Lesson Title: Lesson 2, Day 2: Introduction of concept the “Black
Experience”
Time Frame: One Day, 50 Minute Period
Unit Title: The Black Experience: 1920s-1940s
Grade Level: 10th and 11th
Subject: Language Arts
Submitted by: Alsandyra Essien
Language Arts Goal Two: Students will be able to read and understand
literature representative of various societies, eras, and ideas.
B.M.2.A.4c: Students will describe relationships between
the author’s style, literary form (e.g. short stories, novels, drama, fables,
biographies, documentaries, poetry, essays) and intended effect on the reader.
B.M.2.A.4d: Students will
describe the influence of the author’s language structure and word choice to convey
the author’s viewpoint.
Related Social Science Goal
16: Understand events, trends,
individuals, and movements shaping the history of the
B.M.16 B.4: Identify political ideas that have dominated
United States historical eras.
Social Studies Goal 18: Understand United States Social Systems.
Learning Standard A. Compare characteristics of culture as
reflected in language, literature, the arts, and institutions.
Learning Standard 18 B: Understand the roles and interactions of individuals and groups in society.
B.M. 18.A.4. Analyze the influence of cultural factors
including customs, traditions, language, media, art, and architecture in
developing pluralistic societies.
Objectives:
To establish a framework,
based on students’ present day experiences, to explore the 1920s-1940s Black
Experience
To identify specific
problems, issues, and concepts that comprise the current Black Experience
To understand cultural and
societal experiences of diverse racial and ethnic groups in the present day
United States.
To understand cultural and
societal experiences of present day Black teens in the United States.
As a result of this lesson,
students will:
·
recognize
stereotypes often associated with Black teenagers.
·
recognize forms
of discrimination often directed toward
Black teenagers.
Materials:
Large
“Post It” sheets
Large chalk board
Colored markers
Student Journal notebooks
Resources:
Letter from Mr. Eugene B. Redmond
African American Literature: Voices in a Tradition,
Holt
Rinehart and Winston, Inc.
Methods:
1.
The teacher
should have the daily journal topic written on the board in its designated
place before the students enter the room.
Students are to know that they are to begin journaling immediately after
they enter the room. They are to write
for five minutes on the topic. Students
will complete a journal entry every day.
Journal
Entry: What does it mean to be a Black
teenage boy/girl in the present day United States?
2.
After the
students have completed their journaling, the teacher will divide the class
into five groups of threes or some other configuration. For some reason, in my experience, groups of
three or five seem to work best.
3.
Once in their groups,
students will be asked to share their journals with each other. Students will
be encouraged to be active listeners.
4.
After they have
listened to each other, the groups will be given the following task: Identify issues, problems, concerns, concepts
that are particularly significant to Black teens. Each individual is first to write his own
list on a sheet of colored paper. The
group will discuss the individual lists and then agree upon three concepts that
it considers to be of extreme interest and importance. An appointed scribe will then write one issue
on each of three separate sticky sheets of paper. Each group will send a person to post its
three sticky sheets on the chalkboard.
This entire process should take about ten minutes.
5.
After each group
has posted its three sheets, all students should turn their attention to the
chalkboard. They are to read all the
sheets and ask for clarification on points that they don’t understand. The class will then be instructed to group
the sheets according to themes. A
student volunteer will be asked to come to the board to rearrange the papers
according to the themes the students identify.
6.
The teacher will
then facilitate a discussion on the themes.
Hopefully, students will identify concerns such as affirmative action in
education and jobs, the achievement gap between Black and White students, the
high school drop out rate, racial discrimination, hip hop music, language
facility, “sagging” clothes styles, and barriers to social mobility.
7.
Introduce letter
from Mr. Eugene B. Redmond. Students will be encouraged to ask questions. Questions will be put on a chart and
revisited throughout the unit.
Evaluation/Assessment:
At the end of the period each
student will be asked to share with the class
what he/she considers to be the number one concern for Black teens today. The students will then be told to write
reflections on the concern in their journals.
