UNIT TITLE: The Jungle


Author: Aretha Muse 

        
E-Mail Address: Themuse_2@yahoo.com     
School: Thornton High School: Harvey, Illinois
School Home Page URL: http://www.district205.org          

THEME: The American Dream

BROAD CONCEPT: Disappointment, Exploitation, and Perseverance

GRADES: High School Juniors

INTEGRATED SUBJECTS: Language Arts, Social Studies, Art

 

UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE:

TIME FRAME: Three to four weeks

OBJECTIVES:

In this lesson, students will:

MATERIALS:

 

Technology tools computer and printer

 

Software Used in this Unit

__Desktop Publishing- x Brainstorming (Inspiration)

_x_Word Processing ( MS Word) __ Spreadsheet

_x_CD-ROM Encyclopedia (Encarta) __ Database

__ Multimedia _x_Other software pertaining to unit (Art Explosion)

 

STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:

Language Arts

1.A.5a Identify and analyze new terminology applying knowledge of word origins and derivations in a variety of practical settings.

1.B.5d Read age-appropriate material with fluency and accuracy

1.C.5a Use questions and predictions to guide reading across complex materials.

2.A.5a Compare and evaluate oral, written or viewed works from various eras and traditions and analyze complex literary devices (e.g., structures, images, forms, foreshadowing, flashbacks, stream of consciousness).

2.A.5d Evaluate the influence of historical context on form, style and point of view for a variety of literary works.

2.B.5a Analyze and express an interpretation of a literary work.

2.B.5b Apply knowledge gained from literature as a means of understanding contemporary and historical economic, social and political issues and perspectives.

3.A.5 Produce grammatically correct documents using standard manuscript specifications for a variety of purposes and audience.

3.B.5 Using contemporary technology, produce documents of publication quality for specific purposes and audiences; exhibit clarity of focus, logic of organization, appropriate elaboration and support and overall coherence.

3.C.5a Communicate information and ideas in narrative, informative and persuasive writing with clarity and effectiveness in a variety of written forms using appropriate traditional and/or electronic formats; adapt content, vocabulary, voice and tone to the audience, purpose and situation. 

4.B.5a Deliver planned and impromptu oral presentations, as individuals and members of a group, conveying results of research, projects or literature studies to a variety of audiences (e.g., peers, community, business/industry, local organizations) using appropriate visual aids and available technology.

4.B.5b Use speaking skills to participate in and lead group discussions; analyze the effectiveness of the spoken interactions based upon the ability of the group to achieve its goals.

5.A.5a Develop a research plan using multiple forms of data.

5.B.5a Evaluate the usefulness of information, synthesize information to support a thesis, and present information in a logical manner in oral and written forms.

5.C.4b Produce oral presentations and written documents using supportive research and incorporating contemporary technology.

Social Science

14.B.5 Analyze similarities and differences among world political systems (e.g., democracy, socialism, communism).

14.D.5 Interpret a variety of public policies and issues from the perspectives of different individuals and groups.

14.F.5 Interpret how changing geographical, economic, technological and social forces affect United States political ideas and traditions (e.g., freedom, equality and justice, individual rights).

16.B.5b (US) Analyze how United States political history has been influenced by the nation's economic, social and environmental history.

16.C.5a (W) Explain how industrial capitalism became the dominant economic model in the world.

Fine Arts

25.A.5 Analyze and evaluate student and professional works for how aesthetic qualities are used to convey intent, expressive ideas and/or meaning.

26.B.5 Common for all four arts: Create and perform a complex work of art using a variety of techniques, technologies and resources and independent decision making.

27.A.4b Analyze how the arts are used to inform and persuade through traditional and contemporary art forms.

27.B.5 Analyze how the arts shape and reflect ideas, issues or themes in a particular culture or historical period.

STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:

Because of the novel’s historical setting, the first six days are devoted to introductory lessons to establish the sociopolitical mood of America at the turn of the century.

Day 1and 2: Students will work in groups of fours and use the World Wide Web and CD-Rom (Encarta) to gather information on one of the following topics: The Gilded Age, The Meat Inspection Act of 1906, Socialism, Capitalism, Muckraking, and Upton Sinclair. Students will synthesize and organize their findings to be presented in an oral report, and using MS Word, prepare a bibliography of their sources. Teacher will focus the students’ attention on “Socialism” and “Capitalism

Day 3 and 4: The groups will present their findings to the class, answer questions about their topics., and the rest of the class will take notes. Students will use Inspiration to create a graphic organizer to compare and contrast Socialism and Capitalism.

Day 5: Take students to the computer lab. Give students the URL for the art collection site to view the painting, “Man With the Hoe.” Students will copy and paste the painting in MS Word, and under the painting, type the answers to the questions: (1) What segment of society does the main figure seem to represent? (2) Describe some of your reactions to the man depicted by the artist. Have students print the page. Next, give students URLs for sites to find the poem, “The Man With the Hoe” by Edwin Markham and the excerpt from Looking Backward, “The Parable of the Coach” by Edward Bellamy. Tell students to print copies of both.

Day 6: Students will silently read “The Parable of the Coach.” Give students a worksheet and instruct them to answer questions as they progress. Ask students to react to the excerpt. Discuss the writing techniques the author used to convey his message. Discuss the answers on the worksheet; tell students to defend their answers. Next, ask a volunteer to read the poem, “The Man With the Hoe,” after which students will answer questions individually. Tell them to refer to the painting “Man With the Hoe.” This lesson is designed for students to explore the mood of the period that is the setting for The Jungle.

Day 7: Read chapter one of The Jungle as a class. Discuss the setting, conflict, and point of view. Lead the students in a discussion on the technique Sinclair uses to reveal the characters personalities.. Students will use Inspirations to create a character web of one of the characters in chapter one.

Day 8: Take students to the writing lab. Students will use MS Word to write a summary of chapter one, include the conflicts. Using Art Explosion, find an appropriate picture that depicts a particular scene in the chapter, insert the clipart and adjust the size to fit the page.

Day 9: Assign four chapters to each group of students. Tell students that each group is responsible for reading and retelling their assigned chapters. Each group will generate 20 study questions from their chapters, which will be answered by the other groups. Questions must be typed, using MS Word. In addition, they will create visual aids to accompany their presentations. They will use Art Explosion to create a collage of pictures that depicts an important scene from each chapter and a meaningful quote from the chapters as a caption for their illustrations. Teacher will use chapter one to model the assignment. Students will get in their groups and begin their reading and discussion of assigned chapters. Teacher will monitor the group activities, and give assistance when needed.

Day 10: Students will work in groups to complete their assignments. Teacher will assist students to make sure they identify specific details that should be discussed in their retelling.

SHARE YOUR IDEAS:

Each group will present the information from their research to the rest of the class. As a culminating activity, students will use MS Word and write a five-paragraph essay and explain how one of the themes in The Jungle is similar to the themes in the painting, “Man With the Hoe,” the excerpt. “The Parable of the Coach,” and the poem, “The Man With the Hoe.”

Name_______________________________________ Date_____________ Per_______________

Expository Essay

Focus           1  2  3  4  5  6 x 3 = ________                     Grading Scale

(main idea is clear

and maintained) 
                                                          6 = Excellent

Support          1  2  3  4  5  6 x 4 = _________               5 = Very Good

( details and examples                                       4 = Fair

main idea is explained                                      3 = Needs Work   

by evidence)                                          2 = Poor 
                                                 1 = Missing                                              

Organization       1  2  3  4  5  6 x 3 = __________              

(appropriate use of                                

transitions before and

within paragraphs) 
                                                90 – 81 = A

Mechanics        1  2  3  4  5  6 x 2 = __________                 80 – 72 = B

(uses the conventions                                       70 – 63 = C           of standard English)                                        62 – 54 = D  

                       

                                   

Integration         1  2  3  4  5  6 x 1 = __________                                

(essay is clear and

coherent, all features

used to address the               Total  __________

assignment)

 

STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES:

The teacher will act as facilitator, guiding and directing the students. Group leaders will divide the tasks for the research project and the “encourager” will encourage the members to stay on task. The groups will synthesize and organize their information and use technology to create visual aids to illustrate their ideas.

 

ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PRINT RESOURCES STUDENTS MAY USE:

World Book Encyclopedia

Academic American Encyclopedia

 

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS CONTAIN INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TOPIC:

Muckraking!: The Journalism That Changed America by William Serrin and Judith Serrin

Ragged Dick by Horatio Algers

The Gilded Age by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

 

FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE INFORMATION AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT, TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ARTICLES:

 

Title1: Sparknotes for The Jungle

URL1: http://www.sparkesnotes.com/lit/jungle/

Description1: This site contains plot overview, character analysis, and theme.

 

Title2: “What Life Means to Me”

URL2: http://www.boondocksnet.com/editions/jungle/sinclair_life.html

Description2: This is an article in the Cosmopolitan Magazine written by Sinclair in 1906. He discusses his purpose for writing The Jungle

 

Title3: “The Power of Fiction”

URL3: http://www.school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/poweroffiction/

Description3: This site offers teaching tools to create custom worksheets, puzzles, and quizzes.

 

Title4: “Stopping the Meat Scandals by Law”

URL4: http://www.boondocksnet.com/editions/jungle/jungle_060602a.html

Description4: Information on the Meat Inspection Act of 1906

Title5: “The Literature Network”

URL5: http://www.literature-web.net/upton_sinclair/jungle

Description5: This site has comments and reviews on The Jungle.

Title6: “We Can Do Better Than Government Inspection of Meat”

URL6: http://www.independent.org/tii/news/980500pasour.html

Description6: An article on the influence of The Jungle on the Meat Inspection Act of 1906

RELEVANT INFORMATION, STUDENTS WILL VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES:

 

Title1: “Upton Beall Sinclair”

URL1: http://www.selfknowledge.comjungl10.htm

Purpose of Use1: research

Description1: Provides biographical information on Sinclair

 

 

Title2: “The Latest Phase of the Socialist Novel”

URL2: http://www.boondocksnet.com/editions/jungle/jungle_060505.html

Purpose of Use2: research

Description2: Newspaper and magazine reviews and commentary on The Jungle

 

 

Title3: “Man With the Hoe”

URL3: http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/o879.html

Purpose of Use3: View and print the painting for discussion

Description3: Art collection site

 

 

Title4: “The Parable of the Coach”

URL4: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/bell.html#source

Purpose of Use4: Reading and discussion

Description4: This is an excerpt from Looking Backward.

 

 

Title5: “The Man With the Hoe”

URL5: http://www.fiat.gslis.utexas.edu/~wyllys/manwhoe.html

Purpose of Use5: Reading and discussion

Description5: Poem

 

 

Title6: “Socialism vs. Capitalism”

URL6: http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/onprin/v1n3/thompson.html

Purpose of Use6: research

Description6: Article discussing capitalism and socialism

 

 

Title7: “The Gilded Age and the Politics of Corruption”

   URL7: http://www..us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lecture04.html

   Purpose of Use7: research

   Description7: A critical examination of politics and corruption in the United States