Interpreting Texts, Making Meaning: Starting Small

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 13.02.04

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Rationale
  2. Background
  3. Content Background
  4. Strategies
  5. Activities
  6. Appendix – Implementing District Standards
  7. Annotated Bibliography
  8. Notes

Teaching Post-Civil War History in Document-Based Fiction

Alexandra Edwards

Published September 2013

Tools for this Unit:

Rationale

A few months ago I had a conversation with our media specialist about reading. She told me that this has been the first year in her career that the number of books checked out from our media have dropped significantly. She did not give me a number or percentage. She has built the media center from scratch at three middle schools. Whose fault is it, we queried? Nook, Kindle, iPad, technology in general, extra-curricular activities, over- commitment, or lack of interest? E readers promote reading but not all books are available in that type of format. I witnessed my own children voraciously devour books in elementary school and then, much to my dismay, their beloved habit of reading started to fall by the wayside as middle school ended and other interests grabbed their attention. For many students, the journey to construct a soon to be perfect high school transcript means more demands in the area of sports, clubs, and community service. More reading is required as students enter the higher grades and higher level classes. "It's too hard," they complain. "My game didn't end until 9 last night." "It's not fun anymore," was a common objection. Reading, unfortunately, becomes rote on their part. As an eighth grade teacher I often see this. Our school serves a growing population of, for the most part, economically advantaged suburban students. The media specialist and I agreed that it is frustrating and seriously fear – or rather hope – that it is not a sign of coming times. As a middle school history teacher, I do assign fiction and nonfiction books for my students to read in order to help support my curriculum and our Language Arts teachers. I am always in search of methods to build a history library for them to draw from. That being said, I do not teach them how to read the book from a Language Arts teacher's viewpoint; I regard the book from a historical perspective. The basic concepts of knowledge acquisition and interpretation are, however, universal. Reading will provide students with the fundamental blocks for the next level of classes inwhich they will become engaged.

How do I keep the interested readers on a path of continued reading and at the same time pull in those students who are not interested in reading another book or who are struggling readers? I want to design a unit that empowers me to teach fiction/non-fiction books using the interpretive methods discussed in this seminar. I have a mixed group of students that includes below and on grade level, extending to beyond 12 th grade level. I spend a lot of time searching for books that might appeal to every one of them. Higher order thinking skills are relevant for all of these groups of kids, whether low, on grade, or above grade level reading ability. I know how to read the book from a historical and interpretive perspective, but how do I communicate to them how to accurately address the interpretive viewpoint? How can I assist my team-mates and address the Common Core Standards within Language Arts as a history teacher? I want the unit to deliver a smoothertransition between historical and interpretive approaches. Interpretation of the text will undoubtedly have many meanings, not just the one that arises from my customary historical perception. This is not just a pretext for building up a reading unit; it also helps my students interpret their reading and opens their reading up to multiple view points. That leads to discussion!

This unit will begin at the end of the second quarter (nine weeks) and progress into about half way through the third quarter of the year. My goal with this unit is to increase their personal knowledge of history in North Carolina and the United States from 1870 through 1900. I want my students to be able to clarify what American citizenship is and distinguish between true citizenship, according to what the Constitution and the Bill of Rightsoriginally articulated, and the second-class citizenship that was often accorded Americans during this time period. I also want them to understand the sacrifices made by all groups involved in the journey to true equality and becoming a part of the American nation. Finally, to answer that age old question, "Why does studying history matter?" I intend my students to make some sort of personal connection with the author - someone possibly not so different from themselves.

As my students become involved in reading their books, I will be providing them with a variety of primary sources and historical facts to examine. What they read in their novels needs to be verified by historical facts. The author may have been selective in what they left out in the retelling of the story. I believe that it is important for students to have an accurate picture of the time in which the novel takes place. They can compare and contrast the novel with the other sources. We will engage in a variety of strategies to determine veracity of these sources. Primary sources can also be biased in what may be added or deliberately left out. I think my students will have a good selection of verifiable material to help them interpret the novel and primary sources against historical data.

Some of the Common Core Reading Standards I will be addressing in this unit include but are not limited to the following: cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources; determine central ideas of a primary or secondary source in order to provide an accurate account of the source from prior knowledge; identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view and purpose; and distinguish difference between fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text. The North Carolina Essential Standards I will be addressing include: 8H2 - understanding the ways in which conflict, compromise, and negotiation have shaped the US/NC; 8H3 - understanding the factors that contribute to change and continuity in the US/NC; analyzing the democratic ideals which shaped the government of the US/NC; 8C & G2.3 - explain the impact of human and civil rights issues experienced by people throughout the US/NC; and 8C1 -analyze how different cultures influenced US/NC.

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