American History through American Lives

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 20.01.06

  1. Unit Guide
  1. I. Introduction
  2. II: Rationale
  3. III.    Content Matter Discussion
  4. IV:  Teaching Strategies
  5. V. Activities
  6. VI. Annotated Resources
  7. VI:  Appendix on Implementing District Standards
  8. Notes

Rhetorical Inquiry Through the Lives of Douglass and Truth

Andrew Kyle Maples

Published September 2020

Tools for this Unit:

VI:  Appendix on Implementing District Standards

I’m from Virginia, and we use the Standards of Learning (with the unfortunate acronym SOL).  Eleventh Grade covers American Literature.  By leaning into rhetoric, this unit dwells primarily under the Communication heading in the standards by responding to diverse perspectives (11.1d), anticipating and addressing opposing perspectives (11.1f), and evaluating techniques to construct arguments (11.1g).  This unit does spend time on biblical allusion (11.3e), and it focuses on the social and cultural function of literature during abolition (11.4d) and how context (11.4e) and language structures support an author’s purpose (11.4h).  Looking at biographical stories instead of a printed speech helps make context clear.  Multiple texts (11.5f), Douglass vs. Truth, about similar topics are used and bringing values conversations in argument really expects inferences using textual support (11.5e).  When it comes to writing and research, we are synthesizing information from primary and secondary sources (11.8b): the productions of Douglass and Truth themselves and biographical projects.  Students will produce arguments (11.6b) about themselves and practice the techniques found in our mentor texts. 

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