Format
Poster Presentation
First Presenter's Institution
Niles West High School
Second Presenter's Institution
Evanston Township High School
Third Presenter's Institution
NA
Fourth Presenter's Institution
NA
Fifth Presenter's Institution
NA
Location
Harborside East & West
Strand #1
Academic Achievement & School Leadership
Strand #2
Social & Emotional Skills
Relevance
Historical race-based trauma is real, and it impacts academic achievement and social relationships. Students and teachers cannot live as if "the past is past," without knowing the details of "the past." When students study Ta-Nehisi Coates' essay "The Case for Reparations" they identify institutional racism as an aggressive force that continues to cause destruction to individuals and to our society. This is especially pertinent for “at risk” students, and simultaneously benefits all students. Studying this essay motivates intrinsic development of strong critical reading and thinking skills because students care about the content, however teaching the essay requires careful preparation and intentional fostering of trust in the classroom. This workshop presents lessons that increase academic motivation for all students and fosters positive social and emotional relationships in the classroom.
Brief Program Description
We offer specific materials and plans for teaching the structure and content of Ta-Nehisi Coates' persuasive essay, "The Case for Reparations," and building trustworthy relationships with and among students. By participating in this interactive session, you will practice teaching five specific high school appropriate lessons addressing requisite knowledge and skills for studying this essay, from real estate redlining to building academic vocabulary for rhetorical analysis.
Summary
Studying Ta-Nehisi Coates' persuasive essay, "The Case for Reparations," motivates intrinsic development of strong critical reading and thinking skills, especially for "at risk" students, because students care about the content; however, teaching the essay requires careful preparation and intentional fostering of trust in the classroom. Carol and I offer specific materials and plans for teaching the structure and content of this powerful essay, and building trustworthy relationships with and among students. We begin by engaging participants in a “descriptive reading of the text” activity, which demonstrates how to obtain 100% class participation without evaluation. This feature of our pedagogy is key to developing the learning community relationships that are necessary for studying a complex and socially demanding text. We move from descriptive reading into a mini-lesson on types of rhetorical appeals in argument, and elements of argumentation, since Coates makes it clear that he presents a “case,” i.e., and argument. We share five specific high school appropriate lessons on "The Case for Reparations," addressing requisite knowledge and skills for studying this essay, from real estate redlining to building academic vocabulary for rhetorical analysis. All participants will receive copies of lesson and vocabulary materials.
Evidence
21st C. educational research is filled with disputes about the meaning of literacy. Is it mere ability to decode verbal data, or is there a larger, more comprehensive significance? The basic materials of our session, and our lessons, side with scholars who posit that literacy is a multi-faceted phenomenon. "The Case for Reparations" includes video interviews and reporting on The Contract Buyers League, and lessons that teach students how to interpret these materials. Maps that visually demonstrate the geography of redlining in Chicago, and the participation of the federal government through FHA policies, combine several forms of literacy instruction in this lesson. Research listed below indicates that socially relevant content and multi-literacy instruction MOTIVATE high school aged students to read and think critically. Our pedagogy demonstrates that multi-modal literacy in society and in the classroom is just as natural for high school students as for younger children.
Alvermann, D.E., & Hagood, M.C. (2000). Critical media literacy: Research, theory, and practice in "New Times." The Journal of Educational Research, 93, 193-205.
Davidson, N., and T. Worsham. 1992. Enhancing Thinking Through Cooperative Learning. New York: Teachers College Press.
Heinecken, Dawn. ""All of Her Changes Have Made Me Think about My Changes": Fan Readings of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's "Alice" Series." Children's Literature in Education. 44.2 (2013): 104-119.
(Heinecken's article validates how/why content matters in reading instruction. Just as female students identify with the realities of gender bias, African-American students identify with historical foundations of institutional racism. Additionally, white students have an opportunity to begin exploring the historically hidden dimensions of white privilege.)
Kress, G. (2000a). Design and transformation: New theories of meaning. In B. Cope & M. Kalantzis (Eds.), Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design of social futures (pp. 153-161). London: Routledge.
Biographical Sketch
Carol Friedman and Tamara Jaffe-Notier teach English in economically, culturally, and racially diverse high schools in the Chicago suburbs, where at-risk students are generally enrolled in mixed-ability level classes. Carol has a PhD in English literature; Tamara does not. They both believe that building positive relationships with students is central to teaching. They have presented workshops together at NCTE and IATE.
Keyword Descriptors
Ta-Nehisi Coates, "The Case for Reparations, " close reading, critical thinking, academic vocabulary, redlining, 9-12, English
Presentation Year
2017
Start Date
3-7-2017 4:00 PM
End Date
3-7-2017 5:30 PM
Recommended Citation
Jaffe-Notier, Tamara and Friedman, Carol, "Content Matters--Teaching "The Case For Reparations," 9-12" (2017). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 124.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2017/2017/124
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Labor History Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Political History Commons, Rhetoric Commons, Social History Commons, United States History Commons
Content Matters--Teaching "The Case For Reparations," 9-12
Harborside East & West
We offer specific materials and plans for teaching the structure and content of Ta-Nehisi Coates' persuasive essay, "The Case for Reparations," and building trustworthy relationships with and among students. By participating in this interactive session, you will practice teaching five specific high school appropriate lessons addressing requisite knowledge and skills for studying this essay, from real estate redlining to building academic vocabulary for rhetorical analysis.
