Briana+Murphy

The area that I chose to focus on in my unit plan is the genocide occurring in Darfur. I feel very strongly that this is an important topic which deserves to be addressed in schools. When I look at the situation in Sudan I envision it as a 21st century Holocaust. Students are educated about the Holocaust at length and in multiple grade levels, little if any time is spent talking about the intentional murder of masses of people that continues to happen today in Darfur. When the issue first came to the attention of the public it was talked about often; charity events took place to raise money for the cause, celebrity faces popped up on PSA’s all over television, etc. But the publicity fizzled out rather quickly, giving the impression that the problem went away as well. This is not at all the case, and it is time students learned about the situation. I want students to understand the background behind this tragedy, who is involved and how this is being allowed to happen by the Sudanese government. I want students to realize that even though it is 2010 and it seems that the human rights movement has been spreading throughout the world, things like this are still happening while the rest of the world turns its head and pretends not to notice. My unit plan is geared towards 10th grade students in an inner-city high school. I chose this age group because I think they will be old enough to really comprehend the situation, and young enough to still be somewhat idealistic and impressionable. I wanted to aim my material towards an inner city school because I think these students will get the most out of this unit. I think that in a school where the “minority” students are actually the majority, they might feel more of a connection to the people in Africa. They also come from a heritage of people who have been mistreated and discriminated against and might be able to relate, in a small way, to the victims in Darfur.

Week 1: Mon. - Class discussion: What do we know about Darfur? Introduce “11 Facts” Tues. - Computer Lab/ Library for online research - give students web links as starting point. Wed. - Class discussion: What did we find in our research? Introduce writing assignment #1 and discuss. Thurs. - Writing Workshop Fri. - Writing Workshop Week 2: Mon. - Discuss writing assignment: Problems? Questions? Introduce book, __The Translator__, by Daoud Hari. Tues. - Reading Day Wed. - Reading Day Thurs. - Reading quiz and discuss reading Fri. - Introduce writing assignment #2 and begin “brainstorming”. Week 3: Mon. - Reading Day Tues. - Writing workshop Wed. - Open workshop (students may choose to continue reading or to work on their papers) Thurs. - Open workshop Fri. - Reading quiz and discuss book Week 4: Mon. - Begin movie: Darfur Now Tues. - Continuation of Darfur Now Wed. - Finish movie, discuss, and begin discussion of how changes can be made/ future problems prevented. Thurs. - Introduce writing assignment 3 and begin workshop Fri. - Writing workshop

Student Writing Assignment #1 After you have finished reading through the material on Darfur - the handouts from class, the websites that you were given links to - and following the class discussions in which we have all participated, what new information have you learned? Did you know anything about the genocide in Darfur before we began this unit? Did you come across any information that conflicted with what you thought you knew about Darfur?

Take this opportunity to share what you have learned about the situation in Darfur and discuss how it compares to what you thought about Darfur prior to doing any research. The second half of your paper will consist of your reaction to the reading. What do you think about what we have read? How do you feel about the situation? What other questions do you have that you might like to look in to? Do you have any thoughts on how this situation should be handled or how something similar could be prevented in the future?

Student Writing Assignment #2 As you continue to read __The Translator__, by Daoud Hari, you are gaining some insight in to what it is like to be at the heart of the genocide in Darfur. Although we do not experience such extreme and harsh treatment under our government here in the United States, many of us have been through different kinds of tragedies and struggles that affected our lives just as greatly. Do you find yourself relating to any of the characters in the book? Have you been through any difficult or life-changing experiences yourself? Write about a time in your life when you felt very afraid, or when you felt that you were unfairly treated because of your race/ethnicity. Then discuss how you can relate this experience to the experiences of some of the characters in the book. If you do not feel you can relate, explain why.

Student Writing Assignment #3 For the final writing assignment we will be working to make a change! You will be writing a letter to a Congressman regarding the situation in Darfur which we have been reading about. This letter should be professionally written as it will actually be mailed to the Congressman! Be sure that your letter is persuasive and reflects that you are knowledgeable about the situation, and be specific about what you would like to see done in response.

Unit Reading List

- [|http://www.darfurscores.org]

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- [] - __The Translator__ by Daoud Hari: This is a memoir written by a translator who is native to Darfur. He was present in the midst of the violence with reporters and journalists, spending time in villages and refugee camps. This book tells the stories of the people he met as well as the horrific things he witnessed. It is a very moving story because of how honest and candid it is, and because it is told from a first person point of view from someone who experienced the situation firsthand. 224 pgs.

Movie: Darfur Now A documentary that follows 6 individuals and their roles in the Darfur conflict. Although it is a documentary the stories play out more like a drama. The film aims to educate viewers about the situation and motivate them to act to help the people of Darfur. 1 hour 40 minute run time.

Michigan Language Arts Standards met: 1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.5.3 1.5.5 2.1.7 2.1.11 3.1.7 3.1.8 3.1.9 3.2.4