Narrative

Lesson Plan & Teacher Reflection TOPIC: Prisons in the U.S. Class: 10th Grade African American History Period: 1 & 7 Time: 52/56, depending on the bell schedule School: Magnet Program, Northeast High School ST: Jaimie Stevenson CM: David Sokoloff PM: Pam Gallagher Draft date: April 7, 2013 Teaching date: April 12, 2013 NARRATIVE LESSON PLAN OVERVIEW/ RATIONALE LESSON In this lesson students explore the experience of incarceration on individuals who are incarcerated. Students arrive to class having completed a homework assignment assigned earlier in the week: 1-page original prison narratives modelled off of the first-person prison narratives they had read in class and for homework two nights earlier. In class, students make presentations in small groupsthey prepare a dramatic reading of a short excerpt from one of the four prison narrative readings, as well as a tableau vivant. A tableau vivant (living picture) is an activity where students create a still-life dramatization from a scene in history. In this case, students must create a visual representation of the narratives they have read, and be able to explain the significance of the way they have positioned themselves in the scene. The objective is for students in presenting groups to examine one narrative in particularly close detail, and for students in the audience to learn more about each narrative from their peers. Rather than simply talking about the experience of the incarcerated students show it, both with their voices and their bodies. The prison narrative readings included excerpts from four different writers, including Plantation Prison, from Autobiography of an Imprisoned Peon (1904), Satan, by Malcolm X, from Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965), State-Raised Convict, by Jack Henry Abbott, from In the Belly of the Beast (1981), and Im Still Standing, by Teri Hancock, from Inside this Place, Not of It: Narratives from Womens Prisons (2011). ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS The purpose of prisons is a contested issue in the U.S. The purpose of prisons is different in the U.S. than in different countries worldwide The purpose of prisons is for social control African Americans are disproportionately represented in the populations of prisons in the U.S. Legalized racial profiling affects the racial makeup of prison populations in the U.S. Prisons are a relatively new development in world history The institution of slavery did not disappear with the Emancipation Proclamation, but transformed to a new model to control African Americans: first labor camps, then prisons While crime rates have fallen in recent history, incarceration rates have increased dramatically Some people who are incarcerated are wrongfully convicted Convicted persons lose significant rights as citizens in the U.S.

 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS LESSON 1. How does incarceration affect the incarcerated? UNIT What is the relationship between slavery and state and federal prisons during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era? Why are African Americans disproportionately represented in U.S. prisons? What is the purpose of prisons in the U.S.? How do prisons reflect the norms of a society? What is the role of racial profiling in who ends up in prison? How does incarceration affect the families of convicted persons and the communities they live in? What does the extremely large number of prisons in the U.S. say about this country? What does prison architecture communicate to the people inside about who they are and their personal worth? What arguments support the construction of new prisons today? What arguments go against the construction of new prisons today? OBJECTIVES Compose original prison narratives modeled off of historic prison narratives to explore the experience of being incarcerated Present dramatic readings of excerpts of prison narratives Dramatize the prison experience using tableaux vivant ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION Students will compose original prison narratives modelled off of historic prison narratives Students will present dramatic readings of excerpts of prison narratives Students will dramatize the prison experience using tableaux vivant Students will reflect on the dramatic performance activities in a written exit ticket STANDARDS PA 8.1.12.A: Evaluate chronological thinking PA 8.1.12.B: Synthesize and evaluate historical sources PA 8.1.12.D: Synthesize historical research PA 8.3.12.A: Identify and evaluate the political and cultural contributions of individuals and groups to United States history from 1890 to present PA 8.3.12.B: Identify and evaluate primary documents, material artifacts, and historic sites important in United States history from 1890 to present CC.8.5.9-10.A, B, D, F, H, I CC.8.6.9-10.A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I MATERIALS Audio Recorder Hand-held Camera Projector & Laptop Student Handouts: Reading Handout_Prison Narratives

Teacher Presentation: Prisons Unit_JStevenson.pptx PROCEDURES OPENER (5 mins) Do Now: Take out your homework. Underline your favorite sentence in your original prison narrative. BODY OF THE LESSON 1. During Do Now, take attendance (5 mins) 2. Debrief Do Now (5 mins) Students pair/share warm up Full-class whip-around of favorite lines T collects homework 3. Activity One: Prepare for Dramatic Readings & Tableaux Vivant (7 mins) T reviews procedures for dramatic readings and tableaux vivant Ss work in small groups to finalize their selection of an excerpt, decide on a tone of voice for the dramatic reading, and plan how to position themselves for the tableau T circulates room to monitor Ss progress and listen for any common questions to address as a full class 4. Activity Two: Tableaux Vivant & Dramatic Readings of Prison Narratives (30 mins) T asks for one group to volunteer to go first, then walks the class through the procedure for the presentations using the first group as a model. T also describes what the group did well, or could change to improve their dramatic reading and/or tableau. Presentation procedure: whole group goes to the front of the room; tableau actors take their stance on stage next to the reader; the reader announces the author of the excerpt, then presents the dramatic reading while tableau actors stay in formation; when the reader finishes, the tableau actors break character to describe the position they have taken; following the actors description, T asks audience if they have any questions for the group, then T signals the audience to make a round of applause. During presentations, T photographs tableau and records audio. CLOSURE (<5 mins) Exit Ticket: How did the tableaux affect your understanding of the prison narratives? Should I use this exercise again in the future? Why or why not? 3 lines. ACCOMMODATIONS From the homework due, to classwork, to the exit ticket, this lesson appeals to students multiple intelligences. Students read the real-life first-person narratives of prisoners in history, work with small groups to select an excerpt and plan a presentation, and prepare a dramatic reading and tableau vivant. For students for whom the prison narratives reading was challenging, working with peers to present a short excerpt can facilitate deeper exploration of a smaller amount of text. The dramatic presentation of the tableaux allows students to demonstrate comprehension of the text in a non-verbal manner. When students breaks character from the tableau to describe the significance of their physical stance, they can demonstrate transfer of concepts from comprehension to analysis using verbal explanation. The tableaux and dramatic readings allow students in the audience to hear and see the experience of incarceration through the dramatizations of their classmates, significantly different than the type of learning that would occur through a full-class discussion of the same material.

 TEACHER REFLECTION

STUDENTS RESPONSE In anticipation of this lesson, I wondered whether all students tableaux would look the samean individual behind bars pretending to writebut was pleasantly surprised to find that students imaginations took them far beyond a basic interpretation. If I were only judging the success of the lesson based on students exit tickets, I would get the impression that the dramatic readings and tableaux were effective teaching and learning tools for the majority of the class. Students wrote that the activity was fun, interesting, better than reading it plainly, it sticks better, helped me visualize the text better, was a good way to understand the reading because some students are more visual learners, and it missed class (work)the last of which makes me think that that student got the impression that the activity was so fun that it couldnt possibly be considered school work, which from certain angles seems like a success to me. But the complementary critiques are only a part of the picture. A handful of students expressed dissatisfaction with the activity, writing that it was actually a bad idea, it really doesnt show much, doesnt really help with understanding, it was funny but we didnt really learn anything about who or what they are, and I hated it. Interestingly, the author of the last student also wrote that the activity helped her understand the reading more, and was interesting, but it is clear that she did not enjoy it. From my perspective, the wide range of student responses shows that the activity is a valid example of how to appeal to the multiple intelligences across a class, and within individual studentsbecause it worked very well for some students, and not for others. In both classes, student groups were eager to make their presentationsgroups volunteered without my having to persuade them. In the audience, students were attentive to the presenting groupssome times through silence, and at other times through verbal responsiveness. In the future, I would make stduents in the audience more responsible for asking questions of the presenting groups. ASSESSMENTS Original Prison Narratives: students composed original prison narratives modelled off of historica prison narratives that they read in class and for homework. Students also used their first-hand experience of being inside the physical space of Eastern State Penitentiary when describing the details in their original narratives. Dramatic Readings: students will present dramatic readings of exerpts of historic prison narratives. Tableaux Vivant: students will dramatize still-life scenes from the same historic prison narratives to explore the first-hand experience of incarceration from the perspective of the authors. Exit Ticket Reflection: students will respond to the lesson in written responses to 2 reflective questions at the end of class (following the dramatic performance activities). PERSONAL REFLECTION I believe this lesson was worthwhilea majority of the students in the room demonstrated interest in the activity through their attention to the planning phase, attentiveness during the presentations, and their written reflection in the exit ticket. Some students even attended to the entire activity, as assigned, but revealed a distaste for it only in their exit ticket. I saw students coming up with strategies for how to show the emotions, feelings, and ideas that the authors of the prison narratives only explain in writing. I saw students smiling, laughing, and questioning the tableaux and dramatic readings that their peers presented. As is the case in many of my lessons, I was able to make some modifications for 7th period based

on what did or didnt work during my 1st period class. After 1st period my CM pointed out that it seemed like students werent sufficiently explaining why they positioned themselves as they did in the tableaux. We came up with a more succinct prompt for 7th period, where I asked students to explain why you chose that position, dont just explain the position. When students needed more prompting, I asked them to explain it in terms of significance and why is the tableau the way it is? Another variation I added for 7th was prompting students to hold their shape in the tableau for 5 seconds following the end of the dramatic reading. I told the class that this is when the audience should look closely at the tableauin the future, I will ask students in the audience to ask 23 questions about the tableau after the students have broken character. I was impressed to find the entire class silent during that 5-second pause, which some students declared as awkward, but which I found to be helpful in distinguishing between the dramatic reading and the tableaus dissolution into explanation. FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS If I consider the fact that this was the first time that Ive taught tableaux in the classroom, I am pleased with the depth of learning that students demonstrated throughout the activity. As I consider whether, and how, to use this lesson again, I begin to see room for improvement. Rather than me doing the work of initiating students explanations for their physical positioning in the tableaux, I would have students in the audience hold their peers to the requirement to be able to describe the significance of the still-life through follow-up questioning between each groups performance. In this lesson and on the previous day, I spent little time instructing students on how to prepare the dramatic reading part of the presentation. Earlier this semester students prepared dramatic readings of the diary of a slaveowner, so were somewhat familiar with the idea. In the future, I would repeat the scaffolding for this part of the activity to ensure that students were putting thought into tone of voice. In this instance, some students did a fantsastic job of modifying their voices to dramatize the reading, but that was not true across the board in both classes. I made a decision to prioritize scaffolding the tableaux, given the limited amount of time for this lesson, but would change that in the future. I think that the strength of this lesson is that it asks students to explore the same question, How does incarceration affect the incarcerated? through various activities: reading historic prison narratives, acting out excerpts of those narratives, and creatively writing original prison narratives. In the end, it was clear that many students understood that incarceration can have a dramatic physical and psychological effect on an individual. In the future, I would spend more time creating a critical historical framework for this lesson in the context of the unit on prisons, so that students might interpret different experiences of incarceration in light of larger contexts (in addition to race), such as gender, class, and historical time period.