Juvenile Justice unit was designed to explore a legal issue and the way in which scientific evidence and personal observations and experience contribute to different strongly held points of view on the topic. As students practice analyzing different genres of text form a rhetorical perspective. The final on-demand assignment asks students to respond to a Supreme Court decision on the topic and to construct their own arguments on one or the other side.
Legal issues surrounding the mandatory sentencing of juveniles to life in prison for serious crimes is an engaging topic for students who are juveniles themselves. The scientific evidence about the changes that teenage brains undergo is surprising for most teens while the question of whether young people who have committed crimes can be rehabilitated raises fundamental questions about human nature.
Unit Objectives
Students will be able to:
Identify the main ideas, including the author's main argument/claim within a text
Summarize and respond to a text
Analyze the impact of the author's ethos on the credibility of an argument
Compare different arguments and the rhetorical strategies of their writers
Construct an argument using sources
Revise rhetorically to establish a clear focus for their essay
Edit with a focus on sentence structure.
READING SELECTIONS
Greg Ousley is Sorry for Killing his Parents. Is that Enough?
Feb. 7 (Block) - SWBAT garner a basic understanding of juvenile law and critically think about the ways in which juvenile justice is applied in the courts.
I.R.
Activity 1: Is it fair for juveniles to be punished in the same way as adults for the same crime committed?
Activity 2: What is the difference between juveniles and adults?
Activity 3: Definitions of legal terms; paraphrase the definitions, then analyze multiple scenarios using the terms.
Graphic of a brain with its parts and functions: What is the purpose of the front lobe?
Grammar Activity 2: Strong vs. Weak Verbs
Grammar Activity 3: Identifying adverbs and adverbial phrases
Read, "Staring Finds on Teenage Brains" on do activity 8
HW: [1] I.R.; [2] Read and annotate, "Staring Finds on Teenage Brains"; [3] Activity 8
Feb. 8 - SWBAT map the organizational structure of a text by independently creating a descriptive outline that makes distinctions between content and rhetorical purpose for each section. (CCSS.11-12.RI.5.)
I.R.
Grammar Activity 4
Activity 9: Structure of a text, "Startling Finds on Teenage Brains"
HW: [1[ I.R.; [2] Activity 10
Feb. 9 - DUI Court Case
DUI Court Case during 3rd and 4th period
2nd and 6th period will complete a "BBB"
HW: [1] I.R.; [2] Activity 10; [3] Read article on Google Classroom, "Greg Ousley is Sorry for Killing His Parents. Is that Enough?"
Feb. 12, Monday - SWBAT demonstrate their understanding of key vocabulary by generating answers to focused questions. (CCSS>11-12. L.1)
I.R.
Grammar Activity 5
Read "On Punishment and Teen Killers" and "Juveniles Don't Deserve Life Sentences"
Activity 13 - Annotate the text
Activity 14 - Analyzing stylistic choices
HW: [1] I.R.; [2] Activity 15: Summarizing and responding to Garringer's article "Juveniles Don't Deserve Life Sentences" - 4 points
Feb. 14 (Block)- SWBAT initiate and participate in effective discussions about juvenile justice. (CCSS.11-12.SL.4)
I.R.
Thinking critically with a challenging text, "Greg Ousley is Sorry for Killing His Parents. Is that enough?"-- should have been read by today.
Activity 17 - Answer the questions in your group
Fishbowl - Student Led Discussion; write 3 questions you'd like to discuss with other students.
Activity 20: Taking a Stance
HW: [1] I.R; [2] Finish Activity 21
Feb. 15, Thursday - SWBAT write an on-demand essay in response to the topic of juvenile justice independently.
Argument essay reminders:
Introduction with Strong Thesis; body paragraph that include evidence; conclusion
Activity 21 - On-Demand Writing Assignment
Plan your essay (5-10 mins)
Write your essay (35-40 mins)
Edit (5-10mins)
Activity 22- Evaluate Thesis statements
Feb. 16, Friday - SWBAT write an on-demand essay in response to the topic of juvenile justice independently.
I.R.
"BBB"
HW: 2 hours of independent reading during the break; [2] Mid-Course Survey: Teacher Evaluation