American Values Sequence: Junior PLC, Granite Hills High School
By Tracey Brewer
In conjunction with Cal-PASS and San Diego State University
Under the direction of Cali Linfor (clinfor@cox.net)
Developed during the 2011-2012 school year
West Hills High School Cal-PASS Curriculum Alignment Project
“The World House”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Assignment Type 1: Analyzing a Non-Fiction Text
TEACHER VERSION
READING RHETORICALLY
The Reading Process
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Optional: Language
Arts Standard:
Writing Applications
2.3
Write brief Reflective
Composition on topic
related to text, exploring
the significance of
personal experiences,
events, conditions, or
concerns by using
rhetorical strategies (e.g.,
narration, description,
exposition, persuasion.)
Prereading
Reading
Postreading
Pre Reading Activities
NOTE: These articles are to be read in sequence by the
class, probably about two articles per week. Some
activities are repeated across multiple articles because
students need additional practice, but the additional
practice often is more and more independent, rather
than scaffolded in class.
Getting Ready to Read
Pre-reading Activity:
In class brainstorm: What traits do Americans value in
themselves? What traits might a foreigner identify as major
American traits? (How are Americans perceived by foreigners?)
Pre Reading Activity:
Students create a class definition of stereotypes, and list some
examples of commonly-held stereotypes.
Pre Reading Activity:
LOTS of vocab checking in this stage. I emphasize the reasons
for this after the first article—(1) one cannot understand a
text if one is missing out on some of the key terms, and (2)
knowing what the vocabulary means can help readers
determine who the target audience is.
(“BMPS”): Students skim through the article, “Black Men and
Public Space” by Brent Staples. Highlight or underline all of the
vocabulary words with which they are unfamiliar. Divide class
into groups—each group finds definitions for unfamiliar vocab in
a given paragraph and shares out with class.
(“HD”): Students skim through the article, “The Handicap of
Definition” by William Raspberry. Vocab research activity is
repeated as with “BMPS”.
(“CTC”): Students discuss subtitle of article, “Crippled by their
Culture” by Thomas Sowell (it refers to “black rednecks”). What
might the author mean by this term? What’s a redneck?
(“iWorld”): Students skim the article, “Society is dead, we have
retreated into the iWorld” by Andrew Sullivan. The do the vocab
check again.
(“GWUH”): Students skim the article, “Guest Workers and the
U.S. Heritage” by Jay Bookman. They do the vocab check again.
Review persuasive appeals with the class.
Language Arts
Standard:
Reading
Comprehension 2.1
Analyze the features and
rhetorical devices of texts
and the way in which
authors use those
features and devices.
Surveying the Text
(“BMPS”): Before reading the essay, review the difference
between claim and evidence. You will be marking major claims
as you read.
(“CTC” and “iWorld” and “GWUH”): Point out how certain
vocabulary is actually a type of allusion (review definition of
allusions). Students should notice how Thomas Sowell (“CTC”)
and Jay Bookman (“GWUH”) use historical allusions, and
Andrew Sullivan (“iWorld”) uses pop culture and mythological
allusions.
Making Predictions
(“BMPS”): After reading the first paragraph from the essay,
predict the point of the essay. What is the author implying about
himself? Check your prediction after reading the second
paragraph.
(“HD”): After reading the first paragraph, discuss as a class how
black people are “defined” in our culture. Discuss stereotypes of
black people in America.
(“iWorld”): Predict the target topic of this article, based on the
title. Why might the author believe that modern technology
(iPods) has destroyed society?
(“GWUH”): Look at the diction in the title of this essay. What
does the author’s usage of “guest workers” imply about his point
of view? (Consider what other terms are used to describe workers
from other countries.)
Language Arts
Standard:
Word Analysis and
Systematic
Vocabulary
Development 1.0 (as
well as 1.1 and 1.2)
Students apply their
knowledge of word
origins to determine the
meaning of new words
encountered in reading
materials and use those
words accurately.
Introducing Vocabulary
(“BMPS”): Students have already identified and defined difficult
vocabulary prior to reading. This vocab includes terms like:
Affluent
Uninflammatory
Foyer
Elicit
Perpetrators
Retrospect
Intimidation
Bravado
Perilous
Same process for other articles, except “CTC”, as it has fewer
vocab terms and can be dealt with while reading.
Reading
Looking Closely at Language
Language Arts
Standard: Reading
Comprehension 2.1
Analyze both the
features and the
rhetorical devices of
texts and the way in
which authors use
those features and
First Reading
DIRECTIONS: Read the essays as your teacher assigns them. As
you read, think about the predictions you made.
Rereading the Text
(“BMPS”): Have students reread the article and annotate as they read.
They should mark major claims made by the author and write their own
devices.
reactions to the author’s content in the margins.
Now, have students in pairs compare their annotations.
(“CTC” and “iWorld” and “GWUH”): Label all the allusions in
the texts. Also label hyperbole in “iWorld”. Use the authors’
allusion device to figure out the audience of the texts. Explain
why the allusions will be effective with a specific audience.
(“CTC”): Have students read essay three paragraphs at a time,
pausing to summarize (label) what the author is doing in each
chunk.
Ask students to identify the point in the essay where the author
shifts from disproving theories about black performance, to
proving his own theory.
(“GWUH”): Have students mark examples of logos and pathos in
the essay.
Rereading the Text Activity—Rhetorical Précis/Response
(“BMPS”): Teach rhetorical précis to the class. Create a précis as a
class, to be included in student notebooks for future reference.
(“HD”): Have students write a précis as homework. Use the Epson
projector on the day they submit their work to check their success. Give
credit for attempting the précis, but do not grade it.
(“CTC”): Have students write a précis as homework. Grade this one.
Précis Example:
In his essay, “Black Men and Public Space” (1986), Brent
Staples, a writer for Harper’s Magazine, explains that black
men walking at night are perceived as intimidating by women
who walk near them, but this problem can be solved by such
things as the black man whistling to appear less threatening. In
the beginning of the essay, he presents chronological stories
about being feared by others, and he concludes with his current
solution to those past encounters. Staples writes this essay in
order to prove to his audience that appearances are deceiving.
His audience appears to be college-educated people who are not
black men, since he assumes black men are already aware of
this problem.
Language Arts
Standard:
Reading
Comprehension 2.2
Analyzing the Idea Structure
(“BMPS”): This is done via class discussion while creating the
class sample précis.
Analyze the way in which
clarity of meaning is
affected by the patterns
of organization,
hierarchical structures,
repetition of main ideas,
syntax, and word choice
in the text.
Language Arts
Standard:
Word Analysis and
Systematic
Vocabulary
Development 1.0 (as
well as 1.1 and 1.2)
(“HD” and “CTC”): Done through student précis.
(“GWUH”): Done through class discussion. Focus on places where
author switches persuasive techniques.
Revisiting Vocabulary: Critical Vocabulary Work
(“BMPS”): Students discuss how vocabulary reveals the
author’s target audience.
Other articles: Same.
Students apply their
knowledge of word
origins to determine the
meaning of new words
encountered in reading
materials and use those
words accurately.
Post-reading Activities
Language Arts
Standard:
Reading
Comprehension 2.4
Make warranted and
reasonable assertions
about the author’s
arguments by using
elements of the text to
defend and clarify
interpretations.
Language Arts
Standard:
Reading
Comprehension 2.5
Analyze an author’s
implicit and explicit
philosophical
assumptions and beliefs
about a subject.
Language Arts
Thinking Critically
After reading “BMPS”, “HD”, and “CTC”, lead students in a fullperiod debate about the way black people are stereotyped in
American society. Ask students to evaluate the primary claims
made by these authors. How accurate are these claims? What
counter-arguments do they have?
After reading “GWUH”, have students discuss the author’s
primary argument—point out the bullet-point part of the article,
which many will ignore, and the reference to Bush’s proposal,
which will suggest the purpose of the article. Have students
discuss how well the author’s use of different persuasive appeals
will accomplish his purpose.
Standard:
Reading
Comprehension 2.6
Critique the power,
validity, and truthfulness
of arguments set forth in
public documents; their
appeal to both friendly
and hostile audiences;
and the extent to which
the arguments anticipate
and address reader
concerns and
counterclaims (e.g.,
appeal to reason, to
authority, to pathos and
emotion.)
These questions are
designed to develop the
kinds of close reading
skills assessed by the
Reading Skills sections of
the EPT.
Students should be able
to:
 Identify important
ideas
 Understand direct
statements
 Draw inferences and
conclusions
 Detect underlying
assumptions
 Recognize word
meanings in context
 Respond to tone and
connotation
Writing Rhetorically
Connecting Reading to Writing
Language Arts
Standard:
Reading
Comprehension 2.2
Analyze the way in which
clarity of meaning is
affected by the patterns
of organization,
hierarchical structures,
repetition of the main
ideas, syntax, and word
choice in the text.
Writing Strategies
1 1 Demonstrate an
understanding of the
elements of discourse
(e.g., purpose, speaker,
audience, form) when
completing narrative,
expository, persuasive, or
descriptive writing
assignments
Have students read the introduction to “The Values Americans
Live By” by L. Robert Kohls. Discuss author’s purpose, audience,
major claim, as revealed by the introduction.
Divide students into groups. Each group is assigned one of the 13
sub-claims from the article (the 13 values) to (1) summarize, and (2)
think of an example that supports the claim from their prior
knowledge—example can be hypothetical, too, and (3) present (1)
and (2) to the class.
Writing Prompt: Evaluate the accuracy of two of the claims made
by Kohls using evidence from (1) at least one of the other articles
studied during this unit, (2) your knowledge of current and
historical events, and (3) your own personal experience. Should this
article be used as an educational tool by recent immigrants to the
U.S.?
The Writing Process
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Language Arts
Standard: Writing
Strategies 1.1
Demonstrate
understanding of the
elements of discourse
(e.g., purpose, speaker,
audience, form) when
completing narrative,
expository, persuasive,
informational, or
descriptive writing
assignments
Prewriting
Writing
Revising
Editing
See the Attached Prompt. In Handouts