By critically analyzing popular television programs, students develop an awareness of the messages that are portrayed through the media.

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.

Students will consider the different ways that humor can be used by a writer to criticize people, practices, and institutions that he or she thinks are in need of serious reform. Students will read satirists ranging from classical Rome to modern day to examine how wit can be used to make important points about culture.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students research an aspect of modern life that they would like to lampoon.
Students read from satirists across history to absorb the style and forms of humor and institutions satirized.
Students write their own satire, drawing on techniques of famous satirists to criticize their targets.

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 is satire, and when is it too harsh?
How can humor and irony make you more persuasive?
What do you think is funny? How far would you go to satirize it?
Who gets more reaction—satirists or protestors?

Students continue to look at “Once Upon a Time.” They’ll consider what makes the story so powerful and what makes it a Juvenalian satire.

Students plot the six most important events in “Once Upon a Time” and discuss what they think the author is saying about life in South Africa. Then they look at how the story made them feel and where it seemed particularly Juvenalian.Lesson PreparationRead the lesson and student content.Anticipate student difficulties and identify the differentiation options you will choose for working with your students.

From the PBS series, "Culture Shock," this teaching guide deals with the controversies that have surrounded the teaching of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The guide is designed to help teachers find reasonable approaches to teaching about this controversy. It can also be used to encourage students to examine and understand the relationship between the arts and controversial subjects, as well as studying "Huck Finn" in more depth.

Various speakers discuss myths and truths about Native Americans in this video. [4:43]

Introduction to Sociology 2e adheres to the scope and sequence of a typical, one-semester introductory sociology course. It offers comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories, which are supported by a wealth of engaging learning materials. The textbook presents detailed section reviews with rich questions, discussions that help students apply their knowledge, and features that draw learners into the discipline in meaningful ways. The second edition retains the book’s conceptual organization, aligning to most courses, and has been significantly updated to reflect the latest research and provide examples most relevant to today’s students. In order to help instructors transition to the revised version, the 2e changes are described within the preface.

Explain the difference between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and racism
Identify different types of discrimination
View racial tension through a sociological lens

Minding the Gap is a coming of age film by Bing Liu. Starting in high school, Bing begins to make skate videos. What starts as a hobby ends up as a profound exploration of issues that is likely to resonate deeply with students.

Minding the Gap is a coming of age film by Bing Liu. Starting in high school, Bing begins to make skate videos. What starts as a hobby ends up as a profound exploration of issues that is likely to resonate deeply with students. These are the six video clips from the film Minding the Gap. [21:00]

In this multidisciplinary lesson, students examine stereotypes about people with physical disabilities. Using four video clips from Still Tomorrow, a documentary about Chinese poet Yu Xiuhua, who has cerebral palsy, students will gain awareness of the clues they use to judge people. To better understand Yu's condition, they'll conduct research about cerebral palsy and write an "advice blog" addressing stereotypes about people with disabilities. As part of that research, students will consider how they choose what to click on when they do online searches. [6:14]

In this multidisciplinary lesson, students examine stereotypes about people with physical disabilities. Using clips from Still Tomorrow, a documentary about Chinese poet Yu Xiuhua, who has cerebral palsy, students will gain awareness of the clues they use to judge people. To better understand Yu's condition, they'll conduct research about cerebral palsy and write an "advice blog" addressing stereotypes about people with disabilities. As part of that research, students will consider how they choose what to click on when they do online searches.

Lots of people have preconceived ideas and perceptions of people because of stereotypes. This science fair project will help you examine whether the stereotypes of "gamers" actually matches those that actually play video games.