Hughes-BlaumUPLANRATIONALE

Kelsey Hughes-Blaum “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…” – Martin Luther King

__“What is Justice?” Unit__

What is the definition of justice? How does one form their concept of justice? In what ways can punishment be justly related to crime? What is the relationship between justice and mercy? These complex questions are just a few of the issues I wish to explore in my “What is Justice?” unit plan. This unit is designed for ninth grade students. Walter Dean Myers’ //Monster// will serve as the centerpiece for my unit. This novel covers the murder trial of Steve Harmon, a sixteen year old African American teenager. //Monster// also includes Steve’s diary entries portraying his experiences in prison as well as in the courtroom. Aside from reading //Monster//, students will also engage in nonfiction, theatre, and poetry segments. As a class, we will analyze and discuss Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and the //Bill of Rights//. For the theatre portion of the unit students will read, as well as perform, Arthur Miller’s //The Crucible//. Lastly, the poetry section will include “The Ballad of the Landlord” by Langston Hughes, “The Great City” by Walt Whitman, and “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou. The pieces I’ve selected have been chosen specifically in order to reinforce the theme of justice and to show students how it can be expressed across a variety of genres. Apart from reading, analyzing, and discussing on a day to day basis, students will also thoroughly prepare for and engage in a “Mock Trial” (//Teaching Through Principled Practice// 423). This trial will serve as one of the unit’s final assessments for it will require the students to write a letter to the jury and to demonstrate their knowledge of how the justice system works. Students will also start each class with a journal entry. Some entries will ask the students to reflect on instances of justice in their own lives, where others will require students to take a stand on current social issues and court case simulations regarding justice. The journal will be collected at the end of the unit for a grade. Other assessments include a vocabulary quiz, reading check quiz, and a cumulative exam.