Gateway Introduction: “what does it mean to be prejudiced?

1. Gateway Introduction:“what does it mean to be prejudiced? • 1. Students are 12 graders ages 17-18 yrs. old – the classroom is an inclusive class that includes nine students with IEPs. • There are 9 boys and 15 girls. The student demographics are 69% white, 10% Asian/Pacific-Islander, 11% Hispanic, 1% American Indian, 5% Black, and 4% Multiracial. English Language Learners make up 3% of the student body. There is 1 ELL student in the class. Special Education students make up 12% of the student body, and 20% of all students participate in the free/reduced lunch program. • The learning goals are: • RL 12.1-Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. • RL 12.4-Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.

2. Introduction to the Unit • 2. I will assess student understanding by listening to their small group discussions, interacting direction through whole class discussion, and through an independent writing activity. • My assessments require verbal and written communication skills. • I want students to be able to infer meaning through the text, make predictions, connections and supply evidence to support their inferences and predictions.

3. What Students Already Know • 3.Students will already be familiar with the idea of making inferences, but this activity will encourage deeper thinking and consideration. They will be able to make connections from the science fictional subject matter of the gateway reading to actual history, and the texts they have previously read, i.e. The Scarlet Letter , Sister Outsider, Unpacking Your Invisible Knapsack. • Students will need to learn to make inferences from more complicated text and support their ideas with specific evidence from the text. • 4. I will introduce the gateway activity by first introducing a quote from “The Scarlet Letter.” Students will have already read this novel and it will set the stage. • We will review the Learning Target of making inferences from text. The students will read the text from “When She Woke.” • Next we will discuss questions as a group. Students will need to make inferences based on the text and content surrounding specific words. • Students will then work in small groups to answer specific questions regarding their inferences. • Students post their citations of evidence from the novel on large post-it’s on the wall. • Each group shares their findings with the class. • Students will have an opportunity to write a paragraph stating their opinion and support their stance. • We will wrap up the activity with a whole class discussion.

4. Answer Key: Extra slide to explain answers to initial questions. • A Chrome is a person who has been convicted of a crime. Malechroming is the act of injecting a semi-permanent dye into the criminal which changes the color of their skin. The color indicates the type of crime they committed. Red = murder. • A “vid” is like real time television. • Hannah is in a prison where the malechroming takes place. • She had an abortion.

5. Gateway What does it mean to be prejudiced?

6. Opening Quote • “Truly, friend, and methinks it must gladden your heart, after your troubles and sojourn in the wilderness,” said the townsman, “to find yourself, at length, in a land where iniquity is searched out, and punished in the sight of rulers and people.” --Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

7. Learning Target • I will be able to define “inference,” and make inferences drawn from complex text.

8. Learning Goals • RL 12.1-Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. • RL 12.4-Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful.

9. Reading • First chapter from the novel “When She Woke” by Hillary Jordan. • Selected paragraph from chapter 2. Jordan, H. (2011). When she woke. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-1-56512-629-9

10. Making Inferences • Small Group Discussion: • What is a Chrome or Malechroming? • What is a vid? • Where is Hannah? • What crime do you think she committed?

11. Cite Evidence • What is your impression of how Chromes are treated once they are released from the Chrome ward? What evidence from the reading supports your theory? • Based on your inferences, compare the reaction to and treatment of Chromes in the novel to the treatment of people of color both historically and in the present day based on our prior readings.

12. What Do You Think? • Do you think that melachroming might actually be a good solution to the enormous problems of our criminal justice system? Why or why not?

13. Making Connections Group Wrap Up Discussion: • Do you see any issues with prejudices that could occur as a result of malechroming?