ALEX Learning Activity

  

Racial Prejudice and Sexism in Short Stories

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Tammy Cook
System:College/University
School:University of Montevallo
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2312
Title:
Racial Prejudice and Sexism in Short Stories
Digital Tool/Resource:
Foreshadowing in Desiree's Baby Graphic Organizer
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

This activity can be used in the middle of a lesson about the theme of racial prejudice and sexism as depicted in the short story “Desiree’s Baby” (1894) by Kate Chopin. Students will read and discuss the biography of Kate Chopin before they read the short story. Students will complete the Foreshadowing Graphic Organizer as they read the story for group discussion and a writing activity involving an alternate ending for the story.

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Social Studies
SS2010 (2010)
Grade: 9-12
Human Geography
11 ) Interpret human geography as it relates to gender.

•  Contrasting roles of men and women around the world
•  Describing ways the diffusion of ideas affects gender roles within societies
Example: effects of Grameen Bank loans

Unpacked Content
Strand: Elective
Course Title: Human Geography
Evidence Of Student Attainment:
Students:
  • Interpret human geography as it relates to gender and describe how this has affected gender roles.
Teacher Vocabulary:
  • human
  • geography
  • gender
Knowledge:
Students know:
  • How gender dynamics are changing in various parts of the world.
  • How issues related to gender affect power relationships and culture.
Skills:
Students are able to:
  • Understand how roles related to gender are changing.
  • Compare and contrast roles of men and women around the world.
  • Recognize how gender affects power relationships between men and women.
Understanding:
Students understand that:
  • Gender plays a role regarding human geography.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 12
6. Analyze a text's explicit and implicit meanings to make inferences about its theme and determine the author's purpose.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
6.
  • Analyze
  • Explicit
  • Implicit
  • Inferences
  • Theme
  • Author's purpose
Knowledge:
6. Students know:
  • Strategies to comprehend explicit and implicit text meaning.
  • Inference skills.
  • Methods to identify the theme and purpose of a text.
Skills:
6. Students are able to:
  • Making inferences about the theme and purpose of a text by analyzing a text's explicit and implicit meanings.
Understanding:
6. Students understand that:
  • Text often has an explicitly stated meaning and an implied meaning.
  • They can combine their explicit and implicit understanding to infer the theme and the author's purpose for writing the text.
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 12
11. Compose, edit, and revise both short and extended products in which the development, organization, and style are relevant and suitable to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

a. Incorporate narrative techniques into other modes of writing as appropriate.

Examples: flashback, anecdote, foreshadowing, story-telling, sensory details, character development

b. Write explanations and expositions that examine and convey complex ideas or processes effectively, develop the topic utilizing and citing credible sources of information or data when relevant, use intentional transitions, choose precise vocabulary, and maintain an organized structure and style.

c. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence, making intentional rhetorical choices to convey a specific tone or style, including intentional transitions, and providing a logical conclusion that captures the larger implications of the topic or text.
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
11.
  • Compose
  • Edit
  • Revise
  • Short products
  • Extended products
  • Writing development
  • Writing organization
  • Writing style
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience
  • Command of language
11a.
  • Narrative techniques
  • Modes of writing
11b.
  • Explanations
  • Expositions
  • Complex ideas
  • Complex processes
  • Citing
  • Credible sources
  • Intentional transitions
  • Precise vocabulary
  • Organized structure
11c.
  • Arguments
  • Claims
  • Substantive topics or texts
  • Valid
  • Relevant
  • Sufficient
  • Reasoning
  • Evidence
  • Rhetorical choices
  • Tone
  • Style
  • Transitions
  • Logical conclusion
  • Implications
Knowledge:
11. Students know:
  • Writing products can be short, such as a paragraph, or extended, such as constructed responses and essays.
  • The skills required by the writing process.
  • The development, organization, and style of writing will change depending on the writing task, the purpose of the writing, and the intended audience.
  • Formal academic writing should demonstrate an appropriate command of language.
11a.
  • Narrative techniques include flashbacks, anecdotes, foreshadowing, story-telling, sensory details, and character development.
  • Narrative techniques can be used in multiple genres of writing.
11b.
  • Explanatory and expository text is writing that examines and explains complex ideas or processes, utilizing information from multiple credible research sources.
  • Explanatory and expository writing has an organized structure, and usually begins by clearly focusing on the topic, incorporating credible evidence, and ends with a conclusion.
  • Explanatory and expository writing should utilize techniques that objectively introduce and develop topics.
  • Explanatory and expository writing should include academic, content-specific technical word meanings.
  • Words that indicate transitions.
11c.
  • The purpose of argumentative writing is to defend an opinion or state a claim.
  • Argumentative writing includes introducing the topic by stating an argumentative claim, valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence to support the claim, and a logical conclusion that describes the larger implications of the topic or text.
  • Strategies to create stone and style in argumentative writing.
  • Words that indicate transitions.
Skills:
11. Students are able to:
  • Compose, edit, and revise short and extended writing products.
  • Identify the writing task, the purpose of writing, and the intended audience in order to appropriately adapt the development, organization, and style of the writing.
  • Demonstrate command of the written language.
11a.
  • Incorporate narrative techniques in modes other than narrative writing when appropriate.
11b.
  • Gather credible information and data from multiple sources.
  • Write an explanatory and expository text with an organized structure and formal style that develops the topic and utilizes appropriate transitions, credible information or data, and technical vocabulary words.
11c.
  • Write an argument to support claims in an analysis of topics or texts that utilizes intentional transitions.
  • Gather relevant and sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources to support the claim.
  • Use valid reasoning to support a claim.
  • Make rhetorical choices that convey a specific tone or style.
  • Include a logical conclusion that captures the larger implications of the topic or text.
Understanding:
11. Students understand that:
  • There are different genres of writing that serve various purposes.
  • The writing process is a series of steps that improve writing over time.
  • The writing task, purpose, and audience should be considered in the development, organization, and style of the writing.
  • Formal academic writing should display their command of the English language.
11a.
  • Narrative techniques can be used in multiple genres of writing to engage the audience and create interest.
11b.
  • Explanatory and expository writing should be free from opinions and supported with evidence.
  • Explanatory and expository writing follow a predictable, organized text structure that utilizes appropriate transition words and precise vocabulary.
  • Writers elaborate on details included in the text by using formal academic, content-specific technical words.
  • They must gather their information and data about the topic from multiple credible research sources.
11c.
  • To effectively defend a position or make a claim, they must present relevant, sufficient evidence from accurate and credible sources.
  • An argument can be more effective if the writer includes a logical conclusion that indicates the larger implication of the topic or text.
  • They can make rhetorical choices in their writing to create a specific tone and style.
Learning Objectives:

  • The students will cite textual examples of the author's use of foreshadowing.
  • The students will examine an author's biographical information and determine how time and place affect the writer's textual decisions related to gender.
  • The students will interpret what an author states directly and indirectly about issues like racial prejudice and sexism.
  • The students will compose an alternate conclusion to the short story.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

1. Review the terms foreshadowing, racial prejudice, and sexism:

     a. Foreshadowing: a warning or indicator of a future event

     b. Racial Prejudice: The fourth edition of the American Heritage College Dictionary provides four meanings for the term—from “an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts” to “irrational suspicion or hatred of a particular group, race or religion.” Both definitions apply to the experiences of ethnic minorities in Western society. Of course, the second definition sounds much more menacing than the first, but prejudice in either capacity has the potential to cause a great deal of damage.

     c. Sexism: prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, based on sex.

2. Examine the Kate Chopin in the South Web Page and engage students in a brief, whole-group discussion:

     a.  What is one unusual piece of biographical information that intrigues you about this author from this website?

3, Examine the Kate Chopin Biography Web Page and engage students in a brief, whole-group discussion:

     a. This website features more information about Chopin. Identify one piece of information that helps you understand the author better.

     b. How could one of the concepts of foreshadowing, racial prejudice, or sexism possibly connect the biographical information about Chopin and her writing?

4. Explain to students that it is important to learn information about an author before you read his or her work and that we will return to the author discussion after reading this short story and completing the graphic organizer.

5. Create small groups of three students; direct student groups to read the story "Desiree’s Baby"(1894) and complete the Foreshadowing in Desiree’s Baby Graphic Organizer as they read.

6. Instruct student groups to discuss their results and compose an “alternate ending” to the short story. (If students need a brief refresher about alternate endings, see this Alternate Ending Prezi.)

7. Each group will present their findings to the class and share their alternate endings. Use the rubric for scoring: Rubric for Alternate Ending Paragraph   

8. After all groups have presented their ideas for alternate endings, discuss whether the author’s background information is connected to her writing style or descriptions of settings, characters, or events. Return to the question:      

     a. How could one of the concepts of foreshadowing, racial prejudice, or sexism possibly connect the biographical information about Chopin and her writing?

Assessment Strategies:

Direct students to submit the graphic organizers, so the teacher may assess, specifically for their understanding of textual evidence citations.

Each group will present their findings to the class and share their alternate endings. Use the rubric for scoring: Rubric for Alternate Ending Paragraph   


Advanced Preparation:

The teacher needs to make sure the web page links are available before class and students have access to the materials via Google Classroom. 

Variation Tips (optional):

The lesson could be used in conjunction with any of Kate Chopin's short stories. A variation would be for students to read "The Story of an Hour" by Chopin as an outside activity and compose an essay about how the elements of foreshadowing, racial prejudice, and sexism are featured in the story.

Notes or Recommendations (optional):

These activities are designed to occur in the middle of a lesson.

  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: Alternate Endings, Desirees Baby, Foreshadowing, Kate Chopin