“The Value of Life" provides students with extended practice analyzing and synthesizing a diverse set of texts on a shared question: How should human life be valued? The summative assessment will ask students to write a passage-based argument essay.
The assignment sequence in this module asks students to read a number of texts, written in very different contexts and genres, that provide various points of view on the ways in which we as a society value human life. The goal of this module is to inquire into different ways writers have probed and represented the value of human life. The key objective for the students is to make connections among the various texts, notice the rhetorical conventions used by specific genres to explore similar questions, and then use similar rhetorical devices while creating and sharing a project about their own perceptions of how life should be valued. During this sequence your student will read each of the following texts:
Dec. 2, Monday - SWBAT familiarize themselves with the key questions and issues presented by the readings.
IR
Unit Overview: The Value of Life. The goal of this module is to inquire into different ways in which we as a society value human life and to analyze the different representations for the value of human life. The key objective is to make connections among the various texts, notice the rhetorical conventions used by specific genres to explore similar questions and then use similar rhetorical devices.
Begin Value of Life Unit - Activities 1-2
Watch a version of Hamlet's soliloquy in class. Watch the rest of HW.
Dec. 6- SWBAT complete their second Book Talk and Notebook Check Today
Book Talk & Notebook Check #2
HW: Finish reading and annotating Chris Jone's article. Complete Activities 16-17 and Grammar Activity 3 by Monday.
Dec. 9, Mon. - SWBAT
IR
Review Grammar 2-3
Activity 18: Mapping Organization
Activity 19: Annotating and Questioning the Text
Activity 20: Analyzing Stylistic Choices - Answer the Q's on a separate sheet of paper from this handout.
HW: Finish Activities 19-20; Grammar Activity 4
Dec. 10/11, (Block) Tues/Wed- SWBAT rhetorically analyze a speech as text by listening and annotating Job's commencement address for his argument on assigning value to life.(CCSS.RI.11-12.3)
IR
Review Grammar Activity 4
Review Regular Activity 20 (A20) (HW)
Regular Activity 24: Process Quickwrite about applied reading strategies.
Steve Job's commencement address.
Listen and annotate Jobs’ speech for when Jobs discusses how we should go about assigning value to life. What argument does he present to the graduates? After you have listened to and annotated the speech, create a descriptive outline (paragraph WHAT was said on the left; analyze HOW it was said on the right.)
Activity 26: Answer the Q's about the rhetorical analysis of this speech: [1] What is the rhetorical situation? Who is the audience? and what is his argument?; [2] What types of evidence and appeals does this audience value most highly?; [3] How does Jobs establish his authority to address this issue? What credibility does he have with his audience?; [4] What are the most important factors contributing to either the success or failure of this argument
Add this speech to "Charting Multiple Texts"
Activity 27: Personal Response to the arguments presented by Hamlet, Ebert, and Jobs
Review direct quotations; paraphrase; summarize
HW: Grammar Activity 5
Dec. 12, Thurs.- SWBAT determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development (CCSS.RI.11-12.2)
IR - 10 mins
Read and annotate Ripley's article for the text’s main issues and various stances people take in response to those issues. (Activity 28-29)
Activity 30: Summarize the article
HW: [1] Grammar Act. 6; [2] Finish the summary of Ripley's article
Dec. 13, Friday - SWBAT Interpret an author's purpose in a text.
Grammar Mid-Assessment
Finish second reading of Ripley's article and annotations
Activity 31: Answer the Q's about Ripley's article.
Activity 32: Charting Multiple Texts; Add Ripley article to the chart.
Dec. 16, Monday - SWBAT determine their knowledge of the grammatical concepts covered by completing a quiz
Grammar Activities Due Today (1-6); Grammar Quiz Today*
Written response to Hamlet/Ebert/Jobs/Ripley: Write a brief reaction to the subject(s) presented in these selections. (Consider your personal response to each of these sources.)
Then write about what these pieces offer you in terms of helping to frame a discussion about how we should go about "assigning" or "placing" value on LIFE - what factors should we consider? What makes LIFE great? What makes it special and worthwhile? What argument do each of these pieces make about the Value of Life?
HW: Finish all Regular Activities for Value of Life - Due Day of Exam
Dec. 17, Tuesday- SWBAT prepare for their final exam by reviewing main concepts covered in this unit.
Review for Final Exam
HW: Prepare for Final Exam; Finish all Regular Activities for Value of Life - Due Day of Exam