Welcome
Welcome to our Digital Unit, where we will discuss one of To Kill a Mockingbird's overarching themes: Racial and Cultural Barriers. This unit will focus on how racial and cultural barriers are explored and depicted in literature for 9th Grade English and Language Arts.
We will not only be focusing on how race and culture is treated in this novel, but how it is treated as a whole. We will investigate how segregation and civil rights were treated in the 1930's (in the novel), in the 1960’s (during the civil rights movement), as well as how it is treated today. Multimedia and news coverage will comprise a big part of this unit, so be prepared to discuss some difficult and sensitive subjects.
Big Ideas:
What is segregation? What barriers might need to be overcome to prevent (not only racial) segregation? How has segregation changed (or remained the same) in the US since the 1930’s?
Student Objectives:
By the end of the unit, students will be able to compare and contrast how the treatment of segregation has changed (or remained the same) in the last 100 years. Students will also write a paper discussing the racial and cultural barriers that are relevant in the novel (obviously in the Tom Robinson case, but also in terms of the segregation that face characters like the Cunninghams, Dolphus Raymond, and Boo Radley).
We will not only be focusing on how race and culture is treated in this novel, but how it is treated as a whole. We will investigate how segregation and civil rights were treated in the 1930's (in the novel), in the 1960’s (during the civil rights movement), as well as how it is treated today. Multimedia and news coverage will comprise a big part of this unit, so be prepared to discuss some difficult and sensitive subjects.
Big Ideas:
What is segregation? What barriers might need to be overcome to prevent (not only racial) segregation? How has segregation changed (or remained the same) in the US since the 1930’s?
Student Objectives:
By the end of the unit, students will be able to compare and contrast how the treatment of segregation has changed (or remained the same) in the last 100 years. Students will also write a paper discussing the racial and cultural barriers that are relevant in the novel (obviously in the Tom Robinson case, but also in terms of the segregation that face characters like the Cunninghams, Dolphus Raymond, and Boo Radley).
Content Standards
We will be addressing several content standards in this unit. The list below is what we will be focusing on:
Reading Standard 1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Reading Standard 3: 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.
Reading Standard 4: Determine the meaning 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 (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). (See grade 9-10 Language standards 4-6 for additional expectations.) CA
Writing Standard 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. (focus on sub-standards a, b, d)
a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
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.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
For a complete list of the California Content Standards, please visit this link.
Reading Standard 1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Reading Standard 3: 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.
Reading Standard 4: Determine the meaning 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 (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone). (See grade 9-10 Language standards 4-6 for additional expectations.) CA
Writing Standard 1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. (focus on sub-standards a, b, d)
a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
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.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
For a complete list of the California Content Standards, please visit this link.