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Scaffolding and Following Directions

Have you ever had a situation like… Following Instructions

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RACISM, DUE PROCESS AND THE SCOTTSBORO RAPE CASE OF 1932: USING WRITING TO EXPLORE CAUSE

AND EFFECT AND HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Writing in American History

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Inquiry Question…

How can techniques of scaffolding be applied to historical content and writing historically in the context of understanding the historical significance of the Scottsboro rape trial?

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Why writing on the Scottsboro Trial?

The right to criminal due process is a very important but often overlooked Constitutional guarantee

The Scottsboro Trial exemplifies the impact of racism in America beyond segregated facilitates and economic subjugation in an era often overlooked by the popular narrative.

I have shown Scottsboro: An American Tragedy from the PBS Series American Experience for the past few years and assigned essays. I wish to implement some tools introduced in this class to improve this learning experience and the quality of writing

I find that this is a timely and relevant opportunity to introduce the task of writing in the disciplines

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Some writing examples from Scottsboro

Assignment last year had six questions: E.g 4. How did the biases and prejudices of

the Scottsboro Community and Alabama on the whole challenge the Sixth Amendment rights of citizens accused of crime? Students tended to understand the difference

between a speedy and hasty trial Students only in a very general way

appreciated the role of prejudice in a trial where the accusation was rape.

Students were unlikely to recall specific evidence supporting the role of prejudice in this trial

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Research Base/ Best Practice “Learning to write requires frequent,

supportive practice. Evidence shows that writing performance improves when a student writes often and across content areas. Writing also affects reading comprehension.” (Nagin, 12)

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Research Base/Best Practice

“… research found that writing could develop higher-order thinking skills: analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and interpreting. The very difficulty of writing is a virtue: it requires that student s move beyond rote learning and simply reproducing information, facts, dates and formulae. Students must also learn how to question their own assumptions and reflect critically on alternative or opposing points of view.” (M. Shaughnessy, Errors and Expectations: A Guide to the Teacher of Basic Writing, New York: Oxford University, 1977 quoted in Nagin, 22)

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Research Base/Best Practice

“An effective assignment does more than ask students to write about what they have read or experiences. It engages students in a series of cognitive processes such as analysis and synthesis, so that they are required to transform the information from the reading material or other sources in order to complete the writing assignment.” (Nagin, 47)

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Research Base/Best Practice

“…expressive writing, a common writing-as-process strategy, helped improve student retention in a content-heavy subject.” (Robert Tierney, “Using Expressive Writing to Teach Biology”, (Appendix D) In A. Wotring and Robert Tierney (eds.) Two Studies of Writing in High School Science, Berkley, CA: Bay Area Writing Project, University of California, 1981 Quoted in Nagin, 52-53)

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Research Base/Best Practice

Writing in the disciplines creates apprenticeship situations for students where “students are not understood as outsiders but fellow members of a disciplinary community, albeit in the periphery. …Writing is the vital link between knowing and doing in the disciplines.” (Michael Carter and Miriam Ferzli, “Writing to Learn by Learning to Write in the Disciplines” Journal of Business and Technical Communication July 2007)

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Pennsylvania Standards: Reading Writing, Speaking and Listening

1.4.11 B. Write complex informational pieces (e.g., research papers, analyses, evaluations, essays).

1.5.11 A. Write with a sharp, distinct focus. · Identify topic, task and audience. · Establish and maintain a single point of view. 1.5.11 B. Write using well-developed content appropriate

for the topic. · Gather, determine validity and reliability of, analyze and

organize information. · Employ the most effective format for purpose and

audience. · Write fully developed paragraphs that have details and

information specific to the topic and relevant to the focus.

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Pennsylvania Standards? Reading Writing, Speaking and Listening

1.5.11 C. Write with controlled and/or subtle organization.

· Sustain a logical order throughout the piece. Include an effective introduction and conclusion.

1.5.11 D. Write with a command of the stylistic aspects of composition.

· Use different types and lengths of sentences. · Use precise language. 1.5.11 E. Revise writing to improve style, word choice,

sentence variety and subtlety of meaning after rethinking how questions of purpose, audience and genre have been addressed.

1.5.11F. Edit writing using the conventions of language.

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Pennsylvania Standards: Government

5.1.12 I I. Analyze historical examples of the importance of the rule of law explaining the sources, purposes and functions of law.

5.1.12 L. Analyze Pennsylvania and United States court decisions that have affected principles and ideals of government in civic life.

5.2.12 F F. Evaluate how individual rights may conflict with or support the common good.

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Pennsylvania Standards: History 8.1.12C. Evaluate historical

interpretation of events. 8.3.12 C. Evaluate how continuity and

change has influenced United States history from 1890 to present.

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Step One: Anticipatory Set Due Process and the Sixth Amendment

Share with students a story about a person who is thrown into prison without a trial. Have students work together in pairs to brainstorm ideas that relate to this prompt: “Why might we consider the situation we reviewed as unfair? What would keep a situation like this from happening to you or any other American citizen?”

Debrief student answers and then distribute copies of the Sixth Amendment. Have students reconvene in their groups and add to their answer. Debrief noting that the Sixth Amendment makes six important qualifications of criminal due process. This can be developed into a quick write

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Due Process and Equal Protection Have students read the equal

protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Have partners discuss what they think it means and lead a brief discussion that clarifies this clause and its connection to the Sixth Amendment

The guarantees of the Constitution are promises that are only as good as the will of those who carry out the promise. How might the existence of racial prejudice make it difficult for a community or court to provide due process rights for all American citizens? http://www.evaneco.com/scales-of-justice.gif

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Preview: Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

Show the short preview from Scottsboro: An American Tragedy

Large Group: “In your journals, predict how this story might connect to the issues of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment that we just discussed.”

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Writing Task

Evaluate how the Scottsboro rape case represents the significance of criminal due process and how the presence of prejudice challenges rights granted to American citizens in the United States Constitution.

In this essay, be sure to: Identify and explain how criminal due process is guaranteed in the

United States Constitution. Identify and explain how equal protection is guaranteed by the United

States Constitution. Summarize the events of the case and evaluate how these events

reflect the struggle to protect criminal due process through the prejudice of a community

Review the Rubric This question may be adapted for special needs students A seminar approach may be used where students work in groups,

each group having a set of questions that they will respond, peer edit and publish in a “historical journal” that examines this case.

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Writing Support: The Writer’s Toolbox for The Scottsboro Essay

Note: Historians, like defense lawyers, create arguments that are built on investigation. You will need to watch this movie thoughtfully in order to have the material that you will need to successfully make your argument. Supporting documents are available on the class wiki

The toolbox will contain general directions on historical writing, organizers for preparing content for the essay, frameworks for pre-writing and questions for peer and teacher writing conferences

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Features of Exemplary Historical Writing: The Clear Focus

Exemplary historical writing is clearly focused on a relevant point (thesis). Be sure to read and re-read prompts and

rubrics to be sure your efforts are focused. Keep the task or prompt in mind though all

steps of the process.

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Features of Exemplary Historical Writing: Historical Facts and Content

Exemplary historical writing analyzes relationships between historical facts and understands their context. Cite evidence supporting their main point

and make clear connections between the evidence presented and the main point.

Appreciate the connection between evidence and the historical environment from which it comes.

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Features of Exemplary Historical Writing: Identifying relevant people, places and ideas Exemplary historical writing identifies

and explains and gives the significance of relevant people, places and ideas. Be sure to credit important facts in your

writing to clearly identified people, places and ideas.

Provide the geographic (where) and chronological (when) background and how it connects to your point

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Features of Exemplary Historical Writing: Supporting a Point of View

Exemplary historical writing supports its point of view though quoting relevant expert opinions, statistics and primary sources. Use the words of the history-makers when

possible to support your main points. Support your point of view with identified

experts and statistics.

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Features of Exemplary Historical Writing: Third Person Point of View

Exemplary historical writing is typically written in the third person as the historian is the outside observer making judgments about relevant people, places and events. The term I or we is seldom acceptable as you

make historical observations unless they are autobiographical.

Be clear and specific as the situation allows when making an observation. Do not leave pronouns like “they” or “he” without an identifiable antecedent.

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Features of Exemplary Historical Writing: Polish and Sophistication

Exemplary historical writing is well planned and edited and impresses the reader by its sophistication and clarity. Plan and organize before writing. Proof read and polish after reading

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Periodic Debriefing

Stop the movie at the following points and provide students the opportunity to work individually or in groups to connect evidence to the writing prompt Following the First Appeal: Norris v Alabama

The ILD contended that the defendants lacked adequate counsel

Following Judge Horton’s call for a new trial Following Patterson v Alabama

The ILD contended that the exclusion of blacks from the jury denied equal protection

Reinforce the role of the Supreme Court and its relationship to the Constitution

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Prewriting and Drafting

The Writing Toolbox sets up pre-writing I and pre-writing II

Students will engage in peer conferencing using a checklist from the Writing Toolbox

I will collect and review essays in preparation for teacher conferences. This can be done as students work on reading assignments in class.

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My Goals for This Activity

Clearly laying out writing expectations and providing students with a larger role though peer conferences will help focus students to reach for clearly delineated goals for their writing.

A more relevant and clear anticipatory set will increase interest and focus on the main elements of the story of the Scottsboro Case

Better scaffolding of content and breaking it down to smaller parts will make students better prepared to develop rich answers to the prompt

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