Overview
African-American students are sometimes scorned for their incessant chatter in schools, while they sometimes show a disinterest in reading, writing and computing. They talk and talk some more; often times little is their discussion about the academic discourse of the day. The naturalness of orality in the lives of African-American students has never been recognized as a part of who they are and where they come from in the academic setting. Hearing the story is essential in the culture of Africa, hence a part of the African-American psyches. The oral tradition was a central part of African culture. It was a practiced and natural form passed onto children bridging the gap between the generations and enhancing literary skills. African-American students' speech practice can seemingly serve as a cultural resource, and if it can be taught, and drawn on in the classroom, orality can become a way for them to connect to, rather that disconnect from, school.
This unit will explore, discover and recognize how vocalization of poetry, some of the religious preaching and political speeches by African-Americans who have influenced the students' community and American society. It will give students additional tools to become active and keen in their listening skills as another part of what occurs in oral presentations. Students will study the relationship of communicator and audience and how the two entities each play a major role in the creation or recreation of an oral work, given its specificity. Students will be given opportunity to perform at spoken word venues and witness performances of speeches, spoken word poetry, and oral recitations. In addition, students will reflect on historical implications and political overtones of the oral performances we study.
Students will learn prominent uses of vocal incantations, tone, lexis style, physical expression, and vernacular dialects. In bringing text to life through vocalization, they will be exposed to oral recordings of spoken word poetry, as well as video and audio recordings of speeches that draw attention to their social function or highlight political occurrences in the dynamics of American society and/or the American Black community. This unit will prepare the foundation for study of the students' own performance writings, and class readings, and improve students' listening skills. It will also give students a broader knowledge of orality and important texts in the history of African-Americans.
The unit can be used in a regular or advanced English Language Arts, American History, Civics, and General Law classroom for the high school level. The lessons within the unit can be adapted for use in Advanced Placement courses, as well as be adapted for use in a learning support environment. This unit uses the Pennsylvania State Academic Standards from Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening; Arts & Humanities; History; and even some from Science and Technology.
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