Name: Polly Barnes
Course/Grade: AP Language and Composition/11
Lesson Title: Stereotypes in Popular Culture (As Part of a Unit on Analyzing and Writing Argument)
Stage 1 Desired Results
ESTABLISHED GOALS
1 . Students will recognize perspective via
their own and others.
2. Students will explain how cultural
interactions influence situations and issues.
3. Students will become digitally competent.
4. Students will recognize rhetoric in
arguments.
5. Students will write an original argument.
Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their learning to…
Articulate an understanding of how popular culture stereotypes groups.
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Students will understand that…
1. How do media affect one’s own and
1. A widely held image is fixed, making
other perspectives of cultural groups?
individuality challenging.
2. How do fixed images perpetuate
2. Unfair stereotypes of various groups are
stereotypes?
articulated from a range of perspectives
3. What are the rhetorical strategies of a
3. Stereotypes are fostered in media for
valid and persuasive argument?
various purposes so viewers must evaluate
the validity of information gleaned from
media.
Acquisition
Students will know…
Students will be skilled at…
1. How to evaluate rhetorical strategies
1. Analyzing argument for biases and
effective writers use in composing
effect.
arguments.
2. Identifying rhetorical strategies used
2. How to apply effective rhetorical
in argument.
strategies in original arguments.
3. Recognizing how deep cultural
3. How to research via international
knowledge fosters understanding and
sources.
encourages individuality
4. Effective web design.
5. Effective ways to advocate for self and
others.
Stage 2 - Evidence
Evaluative Criteria
1. Evaluate, analyze (via AP Language
Analysis rubric)
2. Make connections (via AP Language
Analysis rubric)
3. Collaborate (School-wide project
rubric)
4. Research via international sources,
Collaborate, Digital Competency
5. Persuade, (via AP Language Rubric)
6. Advocate, Digital Competency (via
school-wide technology rubric)
Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
1. Students will read “The Culture of Thin Bites”, by Ellen Goodman, and “Television,
Disorder Eating, and Young Women in Fiji: Negotiating Body Image and Identify during
Rapid Social Change,” by Anne E. Becker, both which examines the impact the
introduction of American television shows made on traditional Fijian women’s selfimage. For both they will analyze the argument’s thesis, evidence, assumptions via an
essay.
2. Students will read “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, by
Judith Ortiz Cofer, and examine stratagies used to persuade or repel the reader. They
will write a short analysis essay.
3. Students will examine mixed media, including popular magazines, music videos,
advertisements, and tv programs to create a chart of on-going cultural stereotypes
4. Group research of cultural stereotypes in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe via
international sources to create a web 2.0 presentation on findings.
5. Write an argument, based on research, on how media perpetuates cultural stereotypes
6. Create a school-wide campaign, via a website, on cultural stereotype findings, listing
ways to celebrate individuality and include original arguments (from 5)
OTHER EVIDENCE:
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction and Individual Lessons
Entering the Text: Students will research women in Fijian culture, with special consideration of self-esteem based on body type, as well
as the traditional roles of Latin American women, including a viewing of several scenes from the film West Side Story.
Readings: “The Culture of Thin Bites”, by Ellen Goodman, and “Television Disorder Eating, and Young Women in Fiji: Negotiating Body
Image and Identify Rapid Social Change,” by Anne E. Becker; “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, by Judith
Ortiz Cofer.
Review: Rhetorical strategies including ethos, pathos, logos.
Digital Competency: Students will examine various web 2.0 applications for group presentations of cultural stereotypes; Students will
learn how to create a website, in order to create a JSEC Student Awareness of Cultural Stereotypes Advocacy Campaign.
Lesson One: How Cultural Stereotypes are Created and Sustained (3-4 days)
Standards Addressed: (CCR)
RI 11-12. 5: Analyze and Evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the
structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
RI 11-12.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective analyzing how style and
content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
(Global Standard): Investigate the World and Recognizing Perspectives
Pre-Reading
1. Pair students to research women in Fijian culture and Caribbean Latin American women’s “traditional roles”. In their research they should
create a graphic organizer which highlights accepted body types, work, and educational expectations.
2. View Youtube scenes from West Side Story and of Fijian women. Ask students to compare what they watch with their findings.
3. Review argument techniques such as ethos, pathos, logos.
Reading: (Conducted over 3-4 days)
1. Students read: “The Culture of Thin Bites”, by Ellen Goodman (http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1999-0528/news/9905270739_1_eating-disorders-fiji-fat) and “Television, Disorder Eating, and Young Women in Fiji: Negotiating Body Image
and Identify during Rapid Social Change,” by Anne E. Becker (http://www.brown.uk.com/eatingdisorders/becker.pdf) and “The Myth of
the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, by Judith Ortiz Cofer.
2. Students will fill out a form identifying the arguments thesis, evidence, assumptions, and rhetorical strategies of each argument.
3. Pair share findings before conducting a whole group share.
Assessment: Students will write an analysis of their findings for both pieces, analyzing how structure, style, strategies and content contributed
to the power of the texts. They will be assessed using an AP Language Analysis Rubric.
Lesson 2: Media’s Role in Cultural Stereotypes (4-5 days)
Standards Addressed: (CCR)
SL 11-12. 1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and
expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL 11-12. 3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas,
word choice, points of emphasis and tone used.
(Global Standard): Recognizing Perspectives and Communicating Ideas
Lesson Activities:
1. Teacher brings in a variety of magazines with advertisements from various genre: News, Health, Beauty, Sport, Entertainment. Split the
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
students into as many groups as magazine genre and ask them to full in a graphic organizer in which they identify a “look” and what that
look is telling the reader about the group. For instance, in a sport’s magazine, look for advertisements that show “health”, “virility”,
“beauty”. Brainstorm categories beforehand but allow the students to determine their own categories as well. Students share their
findings.
Elicit lists of favorite television shows and write them on the board. Ask students to generalize about character types and determine if
cultural/racial/gender stereotypes are found in the shows. Ask students what the producers are “saying” about those groups to the
viewers.
Group students into the following categories: European, Asian, North American, Latin American, African, Middle Eastern, Australian.
These students are members of those world areas.
Ask students to brainstorm their current stereotypes about members of those areas and record. Then, using international media and
websites, students will investigate: A)Concepts of Beauty/Virility; B)Parental expectations for boys and girls in terms of behavior/
careers/marriage. Students should look at on-line magazines as well as general websites to introduce the students to the areas. Students
in each group should also further delineate the areas into regions or countries.
Students will post their findings digitally via a wiki page or some other web 2.0 application and present their findings to the class.
Students, using their own findings and those from the other groups, will write an original argument, using ethos, pathos and logos,
based on “Does the media perpetuate cultural stereotypes?”
Lesson 3: Taking Action (2-3 days)
Standards Addressed: (CCR)
SL 11-12. 2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media.
SL 11-12. 5: Make strategic use of digital media in presentations
Global Standard: Be digitally literate, Communicate Ideas, and Take Action
Lesson Activities:
1. Choose a web design service of choice, such as Weebly and, using a smartboard or overhead projector, go over the steps of creating
a website.
2. Tell students they are creating a “JSEC Student Awareness of Cultural Stereotypes Advocacy Campaign” via a web page that will,
after approval, be linked to the school’s library webpage.
3. Brainstorms web page titles appropriate for the task such as Traditional Stereotypes, Stereotypes in Pop Culture/Cultures
Represented at JSEC (not to be limited to geographic culture but inclusive of gender etc.), Original Arguments based on the Media
perpetuating cultural stereotypes question, Findings of their world geographic stereotypes already published on the wiki page, etc.
4. Group students for each page and give each student a task: writer, editor, lay-out, materials gatherer etc.
5. Students add their pages and publish. Announce website to faculty and to school in announcements.