Overview and Background: Unit: Big Brother has been, will be, and is Watching You

Melodie Hofer : Cheney USD 268

Communications : Reading : Communications

: Grades 0 - 5 : Jan. - Mar.

Title:	Big Brother has been, will be, and is Watching You
Topics:	Equality & Inequality, Protection, Conformity, Intelligence Manipulation, Government Influence, & Censorship
Time Frame:	January 2003-March 2003
Start Date:	Jan. 3 - Mar. 16

Other Designers:

Summary:
Students will read selections which have futuristic plots dealing with secretive government action, mind altering procedures or intelligence manipulation, or censorship.

Print Materials Needed:
a few examples of censorship, government interference in common day-to-day activities,, dummying down of education
vocabulary words for the selections studied in the unit
examples of public service announcements
example of the an appropriate episode of the TV show, Politically Incorrect
note cards for research
graphic organizer for logging civil rights violations
copy of the Constitution
copy of the Bill of Rights
Microsoft Software for writing of club organization materials

Resources:
"Examination Day." by Henry Selsar. Action. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston: 1981.
"Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut
Teacher study guides & quizzes
Teacher designed Speaking Rubrics
Media Products rubrics
Short Essay Answer Rubrics

Resource Attachments:	PowerPoint for pre-unit discussion
Internet Resource Links: Link 1:http://www.aclj.org/index.asp

Notes:

This unit should be taught before the novel unit, Fahrenheit 451.

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

State:	KS
Title:	Communications
Standard(s):	Kansas State Standards Addressed in the Performance Assessments of the Unit Reading: Standard 1: Learners demonstrate skill in reading a variety of materials for a variety of purposes. Benchmark 4: The proficient reader uses what he/she already knows about the topic and the type of text to understand what is read. SPEAKING Standard: Learners speak effectively for a variety of audiences, purposes, occasions, and contexts. Benchmark 1: The effective speaker considers variables in the speaking situation (audience, purpose, occasion, and context) that affect the composition of his/her message. Benchmark 2: The effective speaker participates in a variety of communication opportunities. Benchmark 3: The effective speaker produces a coherent message. Indicators: The students: 1. develop thoughts using increasing complexity. 6. use appropriate language that is clear and specific to the topic. Benchmark 4: The effective speaker uses appropriate content for purpose, audience, occasion, and context. Benchmark 5: The effective speaker demonstrates control of delivery skills. Benchmark 6: The effective speaker participates appropriately in small groups. LITERATURE RESPONSE Standard 3: Learners demonstrate knowledge of literature from a variety of cultures, genres§, and time periods. Benchmark 1: The proficient reader demonstrates knowledge of the effects of cultures on literature. Benchmark 3: The proficient reader demonstrates knowledge of the effects of time periods on literature. Standard 4: Learners demonstrate skills needed to read and respond to literature. Media Products Standard: Communicators effectively use a variety of media to create products to communicate for a variety of audiences, purposes, occasion, and contexts. Benchmark 2: The effective communicator creates single media and multi-media products. Benchmark 3: The effective communicator uses appropriate content for purpose, audience, occasion, and context. Informational Retrieval Standard: The communicator will retrieve information from a variety of appropriate sources. Benchmark 2: The effective communicator uses sources from a variety of media and formats. Benchmark 3: The effective communicator collects, sorts, and selects sources and information.

Understandings:
user	1. The government impacts daily life. 2. Vocabulary and verbiage is one way to influence others. 3. The government often ends up limiting personal rights in order to protect society.

Essential Questions:
user	1. What does it mean to protect something? 2. Which rights, in the Bill of Rights, are the most important to protect? Which rights would infringement not be a serious matter to you? 3. What is equality? 4. How does censorship impact a society? 5. When does a word become offensive?

Knowledge and Skills:

Knowledge:
Elements of futuristic Science Fiction.
Purpose of the Bill of Rights.
Frequently banned books & censorship issues.
Skills:
Identify aspects of setting not in today's world.
Identify three types of irony.
Speak with a strong viewpoint about a researched topic.
Write a 5-paragraph essay.

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

Assessment Summary:
1st Assessment Summary:
Students will perform an episode of the television show, "Politically Incorrect." One will play the host, two will be against an issue, two will be for it. Topics will be related to the essential questions that go with the unit.

G
The goal is to identify subtle and not-so-subtle infringements of civil rights in regards to one of the following issues: censorship, freedom of the press, standardized, national testing, political correctness movement in language use.
R
You are one of these people: a late-night talk show host, a famous political person, a Hollywood star that often speaks out on issues, an author, a Washington, DC reporter, a political cartoonist, a radio talk show host from the Midwest.
A
The target audience is an imaginary viewing audience in a television station who have come to watch the show being taped.. The other target audience is the viewing public, those who express strong view about government influence in the daily lives of the citizens of our country.
S
The host needs to research both sides of the issue and be prepared to ask questions and follow-up questions. The participants in the discussion need to have current data an example of the topic at hand for which to refer.
P
As a participant in the discussion, you need to incorporate unit vocabulary into the presentation.
S
Your performance must meet the speaking standards as well as the information literacy standards.


2nd Assessment Summary: A second assessment will be ongoing throughout this unit of study.
G
The goal is to identify subtle and not-so-subtle infringements of civil rights in regards to one of the following issues: censorship, freedom of the press, standardized, national testing, and political correctness movement in language use.
R
You are one of two people:
(1) You have been picked by the American Center for Law and Justice to keep a personal log of governmental influences in your daily life
(2) You will be acting as a lawyer for the American Center for Law and Justice. You need to be an expert in the area of civil rights and infringements upon them in the recent years.
A
The target audience is panel of lawyers at the American Center for Law and Justice who will use the average citizen's information to prepare a list of potential evidence for trials involving governmental infringement of civil rights.
S
The people involved in the case study need to keep neat, accurate logs for the period of time it takes to complete the unit. Presentation in the form of a graphic organizer or PowerPoint will be presented to the acting lawyers of the American Center for Law and Justice. The lawyers must ask intelligent, probing questions to get the case study participants to explain how the incidents notes are a legitimate infringement of civil rights.
P
As participants you need to incorporate unit vocabulary into the presentation.
S
Your performance must meet the speaking standards as well as the informational literacy standards.

Other assessment evidence to be collected:
Process check
	Other assessment evidence to be collected: short essay answers over reading traditional paper/pencil quizzes of selections skits from selections public service announcements club organization guidelinesí 5-paragraph essay

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Learning Activities:

1. Students will witness the principal interrupt class and demand that everyone take a test or that the teacher stop teaching the literature at hand. Some students will by taken out of the room and disciplined for having books with them in class. This mock scene will spark a discussion about what we are allowed to read and see and what the government is allowed to do to us to test our knowledge.
2. Students will share with each other their beliefs about censorship, governmental testing and other governmental influences in daily life. Students will also well as complete the pre-reading guide questionnaire.
3. Students will be told to being viewing the news and reading the paper to find examples of the topic of government interference in the country today. They will be keeping a log of when their civil rights seem to be infringed upon. This will assess students' observation of
the subtle use of control/influence/manipulation.
4. Students will receive a copy of the essential questions the teacher put on bulletin. This sheet will also explain the end of the unit Political Correctness production.
5. Class will read two short stories (and view a movie of one) in which the theme of government control will be quite obvious.
6. Students will take a short diagnostic paper/pencil quiz to assess their understanding of the selections.
7. Students will reflect on the importance of the freedoms we have in this country.
8. Students will write public service announcements that encourage defending your rights.
9. Students will organize a Read Whatever You Want Day or a Book Club Organization that includes a mission statement, guidelines, and enrollment options.
10. Produce an episode of Politically Incorrect in which the panel member and host discuss and debate the issue of government control, censorship, and intelligence altering.
11. Participate in the American Center for Law and Justice panel in regards to what civil rights you found violated or subtly infringed upon.