I've included two lesson plans that outline how you might use a mentor text to explore the essential question of the unit (how does violence affect our lives?). These both utilize short excerpts to investigate components of this question. Ultimately, the hope would be that students can then use these excerpts as resources when writing an essay to this essential question.
Pre–Reading
The Other Wes Moore:
This book tells the true story of two Wes Moores who grew up in the same era. Both are black men who lived in the inner city of Baltimore and New York, but one ended up in jail for murder while the other is highly successful. The book explores the reasons why their paths diverged so wildly. I would recommend using this lesson/text in the context of discussing how the negative behavior of friends can shape one's actions.
Objective: Students will be able to identify thematic connections with a mentor text by free writing to a prompt and discussion prior to reading. Through this pre–writing and discussion, students will begin to empathize with characters in the text and make connections between the text and their own lives.
Materials:
|
·
|
Pre–reading prompt
|
|
·
|
Scenarios
|
Procedure:
1. As students enter class, have the following prompt written on the board, or on a prompt sheet. Ask students to spend 5–10 minutes responding in writing to the question:
|
a.
|
What role do your choices have in shaping who you are? What choices have you made that have changed your life? Think about schools you've attended, those who you've chosen to be friends with, and activities you've chosen to be a part of.
|
2. After students have had sufficient time to respond to the prompt, ask 2–3 students to share their writing. Alternatively, you can have students turn and talk to each other to share what they've written. Then tell students that today we'll be considering not only the effect of our choices, but the reasons
why
we make decisions. We'll explore what factors influence the decisions we make.
3. Divide students into groups of four, if they do not already sit in groups. Give each group a scenario that involves a decision making process. You can write these yourself to relate specifically to the lives of your students, or find a variety of these types of scenarios online (example here: http://wa.westfordk12.us/pages/FOV1–00042FB9/gr9health/documents/MicrosoftWord–DECIDEScenarios.pdf)
4. Ask students to decide how they would react individually to their given scenario. Then, ask the groups to discuss to see how their reactions and decisions are alike or different.
5. After about 5 minutes of discussion, regroup and ask the students to discuss again, this time focusing on trying to figure out WHY their decisions are different. In other words, what experience in their own life lead them to make a certain choice? The goal is to introduce to students the idea that our choices are based on the life experiences we've had. Depending on your group, you may need to model this. For example, you may ask for two volunteers that made a different choice and talk through why they differ, focusing on their experiences.
6. Introduce that you'll be reading sections of a text which explores how two men with the same name and similar backgrounds ended up with very different fates. You'll be exploring what experiences lead them to make the decisions they did.
7. Assign pages 79–84 from
The Other Wes Moore
for homework or in class reading.
Assessment:
|
·
|
Ask students to respond in writing to the following question: Why does the narrator of this section decide to join Shea? Why do you think his experience with the police wasn't enough to stop him from tagging?
|
This reading should be followed up with excerpts from Wes's time at military school, as well as two similar readings from the story of the other Wes Moore and his descent into gang life. Students can then compare how one Wes's increasingly better decisions compare to the other Wes's increasingly poor decisions and how family life and violence contribute to these choices.
Reading
The Iliad
:
This lesson explores the theme of revenge and its effects. Similar lessons could be created using different scenes from
The Iliad
for discussions of wartime violence, rivalry, or loss.
Objective: Through a close reading of a classic text, students will begin to identify the universal theme of revenge. Students will discuss how this particular form plays a role in their lives.
Procedure:
|
1.
|
Show students an image of the battle between Hector and Achilles. You can choose a classic image, or a more modern cartoon depending on your class. Many are available online.
|
-
|
2.
|
Ask students what they think is happening in the image. Ask them what they notice about the two fighters.
|
-
|
3.
|
Tell them that today, you are going to learn about these two ancient figures and use their story to talk about revenge and what happens when someone takes revenge.
|
-
|
4.
|
Have them listen as you summarize the story of Hector and Achilles. I've written a brief summary below as an example. Then read together the excerpt from the Iliad that tells the story of Hector's death:
|
Today we are going to learn about the story of these two ancient heroes. One was Greek, the other was Trojan. Their countries were at war and they were the best fighters on either side. The Greek hero was named Achilles and the Trojan hero was named Hector.
In the middle of the war, Achilles became angry at the leader of his army and decided not to fight, which hurt the Greeks' chance to win. His best friend, Patroclos wanted to take his place, so he took his armor and dressed up like Achilles as he went into battle. Hector fought and killed Patroclos, thinking he was Achilles, and took his armor.
Achilles was devastated by the death of his friend and returned to the battlefield. He found Hector and cornered him, wanting to avenge the death of his friend. We are going to read what happened next. Keep in mind, this story was first told thousands of years ago.
-
With these words, he (Hector) drew his sword that hung by his side sharp and strong, gathered himself and sprang, like an eagle flying high and swooping down from the clouds upon a lamb or cowering hare. Achilles moved to meet him full of fury, covering his chest with the resplendent shield while the thick golden plumes nodded upon his flashing helmet. His right hand held poised the great spear, which gleamed like the finest of all the stars of heaven, the star of evening brilliant in the dark night; he scanned Hector with ruthless heart, to see where the white flesh gave the best opening for a blow. Hector was well covered with that splendid armour which he had stript from Patroclos, but an opening showed where the collar–bones join the neck to the shoulder, the gullet, where a blow brings quickest death. There Achilles aimed, and the point went through the soft neck; but it did not cut the windpipe and Hector could still answer his foe. He fell in the dust and Achilles cried in triumph
6
While Achilles celebrated Hector's death for a small while, he eventually regretted killing Hector and even called him his brother. He realized that killing Hector would not bring Patroclos back.
5. Ask students to identify why Achilles kills Hector (revenge). Then ask students to think of a time when they felt like they needed to get revenge for something someone did to them. Ask them to think about how they felt afterwards, and to write that story for the rest of class. If they can't think of a time when they got back at someone, they can write about a friend.
6. Have 2–3 students share their story. Ask them to think about why revenge and regret are so often linked together. Lead a class discussion about these two emotions.
Assessment:
