Exploring Rights and Institutions through Documentary Television Series

Laura Erin Schelble

6 Week Unit Plan 11th grade English
(only 3 Weeks of lesson plans turned in)
Stage 1 Desired Results
Established Goals (Common Core ELA Standards)

(1) Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups,
and teacher-led) with diverse partners on established essential questions, building on others' ideas
and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. (Standard 11-12.1)

(2) Evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats in order to
address prior assumptions and biases in response to the essential questions. (Standard 11-12.7)

Established Goals (NYS ESL Standards)

(3) Formulate, ask and respond to various questions to obtain, clarify and extend information and
meaning (Standard 1.5)

(4) Recognize and communicate personal and multiple points of view within and among groups, in
discussing, interpreting, and evaluating information; make inferences about a writers or speakers
point of view (Standard 3.3)

(5) Recognize and share cross-cultural experiences and ideas, and connect with those of others
(Standard 5.3)

(6) Make and support inferences about information and ideas with reference to features in oral and
written text. Such features include vocabulary, format, facts, sequence, register and relevance of
detail (Standard 1.6)

Understandings:
Students will understand how justice and
legality in the United States is relative and
how it is often based on race, religion, age,
gender and class rather than our constitutional
rights.
Students will understand how long-term
incarceration impacts an individual and the
ways in which education can serve as a means
for preventing crime and subsequent
incarceration.
Students will understand how prior
assumptions/biases about a persons identity
affect the way in which they are treated.
Students will understand the influence that
media plays in determining who is right or
wrong in these cases, and ultimately who gets
incarcerated.
Students will know
The intersections of race, class and education
in our society
How to identify assumptions/biases a person
may have about somebody based solely on
their race, class and education.
The influence of the media, not excluding the
production of the two documentary television
series watched in class, on public opinion
regarding what is right/wrong
Steps in the writing process
Argumentative writing structure (Regents
Prep)
Strategies for engaging in small group/class
discussions around the two documentary
television series
Essential Questions:
1. Who determines what is right? The
public? An individual in a position of
authority? The government? Explain.
2. How does your family shape your
personal identity? How does your
community shape your personal
identity?
3. Who is responsible for protecting your
rights? You as an individual? The
court? The school?
4. Is it possible to change other peoples
opinions of you once theyve already
established beliefs about who you are
and what you represent?
5. What role does media play in swaying
public opinions and determining who is
right and wrong? How does social
media add to those shifting opinions?
6. Can education serve as a means for
preventing crime? Does the education
level of an individual relate to their
potential to commit crime?
7. Is justice relative? Does fairness change
based on race, religion, age, gender,
class etc?
Students will be able to
Use two documentary television
series (Making a Murderer and The
Kalief Browder Story) to examine
the intersections of justice,
incarceration, race, class and
education in our society. Both
assumptions and biases will be
examined in relation to these various
themes.
Apply strategies during group/class
discussions
Develop a strong argument about the
justice system in the United States in
relation to race, class and education
Apply the writing process to produce
an argumentative essay

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks: Other Evidence:

Pre/Post Assessment Argumentative Essay Journal Entries

(Regents Prep) Viewing Guides (to complete while
watching the episodes)
Formal Written Responses (i.e. Exit
Responses)
Informal Written Responses (i.e.
Writing Warmups)
Small Group/Class Discussions
Fishbowl Activity

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Learning Activities:
1. Pre-Assessment Argumentative Essay
2. Class discussion about what forms our identity
3. Gallery Walk Silent Conversation
4. Formal written response (exit response) - Reexamining our beliefs about the convicted
criminals after watching the two trailers for the documentaries we will be watching in class
5. Small group discussion about if legality is/is not a matter of power
6. Journal Prompt (optional)
7. Episode #1 Viewing Guide
8. Formal written response (exit response) - About public sentiment towards law enforcement
9. Turn and Talk - Discussing a quote from the show
10. Timeline of Episode #1
11. Formal written response (exit response) - using evidence from Episode #1 viewing guide
12. Turn and Talk - Discussing a quote from the show
13. Episode #2 Viewing Guide
14. Making inferences about events in Episode #2 (viewing guide continued)
15. Formal written response (exit response) - Using evidence to support your response
16. Turn and Talk Examining a meme about the show
17. Informal written response (writing warmup) - Examining the Sixth Amendment and the rights
granted to us
18. Class Discussion about constitutional rights
19. Episode #3 Viewing Guide
20. Formal written response (exit response) - Steven Avery and his constitutional rights
21. Note-catcher to complete while examining two different sources
22. CER Paragraph about which article (2 sources) best represents Averys case
23. Short class discussion about Trump and the media
24. Chunked Text (article) w/ Focused questions about the media
25. Formal written response (exit response) - Opinion about the media based on the article
26. Short class discussion about education
27. Informal written response (writing warmup) About perceived level of education
28. Episode #4 Viewing Guide
29. Formal written response (exit response) About Brendan Dassey and his
education/responsibility
30. Episode #5 Viewing Guide
31. Formal written response (exit response) About the law and self-preservation

32. Jigsaw Activity Individuals Impact on the Steven Avery Case
33. Episode #7 Viewing Guide
34. Annotated Transcription from the Courtroom
35. Episode #8 Viewing Guide
36. Formal written response (exit response) About Steven Averys decision to not testify
37. Notes for Fishbowl Activity
38. Fishbowl Activity

Laura Schelble
6 Week (30 days) Calendar Overview
Exploring Rights and Institutions through Documentary Television Series

1 2 3 4 5

Pre-Assessment: Pre-Assessment: Introduction: Start MaM Documentary: MaM: Episode #1 (cont)

Prisons in America Prisons in America Rights & Institutions Unit Episode #1 - Eighteen Years Writing Response
Lost + Small Group
Discussion

Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment:
Argumentative Essay Argumentative Essay Exit Response Exit Response Written Response

6 7 8 9 10

MaM Episode #2 MaM: Episode #3- MaM: MaM: Role of Media MaM Episode #4
Turning the Tables Plight of the Accused: Looking at Primary Sources (Primary Source) Indefensible
Rights in Court

Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Annotated Formal Assessment:
Table Exit Response CER paragraph Article and Questions Exit Response

11 12 13 14 15

MaM: Episode #5 The MaM: Episode #6 Testing MaM: Episode #7 MaM: Episode #8 The MaM: Final Thoughts -
Last Person to See the Evidence Framing Defense Great Burden Prepare for Fishbowl
Teresa Alive

Formal Assessment:
Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Annotated Article and Exit Formal Assessment;
Exit Response Jigsaw Share Exit Response Response Notes
 16 17 18 19 20

MaM: Final Thoughts Intro to Kalief Browder Start Kalief Browder Kalief Browder: Kalief Browder:
Fishbowl Documentary: Episode #2 Solitary Confinement
Kalief Browder (primary source)
Episode #1

Formal Assessment; Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment:
Fishbowl Participation Visual Representation Exit Response Table CER paragraph

21 22 23 24 25

Kalief Browder: Kalief Browder: Kalief Browder: Kalief Browder: Kalief Browder:
Writing Response Episode #3 Episode #4 Rikers Island Episode #5
(primary source)

Formal Assessment:
Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment: Annotated Article and Formal Assessment:
Written Response Exit Response Exit Response Questions Exit Response

26 27 28 29 30

Kalief Browder: Kalief Browder: Kalief Browder: Post-Assessment: Post-Assessment:

Episode #6 Final Thoughts Final Thoughts Prisons in America (using Prisons in America (using
Prepare for Fishbowl Fishbowl MaM/Kalief Browder) MaM/Kalief Browder)

Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment; Formal Assessment; Formal Assessment: Formal Assessment:
Exit Response Notes for Fishbowl Fishbowl Participation Argumentative Essay Argumentative Essay