Table of Contents
Poem 1: “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Page 1
Poem 2: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
Page 2
Poem 3: “From the Dark Tower” by Countee Cullen
Page 4
Poem 4: “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa
Page 5
Poem 5: “Pawn Shop” by Sherman Alexie
Page 7
Short Story 1: “Revelation by Flannery O’Connor
Page 9
Short Story 2: “The Gilded Six-Bits” by Zora Neale Hurston
Page 9
Short Story 3: “This Blessed House” by Jhumpa Lahiri
Page 10
Short Story 4: “Nineteen Fifty-five” by Alice Walker
Page 11
Short Story 5: “The Magic Barrel” by Bernard Malamud
Page 12
Current Event 1: “Tulsa Shooting 2012”
Page 12
Current Event 2: “For Skittles, Death Brings Both Profit and Risk”
Page 17
Play: The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare
Page 22
Film: To Kill a Mockingbird
Page 25
Poem #1
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)
Sympathy
I KNOW what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals —
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting —
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings —
I know why the caged bird sings!
The above poem was published in Lyrics of the Hearthside by Dodd, Mead and Company in
1899. It was this poem that inspired the title to Maya Angelou's autobiography I Know Why The
Caged Bird Sings.
Focusing Activity: Focusing
Web Searches (Gallagher 38):
Next Week we will begin reading Maya Angelou’s autobiography titled I Know Why the Caged
Bird Sings. Race is a very important concept in American Culture. Is racism in America nearly
non-existent today? Does it still continue just as it did during slavery and the Civil Rights
Movement of the 1960s? Maya Angelou speaks of growing up as an African-American woman.
Her struggle led to her writing this coming of age text. Your job is to look up these key terms
listed below and find a source for each term via Google.com.
Key Terms:
Maya Angelou
Emmett Till
Trevon Martin
Tulsa Shooting 2012
It is your job to determine from these key terms where America stands with regards to racism. Is
racism a thing of the past, or is racism alive and well in America? Be prepared to discuss the
articles you have found at the beginning of our next class period.
Rationale: It is my goal to make students understand that racism has never gone away and that it
is one of the biggest problems plaguing American Culture. The idea is to show students that
people die simply because they are black. This is why so many authors still make race the most
important theme in their works. From Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to Sapphire’s Push, all of these novels span the most
important time periods regarding race in America. My goal is show students that ignorance
breeds contempt, and that racism is alive and well with little advances since America’s inception.
The ideology here is to have students understand the problem with racism so that they as a future
generation can begin to find solutions for equality. Emmett Till was killed for whistling at a
white woman in 1955. Flash forward to Trevon Martin who was recently killed for appearing
threatening for wearing a hoodie in a gated community where he had every right to be
Poem #2
“Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
http://www.poemhunter.com/
Focusing Activity: First-draft Reading Activity
Sentence Starters (Gallagher 70)
Students: Complete the following sentences:
1) I don’t understand…
2) The central issue(s) is (are)…
3) I’d like to know…
Rationale: The only goal here is to see where students are having comprehension problems regarding
the source material. This activity is perfect for group work so that students can help other students
understand the subject matter better. This activity serves as a comprehension monitor for the
instructor. These questions coupled with group work will stimulate the students and make them
active/participatory learners. This activity makes sure that no child is left behind where comprehension
of the material is concerned. If all students are on the same page regarding subject matter, then the
class can move on as a whole to the next teaching unit.
Poem #3
“From the Dark Tower” by Countee Cullen
We shall not always plant while others reap
The golden increment of bursting fruit,
Not always countenance, abject and mute,
That lesser men should hold their brothers cheap;
Not everlastingly while others sleep
Shall we beguile their limbs with mellow flute,
Not always bend to some more subtle brute;
We were not made to eternally weep.
The night whose sable breast relieves the stark,
White stars is no less lovely being dark,
And there are buds that cannot bloom at all
In light, but crumple, piteous, and fall;
So in the dark we hide the heart that bleeds,
And wait, and tend our agonizing seeds.
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/countee_cullen/poems/2428
Focusing Activity: Second–Draft Reading
Paragraph Plug-Ins (Gallagher 100)
This poem is concerned with the topic of _____________. Several emotions are present here
including _________ and _________. Although the poem seems very bleak, by the end the
message, the feeling presented is that of _________. From what we know about this poem we
can tell that the race of the poet is most likely _________. The physical composition of this
poem is in ________ form, and the meter of the poem is iambic _________.
Answer Key: race/despair and hope/ a chance for equality/ African American/ sonnet and pentameter
Rationale: The second-draft reading of this poem is to ensure that a deeper level of comprehension is
occurring after the second read. This activity asks students to determine what the poem actually says.
This activity will result in higher level class discussions because some blanks can be filled in with multiple
answers, all of which can be correct answers. This activity will also help clear up any confusion students
may have as well as teach them a compositional vocabulary regarding the physical construction of the
poem. Fill in the blank also allows for students to become better readers in that they will learn how to
work through the confusion a first and second reading may create. It teaches students to accept that
they will not understand everything right off the bat and that confusion is what good readers learn to
work through by asking questions similar to those in this exercise.
Poem #4
“Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa
My black face fades,
hiding inside the black granite.
I said I wouldn't
dammit: No tears.
I'm stone. I'm flesh.
My clouded reflection eyes me
like a bird of prey, the profile of night
slanted against morning. I turn
this way—the stone lets me go.
I turn that way—I'm inside
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
again, depending on the light
to make a difference.
I go down the 58,022 names,
half-expecting to find
my own in letters like smoke.
I touch the name Andrew Johnson;
I see the booby trap's white flash.
Names shimmer on a woman's blouse
but when she walks away
the names stay on the wall.
Brushstrokes flash, a red bird's
wings cutting across my stare.
The sky. A plane in the sky.
A white vet's image floats
closer to me, then his pale eyes
look through mine. I'm a window.
He's lost his right arm
inside the stone. In the black mirror
a woman’s trying to erase names:
No, she's brushing a boy's hair.
Yusef Komunyakaa, “Facing It” from Pleasure Dome: New and Collected Poems. Copyright ©
2001 by Yusef Komunyakaa. Reprinted with the permission of Wesleyan University Press.
Focus Activity: Collaborative
SOAPS (Gallagher 116)
Letter
Role
Subject(s)
Identifies subject and main themes
Occasions
Discusses context, setting, circumstances, history and culture
Audience
Who audience is and why it’s meant for them
Purpose
Gauges Authorial Intention
Speaker
Determines Tone of piece and why it’s used
Rationale: SOAPS is used in group work settings. Essentially, this activity can assign roles to
the workers of the group. This activity will also promote a higher level of learning and thinking
in small group settings. The point of this poem is to help students understand why black men
and women enlist in the military, and why they go off to fight in wars even though the country
they fight for does not see them as equals. This poem will introduce the concept of Other to the
students. The students will think about the imagery provided of a black man dissolving into a
black granite wall (the Vietnam Memorial). They will determine what the price of freedom
means even in today’s two wars in the Middle East. Even though these men and women fight for
their country’s freedom, they are still not totally free given the amount of racial hate crimes
prevalent in our society.
The point of this lesson will help students understand what it means to be black in America.
Regardless the place in time in American History, students can see that racism is still as strong
today as it was in 1776.
Poem #5
Pawn Shop by Sherman Alexie
I walk into the bar, after being gone for a while and it’s empty. The
Bartender tells me all the Indians are gone, do I know where they went?
I tell him I don’t know, so he gives me a beer just for
Being Indian, small favors, and I wonder where all the Skins disappeared
To, and after a while, I leave, searching the streets, the storefronts,
Until I walk into a pawn shop, find a single heart beating under glass, and
I know who it used to belong to, I know all of them.
1992
Alexie, Sherman. “Pawn Shop.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 7th ed:Vol.E
p.3241. Print.
Focus Activity: Metaphor
Metaphorical Graphical Organizer: Backdrops, Props (Gallagher 139)
If we were to stage the poem by Sherman Alexie what three backdrops would you use to give the
audience a true sense of setting? What props would you use? Could any of these props be used
for more than one purpose?
Rationale: This exercise takes what the students already know and create a new, deeper
meaning. The students are supposed to understand that the answer to the question: Where have
all the Indians gone? resides in the objects sold at the pawn shop. The “single heart beating under
glass” is a metaphor for someone who was so desperate for money that they had to pawn a
valuable item just to make ends meet. The fact is that pawn shops prey on the poor. The pawn
shop itself becomes a metaphor for how one class of people keep another class continually
downtrodden. Every inanimate object in the pawn shop is connected to flesh and bone. The items
represent despair. Having the students visually map out the setting of this text will take them
from a bar, to the streets, and finally to the pawn shop where the beating heart under glass
resides. The students will understand the plight of Native Americans throughout American
history.
They will understand that the Original Americans have been forced to live on lands they died to
reach, only to face a life of poverty with little chance for success in life. Sherman Alexie is one
of the lucky ones who made it off the rez as he puts it. This exercise will make all this
information available to each student thus creating a deeper understanding of the context of the
poem.
Focus Activity: Reflection
The Most Valuable Idea (Gallagher 159) for Sherman Alexie’s “Pawn Shop”
Most Valuable Idea Form:
In a complete sentence, what is the most valuable idea found in this poem?
Affix an article here that illustrates the
This idea is still valuable today
Most Valuable Idea
because….
Rationale: The thinking here is that once the students finishes reading the work, they can begin
to create a modern day understanding of how the material relates to their own lives. If students
are going to care about the subject matter, they need to relate it to their own lives. This poem
would have little impact on kids from Highland Parks Schools. Chances are their parents don’t
frequent pawn shops, unless they own it.
However, the majority of students in inner cities can relate to having to pawn the television so
that the electricity doesn’t get cut off. Or seeing their parents pawn their wedding rings in order
to provide an item their family sorely needs like a new hot water heater because the old one just
busted, and it’s February. The idea is to get the students thinking about how an entire race of
people can disappear by simply being part of a poor socioeconomic class.
Short Story #1:
Flannery O’Connor “Revelation”
Focusing Activity: Focusing
The Word Game, Page 47 of Deeper Reading
Word written on the board: Revelation
Explain the significance of this title. What is a revelation? Is there a biblical context to the
meaning of this word as well? Write a paragraph explain the significance of this word as it
relates to the short story you read previously.
Rationale: This method serves to create a deeper understanding of O’Connor’s text. It also
serves as a reading check to determine which students actually read the material. The use of
“Revelation” will open the students’ minds to what is going on in the world they live in
regarding racism. Why does a white college girl call Mrs.Turpin, “a warthog from Hell”? Is it
acceptable that this girl later attacks Mrs. Turpin for her ignorance regarding race? These are the
types of questions I hope my students will ask themselves during the reading. I want them to
determine what the actual revelation is, and who has this revelation. Again my entire theme in
this teaching notebook is to have students understand that America’s maltreatment of AfricanAmericans existed at our inception as a country, and that racism is still a major issue to contend
with in our society. An entire race of people exist in America because they were stolen from their
own lands half a world away. O’Connor’s “Revelation,” shows that people can appear to be nice
on the surface, but that under their surface, ignorance can still fester.
Short Story #2
“The Gilded Six-Bits” by Zora Neale Hurston
Focusing Activity: First-Draft Reading
Turn Headings or Titles into questions Prior to Reading (Gallagher 57)
Have students create questions based on the title of Zora Neale Hurston’s short story, “The
Gilded Six-Bits.” Questions that might come to mind are:
What is six-bits and what does it mean for them to be gilded?
Now the student can find the answers and their purpose in the text.
Rationale: In order to get students interested in the assignment, they need a very narrow focus
because this is an initial reading where many students tend to only scan the text. They seem to be
more interested with getting to the end of the reading assignment so that they can scratch another
reading assignment off the list. English majors understand this concept all too well. If one has ten
reading assignments all due by next week, the goal becomes a race to the end of the material
with very little deeper understanding of the material taking place. When students have to think
about the title of the work they are reading, they will not skim the pages, but be forced to slow
down and really read each sentence. Once students understand that the gilding process involves
plating a cheap metal with a precious metal on the outside, they can delve deeper into the effects
of Race, Class and Gender. They can begin to understand how some people are neat and clean on
the outside but poor charlatans on the inside.
Short Story #3
“This Blessed House” by Jhumpa Lahiri
Focusing Activity: Second-Draft Reading
Positive-Negative Chart (Gallagher 98)
Create a positive-negative chart where you explain the positive or negative influences other
characters have on a main character. In this case, how does Sanjeev influence Twinkle? How
does Twinkle influence Sanjeev. How do the party guests influence Twinkle’s need to find more
of the hidden Christian articles throughout the house? Who has the most influence in this text?
What impact do the religious articles have on Sanjeev? Get into groups and discuss your charts
to see what others believe to be the most influential characteristics of this text.
Rationale: This text is from Jhumpa Lahirir who has Indian parents. Lahiri was born in London
and later came to the United States of America. Her stories offer a new twist on race in America.
The concept of Assimilation is encountered throughout her works. The students must understand
what it means to be American from an outsider’s perspective. What must an immigrant give up
in order to assimilate into Western culture? The clash between Christianity and all other religions
coming into America must be addressed. When the students chart the pros and cons of a
characters environment, they can better understand that America is not represented solely by
what White America deems culturally relevant. For instance, how common are arranged
marriages in American culture? How common are they in Indie culture? The answer is that
arranged marriages are seen by Americans as taboo and archaic. However, these arraigned
marriages have created many happy couples, so they are not all bad.
It is an American concept to believe that partners should choose one another. Again, this activity
will help students understand that what it means to be American is anything but black and white.
Short Story #4
“Nineteen Fifty-five” by Alice Walker
Focusing Activity: Collaborative
Mystery Envelopes (Gallagher 118)
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Who is Treynor in real life?
What time period does this text represent?
What is the central theme of this text?
Does the death of Malcolm X, King, the president and his brother foreshadow
anything else?
Why is the narrative in first person? Who is the speaker?
Rationale: The purpose of teaching Alice Walker’s short story, “Nineteen Fifty-five,” is to again
get my students thinking about how race matters in America. I want them to gain multiple
perspectives of what it truly means to be American. This text highlights the point that
mainstream music in America is almost always produced by a black musician first. Elvis was
made famous by covering Big Mama Thornton’s, “Hound Dog.” The Rock ‘n Roll of America is
just Mississippi River Delta Blues. Our ragtime music of the twenties and thirties was from
Black jazz musicians. Country Music is also just the Blues. So for Walker, music is important to
the identity of African-Americans. It is their culture that white America stole and took credit for.
Little Richard should actually be the first king of rock ‘n roll, not Elvis. I want kids to reflect on
their own music and ask, “Is my music influenced by the African-American community, and if
so to what extent?” Also I want them to understand the importance of the time period Walker’s
setting resides in, the Civil Rights era.
Focusing Activity: Reflection
Casting Call (Gallagher 163)
Cast real life people as the characters of Alice Walker’s text, “Nineteen Fifty-five.” Consider
your choices carefully because you will be asked to prove why your choice is better than other
students’ choices. What qualifies your people? What are the parallels between the real life
character and the characters in Walker’s short story?
Rationale: This exercise is a great way to make the story relevant to the students. They can pick
a cast that reflects the popular culture figures that are interested in.
It allows them to expand on Walker’s text and gain a deeper understanding of the story. By
making them choose real life people for characters, the students will bring their own lives into
the story, thus creating layers for the students to contemplate. This method will ensure that a
simple surface reading by the student is not taking place. The students can even update the entire
story and place it in contemporary society that reflects the students’ personal lives.
Short Story #5
“The Magic Barrel” by Bernard Malamud
Focusing Activity: Metaphor
Wallet Purse (Gallagher 137)
Explanation: You would learn a great deal about a person if you were permitted to examine the
contents of their wallet or purse. What do you think would be in it? What could we learn about
the person as a result? Choose a character from “The Magic Barrel” and explore this in a
paragraph or two.
Rationale: This time the students learn about what it means to be Jewish American. The culture
of matchmaking is explored here. Cultural assimilation into American life can kill other culture’s
customs. Matchmakers are scoffed at as a profession, but everyone has unofficial matchmakers
in their own families. Likewise our main character is Leo Finkle, a rabbinical student looking for
love. This fact opens the students’ minds to the idea that America is comprised of more religions
than just Christianity. This is not an attack on Christianity by any means, but we must be
culturally sensitive to other’s ideologies being that we are global citizens now. Exploring the
contents of a characters wallet will help students understand this concept.
Current Event #1
“Tulsa Shooting 2012: Alvin Watts, Jake England Charged With Murdering 3” by Justin
Juozapavicus from The Huffington Post 04/19/12
TULSA, Okla. — The explanation for a shooting rampage that terrorized Tulsa's black
neighborhood and left three people dead may lie in a killing that took place more than two years
ago.
Carl England, whose son is accused in the weekend shooting spree, was fatally shot in 2010 by a
man who had threatened his daughter and tried to kick in the door of her home.
The man was black, and police say England's son may have been seeking vengeance when he
and his roommate shot five black people last week.
Police documents given to the Associated Press said the two suspects have both confessed.
According to a police statement, 19-year-old Jake England admitted shooting three people and
32-year-old Alvin Watts confessed to shooting two.
Also Monday, the two suspects appeared in court to have their bond set at $9.16 million apiece.
Authorities have said they expect to charge the pair with three counts of first-degree murder and
other crimes.
Family and friends say Carl England's death sent his son into a downward spiral. On Thursday,
Jake England apparently wrote a Facebook post marking the second anniversary of his father's
death and lamented that "it's hard not to go off."
Back in 2010, Carl England had responded to his daughter's call for help and with her boyfriend
tracked down the man who tried to break in. A fight broke out, and the man took out a gun and
fired at England.
The man who pulled the trigger, Pernell Jefferson, was not charged with homicide because an
investigation determined he acted in self-defense.
Jefferson was charged with attempted burglary and a weapons violation and had his probation
revoked in an unrelated weapons case for which he is serving a six-year sentence. He is
scheduled to be tried in May on the burglary charge.
According to an affidavit, Jefferson tried to kick in the door of the apartment England's daughter
shared with her boyfriend after the boyfriend hit him with a baseball bat during an earlier
confrontation at the couple's home.
When Carl England and the boyfriend found Jefferson, Jefferson came at England, who hit
Jefferson with a stick. Jefferson fell to the ground, pulled out a handgun and fatally shot the elder
England.
Jefferson fled but was arrested after seeking treatment for his injuries at a hospital.
Watts' brother, Gene, told the Tulsa World that Watts moved in with England soon after his
father died to help him rebuild his life and deal with his anger, which seemed to be racially
focused.
"I've never known my brother to be no racist or anything like that," Gene Watts said. "I know he
was going through a little bit of depression problems, but other than that, he's got in little scuffles
before, but he's never went off and done this."
Alicia Houston, who lives near the roommates, told the newspaper she has known England since
he was a child and "from the time his father died, that boy has been somebody else." She said
England needed therapy "from the beginning" but didn't receive it. He was taking medication for
depression, she said.
The January suicide of England's fiancé, only months after she gave birth to their son, made
matters worse. Sheran Hart Wilde died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head on Jan. 10,
according to the state medical examiner's office.
All of those killed in the spree were apparently random targets who were shot while walking
around.
Dannaer Fields' niece said her aunt never felt unsafe in her neighborhood.
"I can tell you she was a loving and giving person, and she had no fear of walking the streets,"
Deatrah Fields said. "She knew pretty much everyone. She was two blocks from her house when
she was shot."
Fields had worked as a caretaker but was on disability, her niece said. Another niece said
previously that she didn't have a car and was probably headed home.
Ralph Eady owns a men's clothing store across the street from where one body was discovered.
When he pulled up for work Friday morning, more than a dozen police cars and a crowd of
onlookers were outside his business.
Eady, who has a concealed weapons permit, said he quickly armed himself with a 9 mm handgun
and a snub-nosed .38.
"Before the suspect was caught, everybody was on pins and needles," he said. "Everybody
started getting locked and loaded, strapping on their guns and doing what they needed to do to
defend themselves."
Focusing Activity: Focusing
Daily Focus Question (Gallagher 46)
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What does this current event article suggest about race relations in America?
Are these murders racially motivated?
Why do people shoot each other?
How easy is it to get guns in America? Is it easier in the south or the north?
Are these men’s bails too high/ just right/ or not high enough?
Are these men really innocent until proven guilty?
Rationale: Here, the students are being asked to focus on the current event where two white men
killed three black people in a predominantly black area of Tulsa, OK. People where scared not
knowing if the shooters where simply targeting black people for no reason other than hatred. The
students are to understand that race relations are still just as tense today as they were in 1776.
Here I want the students to understand what it means to be African-American.
I want them to understand that racism is carried out by close-minded idiots, and that some of
those idiots may be the students’ parents. Racism is taught to children, so it must also be
untaught by exposing the myths racism associates with a particular group of people. America is
still very much the Wild West concerning our love affair with the violence that gun ownership
can produce. This article will help students begin to understand the society we live in, especially
in the south. They are the future generation so they must decide what to do about problems
associated with race. They must find the solutions to the problem.
Focusing Activity: First-Draft Reading
Trouble Slips (Gallagher 69):
Flag any words or passages you are having trouble with on the provided trouble slips you have
been given. After doing so, get into your groups and see if you can work through the confusion
of this article.
Rationale: Here the idea is to see where students get bogged down in their readings. This current
event is a very heavy subject. Students can get lost not just in the meaning of words, but in the
content itself. The students will learn that good readers struggle with understanding meaning.
Trouble slips will offer them a chance to get help like a life preserver being thrown to them just
as they are about to sink into the ocean. By talking to other students about their confusion,
dialogue is created allowing the students to gain a deeper understanding of the text.
Focus Activity: Second-Draft Reading
Responsibility Pie Charts (Gallagher 102)
Based on a pie chart of 100%, list who you think shares responsibility in the shooting deaths of
these three people? The men, guns, revenge, society, racism, violent video games, etc? Feel free
to add any factors you think are applicable.
Rationale: The pie chart prompts students to consider the actions of two men. By dividing the
blame via the chart, students are prompted to ask questions that create deeper thinking. There is
plenty of blame to go around and students can see that men’s actions are anything but black and
white. Brainstorming culpability gets the students’ brains going so that they can fully grasp the
levity of this article. More importantly it allows them to reflect on the violence they encounter in
their own lives. Again, the purpose of this article is to share with students that race matters in
America and we have a long road ahead of us before the term “race” applies only to the meaning
of “human race,” not race as the color of one’s skin.
Focus Activity: Collaborative
Silent Exchange (Gallagher 114)
After reading the article, write a question at the top of a sheet of paper, one that can’t be
answered by a simple yes or no.
Pass the paper to your group members and let them respond to the question. After everyone has
written a response, discuss what you as a group have determined.
Rationale: This exercise is meant to promote higher level thinking in a small group format.
Students can bounce ideas off one another, and if someone in the group is a little lost on the
subject then the other students can help create comprehension. This is also a good chance to
allow the students to work on their writing skills given the short amount of time they have to
answer the question. Also, this is not simply busywork. The students are allowed to give their
two cents and have it mean something to the rest of the group. This activity essentially gives
each student a voice in how the material is taught.
Focus Activity: Metaphor
Pencil, Eraser (Gallagher 137)
On the writing end of the pencil, students can note what these men actually did in real life. On
the eraser end, try to determine if these actions could be totally erased. What steps would these
men have to take to erase their actions? Is total erasure even possible?
Rationale: The point here is that students will see the totality of these two men’s actions. The
fact is, their actions cannot be erased. However, the goal here is to get the students thinking
about multiple perspectives regarding the event that occurred. It would be easy to say these men
are to blame, but again we are a violent society that glorifies war. All of our Summer
Blockbusters Movies contain explosions and the potential for death on a wide scale. These
factors play a role in influencing men to shoot other people dead. Students are given the problem
of race in America and must think of solutions to better their environment when they are adults.
Focus Activity: Reflection
The Most Valuable Idea (Gallagher 159)
What is the most valuable idea that can be taken from this current event? At the top of a piece of
paper, write what you think the most valuable idea is in one sentence. In the left-hand column of
the paper, find another article that relates to this event. On the right-hand side, explain the
connections between these two real life events.
Rationale: Here, students have to think about what they consider to be the most valuable idea
from this reading. This ensures that the teacher is not simply feeding them ideas. Instead, the
students must think for themselves as to the point of this article. This allows them to have a more
meaningful relationship with the material because they can determine for themselves what the
main points of the article are. This personalizing of the material encourages students to think for
themselves and not simply be given the meaning by the teacher. Successful classes hinge on the
asking of questions, not some dull lecture where the teacher tells the students what he thinks the
article is about. If you are going to make literature accessible for the students then it needs to be
on their terms. If they believe the article is relevant to how they live their own lives, then they
will embrace the text and internalize them in a way that relates to their own lives.
Current Event #2
“For Skittles, Death Brings Both Profit and Risk” by Kim Severson of The New York Times,
03/28/2012.
Skittles are the candy of the moment.
Rashaun Collins, who owns the Discreetly Greek T-shirt company in Minnesota, slips a pack
into every order he ships.
At Spelman College, the historically black women’s liberal arts school in Atlanta, the student
government is buying Skittles in bulk and reselling them for 50 cents a bag to raise money for
the family of Trayvon Martin, the teenager who was shot and killed by a crime watch volunteer
in Sanford, Fla., last month carrying only a packet of the candy and a bottle of iced tea.
The candy has been piled into makeshift memorials, crammed into the pockets of thousands of
people who have shown up at rallies in his name and sent to the Sanford Police Department to
protest the lack of an arrest in the case.
Like the hoodie sweatshirt he was wearing, the candy has been transformed into a cultural icon, a
symbol of racial injustice that underscores Trayvon’s youth and the circumstances surrounding
his death. But in the offices of the company that makes Skittles, Wrigley, and its parent
company, Mars, Skittles’ new level of fame has quickly become a kind of marketing crisis that is
threatening to hurt the company even as sales improve.
“You get trained if someone dies eating your product, but I don’t think anyone has been through
training for something like this,” said Beth Gallant, a marketing professor at Lehigh University
who has worked as a brand manager for Nabisco, Kraft, Pfizer and Crayola.
Like Twinkies — whose poor nutritional value ended up as a legal defense in the 1978 murders
of the San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, and Flavor Aid, the
powdered drink that the cult leader Jim Jones laced with cyanide to kill more than 900 people in
Guyana that same year — Skittles has now entered the elite world of food products that have
become symbols through no fault of their own.
For its part, Wrigley has chosen to make only a subdued statement about its product, saying the
company is deeply saddened, respects the family’s privacy and feels “it inappropriate to get
involved or comment further as we would never wish for our actions to be perceived as an
attempt of commercial gain following this tragedy.”
A spokeswoman, Jennifer Jackson Luth, would not comment on the impact of Skittles’s sudden
popularity on profits.
Skittles was already an immensely successful product. The chewy fruit-flavored pellets began as
a British import in 1979 and are now the most popular candy among teenagers and younger
children, second only to Starburst in overall sales of chewy candy. But with a new level of
popularity come problems.
“There is this moment where as a brand manager you think, ‘Oh my God, this is bigger than we
are,’ ” said Heidi Hovland, a senior partner at Fleishman-Hillard in New York whose client list
includes Hyatt Hotels, Barnes & Noble and several food companies.
On social media sites like Twitter, people are suggesting that Wrigley is profiting greatly from
the tragedy and should donate money made since Trayvon’s death to the family or causes that
would help with racial reconciliation or underprivileged communities. Some African-Americans
are even asking people to stop buying Skittles until the company gets more involved in the case
and donates money.
“I think we are at a dangerous position where we can make Wrigley richer,” said Rashad Moore,
22, president of the chapel assistants at Morehouse College.
Weldon McWilliams, a professor of African-American studies at Cheyney University of
Pennsylvania, said Wrigley should invest in communities where “murder based on stereotypes is
a reoccurring theme.”
If they do not, African-Americans should not be promoting the product, Dr. McWilliams said. “I
completely understand the symbolism, but let’s re-examine what we’re doing,” he said. “Will
Wrigley’s reinvest that rise in profit that they see? I’m highly skeptical of that.”
For Deanna Smith, a retired teacher who brought her 12-year-old granddaughter to a march for
the Martin family in Atlanta this week, it is merely about standing up against racism. She also
brought a big bag of Skittles. She does not mind that the company is making money from her
purchase. The cause is more important.
“He was so innocent,” she said. “Just getting candy from the store.”
And after the march, they ate the Skittles.
“There was no reason to let candy go to waste,” she said.
Crisis management and public relations experts who are watching the Skittles situation unfold
say the company has taken the right initial stance.
“Wrigley’s is playing it exactly as I expect they would — they make a quiet statement and just
sit back and let this thing unfold,” said Amy Stern, vice president of Bender Hammerling Group,
a public relations company that does work with several large food companies.
“The fact is, this is bringing their brand name to the forefront,” she said. “It’s becoming its own
social media campaign, and that’s a windfall for the company. But you have to step carefully.
This could backfire.”
It is too soon for Wrigley to decide if it will use money from its foundation to support causes
linked to Trayvon’s death, said Stephanie Childs, a former crisis manager for ConAgra Foods
who helped the company through the salmonella contamination of its Peter Pan peanut butter
brand and has also worked with its charitable foundation.
“Any time you are dealing with a legal case, it adds a level of complexity that is a challenge to
work with, especially when you are indirectly involved,” she said.
She and others say the company will take a hit no matter how it handles the situation. If it
donates money, people will criticize it for being not enough. If it speaks publicly, people will say
they are capitalizing on it. And it will all be played out so much faster because of social media.
How well Skittles will fare is uncertain, but Ms. Hovland and others believe the impact on the
brand will be short-lived. “When cooler heads prevail,” she said, “people will recognize that this
was a candy that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
With its air of innocence and its slogan — “Taste the rainbow” — Skittles seemed a perfect
symbol to help define the story, but it now is at risk of turning into something else.
“It’s gone so quickly from the symbol of innocence and tragedy to one of ‘now that they are
making all this money, what are they going to do with it?’ ” Ms. Hovland said. “It’s amazing
how short the arc has become.”
Robbie Brown contributed reporting.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: April 2, 2012
An article on Thursday about how Skittles, the candy Trayvon Martin was carrying when he was
killed, has become a symbol of protest rendered incorrectly the name of a powdered drink that
also became a symbol of protest after the cult leader Jim Jones laced it with cyanide to kill more
than 900 people in Guyana in 1978. It is Flavor Aid, not Flavor-Aid.
Focus Activity: Focusing
Daily Focus Question (Gallagher 46)








What does this current event article suggest about race relations in America?
Is this a murder or self defense?
Is this killing racially motivated?
Why do people shoot each other?
How easy is it to get guns in America? Is it easier in the south or the north?
Should the Skittles company profit from Trayvon Martin’s death?
Is this man really innocent until proven guilty?
Do our clothes make us dangerous?
Rationale: Again, the point here is to have students focus on race in America. They must
understand that wearing a hoodie and being black does not mean that the person is dangerous.
Shouldn’t we be allowed to walk down the street regardless of how we are dressed? No one
could imagine that a boy’s death could lead to an increase in candy sells. Here we explore the
long term effects of a shooting that didn’t need to happen. I want the students to weigh in on the
parallels between Emmet Till, a boy murdered for supposedly whistling at a white woman in the
fifties, and Treyvon Martin, a boy shot for looking suspicious. This exercise will allow a
dialogue to take place that focuses the students’ attention on the importance of race relations in
America. Also, they will understand the cost of stereotyping groups of people based solely on
their skin color.
Focus Activity: First-Draft Readings
Sentence Starters (Gallagher 70)
Write at least three “I don’t understand…” statements regarding the reading. After doing so, get
into your groups and share your statements and help clear any confusion you may have. You can
use statements like the following:




I noticed…
I wonder…
I was reminded of…
I’m surprised that…
Rationale: During first draft readings, a host of issues can cause a student to lose comprehension
of the material. These questions help to allow students to work out their own confusion. This trait
is possessed by good readers. And we are trying to make good readers out of our students, ones
that will handle confusion not with despair but with the knowledge that the meaning is in the
text. You just need to know how to ask the right questions, Group learning helps answer these
questions as well as create more layers to the article being read. As teens, students can easily
identify with Treyvon Martin’s death, especially regarding being judged by the clothes you wear.
Once they can personally identify with Treyvon, a deeper understanding of the situation is
realized.
Focus Activity: Second-Draft Reading
Responsibility Pie Charts (Gallagher 102)
Based on a pie chart of 100%, list who you think shares responsibility in the shooting deaths of
these three people? Treyvon Martin, George Zimmerman, the media, Skittles, Hoodies, guns,
society, racism, violent video games, etc? Feel free to add any factors you think are applicable.
Rationale: The pie chart prompts students to consider the actions of two people involved. By
dividing the blame via the chart, students are prompted to ask questions that create deeper
thinking. There is plenty of blame to go around and students can see that Zimmerman’s actions
are anything but black and white.
Brainstorming culpability gets the students’ brains going so that they can fully grasp the levity of
this article. More importantly it allows them to reflect on the violence they encounter in their
own lives. Again, the purpose of this article is to share with students that race matters in America
and we have a long road ahead of us before the term “race” applies only to the meaning of
“human race,” not race as the color of one’s skin.
Focus Activity: Collaborative
Silent Exchange (Gallagher 114)
After reading the article, write a question at the top of a sheet of paper, one that can’t be
answered by a simple yes or no. Pass the paper to your group members and let them respond to
the question. After everyone has written a response, discuss what you as a group have
determined.
Rationale: This exercise is meant to promote higher level thinking in a small group format.
Students can bounce ideas off one another, and if someone in the group is a little lost on the
subject then the other students can help create comprehension. This is also a good chance to
allow the students to work on their writing skills given the short amount of time they have to
answer the question. Also, this is not simply busywork. The students are allowed to give their
two cents and have it mean something to the rest of the group. This activity essentially gives
each student a voice in how the material is taught.
Focus Activity: Metaphor
Pencil, Eraser (Gallagher 137)
On the writing end of the pencil, students can note what Zimmerman actually did in real life. On
the eraser end, try to determine if these actions could be totally erased. What steps would have to
be taken to erase these actions? Is total erasure even possible?
Rationale: The point here is that students will see the totality of Zimmerman’s actions. The fact
is that his actions cannot be erased. However, the goal here is to get the students thinking about
multiple perspectives regarding the event that occurred. It would be easy to say that Zimmerman
is solely to blame, but again we are a violent society that glorifies war. All of our Summer
Blockbusters Movies contain explosions and the potential for death on a wide scale. These
factors play a role in influencing men to shoot other people dead. Likewise, racial stereotypes
lead to fear due to lack of understanding. Students are given the problem of race in America and
must think of solutions to better their environment when they are adults.
Focusing Activity: Reflection
The Most Valuable Idea (Gallagher 159)
What is the most valuable idea that can be taken from this current event? At the top of a piece of
paper, write what you think the most valuable idea is in one sentence.
In the left-hand column of the paper, find another article that relates to this event. On the righthand side, explain the connections between these two real life events.
Rationale: Here, students have to think about what they consider to be the most valuable idea
from this reading. This ensures that the teacher is not simply feeding them ideas. Instead, the
students must think for themselves as to the point of this article. This allows them to have a more
meaningful relationship with the material because they can determine for themselves what the
main points of the article are. This personalizing of the material encourages students to think for
themselves and not simply be given the meaning by the teacher. Successful classes hinge on the
asking of questions, not some dull lecture where the teacher tells the students what he thinks the
article is about. If you are going to make literature accessible for the students then it needs to be
on their terms. If they believe the article is relevant to how they live their own lives, then they
will embrace the text and internalize them in a way that relates to their own lives.
Performance Play
The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare
Focus Activity: Focusing
The Word Game (Gallagher 47)
On the board the students will find the word “Moor” written down. Write a paragraph explaining
the significance of this word as it relates to the play Othello.
Rationale: Although this text is not from an American author, it delves into the spirit of racism.
This play was written around the 1600s and is possibly one of the oldest texts examining the
stature of a black man in a predominantly European society. Since it is a tragedy, we understand
that Othello will fall from grace. This activity serves as a reading check also. Before the students
read the assignment, they will be asked ahead of time to explain what a moor is upon their return
to the following class. This is a way to get the students creative mind juices flowing as to how
race is treated throughout history. Othello is not a slave, he is a warrior, and for this trait, he is
held in high regard. If Othello was a writer, would he have had the same advantages in Venice?
These are the questions I want the students to come up with on their own.
Focus Activity: First-Draft Reading
Character Chart (Gallagher 60) for Othello
Character
Relationship
of the
character
Strength of
the Character
Weakness of
the character
Defining
moment for
the character
Essential
Question for
the character
Symbol for
the Character
Othello
Desdemona
Iago
Cassio
Bianca
Rationale: Shakespearian works usually have a lot of characters to keep track of. This activity
will help the students isolate the main characters and what traits make them tick. This is a great
way to allow students to create a graphic organizer of the characters once the chart is completed.
Again, this activity will ensure that the reading moves beyond a surface read. The questions in
the chart force students to pay close attention in their reading of Othello. This chart can be later
used as an actual exam for the unit. This chart will create a better means of focus for the
students, and one student’s traits regarding O will be different from the rest of the students. This
will allow a more complex discussion regarding the importance of each character.
Focus Activity: Second-Draft Reading
Responsibility Pie Charts (Gallagher 102)
Who is Responsible
Othello
Iago
Desdemona
Cassio
Rationale: The pie chart prompts students to consider the actions of the characters involved. By
dividing the blame via the chart, students are prompted to ask questions that create deeper
thinking. There is plenty of blame to go around and students can see that Othello’s actions are
anything but black and white. Brainstorming culpability gets the students’ brains going so that
they can fully grasp the levity of this play. More importantly it allows them to reflect on the
violence they encounter in their own lives. Again, the purpose of this article is to share with
students that race matters in America and we have a long road ahead of us before the term “race”
applies only to the meaning of “human race,” not race as the color of one’s skin. I mean if
Shakespeare was beginning to address the concept of how race matters way back in the 1600s,
then how far along have we come as a society or race of people.
Focus Activity: Collaborative
Save the Last Word for Me (Gallagher 115)
Each student is to find a thought-provoking passage and write in large letters at the top of
a sheet of paper. Hold up the paper to the members of your group and allow each one to
verbally respond to the passage. Guess why the passage is chosen. After everyone has
had a chance to discuss what they think it means, tell them what it actually means to you.
Now move on to the next person’s passage. Repeat until everyone has shared.
Rationale: This activity promotes a higher level of thinking within the small group setting.
Bringing in actual quotes from the text allows the students to learn how to make arguments
backed-up by actual passages from the text. These are traits that strong readers possess.
Likewise, this activity allows multiple perspectives to brainstorm together. Student A may see
things one way and Student B may see the same situation completely different. However both
can argue their cases better by using passages from the text to back up their argument. Again all
of these activities create a stronger reader as well as promote collaborative brainstorming so
other’s viewpoints can be realized.
Focus Activity: Metaphor
Ingredients Listing (Gallagher 136)
When you purchase food at the store, there are ingredients labels found on the package. List each
characters traits, or “ingredients,” with the most important traits first, and the least important
ingredients last. If you could remove an ingredient from this character, what would you choose?
Why? How would the story turn out if you add or reduce an ingredient?
Rationale: Here the students use ingredients as metaphors for actual character traits discussed in
Othello. They are given the chance to determine which strong traits and which weak traits make
the character vulnerable to the stories tragic end. By adding and subtracting ingredients, the
students can essentially rewrite the characters outcome. Perhaps Othello’s jealousy, once
removed, would turn a tragedy into a comedy. Perhaps Iago’s deceit once removed would have
had the same outcome because Othello is crazy with jealousy. The point here is to allow students
to draw their own conclusions.
By doing this, they gain a deeper comprehension regarding the complexities of the characters.
Also, students are able to see that the same problems plaguing Othello and his cast plague our
society today. The only things that have changed are simply speech and clothing.
Focus Activity: Reflection
The Most Valuable Idea Chart (Gallagher 159)
Most Valuable Idea Chart
In a complete sentence, write the most valuable idea found in the play:
This idea is still valuable today because…
Affix an article here that illustrates the most
valuable idea
Rationale: This activity is all about having the student relate to the play in a modern way that
speaks to the student’s own personal life. Jealousy is a trait that all teens understand. Betrayal is
also something they experience at a first-hand level. How do you make a student care about a
play written in the 1600s? Have them relate to their own lives today. This act will make them
care more about the material because they care very little about what happened in 1603. They
need to see that the problems of the human condition never go away. They simply morph into
more complex dichotomies. Shakespeare attempted on a small level to write about race.
However, today we have countless texts from writers who have experienced first-hand what it
means to be viewed as Other simply due to the pigmentation of one’s skin tone.
Film
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Focus Activity: Focusing
One Question and One Comment (Gallagher 48)
Come to class with one question and one comment generated from your knowledge of Harper
Lee’s, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This is a class discussion where all must participate with at least
one question or one comment.
Rationale: This focusing activity will prepare students for the watching of the film. In a real
classroom setting, the novel would be common knowledge amongst the students because they
will have read the novel before showing the film in class.
So focusing their attention towards race in the film will be easier to do. This story is very
complex in that a white woman accuses a black man of rape. He will not get a fair trial mainly
because this setting is in the south. The students will generate questions and comments to see
what previous knowledge they are bringing with them before the film is shown.
Focus Activity: First-Draft Reading
Shift Chart (Gallagher 60)
Students: Focus on a character from this film that undergoes significant change. Write an
adjective describing the character early in the novel on the left side. Choose different adjectives
to describe the character after their change on the right side. Note what events from the film
caused the change to occur on the bottom two halves of the chart.
Shift Chart
Character:
Early Traits
Adjectives to describe traits:
Later Traits
Adjectives to describe traits:
What caused the shift?
Use evidence from the film here…
Use evidence from the film here…
Rationale: Here the students are forced to pay attention to the transformation of the characters.
They can’t get by with knowing only what happens to the characters. They have to account for
the change that occurred in the movie. This activity is a great way to ensure that students are
using their critical thinking skills. They can’t just google “Scout” to learn of the transformation.
Also, they will have prior knowledge of this film from their reading of the novel. This will help
them see how a novel and a film differ in the narrative. So they will keep their eyes peeled open
for those issues as well. The bottom line is that this exercise will create active learners in what it
means to be a black man in the south, accused of rape by a white woman. Again, race matters.
Harper Lee was writing about the treatment of African-Americans during the sixties. She simply
rolled back time in her setting (the 1930s) to ease the tension that white people may not approve
of her message regarding their treatment of Black Americans in the 1960s. The same way MASH
was really about Vietnam, not Korea. Students can analyze the effects actions by one group of
people have on another group. This activity is a free for all with what the student can come up
with.
Focus Activity: Second-Draft Reading
Literary Dominoes (Gallagher 94)
Work backwards from the ending of the film to the beginning. What is the final outcome of the
film? Write one sentence in the box on the lower right. Now trace back the steps it took to get to
this outcome. So for example, if your outcome is that Tom Robinson died needlessly, trace the
steps backwards that you think led to the final outcome.
Literary Dominoes in To Kill a Mockingbird
Rationale: This exercise creates a deeper understanding regarding the question: What does this
film say? The great thing about this exercise is that no two student’s dominoes will be the same
offering multiple perspectives regarding a single character. The students have to access their own
knowledge regarding the text and film to discover how the dominoes are stacked up and what the
final result is. This allows the student to debate the cause and effect of a particular character’s
outcome.
Focus Activity: Collaboration
Double-Entry Journals Plus (Gallagher 116)
Create a T-chart. On the left side write about a moment you found compelling in the film. On the
right side write a response to the moment.
Moment that compelled you…
Double-Entry Journal
Response to that moment:
Rationale: This journal helps to prompt meaningful discussions. Each student’s response will be
different from the rest. Clearly, To Kill a Mockingbird has thousands of compelling moments,
from Boo Radley to the actual trial of Tom Robinson. This activity gives the student freedom of
choice. Instead of dictating to the students in a lecture regarding significant turning points in the
film, the student has to come up with the answers of what compelled them and why it compelled
them. Essentially, the student teaches himself about the content of the narrative. If you place this
activity into group work, then the students get the opportunity to share their thoughts as well as
listen to others. Issues of race should take place in multicultural groups so that all sides of the
issue can be considered by all.
Focus Activity: Metaphor
Archery Target (Gallagher 136)
The goal in archery is to hit the center of the target. Characters have specific goals as well. In
your opinion, how close or far did a certain character come to achieving their goal? Does Scout,
Mayella Ewell, or Tom Robinson have a goal? They most certainly do. Now list them.
Rationale: In this case the archery target is a metaphor for the outcome of characters’ endings.
The question to the student becomes what was their goal and did they hit it. If they missed the
mark, by how much did they miss it? This graphic organizer helps students analyze characters,
an important trait that a good reader possesses. This activity helps reinforce a student’s good
reading traits by asking them to analyze what motivates the character throughout the film.
Focus Activity: Reflection
Casting Call (Gallagher 163)
If you could cast actual people you like today in this film, who would they be? Pick people to
represent the characters in the film To Kill a Mockingbird that you find relative today. Be able to
explain why they right for the role as well as explain how the two lives parallel one another in
real life.
Rationale: This exercise is a great way to make the story relevant to the students. They can pick
a cast that reflects the popular culture figures that are interested in. It allows them to expand on
Lee’s text and gain a deeper understanding of the story. By making them choose real life people
for characters, the students will bring their own lives into the story, thus creating layers for the
students to contemplate. This method will ensure that a simple surface reading by the student is
not taking place. The students can even update the entire story and place it in contemporary
society that reflects the students’ personal lives. The bottom line here is that the students will
realize that fictional characters reflect people in contemporary society.