High School English and Language Arts UDL Instructional Unit - Lesson 5 - Culminating Activity

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Note: As the "culminating activity" for this "Spreading the News" unit, this lesson uses excerpts from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, which is one of the Common Core State Standards' recommended literary texts for high school. This lesson does not spoil the plot of the story and only focuses only on the particular aspect of the story that is related to the previous lessons in this unit. The first four lessons in this unit could be used as a pre-unit if you wanted to do a complete unit on To Kill a Mockingbird.


BACK TO HS ELA UDL Instructional Unit

Contents

Objectives:

  • Students will analyze excerpts from To Kill a Mockingbird in order to write an editorial stating their view regarding Tom Robinson's trial and using the author's rhetoric to support their view.
  • Students will analyze a news article written about Tom Robinson's trial and point out any/all instances of biased reporting, using the information they have learned throughout this unit.



Essential Questions:

  • What do each of the testimonies presented in the excerpts from To Kill a Mockingbird reveal about the characters?
  • Based on the testimonies, who is the most credible witness? Who's telling the truth? What really happened?
  • Why is it important to know both sides of a story?
  • Why is it important for the news media to report both sides of a story?
  • How can biased news reporting affect public opinion?



Vocabulary:

  • Other vocabulary from previous lessons in this unit



Materials:

  • Copies of the lyrics to "Ode to Billy Joe" by Bobbie Gentry
  • YouTube link to "Ode to Billy Joe" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc
  • Make excerpts from specific text in To Kill a Mockingbird from chapters 16-19 (projected for all students to read; you may want to print hard copies for the specific students who will be playing the roles of the characters; you could also print the excerpts to the students to read before coming to class.)
    • "Sheriff Tate Testifies"
    • "Bob Ewell Testifies"
    • "Mayella Ewell Testifies"
    • "Tom Robinson Testifies"
  • Computer/projector
  • Copies of "To Kill a Mockingbird Newspaper Article"
  • Copies of "To Kill a Mockingbird Biased Reporting Worksheet"
  • Copies of "To Kill a Mockingbird Editorial Rubric"
  • Index Cards or notebook paper/notebooks
  • "To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary List"

"Analyzing an Author's Purpose and Use of Rhetoric," "How to Spot Bias in News Articles," and "Influences on Bias" materials that were used in previous lessons in this unit



Introduction

a. Activate Prior Knowledge

  1. Have the students re-watch/re-listen to "Ode to Billy Joe" by Bobbie Gentry (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZt5Q-u4crc).
  2. Ask students to recall and explain how, although the song was written for entertainment, it in some ways sounds/reads like an informative news article. Also have the students recall and explain the persuasive message Gentry may have been trying to convey regarding the way society deals with tragic events and "spreads the news" between family, friends, and neighbors.
  3. Ask the students to suggest how the song might have been different if Billy Joe MacAllister was African American, given that the song was written in 1967 and using what they already know about the racism in the United States. Is there evidence that he was/wasn't African American?
  1. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide same accommodations used effectively in Lesson 2, Introduction, a., 2)
  2. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide same accommodations used effectively in Lesson 2, Introduction, a., 4)
    • review information from Lesson 2, Introduction, a., 4)
  3. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide options for the student to choose from (supplemented with accommodations that the student has used previously)
    • pre-plan a contribution for the student to add to the discussion
    • allow the student to use preferred mode of communication (make sure the student has vocabulary in his or system for "African American" and "racism" if he or she does not already have them; teach those if they are new vocabulary)


b. Establish Goals/Objectives for the Lesson

  1. Ask the students, "Given what you have learned throughout this unit, how do you think bias in the news affects public perception? What are the dangers of biased news reporting?"
  2. Explain to the students that for the final lesson in this unit, they will be reading the court report of a trial that takes place in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. There is no need to provide the students with background information other than the story takes place in 1935 Maycomb, Alabama, that Tom Robinson is the man on trial, that his lawyer's name is Atticus Finch, that he is accused of attacking Mayella Ewell, daughter of Bob Ewell, and that Horace Gilmer is the prosecuting attorney. The rest of the pertinent information will be revealed in the excerpts.
  3. Invite the students to think about what they have learned about bias in the news and to consider the implications of how biased reporting of the Tom Robinson case could affect the public's understanding of the truth.
  1. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide and review information and materials about bias which the student used in throughout Lesson 3
    • provide options for the student to choose from (supplemented with accommodations that the student has used previously)
    • pre-plan a contribution for the student to add to the discussion
    • allow the student to use preferred mode of communication
  2. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide a summary of the text information the teacher will be explaining, using the same accommodations for accessible text as the student has been using effectively
    • have student follow along with his or her personal copy of the information as the teacher explains it; use the same strategies used in other lessons in this unit to facilitate the student's interaction with the text (e.g., highlight, words and phrases on cards with hook-and-loop tape)
  3. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide some possible implications for the student to think about; use the same accommodations the student has use previously in similar activities



Lesson Body

  1. Provide the students with copies of the "To Kill a Mockingbird Vocabulary List." As a class, read through the vocabulary words and definitions, and advise the students to refer to the list as they encounter those words while reading the excerpts.
  2. Provide and project each of four excerpts, one at a time (Use "Sheriff Tate Testifies" first then "Bob Ewell Testifies," then "Mayella Ewell Testifes," then finally "Tom Robinson Testifies.") so that all students have a view of the text. Assign specific students to read the roles of each of the characters in the excerpts, but all students should follow along with the text as it is read aloud. You will need to read—or assign a student to read—the italicized narrative information in the excerpts. (One of the purposes of having specific students read the roles of the characters is to bring the drama of the story to life. If projecting the excerpts is not feasible, you could, of course, print them out for the students, although the excerpts are several pages long. OR, if some or all of the students have access to a computer or tablet, you could email them the excerpts to read from the computer or tablet. You could also print out the excerpts and have the students read them before coming to class, which would allow you to skip this step of the lesson but forfeit the opportunity for the students to experience the drama of the story read aloud as sort of a live mini-play.)


    3. Please Note: While having the students read the excerpts aloud, please instruct them to say "n-word" rather than "nigger."


  1. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide vocabulary list and definitions with same accommodations to text that the student has been using throughout this unit
    • provide vocabulary list and definitions in form that can be manipulated by the student (e.g., digitally so student can match words with definitions, with hook-and-loop tape, with magnets)
    • provide digitally with text reader so student can review as necessary throughout the lesson
    • add additional cues (e.g., textures, colors) to help student match words and definitions (these will need to be faded eventually)
    • reduce number of vocabulary words (consult with the general education teacher as to which words are critical to understanding the story)
    • use systematic instruction techniques (e.g., time delay, prompt hierarchy) to teach new vocabulary
  2. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide personal copy of each of the four excerpts with the same text accommodations that the student is used to using
    • as classmates read, have the student follow along using personal copy of the text with the same accommodations he or she is used to; provide same accommodations as used previously that allow the student to manipulate the text (e.g., highlight, annotation, words/phrases with hook-and-loop tape or magnets, representative concrete objects for characters)
    • have the student participate in the oral reading by:
      • reading short pieces of dialogue or narrative
      • reading words or phrases with a peer as co-reader
      • read using preferred mode of communication (e.g., signing with an interpreter, pointing to words as they appear on the projection, using a text reader (using AT), use AT to play pre-recorded dialogue or narrative at appropriate times)

Practice

  1. Provide the students with copies of the "To Kill a Mockingbird Newspaper Article" and the "To Kill a Mockingbird Biased Reporting Worksheet."
  2. Instruct students to read the article then use what they have learned throughout this unit to complete the worksheet. (This can be done as a homework assignment or in class, but the students should turn in these worksheets when finished as part of their summative assessment for this unit.) (Students may certainly use their "Analyzing an Author's Purpose and Use of Rhetoric," "How to Spot Bias in News Articles," and "Influences on Bias" materials that were used in previous lessons.)


    3. Since this will be used for part of the summative assessment, at least one plausible distractor must be given if the student is selecting from multiple choice options and the student must select his/her answer independently.


  1. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide personal copies of the "To Kill a Mockingbird Newspaper Article" and the "To Kill a Mockingbird Biased Reporting Worksheet", using the same text accommodations as the student has used before (refer back to all four previous lessons in this unit to see how the worksheet might be accommodated)
  2. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide reference materials from other lessons for the student to use
    • use same accommodations as used previously for student to read article and complete worksheet
    • reduce number of questions from the worksheet
    • reduce requirements of questions (e.g., Question 1: require student to cite only one example; Question 2: select fewer than all five of the "who, what, when, where, why, and how" requirements)

Closure

a. Revisit/Review Lesson Objectives

  1. Review the Objectives and Essential Questions for this lesson. Have the students answer the Essential Questions orally via class discussion.
  2. Ask each student to share one thing he/she learned over the course of the unit regarding bias, influences on bias, and reporting events.
  1. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide a personal copy of the Objectives and Essential Questions for this lesson using the same text accommodations that the student has used previously
    • provide correct answers to the Objectives and Essential Questions; provide questions and answers in the same format that the student has used previously allowing him or her to manipulate the questions and answers
    • use systematic instructional techniques to teach any concepts the student may not have mastered
    • pre-plan a contribution for the student to add to the discussion
    • allow student to use preferred mode of communication to contribute to the discussion
  2. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide all relevant resources given or developed throughout this lesson for the student to use
    • allow student to choose which resource he or she wants to use
    • reduce the number of resources the student has access to (make sure that the resources provided give enough information for the student to complete the requirement accurately and effectively)
    • provide options for the student to choose from
    • pre-plan a contribution for the student to add to the discussion
    • allow student to use preferred mode of communication to contribute to the discussion

b. Exit Assessment

  1. Provide the students with copies of the "To Kill a Mockingbird Editorial Rubric." Explain to the students that they must write an editorial, stating their view of the Tom Robinson case and supporting their view by citing facts from the story. Explain to the students that they may choose to write their editorial as a refutation of the article used in the step 1 of the Practice section.
  2. Go over the rubric with the students so that they understand the expectations for the assignment.
  3. Have students write their editorials. Again, this can be done as a homework assignment or in class, but the students should turn in their editorials when finished as part of the other part of their summative assessment for this unit.


    4. Since this is for assessment, at least one plausible distractor must be given if the student is selecting from multiple choice options and the student must select his/her answer independently.


  1. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • provide "To Kill a Mockingbird Editorial Rubric" using the same accommodated format that the student has used previously (refer back to Lesson 2, Practice, 1) to see how the first rubric in this unit was accommodated)
  2. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • have student follow along using his or her personal, accommodated copy of the rubric as the teacher explains the expectations
  3. Additional Considerations for Emerging Reader/Emerging Communicator
    • using the same accommodations and strategies used in Lesson 2, Practice, 1), have student write editorial

Resources

Return to Lesson 4

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