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  • Conducting Research Like a Boss
  • The Three Types of Irony
  • The Cost of Conformity
  • Women's History Month
  • Black History Month
  • Home
  • First Quarter
    • Welcome Back - Rhythm, But Not Blues
    • This I Believe
    • Manage Your STRESS
    • It's All About Having a Growth Mindset
    • The Cost of Conformity
    • The Giver
    • The Reading Mindset
  • Second Quarter
    • Themes in the novel THE GIVER
    • For Everyone by Jason Reynolds
    • Fig Lang (Figurative Language)
    • What do we do with a difference?
    • Amanda Gorman, Poet Laureate
  • Third Quarter
    • Argument Reading
    • Argument Writing
    • In-text Citations
    • What do we do with a difference?
    • I heard it through the grapevine...
    • Literary Allusions
  • Fourth Quarter
    • P o E t R y
    • The Scorpio Races
    • Writing & Performing a MONOLOGUE
    • Me, Myself, and My Gender
    • Themes in Literature
    • Innovating to Solve Real-World Problems
    • The Design Thinking Process
  • Book Club & Socratic Seminar
  • One Community; Six Words
    • Check Out Our Project!
    • North Olmsted's African American History
    • North Olmsted's First Settlers from CT and VT
    • North Olmsted's Geologic & Natural History
    • North Olmsted's Native People
    • North Olmsted's Veterans
    • North Olmsted's Women
  • Conducting Research Like a Boss
  • The Three Types of Irony
  • The Cost of Conformity
  • Women's History Month
  • Black History Month

What do we do with a difference?

For Inspiration: What do we do with a variation?
a poem by James Berry   

Note: "Variation" can mean a change or difference or a different or distinct form or version of something.

What do we do with a difference?
Do we stand and discuss its oddity
or do we ignore it?
Do we shut our eyes to it
or poke it with a stick?
Do we clobber it to death?
Do we move it around in rage
and enlist the rage of others?
Do we will it to go away?
Do we look at it in awe
or purely in wonderment?
Do we work for it to disappear?
Do we pass it stealthily
or change route away from it?
Do we will it to become like ourselves?
What do we do with a difference?
Do we communicate to it,
let application acknowledge it
for barriers to fall down?

James Berry What do we do with a variation from CLPE on Vimeo.


Part 1: Talking About Race & Racism in America

First things first...what is racism?  Let's agree on a common definition here and now. Discuss...

​The three videos that follow will help us frame our classroom conversations about race.  Each speaker talks about their experiences as Black Americans. Listen carefully to each man, Eric Deggans, Ta-Nehisi Coates and James A. White, as they talk about the world from their perspective.

After listening, we will break into small groups to discuss our answers to the accompanying questions. You will be provided with a handout on which to record your responses.

Talking about race can be uncomfortable, so before we actually begin, let's agree how these conversations will look, sound, and feel using "The Four Agreements of Courageous Conversations" written by Glenn E. Singleton (1992).
  • 1.  Stay engaged:  Staying engaged means “remaining morally, emotionally, intellectually, and socially involved in the dialogue”
  • 2.  Experience discomfort:  This norm acknowledges that discomfort is inevitable, especially, in dialogue about race, and that participants make a commitment to bring issues into the open.  It is not talking about these issues that create divisiveness.  The divisiveness already exists in the society and in our schools.  It is through dialogue, even when uncomfortable, the healing and change begin.
  • ​3.  Speak your truth:  This means being open about thoughts and feelings and not just saying what you think others want to hear.​
  • 4. Expect and accept non-closure:  This agreement asks participants to “hang out in uncertainty” and not rush to quick solutions, especially in relation to racial understanding, which requires ongoing dialogue.

Video 1: How to Talk About Race by Eric Deggans (9:46)

After viewing the film, discuss the answers to the following questions with your teammates. 
​
  1. What are the two obstacles to talking about race?
  2. How do people of different "races" view racial progress?
  3. Is talking about race racist?  Why or why not?

Video 2: When Every Word Doesn't Belong to Everyone by Ta-Nehisi Coates (4:59)

After viewing the film, discuss the answers to the following questions with your teammates. 
  1. In this video Ta-Nehisi Coates says, "Words don't have meaning without context."  Explain what Mr. Coates means by this.
  2. Also in this video Ta-Nehisi Coates states, "To be Black is to walk through the world and watch people doing things that you cannot do." Explain what Mr. Coates means by this.
  3. Considering our responses to the 2 questions above, what can we learn from this brief video about the use of the "N-word"?

Video 3: The Little Problem I Had Renting a House by James A. White (13:44)

After viewing the film, discuss the answers to the following questions with your teammates. 
  1. When James A. White shares his stories of everyday racism, white people will ask, "Why do you take it?" How does he respond?
  2. What is Mr. White's personal mission in life regarding racism?  ​

Part 2: Building Background Knowledge Before Reading the Novel The Day of Tears by Julius Lester

FIRST:
Watch the YouTube video to learn (very quickly) a bit about the history of slavery in America.  This video is part of Danielle Bainbridge's PBS (Public Broadcasting System) series called "Origin of Everything."  The show describes itself this way: "Origin of Everything is a show about under told history and culture hosted by Danielle Bainbridge that challenges our everyday assumptions."

In this roughly 9 minute video, Ms. Bainbridge answers this question: Why did Europeans enslave Africans?

Be prepared to discuss the reasons Ms. Bainbridge presents.  Take notes accordingly.


​SECOND:
​We are going to examine our own understanding about race.  According to Webster's Dictionary, race is "a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits."  Is this an accurate definition? Perhaps it was before scientists mapped the human genome. A genome is the complete set of genes present in each of our cells.  It is those genes that determine the traits we inherit from our parents.  

​Just how different are we as human beings? Reflect on your own understanding of race by completing the What is race? Anticipation Guide linked below.


❓ What is race? Anticipation Guide

After completing your Anticipation Guide,  explore the resources below to find out if your responses were correct.  Each resource is numbered.  After examining each resource, return to your Anticipation Guide and add to it what you've learned.

1# Watch the clip from the PBS film "Power of Illusion" posted below.


2# Read the article "The Race Theory" liked below.  What did you learn?

The Race Theory

3# Read the article "Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race."  What did you learn?

Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Race

4# Read the article "“What Is Your Race?" by Courtland Milloy.  What did you learn?

What's Your Race?

5# Watch Franchesca Ramsey explain the origin of the word "Caucasian" in her MTV video about the word. What did you learn?



​Part 3: Understanding the Historical Context
of the "Weeping Time"

Activity #1:
​

Meet DAY OF TEARS author, Julius Lester.​  Mr. Lester was an award winning author of 40 books, 31 of which were written for young people.  He was a college professor at the University of Massachusetts for 32 years.  He has authored more than 200 essays, articles, and book and movie reviews. In addition, he was a well-known and well-regarded folk musician, a talented photographer, and a active member of the 1960s civil rights movement. Mr. Lester died at the age of 78 in January of 2018.

Directions: Watch each of the videos posted below and tell us what you think about the words and ideas Julius Lester shares in each.  Share your thoughts on the first Padlet under the videos.
Video 1: 
​Julius Lester, the singer and songwriter, discussing his role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s                                      
Video 2: 
​Julius Lester, college professor at the University of Massachusetts, discussing the idea of race.

​
​*NOTE: Begin the clip we want you to watch at 8:37 in and end at 13:10.

Directions: Now, on the Padlet below, respond thoughtfully to two of the quotes we selected or add your own quote and respond to that.

Made with Padlet
Activity #2:
​

Participate in a virtual gallery walk using Padlet.  This is how it will work.  Examine each image on the Padlet embedded below. 

Each image is a photographs of a sketch that has been preserved as an artifact of a different time in American history.  These sketches originally appeared in newspapers from pre-Civil War America.  Though the images are quite small on Padlet, enlarging them is easy. Simply click on the image to enlarge it.


Directions: 
After examining and thinking about what you see, respond thoughtfully.  Your response may be a single word, set of words, sentences or set of sentences.  It goes without saying, your responses must be school-appropriate and respectful of our content and classmates.

*PLEASE RESPOND TO AT LEAST 3 IMAGES!

Made with Padlet
Activity #3:

​
You will read closely two articles that will help you learn more about two of the historical figures introduced in the novel Day of Tears, Pierce Butler and his wife, Fanny Kemble.  You will also read to learn more about the event that became known as the "weeping time" or the largest slave auction in American history. 

Directions: As you read, answer the questions on the handout called "Weeping Time Research" Google Form.  You may work alone or in pairs. Also, be aware that Google Form DOES NOT always save, so type your responses in a Google Doc first.  When you've answered all the questions, copy and paste your answers from your Google Doc to the Google Form posted on Google Classroom.

For access to the articles, click on the following links:
  • Article 1: Judgment Day -- Fanny Kemble and Pierce Butler (PBS)
    • www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1569.html
​​
  • Article 2: The Weeping Time (The Atlantic)
    • ​https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FcNiUO3jq5hsz5DGYaLfC-_d7GsEPrkeBznTBQxoekw/edit?usp=sharing

Figure 1: The "Weeping Time" Research Google Form you will use looks like the image below.  Look for a link to this form in your Google Classroom.


Part 4: Reading Julius Lester's Day of Tears 

Authors think long and hard about how they want to structure or organize their writing.  In structuring their novels authors consider their audience, purpose, along with the content itself.  Julius Lester chose to tell his story using four main structures including organizing chapters by setting and chronologically.  He also uses a combination of dialogue that is structured like the script of a play, internal monologues, and interludes that take readers out of the time the novel is set in and into the future.

Read through the slide show below to learn more.

Reader Response Questions (BY CHAPTER CHUNKS)

Each week, for the next five, you will be reading an assigned number of chapters and responding to the questions in the slideshows below.  We will have time to read the novel in class, and answer at least some of the questions.  It is possible you may have to complete part of the weekly reader response questions at home, especially if you are absent or lose focus in class. Also, be prepared to discuss your responses to these questions at the beginning of the following week.

NOTE: The slideshows embedded below will be shared with you in Google Classroom.

Learning Tasks Related to Day of Tears 

During and after our reading of DAY OF TEARS, you will be asked to complete the following performance tasks presented below.  These performance tasks will assess your learning of literary text-related concepts. The links below allow you to view the task.  You will find your own copy of each tasks below in your ELA Google Classroom.

Task 1: Identifying MOOD (Chapter 1)
  • Click on the link below to access the learning task related to mood.
    • Writing Prompt 1: What is the MOOD of chapter 1 in DOT?

Task 2:  Identifying and Explaining IRONY (Chapters 3 & 4)
  • Click on the link below to access the learning task related to irony.
    • ​Writing Prompt #2 DOT - IRONY

Task 3: Drawing and Writing About Conclusions (Chapters 5 - 9)
  • For this task we will first read an article about a third grade teacher named Jane Elliott's and the lesson she taught her students about race that has come to be called the "Blue-eyed, Brown-eyed Exercise."  The article is linked here, but you will get a copy in class.
    • ​CommonLit Link:  https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/the-blue-eyed-brown-eyed-exercise
  • After our reading we will watch a portion of a video in which we will watch this exercise being performed. Here is a link to the video we will watch. Note that we will watch the video up until the 17:17 mark.
    • Youtube Link:  https://youtu.be/1mcCLm_LwpE
  • Then with this in mind, we will return to our "What is Race? Anticipation Guide" and draw conclusions about the way Americans have traditionally thought about race and how those ideas, which are based on prejudice and not science, have led to a "racialized" society in which people have varying amounts of privilege based on their race. Note:  If you need to check out my key for this, the link is here:
    • ​What is Race? Anticipation Guide Key https://docs.google.com/document/d/18WYCG3ky5bRSyMEVJlvXRGg5mUqjDiDXC01xdy6Jjy0/edit?usp=sharing
  • Finally, we will write about both, what we learned about the consequences of grouping people by "race" (skin color).  Below is the link to the writing task. 
    • ​Drawing and Writing About Conclusions ​

Task 4: Recognizing the Power of DIALOGUE (Chapters 10 & 11)
  • You will receive this in the form of a handout, though you may also access this assessment here should you need it for some reason:  The Function of Dialogue in Fiction

Task 5: The Importance of Setting in Storytelling (After chapter 13)
  • Click on the linked document to complete the lesson.​​
    • The Importance of Setting in the Telling of a Story (D.O.T)

Task 6: Comparing Two Texts on the Story of Jeffrey and Dorcas
  • You will receive a handout of a portion of text from journalist Mortimer Thomson's story of Jeffrey and Dorcas, two of Pierce Butler's slaves
    • Link to ReadWorks text below (Note:  There are two serious errors in this text.  First, the folks at ReadWorks attribute this text to Price Butler.  We think they meant to say Pierce Butler.  Second, the author was Mortimer Thomson.  You've disappointed us, ReadWorks!) ​
  • Before reading the excerpt from Thomson's piece, prepare a highlighter to use in the identification of clues about whether Thomson's treatment of Jeffrey and Dorcas in his text is SUBJECTIVE or OBJECTIVE.  What's the difference? 
    • SUBJECTIVE texts include the author's BIAS as he or she freely shares his or her OPINION about the subject (topic or person) being studied. 
    • OBJECTIVE texts stick closely to the facts.  They do not betray a bias on the part of the author, as readers cannot detect the author's opinion about his or her subject.
      • ​Excerpt from "What Became of the Slaves on a Georgia Plantation by Mortimer Thomson, published in 1863 ​
  • You will also receive a handout asking you to compare Thomson's informational text (non-fiction) to Julius Lester's fictional account of Jeffrey and Dorcas in his novel Day of Tears
    • Link to handout:  The Love Story of Jeffrey and Dorcas: Comparing Two Texts on the Topic

Task 7: Writing A Comparison of Two Characters from Day of Tears
  • ​Click on the Doc link here to get started:  Day of Tears Compare-Contrast Graphic Organizer and Essay Outline 

Part 5: Comparing the poems "Middle Passage" by Robert Hayden & "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley

Poem 1: Middle Passage by Robert Hayden
Click on the links below to read Robert Hayden's epic poem "The Middle Passage."  You can also listen to Hayden recite his poem by clicking on the play arrow next to the title.  I highly recommend doing so as Hayden's deep, rich voice takes on the tone of the various characters who narrate the story about the ghastly Middle Passage.  If you want to learn more about the meaning behind the poem I recommend listening the podcast "Poetry Off the Shelf" as they interpret and explain the story behind the poem.  Of course, we will also discuss the poem in class, but our focus will be on the poem's imagery and it's tone.

"Middle Passage" Poetry Links
  • Text: Robert Hayden's poem "Middle Passage
  • Audio: Robert Hayden reciting "Middle Passage" (Length 10:45

Related Images Below
Poem 2:  On Being Brought from Africa to America by Phillis Wheatley

Click on the links below to read Phillis Wheatley's poem "On Being Brought from Africa to America," a poem so diametrically opposed to 

On Being Brought from Africa to America Poetry Links:
  • Text: On Being Brought from Africa to America
  • Background Reading: Phillis Wheatley 1753 - 1784

Related Image Below
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More Poems to Think About by Joy Priest

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The following poems were written by award winning poet Joy Priest,  Priest has been a journalist, theater attendant, waitress, and fast-food worker in Kentucky, and has facilitated writing workshops and arbitration programs with adult and juvenile incarcerated women. She is currently a doctoral student in Literature & Creative Writing at the University of Houston. 

Poem 1
Poem 2
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​


​"Ghosts in Schools"
With lines from In the Wake, by Christina Sharpe


Poem Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2021/02/poem-joy-priest-ghosts-schools/617929/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share


Because some of my students have asked, I created a slideshow presentation of the history of lynching in America.  It is not an easy subject to think about, but knowing this history sheds light on some of our most enduring racial struggles.


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