In this unit, students will produce two major pieces of work.  The first piece is an argument essay that grapples with one of the core questions of the unit: who are we, and who have we become because of the ways we connect? Students will read, annotate, and discuss several texts together as they consider the issues surrounding this question, and they will also research and annotate independently as they search for more evidence and perspectives to help deepen their ideas.  They will also create a museum exhibit as part of a team.  The exhibit project will help students identify what's worth preserving about their unique place in history.

PROJECT UNITS

This project unit continues to meet the English Language Arts standards as it also utilizes the learning principles established by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. It is designed to support deep content knowledge and perseverance through long-term project planning and implementation. In addition, it will help students to recognize, develop, and apply the planning, teamwork, communication, and presentation skills they will use while presenting a final product to their class and/or the greater community. This real-world project-based activity will give students an opportunity to apply the skills they have been learning all year and will guide them to develop the motivation, knowledge, and skills they need in order to be college and career ready.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students write an argument paper where they develop a claim about current culture as it has been influenced by digital connectivity.
Students participate in a group project to create a museum exhibit that captures a unique place, time, and relationship to technology. Students acknowledge the differing perspectives of each group member and use those perspectives to synthesize one cohesive visual argument together.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

What does it mean to be digitally connected?
What are the implications of living in a world where everyone is digitally connected?
How does the availability of instant connectivity shape our relationships?
What does our Internet use reveal about people's needs as humans?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT: Cold Read

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

In this lesson, the student teams will examine theme, hook artifacts, interactivity, and storytelling more deeply. They'll also apply them to their own exhibit as it evolves.

The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

Who decides who among us is civilized? What rules should govern immigration into the United States? Whom should we let in? Keep out? What should we do about political refugees or children without papers? What if they would be a drain on our economy?

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest and write a short argument about who in the play is truly civilized.
Students participate in a mock trial in which they argue for or against granting asylum to a teenage refugee, and then they write arguments in favor of granting asylum to one refugee and against granting it to another.
Students read an Independent Reading text and write an informational essay about a global issue and how that relates to their book.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

What role do national identity, custom, religion, and other locally held beliefs play in a world increasingly characterized by globalization?
How does Shakespeare’s view of human rights compare with that in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Who is civilized? Who decides what civilization is or how it’s defined?
How do we behave toward and acknowledge those whose culture is different from our own?

What are the conventions for citing quotations from a play? You will guide students through the rules, and they’ll have one more chance to proofread their essays. Students will reflect on the Guiding Questions. Then they will select their Independent Reading books.

The Etruscans influenced not only the government of the Roman monarchy, but also the religious practices, and early architecture.

A video interview with poet and author Nikki Giovanni, civil rights activist. Includes full transcript of video and short biography.

As some of the foundational texts for beginning readers, fairy tales are a staple of many classrooms. This lesson allows students to engage with fairy tales from different regions around the world and compare important cultural elements of these stories.

A very good site on the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal, which ended in the banishing of eight major league players for life from the game of baseball. Also includes great information on the ensuing trial and a link to the manuscript of Shoeless Joe Jackson's testimony at the trial.

This site from Geographia.com has very detailed information on art and architecture in Russia. Read about religious icons, the modern art movement in Russia, and architecture.

It's easy to explore the Central American country of Costa Rica through "Facts at a Glance." Discover details about geography, culture, economy, government, and climate. Expanded information can be found in the commentary section.

A detailed and comprehensive resource for finding much information on the South American republic of Ecuador. Organized by quick facts in chart form or longer commentaries.

A detailed and exhaustive resource for finding much information on the Central American province of Honduras. Organized by quick facts that are shown in chart form or longer commentaries.

A detailed and exhaustive resource for finding much information on Nicaraqua. Organized by quick facts in chart form or longer commentaries.

A detailed and comprehensive resource for finding much information on Paraguay. Organized by quick facts in chart form or longer commentaries.

Comprehensive site that gives you "Facts at a Glance" or more in-depth information about such topics as geography, people, economy, climate, or foreign relations. Have fun exploring the South American country of Peru.

All you ever wanted to know about the Bahamas can be found here. Organized by quick fact charts or more detailed commentary, information includes geography, government, economy, climate, and more.

It's easy to explore the South American country of Venezuela through "Facts at a Glance". Discover information about geography, culture, economy, government, climate, and more. If you want more, take a look at the notes and commentary.

James T. Patterson of Brown University, discusses how the major political, cultural, and economic events of the mid-20th century impacted America from 1945 through Watergate. [39:55]

Ohio Wesleyan University Professor Michael Flamm discusses the political, social, and international legacies of the tumultuous 1960s and how they still influence society today. [52:16]