MINI UNIT
By: Maggie McMaken
MY CLASS
• 11th grade
• 25 students in the class
• 15 girls, 13 of which are white, 1 is African American, and the other is
Hispanic
• 10 boys, 5 of which are white, 3 are African American and 2 are
Hispanic
• They like doing activities during class and not just sitting around
getting lectured at
• Their biggest strength is carrying on discussions without the teacher
needing to give them prompting questions
• Their weakness is that they do not like to do individual work
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS/BIG IDEAS
• How does media play a role in society?
• Has the way media plays a role in society
changed overtime?
VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING
11.2 The student will examine how values and points of view
are included or excluded and how media influences beliefs
and behaviors.
a) Use technology and other information tools to organize
and display knowledge in ways others can view, use, and
assess.
b) Use media, visual literacy, and technology skills to
create products.
d) Determine the author’s purpose and intended effect on
the audience for media messages.
VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (CONT.)
11.4 The student will read, comprehend, and analyze
relationships among American literature, history, and culture.
e) Analyze how context and language structures convey an
author’s intent and viewpoint.
k) Generate and respond logically to literal, inferential,
evaluative, synthesizing, and critical thinking questions
before, during, and after reading texts.
STUDENTS WILL UNDERSTAND THAT...
• The media portrays aspects of history and historical
figures differently than how the event or person
actually was
• Media plays a major role in how we view society and
people
STUDENTS WILL KNOW...
• The difference between objectivity (fact) and
subjectivity (bias) in media messages
• What media is and the different kinds of it
• How media depicts events and people
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO...
• Recognize that media messages express
viewpoints and contain values to influence the
beliefs and behaviors of the intended audience
• Engage in discussions about how media affects
the views of society
BEFORE ALL LESSONS…
• I will always have the same hook, which is a journal
• These journals are reflective journals of images that are
projected in the front of the class
LESSON #1 - INTRODUCTION OF THE GREAT
DEPRESSION
• Lecture/Graffiti
• After journal, ask students what they know about the Great
Depression
• Read the short story Marigolds by Eugenia W. Collier
• Graffiti
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
•
Students will be put into groups and will write responses as a group to the
questions posted around the room:
1. compare the photos from the beginning of class to the
story we just read, do you think the story is just as powerful
in portraying life during the Depression as the photos and
vice versa?
2. why do you think the father reacted the way he did about
getting Mr. Ellis’ coat?
3. If the United States entered another Depression, what do
you think you would do? (Be specific)
4. If you family was in a similar situation to Lizabeth’s family,
would you do anything different from them? Why or why not?
(Be specific)
5. Write 2 elements from the story that represents the life
style of the Great Depression and how they represent the
Great Depression
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• The students will write a 1 page reflection to the questions:
1) what do you think it was like living during the
Great Depression as a child? As an adult? Base
you response off of the short story and graffiti
answers
2) If the United States were to enter into another
depression today, do you think your family would
end up like Lizabeth’s family? Why or why not? If
not how would your family be different?
LESSON #2 - CRIMINALS OF THE GREAT
DEPRESSION
• Socratic Seminar
• Newspaper article about the death of Bonnie and Clyde
• Bonnie’s Poem
•
More in-depth discussions for the Socratic Seminar
• After the Socratic Seminar students will be put into groups and be
given a person to research.
• For the rest of the class period students will research and put together
a PowerPoint or Prezi of their person
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Students will be given a self-evaluation sheet with a series of 3
questions ranking on a scale from 1 -5 asking
1. how did you like the Socratic Seminar
2. Did you think it was effective in learning about media
and how it portrays people?
3. How do you think you did in contributing to the
Socratic Seminar?
• Then 2 questions asking
1. Did you like the Socratic Seminar? Why or why not?
2. Would you change anything about the seminar?
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Students will give presentations that were assigned
during lesson 3.
• The presentation must include at least one media
element that portrays topic in a positive and negative
way
• The group must come to a conclusion on whether the
positive or negative form of media portrays the topic
accurately.
LESSON #3 - FROM GOLD TO DUST
• Jigsaw
• Students will present their group projects, teaching
their fellow students about the person they have
researched
• Depending on how long the presentations last this part
will either be a review of the mini unit and of the day or
it will be an introduction to the next unit and a wrap up
of the mini unit.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Students will give presentations that were assigned
during lesson 2.
• The presentation must include at least one media
element that portrays topic in a positive and negative
way
• The group must come to a conclusion on whether the
positive or negative form of media portrays the topic
accurately.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
• Students will take a short quiz of 10 questions. I will
read them questions about topics that we have
discussed in class and they must match it up with the
topic it relates to the best. These topics include topics
covered in lessons 1 and 2.