Carefully crafted questions can go a long way in a classroom setting. Inquiries that center around a thematic big idea set the stage for the upcoming lesson, and unit, and begin the learning process for students. Research conducted by Moussa-Inaty (2017) reiterated the power of using guiding questions when teaching, noting its strength specifically to reflective writing pedagogy (p. 111). Regardless of domain, questions that pique interest, create space for critical thinking, and guide students to integrating ideas are key components of an effective educator’s repertoire. Questions guide the junior-level American literature unit below, titled “Black Voices in American Literature and Beyond.”
Part I. Connecting Strategies
Table 1
The Where
| BIG IDEA: Black Voices in American Literature and Beyond | ||
| Location and Strategy | Language Arts (“English language,” 2017) | Social Studies (“Social studies,” 2017) |
| Independent work Close-read think-alouds: Students will be given speeches and poems to start the unit on Black Voices. The teacher will assess individual work as a pre-assessment, seeing how effectively students can closely read differing texts. To scaffold, the teacher will showcase a close-read think-aloud to highlight a thinking-reading process. | RL.5: Analyze how an author’s choices about structuring and relating different elements in the text (e.g., use of epilogues, prologues, acts, scenes, chapters, stanzas) contribute to meaning as well as aesthetic impact. Students will analyze orators’ and poets’ choices and how they contribute to meaning and aesthetics. | US.6-12.1: Analyze primary and secondary sources with attention to reliability, impact, and purpose. Students will analyze historical texts for purpose and impact. |
| Individual/Small groups SOAPSTone jigsaw The teacher will introduce the SOAPSTone acronym to guide reading analysis of the speeches and poems. After working on identifying components individually on a chosen text, students will be grouped based on their findings within that specific text. | RL.8: Delineate and evaluate a text’s argumentative reasoning and persuasive techniques, including emotional appeals and establishing credibility. Students will identify and evaluate rhetorical devices within a poem. | RH.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. Students will discern differences between two types of sources that discuss the same topic. |
| Partner groups Mini-debates The teacher will direct students to debate the significance of a particular SOAPSTone component with a partner, arguing the merits of the particular element. Students will work on persuasive writing and speaking with purpose, grounding their claims with textual evidence. | RI.8: Delineate and evaluate a text’s argumentative reasoning and persuasive techniques, including emotional appeals and establishing credibility. Students will identify and evaluate rhetorical devices within a speech. | US.6-12.1: Analyze primary and secondary sources with attention to reliability, impact, and purpose. Students will analyze historical texts for impact and reliability. |
| Independent work Significant passages Students will read the unit’s novels, identifying significant passages within each that highlight characters, themes, and central ideas. Students will independently answer teacher-created significant passage inquiries along with creating their own. Students will use strong textual evidence to back up their positions. | RL.2: Determine and analyze themes and/or central ideas of texts: a. Determine themes and/or central ideas. b. Analyze in detail the development of the themes and/or central ideas over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account. c. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence. Students will analyze themes from the novels, comparing the similarities and differences between each. | RH.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. Students will compare source material’s similarities and differences using contextual evidence. |
| Whole group Citation critiques: The teacher will guide students through MLA style, modeling correct mechanics via in-process and completed citations. The teacher will ask for volunteers to identify correct and incorrect mechanics within citations. Students will then practice citations as a whole class, with student volunteers trying their hands at creating correct citations. The teacher will debrief with students, discussing why style guides are the way they are and how authors use citations. | RL/I.1: Read closely to comprehend texts of grade-level appropriate complexity: a. Determine what the text says explicitly and implicitly. d. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence. Students will evaluate citations, identifying plagiarism, incorrect citations, and why writers should give credit when credit is due. | RH.5: Analyze in detail how a complex primary source presents information. Students will identify primary sources and how their authors cite evidence. |
| Small groups Venn diagrams: Students will create a Venn diagram to compare the unit’s two novels. Working together in small groups, students will identify similarities and differences between plots, characters, settings, themes, and authors’ voices. The teacher will prompt students to elaborate on certain placements, and students are expected to justify the positionings within their Venn diagrams. | RL. 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that creates particular aesthetic effects. Students will identify and analyze similarities and differences between the two novels, critiquing the authors’ choices. | RH.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in complex texts, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science; identify wording that indicates bias. Students will determine authors’ voices and identify biased wording. |
| Partner/Whole group KWL charts: Students will recap their learning so far through KWL charts. The teacher will direct them to research the Harlem Renaissance through online platforms, adding to the KWL chart as they go. The class will share out their discoveries, noting similarities and differences between classmates’ findings. | W.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources. a. Use advanced searches effectively. b. Assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience. Students will research the Harlem Renaissance and explore the artistic artifacts from the time period. | RH.3: Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging uncertainties or ambiguities in the text. Students will explore multiple perspectives on the Harlem Renaissance, noting common themes and differences between authors. |
| Independent/Whole group Weaving threads and building webs: Students will summarize their findings from the KWL chart and the unit in general by creating individual learning webs. The webs will explore the intersections and divergences of the Black voices that have been studied throughout the unit. These webs will be connected with one another on the whiteboard with the whole class, showcasing the rich variety of student learning found within the unit. | RL.9: Analyze and evaluate how two or more texts within and/or across time periods treat similar themes or topics. Students will synthesize connections between artistic artifacts of the era to today’s artistic movements. | RH.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. Students will integrate historical connections with their prior knowledge to create a final artifact. |
| Independent RAFTS writing: Students will create a final artistic artifact that connects to the unit both from literary and historical vantagepoints. Using the RAFTS writing model, students will select what type of product they will create as a summative assessment of their learning throughout the unit. | W.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, style, and format (e.g., MLA, APA) are appropriate to a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. Students will select a format and write an artifact that connects to the work of the unit. | RH.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in complex texts, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science; identify wording that indicates bias. Students will write in a manner inspired by historical authors, including matching historical vocabulary and ideas on political, social, and/or economic aspects of history/social science. |
Part II. Questioning Strategies
Independent work: Analyze orators’ and poets’ choices and how they contribute to meaning and aesthetics. Analyze historical texts for purpose and impact [analysis].
Individual/Small groups: Identify and evaluate rhetorical devices within a poem. Discern differences between two types of sources that discuss the same topic [knowledge, evaluation].
Partner groups: Identify and evaluate rhetorical devices within a speech. Analyze historical texts for impact and reliability [knowledge, analysis, evaluation].
Independent work: Analyze themes from the novels, comparing the similarities and differences between each. Compare source material’s similarities and differences using contextual evidence [analysis].
Whole group: Evaluate citations, identifying plagiarism, incorrect citations, and why writers should give credit when credit is due. Identify primary sources and how their authors cite evidence [evaluation, knowledge].
Small groups: Identify and analyze similarities and differences between the two novels, critiquing the authors’ choices. Determine authors’ voices and identify biased wording [knowledge, analysis].
Partner/Whole group: Research the Harlem Renaissance and explore the artistic artifacts from the time period. Explore multiple perspectives on the Harlem Renaissance, noting common themes and differences between authors [application].
Independent/Whole group: Synthesize connections between artistic artifacts of the era to today’s artistic movements. Integrate historical connections with their prior knowledge to create a final artifact [synthesis].
Independent: Select a format and write an artifact that connects to the work of the unit. Write in a manner inspired by historical authors, including matching historical vocabulary and ideas on political, social, and/or economic aspects of history/social science [knowledge, synthesis]
Part III. Products
Table 2
Big idea: What’s new?
| BIG IDEA: Black Voices in American Literature and Beyond | ||||
| Example | Language Arts | Social Studies | ||
| Product | Objective | Product | Objective | |
| 1 | Close-read think-alouds annotations: poems. | Analyze orators’ and poets’ choices and how they contribute to meaning and aesthetics. | Close-read think-alouds annotations: speeches. | Analyze historical texts for purpose and impact. |
| 2 | SOAPSTone jigsaw notes: poems. | Identify and evaluate rhetorical devices within a poem. | SOAPSTone jigsaw notes: speeches. | Discern differences between two types of sources that discuss the same topic |
| 3 | Mini-debate discussions: Literary strategies | Identify and evaluate rhetorical devices within a speech. | Mini-debate discussions: Historical context | Analyze historical texts for impact and reliability |
| 4 | Significant passages exit slips: Novels | Analyze themes from the novels, comparing the similarities and differences between each. | Historical context notes on authors. | Compare source material’s similarities and differences using contextual evidence |
| 5 | Citation critiques practice notes | Evaluate citations, identifying plagiarism, incorrect citations, and why writers should give credit when credit is due. | Notes on primary document citations | Identify primary sources and how their authors cite evidence |
| 6 | Venn diagrams: Novel work | Identify and analyze similarities and differences between the two novels, critiquing the authors’ choices. | Notes on voice characteristics and biases. | Determine authors’ voices and identify biased wording |
| 7 | KWL charts: artistic artifacts | Research the Harlem Renaissance and explore the artistic artifacts from the time period. | KWL charts: artist biographies | Explore multiple perspectives on the Harlem Renaissance, noting common themes and differences between authors. |
| 8 | Weaving threads and building webs activity | Synthesize connections between artistic artifacts of the era to today’s artistic movements. | Connection notes on historical figures | Integrate historical connections with their prior knowledge to create a final artifact. |
| 9 | RAFTS writing project | Select a format and write an artifact that connects to the work of the unit. | RAFTS writing project | Write in a manner inspired by historical authors, including matching historical vocabulary and ideas on political, social, and/or economic aspects of history/social science. |
Part IV. Reflecting
The tables and action verbs above make clear that distinct connections are possible within this unit. The interconnectedness of the strategies builds on each another throughout the unit, likely strengthening the content’s effectiveness. For example, by starting with lower level thinking skills within the knowledge category and moving up through analysis and creation as the unit progresses, students will have natural scaffolding available to them as they integrate ideas and build upon prior knowledge. In particular, I think the summative assessment of creating an artifact of a student’s choosing is an effective final product, one that pushes their abilities, opens their creative thinking, and asks them to capitulate the entire unit through a concluding piece of writing.
Asking questions frames the understanding of these relationships in profound ways. Teachers should always be asking themselves these three grounding questions: What do the students know, where are we know, and where are we headed. With these guiding inquiries in mind, educators can begin building lesson, and unit, frameworks that will guide students forward in an effective manner. This is easier said than done, of course. One area of struggle I had with this module was continuously thinking about how different this unit will look in practice, not just in my head. I know that I do not do my due diligence when backward designing sometimes because I tell myself that curveballs and snow days will inevitably throw us off track. Nonetheless, I think it is still important to go through the motions and plan as much as possible within a unit. Detours and delays should be expected, but that is not a good enough reason to embark on a trip though a unit without planning one’s travels as thoroughly as possible.
Part V. Implementing
I chose to implement the initial strategy in my class earlier this week: The read-aloud think-aloud annotation work for a poem. I did so with my juniors with the poem “We Wear the Mask” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. My students responded mostly positively with the integrated approach; poetry is decidedly not their favorite literary genre, but they indulged me with their participation within the activity. This buy-in is never a given, and I think they understood the significance of the poem and the poet as we embark on the Black Voices unit.
Students enjoyed reading and analyzing the poem with low-stakes assessment attached to it. The poem is largely accessible, and students said that they mostly “got it.” This was further underscored after the close-read, when I modeled and directed them to practice a read-aloud. While a little awkward at first, students seemed to enjoy hearing their classmates’ reading processes. Many of the conversations sounded like my modeling, so if I were to do this lesson again, I would do a different poem so the urge to copy my thoughts within discussions would not be as easy. Another challenge of this type of integrated strategy is trying to encourage all students to participate. It is a tough sell. By junior year, very clear opinions on poetry have been melded in the minds of students. Sometimes, the opinions are positive. Other times, they are not. Students who do not like poetry did not engage with this activity to the level I would have liked to have seen. Going forward, I would perhaps allow them to practice the strategy on another piece of writing, like a short story or essay, though I will continue to advocate for poetry to be read by all my students.
References
Moussa-Inaty, J. (2015). Reflective writing through the use of guiding questions. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 27(1), 104-113.
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (2017). North Dakota English language arts & literacy content standards. NDDPI. https://www.nd.gov/dpi/sites/www/files/
documents/Academic%20Support/ELA-Literacy%20Standards-2017%20Final-Revised%2009-21-2020.pdf.
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (2017). North Dakota social studies content standards. NDDPI. https://www.nd.gov/dpi/sites/www/files/documents/
Academic%20Support/Rev5_2021.05.19_Social_Studies_Content%20Standards.pdf
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