Unit 3:
Power, Authority and Conformity
Estimated Days:
4-5 weeks
Big Ideas/Essential Questions (How does this unit apply to a student’s life?)
What freedoms should individuals sacrifice for the sake of stability and peace?
Are there higher truths or moral principles above man-made laws?
Is freewill stronger than fate or uncontrollable circumstances?
Standard(s):
• W (argument)
*1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
*a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and
create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims,
reasons, and evidence.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and
clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and
between claim(s) and counterclaims.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument
presented.
• RL
1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly
as well as inferences drawn from the text.
2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the
course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details;
provide an objective summary of the text.
4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative
and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or
informal tone).
• RI
*6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses
rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
*8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the
reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and
fallacious reasoning.
• L
1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
2 Demonstrate command of conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
a Use a semicolon (and perhaps a conjunctive verb) to link two or more closely related
independent clauses.
b Use a colon to introduce a list or quotation.
3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to
make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or
listening.
*Designated prioritized/assessed standards for this unit. Support standards served to further practice and deepen prior learning. Content (students need to know):
Skills (students need to do):
Rhetorical Triangle
-Ethos
-Pathos
-Logos
Writing:
Author’s Purpose
Claim
Respond logically to the prompt
Develop a clear and relevant controlling
idea
Provide specific textual evidence to
support claims
Counter Claim
Evidence
Use precise and domain specific
vocabulary
Use standard conventions correctly
Reading:
Identify author’s purpose
Bloom’s Level (must
match summative
assessment)
Evaluating
(Judge, Choose, Justify)
Understanding
(Explain, Interpret,
Outline)
Applying
(Examine)
Analyzing
(Analyze, Distinguish,
Compare, Identify,
Explain)
Remembering/Analyzing
(Identify, Describe)
Identify target audience
Analyze rhetorical strategies
Create
(Compose)
Evaluate the strength/validity of the
argument
Identify false and fallacious statements
and reasoning
Summative Performance Task (evidence of learning):
PERFORMANCE TASK
“Letter From Birmingham Jail” – Martin Luther King Jr. (page 744)
Learning Targets
• Identify text evidence that suggests point of view
• Identify text evidence that helps to name the target audience
• Determine relevant/valid rhetorical language within the text
• Determine false/fallacious rhetorical language within the text
• Make a claim and a counter claim to support an assertion
• Provide evidence from the text to support all claims
o Do you think the author believed in conformity of laws or social norms?
o Given the circumstances and facts from the selection, do you believe that the arguments the
author states are valid?
o Based on what appears in the text, do you think the author would have supported using civil
disobedience to protest any or all laws?
o Explain the arguments that the author made about the need to make decisions based on personal
values.
Formative Assessments (evidence of progress)
Similar reading and writing targets/questions used with other practice texts.
What if students don’t get it?
• Provide mini-lessons to target skill deficiencies
following quick writes.
• Utilize administration/other staff for writing
conferences with students.
• Repeat guided practice as needed.
Resources:
Suggested Texts:
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Antigone – Sophocles p. 691
Macbeth – Shakespeare
The Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
Julius Ceaser – Shakespeare p. 775
Farewell to Manzanar – Jeanne Wakatsuki-Houston (excerpt in anthology, p. 354)
Devil’s Arithmetic – Jane Yolen
1984/Animal Farm – George Orwell
The revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott-Heron
The Cold Equations – Tom Godwin p. 9
Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes p. 557
The Ghost Dance at Wounded Knee – Dick Fool Bowl p. 613
Now you Take Bambi or Snow White – That’s Scary – Stephen King p. 479
The Arrogance and Cruelty of Power – Robert H. Jackson p. 885
Resources Needed:
What if students do get it?
• Provide a mini-lesson to address the need for a
counter-argument.
• Differentiate texts to match level and purpose.