Cassandra+Hughes

=Social Stratification & Unemployment= This lesson created by: Cassandra Hughes brooke328@aol.com Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI

This unit is designed for 11th-12th grade English students and addresses the issues of social stratification in the United States specifically unemployment. In addition we will read // The Pursuit of Happyness //, Chris Gardner's life story of his progression from homelessness to successful stockbroker, an authentic rags-to-riches story.
 * __Overview: __**

Today's economic recession finds many people homeless, unemployed and struggling while others flourish. Our youth needs to understand the dynamics of America's social classes in order to plan for a more successful future and understand their place in it. This unit will expose students to the spectrum of social stratification as they may not have perceived it prior.

Students will engage in reading and researching current, relevant texts along with challenging informational texts. In this unit they will undertake various forms of writing for perspective, presentation and purpose. Student's writing will not only serve as an outlet for forming opinions and expressing knowledge gained, but it will also present important valuable information in a public format. This unit exceeds the current educational standards expected of an typical classroom. Students will gain realistic, relevant knowledge on their society and the people within it whilst gaining valuable Language Arts skills. This unit offers students an opportunity to display their abilities and make an impact on those around them.

__**// The Pursuit of Happyness //, **____** by Chris Gardner **__




 * __Learning Objectives: __**
 * Students will analyze and understand the dynamics of social stratification.
 * Students will understand the distribution of wealth and power in America.
 * Students will question the pursuit of wealth in America.
 * Students will reflect and form opinions on their exposure to class dynamics.
 * Students will interpret and analyze major themes and events occurring in //The Pursuit of Happyness.//
 * Students will exercise and demonstrate knowledge of several different types of writing genres.
 * Students will utilize multiple sources for research and presentation.


 * __Standards Addressed:__**
 * Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
 * Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
 * Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
 * Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
 * Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
 * Create interpretive and responsive texts to demonstrate knowledge and a sophisticated understanding of the connections between life and the literary work.
 * Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on //grades 11–12 topics//, //texts//, //and// //issues//, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.


 * __Activities: __**
 * Life Activity-Students will each be offered varied, confidential amounts of fake money in an envelope. Also in this envelope is an occupation and family size. Students will go through 3 stages/scenarios in this activity. The first stage the students will be allowed to spend their funds on items like food, entertainment, etc. At random each student will receive a new envelope in between each stage enclosing an event, such as a sick child, loss of employment, house burnt down, or receving an annual bonus. Cash will be deducted or added to compensate their event. Events and original status envelopes should be reflective of typical characteristics of the unit theme. Students will experience the extremities of life as if they were in a certain social class or situation. Students will write a reflective multigenre piece explaining their thoughts and intentions during the activity. Suggestions include a letter, diary entry, song lyrics, poetry, resume, interview, etc.
 * Budget Activity-Unemployment typically offers 70% of what an employee made prior. Students will work with a budgeting chart and a fixed income to decide how they would budget their funds. Students will research the average cost of each item on their budget such as apartment rent or grocery bills. Students will then have their income reduced to 70% of its prior amount. Students will have to reconfigure their budget to adapt the the changing income. Students will describe their changing lifestyles in writing.
 * Case Study Activity- Each student group will be assigned a case study video clip from youtube.com. Each case study is focused on a person in a specific situation. Students will be asked to respond to the video with an evaluation of the problem, solution, effects of th situation and/or personal opinions/reflections. Groups will share their findings with the rest of the class, however students are not expected to conclude a ‘cut & dry’ solution. This lesson is designed to expose students to various real life situations and people. Case Study examples include: [|Over-Educated & Unemployed], [|Homeless Man Carries 2 Bachelor's Degrees], [|Experienced, Educated & Unemployed], [|White Collar Unemployed]
 * Support Activity-students will brainstorm and collect resources for those who may be unemployed, foreclosed, or struggling in this economy. They will collect their information and write a script to present and produce it in a youtube video. The class will film and post this video for public consumption.

Students will write a preliminary informal description of what they would expect of the Lower/Working Class, Middle Class, and Upper Class lifestyles. They will then be asked to perform research on the realities of one of these classes. Students will present their findings in a creative multigenre outlet to compare their expectations with reality. Options for presentation formats include: posters, character/setting description images, phamplets, websites...Students will be graded on the validity of their sources, the thoroughness of their projects and personal reflections on the differences between their findings and their expectations/perceptions.
 * __Expectations Project:__**

Jigsaw Puzzle Groups will share key points [|Interview with Chris Gardner], [|Catching Up with Chris Gardner], [|Interview Video] As a class we will list characteristics and details learned about the author, Reading regularly assigned from TPOH || Introduce & Assign Expectations Project || Begin Budget Activity, Assign further research to complete primary budget chart, [] || Discuss Unemployment [|Michigan Unemployment], [|Bureau of Labor Statistics], unemployment in TPOH || 99% vs 1% [|Occupy Wall St Movement], [|The Revolution is Love], Discuss effects and intentions || Discuss employment qualifications [|Young, Educated, and Unemployed Article] & [|Educated, Unemployed & Frustrated] || Class time in library/computer lab to work on research for Expectations Project || Assign reading excerpts from [|Social Stratification] || [|Who Rules America?] & [|The World's Billionaires] == || Discuss pursuit of wealth & excessive-ness in TPOH, discuss the American Dream, can these concepts coexist? || Wrap up TPOH, Discuss major themes || Present Expectations Projects || Present Expectations Projects Continued ||
 * __Daily Schedule: __**
 * || Monday || Tuesday || Wednesday || Thursday || Friday ||
 * Week 1 || Introduction to unit with Life Activity, Assign multigenre reflection writing || Share/Turn in reflection writing pieces from Life Activity || Introduce //The Pursuit of Happyness//
 * Week 2 || Continue Budget Activity, Cut budget to 70% and share cutbacks with class, Assign writing reflection on changing lifestyles according to budget || Submit Budget writing,
 * Week 3 || Case Study Activity || Share Case Study findings, Brainstorm Support Activity, Begin Collecting Sources || Continue Support Activity, collecting sources and writing script || Continue Support Activity, filming || Fund discussion on inequality and social hierarchy from class input,
 * Week 4 || Discuss distribution of wealth