Iacobazzo/Wrambel
CP 12
Unit: Multicultural Choice Novel
Date: 1/13/10
Standards and Objectives:
Standards:
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1.1.11. B – Analyze the structure of informational materials explaining how
authors used these to achieve their purposes
1.1.11. D – Identify, describe, evaluate and synthesize the essential ideas in
text. Assess those reading strategies that were most effective in learning from
a variety of texts.
1.1.11. G – Demonstrate after reading understanding and interpretation of
both fiction and nonfiction text, including public documents.
1.1.11. H – Demonstrate fluency and comprehension in reading.
1.2.11. B – Use and understand a variety of media and evaluate the quality of
material produced.
o Explain how the techniques used in electronic media modify
traditional forms of discourse for different purposes.
1.3.11 A – Read and understand works of literature.
1.3.11 B – Analyze the relationships, uses and effectiveness of literary
elements used by one or more authors in similar genres including
characterization, setting, plot, theme, point of view, ton and style.
1.6.11 A – Listen to others.
1.6.11 D – Contribute to discussions.
1.6.11 E – Participate in small and large group discussions and presentations.
1.6.11 F – Use media for learning purposes
1.7.11 B – Analyze when difference in language are a source of negative or
positive stereotypes among groups.
Objectives:
 Students will gain an understanding of the definition of the word
“multiculturalism” through creating a web, generating their own definitions and
interpretations of the word
 Students will read a short essay, Girl by Jamaica Kincaid
 Students will work in pairs in order to draw assertions about the essay and
emphasize the importance of authorʼs voice.
 Students will watch a video called “The Girl Effect”
 Students will questions the importance of setting as an influence on the
definition of self
Procedures:
Period 5:
11:50 – 11:52: Students settle in to class. Have students begin by asking
them to write down what they define as “multiculturalism”
11:52 – 11:53: Begin with the definition that I would like to use
11:53 – 11:58: Go through the studentsʼ responses, creating a web on the
board to tie in ideas and generate a class definition of the word
11:58 – 12:18: Students read Girl
12:19 – 12:24: Students will get together and share their responses to the
short reading. We will then go around the room and go over their answers
from their pairings with a short discussion on the ways in which we define
ourselves.
12:24 – 12:29: Watch “Girl Effect” video
12:29 – 12:35: Brief discussion on video.
Period 8:
2:29 – 2:31: Students settle in to class. Have students begin by asking
them to write down what they define as “multiculturalism”
2:31 – 2:32: Begin with the definition that I would like to use
2:32 – 2:37: Go through the studentsʼ responses, creating a web on the
board to tie in ideas and generate a class definition of the word
2:37 – 2:57: Students read Girl. During this time, hand Gussie the
transcript of “The Girl Effect.”
2:58 – 3:03: Students will get together and share their responses to the
short reading. We will then go around the room and go over their answers
from their pairings with a short discussion on the ways in which we define
ourselves.
3:03 – 3:08: Watch “Girl Effect” video
3:08 – 3:14: Brief discussion on video
Materials:
 Girl by Jamaica Kincaid
 The Girl Effect
o http://www.girleffect.org/
Assessment:
Definition of Multiculturalism: from Williams College
Here's my formal answer to the question "What is multiculturalism?"
In the United States, multiculturalism is a social and political movement and position that
holds differences between individuals and groups to be a potential source of strength and
renewal rather than of strife. It values the diverse perspectives people develop and
maintain through varieties of experience and background stemming from racial, ethnic,
gender, sexual orientation and/or class differences in our society. It strives to uphold the
ideals of equality, equity and freedom on which the United States is based, and includes
respect for individuals and groups as a principle fundamental to the success and growth
of our country (Carson 1)1.
Potential Discussion Questions on Girl:
1. How does Kincaid define herself?
a. What ways do we see her voice come through? Why is it shown in this
way?
2. What does it mean to be a slut or rather to know oneself a slut?
a. What does this say about self-worth? Does she have any?
3. What kind of a life does she have?
a. Why include the details of her work?
4. What sorts of cultural traditions do we see?
a. Why are they significant?
b. What can you infer from these details:
i. Benna
ii. Sunday school
iii. Mending clothing
iv. Making dinner
v. Dresses
vi. Smiling
vii. Loving a man
viii. “throwing away a child”
c. What do the above details say about Kincaidʼs culture? What do they say
about the time period in which it was written?
d. What does it mean to be a woman? Black? Of Caribbean descent?
5. Biographical Research:
a. Do you think it is significant that she changed her name to Jamaica? Is
she proud of her heritage?
i. She became a U.S. citizen
6. Why choose this piece?
a. What does this say about the way we see ourselves?
b. How might our gender influence the ways in which we see the world?
What about our race or ethnicity?
1
Carson, Rosa. "What is Multiculturalism?." Politics and Opinions. 1999.
Williams College, Web. 13 Jan 2010.
<http://wso.williams.edu/~rcarson/multiculturalism.html>. Questions Before Watching “The Girl Effect”
1. After reading Girl, what do you think about the value of women in our society?
Are they equal? What is their status in the United States? What about women in
poorer countries?
2. What do you know about poverty in developing countries? What efforts are being
done to help poorer countries?
3. Why should we care about other countries?
While watching:
1. Notice the effects of the video. Does something touch you more than something
else?
2. How does the video use words to make pictures?
3. Notice the content. What is the message of this piece?
After watching:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Did this make you think about anything?
Did it have any effect on you? Why? Why not?
Why should we care about these issues?
Why is it important to see the issues of other women in order to understand the
status of women in our own country?
5. How might these women see themselves?
a. If they would be so changed with simply a cow, what does that mean
about their self-worth?
b. Do the conditions in which they live affect their definitions of self?
6. What kind of a role does setting play in our definition of self? Compare this to
Girl.
a. Do you have different personalities in different places?
i. Home vs School vs Sports Teams vs Extra Curriculars vs Friends
ii. Does this ever change essentially who you are? Do you remain
the same despite your location?
Modifications for Lesson:
5th Period:
Given the speed of the “Girl Effect” video, I am going to try to take the video and
slow it down using iMovie. If this is not feasible, I will play it again if necessary for any
student that feels uncomfortable with the content. Furthermore, I am going to include a
few copies of the transcript that I have created for the video, should any student want to
consult this for the discussion following the video.
8Th Period:
Given the speed of the “Girl Effect” video, I am going to try to take the video and
slow it down using iMovie. If this is not feasible, I will play it again if necessary for any
student that feels uncomfortable with the content. Furthermore, I am going to include a
few copies of the transcript that I have created for the video, should any student want to
consult this for the discussion following the video.
In addition, I have a profoundly deaf student. In order to accommodate her
needs, I will inform her captioning service of my intentions of this lesson both vocally
during the lesson into the provided microphone as well as previously notifying the
captionist via email with the transcript. I will also provide her with a copy of the transcript
prior to viewing the video in order to provide her with the opportunity to preview the
material so she might follow along more efficiently. Furthermore, I will ask if she, as well
as any other student, would like me to send a link of the video if they would like to view it
on their own time should they need to examine the content further.
Reflection on Lesson:
Period 5:
As students come in, I asked them to write down on a sheet of paper,
“How do you define the word “multiculturalism? Who are some people that you
would consider to be multicultural?” I modified the lesson to have students give
their own definition in order to create their own class definition of the word. I will
use my definition to supplement their ideas. I needed to go around the room
more for answers, in order to get a whole class definition. The students, I feel,
really have a small familiarity with the sorts of prominent groups that advocate for
minorities. However, this class did have a substantial grasp of multicultural
authors and novels. Is ten minutes too long to read? It may have been but I
wanted them to take their time in case they struggled with the large chunk of
reading. It would have been much more helpful to go around to every student to
gain their perspectives of multiculturalism not only for my aid but in order to
establish a sense of belonging within the class.
Period 8:
I made several modifications. The most significant was going around the
every person in room to gain either their definition for multiculturalism, people
that embody this idea or groups that embody this idea as well. It worked out quite
nicely and in fact, their definition tied directly into my dictionary definition. I felt
that these students truly had a grasp on how varied and widespread this
definition can be. Furthermore, I was able to get into a brief discussion about
abortion, which is mentioned implicitly in the essay. I found that this class did not
want to shy away from the discussion, so I asked students what they thought
Kincaidʼs intent was in putting this action into her novel. They were able to
observe some of the cultural differences present within the essay and had a very
positive discussion about the essay. However, I found that this class, as opposed
to 5th period, did not see the relevance in the video. They found difficulty in
establishing a connection between the essay and the video. I was rushed at the
end of class and did not emphasize some of the similarities but given our positive
discussion of multiculturalism, I thought this was a small concession in terms of
time management.
Transcript of “The Girl Effect” Video.
The world is a mess. Poverty. AIDS. Hunger. War. So what else is new? But what if
there was an unexpected solution that could turn this sinking ship around? Would you
even know it if you saw it? Itʼs not the Internet. Itʼs not science. Itʼs not the government.
Itʼs not money. Itʼs (dramatic pause) a girl. Imagine a girl living in poverty. No, go ahead.
Really, imagine her. Girl, flies, baby, husband, hunger, HIV. Now, pretend that you can
fix this picture. Girl. OK. Now she has a chance. Letʼs put her in a school uniform and
see her get a loan to buy a cow and use the profits from the milk to help her family.
Pretty soon, her cow becomes a herd. And she becomes the business owner who brings
clean water to the village, which makes the men respect her good sense and invite her
to the village council where she convinces everyone that all girls are valuable. Soon,
more girls have a chance and the village is thriving. Healthier babies, peace, lower HIV,
food, education, commerce, sanitation, stability, which means the economy of the entire
country improves and the whole world is better off. Are you following whatʼs happening
here? Girl > School > Cows > $ > Business > Clean H20 > Social Change > Stronger
Economy > Better World. Itʼs called the girl effect. Multiply that by 600 million girls in the
developing world, and youʼve just changed the course of history. The Girl Effect. Invest
in a girl and she will do the rest. Itʼs no big deal. Just the future of humanity.
Iacobazzo/Wrambel
CP 12
MC Choice Novel
Girl
By Jamaica Kincaid
Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the
color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; donʼt walk barehead in
the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after
you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it
doesnʼt have gum on it, because that way it wonʼt hold up well after a wash; soak salt
fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna2 in Sunday school?;
always eat your food in such a way that it wonʼt turn someone elseʼs stomach; on
Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; donʼt
sing benna in Sunday school; you mustnʼt speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give
directions; donʼt eat fruits on the street – flies will follow you; but I donʼt sing benna on
Sundays at all and never in Sunday school; this is how to sew on a button; this is how to
make a buttonhole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress
when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut
I know you are so bent on becoming; this is how you iron your fatherʼs khaki shirt so that
it doesnʼt have a crease; this is how you iron your fatherʼs khaki pants so that they donʼt
have a crease; this is how you grow okra – far from the house, because okra tree
harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or
else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this
is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to
someone you donʼt like very much; this is how you smile to someone you donʼt like at all;
this is how you smile to someone you like completely; this is how you set a table for tea;
this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an
important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for
breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who donʼt know you very well,
and this way they wonʼt recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against
becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; donʼt squat down to
play marbles – you are not a boy, you know; donʼt pick peopleʼs flowers – you might
catch something; donʼt throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at
all; this is how to make bread pudding; this is how to make doukona;3 this is how to
make pepper pot; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold; this is how to make a
good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child; this is how to catch
a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you donʼt like, and that way something bad wonʼt
fall on you; this is how to bully a man; this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a
man, and if this doesnʼt work there are other ways, and if they donʼt work donʼt feel too
bad about giving up; this is how to spit up in the air if you feel like it, and this is how to
move quick so that it doesnʼt fall on you; this is how to make ends meet; always squeeze
bread to make sure itʼs fresh; but what if the baker wonʼt let me feel the bread?; you
mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker
wont let near the bread?
1978.
2
A
3
A
Carribean folk-music style.
spiced pudding, often made from plantain.