Lesson Plan

Sexism, Ageism, and Anonymity in Literature and Writing

The following five-day mini-unit serves as a primer for a longer unit in which students will read, dissect, and discuss the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This mini-unit is essentially a week-long anticipatory activity rooted in Social Justice Education in which students will be introduced to the core tenets of The Outsiders, focusing on the issues of inequality and classism in the book, as well as sexism and ageism faced by Hinton herself. Students will be encouraged to think critically about the issues of inequality and prejudice as well as the positive and negative aspects of anonymity in writing and will be asked to make applications to their own lives for the purpose of affecting change within themselves and their communities. Students will ultimately take part in critical text production, in which they will produce a piece of writing to be shared, anonymously, with a public audience for the purpose of reflection on the concept of forced anonymity. Students will be formatively assessed throughout the week through vocabulary self-assessment charts, group discussions, and written reflections, and ultimately summatively assessed at week’s end by performing a short oral presentation that reflects on lessons learned and the experiences of the week.

This lesson plan is separated into five sections -- one section for each day of the week. After each daily lesson plan, I included copies of handouts, pictures, rubrics, etc, used in that day’s lesson. Due to the format of the plans, certain sections may be redundant, such as Student Background, Culture, Context, and Rationale. These sections are duplicated to maintain a consistent structure throughout the unit.

Title: Sexism, Ageism, and Anonymity in Literature and Writing Grade and Subject: 6th Grade Language Arts
LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN CONTEXT
Overview			Many prolific female authors have, at points in their careers, used pseudonyms to mask their identities as women due to prejudice from publishers and audiences. Many young writers’ pieces are dismissed solely because of their age. Over the next nine weeks, my students will be reading The Outsiders, a novel by S.E Hinton, a teenage woman who was asked to hide aspects of her identity in order to sell more books. This week serves a primer for the social justice issues surrounding these circumstances and explores the ways in which these issues still affect our society. Day 1: The Outsiders, its plot and themes, will be presented to the class as well as background reading about its author, S.E Hinton. Students will be given a vocabulary assessment sheet in which they will place terms highlighted by the teacher in the discussion, such as pseudonym, anonymous, sexism, classism, ageism, prejudice, and inequality.
Student Background, Culture, and Context			Bennett’s Mill Middle School is a Title I school with a racial demographic breakdown of 60% African-American, 20% White, 15% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. It is the only Title I school in the county and by far the most racially and socioeconomically diverse. While the school performs fairly well in standardized testing for a Title I school, it is by far the lowest scoring middle school in the county and therefore carries a stigma in the community. Teachers, administrators,  and some students are aware of this stigma, which drives much of the school’s push for reform, improvement, and excellence.
Rationale			While my 6th grade class on the whole may not be quite as familiar with the disparity between Bennett’s Mill and other county schools yet, some students have expressed the desire to attend a neighboring school. Overall, the school and its faculty and students are at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic factors beyond their control and face a proverbial uphill battle to succeed. This lesson will hopefully portray similar disadvantages and struggles undergone by some notable authors who overcame them to succeed in academics and in life.
2. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Purpose of the Lesson:  Central Focus (Essential Questions)			Why would someone conceal their identity when he or she writes? What are pseudonyms and why are they used instead writing anonymously? Should age factor into perception of writing ability? Is sexism/ageism concerning modern-day writers as prevalent as it once was?
Learning Objective(s)			vocabulary expansion and immersion critical thought about social issues and fairness application to students’ own lives ability to synthesize thoughts into coherent, verbalized summary
Academic Language	Language Function		Students will reflect on themes of the book and how they relate to their own lives. Students will discuss with a partner their thoughts on these themes. Students will synthesize their arguments with their partner’s and verbalize their main points. Students will self-assess their current knowledge of vocabulary terms.
	Vocabulary		anonymous, pseudonym, inequality, sexism, ageism, classism, narrator, bias, perspective, conflict, society, prejudice
	Syntax or Discourse		Students will use a self-assessment chart to write down vocabulary words and reflect as to what extent they are able to demonstrate knowledge of the word. In order for a word to be “known,” students must be able to define it and correctly use it in a sentence in which the meaning of the word is clearly conveyed by context. Students will prove knowledge of meaning and purpose of think-pair-share activity, in which student internalize information, discuss and analyze with a  partner, then synthesize ideas and share with rest of class.
GSE - Georgia Standards of Excellence			ELAGSE6R19 - compare one author’s presentation of events with that of another ELAGSE6W9 - draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research ELAGSE6W7 - conduct a short research project to answer a question ELAGSE6SL1 - engage in a range of collaborative discussions
Formal and Informal Assessment			Students will self-assess prior knowledge of vocabulary and the instructor will formatively assess which terms need the most attention. Instructor will also formally assess the main points made by students after the think-pair-share and evaluate how well students understand the general themes of the book and how they relate to society.
3. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN ACTIVITIES
Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks that Support Diverse Student Needs		Introduction (20 mins)	Introduction of The Outsiders, including its general plot and themes, as well as introduction of unit’s essential questions. Overview of author S.E. Hinton and the choice to use a pseudonym upon distribution. Introduction will include a focus on the Socs and the Greasers and what they represent as well as a group read and visual representations on the overhead about S.E. Hinton and The Outsiders. Also included is a focus on why publishers thought the book would sell better if written under a pseudonym and how that relates to sexism.
		Body (25 mins)	Students will think-pair-share about the themes of the book, essential questions, overhead notes, and their general thoughts and feelings about pseudonyms, sexism, classism, and ageism. Students will synthesize their thoughts and share them will the class in a class discussion facilitated by the teacher.
		Closure (10 mins)	Students will fill out their vocabulary self-assessments which include the terms discussed in the day’s lesson. They will turn them in as their exit ticket and the instructor will formatively, holistically assess how well students understand each term. Self-assessment sheets will be given back the next day and used throughout the weeks as a means of measuring understanding of the terms.
Differentiation, Modification(s), and  Accommodation(s)			Students have assigned seats and predetermined partners that enable productive discussion during think-pair-share activities. A printed version of the overhead notes will be available to students who require them according to their IEP.
4. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN RESOURCES
Materials			Vocabulary self-assessment chart Overhead Overhead biography and images Copies of The Outsiders

S.E. Hinton Mini-Biography

Susan Eloise Hinton was born in 1950 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Outsiders was published in 1967, when Hinton was only 17 years old and attending Will Rogers High School. She began writing the first draft of the novel when she was 15, and writing and rewriting took a year and a half before she was happy with the final copy. The publisher — believing that the book would have more credibility if people assumed that a male had written it — advised her to use her initials, S. E.. Hinton was not a member of a gang when she wrote The Outsiders, but she was a friend to many Greasers. She has stated that her biggest compliment was that her greaser friends liked the book. Although she also had friends who were Socs, she definitely did not consider herself a part of that group. Her mother's reaction to the novel was shock; she said, "Susie, where did you pick up all of this?"

Title: Sexism, Ageism, and Anonymity in Literature and Writing Grade and Subject: 6th Grade Language Arts
1. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN CONTEXT
Overview			Many prolific female authors have, at points in their careers, used pseudonyms to mask their identities as women due to prejudice from publishers and audiences. Many young writers’ pieces are dismissed solely because of their age. Over the next nine weeks, my students will be reading The Outsiders, a novel by S.E Hinton, a teenage woman who was asked to hide aspects of her identity in order to sell more books. This week serves a primer for the social justice issues surrounding these circumstances and explores the ways in which these issues still affect our society. Day 2: This lesson will focus on inequality and fairness. Students will be asked to think and write about whether or not an author’s gender does affect who reads their work and whether or not it should.
Student Background, Culture, and Context			Bennett’s Mill Middle School is a Title I school with a racial demographic breakdown of 60% African-American, 20% White, 15% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. It is the only Title I school in the county and by far the most racially and socioeconomically diverse. While the school performs fairly well in standardized testing for a Title I school, it is by far the lowest scoring middle school in the county and therefore carries a stigma in the community. Teachers, administrators,  and some students are aware of this stigma, which drives much of the school’s push for reform, improvement, and excellence.
Rationale			While my 6th grade class on the whole may not be quite as familiar with the disparity between Bennett’s Mill and other county schools yet, some students have expressed the desire to attend a neighboring school. Overall, the school and its faculty and students are at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic factors beyond their control and face a proverbial uphill battle to succeed. This lesson will hopefully portray similar disadvantages and struggles undergone by some notable authors who overcame them to succeed in academics and in life.
2. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Purpose of the Lesson:  Central Focus (Essential Questions)			Why would someone conceal their identity when he or she writes? What are pseudonyms and why are they used instead writing anonymously Should age factor into perception of writing ability? Is sexism/ageism concerning modern-day writers as prevalent as it once was?
Learning Objective(s)			vocabulary expansion and immersion critical thought about social issues and fairness application to students’ own lives ability to synthesize thoughts into cohesive writing
Academic Language	Language Function		Students will reflect on themes of the book and how they relate to their own lives. Students will synthesize their thoughts and write a thoughtful essay on inequality. Student will share their essays with their peers and critique their peers’ essays.
	Vocabulary		anonymous, pseudonym, inequality, sexism, bias, society, fairness, social justice
	Syntax or Discourse		Students will express their thoughts about inequality through expository essay writing. Students will critique classmates’ writing by producing counter-arguments.
GSE - Georgia Standards of Excellence			ELAGSE6R19 - compare one author’s presentation of events with that of another ELAGSE6W9 - draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research ELAGSE6W7 - conduct a short research project to answer a question ELAGSE6SL1 - engage in a range of collaborative discussions
Formal and Informal Assessment			Essays will be read by classmates and the teacher. The teacher will formatively, holistically assess progress made concerning students’ grasp on the concept of gender inequality.
3. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN ACTIVITIES
Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks that Support Diverse Student Needs		Introduction (10 mins)	Review of S.E. Hinton’s use of a pseudonym and the reasoning behind it as well as how this relates to other forms of inequality. Short discussion on gender issues and how the gender of an author can affect readership.
		Body (30 mins)	Students will spend the majority of class crafting an essay about how they think an author’s gender affects writing and readership. Students will be asked to answer whether or not an author’s gender does affect who reads their work and whether or not it should.
		Closure (10 mins)	Students will review a partner’s essay. During this peer review, students will be asked to provide counter-arguments to their partner’s essay and challenge any holes in their arguments.
Differentiation, Modification(s), and  Accommodation(s)			Students have assigned seats and predetermined partners that enable productive discussion during peer review. Students who excessively struggle with writing may be partnered with a teacher to help guide writing and ensure a productive peer review session.
4. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN RESOURCES
Materials			Overhead for notes Copies of The Outsiders

Title: Sexism, Ageism, and Anonymity in Literature and Writing Grade and Subject: 6th Grade Language Arts
LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN CONTEXT
Overview			Many prolific female authors have, at points in their careers, used pseudonyms to mask their identities as women due to prejudice from publishers and audiences. Many young writers’ pieces are dismissed solely because of their age. Over the next nine weeks, my students will be reading The Outsiders, a novel by S.E Hinton, a teenage woman who was asked to hide aspects of her identity in order to sell more books. This week serves a primer for the social justice issues surrounding these circumstances and explores the ways in which these issues still affect our society. Day 3: This lesson features a discrepant event in which the teacher (adult male) will read something “he” wrote to the class. In actuality, the piece will be written by Anne Frank. The teacher will reveal the author’s true identity to the class after a brief discussion on the piece and have a resulting discussion about how perceptions may or may not have changed based on the identity of the author.
Student Background, Culture, and Context			Bennett’s Mill Middle School is a Title I school with a racial demographic breakdown of 60% African-American, 20% White, 15% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. It is the only Title I school in the county and by far the most racially and socioeconomically diverse. While the school performs fairly well in standardized testing for a Title I school, it is by far the lowest scoring middle school in the county and therefore carries a stigma in the community. Teachers, administrators,  and some students are aware of this stigma, which drives much of the school’s push for reform, improvement, and excellence.
Rationale			While my 6th grade class on the whole may not be quite as familiar with the disparity between Bennett’s Mill and other county schools yet, some students have expressed the desire to attend a neighboring school. Overall, the school and its faculty and students are at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic factors beyond their control and face a proverbial uphill battle to succeed. This lesson will hopefully portray similar disadvantages and struggles undergone by some notable authors who overcame them to succeed in academics and in life.
2. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Purpose of the Lesson:  Central Focus (Essential Questions)			Why would someone conceal their identity when he or she writes? What are pseudonyms and why are they used instead writing anonymously? Should age factor into perception of writing ability? Is sexism/ageism concerning modern-day writers as prevalent as it once was?
Learning Objective(s)			critical thought about social issues and fairness application to students’ own lives Social Studies cross-connection
Academic Language	Language Function		Students will actively listen to an author read his own work. Students will participate in class discussions.
	Vocabulary		pseudonym, inequality, sexism, ageism, narrator, bias, perspective, conflict, society, Holocaust
	Syntax or Discourse		Students will compare and contrast the thoughts and feelings they had before and after the discrepant event reveal. They will understand what a discrepant event is and its purpose in the lesson.
GSE - Georgia Standards of Excellence			ELAGSE6R19 - compare one author’s presentation of events with that of another ELAGSE6W9 - draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research ELAGSE6W7 - conduct a short research project to answer a question ELAGSE6SL1 - engage in a range of collaborative discussions
Formal and Informal Assessment			The teacher will formatively assess class knowledge based on class discussion and individual knowledge based on exit ticket.
3. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN ACTIVITIES
Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks that Support Diverse Student Needs		Introduction (15 mins)	The teacher will read an excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank as if it is his own work. The class will discuss the content and themes.
		Body (15 mins)	The teacher will reveal the true author of the excerpt. The class will discuss how and why this affects them and how it does or does not change their perception of the excerpt. The teacher will also give background information on Anne Frank and the Holocaust as a cross-connection to Social Studies.
		Closure (20 mins)	Students will spend the final portion minutes of class writing about what they learned that day. They will include how the experience affected them, connections to essential questions, and whether or not it helped them better understand the concept of veiled identity. These assignments will be turned as an exit ticket and read and formatively assessed by the instructor for comprehension and ability to make connections to essential questions.
Differentiation, Modification(s), and  Accommodation(s)			A general sensitivity to unit issues, with a special focus on how the issues could affect transgender students. Instructor must approach entire unit with compassion and a willingness to be flexible and make changes to plans.
4. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN RESOURCES
Materials			Excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank Copies of The Outsiders

(Excerpt of excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank)

"It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more."

Title: Sexism, Ageism, and Anonymity in Literature and Writing Grade and Subject: 6th Grade Language Arts
LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN CONTEXT
Overview			Many prolific female authors have, at points in their careers, used pseudonyms to mask their identities as women due to prejudice from publishers and audiences. Many young writers’ pieces are dismissed solely because of their age. Over the next nine weeks, my students will be reading The Outsiders, a novel by S.E Hinton, a teenage woman who was asked to hide aspects of her identity in order to sell more books. This week serves a primer for the social justice issues surrounding these circumstances and explores the ways in which these issues still affect our society. Day 4: Students will create an editorial (produce a counter-narrative) about why it was (or was not) unfair that S.E. Hinton was asked to conceal her identity. These editorials will be collected, combined, and formed into a essay collection to be distributed to the class (and possibly others in the school). The catch here is that students will not be allowed to attach their own names to their essays -- they must write anonymously.
Student Background, Culture, and Context			Bennett’s Mill Middle School is a Title I school with a racial demographic breakdown of 60% African-American, 20% White, 15% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. It is the only Title I school in the county and by far the most racially and socioeconomically diverse. While the school performs fairly well in standardized testing for a Title I school, it is by far the lowest scoring middle school in the county and therefore carries a stigma in the community. Teachers, administrators,  and some students are aware of this stigma, which drives much of the school’s push for reform, improvement, and excellence.
Rationale			While my 6th grade class on the whole may not be quite as familiar with the disparity between Bennett’s Mill and other county schools yet, some students have expressed the desire to attend a neighboring school. Overall, the school and its faculty and students are at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic factors beyond their control and face a proverbial uphill battle to succeed. This lesson will hopefully portray similar disadvantages and struggles undergone by some notable authors who overcame them to succeed in academics and in life.
2. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Purpose of the Lesson:  Central Focus (Essential Questions)			Why would someone conceal their identity when he or she writes? What are pseudonyms and why are they used instead writing anonymously? Should age factor into perception of writing ability? Is sexism/ageism concerning modern-day writers as prevalent as it once was?
Learning Objective(s)			persuasive writing critical thought about social issues and fairness application to students’ own lives ability to synthesize thoughts into cohesive, written editorial
Academic Language	Language Function		Students will reflect on themes of inequality and social injustice and persuade their audience by writing a persuasive counter-narrative essay.
	Vocabulary		anonymous, pseudonym, inequality, sexism, ageism, classism, narrator, bias, perspective, conflict, society, persuasive essay
	Syntax or Discourse		Students will internalize what they have learned and what they perceive about inequality and social injustice and produce a critical text for the purpose of social change. Students will understand what constitutes a persuasive essay and write an effective one.
GSE - Georgia Standards of Excellence			ELAGSE6R19 - compare one author’s presentation of events with that of another ELAGSE6W9 - draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research ELAGSE6W7 - conduct a short research project to answer a question ELAGSE6SL1 - engage in a range of collaborative discussions
Formal and Informal Assessment			Essays will be assessed for both content and syntax using a rubric.
3. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN ACTIVITIES
Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks that Support Diverse Student Needs		Introduction (5 mins)	Explain assignment, especially the purpose behind forcing students to write anonymously. Model the exercise by reading an example written by instructor or exemplary example from a past student. Provide clear expectations for assignments including connections to essential questions and to S.E. Hinton and The Outsiders.
		Body (40 mins)	Students will quietly write their essays. They will be able to use notes from the week. Instructor will walk around the room, checking in with each student at least once to guide their essay in an appropriate direction. Dictionaries and thesauruses will be available to aid with spelling and word choice.
		Closure (5 mins)	If finished, students may conduct a quick peer review with a partner. Otherwise they should continue to revise essay and may choose to further discuss essay with teacher.
Differentiation, Modification(s), and  Accommodation(s)			Students who express anxiety about having their essays read by the public may ask to have theirs read by only the teacher.
4. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN RESOURCES
Materials			Copies of The Outsiders Writing Rubric (from soderbergworld.com) Dictionaries Thesauruses

Title: Sexism, Ageism, and Anonymity in Literature and Writing Grade and Subject: 6th Grade Language Arts
LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN CONTEXT
Overview			Many prolific female authors have, at points in their careers, used pseudonyms to mask their identities as women due to prejudice from publishers and audiences. Many young writers’ pieces are dismissed solely because of their age. Over the next nine weeks, my students will be reading The Outsiders, a novel by S.E Hinton, a teenage woman who was asked to hide aspects of her identity in order to sell more books. This week serves a primer for the social justice issues surrounding these circumstances and explores the ways in which these issues still affect our society. Day 5: Students will give a brief, yet formal oral presentation on their thoughts about the previous day’s assignment, as well as the concepts of sexism, ageism, and anonymity as they relate to the essential questions and standards.
Student Background, Culture, and Context			Bennett’s Mill Middle School is a Title I school with a racial demographic breakdown of 60% African-American, 20% White, 15% Hispanic, and 5% Asian. It is the only Title I school in the county and by far the most racially and socioeconomically diverse. While the school performs fairly well in standardized testing for a Title I school, it is by far the lowest scoring middle school in the county and therefore carries a stigma in the community. Teachers, administrators,  and some students are aware of this stigma, which drives much of the school’s push for reform, improvement, and excellence.
Rationale			While my 6th grade class on the whole may not be quite as familiar with the disparity between Bennett’s Mill and other county schools yet, some students have expressed the desire to attend a neighboring school. Overall, the school and its faculty and students are at a disadvantage due to socioeconomic factors beyond their control and face a proverbial uphill battle to succeed. This lesson will hopefully portray similar disadvantages and struggles undergone by some notable authors who overcame them to succeed in academics and in life.
2. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Purpose of the Lesson:  Central Focus (Essential Questions)			Why would someone conceal their identity when he or she writes? What are pseudonyms and why are they used instead writing anonymously? Should age factor into perception of writing ability? Is sexism/ageism concerning modern-day writers as prevalent as it once was?
Learning Objective(s)			oral presentation skills critical thought about social issues and fairness application to students’ own lives ability to synthesize thoughts into fluid oral presentation
Academic Language	Language Function		Students will orally present a short presentation on the themes of the week and adhere to the guidelines of good public speaking.
	Vocabulary		anonymous, pseudonym, inequality, sexism, ageism, classism, narrator, bias, perspective, conflict, society
	Syntax or Discourse		Students will code their thoughts and essays into verbal communication for a public audience.
GSE - Georgia Standards of Excellence			ELAGSE6R19 - compare one author’s presentation of events with that of another ELAGSE6W9 - draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research ELAGSE6W7 - conduct a short research project to answer a question ELAGSE6SL1 - engage in a range of collaborative discussions
Formal and Informal Assessment			The instructor will assess the oral presentation using a rubric that includes assessment of public speaking in general as well as assessment of inclusion of themes from the week and grasp of those themes.
3. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN ACTIVITIES
Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks that Support Diverse Student Needs		Introduction (2 mins)	(Depending on class size, this lesson may require two days to complete, but for the purpose of this assignment, it will all fit into one class period.) Review guidelines for being a successful public speaker, listener, and audience member and express expectations for both speakers and listeners. Model the behaviors of each.
		Body (45 mins)	Oral presentations. Use rubric to grade each student in real time as to evaluate while presentation is fresh in mind. Grade may be changed later after further reflection. Give brief constructive feedback after each student’s presentation.
		Closure (3 mins)	Appreciations - Students may offer edifying words of praise relating to the experiences of the week. This will promote classroom unity and build relationships.
Differentiation, Modification(s), and  Accommodation(s)			Students who have documented anxiety about public speaking may perform their presentation one-on-one with the teacher at a future time.
4. LESSON AND ASSESSMENT PLAN RESOURCES
Materials			Oral Presentation Rubric (from readthinkwrite.org)