Economic
Hardships and Life Struggles for Youth in
During
the 1940s and 1950s
Based on the book
Manchild in the
Promised Land
An Autobiography by Claude Brown
“The first thing I ever read which gave me
an idea of what it would be like day by day if I'd grown up in Harlem.” (Quote by author Norman Mailer)
A
WebQuest by Ms. L. Brown
11th
Grade English
The
Harlem,
New York
INTRODUCTION:
In his fictionalized version of his childhood, Claude Brown
presents himself as Sonny, a hardened, streetwise criminal trying to survive
the toughest streets of
What were some of the conditions and struggles that a
TASK:
Sonny is up for parole. In groups of five, you will
investigate economic hardships and life’s struggles of the youth in
For the writing, each group member will write a
two-page persuasive essay that convinces Sonny’s parole officer that he no
longer engages in criminal and self destructive behavior. While each student will be responsible for
the assignment, you will receive help from your group members during the PPA
process and peer editing. The
information obtained through the PPA process along with your knowledge of
persuasive writing should be evident in your paper.
The oral presentation must be presented to the class and
be visually pleasing through a PowerPoint presentation.
PROCESS:
Step 1: Your teacher will divide the
class into groups of five. Each student
in the group will have a role as follows:
Group Leader-you will make sure that all members of the group stay on task and that
all of the tasks are completed
Presenter-you will be responsible for presenting the findings for the group to the
entire class
PowerPoint Creator-you will be responsible for working with all members in the group to
make slides that display the work of the group
Researcher-you are responsible for making sure that everyone in the group is
responsible for doing their own research and that the research is included in
the final essays and PowerPoint presentation
Time Keeper-You will ensure that all members of the group are completing their tasks
in a timely manner. You will also make
sure that every member writes his/her essay.
Step 2: Your group will complete the
six-step Public Policy Analyst to investigate the issues of economic hardships
and challenges for youth in
Identify the nature
of a social problem
Gather evidence to
support the existence of the problem
Determine the
causes and factors contributing to the problem
Evaluate existing
public policies
Develop public
policy solutions
Select the best
public policy solution
Step 3: Using the public policy solution determined by your group, write a two
page persuasive essay addressed to Sonny’s parole officer. Make sure that you support your solution with
internet findings and examples from the text, Manchild
in the Promised Land. During the
revision process, your group will become peer editors.
Step 4: Your group will now present an
oral PowerPoint presentation to the class.
Designated group leaders will be responsible for organizing the PowerPoint
presentation, deciding which research to include, and working closely with each
group member to make sure that the specific tasks by each group member is
completed. The class will then score
your performance based on the rubric provided.
RESOURCES:
History
of Youth Gangs in the 1940s and 1950s
More
Harlem History 1940s and 1950s
Juvenile
Violence in Harlem from 1940-1949
Search Engines
EVALUATION:
Persuasive Essay Rubric
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
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Thesis |
Easily identifiable, clear thesis |
Identifiable, clear thesis |
Vague or unclear thesis |
No clear thesis statement |
||||||||
Research |
Accurate and use of text information convinced
reader to support your thesis |
Accurate and adequate research information used to
support thesis |
Weak research information and points used to support
your thesis |
Much or most research information is inaccurate or incomplete |
||||||||
Content or support of side |
All ideas are clearly written and flow logically to
support/prove thesis |
All ideas are clearly written; some ideas may not
support/prove thesis appropriately |
Ideas show a weak structure and do not flow smoothly |
Little, if
any, development of supporting ideas |
||||||||
Transitions |
connecting and logical transitions to support your
thesis |
clear and connecting transitions |
few words connect paragraphs |
no transitions present |
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Conventions |
Sentence
structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate proficiency of mechanics;
minimal or no spelling errors |
Sentence structure, grammar, and
punctuation demonstrate an adequate understanding of mechanics; infrequent,
minor errors in spelling |
Sentence
structure, grammar, and punctuation demonstrate a basic under-standing of mechanics; frequent minor errors in
spelling |
Sentence
structure, grammar, and punctuation show frequent errors; Frequent misspelling of commonly used
words |
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Oral Presentation Rubric
CATEGORY |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
Content |
Shows a full understanding of the topic and uses
many textual examples. |
Shows a good understanding of the topic and uses
some textual examples. |
Shows a good understanding of parts of the topic and
uses few textual examples. |
Does not seem to understand the topic very well. |
PowerPoint Slides |
Student uses multiple slides that show considerable
work/creativity and which make the presentation better. |
Student uses many slides that shows considerable
work/creativity and which make the presentation better. |
Student uses several slides which makes the
presentation better. |
The student uses no slides OR the slides chosen
detract from the presentation. |
Speaks Clearly |
Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, and
mispronounces no words. |
Speaks clearly and distinctly all the time, but
mispronounces one word. |
Speaks clearly and distinctly most of the time. Mispronounces
no more than one word. |
Often mumbles or can not be understood OR
mispronounces more than one word. |
Collaboration with Peers |
Almost always listens to, shares with, and supports
the efforts of others in the group. Tries to keep people working well
together. |
Usually listens to, shares with, and supports the
efforts of others in the group. Does not cause "waves" in the
group. |
Often listens to, shares with, and supports the
efforts of others in the group but sometimes is not a good team member. |
Rarely listens to, shares with, and supports the
efforts of others in the group. Often is not a good team member. |
STANDARDS
English Language Arts
Standard 1: Students
will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding; they
will collect data, facts, and ideas and use electronically produced texts.
Standard 4: Students
will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction.
Math, Science, and Technology
Standard 2: Students
will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate
technologies.
Standard 5: Students
will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and
evaluate products and systems to satisfy various needs.
Standard 7:
Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of technology to
address real-life problems and make informed decisions.
CONCLUSION
At the conclusion of this
activity, you will have a greater appreciation for the economically deprived
and the struggles that they must face.
You will have learned how to use the Public Policy Analyst to find
effective solutions to problems that plague Sonny. The research, group work, writing, and oral
presentation that you will have completed will teach you to be an active
thinker and caring person in our society.