Content Objectives
The time allotment for this unit is four weeks. The elements of the unit are easily extractable, and they can be taught independently or as a whole. In the beginning, we will follow two tracks, one reading and one writing. This unit will satisfy Oklahoma OAS and Common Core objectives for middle-school students. It will also increase literacy across various mediums, expose students to various forms of expression, and inspire further research. In essence, the seminar format offers culturally-relevant texts with multi-faceted meanings from which students can draw various conclusions. This versatility allows for purposeful group discussions and collaborations as well as personal reflections.
These contrasting genres, theatre and nonfiction, present varied perspectives on issues of identity within familial and social constructs. This juxtaposition of realism against theatre is engaging, and both pieces are historically accurate. The varied mediums appeal to different learning styles, close analysis of voice, writing features, author’s purpose, and other elements of writing across the genres. Studies of the Greenwood District are aimed to enhance student knowledge about African-American history and Tulsa’s business community. The study of “Black Wall Street” calls into question stigmas about people living in the inner city and their ability to generate wealth.
Students will be asked to defend one side of the argument that both Wilson and Greenwood present: What fraction of your history are you required to preserve? What fraction of your history are you able to build upon? Furthermore, students will also be asked to explain their personal connections with both pieces, and how our wants, obstacles, and actions are influenced by external happenings.
Texts within this unit serve a two-fold purpose: to promote student-awareness during their process of self-formation; to promote social-awareness and teach students how to work and thrive within a diverse community.
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