Curriculum / ELA / 9th Grade / Unit 3: Power, Justice, and Culpability: Of Mice and Men and The Central Park Five / Lesson 27
ELA
Unit 3
9th Grade
Lesson 27 of 30
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Analyze the choices director Ava DuVernay made in When They See Us and compare her portrayal of characters and events with Sarah Burns' text, The Central Park Five.
Book: The Central Park Five: The Untold Story Behind One of New York City's Most Infamous Crimes by Sarah Burns — pp. 3–7, 21–27, 38–43
Movie: When They See Us by Ava DuVernay — 00:00–07:32; 23:25–30:25
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
Compare and contrast the authorial and directorial choices DuVernay and Burns made when describing the police interrogations. What details about this experience are emphasized in each version? Provide evidence from pages 38–43 of The Central Park Five and minutes 23:25–30:25 of When They See Us and carefully explain your thinking.
Use the word barrage in your response.
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Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What choices has DuVernay made in the first 5 minutes of the film that humanize the boys for the viewer? Note down at least three, and then compare her choices to the way Burns portrays the boys on pages 3–7 of The Central Park Five.
How does Sarah Burns' depiction of the events in the park on the night of April 19, 1989 differ from DuVernay's? What is the impact of DuVernay's choices on the viewer's understanding of that night? Provide examples from 04:45–07:30 of When They See Us and pages 21 to 27 of The Central Park Five.
Suggestions for teachers to help them teach this lesson
The film today discusses rape and describes specific sex acts. Be mindful that your students may have reactions to this content and some may have personal history that makes this a particularly difficult topic.
Tonight's reading also includes references to other cases of rape and violence that happened around the same time as the Central Park Jogger case. It also discusses lynching in vivid detail (pages 74–79). You may wish to prepare your students for this upsetting content or skip those pages, having students read from pages 66–74 and 80–90.
Reading and/or task to be completed at home in preparation for the next lesson.
Book: The Central Park Five: The Untold Story Behind One of New York City's Most Infamous Crimes by Sarah Burns — Chapter 3
While reading, answer the following questions.
What two words did newspapers repeatedly use when describing the group of boys in Central Park the night of Meili's attack?
What did the advertisement Donald Trump took out in the newspaper say? Who else agreed with his ideas?
What connection does Burns make between the Central Park Five and the history of lynching in the United States?
According to Burns, what position did many Black newspapers take when discussing this crime?
Note words and phrases that were used in the media to dehumanize the boys.
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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.9-10.7 — 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.
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.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.9-10.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
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.
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.9-10.6 — Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.
W.9-10.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Next
Analyze how racism shaped media coverage of the Central Park Five, and explain the debate around blame and culpability in this case.
Analyze depictions of migrant workers in an article by John Steinbeck and various photographs by Dorothea Lange, noting the similarities in their representation.
Standards
RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.4
Explain how Steinbeck establishes the setting and introduces his main characters in Of Mice and Men.
RL.9-10.4
Analyze how Steinbeck develops the reader's understanding of the relationship between Lennie and George.
RL.9-10.3RL.9-10.4
Analyze how Steinbeck develops social hierarchies on the ranch and introduces tension into the story.
RL.9-10.3RL.9-10.5
Write a strong topic sentence and select relevant textual evidence to support that claim.
RL.9-10.1RL.9-10.3RL.9-10.4W.9-10.1.aW.9-10.1.bW.9-10.4W.9-10.5
Outline an analytical paragraph using the acronym T-E-A-L, and write a first draft.
W.9-10.1.aW.9-10.1.bW.9-10.1.cW.9-10.1.dW.9-10.1.e
Write a strong analytical paragraph that effectively integrates textual evidence and argues for which person at the ranch poses the greatest threat to Lennie and George.
W.9-10.1.aW.9-10.1.bW.9-10.1.cW.9-10.1.dW.9-10.1.eW.9-10.4W.9-10.5W.9-10.5
Analyze how Steinbeck develops characters and explain what characters' actions and beliefs can reveal about human nature.
RL.9-10.3
Analyze the character of Crooks through the lenses of racism, loneliness, and power.
Analyze the character of Curley's wife through the lenses of sexism, loneliness, and power.
Analyze how Steinbeck has used foreshadowing to develop tension leading up to the story's climax.
RL.9-10.5
Analyze the structural choices Steinbeck has made in the final chapter of Of Mice and Men and how he works to shape the reader's perception of Lennie's murder.
Analyze the Robert Burns poem, "To a Mouse" and draw conclusions about why Steinbeck chose a line from this poem for the title of his novel.
RL.9-10.2RL.9-10.3
Take a position on one of three analytical prompts and gather textual evidence in preparation for a Socratic seminar.
RL.9-10.1RL.9-10.2RL.9-10.3W.9-10.1
Engage in a Socratic seminar in preparation for crafting a literary analysis for Of Mice and Men.
RL.9-10.1RL.9-10.2RL.9-10.3SL.9-10.1.a
Write a strong thesis statement in response to an analytical essay prompt, and outline body paragraphs needed to support that thesis statement.
W.9-10.1.aW.9-10.1.bW.9-10.4W.9-10.5
Write the body paragraphs of an analytical essay in the literary present tense, using strong transitions within and between paragraphs.
W.9-10.1.aW.9-10.1.bW.9-10.1.cW.9-10.1.dW.9-10.1.eW.9-10.4W.9-10.5
Review the parts of an introduction, and write a strong introduction to an analytical essay using the acronym H-I-T (hook, introductory information, thesis statement).
W.9-10.1W.9-10.4W.9-10.5
Review the parts of a conclusion, and write a strong conclusion to an analytical essay using the acronym B-A-M (refer back to thesis, analyze its significance, make it universal).
Revise and edit essay drafts either independently or using a peer review structure.
Explain what the Atkins v. Virginia decision and the case of Marvin Wilson reveal about perceptions of culpability in the criminal justice system.
RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.4
Analyze how characters in Of Mice and Men view Lennie's culpability in different situations throughout the text.
Identify claims made about the relationship between racial bias and wrongful convictions, and analyze how structural choices help develop an author's ideas.
RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.5
Identify Sarah Burns' purpose in The Central Park Five, and explain how an author's tone develops the reader's understanding of their perspective.
RI.9-10.1RI.9-10.4RI.9-10.6
Analyze the structure of the first chapter of The Central Park Five and explain the purpose and impact of specific sections of the text.
RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.5
Analyze how Burns uses descriptive language and specific details to communicate her perspective.
RI.9-10.1RI.9-10.4RI.9-10.6W.9-10.10W.9-10.9
RI.9-10.1RI.9-10.7W.9-10.1
RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.4RL.9-10.4
Analyze the choices director Ava DuVerney made in When They See Us and compare her portrayal of characters and events with Sarah Burns's text, The Central Park Five.
RI.9-10.3RI.9-10.4
Brainstorm, outline, and record a podcast episode that analyzes the power of language to construct meaning about a person's identity in both Of Mice and Men and Central Park Five.
RI.9-10.2RI.9-10.4RL.9-10.2RL.9-10.4SL.9-10.4SL.9-10.5W.9-10.4W.9-10.6
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