The African American Perspective: Hearing Silenced Voices
Unit: Six / Semester 2
Duration: 5 weeks (20 days)
Textual Materials:
1. Richard Wright’s Native Son (novel)
2. Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Let America Be America Again,” “Mother to Son,” and “Harlem” (poetry)
3. Donna Kate Rushin’s “The Bridge Poem” (poetry)
4. Excerpts from Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (novel)
5. Excerpts from Fredrick Douglass’s The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass (novel)
6. Excerpts from Julius Lester’s Day of Tears (novel)
Rationale:
This unit is designed to give students an insight into the stories of African Americans. The voices of the minority groups in America is an important part of the nation’s culture, and hearing and understanding these stories has cultural significance as well as literary significance. The texts written by and about African Americans provide us with insight into a very important group of people that add a lot not only to the American culture, but also to American literature. The experiences of African American men and women are an essential piece to getting the complete picture of America. It is important for students to learn about people who have different backgrounds from them and who have taken on different struggles than them. “…have students read a body of literature by members of a race other than their own in order to learn about how life is viewed and experienced differently, even within the same general setting….I read books by African American writers…that were culturally distant from me and opened my eyes to worlds that, while remote from my own experiences, were important for me to understand in order to be a good citizen in a pluralistic society” (Smagorinsky 142). Literature can help students gain not only knowledge and understanding, but also curiosity, tolerance, and acceptance for people who are different from them. Our African American students get this kind of education all the time with the teaching of the canon because it is filled with literature written by White males. I believe it is also important to give our White students this same exposure. Just because a lot of African American writing has not yet made it into the literary canon does not mean that this literature is not valuable and important in literacy education. Students need to learn that there is valuable writing from under-represented groups as well.
The major texts for this unit will be the novel Native Son, selected poems by Langston Hughes and Donna Kate Rushin, as well as excerpts from The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, Day of Tears, and The Bluest Eye. I want to expose students to a variety of genres as well as topics. Native Son and the works by Langston Hughes will tell of more recent experiences while The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass and Day of Tears involve slavery. I think it is important to provide students with some of the history behind African Americans and how America was shaped by their mistreatment and struggle. “In a sense the literary and cultural history of American abolitionism stayed ‘pretty much the same’ until Afro-American spokespeople brought their voices to bear on American historical and literary-critical discourse during the past two decades. These spokespeople called attention to the fact that a written Afro-American voice had been a singular and altogether beneficial part of America’s most thoroughgoing nineteenth-century reform” (Baker 8). If students are to understand the stories, they should be looking at all of the story. Some might argue that I should be spending more time with African American authors, and I wish that I could, but there is limited class time, and like with every other unit, material had to be cut. I am still trying to expose students to a variety of works by studying some excerpts. I wish students could read the whole work, but I would prefer that we read fewer texts more closely than more texts and have to give up valuable discussion time regarding the emotional responses students will have to this literature. Students will be asked to think about what role do African American authors play in the world of literature? What topics, themes, and ideas are unique to their writing? What can be learned from their writing? And ultimately, what makes their literature American?
Works Cited
Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English By Design. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.
Baker, Jr., Houston A.. "Introduction." Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave. New York: Penguin Group, 1982. 7-24. Print.
Goals:
By the end of the unit, my students will...
-Understand that there are multiple perspectives of events in history and it is important to explore as many of them as we can.
-Have begun to understand the struggle of African Americans throughout history and find ways to connect their experiences to that of these writers.
-Learn how dialect can add meaning to a piece of literature.
-Create a playlist with songs students connect to the works in the unit.
By the end of the unit, I as an educator will...
-Create my own playlist for the unit.
-Gain an even deeper insight into who my students are by reading the poetry they produce in this unit.
Standards:
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
Activities:
1. “Let America Be America Again” and “Harlem”: In groups, students will read the poems and think back to the first unit and think about why Hughes does not feel America is America for him. What qualities of the ideal America is he denied? How is he denied the “American Dream?”
2. “Mother to Son”: Students will read this poem and then compose their own poem imagining they are speaking to their own child or a younger sibling. What great piece of advice or truth about the world would they want to impart on this young person?
3. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”: In this poem Hughes talks about how he feels his history is connected to the Mississippi River. (Play sound clip on http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722). Students will then write their own poems about some geographical feature or building in a place where they feel a connection (this could be a hometown, their current town, a place they visit every summer, etc.) and write about how they feel this feature is a part of them (either a part of their history or what its important to them is.) I want students to model their poems after Langston Hughes’ poem, but I also want to leave the prompt very open-ended because expression through poetry should not be too restricted.
4. Native Son Concept Map: Students will divide into small groups (3-4) and create concept maps on butcher paper. Students will write words and draw pictures and draw both literally and figurative connections between them. The students' maps may take on a technical appearance such as connecting boxes with words in them, or their map can be more artistic and students can use a symbol (such as a tree, river, question mark, etc.) and write their connections within that shape. "The idea is to identify and represent a central concept in the literature and establish how characters, themes, events, and other aspects of the story are related to that central concept and to each other" (Smagorinsky 38). I will ask that each group focus on a different central concept (there are plenty to choose from!) and then each group will give a brief presentation of their map at the end of the class period. The maps will be displayed on the wall in the classroom for students to view on their own time as well.
5. Putting a character on trial: For this activity, students will be divided into roles by drawing slips of paper from a bucket. The roles are as follows:
-Judge (1)
-Juror (5)
-Defendant (half of the rest of the class)
-Plaintiff (half of the rest of the class)
Then, tell the students that the defendants will be arguing that Bigger is innocent and the plaintiffs will be arguing that he is guilty of his crime of murdering the girl. Explain that we know Bigger did actually murder the girl, but it is up for debate how he shall be dealt with depending on the ruling of whether or not the murder was intentional.
Let the students begin working in groups to find evidence and write out their claims that they will present to the judge and jurors. It is the job of the judge and jurors to take notes and come to a ruling. It is also the judge’s job to run the hearing. At this point, I, as the teacher, will step back and let the students do their research and run their own court hearing. I will only step in to give updates on time and to handle any inappropriate arguments or misconduct that may arise. At the end, the judge and jurors should come to a decision on the ruling and present it to the class along with their reasons.
Culminating texts:
Playlist: For this unit, and I want students to think about other ways in which people express themselves and strive for their voice to be heard. Music is another avenue for expression. Students will create a playlist of songs that they found connections to while reading the texts for this unit. Students must choose at least 10 songs with a brief but clear description of the work it corresponds to and why they chose it. There must be at least one song for every text we have read in this unit. Students will also be asked to create an album cover for their playlist. Their songs can be of any genre by any artist as long as the songs are school appropriate. If a student is unsure if a selection is okay, they can talk to me individually. (There will be a specific assignment sheet laying out the specific requirements.) The students will upload their playlists to the class website so everyone can have access to them and listen to them on their own time.
Assessments:
1. The assessment for the unit as a whole will be the playlist. This project will require students to engage with all the texts.
2. There will also be a specific assessment for the novel Native Son. Students will be asked to write a literary analysis essay. (See the prompts in misc.)
3. There will be other smaller assignments for the other texts that students will need to complete throughout the unit.
Miscellaneous:
Native Son Essay Prompt Options:
A. Bigger, in Native Son, might—on the basis of his actions alone—be considered evil or immoral. Explain how and why the full presentation of him makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
B. Native Son confronts the reader with scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary.
(Options A and B adapted from Mrs. Nuzum’s 11th grade English class)
C. Based on the concept maps the students create, I might come up with a prompt or two that reflects the central concepts they chose to focus on. If I choose this, the prompts will be slightly different every time I teach this class because my students may choose different central concepts.
Notes:
Since this is the first unit in which we will read poetry, I would like to spend a day on poetry basics before reading the poetry selections for the unit. Hopefully this will mostly be review for the students because they are 11th graders. This information will also be helpful when working with poetry in units 7 and 8, although poetic elements specific to authors and individual poems will be introduced when that author/poem is studied.
1. Richard Wright’s Native Son (novel)
2. Langston Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Let America Be America Again,” “Mother to Son,” and “Harlem” (poetry)
3. Donna Kate Rushin’s “The Bridge Poem” (poetry)
4. Excerpts from Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (novel)
5. Excerpts from Fredrick Douglass’s The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass (novel)
6. Excerpts from Julius Lester’s Day of Tears (novel)
Rationale:
This unit is designed to give students an insight into the stories of African Americans. The voices of the minority groups in America is an important part of the nation’s culture, and hearing and understanding these stories has cultural significance as well as literary significance. The texts written by and about African Americans provide us with insight into a very important group of people that add a lot not only to the American culture, but also to American literature. The experiences of African American men and women are an essential piece to getting the complete picture of America. It is important for students to learn about people who have different backgrounds from them and who have taken on different struggles than them. “…have students read a body of literature by members of a race other than their own in order to learn about how life is viewed and experienced differently, even within the same general setting….I read books by African American writers…that were culturally distant from me and opened my eyes to worlds that, while remote from my own experiences, were important for me to understand in order to be a good citizen in a pluralistic society” (Smagorinsky 142). Literature can help students gain not only knowledge and understanding, but also curiosity, tolerance, and acceptance for people who are different from them. Our African American students get this kind of education all the time with the teaching of the canon because it is filled with literature written by White males. I believe it is also important to give our White students this same exposure. Just because a lot of African American writing has not yet made it into the literary canon does not mean that this literature is not valuable and important in literacy education. Students need to learn that there is valuable writing from under-represented groups as well.
The major texts for this unit will be the novel Native Son, selected poems by Langston Hughes and Donna Kate Rushin, as well as excerpts from The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, Day of Tears, and The Bluest Eye. I want to expose students to a variety of genres as well as topics. Native Son and the works by Langston Hughes will tell of more recent experiences while The Narrative of Fredrick Douglass and Day of Tears involve slavery. I think it is important to provide students with some of the history behind African Americans and how America was shaped by their mistreatment and struggle. “In a sense the literary and cultural history of American abolitionism stayed ‘pretty much the same’ until Afro-American spokespeople brought their voices to bear on American historical and literary-critical discourse during the past two decades. These spokespeople called attention to the fact that a written Afro-American voice had been a singular and altogether beneficial part of America’s most thoroughgoing nineteenth-century reform” (Baker 8). If students are to understand the stories, they should be looking at all of the story. Some might argue that I should be spending more time with African American authors, and I wish that I could, but there is limited class time, and like with every other unit, material had to be cut. I am still trying to expose students to a variety of works by studying some excerpts. I wish students could read the whole work, but I would prefer that we read fewer texts more closely than more texts and have to give up valuable discussion time regarding the emotional responses students will have to this literature. Students will be asked to think about what role do African American authors play in the world of literature? What topics, themes, and ideas are unique to their writing? What can be learned from their writing? And ultimately, what makes their literature American?
Works Cited
Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English By Design. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.
Baker, Jr., Houston A.. "Introduction." Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave. New York: Penguin Group, 1982. 7-24. Print.
Goals:
By the end of the unit, my students will...
-Understand that there are multiple perspectives of events in history and it is important to explore as many of them as we can.
-Have begun to understand the struggle of African Americans throughout history and find ways to connect their experiences to that of these writers.
-Learn how dialect can add meaning to a piece of literature.
-Create a playlist with songs students connect to the works in the unit.
By the end of the unit, I as an educator will...
-Create my own playlist for the unit.
-Gain an even deeper insight into who my students are by reading the poetry they produce in this unit.
Standards:
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
· CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).
Activities:
1. “Let America Be America Again” and “Harlem”: In groups, students will read the poems and think back to the first unit and think about why Hughes does not feel America is America for him. What qualities of the ideal America is he denied? How is he denied the “American Dream?”
2. “Mother to Son”: Students will read this poem and then compose their own poem imagining they are speaking to their own child or a younger sibling. What great piece of advice or truth about the world would they want to impart on this young person?
3. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”: In this poem Hughes talks about how he feels his history is connected to the Mississippi River. (Play sound clip on http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722). Students will then write their own poems about some geographical feature or building in a place where they feel a connection (this could be a hometown, their current town, a place they visit every summer, etc.) and write about how they feel this feature is a part of them (either a part of their history or what its important to them is.) I want students to model their poems after Langston Hughes’ poem, but I also want to leave the prompt very open-ended because expression through poetry should not be too restricted.
4. Native Son Concept Map: Students will divide into small groups (3-4) and create concept maps on butcher paper. Students will write words and draw pictures and draw both literally and figurative connections between them. The students' maps may take on a technical appearance such as connecting boxes with words in them, or their map can be more artistic and students can use a symbol (such as a tree, river, question mark, etc.) and write their connections within that shape. "The idea is to identify and represent a central concept in the literature and establish how characters, themes, events, and other aspects of the story are related to that central concept and to each other" (Smagorinsky 38). I will ask that each group focus on a different central concept (there are plenty to choose from!) and then each group will give a brief presentation of their map at the end of the class period. The maps will be displayed on the wall in the classroom for students to view on their own time as well.
5. Putting a character on trial: For this activity, students will be divided into roles by drawing slips of paper from a bucket. The roles are as follows:
-Judge (1)
-Juror (5)
-Defendant (half of the rest of the class)
-Plaintiff (half of the rest of the class)
Then, tell the students that the defendants will be arguing that Bigger is innocent and the plaintiffs will be arguing that he is guilty of his crime of murdering the girl. Explain that we know Bigger did actually murder the girl, but it is up for debate how he shall be dealt with depending on the ruling of whether or not the murder was intentional.
Let the students begin working in groups to find evidence and write out their claims that they will present to the judge and jurors. It is the job of the judge and jurors to take notes and come to a ruling. It is also the judge’s job to run the hearing. At this point, I, as the teacher, will step back and let the students do their research and run their own court hearing. I will only step in to give updates on time and to handle any inappropriate arguments or misconduct that may arise. At the end, the judge and jurors should come to a decision on the ruling and present it to the class along with their reasons.
Culminating texts:
Playlist: For this unit, and I want students to think about other ways in which people express themselves and strive for their voice to be heard. Music is another avenue for expression. Students will create a playlist of songs that they found connections to while reading the texts for this unit. Students must choose at least 10 songs with a brief but clear description of the work it corresponds to and why they chose it. There must be at least one song for every text we have read in this unit. Students will also be asked to create an album cover for their playlist. Their songs can be of any genre by any artist as long as the songs are school appropriate. If a student is unsure if a selection is okay, they can talk to me individually. (There will be a specific assignment sheet laying out the specific requirements.) The students will upload their playlists to the class website so everyone can have access to them and listen to them on their own time.
Assessments:
1. The assessment for the unit as a whole will be the playlist. This project will require students to engage with all the texts.
2. There will also be a specific assessment for the novel Native Son. Students will be asked to write a literary analysis essay. (See the prompts in misc.)
3. There will be other smaller assignments for the other texts that students will need to complete throughout the unit.
Miscellaneous:
Native Son Essay Prompt Options:
A. Bigger, in Native Son, might—on the basis of his actions alone—be considered evil or immoral. Explain how and why the full presentation of him makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
B. Native Son confronts the reader with scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Avoid plot summary.
(Options A and B adapted from Mrs. Nuzum’s 11th grade English class)
C. Based on the concept maps the students create, I might come up with a prompt or two that reflects the central concepts they chose to focus on. If I choose this, the prompts will be slightly different every time I teach this class because my students may choose different central concepts.
Notes:
Since this is the first unit in which we will read poetry, I would like to spend a day on poetry basics before reading the poetry selections for the unit. Hopefully this will mostly be review for the students because they are 11th graders. This information will also be helpful when working with poetry in units 7 and 8, although poetic elements specific to authors and individual poems will be introduced when that author/poem is studied.