Unit 1:

Empathizing with Experiences

September - November

• How does a regime exert its power over a people and what makes a people susceptible to dehumanization?

• How do we define community and establish norms? How does information impact our ability to interact with and change our community?

• How can memory and remembrance save humanity? What is the connection between memory and hope?

Students will:

• Read the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel in order to understand his experience as a Holocaust survivor.

• Learn historical background about the Holocaust and World War II through nonfiction and visual art.

• Gain an understanding of how oppressive governments take power and how we must use our knowledge of history to inform our future.

• Discuss the importance of community and social responsibility in the midst of crisis.

• Track Elie Wiesel’s identity development throughout the course of the memoir.

• Write multiple synthesis pieces analyzing common themes in Night and related non-fiction works.

Unit 2:

Freedom Dreaming & Making Strides Toward Social Justice

November - January

• How do different racial and ethnic groups access the “American Dream?” What determines discrepancies in their access?

• Who is able to build equity for themselves? Who is not? How does this impact self realization and self image?

• How does where we live affect who we are and who we become?

Students will:

• Read the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry in order to understand the American Dream from the perspective of a Black family.

• Analyze thematic connections to poetry by Langston Hughes in discussion and synthesis writing.

• Track character development, focusing in particular on each character’s individual dreams.

• Study relevant social justice issues through connected art and poetry.

• Write well-developed arguments pertaining to central questions in the play in the context of a speaking performance task such as a debate, Socratic seminar, or mock trial.

Unit 3:

Critically Analyzing Power & Oppression

February - April

• What are the appropriate critical lenses, such as feminism and Marxism, through which to read a classic piece of literature? What are the historical and cultural contexts of these lenses?

• What roles are women expected to play in society? How does social hierarchy affect their access to power?

• How does power affect individual decisions and shape interpersonal relationships?

Students will:

• Read one of the following classic texts: Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez or Macbeth by William Shakespeare.

• Understand various critical lenses through which to read and analyze a classic piece of literature.

• Utilize annotation for close reading of key passages.

• Write multiple literary analysis and argument pieces on major themes in the text. 

Unit 4:

Moving Stories Forward

April - June

• Whose voices are included or not included in our discussions about power and oppression?

• How does another person’s perspective on a text or issue help me to develop my own view?

• What are ways authors effectively or ineffectively address issues of social justice in their writing?

Students will:

• Choose a novel by a contemporary author to read with a small group of peers.

• Think critically about plot, setting, characterization, style, and the overarching theme - voices of power and oppression - as they read their chosen novel.

• Further develop their speaking and listening skills by preparing for and actively contributing to regular, peer-facilitated discussions.

• Research a relevant social issue from their chosen novel and write a thorough analysis of the social power dynamics at play in the issue.