13.+American+Dreams+Lesson+One

Prior to this section of lessons, we have covered other aspects of the conflict between man and society. This section of lessons (American Dreams) comes directly after all of the previous lessons in the unit because there has not been a break in the unit's progression of lessons. The first focus of man versus society (Fairy Tale) explores how being in conflict with society and pushing societal rules can result in harming the individual. The second focus on man versus society (The Birth-Mark) explores how an individual might strive to avoid being in conflict with society. The third focus on this conflict (Silenced Americans) explores how a minority group of individuals are sometimes in conflict with society regardless of the actions they take; this conflict often results in some form of harm for the individuals of the minority group. This final focus examines how change can be a result of an individual being in conflict with society. This focus recognizes how societal rules may be wrong, and the ways in which an individual fights to change the rules in order to eradicate a specific conflict between man and society.

**__Purpose/Sunshine State Standards__**
The purpose of this lesson is to continue exploring the unit about conflict between man versus society. This lesson will begin to introduce ways in which man is in conflict with societal rules for the purpose of a positive change.

LA.910.2.1.2 The student will analyze and compare a variety of traditional, classical, and contemporary literary works, and identify the literary elements of each (e.g., setting, plot, characterization, conflict) LA.910.2.1.4 The student will identify and analyze universal themes and symbols across genres and historical periods, and explain their significance LA.910.2.1.8 The student will explain how ideas, values, and themes of a literary work often reflect the historical period in which it was written

**__Objectives__**
Students will be able to use color marking and rereading of a poem to make observations and valid inferences about the poem's theme, the social rules of the narrator's world, and the conflicts that exist between the narrator's voice and the society he lives in.

**__Procedures for Students__**
1. Get out notebook to take notes 2. Watch/listen to the recitation of the poem //Let America Be America Again// (Danny Glover recitation) 3. After the video clip is over, write down as many things as you can remember about the poem 4. Take the handout of the poem and have it on your desk 5. Read the poem along with listening to the video clip of //Let America Be America Again// 6. Make a new section in your notes and write down as many things as you can remember about the poem. 7. Take out colored pencils/highlighters/markers/colored pens for a color marking of the poem 8. Get handout for color marking and go over instructions. (See handout) 9. Read through poem and do a color marking. 10. Make a list of important things you see from color marking and your multiple readings. This will be collected to show participation. 11. Break into groups of 3-4. These are the groups you will be working with for this section of the unit. 12. Take turns sharing what you discovered about the poem during the slow motion reading and color marking -->Each student in the group should rotate as the note taker, keeping track (briefly) of what each member shares. The person to the right of the student sharing will take notes, and the sharing/note taking should move clockwise around the group. 13. As a group, choose one large point or meaning that the poem communicates. 14. Make a visual presentation to show the class your chosen point/meaning //Instructions for visual presentation:// 15. When it is your group’s turn to present, give the teacher your group discussion notes for her to make comments while you are presenting. 16. When all the groups' presentations are finished, we will fill out the unit worksheet together as a class. Not every question will be filled in this time because this poem is different than some of the texts that we've read up to this point.
 * Get creative! You can draw a picture or comic strip/story board. You can develop a short skit that depicts the society being described. You can do an interpretive dance/skit to a recitation of the poem.
 * Your presentation MUST: 1) Be visual 2) Have a purpose that is explained and supported with text from the poem 3) Be explained by at least one group member 4) portray some sort of conflict between an individual(s) and society (think of what we've been studying this whole unit! How might this be different from other texts we've read?)

**__Procedures for Teacher__**
1. Tell students to bring in colored pencils/markers/highlighters for next class (this coming lesson). 2. Make handouts for the poem //Let America Be America Again.// 3. Have a computer and speakers ready for playing the video clip of poem being read by Danny Glover 4. Review what types of conflict between man and society have been covered in the unit so far – introduce how this conflict can sometimes bring change. 5. We’re going to be reading some poetry by Langston Hughes. He’s a Harlem Renaissance writer (think civil rights). 6. Tell students to get out notebooks to do a variation of a slow motion reading. 7. Explain that we’ll listen to a recitation of the poem //Let America Be America Again// and they will write down as many things as they can remember from listening to the poem. 8. Play video clip. 9. Have students write down whatever they can remember until they exhaust their thoughts. 10. Hand out poem to students. 11. Tell students to listen to the video and read the poem at the same time. 12. Have students make a new section in their notes and write down whatever they can remember until they exhaust their thoughts. 13. Introduce color marking – give students color marking explanation and instructions handout. 14. Go over instructions for color marking. 15. Hand out colored pencils/markers/highlighters to students who have forgotten to bring their materials. 16. Tell students to read through the poem again and then do a color marking. 17. Make sure to tell students that they will end their color marking by making a list of categories and what you think the categories mean according to the text of the poem. 18. Walk around the room as students work on color marking to help as needed. 19. Have students break into groups of 3 or 4. 20. Tell students that they will be discussing their color marking notes. 21. Walk around the room to check on group discussion. Check to make sure the students comprehend the poem and are developing meaning from their color marking. Step in with overt instruction as needed during the group discussions (try to sit in and listen to each group at least once). 22. As a group, choose an idea/meaning that is being communicated in the poem. 23. Explain to students that they will present their chosen “idea/meaning” with a visual presentation to the class. They will have a class period (can be flexible depending on how classes work) to come up with idea and present to class. //Instructions for visual presentation:// texts we’ve read?) 24. As the students work in groups, the teacher will walk around the class to make sure the students comprehend the assignment and the text. Insert overt instruction where necessary 25. The teacher will take the groups discussion notes and make comments on the presentation on the group notes. 26. Once all the groups have finished presenting, the lesson will end by going through the unit worksheet as a class. Go through the worksheet, asking students to raise their hand and share their answers. Write answers up on board as the students share their answers. This will be an opportunity to do overt instruction as needed to make sure students are making valid inferences and interpretations. One large area of focus for overt instruction in this lesson is introducing the new approach to the conflict of man versus society. This will include quickly reviewing the previous texts and how man versus society was portrayed in those texts, while introducing the idea that the conflict can sometimes result in societal changes. Overt instruction will also be key to introducing color marking. The teacher will need to go over the procedures for color marking as well as modeling color marking by looking at the first line or two of the poem to discuss possible color marking options. The teacher will be available and walking around the classroom while students work on color marking to offer help as needed. If there seems to be a problem or misunderstanding throughout the whole class, the teacher can pause the color marking and finish the activity as a class. The teacher will also step in with overt instruction when needed during group discussion. This can be done by the teacher sitting in at each discussion group at least once to listen and make sure students are understanding the meaning of the poem. If it seems that multiple groups are having difficulty, the teacher can pause group discussion to scaffold the students toward understanding the poem more fully. This type of overt instruction will continue as the students work on their visual presentations (this is similar to the "speed teaching" that Dr. Pace used in class). The final portion of overt instruction will come into play when the teacher leads the class in working on the unit worksheet. The teacher will help rephrase questions to make the worksheet appropriate for the specific text being used, and the teacher can ask questions that will help students find the answers in the text and by making inferences about the meaning of the text.
 * One student will share at a time.
 * The student to the right of the person sharing will be taking brief notes on the discussion. Notes should be taken on a blank sheet of paper that can pass around the group as the role of note-taker rotates around the group.
 * The role of sharer/note-taker will rotate around the circle until everyone has shared their color marking notes and had a turn to take notes of the discussion. The notes will be used for the following activity and will be turned in at the end of class.
 * The idea is to be creative in presenting your idea from the poem
 * Possible presentation ideas: a picture or comic strip; a short skit the depicts the society being described; an interpretive dance/skit to the recitation of the poem
 * The presentation MUST:
 * Be visual
 * Portray some sort of conflict between an individual and society (Think of what we’ve been studying this whole unit! How might this be different from other
 * Have a purpose that is explained and supported with text from the poem (This purpose must be explained by at least one group member)
 * The presentation will be graded according to these three components (5 points each for a total of 15 points + 5 points for group notes = 20 points for whole activity)
 * Overt Instruction:**

**__Materials Needed__**

 * //Let America Be America Again// handouts for students
 * video clip of Danny Glover reading poem Danny Glover recitation (computer/speakers to be able to present to class)
 * colored pencils/pens/markers/highlighters for use during color marking
 * color marking instructions handout
 * teacher’s copy of color marked poem
 * visual presentation handout
 * board to write notes on while asking class to fill in unit worksheet
 * teacher copy of unit worksheet

**__Assessment__**
For this lesson, students will be assessed on:

-- The completion of their slow motion reading/color marking for completion; these individual notes should be in their English notebook //5 points// -- Group discussion notes (on section completed by each group member) //5 points// -- Visual presentation: this will be graded according to the three following components
 * 1) it must be visual
 * 2) it must portray some sort of conflict between an individual and society
 * 3) it must have a purpose that is supported/explained with text from the poem, and this purpose must be explained by the group
 * Full credit: presentation meets all the requirements and shows an accurate understanding/interpretation of the poem that is supported with the text
 * Partial credit: points will be taken off for any component that is missing or if support from the text does not actually support the idea being presented
 * Each component will be 10 points
 * //Total: 30 points//

**__Accommodations__**
In the event of having ESOL students and/or students with learning/speaking/reading disabilities, the activities to introduce the poem should provide a helpful way of reading the poem. I will give these students the poem handout for the first read through so that they may listen while reading the poem two times before working on a color marking. Listening and reading the words at the same time should be helpful for students to have repetition and hear the correct pronunciation as the poem is read. I will be available to any students in need while the students work individually. If I see that these students are struggling with any vocabulary as a group, I will gather them together during student procedures 3 and 6 to go over any unknown vocabulary in addition to having them write down what they can remember. The students will also be paired up for group work during the rest of the lesson; I will place students who need special accommodations with groups that have at least one native, high-achieving English speaker who can help support their learning.

The visual presentation should enable students who either work faster and slower than the group to be more hands-on and use creativity and imagination to develop their thoughts as deeply as desired within the time limits of class. The visual presentations will allow another form of communication for students in addition to spoken and written language, and the presentations provide opportunity to connect what the students read to what they have experienced in their lives (even with the option of using a home language) and what they see in society.