Stacy Mittag

Multiple Perspectives: Turning Non-fiction into ‘Truth’

Prefatory Statement:

This unit delves into the neglected genre of non-fiction, exploring critical and deeper ways of examining it. Most of the reading we do in our every day life is non-fiction in nature. So much of that material, not only regarding the past, is presented as ‘truth,’ and it is vital that students be able to critically look at that material and question it in order to find the author’s bias and purpose. Throughout this unit the traditional non-fiction material (diaries, essays, letters, autobiographies, ect) is presented by looking at several historical events from many sides and perspectives. The majority of the literature in this genre presents themselves to the reader as illustrating the truth about what happened. However, as you compare different authors’ ‘truths,’ what really happened becomes unclear. This unit also sets aside a day or two to include poetry and prose perspectives of the same event. The main objective is to look at the audience and purpose of a piece to understand the point of view it presents. The skill of finding the relative truth and how to present the ‘truth’ accurately are vital for students as they begin to look critically at the world. Examples of questions used throughout the unit: What is the authorial purpose of this newspaper article? What is the bias of the paper? Is there another side not presented here? Where would I find it? These are all questions students should begin asking in their everyday lives. Ultimately, this unit prepares students to become critical of everything they read, especially focusing on material presenting facts or the truth.

Throughout this unit, the students participate in Literature Circles where they read non-fiction accounts of the Vietnam War. A list of possibilities is included in the Teacher Resource section. They will also create a multi-genre research paper exploring the many perspectives of a historical event of their own choice. For Rubric and Assignment sheet see Teacher Resources. Finally, as a class, we will examine and explore non-fiction and fiction genres’ treatment of the Civil War.

Class Specification-

This unit is designed for late high school students, specifically 11th and 12th grade. Due to the material covered in the Vietnam Literature Circle books, the content can be fairly controversial particularly as we begin to look at unconventional viewpoints involving history. Students need to be able to accept and analyze viewpoints contrary to their held beliefs. They also need to be open minded enough to accept information that may be in contrast to typical conventional ideas. This unit focuses initially on the Vietnam War, bringing up issues that should be discussed with older students who are more able to make the connections between the Vietnam War and our current events. This unit could be adapted for younger high school students by changing the subject matter for Literature Circles. The issue of war may be difficult for some students and the teacher may need to switch the subject matter of the initial activities or Literature Circle books; however, the assessment and ideas motivating this unit can remain intact for younger high school students.

Significant Assumptions- In designing this unit I have made the following assumptions:

Multiple perspectives/opinions exist of almost all historical events
Students are familiar with a variety of genres
Students learn best when given a choice
Students are able to effectively read the material
Students learn through many different learning styles
The material can be made interesting
The Internet contains primary sources
Students understand primary/secondary sources
Students can research on the web effectively
Students have knowledge of basic history involving the Civil and Vietnam Wars from Social Studies classes
Students know how to work in groups effectively
Students have prior experience with writing journals
Students have worked in Literature Circles previously
Students have peer edited
Students know how to present their work in group presentations

Desired Outcomes/Standards/Objectives to be Met-

By the end of this unit, students will have learned:

Critically analyze a piece of non-fiction

Effectively identify many points of view of a situation

Recognize the author’s bias/purpose in a piece of non-fiction

Recognize/Argue the relativity of ‘truth’ found in non-fiction

Develop effective strategies for reading genres of non-fiction

Whole class activities-

Class discussions
In-class readings
Movie clips
Debate Perspectives

Small-Group Activities

Literature Circles
Writing groups
Webquest activities
Group presentation of research
Literature Circle Book Talk

Individual Activities

Creating a multi-genre research paper
Journal responses to different readings
Researching primary documentation
Present multi-genre paper
Webquest activities

Ongoing Activities

Journal writing
Grammar/spelling logs
Writing groups
Literature Circles

Student Resources

Textbook-English
Textbook-History, US or World
Writing Journal
Writing/Spelling logs
Copy of Literature Circle book
Word Processor
Access to the internet

Unit Launch/Anticipatory set/Set Induction-

Students will view portions of the movie “All’s Quiet on the Western Front” in which they cannot determine the nationality of the soldier. After viewing a portion of the film we will talk about the pro/anti war nature of the film. How does it present war? How does it humanize the war? We will then view more of the movie in which it does become clear it is a German soldier. Students will then journal how this new information changes how they feel about the war and how the perspective is different than originally perceived.

Organization of the Unit:

Week One:

Monday

Launch Activity

Tuesday

Students will complete Task One of the Webquest

Wednesday

Students will listen to Literature Circle presentations and break themselves into groups. List of possible Literature Circle books located in Teacher Resources. They will journal/discuss about their prior knowledge of the Vietnam War. They will discuss their predictions about the plot, content, and theme of the book. They will also assign first reading and role assignments.

Thursday

The rest of the week is whole group class exploration of non-fiction genres. In class I suggest tackling a different event time period than Literature Circles. I have chosen the Civil War because I think that it offers a wide variety of types of non-fiction from a variety of viewpoints.
Introduction to letters, diaries, newspapers, the Gettysburg Address, and even photographs
Emphasis is placed on the type of non-fiction. What information is found? Is their a bias? What was the author’s purpose and audience?

Friday Lesson One:

The Textbook could be WRONG? : Looking Critically at History

Overview:

Students will compare the information regarding Abraham Lincoln found in their textbooks about the Civil War to the material found in Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. (I choose this as it looks at history from the view of the losers, not the winners.)

Objectives:

Students will find differences in the ‘facts’ presented.

Students will find differences in the presentation of these ‘facts’.

Students will understand the underlying concept of discrepancies in non-fiction.

Rationale:

Students need to be able to look critically at all information that is presented as facts. While facts do exist in the world, the manner in which facts are presented can influence the meaning of them to a reader. Through this lesson I want students to be able to recognize how the author is presenting facts to make their point.

Methods:

Students, with the help of their history books journal about what they know about the Civil War. Causes, peoples, slavery, anything. (5-10 min)
As a class we create a list of the causes of the Civil War. Slavery will inevitably top the list. (5 min)
Pass out selections from Howard Zinn’s A Peoples History of the United States.(15 min)

Students silently read the selection.
As they read students should write down in their journals any new information they learn.

As a class we compile the list of new information. (5-10)

Discuss why they didn’t know this information

Discussion Questions: (15 min)

Did your textbook and the article ever present the same information?
Did they ever both use the same statistics?
What do the authors feel about Lincoln? Is it different?
How do the authors cover the emancipation? Positively? How does the different information each uses create different ideas about how to view the event?
Have you encountered other instances of history being ‘wrong’?

Wrap up the discussion by asking students to compare the two lists and write a paragraph about how their view of Lincoln has changed or how they now question the material?

Homework

Read Literature Circle Book

Assessment

Students will use historical information in two contrasting ways for their multi-

genre paper.

Students will make judgments on the facts presented in future non-fiction and

question how they are presented.

Week Two:

Monday

Literature Circles. Discussion of main character. Each group by the end of class should complete a time line of the main character’s life thus far.

Tuesday Lesson Plan Two

Finding Common Ground

Overview:

Students will compare/contrast Fredrick Douglas’ “Narrative of a Slave” with “Southern Thought” (an article written by a Southern Plantation owner before the Civil War). Students will examine how each author’s position in life contributes to their opinions about slavery and how both pieces’ perspectives together create a more complete and perhaps more accurate picture of history.

Objectives:

Students can identify differences between two perspectives

Students con identify similarities between these two perspectives

Students will analyze these perspectives to understand the complexities

of an issue

Rationale:

This lesson allows for students to begin understanding that while non-fiction is true there are many views of what that truth is and how to present it. Both of these writers present the truth of their situation yet give very different accounts of slavery. This begins the process of understand relativity of truth and point of view. By combining these points through dialogue they begin to understand how these points of view can exist at the same time.

Methods

Student review Douglas’ “Narrative of a Slave” (Read for homework last night) (10 min)

Create a list of Douglass’ views of slavery and his objections
Create a list of Douglass’ reasons slavery should stop
Create a one paragraph summery of Douglass’ life

As a class read “Southern Thought” (20 min)

Create a list of the plantation owners’ views of slavery and his objections to the protests
Reason slavery needs to continue

Quick review of Venn Diagram using the material from yesterday (5 min)
As a class create a Venn Diagram of these two perspectives (10 min)
Discussion: (15 min)

How could two such different views exist?
Which is right?
What motives these two different perspectives?
Is there anything these two men could agree on?

As the class begins to discuss their similarities Assign: (5 min)

Suppose these two men meet. What would they talk about? Slavery? How would they interact? Write up the dialogue between these two men. Its only has to been about a five minute encounter. If at all possible have them discuss and then come to agreement about one issue.

Homework:

Complete the dialogue exercise.

Read Literature Book.

Assessment:

Student will be assessed of these skills in their multi-genre paper as they combine perspectives of their event. Students have understood this concept if they are able to find two perspectives that could co-exist in one genre of their multi-genre paper. Also if students are able to complete a Venn Diagram of these two pieces.

Wednesday-Friday

The rest of this week completes the class’ look at different types of non-fiction. Friday would cover genres of fiction that describe the Civil War. Excerpts from “Red Badge of Courage” or Civil War poetry. *NOTE: make sure the ‘fiction’ you choose is talking about a specific historical event. Discussion on these days should continue looking at the bias of non-fiction genres with questions such as: What information is given? What is the author’s purpose/audience? Beyond this the discussion should begin to describe how the genre itself contributes/takes away from the presentation of the event. Does the poetry help describe the facts of battle, or does it get in the way? What information is not found in a private’s letters?

Week Three:

Monday

Literature Circles. By this point they should be at least half way through their Literature Circle book. Discussions should focus on the main character’s first encounter with morality/death. Also their changing attitudes and opinions involving war. How do the characters feel now versus when they first started? Have students predict end of book.

Tuesday

Start of multi-genre papers. Explain the assignment, look at examples, and brainstorming different non-fiction genres that students could use in their papers. Time could also be spent looking at possible topics. Encourage students to try to pick a historical event, person, or era that has many perspectives and opinions.

Wednesday and Thursday

All about research. Go down to the computer lab and show students how to find primary sources and other information that will be useful to them.

Friday Lterature Circles

Overview:

This is an example of a typical lesson plan for Literature Circles involving how to keep them on task and accomplishing something. I assign a project/writing for the group to complete by the end of class to give t hem both something to spark conversation and prove accountability. For this lesson students will discuss a character’s evolution and predict how the character will continue to evolve.

Objectives:

Students will

be able to discuss literary work without direct teacher guidance

use a variety of reading strategies to understand the material

Methods:

Overview/reminder of Literature Circle procedures. (10 min)

Reminder: Peer reviews are part of you grade for Literature Circles.
that groups must assign new roles/pages for next week. (note they should be just over haft way through their books)

Student discuss using the following questions as guidelines. (20 min)

Post the following questions on the overhead. Remind the students these are only a starting place and they should go where the discussion leads. But stay on task.

Describe the type of person your character is now.

Use only 5 words to sum him/her up

How did they react to combat?

What does this say about them?

What motivates the character?

Has that changed since their arrival in Vietnam?

Have their opinions/beliefs about war changed?

What motivated that change?

Has your view of war changed? How do society’s current opinions of war differ/support your or the main character’s opinions?

Assign the following. (10 min)

Draw three pictures to illustrate your character’s evolution.

1- the beginning of the book, either before they left of their arrival in Vietnam
2- their current situation
3- predict what the character will be like in the beginning of book.

Include 5 adjectives to describe the character as a person underneath each drawing

Student work as a group to create images (15 min)
Collect at the end of the hour

Note: the students will get them back as they plan their book talks.

Homework

Read Literature Circle Book

Research Multi-genre topics

Assessment

This lesson will be assessed as part of the larger Literature Circle Grade. These character development illustrations will be used in book talks, as part of completion grade, and covered in peer/self evaluations to be completed at the end of the unit.

Week Four:

Monday-Tuesday

Investigation of the other perspectives of the Vietnam War. Looking at the protestors and civil rights movements through non-fiction. Again newspapers, Howard Zinn’s People’s History, letters, diaries, and newscasts. Trying to find pieces of non-fiction that glorify and protest the war. These pieces should try to contrast the readings in the Literature Circle book. In class discussion should include such topics as why so many differing accounts of the war? Why did so many people protest? How can you tell how the author feels about the war? What truth is there in this piece?

Wednesday

Literature Circles. They should now be talking about the characters moral dilemmas and how the war is changing the characters physically, emotionally, and developmentally. Students should begin to predict how the character will deal with coming home and those he left behind. Also discuss any interactions the main character has had with the other perspectives we’ve talked about.

Thursday

Students complete Task Two of Webquest

Friday

Debate of ‘roles’ from Webquest arguing the validity of the War. Wrap up discussion of different truth and points of view.

Note: This week all reading should occur in class while students are still researching outside of class.

Week Five:

Monday

If Literature Circles need to meet once more, this will be the last day. Groups will discuss how their author fits into the perspectives of the Vietnam War we discussed in class last week. They will also prepare “book talks” to describe their book and their author’s perspective to the rest of the class.

Tuesday

Book Talks. Also wrap up discussion on the Vietnam material and discussions on the different ‘truths’ each non-fiction work presents.

Wednesday

Students have completed research of their event.
Complete Task Three of the Webquest. The prewriting list of possible pieces of non-fiction is presented. Students begin to outline which pieces they are going to write for their multi-genre paper and what researched information goes into each piece.

Thursday and Friday

Writing days. Student should be writing non-fiction genres for their multi-genre papers. Students should have 5 pieces by the end of the day Friday.

Week Six:

This whole week as needed is centered on writing, writing groups and time in the computer lab to produce final drafts.

Assessment:

Students will be graded on the following:

35% Literature Circles

Grade based on participation, satisfactory completion of Literature Circle activities including role sheets, and peer and self evaluations.

35% Multi-genre Paper

Grade based on number of genres, research, creativity, use of different perspectives, rough drafts, and mechanics

See Multi-genre Rubric for more specifics about each.

30 % In-class exercises

Including but not limited to:

Responding to Readings and class participation

Journal writing

Homework assignments

Grade based on completion of journal writings (based on journal criteria), contributing to class reading and discussion (at least twice a week), and completing outside homework assignments as assigned.

All in-class activities will be graded on a traditional point scale. (90,80,70,60) This grade will then count 30% of the unit grade.

EX.

Student receives a B for literature Circles based on peer/self evaluations and failure to demonstrate that they completed reading the book.

Student received an A for the multi-genre based on the rubric

Student received 287 of the 350 points or 82% available for in-class activities.

The three grades are then weighted for a unit grade of B.

Teacher Resources

Civil War Non-Fiction Pieces of Literature for Class Discussion:

Frederick Douglass Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

George Fitzhugh Southern Thought

Harriet Ann Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Mary Boykin Chesnut Mary Chesnut’s Civil War Letters

Abraham Lincoln Gettysburg Address

Second Inaugural Address

Howard Zinn A People’s History of the United States

Civil War Fiction Literature

Stephan Crane Red badge of Courage

Vietnam Non-fiction Literature

Le Ly Hayslip When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

John Steinbeck Why Soldiers Don’t Talk

Tim O’brien Ambush

Frances Fitzgerald Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the

Americans in Vietnam

Lerone Bennett, Jr. What Manner of Men: A Biography of King, Jr.

Howard Zinn A People’s History of the United States

Vietnam Fiction Literature

Lanford Wilson Wandering

Larsen and Nga Deciding

Denise Levertow At the Justice Department, November 15, 1969

Tim O’Brian The Things They Carried

Bobbie Mason In Country

Literature Circle Book Possibilities

Phillip Caputo A Rumor of War

Micheal Herr Dispatch

Tim O’brien If I Die in a Combat Zone

Al Sontoli Everything We Had: An Oral History of the

Vietnam War ….

Bernard Edelman Letters Home from Vietnam

Ron Kovic Born on the Fourth of July

Winnie Smith American Daughter Gone to War: On the Front

with an Army Nurse in Vietnam

Thomas B Allen Offerings at the Wall: Artifacts from the Vietnam

Memorial Collection

Mark Baker Nam: The Vietnam War in the Words of the Men

and Women Who Fought There.

NAME

Multi-Genre Research Paper

As a part of our Non-fiction Unit you will write a Multi-Genre Research Paper. This is an opportunity for you to combine research and creative writing to explore the many perspectives of a historical event, period, or person. You will research the many sides, points of view, and opinions about your topic. Use will then incorporate your research into your own non-fiction genres.

Checklist: Due Date: Completed:

Topic Proposal Paragraph

Research

min. 8 sources

2 primary

Outline of genre ideas

and use of research

Works Cited containing

8 sources

Rough Drafts of all 8 genres

Peer Editing worksheet

Final Draft

A few helpful hints:

Choose a topic that you are interested in, can be interpreted many different ways,

and will produce enough research.

Choose a variety of NON-FICTION genres. Fiction genres can be done for

extra credit but finish the 8 non-fiction ones first.

Get rough drafts done early. Take time to peer edit and revise you work.

Multi-genre Rubric
Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY	A	B	C	D
Writing Process	Student devotes a lot of time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and editing). Works hard to make the story wonderful.	Student devotes sufficient time and effort to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and editing). Works and gets the job done.	Student devotes some time and effort to the writing process but was not very thorough. Does enough to get by.	Student devotes little time and effort to the writing process. Doesn't seem to care.
Using Different Perspectives	The entire story is related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand at least 4 different perspectives.	Most of the story is related to the assigned topic. The paper presents 3 different points of view.	Some of the story is related to the assigned topic, and includes 2 different perspectives.	Only the mainstream perspective is presented.
Using Research	Student uses at least 8 different sources. Effectively incorporates facts into various genres.	Student uses at least 6 different sources. Facts are almost all used effectively into genres.	Student uses 4 different sources. Facts are not used effectively into the genres.	Student uses 2 sources. No attempt is made to incorporate facts into the genres.
Spelling and Punctuation	There are no spelling or punctuation errors in the final draft.	There is one spelling or punctuation error in the final draft.	There are 2-3 spelling and punctuation errors in the final draft.	The final draft has more than 3 spelling and punctuation errors.
Creativity	The story contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination.	The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination.	The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use his imagination.	There is little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
Genres	Student successfully used 8 genres. At least one is one is not an example discussed in class.	Student successfully used 7 genres. Perhaps one is not an example discussed in class	Student successfully used 6 genres. Struggled with one or two genres.	Student successfully used 5 genres. Struggled with many genres.

References: Literature or titles for literature taken from the following sources:

Applebee, Arthur N. Ed. The Language of Literature. McDougal Littell: Evanston,

Illinois. 1997

Applebee, Arthur N. Ed. The Language of Literature: American Literature. McDougal

Littell: Evanston, Illinois. 2000.

Johannessen, Larry R. “When History Talks Back: Teaching Non-fiction Literature of the

Vietnam War.” English Journal. Volume 91, Number 4. March 2002.

Lauter, Paul. Ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Vol. I. 4th Ed. Houghton

Mifflin Company: Boston. 2002.

Oldham, Perry. “On Teaching Vietnam War Literature.” English Journal. Volume 75,

Number 2. February 1986.

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. Perennial Classics. 2003.