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“Unsung Heroes” Handouts 1

“Unsung Heroes” List of Handouts

Tracking Howard Zinn’s Examples in “Unsung Heroes”

Racial/Gender Justice Project: People Who Made Change Roles

Racial and Gender Justice Hunt

Concept Map: Unsung

Vocabulary Knowledge Rating Sheet:

Zinn’s Audience, Purpose and Genre

How to Write a Rhetorical Précis

Précis Peer Review

Précis Rubric

“Unsung Heroes” Student Précis Example

Word Form Chart

Concept Map: Dissent et al

Questioning Zinn’s Appeals

Diction and Syntax

Prompt 1

EPT Rubric

Prompt 2


“Unsung Heroes” Tracking Howard Zinn’s Examples

Historical Figure or Event

What we know before reading the text/or after a little

research

What Zinn tells us in the text or

expects us to know

Why Zinn tells us about the person or event

Andrew Jackson Paragraphs 2, 7

The Founding Fathers 2

Abraham Lincoln 2, 9

Theodore Roosevelt 2, 10

Woodrow Wilson 2, 12

John F. Kennedy 2, 14

William Penn 4

John Woolman 5

Captain Daniel Shays 6

John Ross 8

Osceola 8

Fredrick Douglas 9

Mark Twain 11

Emma Goldman 12


Helen Keller 12

Fannie Lou Hamer 15

Ella Baker 15

Columbus 16

Joe DiMaggio

Arturo Toscanini

Fiorello La Guardia

Sacco and Vanzetti

John McCain

Philip Barrigan

Voices in the Wilderness

McDonald Sisters

School of the Americas

West Coast Longshoremen


Racial/Gender Justice Project: People Who Made Change

by Bill Bigelow

(The following roles supplement the assignment explained in the article, "Teaching Unsung Heroes," in Rethinking Schools, Vol 15, #1.)

Frederick Douglass: I was born a slave. When I was about 16 years old, I was rented out to an overseer in Maryland by my "master". He beat me, but when he tried to do it again, I beat him and he never tried again. Later, I escaped slavery, wrote a book on my life as a slave, and became a well-known organizer against slavery. During the Civil War, I helped convince President Lincoln to allow Blacks to join the military and fight to preserve the Union. Some people believe that I was the most significant Black American in the 19th century.

Harriet Tubman: I was born a slave, but escaped. I'm most well-known for being a "conductor" on what was called the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was not underground and it was not a railroad; it was the secret system of getting escaped slaves to freedom. And no one made more trips than I did. I traveled South 19 times to free over 300 souls, and never lost a "passenger." During the Civil War, I led missions behind enemy lines to free slaves and burn down plantations.

John Brown: People have called me crazy because I, a white man, gave up my life in the cause to free Black slaves. I fought in what was called "bloody Kansas" to make sure that Kansas did not enter the United States as a slave state. And it's true, I killed people there. But it was a just cause, and I took no pleasure in killing. I'm most famous for leading the attack on the U.S. arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. In one sense my mission failed, because we were captured and I was executed. But I am convinced that my actions hastened the day of freedom for Black slaves.

Elaine Brown: I'm not a famous figure like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King, Jr. But I did my part. I was the first and only woman to lead the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. We were the most militantof the Black organizations in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Contrary to the stereotype, we did not advocate violence. We pushed for free breakfast programs for poor children, and free clinics for all who needed them. I was (and am) a Black revolutionary. Our slogan was "Power to the People " and we meant it. Check out my book, A Taste of Power.

Soldier of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment: I am one of the Black men who volunteered to join the US army during the Civil War to go South and free our people. Yes, I know that Lincoln said it wasn't a war to free the slaves. But that's why we fought. And in the end the war did free the slaves, despite what Lincoln said. Many of us died, but we died heroes. No one drafted us. We didn't have to go like lots of white people. We chose to risk our lives for the freedom of others.


Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: In 1912, I was one of the leaders of the strike of mostly women workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, who were fighting for more pay and dignity. They said it couldn't be done, but we united workers from dozens of countries to successfully defeat the bosses. Joe Hill wrote his great song "The Rebel Girl" about me. And Iwas a rebel. I helped found the radical labor union, the Industrial Workers of the World, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union. I was also the first woman to lead the U.S. Communist Party.

César Chávez: I was the son of farm workers, some of the most mistreated people in the United States. I organized the United Farm workers of Americato fight for the rights of migrant farm workers, many of them from Mexico. My union led boycotts of grapes and lettuce in an effort to force growers to negotiate with the union. I also fought against the use of so many pesticides in the fields, something that was bad for workers and for consumers.

Sojourner Truth: I was born a slave but ran to freedom. I recognized early onthat I was oppressed as both a Black person and as a woman, and I was going to preach for the rights of both groups. I became the leading black woman speaker in the country. After the Civil War, I helped resettle freed slaves.

Jeannette Rankin: Not a lot of people have heard of me, but I have the distinction of being the only person in the United States Congress to vote against US involvement in World War I and World War II. I was the first woman elected to the US House of Representatives. I worked for women's rights and against war. In the 1960s, I was in my 80s, but I still had the energy to work for peace in Vietnam.

Malcolm X: I was born Malcolm Little and spent time in prison, from 1946 to 1952, where I converted to Islam and also became political. People say that I was one of the most articulate spokespeople for Black rights in the United States. I was not a pacifist, no indeed. I believed that Black people needed to work for our rights "by any means necessary." I was an "internationalist," who believed that poor and oppressed people everywhere needed to unite. And in 1964, I organized the Organization for Afro-American Unity, and began to preach not for racial separation but for "overthrowing the system of exploitation."

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Early in my career I worked against slavery. Soon I came to see that white women in America were, themselves, treated like slaves. And I began to work for their rights, as well. With Lucretia Mott, I organized the Seneca Falls Conference, the first gathering of women in the United States to demand rights for women. We produced the Declaration of Sentiments expressing our grievances as women and urging needed social changes. I advocated women's right to vote, that women should control their own property and have an easier time getting a divorce if they wanted one.

Susan B. Anthony: In my early years, I worked for the freedom of Black slaves, but soon saw that white women, too, were treated much like slaves. In 1866 I helped found the American Equal Rights Association. I'm perhaps best known for advocating that women should have the right to vote, which at the time was considered very radical. In 1872, I was arrested for attempting to vote. From 1892 to 1900 I was president of the


National American Woman Suffrage Association. But in my lifetime, I never did see women have the right to votein every state in the union.

Carlos Bulosan: I was born in the Philippines and came to Seattle when I was sixteen. I was a migrant farmworker and dishwasher, and became involved in labor organizing and writing for union newspapers. Throughout World War II, my books and stories were widely read.I talked about the need for poor and working people of all races and cultures to come together and realize who their real friends were, and who their enemies were. My pen was my weapon for justice.

William Lloyd Garrison: I was the most prominent crusader against slavery in the United States. I published the first issue of my journal, The Liberator, in 1831 and it became a passionate voice against unjust power of all kinds. In 1833, I chaired the meeting that formed the American Anti-Slavery Society, which became the most important organization for freedom in the United States. I lost some support as I became more vocal in favor of women's rights. Throughout the Civil War, I worked for total freedom of the slaves, which is not what Lincoln wanted. And after the war I insisted on black equality and the creation of aid programs to help freed slaves in the old slavestates.

Sarah and Angelina Grimké: We're sisters, born on a slave-holding plantation in South Carolina. But we were rebels. Everywhere we could, we spoke out against slavery. And when we were criticized for speaking to audiences of both men and women, we began speaking out in favor of women's rights too. Our writings were probably the first ones published in the United States in which women spoke about their rights as women.

Emma Goldman: I was the most well known American anarchist. People think that anarchy means chaos; far from it. It means being in favor of a totally free society and opposing any kind of oppressive authority whatsoever: bosses over workers; husbands over wives; the government over the people; American-born over foreign-born. The Constitution is supposed to give everyone free speech, but they put me in jail many times for speaking my mind, and in 1917 jailed me again for speaking against World War I and the draft. Then in 1919 they deported me back to Russia, where I was born. But I became disillusioned with the Soviet Union, which I didn't believe was true communism, and so I left.

Marcus Garvey: I organized the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which was dedicated to uniting all Black people for our return back to Mother Africa. I was a magnetic speaker, and attracted huge crowds, especially in Harlem. By 1921, I had one million supporters, and was raising money for my Black Star Line steamship company. I was thrown in jail for mail fraud, but later they let me out and deported me back to my original home, Jamaica. They were afraid of my power.

Black Panther Party for Self Defense Member: While some organizations preached non-violence, we organized for self defense. We didn't want violence, but we were not going to allow the police to terrorize black communities. We were founded in Oakland, California by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. The authorities called us violent, but we opened free clinics and breakfast programs for children. We said, "Black Power to Black People." The police and FBI constantly attacked us, and kept us from helping our people.


They murdered some of our leaders, including Fred Hampton. Watch the Eyes on the Prize videos for proof.

Jackie Robinson: I was the first African American to play baseball on a major league team. I joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Sure, I had a good first year, being named Rookie of the Year. But I was subjected to a tremendous amount of racism. Some people on my own team didn't want to play if I was on the team. I put up with incredible abuse in order to break the color barrier in professional sports in this country. (Watch the segments on me in Ken Burns' PBS documentary on baseball.)

Rosa Parks: Some people call me the mother of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1955, I was sitting on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in the Black section. When the white section filled up, they ordered me to move. I refused, was arrested, and it led to a bus boycot that lasted 381 days. Some people say, "Oh, Mrs. Parks didn't want to move because she was tired." What I was tired of was all the injustice my people suffered from. I had been involved in civil rights issues with the NAACP, so these laws had long outraged me. The boycott was the first time that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became involved in organizing for justice. After we won, I couldn't get a job, and had to move to Detroit.

Bessie Smith: Some people consider me the greatest blues singer in history. I don't know about the greatest, but I was certainly the most well-known of the 1920s. One writer called me "hearty, forthright, and totally uninhibited in her performance as well as in her life. "I'd say that's about right. I combined rural blues, spirituals and jazz, and let me tell you, that's a powerful mix.

Bernice Reagon: I started off singing in Black churches in Albany, Georgia, then became active in the Civil Rights Movement. I sang with the Freedom Singers, and later formed the group that I still sing with called Sweet Honey in the Rock. We sing songs about civil rights, women's rights, workers' rights, the environment, and peace. But I'm not just a singer, I also have a PhD., and work at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington on projects to preserve Black culture.

Queen Liliuokalani (pronounced lee-lee-oo'-oh-kah-lahn'-ee): I was the last reigning monarch of Hawai'i. I was deposed by a revolt led by wealthy US-born sugar planters, and was replaced by men like Sanford Dole -- ever hear of Dole Pineapple? -- who in 1898 finally got the United States to annex (take over) my country. I was also a songwriter and wrote many songs, including "Aloha Oe" ("Farewell to Thee".)

Nat Turner: I was just over thirty years old when I led the bloodiest slave revolt in the history of the United States. I believed that I was doing God's will. It was August of 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia, and about 70 of us killed every white person we saw. In all we got 57 of them. Afterwards, whites went on a rampage, killing people who had nothing to do with my insurrection. It's true I used violence, but wasn't violence necessary to end the most violent system the world had ever known, slavery?

Henry David Thoreau: I wrote about nature and simplicity. But I was not a simple man. I hated slavery, and spent time in jail rather than pay taxes to support the Mexican War


(1846-48) which was launched to expand slavery in the United States. My essay, "Civil Disobedience, "was my explanation for why I think it is moral to break laws for a higher good. Throughout my life I was a "naturalist" and believed that nature should be more important than the material things of life. Much of my writing grew out of my love for the earth.

Melba Patilla Beals: I was one of the Little Rock Nine -- the high school students who volunteered to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. In 1954, the Supreme Court said that school segregation was illegal. But many white people were not that quick to give in. It was not an easy year. I was cursed by white students, spat on, and once was tripped and pushed onto some broken glass. I still have the scars. One of the nine was expelled for pouring chili on the head of a white boy who refused to leave her alone, and behaved just like an annoying little dog, nipping at your heels. Throughout the ordeal, I maintained my dignity.

Mickey Schwerner, James Cheney, Andrew Goodman: They made the film Mississippi Burning about our murder in Neshoba County, Mississippi. The movie-makers made the FBI out to be the good guys. What a joke. The real heroes of this story are the Black and white people who worked together in the summer of 1964 in Mississippi to try to bring racial justice to the place. (Schwerner and Goodman were white, Cheney was Black.) Some of us gave our lives, but all of us risked a great deal. Many of the white students who came south for the summer returned to college in the north as changed people. They would become leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Movement, and the Anti-Vietnam War Movement. Mickey Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, both white, never got to go home.

Fannie Lou Hamer: I was the youngest of twenty children. After I married, I was a sharecropper in Mississippi for eighteen years. I risked my life when I registered to vote in 1962. I'd had enough of poverty. I'd had enough of racism. I began to organize for our rights, by working with SNCC, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. In the summer of 1964, I traveled to the Democratic National Convention, where I was a representative of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which we'd created because the regular Democratic Party wouldn't allow Blacks to participate. I sang "Go Tell It On The Mountain," and asked the now-famous words: "Is this America?"

Harvey Milk: I suppose that I was the first openly gay elected official in the United States. I was part of the gay rights movement in San Francisco in the 1970s and was elected to the city's Board of Supervisors. But I wasn't a one-issue candidate. I was for workers' rights and supported civil rights for people of color; and I supported the women's movement. I was white, but I was elected by a true rainbow coalition. Some people called me the "Mayor of Castro," referring to the mostly gay neighborhood in San Francisco. While in office, I was assassinated with Mayor George Moscone by a conservative city Supervisor, Dan White. If you want to know more about my life, watch the powerful film, The Times of Harvey Milk.

Dolores Huerta: I am a tireless organizer for farmworker rights in the United States, a leader in the United Farmworkers of America. My father was a farmworker and my mother a waitress. I became a skilled union organizer and, people tell me, a fantastic


speaker. I became especially active in working against the use of pesticides in the fields that were poisoning workers and our children. The governor of California even refused to sign a bill that would have required growers to post warning signs about pesticides. In a 1988 San Francisco rally, I was beaten so severely by police that I had to have emergency surgery.

Fred Korematsu: During World War II, President Roosevelt ordered all Japanese and Japanese Americans to be rounded up and put in "relocation camps" even if they were born in the United States; even if there was not a shred of evidence that they'd done anything wrong. I was born in Oakland, California. But because I came from Japanese ancestry, I was fired from my job at the shipyard when war broke out. When the government ordered me to go to an internment camp, I refused. I was arrested, but I vowed to fight for my rights as a citizen. And I did.

Leonard Peltier: The movie Thunderheart was based on my story. If you want to see the real story, see the movie Incident at Oglala. Today, I'm sitting in a federal prison for a crime I did not commit. Amnesty International considers me a political prisoner, and I am. The government needed to convict someone for the killing of two FBI agents on the reservation. They needed it to be a member of the American Indian Movement. And that's why I'm in prison. I never killed anybody. The only crime I committed was trying to help Indian people survive on the reservation. Learn about my case. Help get me out of prison.


Racial and Gender Justice Hunt This list accompanies the story "Teaching Unsung Heroes" by Bill Bigelow.

Find someone in the group who:

• Has spent time in jail for their activities or beliefs (or would have if they’d been caught). What happened?

• Worked against slavery or other forms of racism. What exactly did they do?

• Worked for women’s rights, workers rights, or for the rights of gays and lesbians. What did they do?

• Believed it was necessary to use violence to achieve justice. What did they do?

• Worked for justice nonviolently. What did they do?

• You had never heard of before. What did they do? Why do you think you'd never heard of them?

• You had heard of. What new thing(s) did you learn about this person?

• Was not born in the United States. What did they do? What became of them?

• Is a white person who worked for racial justice. What did they do?


Concept Map Reading Selection: “Unsung Heroes” by Howard Zinn

Concept: Unsung

Example Sentence: “We all know individuals--most of them unsung, unrecognized--who have, often in the most modest ways, spoken out or acted on their beliefs for a more egalitarian, more just, peace-loving society.” Synonyms: little-known uncelebrated Definition: Not praised or famous for something you have done, although you deserve to be:

Essential Characteristics: • not famous • those who have done something worthy,

but who are unappreciated • No holiday named after them

Examples: • • •

Non-Examples: • Abraham Lincoln • Paris Hilton •

My representation (verbal or graphic):


Vocabulary Knowledge Rating Sheet: “Unsung Heroes” by Howard Zinn

DIRECTIONS: Rate your knowledge of the vocabulary words listed on the table below. Use this rating scale as a guide:

1. I have no idea what it means. 2. I have seen it or heard it before. 3. I think I know what it means, but I could use a review. 4. I could easily teach this word to the group.

Word What I think this means

before instruction My rating

before Instruction

My rating after

Instruction amendments (n)

committed (adj)

establishing (v)

federal (adj)

imposed (v)

issuing (v)

maintained (v)

occupation (n)

persistence (n)

reluctant (adj)


Zinn’s Audience, Purpose and Genre

To guide your analysis of the text in terms of audience, genre and purpose, consider the following questions: 1. What question or problem does the introduction address?

2. What is the publication and genre of the text?

3. Who, in particular, does the text seem to be targeting as readers? Educators? Parents? Doctors? Teenagers? Who else?

4. How does the text draw the reader in? What shared understanding or value between writer and reader is used as a starting point?

5. What beneficial knowledge does the writer suggest that the reader will gain from the text?

6. How do the format, style, and tone of the text give clues about its genre and about the author’s method for establish credibility with the intended audience


Name: _________________________ Date:_______________Period:_______________

How to Write a Rhetorical Précis: A “Reading Rhetorically” Assignment

Key Term Rhetorical Précis: a method of description that enables one to quickly and effectively describe the argument an author is making in a text; a highly structured summary, usually a paragraph or two, which records the essential rhetorical elements in any spoken or written discourse. Introduction Based on the information presented in this handout and the Unsung Heroes unit, you will write a rhetorical précis for Howard Zinn’s “Unsung Heroes.” Your rhetorical précis will only be comprised of four sentences. How to Write a Rhetorical Précis Each sentence in a rhetorical précis has a specific purpose. Read the information below to learn the purpose of each. Sentence #1: In the first sentence, provide the name of the author, a phrase describing the author (if possible), the type and title of the work, the date the work was published in parenthesis right after the title, a rhetorically accurate verb (e.g. “asserts,” “argues,” “suggests,” “implies,” “claims,” etc.) that describes what the author is doing in the text, and a THAT clause in which you state the major assertion (the claim or argument) of the author’s text. Example (indent the first sentence as it is the beginning of a paragraph):

In the introduction to his book The Nature of Prejudice (1954), Gordon Allport, a Harvard psychologist, suggests that we need a better, more comprehensive, working definition of the word prejudice. Sentence #2: In sentence number two, explain how the author develops, structures, and/or supports the argument (e.g. comparing and contrasting, narrating, illustrating, defining, etc.). Present your explanation in the same chronological order that the items of support are presented in the work.


Example (the sentence that follows “Example #1” above): He gives readers a list of apparent instances of prejudices in the opening passage, and, in the second half of the piece, he discusses various existing definitions of prejudice, each one a little more complex than the one before. Sentence #3 In the third sentence, state the author’s apparent purpose for writing the text, followed by an “in order to” phrase which explains what the author wants the audience to do, feel, or understand as a result of reading the text. Example (the sentence that follows “Example #2” above): Allport wrote this piece in order for readers to have a definitive definition of the word prejudice. Sentence #4 In the fourth sentence, describe the intended audience Example (the sentence that follows “Example # 3” above): His audience appears to be anyone who would be concerned about prejudice in society and/or in themselves. Example of a Rhetorical Précis:

In the introduction to his book The Nature of Prejudice (1954), Gordon Allport, a Harvard psychologist, suggests that we need a better, more comprehensive, working definition of the word prejudice. He gives readers a list of apparent instances of prejudices in the opening passage, and, in the second half of the piece, he discusses various existing definitions of prejudice, each one a little more complex than the one before. Allport wrote this piece in order for readers to have a definitive definition of the word prejudice. His audience appears to be anyone who would be concerned about prejudice in society and/or in themselves. Practice DIRECTIONS: The following items will help you write a rhetorical précis for Howard Zinn’s “Unsung Heroes” Complete each item on the lines provided. Once you complete each item, type your précis (it must look like a four-sentence paragraph). Edit and double-space your précis. The score you earn on the précis will be included in the essay category of your grade, so take this assignment seriously.


1. In the essay “Unsung Heroes” (2000), Howard Zinn, a historian and writer for The Progressive, (argues/asserts/suggests/ implies/claims/) that ________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ 2. To support his argument, Zinn ____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

1. The purpose of his essay is to _____________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

in order to _______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ 2. His audience appears to be _______________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________


Peer Response to Rhetorical Précis _____ yes 1. Does the writer include the author’s name in the first sentence of

the summary? _____ no Writer: include the author’s name. _____ yes 2. Does the writer include the title of the essay in the first sentence of

the summary? _____ yes Is the title in quotation marks? _____ no Writer: include the title of the essay. _____ no Writer: punctuate the title using quotation marks. _____ yes 3. Does the first sentence clearly state the main idea of the article? _____ no Writer: state the main idea in the first sentence. Make sure it is clear

and accurate. You can improve your first sentence by: ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ _____ yes 4. Does the writer include all of the important ideas or supporting

points from the essay? _____ no Writer: You left out an important point: (Specify which one/s) ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ _____ yes 5. Does the writer use his/her own words? _____ no Writer: You used the author’s words instead of your own. (Tell

where—give paragraph or line number) _____ yes 6. Does the writer keep his/her own opinions out of the summary? _____ no Writer: You mentioned your opinion in the summary. (Tell where—

give paragraph or line number). Remember to save your opinion for your response!

(From LS 15 Course Materials, California State University, Sacramento; © 2003)


Précis Scoring Guide

Text Details and Main argument – 1st sentence

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• Does the opening sentence include the title of the essay, author’s name, the genre (essay, article, letter) date of publication, and the main idea of the entire reading?

• Does it use original language and avoids copying phrases and sentences? • Does it use a rhetorically accurate verb (e.g. “asserts,” “argues,” “suggests,”

“implies,” “claims,” etc.) that describes what the author is doing in the text, and a THAT clause in which it states the major assertion (the claim or argument) of the author’s text?

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Major claims, use of evidence, and how the text is developed – 2nd sentence

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• Does it use original language and avoids copying phrases and sentences? • Does it explain how the author develops, structures, and/or supports the

argument through a discussion of claims, evidence, and/or the organization of ideas in the text?

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The Author’s Purpose/Aim – 3rd sentence A

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• Does it use original language and avoids copying phrases and sentences? • Does it state the author’s apparent purpose/aim for writing the text? • Does it follow the purpose statement with an IN ORDER TO phrase which

explains what the author wants the audience to do, feel, or understand as a result of reading the text?

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Intended audience and the relationship with the writer– 4th sentence

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• Does the last sentence name the intended audience and discuss the relationship with the writer created through tone, word, choice and/or appeals?

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“Unsung Heroes” Student Précis Example

1. Notable historian Howard Zinn, author of “Unsung Heroes” which was published

in The Progressive (June 2000) argues that if we recognize those individuals who act upon their beliefs for a just and peace-loving society, we won’t need to look to those who only satisfy their own interests as our national heroes.

2. He begins by describing a personal anecdote as a means to pose the question, “who should our national heroes be?” before comparing and contrasting a series of recognized heroes who used violent means to gain standing or oppress others with “unsung” heroes who fought for justice using peaceful means and who are generally unrecognized or unknown in the mainstream.

3. He writes this persuasive essay so that readers will reevaluate those who are labeled “national heroes” and instead honor those who have sacrificed in the name of non-violent protest and peace.

4. He uses a cynical or sarcastic tone to convince his audience of political liberals who are likely to agree with him.


Word Form Chart Text: “Unsung Heroes”

DIRECTIONS: In your working group, identify as many related word forms as possible for the target vocabulary from the assigned reading selection.

Noun Verb Adjective Adverb amendments*

committed*

establishing*

federal*

imposed*

issuing*

maintained*

occupation*

persistence*

reluctant*

* Actual word form appearing in the reading selection.

Adapted from Kate Kinsella presentation, CSUSF


Concept Organizer

Reading Selection: “Unsung Heroes” by Howard Zinn for concepts: Pacifist, Revolutionary, Dissent, or Civil Rights

Concept:

Example Sentence: Synonyms: Definition:

Essential Characteristics:

Examples: • • •

Non-Examples: • • •

My representation (verbal or graphic):


Questioning the Appeals made in “Unsung Heroes”

Logical Questions

1. Which part of the essay do you find the most convincing?

2. What are the major claims in the essay?

3. Are there claims in these articles that are weak or unsupported? What are they?

4. What are the arguments that he has left out?

Ethical Questions

1. What is the author’s background?

2. Is this author knowledgeable? Smart? Successful?

3. What does the author’s style and language tell you about him or her?

4. Do you trust this author? Why or why not?

5. Do you think this author is deceptive? Why or why not?

6. Do you think this author is serious? Why or why not?

Questions About Emotional Effects

1. How does the essay affect you emotionally? What parts?

2. Do you think the author is trying to manipulate your emotions? How?

3. Do your emotions conflict with your logical interpretation of the argument?

4. Does the author use metaphors? How does this affect your acceptance of his or her ideas?


Diction and Syntax

For “Unsung Heroes”

DIRECTIONS: Locate words or phrases in the essay that seem to carry positive or negative value. Rewrite the term so that it is objective. Then analyze the connotation and author’s purpose. Word/Expression Neutral revision Connotation of

original Author’s purpose in using this diction/syntax

hero worship enough of the worship

recognition negative, that we mindlessly

…that pushed a reluctant Lincoln into finally issuing a half-hearted Emancipation Proclamation…

The rise of the abolitionist movement led to Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation

negative connotation – that Lincoln was weak

To force us to question our idealization of one of the icons of American heroism

hero

alienated

oppressive

national icon


Prompt 1 Explain Howard Zinn argument In "Unsung Heroes" and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with his analysis. Be sure to discuss his main argument, claims, and evidence. Support your position, providing reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading. You must quote directly from Zinn.


CSU English Placement Test Scoring Guide At each of the six score points for on-topic papers, descriptors of writing performance are lettered so that:

a. = response to the topic b. = understanding and use of the passage c. = quality and clarity of thought d. = organization, development, and support e. = syntax and command of language f. = grammar, usage, and mechanics

Score of 6: Superior A 6 essay is superior writing, but may have minor flaws. A typical essay in this category:

a. addresses the topic clearly and responds effectively to all aspects of the task b. demonstrates a thorough critical understanding of the passage in developing an insightful response c. explores the issues thoughtfully and in depth d. is coherently organized and developed, with ideas supported by apt reasons and wellchosen examples e. has an effective, fluent style marked by syntactic variety and a clear command of language f. is generally free from errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics

Score of 5: Strong A 5 essay demonstrates clear competence in writing. It may have some errors, but they are not serious enough to distract or confuse the reader. A typical essay in this category:

a. addresses the topic clearly, but may respond to some aspects of the task more effectively than others b. demonstrates a sound critical understanding of the passage in developing a well-reasoned response c. shows some depth and complexity of thought d. is well organized and developed, with ideas supported by appropriate reasons and examples e. displays some syntactic variety and facility in the use of language f. may have a few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics

Score of 4: Adequate A 4 essay demonstrates adequate writing. It may have some errors that distract the reader, but they do not significantly obscure meaning. A typical essay in this category:

a. addresses the topic, but may slight some aspects of the task b. demonstrates a generally accurate understanding of the passage in developing a sensible response c. may treat the topic simplistically or repetitively d. is adequately organized and developed, generally supporting ideas with reasons and examples e. demonstrates adequate use of syntax and language


f. may have some errors, but generally demonstrates control of grammar, usage, and mechanics

Score of 3: Marginal A 3 essay demonstrates developing competence, but is flawed in some significant way(s). A typical essay in this category reveals one or more of the following weaknesses:

a. distorts or neglects aspects of the task b. demonstrates some understanding of the passage, but may misconstrue parts of it or make limited use of it in developing a weak response c. lacks focus, or demonstrates confused or simplistic thinking d. is poorly organized and developed, presenting generalizations without adequate and appropriate support or presenting details without generalizations e. has limited control of syntax and vocabulary f. has an accumulation of errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that sometimes interfere with meaning

Score of 2: Very Weak A 2 essay is seriously flawed. A typical essay in this category reveals one or more of the following weaknesses:

a. indicates confusion about the topic or neglects important aspects of the task b. demonstrates very poor understanding of the main points of the passage, does not use the passage appropriately in developing a response, or may not use the passage at all c. lacks focus and coherence, and often fails to communicate its ideas d. has very weak organization and development, providing simplistic generalizations without support e. has inadequate control of syntax and vocabulary f. is marred by numerous errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that frequently interfere with meaning

Score of 1: Incompetent A 1 essay demonstrates fundamental deficiencies in writing skills. A typical essay in this category reveals one or more of the following weaknesses:

a. suggests an inability to comprehend the question or to respond meaningfully to the topic b. demonstrates little or no ability to understand the passage or to use it in developing a response c. is unfocused, illogical, or incoherent d. is disorganized and undeveloped, providing little or no relevant support e. lacks basic control of syntax and vocabulary f. has serious and persistent errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics that severely interfere with meaning


Prompt 2 for “Unsung Heroes”

Present Howard Zinn’s argument in “Unsung Heroes” and then write a paper in which you make an argument for an unsung hero you think should get greater emphasis in your American History course. You must present use Zinn’s claims as your own. Use your selected person to support and think about Zinn’s claims.

You may also complete this project as a media presentation. Your audience is the history department of your high school

Evaluation Criteria

1. Introduces the reader to Howard Zinn’s text “Unsung Heroes” through a careful summery of the purpose, main argument, claims and evidence of the text. C

2. Quotes directly from Zinn’s text to explore his ideas. 3. Proposes a person or person who should be more emphasized in the teaching of

American History. 4. Uses Zinn’s claims about why we different kinds of national idols into order to

support and expand the idea of why the chose unsung hero should be better known. 5. Uses exposition, narration, description, argumentation, or some combination of

rhetorical strategies to support the main proposition about why the unsung hero should be included in the curriculum or others like the person.

6. Analyzes a historical event the person was involved in order to explore one of Zinn’s claims as to why we need additional national hero.

7. Include a formal bibliography of the research on the selected person. 8. Shows an awareness of audience in tone, grammar, and organization.

Possible unsung heroes to research from Bill Biglow’s Racial/Gender Justice Project: People Who Made Change:

John Brown, Elaine Brown, Soldier of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, César Chávez, Jeannette Rankin, Carlos Bulosan, William Lloyd Garrison, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, Marcus Garvey, Bernice Reagon, Queen Liliuokalani, Nat Turner, Melba Patilla Beals, Harvey Milk, Dolores Huerta, Fred Korematsu, and Leonard Peltier.

unsung heroes handouts - wikispacesecapwiki.wikispaces.com/file/view/unsung+heroes+handouts.pdf ·...

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