Unit Four:

Persuasive communication, critical literacy, social justice,

and heroes

Rationale:
This unit is intended to combine students knowledge and skills
regarding persuasive rhetoric, critical literacy, character, authors voice
and personal narrative. In Unit One we learned what makes language
impactful and persuasive and how to read between the lines to
determine others opinions and motivations. We expressed our
opinions and practiced our persuasive rhetoric. In Unit Two we explored
the intersections of characters and values, and explored ideas of
societal values and how they interact with our own individual
philosophy. We played roles in our mock court, practicing our
argumentative and persuasive communication skills. In Unit Three we
explored our personal legends and narratives and utilized our
persuasive writing and communicating skills to craft a personal
narrative essay, a story of ourselves. In Unit Four we will utilize our
critical literacy skills and persuasive communication skills to analyze
our societies heroes. What does it mean to be a hero? To have
integrity? How might we want our personal narratives to be shaped by
our heroes?
Texts:
1. Night- Elie Wiesel (required Novel)
2. Heroes We Never Name - M.Lucille Ford (Poem)
3. Ive Been to the Mountaintop- Martin Luther King Jr. (speech)
4. How Do You Define Yourself?- Lizzie Velasquez (speech)
5. A Hero Lies in You- Mariah Carey (song)
6. #blacklivesmatter- inter-textual analysis from multiple media
sources including (but not limited to) The New York Times, The
Economist, The Huffington Post, BBC News, and The Washington
Post
Goals
A. Students will further explore their values and philosophies as it
relates to their personal narratives and the stories of their
heroes.
B. Students will analyze contemporary social justice issues in light
of a Holocaust remembrance unit. Students will see one example
of the harm caused by good people staying quiet.
C. Students will create an expository text describing their hero and
describe what they have learned from this person.

Sources: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lessonplans/heroes-around-171.html M.Lucille Ford

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c62Aqdlzvqk- Lizzie Velasquez
Standards:
Interpret and explain informational texts of personal interest
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
(CCSS: RI.8.4)
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or
phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies. (CCSS: L.8.4)
i. Select and employ strategies to persist when encountering unknown or
ambiguous words or difficult passages
ii. Explain how authors use language to influence audience perceptions of events,
people, and ideas
iii. Explain how word choice and sentence structure are used to achieve specific
effects (such as tone, voice, and mood)
iv. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a words
position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or
phrase. (CCSS: L.8.4a)
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings. (CCSS: L.8.5)
i. Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context. (CCSS: L.8.5a)
ii. Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of
the words. (CCSS: L.8.5b)
iii. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
(CCSS: L.8.5c)
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. (CCSS:
W.8.2)
i. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and
information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,
charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. (CCSS: W.8.2a)
ii. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations,
or other information and examples. (CCSS: W.8.2b)
iii. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships
among ideas and concepts. (CCSS: W.8.2c)
iv. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
(CCSS: W.8.2d)
v. Establish and maintain a formal style. (CCSS: W.8.2e)
vi. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or
explanation presented. (CCSS: W.8.2f)

Final Project: Hero Portrait (Expository Essay)

CATEGORY

Quality of
Information

Information clearly
relates to the main
topic. It includes
several supporting
details and/or
examples.

Information clearly
relates to the main
topic. It provides 12 supporting details
and/or examples.

Information
clearly relates to
the main topic. No
details and/or
examples are
given.

Information has
little or nothing to
do with the main
topic.

Amount of
Information

All topics are

addressed and all
questions answered
with at least 2
sentences about
each.

All topics are

addressed and most
questions answered
with at least 2
sentences about
each.

All topics are

addressed, and
most questions
answered with 1
sentence about
each.

One or more
topics were not
addressed.

Sources

All sources
(information and
graphics) are
accurately
documented in the
desired format.

All sources
(information and
graphics) are
accurately
documented, but a
few are not in the
desired format.

All sources
(information and
graphics) are
accurately
documented, but
many are not in
the desired format.

Some sources are

not accurately
documented.

Mechanics

No grammatical,
spelling or
punctuation errors.

Almost no
grammatical,
spelling or
punctuation errors

A few
grammatical
spelling, or
punctuation errors.

Many
grammatical,
spelling, or
punctuation errors.

Paragraph
Construction

All paragraphs
include introductory
sentence,
explanations or
details, and
concluding
sentence.

Most paragraphs
include introductory
sentence,
explanations or
details, and
concluding
sentence.

Paragraphs
included related
information but
were typically not
constructed well.

Paragraphing
structure was not
clear and
sentences were not
typically related
within the
paragraphs.

First Draft

Detailed draft is
neatly presented
and includes all
required
information.

Draft includes all

required
information and is
legible.

Draft includes
most required
information and is
legible.

Draft is missing
required
information and is
difficult to read.

Graphic
Organizer

Graphic organizer
or outline has been
completed and
shows clear, logical
relationships
between all topics
and subtopics.

Graphic organizer
or outline has been
completed and
shows clear, logical
relationships
between most topics
and subtopics.

Graphic organizer
or outline has been
started and
includes some
topics and
subtopics.

Graphic organizer
or outline has not
been attempted.

Activities:
Hero Characteristics: Brainstorming using the generate-set-elaborate strategy. Listing
criteria for a hero and thinking of potential heroes for biography.
Timed Responses: 8Minutes: Name
heroes/Name villains.
15 Minutes: Can we have
a hero without the
villain/visa versa? What
makes a hero? What
makes a villain?
2 Minutes: Introduce
scenario that these selected
heroes and villains are on
trial.
10 Minutes: Get into
groups and
write a
paragraph explaining your
characters innocence

Holocaust Awareness activities: (Using student-centered approach from PBS.org)

1. Write the word Holocaust on the board. Have students say words that come into
their minds and write down their responses.
2. Ask students: What do you know about the Holocaust? Where did you learn it? What
literature of the Holocaust have you already read? What people have you met, movies
have you seen, stories have you heard? Do you have a personal connection with someone
who experienced the Holocaust? Do you want to know more about this subject? Why or
why not?
3. Depending on what students already know, you might share the definition from
Teaching About the Holocaust: A Resource Book for Teachers, which can be downloaded
from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Web site. If possible, invite
someone to your class who can share a personal story related to the Holocaust. It could be
a survivor, the child of a survivor, someone involved in recording oral histories or a
historian doing research on the subject. Have students prepare questions before the guest
comes. In the following session, give students a chance to discuss issues and questions

that may have been inspired by the speaker. What would you take with you? Writing
prompts on what would you take with you if you were forced into a Jewish ghetto like the
one in Night. What really matters to you?
Expository writing practice: Utilize the following graphic organizer to
practice your descriptive writing skills