ELA / 10th Grade / Unit 3: Feminism and Self-Respect in Sula
Students examine what it means to have true self-respect and what it means to be a feminist through their reading of Toni Morrison’s Sula and supplemental texts.
ELA
Unit 3
10th Grade
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“She had been looking all along for a friend, and it took her a while to discover that a lover was not a comrade and could never be - for a woman. And that no one would ever be that version of herself which she sought to reach out to and touch with an ungloved hand. There was only her own mood and whim, and if that was all there was, she decided to turn the naked hand toward it, discover it and let others become as intimate with their own selves as she was.” -Toni Morrison in Sula
In Unit 3, students examine what it means to have true self-respect and what it means to be feminist in a society that associates a woman’s role with wife, mother, and a dependence on men through their reading of Toni Morrison’s Sula and supplemental texts. Throughout this unit, students will analyze the development of arguments and explain how stylistic choices contribute to the purpose of an argument in nonfiction; explore how an author’s literary style develops characters, character relationships, and central ideas in fiction; and explain how the arrangement of text and other structural choices contribute to a text’s meaning in poetry.
This unit starts with a Close Reading of Joan Didion’s “On Self-Respect” so that students can establish a common definition of self-respect including ways women struggle to develop self-respect and the obstacles that get in the way of them developing true self-respect. In the remainder of the first arc of the unit, students read various articles, essays, letters, and book excerpts evaluating the extent to which the female characters and speakers have self-respect. Texts include “Lust” by Susan Minot, “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, “There Is No Unmarked Woman” by Deborah Tannen, and excerpts from Feminism Is for Everybody, The Women of Brewster Place, and Their Eyes Were Watching God.
The second arc of the unit is a novel study of Toni Morrison’s Sula, an influential novel written in 1973 that many would call the first Black feminist novel in the United States. In Sula, Morrison develops multidimensional female characters, and through them, explores issues of friendship, love, gender, and race. Morrison’s writing style is both distinctive and complex, and as a result, students will analyze the writer’s complex language as well as the stylistic techniques she employs to develop the novel’s characters and themes.
In the third and final arc of the unit, students will engage in a Summative Unit Seminar on Morrison’s Sula and prepare for the unit performance task that asks students to create a fictional dinner conversation between Sula, the persona in Beyonce’s Lemonade, and two other literary black female characters.
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Book: Sula by Toni Morrison (Vintage Press, 2004)
Book: Feminism Is for Everybody by bell hooks (Routledge, 2014)
Short Story: ““Lust” from Lust and Other Stories” by Susan Minot
Essay: “On Self-Respect” by Joan Didion (Vogue, 2014)
Essay: “There Is No Unmarked Woman” by Deborah Tannen (The New York Times, 1993)
Article: “The Undeniable Connection Between Lemonade and the Literary Narrative Around Black Women” by Aliya S. King (Essence, 2016)
Excerpt: Their Eyes Were Watching God, Chapter 9 by Zora Neale Houston
Book: The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor (Penguin Books, 1983)
Poem: “About Marriage” by Denise Levertov (The Poetry Foundation)
Poem: “Barbie Doll” by Marge Percy
This assessment accompanies Unit 3 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
Download Free Response Question
Download Socratic Seminar
Download Performance Task
The central thematic questions addressed in the unit or across units
Thematic
Skill
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
aberration abated acquiesce agony avert bequeath contrive delirium euphoria fastidious feeble idiosyncrasy insouciant indifference lithe malevolence mellowed naiveté occult relinquish rueful solicitous temperament trivial
characterization diction figurative language foil imagery irony juxtaposition narrator and point of view setting symbolism theme
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 3, view our 10th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
In order to successfully teach this unit, you must be intellectually prepared at the highest level, which means reading and analyzing all unit texts before launching the unit and understanding the major themes the authors communicate through their texts. By the time your students finish reading this text, they should be able to articulate and explain the major themes the authors communicate through their texts related to the following thematic topics as they uncover them organically through reading, writing, and discourse. While there is no one correct thematic statement for each major topic discussed in the unit texts, there are accurate (evidence-based) and inaccurate (non–evidence-based) interpretations of what the authors are arguing. Below are some exemplar thematic statements:
Introduction
Analyze how word choice and structure impact meaning in the opening sentence of “On Self-Respect.”
LO 1.3B RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.4
Close Reading
Characterize Didion’s view of self-respect and analyze how Didion conveys this view.
LO 1.2A RI.9-10.3 RI.9-10.5
Analyze the techniques Susan Minot uses to characterize the narrator.
LO 2.3A LO 2.3B LO 2.3C LO 2.3D RL.9-10.3 RL.9-10.4
Socratic Seminar
Interpret and evaluate “Lust” through a feminist critical lens using bell hooks’s Feminism Is for Everybody.
LO 5.1A LO 5.1B SL.9-10.1
Analyze the techniques that Zora Neale Hurston uses to characterize Janie.
LO 1.3B RL.9-10.3
Analyze the techniques that Gloria Naylor uses to characterize Mattie Michael.
Explain Deborah Tannen’s line of reasoning in “There Is No Unmarked Woman” by identifying relevant claims and clearly explaining connections among them.
LO 1.3A LO 2.3A LO 2.3C W.9-10.2
Formulate and share unique arguments about self-respect and feminism across texts.
Support arguments with strong and thorough textual evidence in a Summative Socratic Seminar.
LO 5.1A LO 5.1B SL.9-10.1 SL.9-10.2
Analyze how the author establishes setting, conflict, and characterization in the beginning of Sula.
Writing
Analyze the techniques Morrison uses to reveal Helene’s character.
Examine Morrison’s description of Sula and Nel’s upbringings and explain the impact it has on their friendship
LO 1.3B RI.9-10.3
Analyze how Morrison portrays Eva, Plum, and Hannah and their complex relationships as mother and children.
Analyze how Morrison portrays Sula and Nel and their complex relationship as friends.
Analyze the changes in Nel and Sula’s friendship. Examine the significance of Jude’s infidelity and Sula’s betrayal.
Assessment: Free Response
Analyze how the relationship between the deficiencies of a male character and the strengths of a female character in Sula illuminates the central ideas in the text.
LO 1.3A LO 1.3B LO 2.3A LO 2.3B LO 2.3C LO 2.3D RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.3 W.9-10.2
Analyze how Denise Levertov uses structure and other poetic techniques to highlight her perspective on marriage.
LO 1.3A LO 1.3B RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.4
Synthesize ideas about marriage, sex, and love across Sula and “About Marriage.”
LO 1.4B RL.9-10.2
Analyze how Morrison portrays the complex relationship between Ajax and Sula.
LO 1.2B LO 1.4B RI.9-10.3
Analyze the paradox of Sula’s evil and the impact it has on the residents of the Bottom.
Examine the ironic nature of Sula’s death and analyze the significance her death had on the community of the Bottom.
LO 1.2B LO 1.4B RL.9-10.3
Assessment: Socratic Seminar
Formulate and share unique arguments about Sula.
Support arguments with strong and thorough textual evidence in a summative Socratic Seminar.
LO 5.1A LO 5.1B RL.9-10.3 SL.9-10.1 SL.9-10.2
Assessment: Performance Task
Complete the performance task to show mastery of unit content and standards.
L.9-10.5 LO 1.4B LO 1.4B LO 2.1A LO 2.1B LO 2.4B LO 2.4C LO 3.2B LO 3.3C RI.9-10.2 RI.9-10.3 RL.9-10.2 W.9-10.3 W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5
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The content standards covered in this unit
L.9-10.5 — Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
RI.9-10.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.9-10.3 — Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.
RI.9-10.5 — Analyze in detail how an author's ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).
RL.9-10.2 — Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9-10.3 — Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
RL.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
SL.9-10.1 — Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9—10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL.9-10.2 — Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
W.9-10.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
W.9-10.3 — Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
W.9-10.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.9-10.5 — Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W.9-10.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
RI.9-10.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
LO 1.2A — Analyze the development of an argument, evaluating its central claim(s), the soundness of the reasoning, and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
LO 1.2B — Explain how the rhetorical features of an argument contribute to its effect and meaning.
LO 1.3A — Analyze how literary elements interact to develop the central ideas of a work of literature.
LO 1.3B — Analyze how the writer's use of stylistic elements contributes to a work of literature's effects and meaning.
LO 1.4B — Synthesize ideas from multiple texts and explain how the texts may convey different perspectives on a common theme or idea.
LO 2.1A — Establish a purpose for the composition and make deliberate choices about genre, organization, and language according to the purpose and intended audience
LO 2.1B — Gather and generate a variety of ideas, and select the most appropriate based on the purpose of the composition.
LO 2.3A — Assert a precise central claim that establishes the relationship between a work's features and overall meaning.
LO 2.3B — Organize ideas and evidence to effectively develop and support a thesis.
LO 2.3C — Select and incorporate relevant and compelling evidence to support a thesis.
LO 2.3D — Use an appropriate style and carefully selected language to strengthen an analysis.
LO 2.4B — Use a variety of techniques to advance plot, theme, and the evolution of character(s).
LO 2.4C — Use carefully selected language to help the reader imagine or share the experience conveyed in the narrative.
LO 3.2B — Compose or revise language to ensure that word choice and language patterns are consistent with the intended style, voice, register, and tone of a text or presentation.
LO 3.3C — Understand the ways in which language choices can be made to achieve intended effects.
LO 5.1A — Extend the conversation around an idea, topic, or text by formulating questions and recognizing the claims and perspectives of others.
LO 5.1B — Cite relevant evidence and evaluate the evidence presented by others.
LO 1.4A — Explain the relationship between a text and its historical or cultural context.
LO 2.2A — Assert a precise central claim.
LO 2.2B — Develop a line of sound reasoning and choose an organizing structure to convey that reasoning to the reader.
LO 2.2C — Support a claim by selecting and incorporating evidence that is relevant, sufficient, and convincing.
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