Carly+Fricano

Carly R. Fricano In these times, society is loaded with problems and issues, all of which affect today’s youth. Our adolescents are faced with concerns over social inequality, economic crisis, a faltering educational system, and a controversial war. Youth today are faced with constant pressure when it comes to fashion, drugs, sex, and success. As educators, it is our duty to take these issues into consideration when planning our lessons. Education should not be for school’s sake. It should be to prepare our students for the world they live in, for the challenges they will face, and for the future they will help to create. We should ready our students for the choices they will make in life, in the hopes that they will be informed enough to become critical consumers of the media, powerful enablers of change, and well-equipped contributors to society. One key issue for our young adults today is sexuality. As much as we may want to deny it, sex is running through the minds of our students much more frequently than thoughts over the upcoming quiz in American Literature. As adult examples, I feel that it is extremely important that topics concerning sex, sexual orientation, abstinence, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy come up on a regular basis in the classroom, including literature that deal with these topics. Because of this belief, and because I have witnessed the lives of many young adult changed forever by choices they have made in this regard, I have chosen to create a Unit for Change that deals with teen sexuality and pregnancy. My hope in creating this unit is to provide classroom teachers with literature and other materials to aid students in thinking critically about the topic and providing them with a wealth of information before they make some crucial decisions about their sexual relationships. To begin this 6 week unit, the class will read and study Paul Zindel’s [|My Darling, My Hamburge]r. The book was published in 1969, and by beginning with it I hope to highlight how our culture and society inform our decisions. From there, the students will do literary circles dealing with more contemporary literature on the topic. In addition to fiction, I will provide options to read non-fiction accounts so the students will be able to compare each of the genres to the experiences that they may be familiar with, via friends, acquaintances, or family. The readings have been chosen carefully in order to include the perspectives of both sexes and a variety of ethnicities. In order to reinforce the reading and allow students to learn about the topic from a variety of different media viewpoints, the class will also watch one documentary and one fictional movie regarding teen sexual behavior and pregnancy. In order to give the students an opportunity to practice research, each student will be required to present to the class one website or article of their choice, including an overview of the information and a critique of the quality of the source. They will be expected to deal very critically with their sources, making sure to highlight any political, religious, or other possibly biased undertones that are evident.
 * Writing for Change: Teenage Sex and Pregnancy**
 * Overview**

Writing will be a key component in this unit. The most basic way it will be incorporated is by daily journal activities centered on the students’ reading and research. Most days will begin with a journal prompt asking the student questions that deal very specifically with their assignment for the previous evening or weekend. I do this for two reasons: a) I believe that students are more apt to read when they know that it will be tested by being asked to write critically about what they have read, and b) I believe writing about what they read helps the students to synthesize and analyze the material so that they are better capable of thinking about the text on a higher level. By sharing their journal s with the class or their literature circles, students will be able to hear different points of view and open up a more well-rounded discussion. Students will also maintain a personal dictionary that is based directly on all reading done in and outside of class. Both the journal and the dictionary are collected and assessed periodically for content and evidence of personal growth. Journals will not be graded on grammar as they will be used as a free writing exercise. The second writing assignment will be a multi-genre project put together by the members of each literature circle. The project will center on the literature, but be filled with original pieces by each member of the group. It will include genres such as letters, book reviews, poetry, biography, and short stories. Each group member will be required to contribute 2 items to the project, as well as a table of contents and final section that describes each piece in depth. Groups will then present their projects to the class. Projects will be assessed as a group; however, individual contribution will be monitored and assessed by other group members. The final writing assignment will be in the form of a critical essay on a chosen theme in the literature. Students will choose a work that they have read focus a thesis on one aspect of their reading, such as the author’s portrayal of a specific character, any stereotypes that might be reinforced in the book, a specific relationship in the work, or society’s acceptance or rejection of a character in the book or the book itself. This paper will show the depth of thought that the student has put into her or his reading, as well as the connections that have been made between the literature, the research, and real life. My hope for this assignment and for the unit in general, is to make the student more aware of their own thinking regarding teenage sex and pregnancy, and tie that into society’s perceptions and the literary examples to which they have been exposed. As a culminating exercise, as a class the students will create an annotated bibliography of all of the sources they encountered, including fiction and non-fiction works, electronic sources, and articles, which will be made available to other students in the form of pamphlets in the guidance office or school library and posted online.
 * Written Assignments**

Grade Level: 8th grade (Standard 50 minute schedule; large Hispanic and African American populations)
 * Writing for Change: Teenage Sex and Pregnancy**

//**Objectives**//: At the end of this unit, students will: · Be able to articulate the social issue of teen sex and pregnancy and know what it means for them, · Know and present different perspectives on the issue and different resources available to aid and inform decision making, · Explore in writing in-depth reactions to the issue through a variety of genres, · Analyze and present social perceptions or stereotypes in gathered information on the topic, · Work together as a group of individuals with differing opinions to create a resource for peers.



-Pass out Zindel’s //My Darling, My Hamburger// -Introduce objectives and syllabus for Writing for Change Unit on Teen Sex and Pregnancy || Read Ch. 1-3 of Zindel ||  || -Lecture on teen sex and society in the 50s-70s || Read Ch. 4-6 ||  || In your groups, interpret the scene as it happened in the book, or as it might happen today. || Read Ch. 7-9 ||  || -Lecture: Analyzing author bias || Begin source analysis || 3 possible sources for analysis; turn in at the beginning of class || -Guest speaker from Health Department, Planned Parenthood, or other sexual education/ health source || Source analysis ||  || -Literature Circle Discussion || Reading ||  || -Literature Circle Discussion (Mix groups and present a brief description of book and a recommendation) || Reading ||  || -Comprise an annotated list of resources to publish online and in a pamphlet available in the area schools and counseling offices || Paper ||  ||
 * Six Week Unit- Daily Plans**
 * **Day** || **Warm-up** || **In-Class Activities** || **Homework** || **Due** ||
 * 1 || Journal: For you, what are the most challenging issues or decisions teens face today? || -Small group discussion over journal entries
 * 2 || Journal: Choose one character that we met in chapters 1-3 and write a history for that character. Include facts from his or her childhood that could have affected the way he or she appears in the novel. How might this character be different in this generation? || -Class discussion on Zindel
 * 3 || In groups of 3 or four, choose one scene in chapters 1-6 of Zindel. Why is this scene important in understanding the novel or in broadening our views of our theme? || -Dramatic Presentation:
 * 4 ||  || -Small group discussion: Analyze and discuss the roles of males and females in the relationships portrayed in Zindel. Have these roles changed? How and/ or how not? || Read Ch. 10-12 ||   ||
 * 5 || Journal: What are some important facts teens should know before engaging in sexual activities? Do you think this information is readily available for those who may need it? How likely do you feel your peer group is to take advantage of these sources? || -Library: Finding sources online and in scholarly journals using the internet and library search engines. || Finish Zindel; Begin researching sources on teen sex and pregnancy ||  ||
 * 6 || Journal: Explain your reaction to Zindel, and especially to the end. Did you like the book? Do you feel it was beneficial to our study on teenage sex and pregnancy? || -Class discussion: wrapping up Zindel
 * 7 ||  || -Video on Sex and Pregnancy
 * 8 || Journal: Presentation notes || -Source Presentations ||  || Source analysis and presentations ||
 * 9 || Journal: Presentation notes || -Source Presentations ||  || Complete presentations ||
 * 10 || Journal: Presentation Self-assessment || -Choose literature circles and pass out books || Reading for literature circles || Journals and Source Analysis paper ||
 * 11 || Journal: What are some similarities and differences between your book and Zindel? How do the social situations of the characters differ? How are they similar? || -Lecture on teen sex and society from the 70s to today || Reading ||  ||
 * 12 ||  || -Literature Circle Discussions; Develop group plan for reading and reporting || Reading ||   ||
 * 13 || Journal: Specific to literature circle || -Lecture: Narrative Form and Character Development
 * 14 || Journal: Specific to literature circle || -Lecture: Coming of Age Novel
 * 15 || Journal: Choose a character in your book and write an in-depth biography. || In literature circle groups, study current articles on teen pregnancy or related issues from newspapers and magazines. || Finish Literature Circle Reading ||  ||
 * 16 || Journal: Poetry lead || -Introduce Group Multi-genre project || Multi-genre project || Personal Dictionaries ||
 * 17 || Journal: Write a letter exchanged between two of the characters in your book. || -Lecture: Poetry forms, Writing with Dialog, Letter Writing || Multi-genre project ||  ||
 * 18 ||  || -Writing Workshop || Multi-genre project ||   ||
 * 19 ||  || -Writing Workshop || Multi-genre project ||   ||
 * 20 ||  || -In class work day || Multi-genre project ||   ||
 * 21 || Journal: project reactions || -Presentation of projects ||  || Multi-genre project ||
 * 22 || Journal: project reactions || -Presentation of projects ||  ||   ||
 * 23 || Journal: Brainstorm possible topics for criticism paper || -Introduce Literary Criticism Paper || Paper ||  ||
 * 24 ||  || -Lecture: Thesis, Audience, and Purpose || Paper || Topics for paper ||
 * 25 ||  || -Library for research on paper topics || Paper || Journals; Working thesis for papers ||
 * 26 ||  || -In class work day || Paper ||   ||
 * 27 || Journal: Notes from conference || -Peer Editing and Conferences || Paper || Rough Draft of Literary Criticism ||
 * 28 || Journal: Notes from conference || -Finish Conferences
 * 29 ||  || Movie: //East of Hope Street// (2004) || Paper ||   ||
 * 30 || Journal: Movie Response || Movie: //East of Hope Street// (2004) || Paper || Criticism Essay ||
 * //References://**

//Books// [|My Darling, My Hamburger], Paul Zindel [|November Blues], Sharon Draper [|Slam], Nick Hornby [|Make Lemonade], Virginia E. Wolff [|After], Amy Efaw [|The First Part Last,] Angela Johnson [|Stained], Joanne Hichens [|Someone Like You], Sarah Dessen [|The Youngest Parents], Robert Coles [|Forever], Judy Blume [|Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes], Chris Crutcher [|Speak], Laurie Halse Anderson [|The Perks of Being a Wallflower], Stephen Chbosky [|Rainbow Boys], Alex Sanchez

//Movies// [|Juno] (2007) [|East of Hope Street] (2004) [|Quinceañera] (2006) [|Gaau ji] (2004)

//Websites// (useful for accessing the plethora of non-fiction documentaries on the topic) [|www.thenationalcampaign.org] [|www.plannedparenthood.org] [|www.stayteen.org] [|www.guttmacher.org] [|www.sexetc.org]