Madeline M. Craig
Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy (Clemente) is located in the neighborhood of New Haven named Sodom Hill, or affectionately known as “The Hill” by the community. A neighborhood ripe with diversity, The Hill has been an entry point for thousands of new residents over the last 200 years, whether it be as a stop on the Underground Railroad or the waves of immigrants trickling up from New York City (4). While rich in cultural history and strong community ties, The Hill has not been immune to strife and difficulty. According to Connecticut Neighborhood Profiles, “it has a 39 percent poverty rate and 64 percent low-income rate, the highest in New Haven: among the 15,069 residents, 5,924 are in poverty and 9,701 in the low-income population” (5). Many students live within the neighborhoods surrounding Clemente and though New Haven’s population is nearly 45 percent white, Clemente’s minority enrollment is 93 percent of the student population, the majority of who are Latino and Black (6). As the sole 8th Grade ELA teacher, all three sections of ELA are taught by myself.
I have designed this unit to be taught during the first five to six weeks of the school year. It is designed for teachers of secondary ELA students and fits within the National Common Core Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts and Literacy framework released in 2010, which has been adopted by 45 states, including Connecticut (7). This unit additionally focuses on launching a reconstructed, anti-racist writing workshop experience for students while building a classroom community that fosters a sense of belonging, promotes positive social skills, and provides opportunities for risk-taking. This unit is written to incorporate the Common Core State Standards along with New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district wide adaptation of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Standards. While the curriculum within NHPS relies heavily on a strongly implemented workshop model to teach all forms of writing, this unit will focus solely on constructing narrative prose and poetry.
