Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof.

Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Long Range Planning: Integration of Units

Grade: 12th grade Class size: 24 students Length of class: 50 minutes

Narrative Writing CCSS for Writing: 3.) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structures event sequences 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 6.) Use technology, including the internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information CCSS for Speaking and Listening: 1.) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners NCTE Standards: 8.) Students use a variety of technological and information resources to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge 11.) Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Big ideas/ essential questions: Why should we talk about reading/ writing? How will it be useful to us in our adult life? How do we talk about reading/ writing? Is what we write important? Are mortality and literature connected?

Objectives: Students will participate in the editing process by self-assessing their own work, getting feedback from a variety of people (peers, teacher, and adults), and making revisions focusing on one aspect of their feedback Students will reflect on the editing process Students will write a memoir that is rich in concrete and sensory detail Students will create a video using both visuals and text OR voice in order to convey a 6 word memoir Students will write a fiction piece that has an engaging plot with events sequenced to create suspense Students will create a medium in which they can use to publish their writing on the internet Students will update their medium with new pieces of writing daily Students will reflect on their role as a critical member of a literary community

Formative Assessments: Online Blog with daily updates One Photo A Day Assignment Book review Self-assessments and reflections

Summative Assessment: Over the course of the unit, students have had many opportunities to create pieces of writing, self-assess their work, receive useful feedback from peers/adults, and engage in various discussions about writing. Students will be assessed on their presentation of their website and final paper in which they will discuss how the peer review/ editing process was helpful to them and their role as an active member in multiple literary communities (writing, publishing, editing

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

peers work, revising their own work, and engaging in online discussions about literature). This will account for 50% of the summative assessment. They will also chose one of their pieces (either formative or summative) to be assessed on, which will constitute for the other 50% of the summative assessment.

Activities: Week 1 Intro: Students will write initial journal essay on the topic The Value of Writing and engage in a collaborative discussion about the topic in a group of 3. Discussion will then switch to the whole class. (Pre-assessment) Students will create a skeleton for their website and input a blog. They will type their short essay The Value of Writing as their first blog entry. They will write daily blog entries on various topics about writing (once a week). (The teacher will take all of the students blog entries and make a Wordle of the values of literature to be used at a later date) Students will review theme by generating theme statements for popular movies. The teacher will introduce writing memoir by having the students read 6 word memoirs. Students will write their own list of 10. Students will then pair up with a classmate and share one of their memoirs and continue jig-sawing until all 10 have been shared. (Student will publish 6 word memoirs on their website). Students will analyze various introductions of popular memoirs. They will then generate a list of themes they would like to write about and write an introduction for 3 of their themes. Students will choose which of the 3 introductions of theirs they like best, which will be the basis for their memoir. *Reading: Students will start reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, Preface Ch.5 *HW: Students will look at websites provided by the teacher to gather biographical information and they will read an article on The Aesthetic Movement in Europe Week 2

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Students will continue to write their daily blog entries Lesson: Sensory and concrete details Students will start writing their memoirs and focus on the details they are using to create imagery for their audience Students will watch a YouTube video One Photo a Day and discuss the significance of someone taking a picture of themselves for 13 years. Why is every day important? What does mortality have to do with literature? Why should anyone care about what we have to say? Students will create their own photo memoir by taking pictures of what they feel is significant in their life and compose a short Youtube video. The students will write a 6 word memoir to go along with the video and create a voice-over of them reading the 6 word memoir to play in the background (or use text) while the video slideshow is occurring. The whole class will watch all of the videos and students will note reoccurring themes between their video and their classmates videos. Students will also discuss the effectiveness of the visual qualities of the video (photos used, transitions, music). Students will publish video on website. In pairs, students will read each others memoirs and assess their classmates work using a peer feedback form. The students reflect on how they will use one aspect of that feedback to revise their memoir. Students will continue the revision process for their memoir using peers feedback for revision After revising, students will complete a self-assessment. *Reading: Ch. 6-11 of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Week 3 Students will continue to write their daily blog entries Students will have individual meetings with the teacher to discuss their revised memoir. Students will explain their self-assessment of their memoir and the teacher will give feedback to the student for them to use in their next revision. The student will chose one area for improvement in revising their memoir. Mini-lesson: Plot outlining. The class will use one of the movies discussed in Week 1 and create a plot outline. The class will discuss the significance of the event sequencing in the movie. Students will create a plot outline for a fiction piece that they will write

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Students will have a peer review their plot outline in which they will exchange useful feedback on their event sequencing By the end of the week, students will publish their final revised memoir onto their website and write a reflection on the revision process Students will write the first draft of their fiction piece Lesson: Writing book reviews. Students will look at book reviews on The New York Times Sunday Book Review online. They will then write a book review for one of their favorite books. *Reading: Ch. 12-17 of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Week 4 Students will continue to write their daily blog entries Students will start the editing process with their fiction piece by having an adult (teacher, parent, babysitter, principal, etc.) read their piece and provide feedback for the student. The student will chose one aspect of the feedback to make revisions. Students will find an online blog about literature (submitted to the teacher and approved). The student will contribute to the literary discussion throughout the week. They will then complete a reflection on the experience explaining the value of engaging in discussions about literature Students will work on the aesthetic aspect of their websites Students will review values of literature generated by students in the first day of the unit by looking at the Wordle created by the teacher. Introduction to The Picture of Dorian Gray (Reading/Speaking/Listening Unit): Students will chart out examples of aesthetics in 21st century American pop culture (Literature, music, fashion, film) and discuss values behind them Lesson: Annotating literature using the Formalist Framework *Reading: Finish reading The Picture of Dorian Gray

Reading, Speaking, and Listening CCSS for Reading Literature:

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

1.) Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain 2.) Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text 5.) Analyze how an authors choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact CCSS for Reading Informational Text: 1.) Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain 2.) Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text 7.) Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem CCSS for Writing: 1.) Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 9.) Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research CCSS for Speaking and Listening 1.) Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively NCTE Standards: 1.) Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of the texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

3.) Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, and their understanding of textual features Big Ideas/ Essential Questions: Compare/ contrast aesthetic values of Victorian London to those of 21st century America What are Oscar Wildes views on aesthetics? Did he believe in art-for-arts-sake or did he believe there to be morality behind the work? What is Oscar Wilde saying about mortality? How does this connect to literature itself? How does character and plot development in The Picture of Dorian Gray contribute to the overall themes in the work? Why is it important for us to be able to cite textual evidence? Will we ever use this?

Objectives: Students will find the thesis and summarize a piece of literary criticism by referring to direct textual evidence from the essay Students will develop a theme for a large, literary work and explain how the author uses character development and plot to reinforce theme. Students will engage in a range of literary discussions about The Picture of Dorian Gray and literary criticism Students will reflect on the role of a literary critic and write a critical review of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Summative Assessment: Students will participate in a round-table discussion on the essential questions for The Picture of Dorian Gray by referring to elements of the text, class discussions, their own research topic as well as other classmates research subjects, theme statements they have developed, critical essays, American values of aesthetics (discussed on first day of class) and their own personal values and experiences. Students will write a final essay on the value of literature

Week 5

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Literary circles: Students will participate in a literary discussion on their assigned chapters for The Picture of Dorian Gray by following a group work guide for the discussion The class will discuss aesthetic values present thus far in the novel by citing strong, thorough, textual evidence from the work and from literary circle discussion. Students will write a reflection on their experience engaging in a literary discussion and why it is important to be a part of a literary community. How does it compare to the online discussion they engaged in online? Students will meet with their peers and exchange fiction pieces for editing. Students will make another revision to their piece by reflecting on the feedback from their peer and adult feedback, and publish their final piece and reflection onto their website. Wrap up Narrative Unit: Students will present their website and explain how the editing process was useful to them and their role as an active member in multiple literary communities (writing, publishing, editing peers work, revising their own work, and engaging in online discussions about literature). Summative assessment: Final revised and published memoir and fiction pieces Lesson: Plot. The class will create a plot outline of The Picture of Dorian Gray including thorough, textual evidence of where plot devices are located in the work Lesson: Character Development. The class will discuss the development of Dorian Gray throughout the course of the novel, citing thorough and textual evidence The class will discuss how these two literary devices (character and plot) contribute to the themes present in the novel

Research CCSS for Reading Literature: 1.) Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain CCSS for Writing: 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.

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

7.) Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation 8.) Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format or citation CCSS for Speaking and Listening: 4.) Present information, findings, and supportive evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspective are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. 5.) Make strategic use of digital media (textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence to add interest Big ideas/ essential questions: How do we know if a website is credible? Why is it important to cite correctly? How does this research help you to understand the novel? How effective were you in preparing and presenting your researched topic?

Objectives: Students will evaluate the credibility of an online source Students will effectively cite research including in-text citations and a bibliography Students will effectively use paraphrasing and direct quotations when needed Students will analyze the effectiveness of their speaking and visual representation of their research

Summative Assessment:

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Students will present their question/ topic to the class in a mode of their choosing, including a visual aid. They will present only the most important information from the research and cite thorough evidence from The Picture of Dorian Gray regarding their research. They will then write a paper elaborating on information/ ideas from their presentation.

Week 6 Introduce Research Unit: - Students will list all broad themes for The Picture of Dorian Gray - Students will fill out a chart explaining what they already know about the themes, what they have learned from the novel about the topic, and develop questions about what they might need to know about the topic (KWL) -After filling out the chart, students will generate a question they have about their topic. This is going to be what their research thesis is based off of. Lesson: Quoting and Paraphrasing. Before they start researching, students will ask a classmate what they know about that topic. (See lesson plan below)

Lesson Plan: Quoting and Paraphrasing CCSS for Writing: 8.) Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format or citation Objectives: Students will be able to correctly and effectively quote and paraphrasing information and differentiate between the two

Big ideas/ essential questions: How do we know what to paraphrase and what to quote? How do we decide what is most important Why do we need to learn how to paraphrase and quote for academic purposes?

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Do we use these skills in any other times in our life? Informal Assessment: Students will hand in notes and reflection on why they chose to paraphrase the information that they did Activities: The teacher will define and differentiate quoting/ paraphrasing and provide examples on the board of what a quote would look like and what a paraphrase would look like. Students will choose a partner for the following speaking/ listening assignment: -One student will present the question they developed for their research to their partner. Their partner will then speak for 5 minutes about what they know about that topic and make connections to The Picture of Dorian Gray about that topic. - As their partner is speaking, the student will be taking notes. They will need a direct quotation and will also need to paraphrase the most important information. - When they are done, they will recite their direct quotations and paraphrased information back to their partner. - The students will then switch roles. -Each student will turn in quote/ paraphrased information to the teacher for informal assessment including reasoning for why they chose that quote and why they chose to paraphrase the other information.

Lesson: Evaluating Credibility of Websites -Students will engage in a web quest in which they will evaluate the credibility of one of their online sources. Lesson: In-text citations and bibliographies. Students will review in-text citations and bibliographies by practicing piecing together citations using manipulatives Students will start looking for relevant books related to their topics and synthesizing information. They will have packets in which they will record and organize information learned about their topic, the author, book, publisher, publishing date, etc. for their bibliography. Lesson: Effective Speaking. Students will review what they already know about speaking. The teacher will then introduce speaking by showing them a Youtube video that she created. All students will give an informal mini-presentation by presenting one quote from their research. Teacher will give the student feedback on speaking.

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

All students will give an informal mini-presentation by paraphrasing an important section of their research, paying close attention to their speaking and applying feedback given by teacher. The student will then self-assess their mini-presentation and make a note of one area the yneed to work on for the final presentation. Students will continue to research online/ in library on their topics. They will start synthesizing their information into a mode of their choosing (Powerpoint, Prezi, YouTube, photo journal, etc.) in which they will use to present their research to the class.

Week 7 Students finish research/ making medium for presentation Students will present The audience will give written feedback on one of the presentations, create a question to ask one of the groups, and provide feedback on the presentation including critique on aspects of speaking as well as the use of their visual. Wrap-up Research Unit: Students will write a paper addressing the topic they chose and citing strong evidence from their research and the text, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Week 8 Students will look at examples of theme statements for popular films Individually, students will write a theme statement for The Picture of Dorian Gray and create a movie poster presenting their theme statement, including 3 direct quotations from the novel that support their statement and explain how theme connects to their research topic. Students will read a piece of literary criticism for The Picture of Dorian Gray. In groups of 3, they will locate the thesis and prepare a short presentation in which they summarize the important points in the article using a map as a visual (web, outline, bullet points, etc.) Students will write a book review using the theme they developed for The Picture of Dorian Gray (referring to the book review lesson in the Narrative Unit) and cite evidence from the piece of literary criticism their group worked with as well as the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray Wrap-up Reading/ Speaking/ Listening:

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Students will engage in a literary discussion about The Picture of Dorian Gray and provide evidence from the novel, reference to class projects, and evidence from essays of literary criticism to answer the following questions: - How do themes in The Picture of Dorian Gray relate to our lives? - Compare/ contrast aesthetic values of Victorian London to those of 21st century America - What are Oscar Wildes views on the value of aesthetics? Did he believe in artfor-arts-sake or did he believe there to be morality behind the work? What are your views? - What is Oscar Wilde saying about mortality? How does this connect to literature itself? - Why should we read literary criticism? Were all of the essays by literary critics saying the same thing? Students will write a final essay, Why Should I Care? in which they will engage in a literary discussion on the value of literature. They will reflect on themselves as writers and readers of literature and the importance of being a part of a literary community. They will reference their own writing, cite strong textual evidence from The Picture of Dorian Gray, their research, and the piece of literary criticism.

PBL Unit

NCTE Standards o 1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. o 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes. o 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. o 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. Common Core State Standards for ELA o Reading Standards for Informational Text

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. 7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem. 8. Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and the use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy (e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
o

Writing Standards 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audiences knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing. e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. Speaking and Listening Standards 2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data. 4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. 5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. 6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence Formative Assessment o Literature Circles (completed after reading every 2-3 chapters) o Notes/Annotations useful for summative assessment o Quotes mini-presentation Summative Assessment o Statement of Purpose o Public Service Ad Campaign o Budgets o Overall Presentation Stage 3 - Learning Plan

Week One o Overview of Minimum Wage Lecture on the history of workers rights and minimum wage, past and current legislation, etc. o Introduce PBL Distribute letters Assign books/groups Describe expectations of PBL o Homework Students should begin to research additional information for the PBL and half of their first book should be read and annotated by the end of the week (in preparation for literature circles and quotes mini-presentations) Week Two o Literature Circles Students reading the same book will engage in a literature circle o Expert Presentation A human resources representative will talk to the class to assist with the budget o Homework Students should continue researching additional information for the PBL, start working on their budgets, and finish reading and annotating their book (in preparation for literature circles and quotes mini-presentations) Week Three

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Literature Circles Students reading the same book will engage in a literature circle o Quotes Mini-Presentations Students will pick a quote they find significant in their book and present it to the class The notes and annotations will be collected o Expert Presentation A marketing representative will talk to the class to assist with public service ad campaign o Homework Students should continue researching additional information for the PBL, start working on their public service ad campaigns, and start reading and annotating their second book (in preparation for literature circles and quotes mini-presentations) Week Four o Literature Circles Students reading the same book will engage in a literature circle o Quotes Mini-Presentations Students will pick a quote they find significant in their book and present it to the class The notes and annotations will be collected o Expert Presentation A large business owner will talk to the class to assist with purpose and overall presentation o Homework Students should continue researching additional information for the PBL, start working on their statements of purpose, and continue reading and annotating their second book (in preparation for literature circles and quotes mini-presentations) Week Five o Literature Circles Students reading the same book will engage in a literature circle o Quotes Mini-Presentations Students will pick a quote they find significant in their book and present it to the class The notes and annotations will be collected o Expert Presentation A small business owner will talk to the class to assist with purpose and overall presentation o Homework Students should continue researching additional information for the PBL and finish their statements of purpose, public service announcement campaigns, and budgets.

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Week Six o Homework Students should work on putting together a presentation to present their statements of purpose, public service announcement campaigns, and budgets. o Presentations o Closure Week 7- Service Learning Component o Students will plan and prepare for a fundraiser of their choice (school-wide rummage sale, bake sale, craft fair) in which they will create a PSA to get the whole school on board. The students will then conduct the fund raiser, keep track of any items being sold for fundraiser, and create a budget for how they will divide the funds among a non-profit (or non-profits) of their choice

Materials:

Fiction Book (24 copies; every student in the class will read this novel) o A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift A Modest Proposal - Jonathan Swift's classic essay published anonymously in 1729. Swift suggests that impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children off as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. Swift goes to great lengths to support his argument, including a list of possible preparation styles for the children, and calculations showing the financial benefits. Nonfiction Books (8 copies of each; every student in the class will be able to decide which two books they will read; however, students in the same PBL groups cannot read the same nonfiction books) o Taxing the Poor: Doing Damage to the Truly Disadvantaged by Katherine Newman and Rourke O Brien This book looks at the way we tax the poor in the United States, particularly in the American South, where poor families are often subject to income taxes, and where regressive sales taxes apply even to food for home consumption. Katherine S. Newman and Rourke L. O'Brien argue that these policies contribute in unrecognized ways to poverty-related problems like obesity, early mortality, the high school dropout rates, teen pregnancy, and crime. They show how, decades before California's passage of Proposition 13, many southern states implemented legislation that makes it almost impossible to raise property or corporate taxes, a pattern now growing in the western states. Taxing the Poor demonstrates how sales taxes intended to replace the missing revenuetaxes that at first glance appear fairactually punish the poor and exacerbate the very conditions that drove them into poverty in the first place.
o

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Our sharpest and most original social critic goes "undercover" as an unskilled worker to reveal the dark side of American prosperity. Millions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that a job any job can be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich left her home, took the cheapest lodgings she could find, and accepted whatever jobs she was offered. Moving from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, she worked as a waitress, a hotel maid, a cleaning woman, a nursing-home aide, and a Wal-Mart sales clerk. She lived in trailer parks and crumbling residential motels. Very quickly, she discovered that no job is truly "unskilled," that even the lowliest occupations require exhausting mental and muscular effort. She also learned that one job is not enough; you need at least two if you int to live indoors. Nickel and Dimed reveals low-rent America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate stratagems for survival. Read it for the smoldering clarity of Ehrenreich's perspective and for a rare view of how "prosperity" looks from the bottom. You will never see anything from a motel bathroom to a restaurant meal in quite the same way again. Our sharpest and most original social critic goes "undercover" as an unskilled worker to reveal the dark side of American prosperity.
o Cold New World by William Finnegan New Yorker writer William Finnegan spent time with families in four communities across America and became an intimate observer of the lives he reveals in these beautifully rendered portraits: a fifteen-year-old drug dealer in blighted New Haven, Connecticut; a sleepy Texas town transformed by crack; Mexican American teenagers in Washington State, unable to relate to their immigrant parents and trying to find an identity in gangs; jobless young white supremacists in a downwardly mobile L.A. suburb. Important, powerful, and compassionate, Cold New World gives us an unforgettable look into a present that presages our future.

The Great Divergence: America's Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do About It by Timothy Noah For the past three decades, America has steadily become a nation of haves and havenots. Our incomes are increasingly drastically unequal: the top 1% of Americans collect almost 20% of the nation's income-more than double their share in 1973. We have less equality of income than Venezuela, Kenya, or Yemen. What economics Nobelist Paul Krugman terms "the Great Divergence" has until now been treated as little more than a talking point, a club to be wielded in ideological battles. But it may be the most important change in this country during our lifetimes-a sharp, fundamental shift in the character of American society, and not at all for the better.

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

The Great Recession edited by David B. Grusky, Bruce Western and Christopher Wimer Officially over in 2009, the Great Recession is now generally acknowledged to be the most devastating global economic crisis since the Great Depression. As a result of the crisis, the United States lost more than 7.5 million jobs, and the unemployment rate doubledpeaking at more than 10 percent. The collapse of the housing market and subsequent equity market fluctuations delivered a one-two punch that destroyed trillions of dollars in personal wealth and made many Americans far less financially secure. Still reeling from these early shocks, the U.S. economy will undoubtedly take years to recover. Less clear, however, are the social effects of such economic hardship on a U.S. population accustomed to long periods of prosperity. How are Americans responding to these hard times? The Great Recession is the first authoritative assessment of how the aftershocks of the recession are affecting individuals and families, jobs, earnings and poverty, political and social attitudes, lifestyle and consumption practices, and charitable giving.
o The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David Shipler Nobody who works hard should be poor in America, writes Pulitzer Prize winner David Shipler. Clear-headed, rigorous, and compassionate, he journeys deeply into the lives of individual store clerks and factory workers, farm laborers and sweat-shop seamstresses, illegal immigrants in menial jobs and Americans saddled with immense student loans and paltry wages. They are known as the working poor. They perform labor essential to Americas comfort. They are white and black, Latino and Asian--men and women in small towns and city slums trapped near the poverty line, where the margins are so tight that even minor setbacks can cause devastating chain reactions. Shipler shows how liberals and conservatives are both partly rightthat practically every life story contains failure by both the society and the individual. o American Dream by Jason DeParle In this definitive work, two-time Pulitzer finalist Jason DeParle cuts between the mean streets of Milwaukee and the corridors of Washington to produce a masterpiece of literary journalism. At the heart of the story are three cousins whose different lives follow similar trajectories. Leaving welfare, Angie puts her heart in her work. Jewell bets on an imprisoned man. Opal guards a tragic secret that threatens her kids and her life. DeParle traces their family history back six generations to slavery and weaves poor people, politicians, reformers, and rogues into a spellbinding epic. o The Rich and the Rest of Us by Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Record unemployment and rampant corporate avarice, empty houses but homeless families, dwindling opportunities in an increasingly paralyzed nationthese are the realities of 21st-century America, land of the free and home of the new middle class poor. Award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West, one of the nations

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

leading democratic intellectuals, co-hosts of Public Radios Smiley & West , now take on the P wordpoverty. Motivation/Hook: Introduction Letters: There will be two different letters handed out to students, each one proposing a different problem. The letters will read as follows: Hello, __(name of student)__ : Thank you for joining Employers of Greater Wisconsin. We are glad to have you on our team! There is currently a bill that, if passed, will raise the minimum wage and impact employers profits. As our new committee member, there are a few things we will need your help on: 1. Contact your state senate and tell them how employers will be affected by increasing the minimum wage 2. Present a budget that demonstrates how much employers currently spend on wages compared to how much they would spend if the minimum wage was raised 3. Create a public service ad campaign to spread our beliefs You will have 6 weeks to complete these tasks before you present them to Employers of Greater Wisconsin for final approval. Over the course of the 6 weeks, you will have ample opportunities to attend seminars and discuss your research with other members in our group. Please contact your co-presidents, Courtney Lord and Melissa Mills, to set up individual appointments throughout the next 6 weeks. The co-presidents will answer any questions you may have and guide you to success. Thank you for being an active member of our community! Sincerely, Employers of Greater Wisconsin Hello, __(name of student)__ : Thank you for joining Wisconsin Workers and Wages. We are glad to have you on our team! There is currently a bill that, if passed, will raise the minimum wage and improve the standard of living for millions of workers. As our new committee member, there are a few things we will need your help on: 1. Contact your state senate and tell them how individuals will be affected by increasing the minimum wage 2. Present a budget that demonstrates how individuals live on minimum wage compared to how they could live if the minimum wage was increased 3. Create a public service ad campaign to spread our beliefs You will have 6 weeks to complete these tasks before you present them to Employers of Greater Wisconsin for final approval. Over the course of the 6 weeks, you will have ample opportunities to attend seminars and discuss your research with other member in our group.

Melissa Mills EN471: Methods Prof. Aubrey Vogel Due May 7th, 2013

Please contact your co-presidents, Courtney Lord and Melissa Mills, to set up individual appointments throughout the next 6 weeks. The co-presidents will answer any questions you may have and guide you to success. Thank you for being an active member of our community! Sincerely, Wisconsin Workers and Wages Differentiation: Groups will include students with various abilities: high/low readers, writers, speakers, etc. The individual appointments throughout the 6 weeks will give the co-presidents the opportunity to personalize instruction and assistance to the students. The co-presidents will also circulate during work time and literature circles to ensure groups are on the right track.