Strategies
I will start my unit with an anticipatory set to "hook" my students into the unit. The opening activity is important because it is the motivation and introduction to the following lessons. In order for them to be ready for this unit mentally and physically, they will draw upon imagination, discussion, and oral story telling.
I enjoy incorporating music into lessons because song lyrics can be considered a type of contemporary poetry. In many songs, there are strong messages that adolescents can relate to and interpret more easily. I also find using songs to be a great segue into looking at both modern and classical poetry. For this unit, I will start by introducing a song by Everlast called "What It's Like." This song deals with the hardships that people face and the judgment that comes along with it when no one really knows a situation. This song stresses that people are sometimes faced with choices in life that they feel they cannot control, so they should be free to make any choice without the fear of being judged. In class, we will read and discuss the lyrics before listening to the song. As students read the lyrics, they will be asked to highlight certain phrases that jump out at them, and will be asked to jot down any thoughts and feelings related to these highlighted phrases. Through discussion, they will share with one another their findings. We will listen to the song and discuss presentation of the message. I would like to find out from my students whether they think the message of the song could be presented in another form, and if so, in what form would they choose to present Everlast's message of judgment.
The next piece of text I will introduce to my students is the poem "A Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. This is one of Frost's most popular poems and is studied at many levels. I chose this poem because of its literal and figurative approach to discussing a road. The poem is rich in imagery and the vocabulary is not too difficult that my students would get lost in word meaning. In this poem, the "road" Frost refers to, is a literal one that splits, and the narrator must decide which path to take. Figuratively, Frost alludes to the decisions we face in life that can have life altering outcomes. Students will relate to this poem because it deals with something that they are familiar with. They can empathize with the narrator's dilemma of making a choice without knowing what the true outcome will be. In the end, the narrator takes the "road less traveled," and is happy with his decision about taking the chance that the road will lead him down an acceptable path. However, this poem is narrated in the past tense, so the narrator is reflecting upon his decision about taking the right path. He can only accept that it is the right path because of where he ended up; had the path been the wrong one, the narrator might not have thought it to be such a defining moment in his life. Students will read and discuss this poem in depth. I will introduce several activities that will aim to enhance their understanding of figurative language, imagery, and meaning.
Once I feel students understand the concept of decision-making and judgment, I will introduce the interrelationship of ethical principles, character, and values and the Ethical Decision-Making Model. I will begin this section of the unit by introducing two picture books. The first picture book is Three Questions based on a story by Leo Tolstoy written and illustrated by Jon J Muth. In this story, a boy named Nikolai yearns to be a good person, but is uncertain about the right way to act. He wants to find the answer to three questions: When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? On his quest to find the answer, he runs into three friends, a heron, a monkey, and a dog. The answer each animal gives is reflective of his/her character traits. Nikolai knows these aren't the answers to his three questions. He decides to visit his friend the turtle. Through a series of events that starts with Nikolai helping turtle with his garden and ending in him helping a panda find her way back to her mother, Nikolai learns that his actions have answered his questions. It is during the introduction of this picture book that I will introduce students to the interrelationship between character traits and values. We will discuss how decisions play a role in someone being judged because it is his/her character traits and values that come into question.
The next picture book I will present to my class is Fox written by Margaret Wild. In this story, a dog and a bird are both injured. They help each other compensate for their injuries. They become inseparable friends, but the fox is jealous of their closeness. He tricks the Dog into betraying the bird, and Dog then has to decide how to atone for his betrayal of his friend. This book will allow discussions and activities that surround moral judgment of others, as well as critical choice. At this point, I will introduce the Ethical Decision-Making Model to my class. They will apply this model to the book and figure out a better way for Fox to handle his jealousy. They will also look at Dog's choices and come up with a more ethical solution based upon the model.
The last text I will use with my student is the novel, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. I chose this book because my students can relate to the characters and the storyline and I can get enough copies of this book for every student to borrow. The novel tells the story of a teenager named Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society that places him and his friends as outsiders. Pony lives with his two older brothers, and along with his friends are considered greasers from the wrong side of the tracks. Greaser is a class term that refers to the poor side of town, which is on the east side. My students will connect with story right away because they too are from the east side of San Jose where there evidence of gang activity. In the story, the Socs are the rival gang who are from the upper class neighborhood on the west side of town. A couple members of the Socs confront Pony and his friend, Johnny, in park, and a fight ensues. Johnny sees Pony in trouble, takes out his switchblade, and kills Bob, a Soc. They consult their friend Dallas and decide to run away. While on the run, the boys find out that a girl from the Socs will testify that Bob was drunk and that Johnny was acting in self-defense. Johnny decides to turn himself in, but on the way home they see that a church is on fire and that people are trapped inside. Both boys go into the fire to help rescue the occupants. A wooden beam falls on Johnny, burning him and breaking his back. Johnny is not able to recover and dies shortly thereafter at the hospital. Dallas is so overcome with grief that he robs a liquor store, an action that ultimately gets him killed by the police. It ends with Pony writing a book about the past events to help him with his grief and frustration. 1 5
This story fits perfectly with the theme of this unit because it deals with adolescents making harsh life choices that will make an impact on the outcome of the path they take in life. Students can pick any one of the main characters in the book and analyze the choices that he makes. Students will identify with the ideas presented in this story dealing with conformity/non-conformity, loyalty, identity (both personal and group), and personal conflicts that test character. My students will be attracted to this novel because it focuses on the two things they are most concerned with: friendship and loyalty. In class, students will discuss and analyze the choices made by each character and the role conflict resolution played in the decision-making process. Students will pick a character and his conflict, and apply the Ethical Decision-Making Model to find an alternative way of dealing with conflict that may have prevented the violence. They will compare and contrast the conflicts presented in the novel to modern day conflicts and present how this model can be used to solve modern day conflicts. Questions I would like my students to think about during discussions:
- At what point in the story did this character make a decision that would change his "path?"
- Do you see the choice as being justified? Why?
- Was this character judged in any way for his decision?
- What was the outcome of his decision?
- What character traits and/or values can be associated with his decision?
Students will be assessed on their learning in the form of a response to literature essay on conflict, choices, and outcomes. They will be given a piece of text and must apply what they learned from the unit to the text I will choose to give them. They will be asked to describe and analyze the choices a character makes, the outcome and judgments he/she faces, and then they must be able to apply the Ethical Decision-Making Model to come up with an alternative solution to the conflict. They must be able to provide examples drawn straight from the text and explain the importance of each example. The assessment will follow the guidelines set forth in the California's English Language Arts Content Standards for Grade Seven.
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