carla kurt/smartscion humanities resources


smartscion	lesson and unit index
resources index	The lessons and units below challenge students to examine, interpret and analyze literature within the broader contexts of history and the humanities. Students are asked to employ a wide array of thinking and creative skills as they access, process, evaluate, synthesize and present information. lesson by Carla Kurt/smartscion lesson by Vitoria Guarino/eduspeaker

	Archetypes: Ancient Heroes and Monsters
	The timeless concept of the "Hero's Journey" spans the millennia, manifested initially in primitive cave drawings and continued through oral and written mythology, art, literature, music and film. In this first unit of the semester course, Heroes and Monsters, students examine the monomyth as it is portrayed in ancient world mythology and *The Epic of* *Gilgamesh.*

	Exploring Ancient Greek Theater
	Exploring a variety of internet resources and extrapolating information, students will create a "textbook" on the subject of ancient Greek theater.
	A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: The Novel in its Historical Contexts
	Researching both the Victorian and French Revolutionary eras with regard to the various paradoxes Charles Dickens described in the first paragraph of the novel, *A Tale of Two Cities*, students will compile a scrapbook of text and images that illustrate the "best" and "worst" of at least five different aspects of life in each time period.
	Which Witch Are You? ...Understanding Character and Historical Backdrop in The Crucible
	Students will gather information regarding Salem, the witch trials and their historical and cultural backdrop so that they may better understand *The Crucible* by Arthur Miller. In addition, they will research biographical information for a person who was charged with witchcraft or a person who was accusing others of the crime, and then create a realistic journal about that individual's life and experiences written from that person's perspective.
	The World Transformed: From Agriculture to Industry
	This site prompts students to study a wide variety of significant cultural, social and economic issues of the Industrial Revolution era. Students will access and analyze a wide variety of data in an equally wide variety of formats ranging from primary source documents and illustrations, to statistical charts, music and narratives.
	Monster as Metaphor... Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
	Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein* can be viewed as a Romantic's criticism of the human notions of technical progress, science, and enlightenment, and at the same time, a work full of deep sympathy for the human condition. Students will create a presentation that traces the monster metaphor as illustrated by the monster of Mary Shelley's *Frankenstein*. Presenatations will describe and analyze the kinds of comparisons that have been made to the monster and its creator, and then formulate, support and present a thesis about the Frankenstein monster as a modern-day metaphor.
	The Great Rift: A Nation in Conflict...a Civil War Unit
	The lessons in this unit invite students to investigate the Civil War and to debate many of the issues surrounding that event by exploring primary source documents written by the apologists, as well as the abolitionists. Students will devise a well-developed argument as either a prominent abolitionist or a prominent apologist in the form of a multimedia presentation which will include text, primary source materials, images and even relevant audio when possible.
	The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Debating Racism in Mark Twain's Novel
	Through a series of four lessons, students are challenged is to determine whether Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is racist and should be banned on that basis. Students will research the history of African American slavery, African American stereotypes, the development of Jim's character in the novel, African American slave narratives, contemporary and modern reviews of the novel and arguments on both sides of the issue of racism in the novel. Students will compile a portfolio of "evidence" to support their final position to present to the class as part of a team of experts.
	The Poetry of Democracy...the Poetry of Walt Whitman
	The lessons in this unit help students understand not only Whitman's writings, but his poetic philosophy and distinctive approach in historical and political context.. Students will investigate the poetry of Walt Whitman as well as the stylistic features of his works and their philosophical underpinnings. Students will then write a poem as Whitman might have written it and a full length essay.
	"O Captain! My Captain" by Walt Whitman: Poetic Parallels Research Project
	Students will examine, through a series of exercises and directed research, the parallels that exist among the poem "O Captain! My Captain!", the events of Abraham Lincoln's presidency and Mr. Keating's character in the film, *Dead Poets Society*. Students will then write a critical essay explicating the parallels among the poem, American history and the film.
	*Examining Themes in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men* and The Grapes of Wrath Through the Lyrics and Images of the Great Depression**
	To enhance their understanding and appreciation of the important messages of the novels *Of Mice and Men* and *The Grapes of Wrath*, student groups will research and analyze song lyrics and visual images (photographs and illustrations) from the Great Depression based upon an assigned subject. Each group will create and present to the class a scrapbook, collage or multimedia presentation of the lyrics, images and interpretations its members have compiled.
	Carson McCullers: Writer as a Lonely Hunter
	Students will read several selections about and by Carson McCullers that reveal various details of her life, her feelings and her philosophies. In addition, they will read critical articles on *The Heart is a Lonely Hunter* as well as synopses of and critical articles on her other works. After compiling notes on this data, students will write a short research essay on Carson McCullers as a "lonely hunter."
	Girl, Interrupted - a Parallel Universe in the Sixties
	After completing guided reading of *Girl, Interrupted* and answering selected Discussion Questions, student groups will research an assigned topic within the categories of the Sixties, Mental Illness and Feminism. Each group will compile information on its topic and prepare a panel presentation for the class.
	Portfolio Journey
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