The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned …
The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.
Who decides who among us is civilized? What rules should govern immigration …
Who decides who among us is civilized? What rules should govern immigration into the United States? Whom should we let in? Keep out? What should we do about political refugees or children without papers? What if they would be a drain on our economy?
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Students read William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest and write a short argument about who in the play is truly civilized. Students participate in a mock trial in which they argue for or against granting asylum to a teenage refugee, and then they write arguments in favor of granting asylum to one refugee and against granting it to another. Students read an Independent Reading text and write an informational essay about a global issue and how that relates to their book.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.
What role do national identity, custom, religion, and other locally held beliefs play in a world increasingly characterized by globalization? How does Shakespeare’s view of human rights compare with that in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Who is civilized? Who decides what civilization is or how it’s defined? How do we behave toward and acknowledge those whose culture is different from our own?
What is the U.S. policy on immigration, especially for refugees? In this …
What is the U.S. policy on immigration, especially for refugees? In this lesson, students will share responses on current issues in immigration. Then, as a class, they’ll jigsaw a fact sheet about immigration policy. They’ll get instructions about the Granting Refuge Activity.
Is immigration reform necessary? In this lesson, students will revise their narratives …
Is immigration reform necessary? In this lesson, students will revise their narratives for sentence variety and proofread them. They’ll read Emma Lazarus’s poem “The New Colossus” and discuss what the poem says about immigrants. They’ll write about current issues regarding immigration.
Whom should we let in? This lesson is a repeat of the …
Whom should we let in? This lesson is a repeat of the last lesson, with the cases of two different teenagers presented. After the class listens to the cases and decisions, you will clarify your students’ argument assignments.
In this lesson, students will be assigned a role for the Granting …
In this lesson, students will be assigned a role for the Granting Refuge Activity. They’ll meet in groups to research, develop strategies, and plan how to argue for granting asylum or denying it.
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