Running Head: LESSON PLAN: and Justice for All 1

Lesson Plan: Liberty and Justice for All:

Learning Advocacy and Social Responsibility through the Investigation of Non-Fiction Texts and
memes
Sarah Gardner
SUNY Plattsburgh





Standards:

NYSTE
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different
mediums (e.g., a persons life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are
emphasized in each account.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9 Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary
significance (e.g., Washingtons Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelts Four
Freedoms speech, Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail), including how they address related
themes and concepts.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literacy
nonfiction in the grades 9-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at
the high end of the range.

Research to Build and Present Knowledge
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.7 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.

Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary
and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
Running Head: LESSON PLAN: and Justice for All 2

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the
course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.3 Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text;
determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.


ISTE
Creativity and innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products
and processes using technology.

a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
d. Identify trends and forecast possibilities

Communication and collaboration
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of
media and formats
c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other
cultures
d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems

Objectives:

Content
Becoming an Advocate for Social Justice
Students will:
Analyze non-fiction and informational texts.
Define and recognize what social justice issues look like.
Make connections between past events and current events.
Learn to use the vocabulary of social justice in discussions.
Read and recognize information from statistical graphs.

Technology
Students will:
Demonstrate the ability to use Photoshop (or equivalent program) to create art with the theme
of social justice.
Running Head: LESSON PLAN: and Justice for All 3

Engage in discussions about justice/responsibility on a social networking site.
Define and recognize a meme.
Introduction:

This is one lesson plan in a unit based on recognizing and responding to social
responsibility and advocacy. This specific plan includes non-fiction and informational texts.

Materials:
http://www.njea.org/news-and-publications/njea-review/february-2013/ermahgerd-memes-
in-the-classroom
http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/history/timeline.html (WWII Internment Timeline)
That Damned Fence poem by Anonymous
Instructions to all persons of Japanese Ancestry poem by Anonymous
http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/history/documents.html (Executive Order 9066, 1942)
http://www.nyclu.org/content/stop-and-frisk-data (stop & frisk graph)
http://quizlet.com/6638567/social-justice-vocabulary-flash-cards/ (vocab flashcards)
http://ftp.gimp.org/pub/gimp/v2.8/windows/gimp-2.8.10-setup.exe (Download GIMP)
https://www.edmodo.com/ (classroom social media/forum site)
http://www.epals.com/ (internet pen pals with other classrooms)

meme
/mm/ noun: meme; plural noun: memes
1. an element of a culture or system of behavior that may be considered to be passed from
one individual to another by nongenetic means, esp. imitation.
2. a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied (often with slight variations)
and spread rapidly by Internet users.

Motivator:
Good to know game. Students will toss a ball with questions around the circle
answering questions related to social responsibility and advocacy from a personal perspective.
This will open dialogue for the class before they peruse materials.
Students should become familiar with the materials listed above; visit websites, read
texts, try the quizzes, and write down two or three (or more) questions or comments for
discussion in small groups. After the small groups the class should come together for a larger
dialogue about what they have seen and read.

Information:
Definitions, explanations, and examples can be found within the material provided and
will be expanded upon through class/group discussions. Detailed instructions will be verbal, in
the syllabus, and posted online.

Practice:
After class and group discussions, students will work in pairs or small groups to
brainstorm ideas for their memes. Students will create a meme (using Photoshop or equivalent
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program) of a social justice issue using one or more of the new vocabulary words and post it on
edmodo.com. The class will comment on each others memes and engage in dialogue over a
course of several days. The forum will be joined by other classes we have met through
epals.com, and students will be encouraged to invite family members, classmates, and faculty
to join the conversation.
By reading the texts and comparing the information from WWII to current events,
students will be able to identify social justice issues, and through discussions students will learn
where their responsibilities as individuals to social justice lie. Using current graphs students will
be able to discuss and understand what graphs represent. Using the vocabulary from the
website in their memes, students will become comfortable with these words and utilize them in
discussion.

Feedback:

Verbal
The teacher will respond to discussion questions and comments and will have mini
conferences with each student while they are working on their memes.

Written
Students will receive a tentative number grade on the initial meme; the whole project
will be a different grade and include participation and depth of thought. The meme will be
graded from the attached rubric.

Review:
The close of this lesson will be a short, informal personal reflection essay (1-1/2+ pages,
correct grammar and spelling) explaining what was learned about social responsibility and how
the student feels about being an advocate for social justice. Do they think they will be vocal?
Will they make changes in their daily use of vocabulary (either adding new vocabulary or
removing certain words)?

Assessment:
Students will be assessed on the depth of thought they put into creating their meme
and their involvement in the forum conversations as well as self reflective informal essay.
There may be a short quiz, where students will use the vocabulary in sentences that reflect
what they have read in the non-fiction documents, and seen in the graphs or memes.
Assessment will also be ongoing throughout the term to see if students attitudes and/or
vocabulary change.







Running Head: LESSON PLAN: and Justice for All 5














10 - 8 7 - 5 4 - 0
Creativity and
Originality
Meme is original in
design and wording,
or uses borrowed
designs in order to
creatively play off
already established
memes.
Meme uses borrowed
design but does not
play off of the original
design.
Meme is unoriginal
and does not make
sense to the reader.
Relevance Must highlight a
contemporary social
justice issue, but may
use elements of past
social justice issues as
comparisons or to
give context.
Meme does not
highlight
contemporary social
justice issue, but
focuses on past issues
exclusively.
Meme does not
highlight a social
justice issue,
contemporary or
otherwise.
Vocabulary Correctly uses two or
more vocabulary
words from the
lesson.
Correctly uses one
vocabulary word from
the lesson.
Incorrectly uses
vocabulary from the
lesson or uses none of
the vocabulary words
from the lesson.
*Feel free to discuss ideas with me before you begin your project.