ANNMARIE WOJCIECHOWSKI

UNIT OBJECTIVES

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO FORMULATE A DEFINITION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE IN RELATION TO HUMANITY AND HUMAN INJUSTICE EXAMPLES FROM “THE LAST SHOT” BY DARCY FREY AND GRACELAND BY CHRIS ABANI

Students will be able to compare examples of the social injustice and humanity experienced by the character Elvis in Graceland, by Chris Abani, and Russell, Stephon and Corey in “The Last Shot”, by Darcy Frey.

Students will be able to analyze the effects of social injustices and acts of humanity on the character of Elvis in Graceland, by Chris Abani.

Students will be able to synthesize their knowledge of human injustices in Graceland, by Chris Abani and “The Last Shot”, by Darcy Frey, with outside research from the SIRS database and other sources to produce a research paper on a self-selected social justice topic.

One of the main goals, aside from the objectives, is to link the citizenship component of education
to literature.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• "The Last Shot"
• 1993 Harper magazine feature by Darcy Frey; later turned into a book
• True story of four African American high school basketball players
• Takes place in Coney Island, NY; centers around the struggles of the boys
• Subjects similiar to Graceland: poverty, violence, humanity, social justice

LESSON BASICS

INTRODUCING THE NOVEL, GRACELAND

• Lesson One includes:
• Considering what humanity is, as a quality of treating others
• A brief biography of Chris Abani
• Chris Abani on humanity: TED Talk
• Assessment: reflection on the following promt:

PROMPT:Write a three paragraph reflection that includes acts of kindness you have witnessed, heard about or committed yourself; how have those acts of kindness affected you or others? Does humanity and humane treatment matter in the grand scheme of things? What about the evil that exists in the world – can the goodness offset the evil? What can be inferred about a person’s character through their treatment of others?

INCORPORATING NONFICTION AND HISTORY

• Lesson nine includes:
• A pictorial from Time magazine - 25 indelible images from 9/11
• Whole class discussion on the relationship between humanity and justice
• Analyzing and reflecting on "A Time of Gifts", essay by Stephen Goulding
• Assessment: relfection from the following prompt:

PROMPT:You should read and annotate this essay and then write a full page response. The response should include what you think the author’s purpose was for writing this essay and a brief summary of the events described by the author. Also included in your reflection must be at least one paragraph about how this essay relates to humanity and the way that just one person can change lives for the better. Reflect on the good and evil in the world and how those things influence social justice.

RESEARCH AND PRESENTATIONS

• Lessons 16- 22 include:
• Introduction of social justice research project
• Students will choose a social justice topic of their choice to research
• Students will write a 3-5 page explanatory paper
• Students will create a persuasive PSA for a radio, TV or print campaign