How do writers use words to protest injustice, challenge the status quo, and shape their own identities? Individuals watch and discuss a video, read author biographies, write poetry and journals, develop a slideshow, and complete a problem-based learning project. 

Concepts

american literature, american history, protests, the civil rights movement, the vietnam war, the 1960s, poetry, the 1950s

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Have individuals write poetry to protest an aspect of modern life, and then engage the class in a poetry slam
• Ask small groups to research the Vietnam War and analyze how it affected American literature

Classroom Considerations

• Print the timeline and author biographies in advance

Pros

• Includes overview questions, learning objectives, and instructor and student overviews
• Provides a comprehensive video preview
• Each author biography concludes with a series of engaging, higher-order discussion questions

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.6.2 RL.7.2 RL.8.2 RL.9-10.2 RL.11-12.2