Demographics
This unit is aimed towards seventh or eighth graders from an urban school district in a mid-size Rust Belt city. Our school is the district's 6-12 arts magnet school, for which students audition in the fifth or eighth grade to enter in sixth or ninth. The students are ethnically diverse, more female than male, and they "major" in various arts fields. Like those of the rest of the district, one of our goals is to close a racial achievement gap on state tests. Our students run the gamut academically, struggling more in math than in English. 25% are basic or below, while another quarter are "gifted" students or advanced on the tests. This wide range presents other challenges.
This unit was produced during a summer seminar called "Picture Writing" with Professor Janice Carlisle at the Yale National Teachers' Institute. This year, our state is adopting the Common Core State Standards, which require significant revamping of curriculum and teaching styles. I began the investigation into the "frontloading" recommendations by the Common Core as our school was preparing for this transition. The novel, Forge, has been chosen by my school district, the city schools of Pittsburgh, PA. We teach a uniform curriculum, and this 2010 young-adult historical novel has been added to the curriculum for this fall and preliminary ideas for teaching it have been shared. The shape of this unit is, in part, an effort to integrate these varied elements.
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