Audience
While YNI units target the public school spectrum of grade, subject, and level, almost all of these units are written for use with students in urban districts. My audience happens to be ninth grade students at Wilbur Cross High School, a comprehensive high school of about 1400 students in New Haven, Connecticut. I enjoy the diversity of the school: Hispanic, African-American, Caucasian, and Asian. Generally, my freshmen classes have about 27 students in each one. Classes are categorized as honors, college, or basic level. In planning the lessons for this unit, I am trying to construct heterogeneous activities that will allow for student learning regardless of ability level. This includes the inclusion students who require modifications. In each of the last two years I have had at least three students from our inclusion program.
I like to think that my student audience and colleagues benefit from having Yale University nearby. Some students at Cross can participate in the Yale community as students in undergraduate classes. Teachers in the New Haven Public School System may also apply as fellows to the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. Both students and teachers have access to a multitude of university programs, museums, and resources that can enrich learning.
I will specifically teach my unit to my ninth grade world civilizations classes. A number of standards addressed in the unit are listed in Appendix 1.
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