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You Laugh But It’s True: Humor and Institutional Racism in Born a Crime
Students explore how Trevor Noah leverages elements of fiction, such as characterization, figurative language, and tone, to develop his complex argument about institutional racism and its impact on identity development.
ELA
Unit 2
9th Grade
Unit Summary
In Unit 2, students will continue to explore the idea of identity, examining the complexity of identity development while navigating race, culture, and institutional racism in South African society during and after apartheid as they read Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. During this unit, students will analyze how an author employs literary and rhetorical elements such as tone, characterization, anecdotes, imagery, and figurative language. In addition, students will consider how Noah intentionally structures his narrative nonfiction text and understand how he uses humor to develop his complex argument about racism and its impact on identity development.
This unit begins with students learning about Trevor Noah and important historical background about apartheid in South Africa. Students will learn about apartheid and its policies by examining primary sources.
The second arc of the unit is a study of Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. The son of a white father and a Black mother, Noah details his experience growing up under apartheid and in the post-apartheid era in the 1990s. While reading, students will track pivotal moments in the text where Noah uses humor, noting when, how, and why he uses humor. Additionally, students will frequently zoom out and analyze the development of Noah’s argument about the intersection between race, identity, and institutional racism. Students will also engage in a formative writing assessment that will invite them to emulate Noah’s writing style, employing tone, dialogue, description, and imagery, using key scenes from their reading as mentor texts. In addition, students will read nonfiction texts. They will consider race as a social construct by examining South African singer Tyla’s identity as a "colored" woman, as well as Nelson Mandela’s legacy by engaging in a close rhetorical analysis of his inaugural speech where they will consider the power of words to unite people and inspire hope for a nation.
In the third and final arc of the unit, students will prepare for and participate in a summative Socratic Seminar on Noah’s Born a Crime and complete the Performance Task, a one-pager that examines a theme in Born a Crime. Students will also participate in a short research project on a specific aspect of South African culture, presenting their findings to their peers through a digital presentation, thus deepening their knowledge of South Africa.
Please Note: In April 2025, this unit and its lesson plans received a round of enhancements. The unit's assessments and projects have been updated and the sequence of the unit has been reordered. The unit is now 26 instructional days (previously 25 days). Teachers should pay close attention as they intellectually prepare to account for updated pacing, sequencing, and content.
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Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Book: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (One World)
Supporting Materials
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Document: “Act Number 30 of 1950”
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Article: “'Where Shall I Go?'” by David Rabkin (The Black Sash)
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Audio Interview: Mr. V. Quinta
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Audio Interview: Eddie Daniels
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Article: “The 'Crime' of Martial Sex” (Miscegnation)
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Video: “Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo” (eNCA)
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Article: “This Photo Galvanized the World Against Apartheid. Here’s the Story Behind It” by Aryn Baker/Soweto and TIME Staff (TIME)
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Speech: “Inaugural Speech” by Nelson Mandela
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Video: “South Africa's coloured community: 'Still marginalised after apartheid'” (BBC News Africa)
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Article: “Race and Racial Identity Are Social Constructs” by Angela Onwuachi-Willig (The New York Times)
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Article: “Tyla’s racial identity: South African singer sparks culture war” by Danai Nesta Kupemba (BBC)
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Resource: One-Pager Template (G9, U2, L22)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Assessment
These assessments accompany Unit 2 and should be given on the days suggested in the Lesson Map. Additionally, there are formative and creative assessments integrated into the unit to prepare students for the Performance Task.
Socratic Seminar
The Socratic Seminar assesses students on their ability to push themselves and their peers to think critically and participate meaningfully in conversation by collecting and evaluating evidence, actively listening, and responding thoughtfully. Socratic Seminar assessments may occur mid-unit as a way to synthesize the ideas of the text/unit to that point or summative, taking place at the end of a unit.
Performance Task
The Performance Task is the culminating assessment of the unit in which students have the opportunity to show the skills and content they have learned.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Essential Questions
- How do our race, culture, and upbringing shape who we are and who we become?
- In what ways can individuals find belonging when facing barriers?
- How do family relationships influence the way we navigate the world?
- How does humor help people develop resilience in the face of adversity?
Vocabulary
Text-based
animosityanomalyapartheidarbitraryassimilatechameleonideologyindignityinterracialincoherentobstinacyperniciouspredicamentpugilisticramificationsegregation
Literary Terms
anecdoteepilogueforeshadowingmemoirprologuerepetitionsetting
Root/Affix
-ologya-inter-pugn
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 2, view our 9th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Notes for Teachers
- If accessible, play the audiobook for Born a Crime to students or encourage students to listen independently. Trevor Noah narrates the audiobook himself, providing listeners insight into his tone, humor, and ability to speak multiple languages.
- While a majority of Born a Crime is covered in the lesson plans, there are a few chapters that are skipped because they are not directly related to Trevor’s racial identity development, the focus of the unit. In particular, Chapter 7, "Fufi" is Trevor’s story about his pet dog, and Chapters 10, 12, and 14 feature Trevor’s romantic interests growing up. These chapters do not contain problematic content and, like so many of Noah’s stories, are filled with humorous anecdotes; teachers could still choose to assign these chapters as Opportunities for Enrichment to enhance students’ reading.
- Trevor Noah’s novel speaks candidly about many serious topics, such as racism, apartheid, sexism, abuse, and violence. As always, preview the content ahead of time, and be mindful of the diverse experiences your students bring with them into the classroom and how the unit content might impact them.
- The title of Chapter 15, "Go Hitler!", is more provocative than its content. The chapter focuses on Noah and his friends, one of whom is actually named Hitler, and how they booked gigs to DJ and dance at parties. In this chapter, Noah explains the tradition of names in South Africa and that black people in South Africa were not taught about Hitler, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust like Westerners. At the end of the chapter, there is an uncomfortable moment where Trevor and his friends are shouting "Go Hitler!" in support of their friend who is dancing at a gig at a Jewish school. There is a lot of rich content to unpack in this chapter related to what shapes our perspective on and notions of history, but because this chapter is a long detour from Trevor’s personal racial identity development and in the interest of classroom instructional time, there is no lesson for this chapter.
Lesson Map
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
Supporting Standards
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