English – 9 Ramp up to Literacy

Ms. Fishman

Merylinez@aol.com

INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS IN A TOTALITARIAN SOCIETY

We just finished reading the Red scarf Girl. We know Ji-li Jang had a struggle between her belief in Chairman Mao and the communist Party, and her beloved family. She was an outstanding student and admired by all. But all changed with the advent of the Cultural Revolution, when intelligence became a crime and a wealthy family background invited persecution or worse. Her family was humiliated and reviled by former friends, neighbors, and colleagues and lived in constant terror of arrest. Then came the detention of her father and she was faced with the most dreadful decision of her life: denounce him and break with her family, or refuse to testify and sacrifice her future in her beloved Communist party. This issue must be addressed if our democracy can achieve its true measure of equality and freedom.

Through out history there has been a battle between individual rights and government totalitarian rule. In Nazi Germany Hitler degreed vengeance on all races that were not true Arians. Chairman Mao had his quest for a new China, and Fidel Castro declared complete dictatorship in Communist Cuba. These events clearly show the struggle between those that belief in a bill of rights and those who belief in dictatorship.

You will be an advisor to Ji-Li Jang and you will try to objectively explain to her the decisions that she is facing. You will base your facts and findings from the novel and decisions made in history and laws.

Your recommendations will shape your life and the way we see the world and ourselves and can still hope for a happier tomorrow.

Working in-groups you will be asked to write an article based on the following findings. Your article will follow essay format and have 150-200 words. You must refer to the characters in the book and explain your answer and site examples (step 2). You will also need to use four outside sources. They can include books, magazines, and web sites. The web sites will be provided for you. For your assignment you will need to follow the following procedures.

You will work in groups of two or three. You will use the Public Policy Analyst to analyze the social problems of individuals in a totalitarian society. Be sure to use various internet sources given in the resource section and other outside text material.

Step 1:

*Be sure to relate the experiences of Ji-Li Jang and her family when writing about individuals rights in a totalitarian society.

Worksheet 1-“Defining the social Problem.”

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/worksheet1.doc

Step 2: Show evidence that such a problem exists.

* Be sure to use the text to show necessary examples and help state the problem.

Worksheet 2- “Gathering evidence of the problem.”

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet2.doc

Step 3: Identify the causes and effects of the problem.

* Use Textbooks and Web sites to gather information.

Worksheet 3- “Identifying the cause of the problem.”

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/tips/worksheet3.doc

Step 4: What laws were in effect at the time and how did they help the individuals in communist China.

Worksheet 4-“Evaluating existing public policies.

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet4.doc

Step 5: Choose the laws and policies to solve the problem and

Select the best solution. Describe the policy to be implemented.

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/TIPS/worksheet5.doc

Use the above worksheets to complete your paper.

The web sites will be provided for you. For your assignment you will need to follow the following procedures to give support of your findings.

Cultural Revolution Books and Articles - Research Cultural Revolution at Questia Online Library

http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=cultural_revolution&OFFID=se1&KEY=chinese_cultural_revolution

http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/prc3.html : http://members.fortunecity.com/stalinmao/China/Cultural/Cultural.html

If you need further sites please use these general search engines

www.google.com

www.yahoo.com

www.altavista.com

Your work will be evaluated according to the following rubric:

	A(100-90)	B(89-80	C(79-70)	D969-60	F(59-<)
Step 1-Intro	Background information Thesis statement and examples	Thesis statement and examples of essay direction	Thesis statement and 1 example	Thesis statement	Background information
Step 2-Evidence	Show evidence from text to prove thesis (at least 3 for each character)	Show evidence from text to prove thesis (at least 3 for each character)	Show evidence from text to prove thesis( at least 2 for each character)	Show evidence from text to prove thesis ( at least 1 for each character)	Provides evidence and thesis statement as a unit
Step 3-Causes	From research show possible causes for problem(at least 3 causes	From research show possible causes (at least 2)	From research show possible causes(at least 1)	From research show possible causes (at least 1)	Shows one possible cause of problem
Step 4-Laws which existed	Cite at least 2 laws which helped the U.S. to rebuild after the depression	Cite at least 2 laws which helped the U.S. to rebuild after the depression	Cite 1 law which helped the U.S. rebuild during the depression	Cite 1 law, which helped the U.S. rebuild after the depression	Does not Cite a law that verifies claim
Step 5- Reform possibilities	Give at least 3 possibilities	Give 3 possibilities	Give 2 possibilities	Give 2 possibilities	N/A
Step 6- Best solution	Of the three choose the best one	Of the three choose the best one	Choose the better of the two choices	Choose the better of the two choices	Gives a recommendation
Spelling, grammar and punctuation	There should be a minimum of 5	There should be a minimum of 6	There should be a minimum of 8	There should be a minimum of 10	There should be a minimum of 11

.

At the end of this project each student, and group should become familiar with individuals rights and totalitarian governments. Each student should objectively explain the decisions individuals faced throughout history from using the public policies relating to our bill of rights and democracy. Students should be able to make comparisons of other totalitarian governments from other novels read in class, ( The Diary of Ann Frank).

You will also understand the need for public policy and analysis in modern society, and you will have made constructive suggestions for shaping ones life and the way in which you see the world. By understanding the courage that Ji-Li Jang and Ann Frank had we all can learn from them and only hope for a future of peace and happiness.

In our next project we will explore the novels that use historical fiction (Night John and Ajeemah and Son) and learn about the slave trade from various points of origins and how they were brought and bought to America.

The Web quest focuses on the following

STANDARD 1

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships,

Concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and

Electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

STANDARD 2

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression. Students will read and listen to oral, written and electronically produced texts and performance relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.

STANDARD 3

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences; ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

STANDARD 4

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich the understanding of people and their views.

Standard 4:  Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States..

Standard 5:  Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.