MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Office of Academics and Transformation
Department of Language Arts/Reading
English Language Arts (ELA) Exemplar Lesson
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON – Teacher Copy
Learning Objectives
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
This exemplar lesson concludes a close analysis of writings that capture America’s admiration of resilience and bravery. Repeated readings of targeted
sections and the effective use of collaborative discussions enhance student confidence when encountering complex text. Rereading reinforces the
skills students have acquired regarding how to build and extend their understanding of a text. Varying the length and purpose for writing provides
time for evidentiary writing tasks that support deeper understanding of text. Teachers may need to further scaffold activities to address individual
students’ needs depending on the intent of the lesson and specific learners’ needs.
Rationale: This lesson explores Lincoln’s famous speech in which he honors those who died fighting for democracy and Jacob’s letter that reminds the
audience of the struggle for liberty. By looking at two works describing differing perspectives of sacrifice, students will analyze the way both writers
use language to convey the common theme of human endurance.
Text Title(s): Text Title(s): The Gettysburg Address (Abraham Lincoln), p. 564 and Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney (Harriet Jacobs)
Genre/Text Structure: Public documents – Primary Source Informational Nonfiction / Literary Nonfiction (Speech) and (Personal Letter)
Targeted Text Selections
The Gettysburg Address, p. 564
Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney (Harriet Jacobs)
(lines 12 – 21 and lines 25 - 32) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2925t.html
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
RI.11-12; RH.11-12; W.11-12; WHST.11-12; SL.11-12.4-6.
http://www.corestandards.org
Lesson Sequence
PERFORMANCE TASK /CULMINATING INDEPENDENT WRITING ASSESSMENT:
Write a 1-2 page evidentiary response to compare and contrast the central themes in Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Harriet Jacob’s
letter. Analyze the way both writers shape the meaning and tone of the passage to convey multiple meanings regarding freedom.
Activity 1:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Jacob’s message in the letter?
What values and beliefs are evident in the letter?
1. The students will read Harriet Jacob’s letter in its entirety. Use a close reading approach to force students to rely exclusively on the text.
Rereading is embedded in the text-dependent questions.
2. Discussion activities are designed to build and extend understanding of the passages. Students should discuss (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) and write about the initial meaning they have made from reading Jacob’s article.
3. Use the Resource Bank Contents at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2923.html for additional material.
Activity 2:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What parallels exist between the message in Jacob’s letter and Lincoln’s theme in the Gettysburg Address?
Returning to the text, the students will reread both “The Gettysburg Address” and “Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney.”
Revisit targeted sections in response to a set of concise, text-dependent questions that build deeper comprehension. Moving through the
close reading, check for understanding of academic and domain specific vocabulary.
The targeted text should be in front of the students as they engage in their discussions.
Students write a page length objective summary based on their understanding of Jacob’s portrait of an emerging national identity and the
evolving principles of liberty. This summation serves as a prewriting exercise for the summative writing task.
Activity 3:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What parallels exist between Jacob’s message in the letter and Lincoln’s theme in the Gettysburg Address?
What tone and theme weaves through both pieces?
1. Teacher conducts a final discussion of text-dependent questions and allows time for students to complete notes on common themes in the
pieces.
2. Students prepare to write an extended analysis of the parallels that exist between the writings of Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Jacobs.
3. Allow an extended amount of time for students to write a 1-2 page documented response. Use the 30-point mode-specific rubric to score the
summative assessment.
Write an evidentiary response to compare and contrast the central themes in Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Harriet Jacob’s letter.
Analyze the way both writers shape the meaning and tone of the passage to convey multiple meanings regarding freedom.
2012-2013
1
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
Activity 4:
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What qualities exemplify the American spirit during the Civil War?
What human characteristics distinguish Northern and Southern families during the war?
1. Explain to the students that they will be looking at the life events and personal perspectives of different people –
both Northern and Southern—living during the 1860s. The task is to locate evidence from excerpts, primary
source documents and websites to establish an opinion of an individual’s reaction to war.
2. Divide the students into small groups. Each group will be assigned one individual or event to research.
3. Prepare a 3-5 minute multi-media presentation on the humanistic qualities (behavior, interests, attention to
personal welfare, personal choice, responsibilities, values, dignity) that aided the individual’s ability to cope with
the events of the war.
Targeted Text Selection
“Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney”
(lines 12 - 21)
(lines 12 - 21)
12
15
20
the past winter was very severe for this region
of Country[.] it caused much suffering, and the
freedmen
with but few exceptions were cheated out of
their crop of cotton. their contract masters
shiped it for them, and when
they ask for a settlement, they are answered I
am daily expecting the returns. these men have
gone to work
cheerfully, planted another crop without the
returns to live on until their present crop is
made. many of the large
plantations of the once wealthy Planter, is
worked under the control of Colored Men. the
Owners let [rent] their
Plantations to the freedmen in prefference to
the poor Whites. they believe the Negro
determined to make money,
and they will get the largest portion of it. last
years experience I think will be a proffitable
lesson[.] many will learn
to act for themselves. Negro suffrage is making
a stir in this place. the rebels are striving to
make these people feel
they are their true friends, and they must not be
led astray by the Yankees. the freedmen ask if
Abraham Lincoln led
them astray, that his friends is their friends his
enemies their enemies.
Vocabulary
underlined words:
with insufficient
contextual clues
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Jacob’s message in the letter?
What values and beliefs are evident in the letter?
BOLD words: Tier
Two words
Return to the text, and ask students a small set of guiding
questions about the document.
line 12 – freedmen:
a former slave who
has been released
from slavery by
legal means
(Q1) What sentiment does Jacobs reveal in these lines?
line 19 – suffrage:
the right to vote
(Q2) What is Jacob’s view of the “once wealthy Planter”?
line 19 – rebels:
protestors; a person
who resists
authority
(lines 25 - 32)
25
there is one School in Edenton well attended.
on some of the Plantations there is from 15 to
25 Chrildren
that cannot attend School, the distance is so
far. some of the freedmen are very anxious to
establish Plantation
schools, as soon as the more advanced
Schools, can send out teachers. many of the
freedmen are willing and will
sustain their teachers. at present there is a
great revival in the colored Churches. the
2012-2013
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
Possible answer. Jacobs acknowledges the pain and suffering her
people suffered after the Emancipation Proclamation (lines 2021). While Lincoln’s proclamation served an important moral and
political purpose, the reality of freedom for the slaves was harsh
and uncertain. Lines 13-14 concede that the freedmen “were
cheated out of their crop of cotton” and “masters shiped *sic+ it
for them.” In lines 18-19 Jacob states “last years experience I
think will be a profitable lesson…many will learn to act for
themselves.”
Possible answer. Jacob objectively states (lines 16-17) that the
“once wealthy Planter” now realizes that the former slaves are
tenacious and persistent in their desire to be independent and live
gainfully. Lines 19-20 hint that the new found right to freely vote
in favor of a measure or candidate is challenging because the
freedmen do not know their true friends.
(Q3) What values and beliefs are evident in the letter?
line 28 – revival:
renewal, recovery,
revitalization
Possible answer. Jacob factually states there have been positive
changes after the Emancipation Proclamation.
(lines 26-27) establishing Plantation schools
(line 27-28) freedmen are willing and will sustain their
teachers
(line 30) white members of the Baptist Church invited the
colored members to their Church
Jacob believes in the goodness of mankind and is encouraged by a
spirit of cooperation and acceptance.
2
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
30
Whites say the N____ sung and
prayed until they got their freedom, and they
are not satisfied. now they are singing and
praying for judgment. the
white members of the Baptist Church invited
the colored members to their Church, to help
them sing and pray. I
assure you they have done it with a will. I
never saw such a state of excitement[.] the
Churches have been open night
and day. these people have time to think of
their souls, now they are not compelled to
think for the Negro.
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
(Q4) What tone and theme weaves through both pieces?
Possible answer. There is a tone of renewal and hope for a more
promising life for the freedmen. Jacob uses words such as
“anxious” (line 26), “willing and will sustain” (line 27), “great
revival” (line 28), “state of excitement” (line 31), and “time to
think of their souls” (line 32). The last line implies a theme of
reflection and contrition: “now they are not compelled to think
for the Negro.”
(Q5) What does Jacobs say is significant about America? What
point is she making about equality?
Possible answer. Jacob is devoted to the nation’s ideals of
equality and liberation. Jacob feels a strong obligation to support
freed slaves. She echoes Lincoln’s beliefs that this nation survive
as a free and democratic land for all people. Her tone is
optimistic, but pragmatic as she advances the nation’s legacies of
independence and egalitarianism. She realizes the commitment to
the abolitionist movement promotes both financial security and
equality; but it is an ongoing struggle. Lines 33-34 eloquently
state Jacob’s perspective on the abolitionist movement as “the
fragrance
of
freedom.”
The Gettysburg Address, p. 564
(Q6) What is Lincoln saying is significant about America? What
point is he making?
Possible answer. Lincoln says two things – that this nation (line
2) is “conceived in Liberty” (that is, the people who founded it
freely chose to dedicate themselves to a claim – it was not forced
upon them) and “dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal.” Lincoln’s tone is serious and elevated and clearly
conveys his dedication to the principles of freedom. In line 15
Lincoln identifies the “great task” of making certain that the
United States survives as a nation dedicated to the principles of
freedom and liberty.
2012-2013
3
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Cross Genre Connections OR Across Text or NonText Sources:
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
Vocabulary
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
This lesson is designed to examine the human characteristics
demonstrated by people living through the events of the Civil
War.
1. Explain to the students that they will be looking at the life
events and personal perspectives of different people –both
Northern and Southern—living during the 1860s. The task is to
locate evidence from excerpts, primary source documents and
websites to establish an opinion of individual reactions to war.
2. Divide the students into small groups. Each group will be
assigned one individual or event to research.
3. Prepare a 3-5 minute multi-media presentation on the
humanistic qualities (behavior, interests, attention to personal
welfare, personal choice, responsibilities, values, dignity) that
aided the individual’s ability to cope with the events of the war.
Download the excerpt “The Spy” from The Killer Angels at
http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl
?isbn=9780345348104&view=excerpt
Read the account of “A Civil War Widow’s Story” at
http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/?p=8087
Download the personal stories Valley of the Shadows from the
National Endowment for the Humanities site at
http://164.109.104.189/we-people-bookshelf-perfect-unionsynopses
Use the resources “The Battles of the Civil War” at
http://164.109.104.189/lesson-plan/battles-civil-war#section16160 to research and create a promotional guide for either the
Vicksburg or Gettysburg National Military Park.
Activity 1. The Turning Points: Gettysburg and Vicksburg
Activity 2. Total War
Formative Assessment/ Rubrics, if applicable
Summative Assessment/ Culminating Independent
Writing Task
Collaborative (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) discussion(s) on text-dependent
comprehension questions and written responses (paraphrasing, objective
summarization, analysis of evolving themes, and use of graphic organizers) serve as
prewriting assignments and formative assessments.
Write a 1-2 page evidentiary response to compare and contrast the central themes in
Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Harriet Jacob’s letter. Analyze the way both writers
shape the meaning and tone of the passage to convey multiple meanings regarding
freedom.
A 30-point mode-specific rubric defines the writing expectations for the summative
assessment.
Extension Activities/Further Resources
Technology:
www.discoveryeducation.com – (see links embedded in pacing guide)
www.classzone.com
English Language Learner (ELL) Resources and Strategies
Spelling Bee
The following words appear misspelled in Harriet Jacobs’ original letter: shiped,
prefference, distrubuting, Chrildren, Jassmine. Encourage students to find these five
spelling errors and correct them. Ask student to write sentences using the correct words.
Explain the capitalization rules below, and ask students to edit Ms. Jacobs’ letter by
replacing lower cases by capital letters where needed.
2012-2013
4
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Capitalization Rules
Key Academic Vocabulary
Background Information/Media Connections
Writing Task
2012-2013
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
1. The first letter of every new sentence is capitalized.
2. The pronoun I is always capitalized.
3. Titles of people are only capitalized when they are followed by someone’s name.
4. Proper names of places, specific buildings, rivers, mountains, and other geographic
locations are capitalized.
5. Proper names of people.
6. All proper names of: things, companies, religions, deities, and languages.
7. Capitalize the days of the week, months, and holidays.
8. Capitalize names of documents, organizations, clubs, and historical events.
9. Direction words (north, south, east, and west) should only be capitalized when they
refer to a region or section of a country.
Display the Word Definition Mapping, Transparency E19. Fill in the center box with the
following key terms: unfaltering, profitable, suffrage, revival, compelled, and sustain.
Ask the class to suggest definitions for each keyword. When a definition is given, also ask
students to tell how they know the word. Fill in the definition in the “What is it?” square.
Continue filling in the boxes with student suggestions, starting with the “Characteristics”
box, and then move to the “Examples” and “Comparison/Contrast” sections. If students
are unable to list the elements, have them fill out the graphic while reading the text. This
graphic organizer could be found at www.classzone.com or McDougal Littell EASY
Planner.
Use Communication, Information and Media connections: Watch the video from
Discovery Education titled “American History: A Civil War: A Nation Divided”
http://app.discoveryeducation.com/core:player/view/assetGuid/FCEF1B38-0ACC-47E98BF0-CB7758369ED8 to explore the social and economic forces that shaped the North's
industrial cities and the South's plantations. See how the discord between pro-slavery
and antislavery advocates erupted at Fort Sumter. Retrace the major events of the Civil
War; and investigate the assassination attempts that Lincoln survived.
Once students have read through “The Gettysburg Address” speech, ask them to write a
brief essay that addresses the following.
• When did Lincoln make this speech?
• Briefly summarize Lincoln’s message.
• Describe the tone or language he used, giving at least one significant quote as an
example.
• How do you think most Northerners and Southerners responded to the speech? Why?
• What reaction do you imagine Americans today would have to the speech? Why?
During class, give students an opportunity to share their essays. Then discuss their ideas
and findings.
5
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
Directions: This lesson is designed to examine the human characteristics demonstrated by people living
through the events of the Civil War.
1. Explain to the students that they will be looking at the life events and personal perspectives of different
people –both Northern and Southern—living during the 1860s. The task is to locate evidence from
excerpts, primary source documents and websites to establish an opinion of individual reactions to war.
2. Divide the students into small groups. Each group will be assigned one individual or event to research.
3. Prepare a 3-5 minute multi-media presentation on the humanistic qualities (behavior, interests,
attention to personal welfare, personal choice, responsibilities, values, dignity) that aided the
individual’s ability to cope with the events of the war.
Source material
Michael Shaara’s novel, The Killer Angels, examines the minds and
hearts of the men who fought at Gettysburg. This excerpt “The Spy”
follows a Southern soldier sent to provide reconnaissance for the
Confederate leaders prior to the Battle of Gettysburg. Shaara
portrays the soldiers as human, flawed, idealistic individuals whose
insight and effort yield victory or defeat.
Download the excerpt “The Spy” from The Killer Angels at
http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?is
bn=9780345348104&view=excerpt
Behaviors and distinguishing characteristics
THE SPY
He rode into the dark of the woods and dismounted. He crawled
upward on his belly over cool rocks out into the sunlight, and
suddenly he was in the open and he could see for miles, and there
was the whole vast army below him, filling the valley like a
smoking river. It came out of a blue rainstorm in the east and
overflowed the narrow valley road, coiling along a stream,
narrowing and choking at a white bridge, fading out into the
yellowish dust of June but still visible on the farther road beyond
the blue hills, spiked with flags and guidons like a great chopped
bristly snake, the snake ending headless in a blue wall of summer
rain….
The National Archive file (Widow’s Certificate #63958, Civil War and
Later Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Widows and
Other Dependents, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs,
RG 15) tells the intriguing story of Adelia Springer, a Civil War
widow.
Read the account of “A Civil War Widow’s Story” at
http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/?p=8087
Valley of the Shadows is a digital archive of primary source
documents from two American communities—one Northern and
one Southern. The personal stories left by hundreds of individuals
from Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania,
unfold in letters, diaries, newspapers and legal documents to
provide rich, untold stories of the men and women of the Civil War.
Download the personal stories Valley of the Shadows from the
National Endowment for the Humanities site at
http://164.109.104.189/we-people-bookshelf-perfect-unionsynopses
The battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg during the summer of 1863
are the most famous campaigns of the Civil War. These battles
exemplify families who were separated by fears, doubts, convictions
and passions.
In this activity, students will consider the impact these battles had
on families –both Northern and Southern—as turning points of the
Civil War.
Use the resources “The Battles of the Civil War” at
http://164.109.104.189/lesson-plan/battles-civil-war#section-16160
to research and create a promotional guide for either the Vicksburg
or Gettysburg National Military Park.
Activity 1. The Turning Points: Gettysburg and Vicksburg
Activity 2. Total War
2012-2013
6
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Student Copy
Targeted Text Selection
“Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney”
(lines 12 - 21)
(lines 12 - 21)
12
15
20
the past winter was very severe for this region
of Country[.] it caused much suffering, and the
freedmen
with but few exceptions were cheated out of
their crop of cotton. their contract masters
shiped it for them, and when
they ask for a settlement, they are answered I
am daily expecting the returns. these men have
gone to work
cheerfully, planted another crop without the
returns to live on until their present crop is
made. many of the large
plantations of the once wealthy Planter, is
worked under the control of Colored Men. the
Owners let [rent] their
Plantations to the freedmen in prefference to
the poor Whites. they believe the Negro
determined to make money,
and they will get the largest portion of it. last
years experience I think will be a proffitable
lesson[.] many will learn
to act for themselves. Negro suffrage is making
a stir in this place. the rebels are striving to
make these people feel
they are their true friends, and they must not be
led astray by the Yankees. the freedmen ask if
Abraham Lincoln led
them astray, that his friends is their friends his
enemies their enemies.
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
Vocabulary
underlined words:
with insufficient
contextual clues
GUIDING QUESTION(S):
What is Jacob’s message in the letter?
What values and beliefs are evident in the letter?
BOLD words: Tier
Two words
Return to the text, and ask students a small set of guiding
questions about the document.
line 12 – freedmen:
a former slave who
has been released
from slavery by
legal means
line 19 – suffrage:
the right to vote
30
there is one School in Edenton well attended.
on some of the Plantations there is from 15 to
25 Chrildren
that cannot attend School, the distance is so
far. some of the freedmen are very anxious to
establish Plantation
schools, as soon as the more advanced
Schools, can send out teachers. many of the
freedmen are willing and will
sustain their teachers. at present there is a
great revival in the colored Churches. the
Whites say the N____ sung and
prayed until they got their freedom, and they
are not satisfied. now they are singing and
praying for judgment. the
white members of the Baptist Church invited
the colored members to their Church, to help
them sing and pray. I
assure you they have done it with a will. I
never saw such a state of excitement[.] the
Churches have been open night
and day. these people have time to think of
their souls, now they are not compelled to
think for the Negro.
2012-2013
(Q1) What sentiment does Jacobs reveal in these lines?
Possible answer.
(Q2) What is Jacob’s view of the “once wealthy Planter”?
Possible answer.
line 19 – rebels:
protestors; a person
who resists
authority
(lines 25 - 32)
25
Teacher Activities and Techniques
Text-Dependent Questions
(Q3) What values and beliefs are evident in the letter?
Possible answer.
line 28 – revival:
renewal, recovery,
revitalization
(Q4) What tone and theme weaves through both pieces?
Possible answer.
7
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
(Q5) What does Jacobs say is significant about America? What
point is she making about equality?
Possible answer.
The Gettysburg Address, p. 564
(Q6) What is Lincoln saying is significant about America? What
point is he making?
Possible answer.
Summative Assessment/ Culminating Independent
Writing Task
Write a 1-2 page evidentiary response to compare and contrast the central themes in
Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Harriet Jacob’s letter. Analyze the way both
writers shape the meaning and tone of the passage to convey multiple meanings
regarding freedom.
For further information regarding this document contact the Department of Language Arts/Reading, Secondary District Instructional Supervisors,
Dr. Erin Cuartas, Ms. Laurie Kaplan or Dr. Sharon Scruggs-Williams, 305-995-3122; for ELL questions, contact the Division of Bilingual Education and World
Languages District Supervisor, Ms. Caridad Perez, 305-995-1962.
2012-2013
8
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney
It was not Harriet Jacob's nature to give up without a fight. Born into slavery, Harriet Jacobs would thwart
repeated sexual advancements made by her master for years, then run away to the North. She would
later publish an account of her anguished life in her autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
The year was 1867. Two years had passed since the end of the Civil War. Harriet Jacobs had spent the
time helping freed slaves by distributing relief supplies, teaching, and providing health care. She had
returned to her childhood home in Edenton, North Carolina, to help those she once knew.
In a letter to Ednah Dow Cheney, a Boston abolitionist and secretary of the New England Freedmen's Aid
Society, Harriet wrote from her grandmother's old house, giving a report on the state of the recentlyfreed slaves.
Please note that spelling has not been corrected and that, as was Harriet's style, the first characters of sentences were
not capitalized.
1
Edenton, April 25th
Dear Mrs Cheney
I felt I would like to write you a line from my old home. I am sitting under the old roof twelve feet from the spot
where I suffered all the crushing weight of slavery. thank God the bitter cup is drained of its last
5
dreg. there is no more need of hiding places to conceal slave Mothers. yet it was little to purchase the blessings of
freedom. I could have worn this poor life out there to save my Children from the misery and degradation of Slavery.
I had long thought I had no attachment to my old home. as I often sit here and think of those I loved of their hard
struggle in life -- their unfaltering love and devotion toward myself and Children. I love to sit
here and think of them. they have made the few sunny spots in that dark life sacred to me.
10
15
20
I cannot tell you how I feel in this place. the change is so great I can hardly take it all in[.] I was born here, and amid
all these new born blessings, the old dark cloud comes over me, and I find it hard to have faith in rebels.
the past winter was very severe for this region of Country[.] it caused much suffering, and the freedmen
with but few exceptions were cheated out of their crop of cotton. their contract masters shiped it for them, and when
they ask for a settlement, they are answered I am daily expecting the returns. these men have gone to work
cheerfully, planted another crop without the returns to live on until their present crop is made. many of the large
plantations of the once wealthy Planter, is worked under the control of Colored Men. the Owners let [rent] their
Plantations to the freedmen in prefference to the poor Whites. they believe the Negro determined to make money,
and they will get the largest portion of it. last years experience I think will be a proffitable lesson[.] many will learn
to act for themselves. Negro suffrage is making a stir in this place. the rebels are striving to make these people feel
they are their true friends, and they must not be led astray by the Yankees. the freedmen ask if Abraham Lincoln led
them astray, that his friends is their friends his enemies their enemies.
I have spent much of my time on the Plantations distrubuting seed and trying to teach the women to make Yankee
gardens. they plant everything to mature in the summer, like their corn and cotton fields. I have hunted up all the old
people, done what I could for them. I love to work for these old people. many of them I have known from Childhood
25
there is one School in Edenton well attended. on some of the Plantations there is from 15 to 25 Chrildren
that cannot attend School, the distance is so far. some of the freedmen are very anxious to establish Plantation
schools, as soon as the more advanced Schools, can send out teachers. many of the freedmen are willing and will
sustain their teachers. at present there is a great revival in the colored Churches. the Whites say the N____ sung and
2012-2013
9
GRADE 11 ELA EXEMPLAR LESSON
Quarter 3, Week 22: 01/28/13 – 02/01/13
prayed until they got their freedom, and they are not satisfied. now they are singing and praying for judgment. the
30
white members of the Baptist Church invited the colored members to their Church, to help them sing and pray. I
assure you they have done it with a will. I never saw such a state of excitement[.] the Churches have been open night
and day. these people have time to think of their souls, now they are not compelled to think for the Negro.
my love to Miss Daisy [Cheny's daughter]. I send her some Jassmine blossoms[.] tell her they bear the fragrance of
freedom.
Yours Truly
H Jacobs
New England Hospital Records,
Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts
2012-2013
10
Informational/Explanatory Writing – Independent Writing Assignment
Comparison Gettysburg Address and Letter from Harriet Jacobs to Ednah Dow Cheney
Grading Criteria – TEACHER SCORING RUBRIC - 11 - 12 ELA
Informational/explanatory writing conveys information accurately. This kind of writing serves one or more closely related purposes: to increase readers’ knowledge of a subject, to help readers
better understand a procedure or process, or to provide readers with an enhanced comprehension of a concept. Informational/explanatory writing includes a wide array of genres, including
academic genres such as literary analyses, scientific and historical reports, summaries, and précis writing as well as forms of workplace and functional writing such as instructions, manuals, memos,
reports, applications, and resumes. (Appendix A, 23 http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf)
Student Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Period: ___________________ Final Score: ____________/30
Criterion
With practice, students become better able to develop a controlling idea and a
coherent focus on a topic and more skilled at selecting and incorporating relevant
examples, facts, and details into their writing.
They are also able to use a variety of techniques to convey information, such as
naming, defining, describing, or differentiating different types or parts; comparing
or contrasting ideas or concepts; and citing an anecdote or a scenario to illustrate a
point.
Response to Prompt/Thesis
W.11-12.2a - Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information
so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia
when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.11-12.2e - Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while
attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
W.11-12.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Organization
W.11-12.2a - Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so
that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole;
include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia
when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.11-12.2c- Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex
ideas and concepts.
Evidence/Support
W.11-12.2b - Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and
relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information
and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
Level 5
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
Superior
Solid
Partial
Limited
Very Limited
Exceeds
expectations
Above
expectations
Meets
expectations
Approaching
expectations
Does not meet
expectations
5
4
3
2
1
skillful
purposeful style
5
competent
appropriate style
4
adequate
sufficient style
3
logical order
skillful use of
transitions/syntax
sequences
purposefully
masterful parallel
construction
appropriate order
proficient use of
transitions/ syntax
sequences logically
obvious parallel
construction
some order
some use of
transitions/syntax
sequences
minimally
some elements of
parallelism
5
4
3
insightful
cohesive
skillful control with
evidence, citations
and/or quotes
thorough
cohesive
strong control with
evidence, citations
and/or quotes
sufficient
some cohesion
control with some
evidence, citations
and/or quotes
limited
inconsistent style
2
limited order
inappropriate use of
transitions/syntax
sequences illogically
little parallel
construction
2
inappropriate
superficial
lacks cohesion
little specific
information with
few citations and/or
quotes
inadequate
attempts, but fails
at style
1
lacks order
inadequate use of
transitions/syntax
fails to sequence
no evidence of
parallel
construction
1
insufficient
irrelevant
no evidence of
specific
information,
citations and/or
quotes
Analysis
W.11-12.2b - Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and
5
4
3
relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information
and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.
complex thinking
thorough
seamless
Structure
5
4
3
effective closure
meaningful,
reflective
conclusion
closure
conclusion follows
implications
sense of closure
conclusion
partially supports
explanation
W.11-12.2f- Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and
supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or
the significance of the topic).
Command of Language
W.11-12.2d - Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such
as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
W.11-12.5 - Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant
for a specific purpose and audience.
L.11-12.1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar
and usage when writing or speaking.
L.1-12.2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.11-12.3 - 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.
some complex
thinking
relevant
5
4
mature language
skillful use of
domain specific
terms
exemplary
command of
conventions
appropriate
language
domain specific
terms
command of
conventions
simplistic thinking
appropriate
3
inconsistent
language
some domain
specific terms
inconsistent
command of
conventions
2
flawed thinking
minimal
2
weak closure
inadequate
conclusion
2
limited language
few domain specific
terms
limited command of
conventions
1
inaccurate thinking
irrelevant
illogical
1
no evident closure
lacks conclusion
1
inappropriate
language
insufficient use of
domain specific
terms
weak command of
conventions
NOTE: The following writing standards are not specifically addressed in this lesson.
W.11-12.1 - Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.11-12.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
W.11-12.6 - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to
other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
W.11-12.7 - Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the
inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
W.11-12.8 - Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in
answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.