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Dawn
of New Revolutions -
Language Arts Lessons
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The
fourth quarter language arts curriculum is a preparation for the
Youth Voices Forum. In the first week the
teacher will introduce the overarching three questions and the major
components of the final project including the country portfolio.
He or she will also assign each student a country that will be the
focus of the quarter’s work. One day of each week throughout
the quarter students will be presenting current events articles on
their countries. To facilitate this, the first lesson will also encompass
how to find articles, which will not only contain significant information
about the target country but also tie into the concepts being learned
in science, math, and social studies. This will be followed by a
lesson on how to write an annotated bibliography so that students
will properly document where they are finding their information for
their country portfolios while evaluating the quality of those sources.
In the analysis of quality extreme positions will be discussed and
so the next lesson will be an examination of propaganda.
The third week will be an extended look at a few of the chapters
in Rachel Carson’s seminal work on the effects of pesticides
on the environment, the stunning book Silent Spring.
The fourth and fifth weeks of the quarter will be an introduction to the format
of, and the formal terminology used in, debates with time to practice arguing
issues in this type of structured exchange of ideas. In week six students will
learn how to write United Nations style resolutions. They will also begin creating
the country displays, which will constitute the exhibits of the museum walk.
These will be completed in week seven. In week eight the museum walk will take
place. The Youth Voices Forum will be the culminating activity of the quarter. |
Big
Idea |
Scientific advancements are in the news every day; they are one of the major forces that shape our lives. It is essential to get unbiased information about them and to constantly reevaluate their affect on the whole ecosystem.
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Essential Questions |
What are the latest scientific discoveries and how are they affecting our everyday lives?
Can scientific information be distorted and used for propaganda?
Are there ever long-term negative consequences of a scientific discovery that provides benefits in the short term? |
Learning
Cycle |
Lesson
Title & Description |
Objective
Students will: |
Class
period & week |
Engage |
Current Events
The Youth
Voices Project is described. Students are taught how to recognize
articles with significant information and connections to the
other core classes. |
1. select articles and editorials that
contain information and issues directly related
to this youth voices
project.
2. demonstrate their comprehension of
the article read in this lesson through accurate oral
and written
answers to questions posed.
3. demonstrate their comprehension of
one additional article, which is on their country for
the youth
voices project through a brief, accurate oral presentation.
4. make connections between the information
in newspaper, magazine, Internet articles to what is
being studied in science and social studies classes
in a written
format.
5. identify words and phrases, which
affect a reader’s opinion of the article’s topic
and the information presented. |
|
Explore |
The Annotated Bibliography
Students review how to properly document sources using MLA
formats and how to write an annotated bibliography.
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1.
Students will put sources into correct MLA bibliographic
format.
2. Students will evaluate the accuracy of the information and the research value
of two articles through a short written annotated bibliography for each. |
2 class periods
Week 1 |
Explain |
Propaganda
Students will learn
what stylistic devices are used to create writing meant to
unduly nfluence a reader’s opinion. Students
also practice producing some propagada from a neutral source. |
1. identify how the writer’s word choice affects the meaning of the text.
2. identify persuasive techniques used in pieces of propaganda. |
5 class periods
Week 2 |
Apply |
Silent Spring
Students read and analyze three chapters of the famous
book by Rachel Carson.
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1. identify the main idea(s) of each chapter.
2. identify the evidence which supports the main idea and advances the author’s
argument in each chapter.
3. identify words and phrases which support the chapter’s theme.
4. make connections to topics being learned in science and social studies. |
5 class periods
Week 3 |
Big
Idea |
Scientific inventions and breakthroughs influence our food supply in a multitude of positive and negative ways.
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Essential Question |
What techniques and chemicals are being used to alter crops?
Do these techniques and chemicals also have adverse consequences?
Why would some nations choose not to use the latest techniques and chemicals? Who gets to decide what can and cannot be done in growing a farm’s crops? |
Learning
Cycle |
Lesson
Title & Description |
Objective
Students will: |
Class
period & week |
Engage |
Debates
Students will see how a formal debate is set up and what
rules of order are used. After doing research on an assigned
topic they will participate in a practice debate.
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1. conduct research using multiple sources to support a position in a debate
2. put information from multiple sources into correct debate format
3. participate in a debate arguing one position in a focused manner |
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Explore |
Writing Resolutions
Students will learn how to write a resolution in the format
employed by the United Nations. |
1. contains formal language, appropriate to the resolution
style;
2. conforms to the resolution format;
3. uses commas, semi-colons, and periods to separate
the parts of the resolution;
4. has subject matter appropriate for the international
forum. |
5 class period
Week 5 |
Explain |
Country Display
After seeing a model display made by the teacher, students
will do additional research on their country and create visually
appealing displays.
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1. research and synthesize
materials to create displays that showcase the natural
resources, geographical features, political make-up,
and economic status of their country.
2. identify pertinent information in a visual and written format,
which features the pertinent characteristics of their country.
3. create a visually appealing display containing accurate and
extensive information on
their country which other students will be able to understand with ease.
4. clearly indicate the dominant issues facing their country within
their display. |
5 class periods
Week 6 |
Apply |
Youth Voices Project
This activity is the summation of the quarter’s work, allowing students to demonstrate an integrated understanding of biological and social issues that impact how we might feed the world’s human population.
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Student delegates conduct a “United Nations” style session in which they are challenged to develop a resolution or resolutions that address how to feed a growing population, taking into consideration quality of life and the impact on the environment. |
Week 7 |
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