ELA / 9th Grade / Unit 4: Humor, Love, and Systemic Oppression in Born A Crime
Students explore how Trevor Noah leverages elements of fiction such as characterization, figurative language, humor, and symbolism to develop his complex argument about systemic oppression and its impact on identity development.
ELA
Unit 4
9th Grade
Jump To
“Since I belonged to no group I learned to move seamlessly between groups. I was a chameleon, still, a cultural chameleon” - Trevor Noah in Born a Crime (p. 140)
In Unit 4, students will examine the complexity of navigating race, culture, and systemic oppression in South African and American societies as they read Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. During this unit, students will compare and contrast the treatment of interracial marriage in several legal and historical primary and secondary sources, analyze how authors leverage literary and rhetorical elements such as characterization, figurative language, anecdotes, humor, and contrasts and intentionally structure their texts in narrative nonfiction, and dissect how authors use humor to convey central ideas across genres.
As students are reading Born a Crime, they will be analyzing how Trevor Noah leverages many of these elements to develop his complex argument about racism and its impact on identity development.
This unit starts with a close reading of Lucille Clifton’s “Love Rejected” and provides students the opportunity to examine how Clifton uses syntax and word choice to convey central ideas in such short text. In the remainder of the first arc of the unit, students read a variety of supplemental texts to explore the impact of apartheid and laws banning interracial marriage that existed not only in South Africa, but also in the United States as well. Texts include the U.S Reports: Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967); an excerpt from Athol Fugard’s “Master Harold” ...and the Boys; Immorality Act of 1927; and Loving trailer. At the end of arc one, students will engage in a Socratic seminar and write an insight piece, putting various authors and texts into conversation with each other and reaching a new conclusion.
The second arc of the unit is a study of Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, a memoir about Noah’s time growing up as a half-black half-white boy under apartheid and in the post-apartheid era in the 1990s. While reading this memoir, 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 analyzing the development of Noah’s argument about the intersection between race, love, and systemic oppression.
In the third and final arc of the unit, students will engage in a summative unit seminar on Noah’s Born a Crime and prepare for the unit performance task that asks students to consider their own identity development and the impact of societal and structural forces as they work on their own memoir and leverage Born a Crime as a mentor text.
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Book: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (One World)
“Loving v. Virginia, 388 US 1 (1967)”
Play: Master Harold and the Boys: A Play by Athol Fugard (Vintage) (pp. 54-60)
Immorality Act, 1927 ((Act No. 5 of 1927))
Excerpt: Love Rejected by Lucille Clifton (Excerpted in the Atlantic Essay, "They Act Like They Don't Love Their Country" by Ta-Nehisi Coates.)
Video: “Loving - Official Trailer 1 (Universal Pictures) HD” (Universal Pictures)
Essay: “How to Write About Africa” by Binyavanga Wainaina (Granta)
Primary Source: U.S. Reports: Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967)
This assessment accompanies Unit 4 and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
Download Socratic Seminar
Download Performance Task
Download Free Response Question
The central thematic questions addressed in the unit or across units
Thematic
Skill
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.
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
"colored" people Afrikaans African National Congress Amabhujua Cape Town Inkatha Freedom Party Khoisan Soweto Xhosa Zulu anomaly apartheid arbitrary atrocity chameleon concession denounce impipi masquerade matriarch niche patriarch sovereign
Comedy versus Humor anecdote conflict diction irony symbol/symbolism tone
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 4, view our 9th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Introduction
Analyze how Lucille Clifton uses word choice and syntax in her poem to create meaning.
LO 1.3B LO 1.3B RL.9-10.4 RL.9-10.4
Close Reading
Explain the two perspectives in the Loving v. Virginia case including the line of reasoning each side uses to prove its argument.
Examine the final Supreme Court ruling and analyze the significance of the case in the context of U.S. history and the civil rights movement.
LO 1.2A RI.9-10.6 RL.9-10.5
Analyze how Noah’s choice to launch his memoir contributes to the text’s meaning.
Explain the significance of the Immorality Act in South Africa in the context of apartheid.
LO 1.2B RI.9-10.6
Analyze the role that apartheid plays in the relationship between Hally, Willie, and Sam.
LO 1.2A
Socratic Seminar
Formulate and share unique arguments about apartheid and systemic oppression.
Support arguments with strong and thorough textual evidence in a Socratic seminar.
LO 1.4B LO 5.1A LO 5.1B SL.9-10.1
Analyze the rhetorical techniques the author uses to create humor and convey meaning in “How to Write About Africa."
LO 1.2B RL.9-10.6
Analyze Trevor Noah’s perspective and his use of contrast to develop his argument about race.
LO 1.3A LO 1.3B
Analyze how Noah’s characterization of his mother, father, and their relationship develops his argument.
LO 1.3A LO 1.3B RL.9-10.2
Analyze how Noah utilizes anecdotes to convey the impact of race on identity and belonging.
Writing
Analyze how Noah characterizes the complex relationships with his parents to develop his argument about love, family, and identity.
Develop a unique narrative leveraging stylistic elements such as contrast, characterization, or description.
LO 1.2A LO 1.3A LO 1.3B LO 2.4A LO 2.4B LO 2.4C RL.9-10.2
Analyze how Trevor Noah conveys his perspective on race and belonging.
LO 1.2A LO 1.4B LO 2.2A LO 5.1A LO 5.1B RI.9-10.2 RL.9-10.2 SL.9-10.1 W.9-10.1
Analyze how Noah uses anecdotes to convey his complex relationship with race and culture.
Consider how Noah’s complex relationship with race and culture develops his argument about racism.
LO 1.3B RL.9-10.4
Analyze how Noah’s relationships with race and culture develops during his high school years.
LO 1.3B RL.9-10.3
Analyze the role of humor in developing Noah’s argument about institutionalized racism.
Develop a unique narrative leveraging stylistic elements.
Analyze how Trevor Noah conveys his perspective on race, relationships, and community.
Analyze how Noah's characterization of the police and his neighborhood develops his argument.
Examine how the description of Noah’s experience with the legal system contributes to central arguments in the text.
Assessment: Free Response
Analyze how poverty, class, and race impact Trevor Noah’s identity development and how his identity development illuminates the complex argument he conveys throughout his memoir.
LO 2.3A LO 2.3B LO 2.3C LO 2.3D RL.9-10.2 RL.9-10.5 W.9-10.2 W.9-10.9
Analyze the conflict between Abel and Noah’s mother to examine the impact of institutionalized racism on women of color.
Assessment: Socratic Seminar
Formulate and share unique arguments about the larger themes and arguments of Born a Crime.
Support arguments with strong and thorough textual evidence in a summative Socratic seminar.
LO 5.1A LO 5.1B RL.9-10.1 RL.9-10.2 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.
LO 2.2A LO 2.2B LO 2.2C LO 2.2E LO 2.4A LO 2.4B LO 2.4C LO 3.3A RL.9-10.5 W.9-10.3 W.9-10.4
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The content standards covered in this unit
L.9-10.1.b — Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations.
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.9-10.5 — 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).
RI.9-10.6 — Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
RI.9-10.7 — Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person's life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.
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.
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).
RL.9-10.5 — Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.
RL.9-10.6 — Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
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.9-10.1.a — Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas.
SL.9-10.1.b — Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
SL.9-10.1.c — Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
SL.9-10.1.d — Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
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.9-10.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
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.9-10.3.a — Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
W.9-10.3.b — Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
W.9-10.3.c — Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole.
W.9-10.3.d — Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
W.9-10.3.e — Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.
W.9-10.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W.9-10.9 — 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
L.9-10.3.a — Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a style manual (e.g., MLA Handbook, Turabian's Manual for Writers) appropriate for the discipline and writing type.
L.9-10.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9—10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.9-10.6 — Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
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.
RI.9-10.9 — Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech, King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"), including how they address related themes and concepts.
W.9-10.2.a — Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.9-10.2.b — Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
W.9-10.2.c — Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
W.9-10.2.d — Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
W.9-10.2.e — Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
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.
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 1.4A — Explain the relationship between a text and its historical or cultural context.
LO 1.4B — Synthesize ideas from multiple texts and explain how the texts may convey different perspectives on a common theme or idea.
LO 2.2A — 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.
LO 2.2E — Use carefully selected language, syntax, and stylistic and persuasive elements to strengthen an argument.
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 2.4A — Establish a narrative point of view.
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 3.3A — Compose or revise language to ensure sentences are grammatically correct and that their internal structures provide clarity.
LO 3.3B — Compose or revise language to ensure proper agreement and appropriate verb tense.
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 1.1A — Analyze a wide range of texts for multiple meanings.
LO 1.1C — Use a repertoire of active reading strategies appropriate to the text and task
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 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 5.2A — Determine the purpose for communication and select an appropriate format.
Unit 3
Coming of Age and Patriarchy in Dominicana
Unit 5
Comedy, Taming, and Desirability in The Taming of the Shrew