Author: Beverly C. Flaton
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: High School and High School Alternative Education
Course: American Literature / English 10
Title: Attitudes of Different Cultures of the South in the 1930s
Length of Unit: Two to three class periods
Materials Needed:
Power Macintosh G3 computers
large monitor
printers
Inspiration software program
copies of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Standards-Based Outcomes (MDE):
English Language Arts:
I. Meaning and Communication
Content Standard I, 1: All students will read and comprehend general and technical material.
2. Read with developing fluency a variety of texts, such as novels, poetry, drama, essays, research texts, technical manuals, and documents.
5. Respond personally, analytically, and critically to a variety of oral, visual, written, and electronic texts, providing examples of how texts influence their lives and their role in society.
III. Literature
Content Standard III, 5: All students will read and analyze a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature and other texts to seek information, ideas, enjoyment, and understanding of their individuality, our common heritage and common humanity, and the rich diversity in our society.
3. Analyze how the tensions among characters, communities, themes, and issues in literature and other texts reflect the substance of the human experience.
4. Analyze how cultures interact with one another in literature and other texts, and describe the consequences of the interaction as it relates to our common heritage.
Prior Knowledge:
- Students can explain the elements of literature.
- Students can read for understanding.
- Students have a basic knowledge of social class and structure.
- Students understand the principles behind brainstorming and gathering information.
Cue Set:
- How can we encourage students to make valuable judgments of people and places based on what we have learned about the past?
- How can we encourage students to use what they read in class to enhance their lives and judgments?
- How can we encourage students to organize and brainstorm their ideas prior to the writing process?
- How can we make the writing process more enjoyable and easier for the student?
Best Shot Instruction:
- The teacher reviews the literary terms of characterization and setting with the students.
- The teacher and class review the four social classes of Maycomb County which are evident and cited by the character Jem Finch in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
- The teacher models the correct way to brainstorm ideas using the Power Macintosh G3 computer, the Inspiration program, and the large monitor in the classroom.
- In the computer lab, the students explore the different settings for text and graphics included in the Inspiration program prior to beginning the assignment. The teacher carefully monitors their progress.
- Students then create a chart which divides the novel’s main characters into four different social/cultural groups based on economics and personal background. Some characters may appear in more than one division.
- Students use the graphics provided in the Inspiration program to highlight ideas in their charts.
Reteaching and Enrichment:
- If students are unable to create social charts, the teacher repeats the steps for using the Inspiration program individually or in a group setting.
- The teacher may give extra credit to students who create a new social chart based on the social classes of the county in which they live. (An appropriate assignment would be Macomb County because it sounds like and its spelling is similar to the county in the story.)
Review and Closure:
- Students share their findings orally with the class.
- The students then display their charts somewhere in the classroom for all to enjoy.
Assessment:
A. Formative Assessment:
- The teacher observes the students’ success in using the Inspiration program and completing the charts.
- The teacher notes the students’ ideas and comments during the oral discussions.
B. Summative Assessment:
- The student creates a graphic chart which correctly compares and contrasts the different social classes of the main characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
- The chart includes text, correct identification, and graphics.
- The student is able to correctly identify and chart the social/economic classes of his/her own county.
