Week 1: Introduction to The Evolving American Identity
Objective: Students will understand the essential question and begin to explore different perspectives on what it means to be an American.
Day 1: - Introduce the essential question: “What does it mean to be an American?” - Engage students in a class discussion on their initial thoughts and ideas about American identity. - Assign pre-reading homework: Read and annotate the poem “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman.
Day 2: - Discuss the poem “I Hear America Singing” as a class, focusing on how the author defines American identity. - Introduce the concept of perspective and how it shapes our understanding of identity. - Assign reading homework: Read and annotate the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.
Day 3: - Discuss the short story “The Story of an Hour” as a class, focusing on the protagonist’s perspective on American identity. - Introduce the concept of theme and how it relates to the evolving American identity. - Assign reading homework: Read and annotate the speech “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr.
Week 2: Exploring Different Perspectives
Objective: Students will analyze different texts to understand how authors/speakers define and express their American identity.
Day 4: - Discuss the speech “I Have a Dream” as a class, focusing on Martin Luther King Jr.’s perspective on American identity. - Introduce the concept of rhetoric and its impact on developing a speaker’s reasoning. - Assign reading homework: Read and annotate the novel excerpt from “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Day 5: - Discuss the novel excerpt from “The Great Gatsby” as a class, focusing on the characters’ perspectives on American identity. - Analyze the author’s word choice and its impact on tone. - Assign reading homework: Watch and take notes on the video “Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today.”
Day 6: - Discuss the video “Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today” as a class, focusing on the different perspectives on American identity presented. - Analyze the use of personal narratives to express American identity. - Assign reading homework: Read and annotate the essay “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Week 3: Analyzing Arguments and Word Choice
Objective: Students will evaluate arguments and author word choice to develop their own arguments and improve their word choice.
Day 7: - Discuss the essay “Self-Reliance” as a class, focusing on Emerson’s perspective on American identity. - Analyze the author’s use of rhetoric to develop his reasoning. - Assign reading homework: Read and annotate the memoir excerpt from “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls.
Day 8: - Discuss the memoir excerpt from “The Glass Castle” as a class, focusing on the author’s perspective on American identity. - Analyze the author’s word choice and its impact on tone. - Introduce the narrative essay prompt: “How do our unique perspectives affect how we express our American identity?” - Brainstorm ideas and create an outline for the narrative essay.
Week 4: Writing Instruction and Essay Composition
Objective: Students will write a narrative essay that answers the prompt, incorporating evidence from the texts studied.
Day 9: - Review the elements of a narrative essay and discuss strategies for effective storytelling. - Model the writing process by composing a sample introduction and body paragraph. - Assign writing homework: Begin drafting the narrative essay.
Day 10: - Peer review and revise the narrative essay drafts in small groups. - Provide feedback on organization, clarity, and use of evidence. - Assign writing homework: Revise and edit the narrative essay.
Day 11: - Review the revision and editing process, focusing on grammar, punctuation, and word choice. - Model the process of revising and editing a sample paragraph. - Assign writing homework: Finalize the narrative essay.
Day 12: - Share and present the narrative essays in a class showcase. - Reflect on the unit and discuss how the texts and discussions have shaped their understanding of the evolving American identity. - Collect and assess the narrative essays based on the provided rubric.
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