Unit Designer- Heather Wohlgemuth
Grade Level- 11th
Unit Title: Reconstruction through the Eyes of Mark Twain
Content Area(s): American Studies
Timeframe: 2 weeks (November/December)
PART I: BACKGROUND
Unit overview: I teach at a large urban high school in the greater Hartford area. In recent years, teaching The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn has been called into question by a vocal parent group who claims that teachers fail to provide students with adequate context which may
inadvertently damage the self-esteem of students of color. For two years, we were not allowed to teach the book. Despite the fact that our
district called this a “moratorium” rather than a ban, we received a lot of media publicity. After much discussion, teachers were sent to a special
training where we explored the use of the “N word” in Huck Finn, as well as the various reasons why parent groups around the country have
called into question the efficacy of using Huck Finn in American literature classes.
Rationale:
This unit is designed for my 11th grade UConn American Studies. The class is an early college experience class which is why I will include a lot of
lecture and discussion. Uconn wants us to shy away from “high school” assessments such as quizzes and projects, so my assessments will
include formal papers, informal checks for understanding, discussion participation, and short written responses. Each day of this unit is an 85
minute block. I see this class every day.
Accommodations:
1.
What specific accommodations must be in place for any student(s) with an IEP?
All students will be provided with a unit syllabus to ensure that students can sufficiently budget their time and break down larger
assignments.
2. What differentiated practices should be in place? Why?
Formative and summative assessments will be differentiated by product. The content is also differentiated for the close reading
analysis activity.
Topic: What overarching theme or topic gives focus to this unit?
This unit will explore Reconstruction, the life and works of Mark Twain, and the connection between the two through a
close reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
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Enduring Understandings
Essential Questions
1. Literature mirrors the social,
political, and economic climate of
the era in which a piece was
written.
1. Can literature be damaging?
2. Authors often use the characters
and themes of their novels to
provide social commentary.
2. Should books be banned? Should books be censored or
sanitized for political correctness?
3. How are Mark Twain’s attitudes about Reconstruction
revealed through his characters and themes in The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
3. Good Literature often sparks
controversy.
Content Standards: What Connecticut Framework standards are assessed in the unit? How do they link to the EU and EQ?
2010 Common Core of Teaching: Foundational Skills
3.1 Assessment of prior knowledge and differentiation
3.4 Selecting appropriate assessment strategies
3.6 integrating learning activities that promote interdisciplinary learning
3.8 designing inquiry lessons and fostering discourse
3.9 strategies for supporting content area literacy skills
Connecticut's Common Core of Teaching:
Discipline-Based Professional Teaching Standards for Teachers of Social Studies
IV. Social Studies Skills: Social studies teachers ensure that all students have the opportunity to develop essential social studies skills
(e.g., constructing informed positions on issues, expressing their positions, and justifying their positions with reasoned arguments
based on history/social studies content) and know that skills and content should be learned together.
V. Integrated Teaching and Learning: Social studies teachers engage students in learning experiences that are integrated by
establishing linkages, both within the themes and disciplines of history/social studies and across other academic disciplines.
VI. Challenging Teaching and Learning: Social studies teachers promote students' use of inquiry (e.g., through the use of primary
documents, case studies and debates) and critical thinking to explore history/social studies and ensure that all students have the
opportunity to pursue challenging content knowledge and learning experiences.
Integrated Connections: How you will integrate this unit with another content?
This unit will follow a unit on the Civil War and slavery. Students will have read excerpts from David Blight’s Race and Reunion, as
well as The Narrative of Frederick Douglass. They will have read various letters and speeches from Abraham Lincoln to see his
transformation from free soiler to abolitionist. This will serve as a parallel to Mark Twain’s transformation. Students will have viewed
Mathew Brady photographs and will have listened to various lectures on the antebellum period, the institution of slavery, and the
military aspects of the Civil War. I also show the film Glory during this Civil War unit. The Civil War unit focuses on the idea of
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historical memory and how we deal with historical shame. Students will therefore have a background the issues that the North and
South will face in the aftermath of the Civil War. Students will also be familiar with the concept of presentism- using the present to
judge the past which will certainly come up again during this unit.
What is the most important Content Knowledge
that students will learn in this unit? How will you
pre-assess knowledge?
-Reconstruction vocabulary and concepts
-Status of African Americans during Jim Crow era
-America at the turn of the century- political, social and
economic trends (Victorian America)
What are the most important Skills that students will learn
in this unit? How will you pre-assess skills?
-ability to deliberate and debate
-critical literacy/close reading
-engage in discourse and inquiry
-persuasive writing
-recognition of multiple perspectives
PART II: ASSESSMENT
What is the end-of-unit summative performance task(s)
for students?
Which EU and EQ will this task assess? How/why?
How does the performance assessment task link to the unit standards?
Students will facilitate a close reading discussion in groups after
the teacher has modeled a close reading of “A True Story As It
was Told to Me.”
How are Mark Twain’s attitudes about Reconstruction revealed through his
characters and themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
Students will write an essay on The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn in class from an essay “menu.”
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Create the Rubric for the Mid-unit Performance Task
FACILITATING A CLOSE READING OF HUCK FINN (GROUP ACTIVITY)
Define Criteria
Distinguished
Proficient
Practicing
Thematic and Textual
Elements (40 possible
points )
Group completely and thoroughly
addressed the theme. Did a nice
job linking the theme to the text.
As a result of your lesson, students
in the class have a complete
understanding of how Twain uses
this theme and characters to
provide social commentary on
Reconstruction.
Group might have missed
one or two important
points, but generally
speaking, the class
understands the
theme/text. Students make
an attempt to explicitly
connect the themes and
characters in Huck Finn to
Twain.
Group missed a few or
many required elements;
the class will need further
prompting to understand
how Twain applies this
theme. Group does not
make an explicit
connection between the
themes/characters and
Twain.
Presentation
(20 possible points)
Group members were clear, loud,
and coherent- would make
wonderful teachers. Presentation
flowed nicely. Group members
used several of the critical literacy
questions provided to guide the
close text discussion.
Your presentation and discussion
questions were interesting,
challenging, and critical enough to
create a dynamic, involved, and
in-depth class discussion. At least
95% of the class was interested
and engaged. Group uses higher
order thinking questions (HOT
questions).
Your presentation was 20 min
long give or take 5 minutes. Your
group knew their stuff and did an
excellent job answering questions.
All elements were completed; all
group members were present and
actively involved.
Group addressed the
theme and did a nice job
linking the theme to the
text. As a result of your
lesson, students in the
class have a decent
understanding of how
Twain uses this theme and
characters to provide
social commentary on
Reconstruction but the
connection may not be
explicit.
Group members were
clear, loud, and coherent.
Presentation flowed nicely.
For the most part, your
group was clear and
coherent. Class may have
missed a couple of points
because of disjointed
thoughts or quiet voices.
Your presentation and
discussion questions did a
nice job promoting indepth and intelligent
discussion. At least 85% of
the class was interested
and engaged. Group uses
mostly HOT questions.
Your presentation and
discussion questions
involved most of the class
and promoted some
discussion. The discussion
went beyond “knowledge”
into some HOT questions.
Elements of your
presentation did not fit
together, or your
presentation style might
need work- class missed a
lot of the important points
you tried to make.
Your presentation and
discussion questions
seemed primarily aimed at
“what happened” and never
addressed HOT skills. The
class seemed uninvolved
and disengaged.
Your presentation was 15
minutes give or take 5
minutes. Your group knew
their stuff, but might have
been stumped once or
twice. All elements were
completed and group
members were present.
Your presentation was 10
minutes give or take 5
minutes. Some members of
your group seemed to know
their stuff more than
others. You might have
been missing a member of
your group or a required
element.
Class Discussion and
Engagement (20
possible points)
Requirements (20
possible points)
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Beginning
Your presentation was
under 5 minutes. Your
group was either partially
missing, didn’t have all
their materials, or wasn’t
ready to go on the
presentation date.
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Create the Rubric for the End-of-unit Performance Task
Huck Finn ESSAY
Define Criteria
Distinguished
Proficient
Practicing
THESIS (connects
themes and
characters to
Mark Twain’s
perspectives on
Reconstruction)
ARGUMENTS and
Evidence
Creative, original thesis
statement. Clear
connection between Twain
and his literary works and
the Reconstruction Era.
Original thesis
statement which
links themes and
characters to Twain’s
perspectives on
Reconstruction.
Some originality and
demonstrates some
interpretation and
expression of
research materials.
Makes attempt at
connecting thesis to
evidence.
Content is fairly well
organized, ideas flow
nicely, essay is
mostly completed,
some errors may
appear, mostly on
time.
Historically accurate
and shows some
understanding of
political, economic,
and social issues
during
Reconstruction in
America.
Attempts a thesis
statement, thesis may
be lacking detail
and/or connection
between Twain and
his works
Evidence was factual
but showed very little
analysis or
interpretation. May
be lacking explicit
connection between
thesis, arguments,
and evidence.
Attempts
organization but
ideas could flow
better. Essay is
riddled with
mechanical errors.
May be late.
Mostly historically
accurate and attempts
to demonstrate
understanding of
Reconstruction
issues, but may not
elaborate
MECHANICS and
CLAIRTY and
work ethic
CONNECTION TO
HISTORICAL
CONTEXT
All details unique and
interesting. Demonstrates
students own
interpretation and
expression of research
materials. Clear connection
between thesis and
evidence drawn.
Content was well
organized, ideas flow
perfectly, turned in
completed, proofread, and
on time.
Always historically
accurate and demonstrates
a deep understanding of
political, economic, and
social issues during
Reconstruction in America.
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Beginning
May attempt a thesis
and/or thesis is not
apparent. Could
benefit from more
analysis.
Writing had few
details. Little
connection between
thesis, arguments,
and evidence.
Demonstrates several
problems with
mechanics and
clarity. Paper is late.
May have historically
inaccurate
information. Students
struggles to connect
literature to historical
issues.
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Part III: Unit Lesson Map
Identify the essential question, main objective, key learning activities/strategies, and assessment for each lesson.
Introduction
Daily EQ: What happened to the
South and African Americans after
the Civil War?
Day 2
Daily EQ: “Did Racial
Segregation Improve the Status
of African Americans?”
Group Activity: Make your own
Reconstruction Plan (20 minutes)
-Reconstruction timeline
Semantic maps in groups.
Groups present to teacher.
Informal assessment (20
minutes)
Discussion (20-25 minutes)
Lecture on ReconstructionWhat ACTUALLY happened to the
South? (35-40 minutes)
Closure: 3-2-1 Exit Pass (2
minutes)
Homework: Read “Did Racial
Segregation Improve the Status of
African Americans?” from Taking
Sides. Read over notes and
Reconstruction timeline.
-Student groups elect to report
out their story (10 minutes)
-Context and show clip from
American Experience 1900 Part
III segment 3 to visually show Jim
Crow South and cultural
depictions of African Americans
(10 minutes)
-Introduce instructions for SAC
(Structured Academic
Controversy). Students will work
in groups of 4 to deliberate and
debate the question “Did Racial
Segregation Improve the Status
of African Americans?”
-Full class discussion of Daily
EQ.
Homework: Assign chapters 1-7
of the Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn. Encourage students to use
Spark Notes online to help them
understand the text. Assign article
from Satire or Evasion “Twain’s
Nigger Jim- The Tragic Face
Behind the Mask” (pp 124-139)
Day 3
Daily EQ: “Was Mark
Twain a racist,
empathetic/benevolent
paternalist, or champion of
African American rights?”
-Hook: Project a picture of
Mark Twain and a few
humorous Twain quotes
-K-W-L on Mark Twain as
a whole class
-Mini Lecture: Explain the
essential question to
students. Provide
biographical Information on
Mark Twain. Provide
students with a timeline of
Mark Twain’s life.
-Show clips from Ken
Burns’ film on Mark Twain
for visual.
-Letter Activity: Have
students work in groups of
four. Give each group the set
of letters and trace Twain’s
attitudes about African
Americans. Students will
SOAPSTone each letter for
understanding.
-Dissect the EQ for students
by drawing their attention
to the Satire or Evasion
article.
Day 4
EQ: How does Twain’s
House reveal to us the
values of Victorian
Hartford? Was Twain a
man of his time? How
did his lifestyle
contribute to or his
literary works?
Field Trip to the Mark
Twain House
-Students will take a tour
of the house and kitchen
Students will use a room
chart to determine
whether Twain was a
man of his time. Students
will explore each room,
record their observations,
and notice if the rooms
relate to the major
themes in Twain’s
literary works.
Using the timeline and
articles from Time
Magazine (2008)
Homework: Read Huck
Finn chapters 15-22
NOTE: Absent students
can take the virtual tour
online
Day 5
EQ: Should books be
banned? Should books be
censored or sanitized for
political correctness? Can
literature be damaging?
Quotes about Huck Finn
all around the room on large
post its. Students walk
around the room and
respond to the quotes in
writing.
Mini- Lecture:
Introduction to Huckleberry
Finn and historical
background. Provide
students with a map of Huck
and Jim’s adventures to give
geographic context.
Structured Academic
Controversy: Should Huck
Finn be banned from
Manchester High School?
Provide students with a
variety of sources from the
2007 controversy.
Whole class wrap up
discussion
Homework: Read Huck
Finn chapters 22-32. Read
Toni Morrison article on
Mark Twain.
Closure: Students answer
the EQ in writing and turn
in as an exit pass
Homework: Huck Finn
chapters 8-15. Read Time
Magazine article “The
Dangerous Mind of Mark
Twain.”
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Day 6
EQ: How does Twain use the theme
knowledge v ignorance to convey
his attitudes about Reconstruction
in “A True Story”?
Introduce the Close Reading Source
Journal Assignment.
Model: A Close Reading of “A True
Story As I Heard It Word for Word”
to reveal theme of ignorance v.
knowledge. Context the tall tale by
discussing it historically and as a
framed narrative.
Close reading preparation:
Assign groups. Give students the
remainder of class to prepare their
close reading presentations. Provide
students with a rubric.
Homework: Read Huck Finn
chapters 32-40. Encourage students
to glance over Spark Notes online.
Day 7
EQ: How does Twain use the
themes Knowledge v Ignorance
and Race, Class, and Privilege to
convey his attitudes about
Reconstruction in Huck Finn?
-Begin class with the knowledge v
ignorance continuum on board.
Make a list of characters and have
students place characters on the
continuum and discuss their
placements. (10 minutes)
-Student led close reading of
beginning through chapter 4. (20
minutes)
-Transition to another small
activity: race, class, and privilege.
Venn diagrams comparing Aunt
Rachel to Misto C and Jim and
Huck with a partner. Discuss full
class (15 min)
-Student led close reading of
theme of race, class and privilege
chapters 5-7. (20 min)
Day 8
EQ: How does Twain use
the themes Society and
Freedom and Personal
Conscience v Cultural
Conformity to convey his
attitudes about
Reconstruction in Huck
Finn?
-Begin class with a RAFT
assignment pertaining to
society and freedom. (10
min)
-Student led close reading
on theme of society and
freedom chapters 8-13 (20
min)
-Transition to another small
activity: Personal
conscience v. cultural
conformity- Read “Corn
Pone Opinions” as a whole
class. Connect to their
personal lives. (15 min)
-Student assessment of close
reading/critical literacy groups (5
min)
-Student led close reading
on theme of personal
conscience v cultural
conformity. (20 min)
Homework: Complete source
journals for chapters 1-7.
Complete 3rd space sheet as well
to make connections to current
issues as well as disconnections.
Closure: Free write-Discuss how Huck wrestles
with his conscience
throughout the novel. Give
at least 3 examples. (15 min)
Homework: Complete
source journals for chapters
8-16. Complete 3rd space
sheet as well to make
connections to current
issues as well as
disconnections.
Day 9
EQ: How does Twain use
the themes Morality v
Social Status and
Maturity v Immaturity
to convey his attitudes
about Reconstruction in
Huck Finn?
-Begin class with drawing
two triangles on the
board. Under one write
“Social Status” and the
other write “Morality.” As
a whole class, have
students place the
characters in the novel
with the highest social
status at the top of the
triangle and those with
lower status on the
bottom. Then do the
same for morality. (10
min)
-Student led close
reading discussion on the
theme of social status
and morality chapters 1732. The teacher will
connect theme to Mark
Twain’s own fears of
losing social status yet
simultaneous need to use
his writings to promote
moral causes. (20 min)
-Transition to another
small activity. Students
will work with a partner
to make a chart tracing
Huck’s maturity
throughout the book
using a bar chart or line
graph. Along the X axis
will be major plot points
and the Y axis will
represent maturity.
(15 min)
Student led close reading
of the theme of maturity
and immaturity chapters
33-40. (20 min)
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Day 10
EQ: How are Mark Twain’s
attitudes about
Reconstruction revealed
through his characters and
themes in The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn?
Pressure essay: Provide
students with an essay menu.
Students will select one
question below and write a
paper in the computer lab for
50
minutes.
1.
Compare and
contrast Twain’s
characterization of
Jim and Aunt
Rachel from “A
True Story.” How
is Twain providing
social commentary
on his times
thorough the
themes and
characters of these
two pieces?
2.
Select one theme to
explore in
answering the EQ
above.
3. Should
Huckleberry Finn
be banned from
Manchester public
schools? Should it
be sanitized? Using
evidence from the
novel, explore the
historical
controversy. Be
sure to take a
position on the
issue being sure to
include your
personal
perspective on
Twain’s intentions.
After 50 minutes, students
will print what they have and
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Homework: Complete
source journals for
chapters 16-40. Complete
3rd space sheet as well to
make connections to
current issues as well as
disconnections.
Materials:
Audio-Visual
Technology
• Equipment, peripherals
• Software
Internet URLs
workshop with a partner.
Homework: Students will
polish their rough draft and
complete their essays over
the weekend.
American Experience film 1900.
Ken Burns DVD on Mark Twain.
Computer lab access on day 10. Microsoft word, printer access.
www.marktwainhouse.org
People
Tour guide at Mark Twain house, teachers
Supplies
Scissors, envelopes, dry erase markers
For identified needs
$$ and bus for field trip
CMT/CAPT Connection
Interdisciplinary writing
Part V: Teacher Resources and References
WORD WALL:
Farce – an exaggerated, broadly improbable scenario using characters for humorous effect
Parody – an imitation of someone else’s style for comic effect
Satire – the use of ridicule or sarcasm to expose or attack vices or follies
Irony – a play on words in which the intended meaning of the words used is directly opposite their usual sense (i.e., calling a stupid plan “clever”)
Framed Narrative-a story within a story
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Tall tale-
is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual.
Hyperbole-are
Dialogue- is
exaggerations to create emphasis or effect
a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people.
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