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“What does it mean to be an American?”

Grade 11

Katie Trenda

EDUC463 Fall 2010

Photo Credit: karenswhimsy.com

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Fort Collins High School

3400 Lambkin Way

Ft. Collins, Colorado

“Where Excellence is Expected”

The students in this classroom are Juniors by grade-level, however their actual

ages range from 15-17. The number of boys in the class slightly outnumbers the girls

15/9. Knowing that there are more males in the room allows the teacher to tailor lesson

plans to meet the majority of learner’s needs. The races and ethnicities in the

classroom accurately mirror that of Ft. Collins High School on the whole. The school is

80.6% White, 12.9% Latino, 3.5% Asian, and 1.5% Black. Reduced-price lunches are

given to 14.4% of the population based on financial need. Keeping in mind the different

cultures, backgrounds, and socio-economic standings of my students will also help the

teacher to more successfully plan lessons and material that will reach most students.

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Fort Collins High School, the home of the “Lambkins,” opened in 1890 and moved into its

current location in 1995. Fort Collins High School offers a wide variety of courses in all areas of

study. Students have the opportunity to take classes at area colleges and universities.

Scheduling: FCHS operates a modified block schedule based upon an 8-period day, resulting in 5

hours of credit per course, per semester.

2 hour classes = ¼ Carnegie Unit

3, 4, & 5 hour classes = ½ Carnegie Unit

Class of 2010 American College Tests (ACT)

FCHS CO National

English 21.4 19.9 20.5

Math 22.0 20.4 21.0

Reading 22.6 21.1 21.3

Science Reasoning 22.1 20.7 20.9

Comp 22.2 20.6 21.0

Sources:

http://www.muninetguide.com/schools/CO/Fort-Collins/Fort-Collins-High-School/

http://www.coloradoan.com/news/data/education/PSD_data2.htm

http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/fchs/about/FCHS_Profile2010-11.pdf

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Information about the Community

The Fort Collins community is mostly white, 83.3%, with Hispanic coming in at

the second largest race, 9.6%. About 94% of Fort Collins residents are educated through

the high school level and higher. Fort Collins is a town rich in traditions dating back to

1862. With a large state college and plenty of historical flavor, this city has been ranked

as one of the top places to live in the United States. The residents want to live here and

have plenty of city pride. The median house-hold income from 2008 was about

$50,285, which is slightly below the Colorado average. Many parents, being well-

educated themselves, are most likely going to be supportive of their children’s

experiences at school. With the majority of the students in the middle or upper classes,

parents will probably be help their children with homework assignments, although this

figure could be greatly affected by the number of parents holding full-time jobs. The

political views in Fort Collins seem to be well-balanced, slightly leaning on the liberal

side. However, several large churches are found near Fort Collins High and the

population of students may be more religious and conservative. I do not foresee

parents challenging moderately liberal choices in literature.

Sources:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Fort-Collins-Colorado.html

http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/fchs/about/FCHS_Profile2010-11.pdf

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Classroom Diagram

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Classroom Description

Although the desks are arranged in rows, this does not mean that the classroom

is a straight laced, rigid place. Desks are easily, and quite often, rearranged into groups

or a large circle for discussion. The rows aid in attendance, ensure that no student has

his/her back to the board, and also allow the teacher to easily reach a student needing

assistance. The teacher’s desk is in the back right corner, along with the door to the

classroom. Students have their back to the door, so they are not distracted by hallway

passers by. The teacher’s space is strategically placed here so she is not the front and

center focal point of the class. This also frees up the space around the white board for

group work and other activities. On a deeper level this demonstrates that the teacher is

not the dispenser of knowledge; kids play a large part in their own learning. Multiple

potted plants are spotted around the room, creating an earthy and homey feel in the

room. In the back left corner of the room is a reading nook. Several comfy chairs,

bookcases, and a rug make for a cozy atmosphere that permits students to delve into

novels or group activities in an organic space. Several floor lamps are positioned around

the room, adding to the tone of the room. The overhead fluorescent lights are used as

little as possible. Also, the windows along the right hand wall allow for plenty of

Colorado sunlight, making for a natural learning environment. Lining the left hand wall

are several supply cabinets and bulletin boards for student work.

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The Class and Overarching Theme

For this 11th grade American Literature class, the overarching theme for this

year will be “What does it mean to be an American?” Throughout the year, students will

explore, through many different types of texts, authors, and writing assignments the

implications of the word “American.” In two semesters, students will travel through

about eight units discovering pieces of American literary history and its implications and

relevancy to their lives today. Amid a changing global world, students are becoming

more world minded, thinking and communicating outside the American lines. Because

of this, students need to understand from a literary standpoint the origins, roots, and

meanings behind American literature. Where does “America” come from? Who and

what is important to Americans? What, ultimately, does it mean to be an American?

Our class will be focused and narrowed by the Colorado Model Content Standards,

specifically, the 11th Grade Reading and Writing Content Standards. They can be found

at www.cde.state.co.us/cdeassess/documents/OSA/standards/read.htm#standards.

Refer to the Standards Overview page.

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Unit Overview

Unit One: Get to Know You (Week 1-2)

Unit Two: The American Dream (Week 3-6)

Unit Three: American Tall Tale and Origin Myths (Week 7-9)

Unit Four: Writing Workshop, Creating Critical Writers (Week 10-13)

Unit Five: Coming of Age, Becoming an Adult (Week 14-18)

Unit Six: Discrimination and Race in America’s Past (Week 19-23)

Unit Seven: What is a hero? Hero’s Journey (Week 24-28)

Unit Eight: American Poetry: beautiful and relevant (Week 29-33)

(Weeks 33-35 are library research class periods. Week 36 is FCHS finals week.)

The units are ordered so that students ease into their school year. First,

students build the community that will be their class for an entire year. The Getting to

Know You unit will allow students to give a presentation, warm up their writing skills,

and do some light reading. Next, we will set into our American literature, by delving

into an important historical attitude. As we read The Great Gatsby, the class will

uncover the appeal and life of the Golden Ages in America. This unit is designed to get

students hooked with a great classic novel. From there, the class will take a step back in

history to discover the tales and myths associated with American beginnings. Students

will cover Native American origin myths, tall tales of the Western expansion, and also,

the African American slave spirituals. With a splash of multimedia music and video,

students will analyze other types of text besides literature. Before getting too far into

writing, the class will cover the writing process in a workshop format. Students will

write two essays, beginning with preliminary planning and extending through the

revision process to complete a final, perfect draft. Carrying those skills forward into the

Coming of Age unit, students will encounter more difficult, deeper questions. By this

time, they should be ready to critically read and write as they explore the adolescent to

adult transition and its implications. Coming off this more serious unit, students will be

prepared for another deep topic, such as Discrimination and Race. With deep roots in

American history, tradition, and values, this unit will press students to search deeper

into their own beliefs. They will be challenged through the text and MP3 of the “I Have

a Dream” speech and the classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn novel. MLK Jr. and

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Huck Finn both serve as a perfect segue into our next unit about what it means to be a

hero. So much a part of American culture, heroes come in all shapes and sizes. But

why? Students will analyze and discover the meanings behind typical heroes and create

a group multimedia project for class presentation. To cap off our year, students will end

with the poetry unit. Not too dense, not too heavy, but still intensive is the goal of this

unit. Inviting modern poets, rappers, and musicians into our canon of classic authors,

this poetry unit will be anything but drab. Students will create both imitations and

original pieces to include in a culminating poetry portfolio to show off their learnings.

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Standards Overview

Eleventh Grade Standards

1. Oral Expression and Listening 1. Verbal and Nonverbal cues impact the intent of communication

Unit one addresses this standard by giving informal and impromptu speeches

about each other. Before giving speeches, students will learn about nonverbal

interaction with the audience and giving appropriate speeches for their intended

audience.

During unit five, students will discover several dialect and jargon differences

while reading excerpts from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. They will

observe differing perspectives associated with particular groups and cultures.

In unit seven, students will deliver an oral group presentation.

2. Validity of a message is determined by its accuracy and relevance

In unit one, students will peer-evaluate each other based on their mastery of verbal and

nonverbal communication skills. This listening activity will help students evaluate the

effectiveness of their peer’s oral techniques.

2. Reading for All Purposes 1. Complex literary texts require critical reading approaches to effectively

interpret and evaluate meaning.

In unit two, students will critically analyze The Great Gatsby through double

entry journals to interpret the text.

Unit three will allow for students to analyze and interpret historical contexts,

form, style, and point of view of the origin myths and tall tales from the American

beginning.

2. Ideas synthesized from informational texts serve a specific purpose

In unit six, students will analyze the repercussions and implications of Martin

Luther King Jr.’s infamous speech.

Unit eight will entail poetry analysis. Students will analyze author’s intent and

impact on audience.

3. Writing and Composition 1. Stylistic and thematic elements of literary or narrative texts can be refined

to engage or entertain an audience.

In unit one, students will complete the “About Me” project. They will use a

creative form to write specifics about their personality and life. Students can create a

newspaper, magazine, or fake Facebook page about themselves. Students will learn

that types of texts can be manipulated to serve a specific purpose and entertain a

specific audience.

The poetry unit, eight, will allow for students to creatively use many literary

devices and forms.

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2. Elements of informational and persuasive texts can be refined to inform or

influence an audience.

Unit two will include a persuasive essay. Students will create a claim and thesis

about an element of The Great Gatsby and use primary and secondary sources to create

a formal evaluation essay.

In unit four for the writing workshop, students will write a compare/contrast

essay and a persuasive essay.

Unit six will allow students to chose to write from the point of view of a

character from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or MLK Jr., furthering their

understanding of audience and the how different types of text are used to evoke feeling

in the audience.

3. Writing demands ongoing revisions and refinements for grammar, usage,

mechanics, and clarity.

The writing workshop, unit four, will be heavily focused on grammar and

mechanics as students draft and revise their essays.

4. Research and Reasoning 1. Self-designed research provides insightful information, conclusions, and

possible solutions

2. Complex situations require critical thinking across multiple disciplines

Unit six will allow students to critically analyze their heroes and what makes

them a hero.

3. Evaluating quality reasoning includes the value of intellectual character such

as humility, empathy, and confidence

In unit five, the Socratic seminar based off of The Crucible will allow students to

reason and sift through their beliefs before sharing them. Students will have a chance

to understand one another and speak with confidence in the discussion.

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Unit Breakdown

Unit One: Get to Know You (Week 1-2)

Standards: 1.1.a “Give informal talks using an appropriate level of formality of verbal

language and nonverbal interaction with audience.”

1.1.b. “Deliver formal oral presentations for intended purpose and audience, using

effective verbal and nonverbal communication.”

2.1.c “c. Enhance the expression of voice, tone, and point of view in a text by

strategically using precise diction (considering denotation, connotation, and audience

associations); diverse syntax; varied sentence patterns; and punctuation for stylistic

effect.”

Goals: During this unit, students will create a classroom community and safe learning

environment for the remainder of the year. Students will write about themselves and

give an introductory speech about one of their peers.

Assessment: Students will turn in an “About Me” project and receive a class

participation grade. Grades will be awarded based on the project rubric and amount of

class participation.

Focus: week 1, Speeches and Techniques of Nonverbal Communication, week two,

Types of Writing

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Unit Two: The American Dream (Week 3-6)

Standards: 2.1.a “Analyze literary components (e.g., tone, symbolism, irony, extended

metaphor, satire, hyperbole) to interpret theme.”

2.1.d “Demonstrate knowledge of classical foundational works of American literature.”

3.2.a “Articulate a position through a concise and focused claim or thesis statement, and

advance it using evidence, examples, and counterarguments.”

Goals: Sifting through the historical attitudes and literary periods in America can shed

much light on where we are as a country today. The roots of America can be traced

through literature, poetry, and historical documents.

Text: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Assessment: Students will complete the “American Dream” Evaluation Essay (later to be

included in the portfolio). The essay will be accompanied by and graded on a rubric for

the assignment. Double entry journals will be assigned for participation grades.

Focus: week 3, Literary Devices, week 4, The American Dream, week 5, Historical

Perspectives, week 6, Evaluation Essay

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Unit Three: American Tall Tale and Origin Myths (Week 7-9)

Standards: 2.1.b “Explain the influence of historical context on the form, style, and point

of view of a written work.”

2.1.d “Demonstrate knowledge of classical foundational works of American literature.”

Goals: Having roots rich in story and fable, students will explore the oral traditions that

helped to found the American Culture.

Texts: American Indian Myth Poems, Alexander Heartley, African American slave

spiritual songs, MP3 www.negrospirituals.com/, Disney’s Tall Tale, The Unbelievable

Adventure movie (1995)

Assessment: Students will write their own tall tale or fable to be shared during the class

“coffee shop” presentation time. Grades will be based off the rubric for the creative

writing piece and completeness of the presentation.

Focus: week 7, Elements of Tall Tale, week 8, Elements of Fable, week 9 Slave Spirituals

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Unit Four: Writing Workshop, Creating Critical Writers (Week 10-13)

Standards: 3.2.c “Choose, develop, and refine appeals for desired effect on audience.”

3.2.d “Evaluate and revise own text as needed to eliminate logical fallacies and to

enhance credibility of ideas and information.”

3.3.e “Use a style guide to follow the conventions of Modern Language Association

(MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) format”

Goals: Using authentic American texts as models, students will learn to write for a

variety of audiences and purposes. The process will include choosing a subject,

brainstorm, research, prewriting, drafting, editing, revision, and a works cited page.

Assessment: Students will write a compare/contrast essay and a persuasive essay to be

utilized in the writing workshop process. These essays will later be added to the

yearlong portfolio. Grades will be based off of rubrics for the writing pieces.

Focus: week 10, Choosing a Topic and Brainstorm, week 11, Research and Drafting,

week 12, Revising and Editing, week 13, Final Polishing

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Unit Five: Coming of Age, Becoming an Adult (Week 14-18)

Standards: 4.3.a “Analyze the purpose, question at issue, information, points of view,

implications and consequences, inferences, assumptions, and concepts inherent in

thinking.”

1.1.e “Identify, explain, and use content-specific vocabulary, terminology, dialect, or

jargon unique to particular groups, perspectives, or contexts (such as social,

professional, political, cultural, historical or geographical).”

Goals: The Coming of Age unit will explore adolescence and the gray area between child

and adult. It is an age group that is continually playing a pivotal role in American culture

and these students are at the crux. Students will critically analyze adolescent characters

and popular media like today’s top music and how it affects their lives.

Text: The Crucible by Arthur Miller, excerpts from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part

Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, contemporary songs MP3 format

Assessment: Reading quizzes over The Crucible are graded on accuracy and the Socratic

seminar will be graded based on participation and interaction. The Socratic seminar

artifact will be discussion notes where students write down thoughts and questions

before, during, and after the discussion.

Focus: week 14, Adolescence vs. Adulthood, week 15, Socratic Seminar Preview, week

16, Identity and Adolescence, week 17, Socratic Seminar, week 18, Contemporary Song

and Effects on Youth

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Unit Six: Discrimination and Race in America’s Past (Week 19-23)

Standards: 2.2.b “Make generalizations and draw conclusions from persuasive texts,

citing text-based evidence as support.”

2.2.c “Predict the impact an informational text will have on an audience and justify the

prediction.”

3.2.c “Choose, develop, and refine appeals for desired effect on audience.”

Goals: An all too important part of the melting-pot culture is the separate races that are

represented within this country. However, these people and minorities have long been

discriminated and violated, as seen in literature, speeches, etc.

Text: “I have a dream” speech, MLK Jr., The Adventures of Huck Finn, Mark Twain

Assessment: Reading quizzes will be given over Huck Finn. Also, students will write a

letter from one Huck Finn character to another or from the point of Martin Luther King

Jr., using examples, mood, and tone from the novel. Quizzes will be graded on accuracy

and the letter will be graded based off a rubric.

Focus: week 19, Race and American History, week 20, Background of Huck Finn, week

21, King and the Fight for Equality, week 22, Analyzing a Speech, week 23, Writing and

Point of View

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Unit Seven: What is a hero? Hero’s Journey (Week 24-28)

Standards: 1.1.c “Deliver oral talks with clear enunciation, vocabulary, and appropriate

organization; nonverbal gestures; and tone.”

3.2.c “Choose, develop, and refine appeals for desired effect on audience.”

4.2.c “Determine the extent to which they entered empathetically into competing

points of view, exercised confidence in reason, recognized the limits of their knowledge

on the topic (intellectual humility), explored alternative approaches to solving or

addressing complex problems (intellectual flexibility), and were open to constructive

critique (intellectual open-mindedness).”

Goals: American culture places people on pedestal based on their actions, looks,

behaviors, etc. Adolescents need to delve to the roots and discover what makes

society’s most popular heroes heroic.

Text: The Scarlett Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, YouTube or video clips from Spiderman,

Batman, and Superman

Assessment: Reading Quizzes over the Scarlett Letter will be given to gauge

comprehension. The “Who is My Hero?” multimedia project and group presentation

will be graded off of content, group dynamics, completeness, and creativity.

Focus: week 24, Hero’s Journey, week 25, Salem and Witch Trial America, week 26,

Contemporary Heroes and Pop Culture, week 27, Superhero Enigma and Stereotype,

week 28, Multimedia Projects

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Unit Eight: American Poetry: beautiful and relevant (Week 29-33)

Standards: 3.1.b “Write literary and narrative texts using a range of stylistic devices

(poetic techniques, figurative language, symbolism, graphic or visual components) to

support the presentation of implicit or explicit theme.”

2.2.e “Explain nuances and connotations of particular words and sentences, and draw

conclusions about author's intent as well as potential impact on an audience.”

Goals: Often overlooked by adolescents, poetry has played an important role in

American culture. Whether it is Emily Dickinson or Eminem, students will be able to

connect with poetry through reading and writing it.

Text: The Columbia Anthology of American Poetry, Jay Parini, modern rap MP3 format at

itunes.com

Assessment: Students will create a mini poetry portfolio of imitations and original

pieces written throughout the unit. Students will write a reflection essay contrasting

their initial thoughts on poetry to their final feelings at the conclusion of the unit. The

portfolio will be graded based off the project requirements and creativity.

Focus: week 29, Music as Poetry, week 30, American Poetic Roots, week 31, Analyzing

Poetry, week 32, Imitations, week 33, Original Works of Poetry

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Final Assessment (Week 28-32)

Students will compile all essays, written pieces, and the mini poetry portfolio into one

larger portfolio. For each piece, students will include a 200 word reflection explaining

their growth as a writer and how each essay helped to them to reach a new level of

writing, understanding, or realization. A rubric and checklist of complete requirements

for the portfolio will be given to students about the third unit of the year, giving them

plenty of time to prepare.

What does my portfolio look like?

• A binder. Each piece clearly labeled with the accompanying reflection piece.

• A poster board or map. All of the pieces displayed, showing your journey as a writer

and thinker throughout this class. Reflection pieces must be included.

• A book or journal. Including all pieces and reflections, you can describe using

pictures and plot your growth through this year.

• Title and name must be present.

• Pages are numbered. Refer back to specific pages in your reflections.

• Reflection pieces will be at least 200 words.

How will my portfolio be graded?

See the checklist and rubric handed out in class for the complete list of essays, writings,

and poetry portfolio pieces that need to be included. Students must follow all directions

to obtain a top grade. Students will not be graded so much on content as how carefully

students take in reflecting on the learning process. The reflection must be a thorough

and detailed explanation of the student’s progress from the beginning to the end result.

Reflective pieces help the audience discover how the student has changed as a person

and a learner from start to finish.

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The Six Language Arts

Talking

Writing

Visually

Representing

Viewing

Listening

Reading

Class Assessments (Unit #)

Huck Finn/MLK Jr.

Character Letter (6)

Huck Finn Reading

Quizzes (6)

“Who is My Hero?”

Multimedia project and

presentation (7)

Scarlett Letter

Reading Quizzes (7)

Poetry Reflection

Essay (8)

Mini Poetry

Portfolio (8) “About Me”

project and

speeches (1)

“American Dream”

Evaluation Essay (2)

Tall Tale, Myth, or

Fable Story (3)

Persuasive Essay (4)

Compare/Contrast

Essay (4)

The Crucible

Socratic

Seminar and

journals (5)

The Crucible

Reading Quizzes (5)

Final

Portfolio

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Reading List

1) The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

2) American Indian Myth Poems, Alexander Heartley

3) African American slave spiritual songs, MP3 www.negrospirituals.com

4) Disney’s Tall Tale, The Unbelievable Adventure movie (1995)

5) The Crucible, Arthur Miller

6) “I have a Dream Speech”, Martin Luther King Jr. MP3 and text PDF

www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html

7) The Adventures of Huck Finn, Mark Twain

8) The Scarlett Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

9) YouTube clips of Spiderman, Batman, Superman www.youtube.com

10) The Columbia Anthology of American Poetry, Jay Parini