Standards Achieved in this Unit:
Literature 9: Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
Information 9: Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
Writing 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (Organize into a compare/contrast; develop topic with concrete details and quotations)
Final Product: A compare/contrast essay which uses in-text citations from sources as evidence to prove how an author of fiction alters history.
Information 9: Analyze how two or more authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information by emphasizing different evidence or advancing different interpretations of facts.
Writing 2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (Organize into a compare/contrast; develop topic with concrete details and quotations)
Final Product: A compare/contrast essay which uses in-text citations from sources as evidence to prove how an author of fiction alters history.
Day 1-2: The Star-Spangled Banner
Objective: I can determine the meaning of a song based on its history.
- Warm-up—Write one paragraph explaining whether you would choose to read about history through a poem or through an informational article.
- Watch/Listen to the full version of The Star-Spangled Banner. Why do you think we only sing the first stanza at major events?
- Turn to a Partner: Why do you think we only sing the first stanza of the song? What value do the other stanzas offer?
- Read the articles about The Star-Spangled banner here:
star_spangled_banner.docx | |
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File Type: | docx |
- Small Group Work: Dissecting the poem - together we'll go over the first stanza to determine what it means based on our knowledge of the history & story behind Francis Scott Key's witnessing. Then you'll work with a small group on an assigned stanza to determine its meaning.
- Questions: How does the poem’s telling of the battle at Fort McHenry differ from that of the article? Which one is more effective and why is it more effective? Make a T-chart of the interesting words used in each (poem on one side, article on the other).
- Something to think about: Why do you think we only sing the one stanza? Knowing what you know now about the history behind the song, is there another stanza that would be better for us to sing at our events?
- Writing: Imagine you were there at Fort McHenry, looking up at the flag in the evening and listening to the British attacking. Write your personal account of that evening into the next morning.
Want to see other performances of The Star-Spangled Banner and how those performances altered people's feelings? Click here.
Day 3: Personal Narrative
Objective: I can write to a prompt over an extended time frame taking into account planning, organizing, drafting, editing & revising, and publishing. (Common Core Writing Standards 4 & 10)
- Your teacher as asked you to write about a time in your life you have experienced something powerful like Francis Scott Key did in 1814. Write a personal narrative about that event in your life in your writing journal. Include the elements of a story through your writing.
- 9 minutes: Plan/Brainstorm - look through "Stones in the River" for ideas as well
- 15 minutes: Draft & Edit
- 25 minutes: Final Draft
Day 4-5: Poetic Devices
Objective: I know what rhyme scheme and syllable patterns are.
- Dissecting "The Star-Spangled Banner" - rhyme scheme, syllables, and sensory language/imagery
- Your turn: Dissecting "Battle of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton - then review
- Word Choice: With your personal narrative that you wrote yesterday (or your personal account of the Battle at Fort McHenry) and a highlighter, highlight key words & phrases that really stand out, whose words convey emotion and imagery/sensory language. Select a section of your writing that really stands out to convey emotion or action
- Creation: Write ONE stanza (+ Chorus if choosing Johnny Horton), following the rhyme scheme and syllable pattern that would fit one of the two songs we dissected, but be about your own personal experience.
Day 6: Mimic Stanza
Objective: I can mimic a poet's lines through rhyme scheme and syllables.
- Example mimic poem from personal narrative
- Work time: complete a mimic stanza(s)
Mimic Instructions & Example | |
File Size: | 411 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Day 7: Compare/Contrast
Objective: I can compare & contrast the effectiveness of poetry to convey history.
- What is the purpose behind compare & contrast? What type of writing is it?
- Group: Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech compared/contrasted to Nikki Giovanni's poem "The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr." - link
- Planning for compare/contrast: Compare & Contrast the effectiveness of poetry conveying history. You may choose from any of the topics we have covered so far, including your own personal narrative/mimic poem.
Day 8-10: Compare/Contrast
Objective: I can compare and contrast historical articles to fiction.
- Turn in your poems & get your reading journal
- Example: Nonfiction/informational article VS. Glasswings: A Butterfly’s Story by Elisa Kleven
- Compare & Contrast brainstorming options: What else could we use instead of a Venn Diagram? Look to the back of your planner at other graphic organizers
- Your turn – you and a group of 2-3 other people must read and compare/contrast the informational articles to the fiction 3-4 times.
- FOCUS QUESTION/Where you're headed: How do authors of fiction use or alter history?
Day 11: Paraphrasing
Objective: I can identify the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing, and paraphrase two nonfiction articles.
- Warm-up: What is the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing? Define both terms in your writing journal.
- Paraphrasing vs. Summarizing flippy
- Group summarizing vs. paraphrasing practice: Go to the three spots in the room with THREE sticky notes. On the sticky notes, write a summary of the each passage posted and take it with you to your seat.
- Paraphrasing: In groups, share what your summary was. Answer the following: What steps help me write a summary? When would I use a summary? Then, work together to paraphrase the passage you are given and we'll go over answers.
- Paraphrasing practice worksheets: In partners, work to paraphrase the provided examples. Finish for HOMEWORK.
paraphrasing_exercise.pdf | |
File Size: | 342 kb |
File Type: |
Day 12: In-Text Citations
Objective: I can give credit to my resources when I paraphrase or summarize a passage through an in-text citation.
- Turn in paraphrasing homework from last night & get your writing journal
- Warm-up: What is an in-text citation? When do we use it in writing? Why do we use it/what is its purpose?
- Parenthetical/In-text citations flippy - follow along to fill in the blanks!
- In-text citation & paraphrasing practice packet
In-Text Citation homework is last three pages | |
File Size: | 31 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Day 13-17: Compare/Contrast Essay
COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAY ASSIGNMENT:
OBJECTIVE: I can compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
You are creating a compare and contrast essay between one piece of historical non-fiction and one piece of historical fiction. You will have the option to choose which event in history you read about last week you’d like to write about. For example: Holocaust, San Francisco Earthquake, Pearl Harbor, etc.
You will have a claim that states clearly which text is better suited for teaching history. You will include a total of FOUR examples of cited evidence from both texts to support your claim, and a conclusion that makes a supported generalization about how the author of fiction used or altered history.
TIMELINE:
THURSDAY – write claim (what you plan to prove in your essay based on the assignment); plan/brainstorm what information you need to look for in the articles
FRIDAY – outline options for this essay & go over rubric; create an outline for your essay that includes the FOUR citations; begin draft
MONDAY – complete a draft of intro + body paragraphs; conference with a peer and/or Mrs. Meredith to get feedback
TUESDAY - writing the conclusion; rubric; finish writing draft
WEDNESDAY - finish anything not complete; write final draft in blue or black ink -- Due end of class
OBJECTIVE: I can compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
You are creating a compare and contrast essay between one piece of historical non-fiction and one piece of historical fiction. You will have the option to choose which event in history you read about last week you’d like to write about. For example: Holocaust, San Francisco Earthquake, Pearl Harbor, etc.
You will have a claim that states clearly which text is better suited for teaching history. You will include a total of FOUR examples of cited evidence from both texts to support your claim, and a conclusion that makes a supported generalization about how the author of fiction used or altered history.
TIMELINE:
THURSDAY – write claim (what you plan to prove in your essay based on the assignment); plan/brainstorm what information you need to look for in the articles
FRIDAY – outline options for this essay & go over rubric; create an outline for your essay that includes the FOUR citations; begin draft
MONDAY – complete a draft of intro + body paragraphs; conference with a peer and/or Mrs. Meredith to get feedback
TUESDAY - writing the conclusion; rubric; finish writing draft
WEDNESDAY - finish anything not complete; write final draft in blue or black ink -- Due end of class
Rubric | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Compare & Contrast Example and Help | |
File Size: | 35 kb |
File Type: | docx |
EXAMPLE ESSAY
Final Example Essay with Notes about Requirements | |
File Size: | 242 kb |
File Type: |
The Outsiders vs. the 1960s
Introduction:
Hook:
History is important to learn about because of the impact it has on the future. To paraphrase the philosopher George Santayana, without understanding of the past, we run the risk of repeating mistakes out of ignorance (Saatkamp).
Background:
The vehicle through which we view history, though, can have a major impact on how we understand the past. An article such as “Pop Culture: The Way We Were” by Ally Wright, gives a generic overview of 1960s USA, with little emotion or experience to grasp the small details of life and culture. On the other hand, a novel set in the 1960s like The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, gives all those small details, while giving only one specific culture within the complex history of the 1960s.
Claim:
The article “Pop Culture: The Way We Were” is more effective at teaching history than the historical novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
Body 1:
The first way to tell that an informational article is more effective than a piece of fiction is to look at the texts and see what they actually say about that time period. The Outsiders gives us some information about pop culture and activities of the era, such as when the main character, Ponyboy, narrates about going to the drive-in theater with his friends (Hinton 28). The article, on the other hand, spends time discussing the impact of movies, when it states that with the accessibility of TV at home, the number of drive-in theaters in the U.S. went from 6,000 in 1962, to 3,500 in 1963 (Wright 1). This difference shows how the fiction may be able to give a personal account of the era, but the article can give a broader understanding of the time, and the effects it has on the culture as a whole.
Body 2:
Another way that the article is a better way to understand history as a whole is that historical fictions like The Outsiders can only give a vision of the way a certain type of individual or community lived. While the descriptions of the conflict between Socs and greasers certainly give a clear picture of those two groups, there are many other types of people that were unaccounted for. For example, Ponyboy describes greasers as being “almost like hoods” in that they “steal things and drive old souped-up cars…and have a gang fight once in a while” (Hinton 11). This description may be accurate, but it only is useful for understanding one portion of society. The article, though, spends time on the entirety of teens when it informs how in the 1960s teens had “$22 billion dollars at their disposal” (Wright 1). This shows that while a fictional piece is helpful for understanding one specific area, it cannot generalize to everyone.
Body 3:
Lastly, non-fiction is simply shorter. The article “Pop Culture: The Way We Were” covers music, books, religion, and TV/movies in two pages, whereas the novel The Outsiders, while entertaining, gives a narrow vision of the same time period in nearly 190 pages worth of story. Readers are often impatient, so in order to help the chances that they will take in the information, it would be prudent to shorten the material. While it is painful to push readers away from a quality story like The Outsiders, it may be necessary.
Conclusion:
In the end, while fiction does have the ability to gain attention for the past by being entertaining, the amount of information in a small amount of reading in a non-fiction text proves to be more effective at teaching history. What may be the best for teaching history is a healthy dose of non-fiction informational texts mixed with a smattering of fiction texts to keep interest in history alive. To adapt Santayana's paraphrase, if we don't care about the past, we are bound to repeat it.
Resources
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Penguin Group (USA), Inc., 2007.
Saatkamp, Herman. “George Santayana.” Stanford Univeristy Website. Herman Saatkamp, 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/santayana/ >.
Wright, Ally. “Pop Culture: The Way We Were.” PBS.org. Oregon Public Broadcasting, 2005. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/opb/thesixties/topics/culture/index.html?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=pbs&utm_campaign=sixtiespopculture >.
Introduction:
Hook:
History is important to learn about because of the impact it has on the future. To paraphrase the philosopher George Santayana, without understanding of the past, we run the risk of repeating mistakes out of ignorance (Saatkamp).
Background:
The vehicle through which we view history, though, can have a major impact on how we understand the past. An article such as “Pop Culture: The Way We Were” by Ally Wright, gives a generic overview of 1960s USA, with little emotion or experience to grasp the small details of life and culture. On the other hand, a novel set in the 1960s like The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, gives all those small details, while giving only one specific culture within the complex history of the 1960s.
Claim:
The article “Pop Culture: The Way We Were” is more effective at teaching history than the historical novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
Body 1:
The first way to tell that an informational article is more effective than a piece of fiction is to look at the texts and see what they actually say about that time period. The Outsiders gives us some information about pop culture and activities of the era, such as when the main character, Ponyboy, narrates about going to the drive-in theater with his friends (Hinton 28). The article, on the other hand, spends time discussing the impact of movies, when it states that with the accessibility of TV at home, the number of drive-in theaters in the U.S. went from 6,000 in 1962, to 3,500 in 1963 (Wright 1). This difference shows how the fiction may be able to give a personal account of the era, but the article can give a broader understanding of the time, and the effects it has on the culture as a whole.
Body 2:
Another way that the article is a better way to understand history as a whole is that historical fictions like The Outsiders can only give a vision of the way a certain type of individual or community lived. While the descriptions of the conflict between Socs and greasers certainly give a clear picture of those two groups, there are many other types of people that were unaccounted for. For example, Ponyboy describes greasers as being “almost like hoods” in that they “steal things and drive old souped-up cars…and have a gang fight once in a while” (Hinton 11). This description may be accurate, but it only is useful for understanding one portion of society. The article, though, spends time on the entirety of teens when it informs how in the 1960s teens had “$22 billion dollars at their disposal” (Wright 1). This shows that while a fictional piece is helpful for understanding one specific area, it cannot generalize to everyone.
Body 3:
Lastly, non-fiction is simply shorter. The article “Pop Culture: The Way We Were” covers music, books, religion, and TV/movies in two pages, whereas the novel The Outsiders, while entertaining, gives a narrow vision of the same time period in nearly 190 pages worth of story. Readers are often impatient, so in order to help the chances that they will take in the information, it would be prudent to shorten the material. While it is painful to push readers away from a quality story like The Outsiders, it may be necessary.
Conclusion:
In the end, while fiction does have the ability to gain attention for the past by being entertaining, the amount of information in a small amount of reading in a non-fiction text proves to be more effective at teaching history. What may be the best for teaching history is a healthy dose of non-fiction informational texts mixed with a smattering of fiction texts to keep interest in history alive. To adapt Santayana's paraphrase, if we don't care about the past, we are bound to repeat it.
Resources
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. Penguin Group (USA), Inc., 2007.
Saatkamp, Herman. “George Santayana.” Stanford Univeristy Website. Herman Saatkamp, 2010. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/santayana/ >.
Wright, Ally. “Pop Culture: The Way We Were.” PBS.org. Oregon Public Broadcasting, 2005. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/opb/thesixties/topics/culture/index.html?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=pbs&utm_campaign=sixtiespopculture >.
Titles & Authors with links or pdf documents - Can you find the rest for the bibliography?
"9/11 Attacks" from History.com
I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis
"Titanic" from History.com
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis
"Introduction to the Holocaust" from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
"Children During the Holocaust" from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Surivivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Allan Zullor and Mara Bovsun
"The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake" by Chris Frantz
I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 by Lauren Tarshis
"Hurricane Katrina" from History.com
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis
"Why was Pearl Harbor Attacked" from Pearl Harbor Tours
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 by Lauren Tarshis
"The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key
"The Star-Spangled Banner" from the National Museum of American History
March On!: the Day my Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris
"Civil Rights March on Washington" by Shmuel Ross
"March on Washington" edited by Eric Foner and John A. Garraty
I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis
"Titanic" from History.com
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis
"Introduction to the Holocaust" from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
"Children During the Holocaust" from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Surivivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Allan Zullor and Mara Bovsun
"The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake" by Chris Frantz
I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 by Lauren Tarshis
"Hurricane Katrina" from History.com
I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 by Lauren Tarshis
"Why was Pearl Harbor Attacked" from Pearl Harbor Tours
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941 by Lauren Tarshis
"The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key
"The Star-Spangled Banner" from the National Museum of American History
March On!: the Day my Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris
"Civil Rights March on Washington" by Shmuel Ross
"March on Washington" edited by Eric Foner and John A. Garraty
9-11_attack_fiction.pdf | |
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civil_rights_march_on_washington_nonfiction.pdf | |
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holocaust_fiction.pdf | |
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holocaust_nonfiction.pdf | |
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hurricane_katrina_fiction.pdf | |
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pearl_harbor_fiction.pdf | |
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pearl_harbor_nonfiction.pdf | |
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san_francisco_earthquake_fiction.pdf | |
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san_francisco_earthquake_nonfiction.pdf | |
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titanic_fiction.pdf | |
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