Examining Textbooks and Teaching Materials Through the Lens of Class, Culture, and

Gender
Laura, Martha, Rebecca, Sylvia
15 week unit Graduate Level ItAG
Stage 1 Desired Results
Established Goals:

Over the course of a semester, residents will participate in a detailed process of research and active
self-inquiry on class, culture and gender that will thereby inform a resulting unit plan for use in
grades K-12.

Bridge and practically apply research on the topics of how to teach class, culture and gender within
the current curriculums in use in residents classrooms.

Understandings: Essential Questions:

Resident will understand that class, culture and How do the constructions of class, culture
gender are social constructs that are embedded in and gender impact the narratives we teach
textbooks and teaching materials. our residents?

Residents will understand that these constructions How can we challenge these constructions
were created to privilege certain groups of people and through our own teaching so as to create
marginalize others. new narratives?

Residents will understand how they can challenge How do we help residents locate themselves
these constructions through personal experience, in these narratives so as to grant them
critical thinking, and research. agency?

Residents will understand how to compile or
aggregate material for the creation of curriculum that
is culturally relevant and age appropriate for their
community of students.
How are textbook content and textbook
usage methods of control? (Brantlinger,
2006)

Are textbooks are detrimental to making

pre-service teachers useful? (Brantlinger,
2006)

Residents will know Residents will be able to

How to identify teaching material that reinforces Create unit plans that challenge rather than
problematic social constructs that repeatedly reinforce problematic social constructs that
marginalize certain populations. repeatedly marginalize certain populations.
Where to locate appropriate teaching material. Reimagine and recreate already existing
teaching material that may reinforce
Some tools and strategy to work with school provided problematic social constructs that
teaching materials. repeatedly marginalize certain populations.

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks: Other Evidence:

4 Complete Unit Plans (15 lessons each) Student work samples

Website Videos of teaching
Podcast Teaching material - good and bad
Course Syllabus Weekly group discussions
Group Presentation A collection of guided notes
A collection of personal reflections

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Learning Activities:

1. Group Discussions
2. Individual shared documents (guided notes, research papers, magazine articles, films)
3. Report on execution and experimentation of teaching materials and unit plans
4. Creation of website
5. Creation of a Podcast
6. Group reflection regarding the work done in the iTAG
7. Group Presentation