Unit One: |
Modern CultureEssential Questions:
How do life experiences shape our view of the world? To what extent does voice function in and beyond the contexts of writing? Learning Activity One: Artistic Representation of My Culture Students will create an artistic representation of their culture and compose a text that explains the significance of two symbols that represent their culture. CCSS W 9-10.2,3,4,6,7 Learning Activity Two: Reflective Essay Students will write reflective essays that describe a significant incident and their response to it. They will reflect on the significance of the incident and its importance to them CCSS W 9-10.3,4 Learning Activity Three: Two Voices Your assignment is to write two original texts that reflect two distinctive voices you possess. You will share one of the two in an oral presentation. Each text should demonstrate how you present yourself in two different contexts, roles, or subcultures. CCSS W 9-10.3,4; SL 9-10.4,6 Final Assessment: |
Unit Two:
Unit Three |
Cultural Conversations
Essential Questions:
How do external factors affect one’s sense of identity? How do we synthesize multiple sources of information into a cohesive argument? Instructional Step One: Writing about a Cultural Conflict Students will analyze the conflict of a character (not necessarily the protagonist) from one of the texts (including the film clips) they encountered in Unit 1 or the first part of this unit. They will choose a character whose mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations or influences. Using an organizing structure appropriate for their audience, they will identify each side of the conflict and examine the reasons for the conflict, the conflict’s resolution, and how this conflict illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. W.CCR.1,2, 4 Instructional Step Two: Students will write an essay in which they analyze how cultural identity influences an individual’s perspective. They will work in groups to compose a group essay that responds to the following synthesis prompt: To what extent does one’s culture inform the way one views others and the world? Students will support their claim with evidence from at least three different texts that they have read, viewed, or listened to this year, as well as personal experience and insights. W.CCR.1, 2, 4 W.9-10.8 Community Essential Questions: How can an author use a work of fiction to make a statement about culture? How might the cultural fabric of a community be stretched or altered when it encounters new ideas and members? Instructional Step One: Researching and Reflecting on Community Your assignment is to work with a group to examine one aspect of tribal culture presented in Things Fall Apart, research its significance to the Ibo community, and create a multimedia presentation (with graphics, images, and sound) that reflects your research and makes connections between your own culture and that of the Ibo. Your presentation should present a distinctive point of view and should explain what the novel reveals about Ibo beliefs, values, and practices. Choose an audience for your presentation, and develop your appeal for that audience. Finally, write a reflective essay in which you evaluate the effectiveness of your presentation in terms of encouraging cultural connections within your own classroom or community. CCSS RL 9-10.7, 8, 9; SL.CCR.4, 5 Instructional Step Two Your assignment is to write an analytical essay about Things Fall Apart in which you examine a character’s response to the cultural collision caused by the introduction of Western ideas into Ibo culture. In your essay, analyze how the collision challenges the character’s sense of identity and explain how his response shapes the meaning of the work as a whole. R.CCR.1, 3 |