Sample Lesson Plan: Genre Inquiry Project

Lesson Title: Power and Privilege: What is it?

Name: Walter Ethan Cagle
Introduction
Lesson Overview

Content Standard(s)
Addressed
(Common Core)

This lesson is the first lesson in the unit and it will prioritize
acquainting the students with the concept of power and
privilege. Providing students with preliminary exposure to this
concept will be necessary as they encounter various types and
instances of power and privilege within Of Mice and Men. The
first activity, in which the students will watch a sequence of
videos, will act as this preliminary exposure. Students will
discuss these videos together, as well as complete a graphic
organizer of the types and instances of power and privilege
observed within the videos. This graphic organizer will act as a
formative assessment. Following this, the secondary priority of
this lesson is to situate the upcoming novel within its historical
context. In an effort to prepare the students to enter the
narrative, students will read an article concerning the Great
Depression and the effects it had on peoples lives. Students
will then discuss together and with the teacher about the
content of the article and the implications the Great Depression
had for contributing to discrepancies of power and privilege
within the United States, specifically as it tied to race, gender,
and wealth. The lesson will be concluded by an exit ticket on
which students will articulate their emerging thoughts of power
and privilege as it pertains to an image with which they will be
provided.
1. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences
drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.
2. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.A
Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the
significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from
alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that
logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and
evidence.
3. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4
Present information, findings, and supporting evidence,
conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that
listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or

Measureable Objective
Based on Content
Standard(s)

Essential Question(s)

opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization,

development, substance, and style are appropriate to
purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
1. Students will cite evidence in videos and novel to
support their claims as to what qualifies as power and
privilege.
2. Students will write effectively in both brainstorming
activities, introducing their knowledge of the concept of
power and privilege, as well as giving evidence to
support their claims concerning this knowledge.
3. When working with a peer or contributing to whole-class
discussion, students will articulate themselves
effectively, presenting information and analysis in such a
manner that is understandable and concise. If the
teacher or fellow students have questions about what
has been articulated, it is evidence that what has been
said should be articulated in a more concise and
understandable manner.
Unit EQs: What is power and privilege? Who has it?
Lesson EQs: How is power and privilege present in society?
How does popular culture reflect it?

Prior Knowledge

Link to 21st Century

Skills

Prior to this unit, students will have practiced speaking in

whole-class discussion, having paid specific attention to
articulating themselves in such a way that their peers can
understand their statements universally, eliminating any jargon
specific to their friend groups or home life. They will also have
practice in self-guided work, as well as contributing to work
done in a group setting. Furthermore, students will have
practice applying concepts that are discussed in class to the
literature that is being studied therein.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments,
claims and beliefs
Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to
produce overall outcomes in complex systems
Global Awareness
Using 21st century skills to understand and address
global issues

Assessment/Accommodation
Formative Assessment

The concept map brainstorming activity will act as a formative

assessment, ensuring the students are comprehending the

(attach specific
instructions and/or
examples)

Summative Assessment
(attach specific
instructions or
examples)

concept of power and privilege, which they will then apply to

the novel at hand. The concept map will be made up of two
columns, and it will require students to list types of power and
privilege they have seen in the preceding videos, which they
will list in the left-most column. In the right-most column,
students will list specific instances of power and privilege they
observed that fall under the types listed to the left. An
example will be provided for students on the worksheet. This
will allow the teacher, and students themselves, to see the
gaps in the students understandings of power and privilege,
and ultimately see instances in which they may be culpable in
perpetuating unjust circumstances.
Other formative assessments will be the individual
brainstorming and class discussion about the Great Depression
article. A focus of this discussion will be how the economic
conditions of the Great Depression created a space in which
some people were privileged over others, whether this be a
result of their wealth, race, or gender. This will allow the
teacher to know if the students have (a) grasped the concept
of power and privilege from the activities from the start of class
and (b) are able to apply those concepts to the article and
historical moment in which the units novel is set.
The summative assessment will consist of a paper, project, and
presentation. The paper will be a synthesis paper (no more
than five pages in length, yet no less than four) that ties the
concept of power and privilege within Of Mice and Men to
another literary text of the students choosing. The text to
which students tie Of Mice and Men could have been read in
class previously, but could also be something students have
read outside of school. In addition to this paper, students must
choose to complete one of the following projects. Each project
will be accompanied by a one-page, typed explanation.
1. Students may create a road map of one character
within the novel. This map will include action from the
novel in which the chosen character experienced some
sort of privilege, or action where the character has been
dis-empowered. This will be a larger project akin to the
formative assessment road map which will be created
concerning Candys dog. So, for example, an action that
should be present in regards to Candys dog is his death,
which was called for because the dog was too old and
worthless.
2. Students may create a soundtrack (minimum of four
songs) that discuss the concept of power and privilege.
This will be akin to the formative assessment in which
students listen to White Privilege by Macklemore,
thereafter analyzing the importance of his lyrics to the

concepts in Of Mice and Men. Students must make

direct connections to the narrative of the novel.
3. Students may create a movie poster that captures
conceptual content from within the novel. Students may
choose which characters they want to appear on their
movie poster, but it must be evident why the characters
of their choice relate to the concept of power and
privilege. For example, if Lennie is present, the
presence of Curly ordering him around would be
pertinent. Students can choose to focus on a specific
facet of power and privilege. The above example would
fall under the rights of the disabled, or lack thereof.
Student that struggles with maintaining focus,
but has great creative capacities: During the
activities when students are asked to take personal
notes on the videos, or complete the concept map, Drew
will be permitted to draw out pictures of answers, rather
than requiring answers in word form. This will optimize
on Drews creative capabilities and help keep him
engaged.
Student whose primary language is Spanish and
has trouble producing English content: On any
activity that requires students to articulate themselves in
written word, Susana will start each activity paired with
a peer who can help her articulate her thoughts in
English. She can also use some Spanish in instances
where she is very uncertain of English words (the
teacher has a working understanding of Spanish and can
translate quite a bit himself).
Student with physical handicaps due to
debilitating disease: Paul will be equipped with a
computer on which he can record his personal thoughts
concerning the videos before sharing with a group. He
will also have access to the computer in order to
complete the graphic organizer.

Accommodations
(specific to this lesson
and based on specific
students)

Lesson Plan
Materials

Learning Activity
Types

1.
2.
3.
4.
1.

Computer/Internet/Projector
Paper/Pencils
Worksheets provided to students by teacher
Individual copies of the PBS article about the Great Depression
Descriptive Analysis
a. Students will observe the bell ringer image and make
their own conclusions concerning the image, citing
evidence to support their claims.

Bell
Ringer/Review
Activity

Detailed
Activities and
Procedures (with
transitions and
time allocations)

b. Students will describe what they have seen within the

listed videos, analyzing the content to flesh out instances
of power and privilege observed in them.
2. Sharing/Collaborating
a. While analyzing the videos for instances of power and
privilege, students will work in groups to analyze the
content, then come together to collaborate as a whole
class.
3. Multimodal/Multimedia Interaction
a. Students will be presented with messages conveyed
through still-images and videos, as well as read an
historical article tied to the unit novels historical context.
1. Students will observe and ponder on this political cartoon, which
will be fleshed out more specifically in the first video the class
watches. They will write down their initial thoughts to turn in (5
mins)

1. Students will watch two or three videos to jumpstart

conversation into what is power and privilege. After watching
each video, there will be a brief 3-minute discussion about the
specific video the class just watched (25 mins).
a. The Unequal Opportunity Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX_Vzl-r8NY
b. People on the Street: What is Power?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MeEd8Nl9a4
c. What is Privilege?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ
2. Class will discuss, from our understanding of the videos, what is
power and privilege. How was it seen in the videos? Are there
any examples from our own lives where we felt
empowered/disempowered, privileged/unprivileged? Students
will first write down their own ideas (5 mins), turn to a group of
3-4 to discuss (5 mins), then come together as a whole-class to
discuss ideas presented in the small groups (5 mins.).
3. Brainstorming activity about various types of power. Worksheet
provided that has two columns. Column one is the types of

Closure

Alternate
Strategies for Reteaching Material

References
(within this
lesson)

power or privilege recalled, column two is for examples of the

types of power. Students will think, pair, share. (15 mins)
4. Teacher and students will explore the historical moment in
which Of Mice and Men takes place. Focus will be given to the
Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Students will read the
article provided them from pbs.org. Student-volunteers will read
(10 mins).
5. Class will discuss the implications of the Great Depression as to
its effects on jobs. Specific examples of privilege in action from
the article will be discussed (ex: the privilege given to white
Americans for jobs, which were taken away from black
Americans). (15 mins)
6. Exit Ticket: See prompt below.
Exit Ticket (10 mins): Students will observe the below image and write
a brief explanation of the privilege observed. The main question
students will be addressing is: Who is privileged over the others and
why? Students will also be encouraged to think about skill level, hand
eye coordination, previous training, etc., of the participants and discuss
how such aspects affect a persons success. For example, what if the
front person also has the most training? Or, what if the back person
has the most training? How can the level of privilege be increased or
decreased based on positioning?

1. Rather than re-watching videos about privilege and power, the

class can participate in an activity like that found in the What is
Privilege? video. The class may have to go outside for this
activity in order to have space conducive to the activity.
Students will begin the activity in the same space, lined up
together. As the teacher reads statements, the students will
take steps forward or backward, depending on if they identify
with the specified criteria. This will give students a visual,
experiential reminder of what is power and privilege, optimizing
on their own context to make it more relatable to them.
1. Image for bell ringer found here:
https://questionsandtea.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/
white_male_privilege_einglish_official-large.jpg?w=760
2. Article on the Great Depression found here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/generalarticle/dustbowl-great-depression/
3. Exit Slip Image found here:

https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/201411/21/13/enhanced/webdr05/enhanced-6523-141659311226.png

NOTE: Attach or insert any materials used in this lesson.

Name:

Date:

Type of Power/Privilege Observed

Examples of Types of Privilege

Ex: Racial Privilege

Ex: White athletes were given a head start in the

first video.

General Article: The Great Depression

NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Men stand in line for soup.

During the economic boom of the Roaring Twenties, the traditional values of rural
America were challenged by the Jazz Age, symbolized by women smoking, drinking, and
wearing short skirts. The average American was busy buying automobiles and household
appliances, and speculating in the stock market, where big money could be made. Those
appliances were bought on credit, however. Although businesses had made huge gains
65 percent from the mechanization of manufacturing, the average workers wages had
only increased 8 percent.
The imbalance between the rich and the poor, with 0.1 percent of society earning the same
total income as 42 percent, combined with production of more and more goods and rising
personal debt, could not be sustained. On Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the stock
market crashed, triggering the Great Depression, the worst economic collapse in the
history of the modern industrial world. It spread from the United States to the rest of the
world, lasting from the end of 1929 until the early 1940s. With banks failing and
businesses closing, more than 15 million Americans (one-quarter of the workforce)
became unemployed.
President Herbert Hoover, underestimating the seriousness of the crisis, called it a passing
incident in our national lives, and assured Americans that it would be over in 60 days. A
strong believer in rugged individualism, Hoover did not think the federal government
should offer relief to the poverty-stricken population. Focusing on a trickle-down
economic program to help finance businesses and banks, Hoover met with resistance from
business executives who preferred to lay off workers. Blamed by many for the Great
Depression, Hoover was widely ridiculed: an empty pocket turned inside out was called a
Hoover flag; the decrepit shantytowns springing up around the country were called
Hoovervilles. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the rich governor from New York, offered
Americans a New Deal, and was elected in a landslide victory in 1932. He took quick

action to attack the Depression, declaring a four-day bank holiday, during which Congress
passed the Emergency Banking Relief Act to stabilize the banking system. During the first
100 days of his administration, Roosevelt laid the groundwork for his New Deal remedies
that would rescue the country from the depths of despair.
The New Deal programs created a liberal political alliance of labor unions, blacks and
other minorities, some farmers and others receiving government relief, and intellectuals.
The hardship brought on by the Depression affected Americans deeply. Since the
prevailing attitude of the 1920s was that success was earned, it followed that failure was
deserved. The unemployment brought on by the Depression caused self-blame and selfdoubt. Men were harder hit psychologically than women were. Since men were expected
to provide for their families, it was humiliating to have to ask for assistance. Although
some argued that women should not be given jobs when many men were unemployed, the
percentage of women working increased slightly during the Depression. Traditionally
female fields of teaching and social services grew under New Deal programs. Children
took on more responsibilities, sometimes finding work when their parents could not. As a
result of living through the Depression, some people developed habits of careful saving
and frugality, others determined to create a comfortable life for themselves.
African Americans suffered more than whites, since their jobs were often taken away from
them and given to whites. In 1930, 50 percent of blacks were unemployed.
However, Eleanor Roosevelt championed black rights, and New Deal programs prohibited
discrimination. Discrimination continued in the South, however, as a result a large number
of black voters switched from the Republican to the Democrat party during the
Depression.
The Great Depression and the New Deal changed forever the relationship between
Americans and their government. Government involvement and responsibility in caring for
the needy and regulating the economy came to be expected.