Date:      

Home Connection
Highlights of Unit 1: Writing Freedom: Words That Shaped a Nation

Dear Family,
In this unit, students will investigate the meaning of freedom. They will
consider famous historical figures’ views on the subject, beginning with
the founders of the American nation. Students will read a variety of texts
and view media as they discuss the Essential Question for the unit.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
As a class, as well as in small groups and independently, students will work to
answer this question: What is the meaning of freedom? Give your student the
opportunity to continue the discussion at home.

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

• What are some of the ways you could answer the question
What is the meaning of freedom?
• Is there a tradeoff between freedom and safety or is safety a
type of freedom?
• Why do you think freedom is such a crucial value in
American public discourse?

UNIT 1 SELECTION TITLES, AUTHORS, GENRES

WHOLE-CLASS LEARNING

“Declaration of Independence” Thomas Jefferson foundational

document

“Preamble to the Constitution” Gouverneur Morris foundational

document

“Bill of Rights” James Madison foundational

document

“Speech in the Convention” Benjamin Franklin speech

“The American Revolution: Visual media: image

Propaganda” gallery

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 SMALL-GROUP LEARNING

from America’s Constitution: A Akhil Reed Amar expository

Biography nonfiction

from The United States Jonathan Hennessey and graphic novel

Constitution: A Graphic Aaron McConnell
Adaptation

from The Interesting Narrative Olaudah Equiano autobiography

of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

“Letter to John Adams” Abigail Adams letter

from Dear Abigail: The Intimate Diane Jacobs biography

Lives and Revolutionary Ideas
of Abigail Adams and Her Two
Remarkable Sisters

“The Gettysburg Address” Abraham Lincoln speech

INDEPENDENT LEARNING
Your student will choose one of the following selections to read independently.
You may want to read the text as well so that you can discuss it as a family.

from Democracy Is Not a Author Blaustein essay

Spectator Sport with Helen Matatov

“Reflections on the Bicentennial of Thurgood Marshall speech

the United States Constitution”

“Speech to the Young/ speech to Gwendolyn Brooks poetry

the Progress-Toward”

“The Fish” Elizabeth Bishop poetry

“The Pedestrian” Ray Bradbury short story

from the “Iroquois Constitution” Translated by Arthur political document

C. Parker

from “Common Sense” Thomas Paine argument

TALK IT OVER WITH YOUR STUDENT

• How did you choose which selection to read?

• What is the most interesting aspect of freedom that you
learned from your reading?

PERFORMANCE TASKS AND PERFORMANCE-BASED ASSESSMENT

Your student will need to answer the question What are the most effective tools for
establishing and preserving freedom? He or she will write an argument and present
a video commentary in response to the question, drawing on knowledge gained
from the selections studied in this unit as well as from the Performance Tasks he or
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she completed.

Whole-Class Learning Performance Task

After completing the Whole-Class section of the unit, students will learn how to
write an argument. They will then write an argument answering this question: Which
statement do you find most compelling for Americans today: the Preamble to the
Constitution or the first sentence of paragraph three of the Declaration of
Independence?

Small-Group Learning Performance Task

After completing the Small-Group section of the unit, your student will work with his
or her group to present an argument that addresses this question: Do narratives
provide strong evidence to support arguments about American freedoms?

End-of-Unit Performance-Based Assessment

At the end of the unit, your student will pull together his or her learning by completing
a Performance-Based Assessment answering this question: What are the most effective
tools for establishing and preserving freedom? In response to that question, students
will prepare an argument and a video commentary.

Activities and assignments in Unit 1 will help your student meet the following Common
Core State Standards for reading literature and informational texts, writing, as well as
speaking and listening. Here are some key standards students will work toward in this
unit:
Reading information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of
• Determine two or more central ideas of a text and ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one
analyze their development over the course of the source and following a standard format for citation
text, including how they interact and build on one including footnotes and endnotes.
another to produce a complex analysis; provide
an objective summary of the text. Speaking and Listening
• Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in • Propel conversations by posing and responding to
a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a
analyzing how style and content contribute to the hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue;
power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text. clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and
promote divergent and creative perspectives.
• Analyze seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and
nineteenth-century foundational U.S. documents • Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use
of historical and literary significance for their of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance,
themes, purposes, and rhetorical features. premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of
emphasis, and tone used.
Writing • Present information, findings, and supporting evidence,
• Write arguments to support claims in an analysis conveying a clear and distinct perspective and a logical
of substantive topics or texts, using valid argument, such that listeners can follow the line of
reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are
• Gather relevant information from multiple addressed, and the organization, development,
authoritative print and digital sources, using substance, and style are appropriate to purpose,
advanced searches effectively; assess the audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks. Use
strengths and limitations of each source in terms appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear
of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate pronunciation.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT!

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