources.

What is freedom? What is the price some people still pay for freedom? Is freedom the same for you as it is for others? Why or why not? What is the price people pay for freedom? Should some freedoms be limited or censored why or why not? Students will be asked to respond to the questions in their daybook. Then they need to find current events to defend your argument about freedom. You can use events from all over the world you can use events from any time period just as long as you have a copy of the current event. In your current even summary reference the amendment that is being violated.

Throughout the unit will review figurative language terms that will be added to our classroom Word Wall. When I add a word to the classroom Word Wall make sure you include it in your Word Wall in your daybook.

2-Lynching

Teacher will give students a picture of Emmet Till’s mother crying while she is looking over his open casket. Students will be asked to write in their daybook what they think, feel, what their initial reaction is to the picture. Then students will be told the story of Willie Lynch. After they have been told the story students will listen to Strange Fruit. After they have listened to strange fruit once, they will listen to it a second time taking notes on lyrics that stand out to them. Once they have written down lyrics that stand out to them they will be asked to turn and talk with a neighbor about what they think those lyrics mean

Teacher will review with students what a sonnet is. Teacher will show students the sonnet sequence about Emmet Till. Sonnets will be given to groups of students to analyze. Once students analyze the poems in their groups they will be asked to compare and contrast the song and poem to increase understand. After students analyze a poem and song we will sit in a Socratic Seminar and discuss the difference between song and poem about lynching and if it makes a difference on how the message gets across.

3-Perspective….About a historical figure of today

Teacher will talk with students about perspective (the point of view from which the story is told). Students will be asked to reflect back on the figures of this era. Two students will be asked to read the poem “O Captain! My Captain”. The purpose of having two students read the text is to hear difference voice tones from the students. Once the selection is read I will ask the students to complete a line by line analysis looking for figurative language. After that students will be asked to turn and talk with a neighbor about their findings. The next thing we will do is have a discussion about the poem about the line by line analysis. If students go not answer the following questions they will be asked a series of questions to support the discussion. Who is being called the Captain? Why does the poet keep repeating the line “fallen cold and dead”? Since the poem is broken up into 3 stanzas is it telling 3 separate stories? Is the ship in the poem a literal or figurative ship, explain? What object is won if the captain is dead? Is the captain a literal captain or a figurative captain?

Now that we have analyzed “O Captain! My Captain!” I want you to write a similar sonnet about a historical figure or person in your life that you feel has captain like qualities. Make sure you stick the structure of a sonnet. After everyone has published their sonnet we will have a poetry slam. Students will share their sonnets and the audience will try to guess who their captain is.

4-Letter from a Soldier

Although teachers can explain figurative language to students to help them get a visual image of the text, sometimes students need to see pictures and/or watch movies about certain events to get a better understanding of a historical time period. Students will watch certain excerpts of the movie Glory so they can get a visual image and hear directly from the solider of the 54^th Colored Regiment and how they felt during the war. How would it feel to be a soldier in Glory if he was writing a letter home what would it say before, during and after the 13^th amendment in your group decide who is going to write which letter

5-Literary Comparison

Students will pick Literary Comparison A or B students who want a challenge will be guided to do Literary Comparison B whereas students who are below grade level will be guided to do Literary Comparison A. students who are on grade level will be guided to do which assignment appeals to them.

5-Literary Comparison A

Throughout this unit we looked at several different genres. Teacher will inform students that they need construct a comparative analysis of 5 documents of their choice. It is essential for students to be take different genres and compare them. Students will be looking for point of view, tone, mood, author’s purpose and conclusion.

5-Literary Comparison B

When you finish your novel I want you to summarize the novel. Often times you either include too many details or not enough when you write summaries. I want you to reflect on the most important details that summarize the novel. Pretend you are writing for someone who has not read the novel what would they need to know. I also want you to reference another primary source we have used throughout this unit and analyze how they are both documents are connected.

6-Speech Analysis

Some leaders have the natural ability to have a vision for the future. In literature we call that foreshadowing. Abraham Lincoln, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglas were great leaders who were able to see into the future about what the world needed what people needed in order to make this world a better place. Think about personality traits that a speaker must possess in order to get a response from their audience. What traits does someone have to posses for you to be interested in their message? Once you are in your group for Literature Circle I want you to pick the speech your circle will analyze. The first time you read through the speech I want you to analyze the personality traits the person has to get the message across. Then I want you to read the speech a second time and find the textual evidence that helps you find the tone and mood.

7-Reflection

Teacher will set up the room for a Socratic Seminar. Teacher will start the discuss by asking “What impact did Literature have on the Civil War” and “What impact did literature have on the Civil Rights Movement”. Students will be graded on their participation to the discussion.

8-Freedom

We will conclude the unit the same way we started. We will answer the following questions to see views were altered as a result of reading or viewing primary sources. What is freedom? What is the price some people still pay for freedom? Is freedom the same for you as it is for others? Why or why not? What is the price people pay for freedom? Should some freedoms be limited or censored why or why not? Students will be asked to respond to the questions in their daybook. What do the following words mean Freedom, Equality, Compromise, Liberty and Justice? Having students find a current event will help them make a connection to the world. Then they need to find current events to defend your argument about freedom. You can use events from all over the world you can use events from any time period just as long as you have a copy of the current event. In your current even summary reference the amendment that is being violated.

Appendix

Implementing District Objectives

1.04 The learner will reflect on learning experiences by evaluating personal circumstances and background information that helps shape interaction with the text.

2.01 The learner will make connections to related topics and information by generating questions and participating in discussions.

5.01 The learner will increase comprehension by taking an active role in group and class discussions.

5.01 The learner will analyze and evaluate themes in literature in relation to personal and societal issues.

5.01 The learner will study characteristics of literature by evaluating the impact literary devices have on the meaning of the text.

Annotated Bibliography for Teachers and Students

Beers, Kylene. When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can: Do A Guide For Teachers 6-12. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 2003. This book is a great resource of strategies for teachers who need exciting and engaging activities for students while they are reading.

Fink, Sam. The Gettysburg Address: and the Thirteenth Amendment to The Constitution of the United States of America. New York,NY: Welcome Books. 2007. This is an extra large book with amazing illustrations. Students will enjoy reading this book to gain more understanding of The Gettysburg Address.

Fletcher, Ralph. Breathing In Breathing Out: Keeping a Writer’s Notebook. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 1996. This is a great book to read if teachers are trying to start implementing the daybook in their classroom. It will explain the rationale for a daybook in a way that a workshop can’t.

Fuhler, Carol and Walther, Maria. Literature is Back!: Using the Best Books for Teaching Readers and Writers Across Genres. New York, NY: Scholastic. 2007. Teachers who love literature will enjoy this book. This book has several suggestions of text for a variety of subjects. It also contains a few activities that can be used in any classroom grades 3-8.

Harnesss, Cheryl. Ghosts of the Civil War. New York. NY: Aladdin Paperbacks. 2002. This book reminds me of a graphic novel or a cartoon. It is a great way for reluctant readers to read history because the illustrations are captivating you can’t help but want to read everything on the page.

Heard, Georgia. Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 1999. This book gives teachers background information of how poetry should be taught. It also contains a variety of activities, sample student responses, and sample poetry books to give you more ideas and resources.

Hollander, John. Poetry for Young People: American Poetry New York,NY: Scholastic Inc. 2004. This book give background information about the poets who have written poems about America. It also contains poems with beautiful pictures that will captivate your students interest while reading.

Nelson, Marilyn. A Wreath for Emmett Till. New York. NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. 2005. This book is excellent for explaining sonnets. Students will learn about Emmett Till in conjunction with learning how to read sonnets.

Polacco, Patricia. Pink and Say. New York, NY: Philomel Books. 1994. This children’s book is excellent for explaining to students what happened during the Civil War. If you cry easy beware, you might need to read it a couple times to get the tears out.

Rappaport, Doreen. Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children. 2008. This children’s book gives insight on what Abraham Lincoln’s life was like while he was growing up.

Sherman, Pat. Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. 2010. I liked this children’s book because it shows students how reading hasn’t always been something everyone can do openly. It also gives insight on the direct meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Wright, Richard. Black Boy. New York, NY: Harper &Row Publishers Incorporated. 1966. This is a novel that will appeal to a variety of readers. It is about the life of Richard Wright. I liked how candid Richard Wright talks about his life. The life circumstances that Richard Wright experiences are relatable for a large population of my students.