The American Identity
Farmington Public Schools
Grade 11
English
Nelle Andrews and Susan Holcombe
DRAFT: June 2006
Farmington Public Schools
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Table of Contents
Unit Summary
………………….….…………..page3
Stage One: Standards
Stage One identifies the desired results of the unit including the broad understandings, the unit
outcome statement and essential questions that focus the unit, and the necessary knowledge and
skills.
The Understanding by Design Handbook, 1999
…………………………….... pages 4-5
Stage Two: Assessment Package
Stage Two determines the acceptable evidence that students have acquired the understandings, knowledge
and skills identified in Stage One.
……………………………… pages 6-7
Stage Three: Curriculum and Instruction
Stage Three helps teachers plan learning experiences and instruction that aligns with Stage One and
enables students to be successful in Stage two. Planning and lesson options are given, however teachers are
encouraged to customize this stage to their own students, maintaining alignment with Stages One and Two.
…………..…… pages 8-11
Appendices
Nelle Andrews and Susan Holcombe
….....………………………. page 12
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Unit Summary
Students in American Literature will explore elements of the American experience, in particular
the reasons why people choose to come to America, core American beliefs and ideas, and what
comprises an American identity. Through their reading of historical documents and short stories,
viewing of film and conducting of a personal interview, students will understand that people
come to America for a variety of reasons which ultimately shape their individual identity. This is
the introductory unit for the American Literature course and will be completed in four weeks.
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Stage One: Standards
Essential Understandings and Content Standards
Essential Understanding #1-Reading and writing are reciprocal thinking processes used to
construct meaning and communicate ideas.
Content Standards:
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Students will use appropriate strategies and behaviors for sustaining and expanding
meaning of texts heard, viewed, or read (1:2).
Students will use appropriate strategies and behaviors to compose their thoughts and
ideas (1:3)
Essential Understanding #2-Authors communicate in a variety of genre or contexts for
a variety of purposes including reasons for coming to America, struggles with creating a new
society, challenges in establishing identity.
Content Standards:
•
Students will read, write, speak, listen, and view to gather and convey information (2:1).
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Unit Outcome Statement
As a result of this unit, students will understand through their readings of texts, their viewings of
film, and their interviewing of an immigrant that people come to America for a variety of reasons
which ultimately shape their individual identity. Students will then apply this understanding to
their own lives in order to understand what it means to be an American. By the end of this unit,
students will create their first portfolio reflection on one of the essential questions for the course.
Materials:
“The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jeffersom
“The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln
“What is an American?” by St. Jean de Crevecoeur
“Lost in Translation” by Eva Hoffmann
“Refugees” by Charles Simic
“Parental Variations in a Hungarian Immigrant Experience” by Marga Kapka
“A Francophone Korean in America” by Irene Kwanghye Lee Olivier
“Lost and Found” by Dagrun Bennett
Excerpts from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
“I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman
“I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes
Selections from “The Joy Luck Club”
“The Immigrant Experience: The Long, Long Journey”
Essential Questions
™ Why have people come to America and why do people continue to come to America?
™ How is an American identity created?
Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge:
Gain an understanding of the early American identity
Gain an understanding of the immigrant experience
Recognize the initial reasons people came to America
Explore American ideals and values
Appreciate various perspectives of the American experience
Skills:
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Use pre-reading strategies
Gather information
Set a purpose for reading, listening, and viewing
Activate background knowledge to help focus new knowledge
Demonstrate ability to go beyond the text to deepen meaning by making connections to
self, other texts, and the world in writing or speaking
Make, support, and defend judgments about texts
Compare and contrast ideas presented in two or more passages or texts
Analyze and explain in writing and speaking, the multiple viewpoints presented by
different authors
Debate validity of differing points of view and elaborate on another’s ideas
Demonstrate deeper meaning by incorporating a variety of writers’ points of view into
new understanding
Share draft with identified audience
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Stage Two: Assessment Package
Throughout the year, students will compile a portfolio which will incorporate several small pieces
of writing and reflection about the literature in each unit and how it adds to their understanding
of the American experience and the American identity. At the end of unit one and following each
of the major works, students will examine the three overarching questions for the course:
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What is an American?
How does American literature reflect and influence American society?
Why does freedom matter?
By the end of the year, students will incorporate their knowledge of literature, history, film,
music, and art into a multi-media presentation demonstrating their understanding of the
American experience.
The Final Course Assessment:
Goal: Your task is to incorporate your knowledge of literature, history, film, music, and art into a
multi-media presentation demonstrating your understanding of the American experience.
Role & Audience:
Choose one of the following:
1) You are an American Ambassador to a foreign country whose job is to give a
presentation about American life and values to several dignitaries and heads of state.
2)You are a high school teacher overseas teaching a class about “America.” This is your
students’ first introduction to the country.
3)You are an American student studying abroad and your host family wants to know
everything important about life in your country.
4)You are an advertising executive creating an ad campaign to encourage foreign
businesses to invest in America as part of the global economy.
Situation: You will review the selections of literature, history, film, music and art you have
completed reflections about in your portfolio and choose which ones best represent the American
experience. You must incorporate the following:
• two major pieces of literature (novels, plays)
• two minor pieces of literature (short stories, poems, articles)
• at least one historical document
• at least one film
• at least one musical selection
• at least one piece of artwork
• research additional selections of poetry, music, film or art
• personal interest research (contemporary culture)
Performance: You will create a multi-media presentation reflecting your understanding of the
American experience (such as power point, video, computer animation) and present your work to
the class.
Standards & Criteria for Success:
•
Students will read, write, speak, listen, and view to gather and convey information (2:1).
•
Students will use appropriate strategies and behaviors to compose their thoughts and
ideas (1:3)
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Technology Standard #2, Communication, Grade 12: Students will use video, audio, and
multimedia tools to create clear and meaningful presentations of ideas.
Criteria for Grading:
• The Farmington High School Academic Expectations Rubric (see appendices)
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Unit I Assessment:
Authentic Performance Task:
Goal: Your task is to demonstrate your understanding of the different perspectives of American
life presented in the first unit.
Situation: You will review your notes and the selections we have studied in this unit and use
them to respond in writing to the following overarching questions for the course:
1. What is an American?
2. How does American literature reflect and influence American society?
3. Why does freedom matter?
Performance: Choose one question on which to elaborate in depth. You will create a two-page
typed reflection using three pieces from the unit as evidence to support your thesis.
Standards & Criteria for success:
•
Students will use appropriate strategies and behaviors for sustaining and expanding
meaning of texts heard, viewed, or read (1:2).
•
Students will use appropriate strategies and behaviors to compose their thoughts and
ideas (1:3)
Tests, Quizzes, and Other Quick and Ongoing Checks for Understanding
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Journal entries 1:3
Quick Writes 1:3
Note-taking 2:1
Immigration presentation chart 1:3
Oral presentation of immigration stories 2:1
Exit cards 1:2
Projects, Reports, Etc.
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Immigrant interview and subsequent analysis 1:2
Personal image/identity collage 1:3
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Stage Three: Learning Experiences and Instruction
Learning Experiences and Instruction
Unit I: The American Identity
Guiding Questions
Instructional Strategies
Checking for
Understanding
Lesson Topic—“My America”
10 minute quick write that
Hook: (musical intro)
addresses guiding questions
1-3
1. Who are you?
2. What defines you as an
individual?
3. What can you say right now
about your life experience?
4. What are some common
elements of your experiences?
Think, pair, share-10 minutes
Full class discussion of student
responses
Homework: Bring in one
image that best represents
your vision of America and
write a short paragraph
explaining your choice.
Students will submit a list of
common experiences and
write a reflection on what this
tells them about life in
America.
Assignment (2-3 days):
Students will create a collage
that represents what defines
them as an individual and as
an American (see Appendices)
and will present their work to
the class.
Hook: (musical intro)
1. What is an image that best
represents America?
Students share images. Class
discussion of question 1.
2. What do these selected
images tell us about our
society and what our society
values?
Examine teacher and student
image selections and choose
one or two that you think best
represent America.
Rehearsal: Create a journal
entry that justifies your choice.
Include three specific reasons
in your response.
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Post class list of images.
Collect journal entry and
examine student responses.
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Lesson Topic—Original American Ideals
Read aloud The Declaration of
1.What American ideals are
Independence and The
present in The Declaration of
Gettysburg Address (see
Independence and The
Appendices). Underline
Gettysburg Address?
important words and phrases.
Circle unfamiliar vocabulary.
2. How does The Gettysburg
Address connect to The
Declaration of Independence?
Class discussion of the
American ideals presented in
these documents.
Teacher will clarify unfamiliar
vocabulary.
List discussion points on
board to check for
understanding.
Exit card: Respond to guiding
question three.
3. How do these documents
define an American?
4. What did emigrants leave
behind in Europe and what
did they bring with them that
helped to shape the American
ideals?
Homework: Read and
annotate Crevecoeur’s “What
is an American?” (see
Appendices). Underline
important words and phrases.
Circle unfamiliar vocabulary.
1. How does Crevecoeur’s
article define an American?
What perspective does it
present?
Quick write on first set of
guiding questions.
Collect quick writes to check
for understanding.
2. How does it connect to The
Declaration of Independence
and The Gettysburg Address?
Share and discuss responses.
Create a list of the American
ideals we have discussed in
class. Post next to images.
Lesson Topic—The Immigration Experience
Hook:
What is inscribed at base of
the Statue of Liberty? Who do
you think wrote this?
Read and annotate “The New
Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
(see Appendices)
How does an immigrant
perspective affect or frame
one’s vision of American
ideals?
View film—“The Immigrant
Experience: The Long, Long
Journey”
What can we learn from a real
life story of someone who has
immigrated to the United
States?
Homework: Create a list of
questions you would want to
ask an immigrant about their
choices and experiences.
1. What can we learn from a
Students will read selected
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Complete viewing guide while
watching film
Students will take notes on
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real life story of someone who
has immigrated to the United
States?
short narratives in small
groups and present their
findings to the class (see
Appendices).
other group presentations and
turn in their presentation
organizers (see Appendices).
Homework: Re-examine
question list from previous
homework assignment.
Revision: What questions
have been answered? What
additional questions do you
have?
1. What can we learn from a
real life story of someone who
has immigrated to the United
States?
Assign immigration interview
(one week) (see Appendices).
Students should share
interview questions from
homework with each other
and formulate a list of at least
20 questions.
Teacher collects and approves
questions
Students complete oral
presentation to class and
submit written summary (see
Appendices).
Rehearsal: Practice asking
interview and follow-up
questions. Conduct an
interview of an immigrant.
2. How do the perspectives of
these immigrants connect to
the ideals of The Declaration
of Independence, The
Gettysburg Address, “What is
an American?” and/or “The
New Colossus”?
Read and view excerpts from
The Joy Luck Club
Collect and evaluate
homework response.
Homework/Rehearsal:
Write a 1-2 page response to
guiding question 2.
Place finished revision in
portfolio of the American
identity.
Lesson Topic—Contemporary America and the Individual
Hook: What new knowledge
do you have about the
American experience at this
point?
Quick write responding to
hook question.
1. What is an image that best
represents America and why?
Revisit images from beginning
of unit and re-read responses
to individually selected
images. Revise response
based on new knowledge. If
your opinion has changed,
explain why. If not, explain
how the selections have
strengthened your original
viewpoint.
1. What are the main ideas
presented in the poems? How
Collect quick writes.
Share responses with class.
Read and discuss Whitman’s
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Collect revised responses.
Students will complete and
submit guiding worksheet for
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do the perspectives differ?
2. What do these pieces tell us
about American society and
values during a particular time
period?
3. What new perspectives are
presented in these works and
how do they connect to your
personal American
experience?
Unit Assessment:
Authentic Performance
Task
1. What is an American?
2. How does American
literature reflect and influence
American society?
3. Why does freedom matter?
poem “I Hear America
Singing” and Hughes’ poem
“I, Too, Sing America”
Read and discuss Brokaw’s
speech to Santa Fe College
Read and discuss Rosenblatt’s
article “A Letter to the Year
2086”
each poem (see appendix).
Students will write a letter to a
high school student
graduating in the year 3006
(see appendix).
Add to image/ideal chart
Rehearsal: Complete journal
entry addressing guiding
question 3.
Students will choose one
question on which to elaborate
in depth. They will create a
two-page, typed reflection
using three pieces from the
unit as evidence to support
their thesis.
Nelle Andrews and Susan Holcombe
DRAFT: June 2006
Final revision of Assessment
to be placed in the American
identity portfolio.
Farmington Public Schools
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Appendices
Language Arts Standards
Farmington High School Academic Expectations Rubric
Individual American Identity Collage Assignment
“The Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jeffersom
“The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln
“What is an American?” by St. Jean de Crevecoeur
“Lost in Translation” by Eva Hoffmann
“Refugees” by Charles Simic
“Parental Variations in a Hungarian Immigrant Experience” by Marga Kapka
“A Francophone Korean in America” by Irene Kwanghye Lee Olivier
“Lost and Found” by Dagrun Bennett
Immigration Experience Assignment
Immigration Presentation Organizer
Immigration Interview Assignment
“The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
“I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman
“I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes
Tom Brokaw speech to Santa Fe College
“A Letter to the Year 2086” by Roger Rosenblatt
Excerpts from The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Selections from “The Joy Luck Club”
“The Immigrant Experience: The Long, Long Journey”
Nelle Andrews and Susan Holcombe
DRAFT: June 2006
Farmington Public Schools
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