Informative Speech On Halloween - 880 Words

Brianna Falls Professor Kuykendall Intro into Communication 140 - Section 3 10/09/2017 Title: The Evolution of Halloween General purpose: To inform Specific purpose: By the end of this speech, the audience shall understand the original purpose and transitions that Halloween has gone through over the course of history. Thesis statement: Today I will share with you the origins, cultural effects and transformation of Halloween throughout history. Introduction: Do you view Halloween as just another tradition made to reward kids? Rather do you enjoy the time of celebration yourself? You may have based some of these opinions on what Halloween represents however, this can be manipulated due to religious groups or friendly opinions.†¦show more content†¦While New England was against Halloween due to the ruling of Protestants, It found acceptance in Maryland and various other colonies that formed American Halloween traditions. Samhain had begun to change names to Hallows’ Eve which later brought about the name Halloween within newer colonies, in which strayed more from the Protestant rule. Some of the earliest demonstrations of Halloween included â€Å"play parties†. â€Å"Play parties† consisted of harvest celebrations that started the telling of ghost stories. This overall began influencing Irish and English colonies to take on the alternative tradition of wearing costumes and making scary stories come to life. Transition: Halloween has transitioned through the course of history to the family-friendly outing we celebrate today. Some common Halloween traditions are seen today as, revolving around the idea of â€Å"trick or treating†, in doing so we celebrate Halloween in amusement rather than using it for a specific purpose. Americans looked to Irish and English traditions when it came to the practices that went on during trick or treating. During the second 19th century, individuals migrated to America with little to call their own. Trick or treating began as these immigrants begged for food or money on Halloween, using it as an excuse for their neighbors help. Another belief that came about during this time, involved superstitions ofShow MoreRelatedHalloween Informative Speech1247 Words   |  5 PagesHalloween. A holiday of spooky, scary, skeletons and a bunch of memes. It’s basically a holiday where you can go outside in cosplay and get free candy for it, provided that you aren’t busy to the point where you go home at about 6:00 PM and have to last-minute cancel your plans because of homework. (I’m still salty about that.) Regardless, Halloween has made its way to be one of my most favourite holidays. Now, I know what you may be thinking. â€Å"But Joyce! What about Christmas? It was literally aboutRead MoreInformative Speech : Americanization Of Halloween Essay721 Words   |  3 PagesSENTENCE-INFORMATIVE OUTLINE SPEECH TITLE: Americanization of Halloween GENERAL PURPOSE: To inform SPECIFIC PURPOSE: Informing the audience about how Halloween came to America and how most traditions were American inventions. THESIS/CENTRAL IDEA: How most of Halloween traditions were Americanized. INTRODUCTION: 1. GET ATTENTION: Who here likes Halloween? [pause for hands to be raised] 2. CLEARLY REVEAL THE TOPIC: Today we are going to discover the story that haunts us all, how Halloween wasRead MoreInformative Speech On Halloween733 Words   |  3 PagesSpeech Tile: The Spirit of Halloween General Purpose: I hope to inform my audience about how Halloween came about. Specific Purpose: I want to educate my audience about the holidays history, so they may understand the true meaning of this ancient celebration and learn how it has evolved. Introduction I. Attention Getter: By a show of hands, how many of you will be spending money on costumes, candy or decorations for this year’s Halloween? According to the National Retail Federation and ProsperRead MoreHistory of Halloween - Informative Speech Essay1122 Words   |  5 PagesTitle: History of Halloween Purpose: To inform the audience of how Halloween started and transformed to what it is now. Thesis Statement: How Halloween has evolved from what it once was to what is now. Introduction: Patrons of the season of Halloween spend over $2.5 billion dollars every year on candy, costumes, and decorations. Every year millions of kids get dressed up, knock on doors, and beg for candy. Have you ever wondered where this strange tradition originated? The three most importantRead Morehistory of halloween1293 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Hailey Hause COMM 130 The Culture of Halloween OUTLINE FORMAT FOR SECOND MAJOR SPEECH (Informative Speech with Visual Aids) I. Introduction: A. Attention Getter: Halloween is one of the world’s oldest and most celebrated holidays. B. Topic Link: The holidays connection to it’s origins have mostly fallen by the wayside, and a number of new American traditions have developed. C. Thesis Statement: Going from what the meaning of Halloween is in America today and looking back at it’s rootsRead MoreA Article On Animal Eyes2610 Words   |  11 Pages and their diet. It briefly discusses where the sloth bears lives and background information about it. There are many large pictures accompanying the text in this article. It follows a loose storyline of a baby sloth bear and a mother sloth bear. Speech bubbles are scattered throughout the article, adding character to the sloth bears in the photos. From the very beginning of this article, it establishes that these bears are from India and it even includes a small map that illustrates where IndiaRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagesto do the following: 1. Decide whether existing information is adequate or whether additional information is required. 2. If necessary, collect more information in a reasonable and thoughtful way. 3. Summarize the available data in a useful and informative manner. 4 Chapter 1 ââ€"   The Role of Statistics and the Data Analysis Process 4. Analyze the available data. 5. Draw conclusions, make decisions, and assess the risk of an incorrect decision. People informally use these steps to make everydayRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesYour most important critical thinking skill is your skill at making judgments─not snap judgments that occur in the blink of an eye, but those that require careful reasoning. You are not reasoning logically if, when you want a gorilla suit for a Halloween party, the first thing you do is search for the word Gorilla in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book, and the problem here is not that you used a telephone book instead of the Internet. High-quality reasoning is called logical reasoning or

Module a Free Essays

Whilst texts may be fictitious constructs of composers’ imaginations, they also explore and address the societal issues and paradigms of their eras. This is clearly the case with Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein (1818), which draws upon the rise of Galvanism and the Romantic Movement of the 1800’s, as well as Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner (1992), reflecting upon the increasing computing industry and the predominance of capitalism within the late 20th Century. Hence, an analysis of both in light of their differing contexts reveal how Shelley and Scott ultimately warn us of the dire consequences of our desire for omnipotence and unrestrained scientific progress, concepts which link the two texts throughout time. We will write a custom essay sample on Module a or any similar topic only for you Order Now Composed in a time of major scientific developments, including Galvani’s concept of electricity as a reanimating force, Shelley’s Frankenstein utilises the creative arrogance of the Romantic imagination to fashion a Gothic world in which the protagonist’s usurpation of the divine privilege of creation has derailed the conventional lines of authority and responsibility. Her warning of the dangers of such actions is encapsulated within Victor’s retrospective words of â€Å"how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge†, whilst Shelley’s use of a fragmented epistolatory narrative adds a disturbing sense of truth, foreshadowing the dark consequences of Frankenstein’s actions. Moreover, her allusions to John Milton’s Paradise Lost evoke the poetic retelling of Satan’s fall from grace, wherein the daemon’s association with â€Å"the fallen angel† exacerbates the effects of Victor’s rejection, ultimately transforming its â€Å"benevolent nature† into a thirst for retribution. Together with its questioning of how Victor could â€Å"sport with life†, Shelley’s warning reverberates past the page, directly questioning the scientists of her era, including evolutionary theorist Erasmus Darwin, to reinforce the dangers of our humanity’s inherent yearning to play the role of the Creator. Such a warning also exists within Scott’s Blade Runner, hence linking the two texts throughout time, where the director echoes the rise of capitalist ideals and the Wall Street mantra, â€Å"greed is good†, through the symbolic dominance of Tyrell’s towering ziggurat, a reflection of both his desire for omnipotence and commercial power. Tyrell’s egocentric nature is epitomised within the religious connotations of his abode, including his voluminous bed, modeled after that of Pope John Paul II, as well as his reference to Batty as â€Å"the prodigal son†. Such symbols are unnervingly subverted through both the foreboding Chiarscuro of flickering candle-light with shadow and his violent death at the hands of his own creation. Scott’s warning of the dangers of such a desire is also evident within the expansive shots of 2019 LA, revealing a dark and tenebrous world lit by the glow of corporate advertisements, a representation of a bleak future dominated by commercial dominance. Hence, by drawing upon elements of his context, including the growth of capitalism and the ‘trickle-down theory’ of Reagan’s era, Scott positions us to reassess the consequences of overstepping our boundaries. In addition, both texts’ warnings also encompass the dangers of unrestrained scientific progress, where Frankenstein further demonstrates the Romantic Movement’s influence on Shelley’s mindset, as her criticisms of the Age of Reason and Industrial Revolution reflect their denigration of rationality. The imagery of the â€Å"dead corpse† and repetitious use of â€Å"horror† upon the creation of the â€Å"miserable monster† establish a strong aura of death and despair around this scientific advancement, whilst Victor’s warning of Walton to â€Å"avoid ambitions of science and discoveries† encapsulates Shelley’s vilification of contributors to the Industrial Revolution, including renowned inventor James Watt. Moreover, Shelley stresses her warning through the protagonists’ connections with nature, where Victor’s â€Å"insensibility to its charms†, arising from his immersion in science, results in his â€Å"deep, dark and deathlike solitude†, with the heavy alliteration exemplifying his degraded sense of humanity. Conversely, the monster possesses greater â€Å"benevolence† and a more intimate connection with â€Å"the pleasant showers and genial warmth of spring†, with such characterisation capturing Shelley’s reflection of Romanticism’s idolisation of nature, cautioning us against the dehumanising effect of unrestrained scientific advancement. Blade Runner is no different, with Scott’s reflection of the explosion of technological progress during the 1980’s, including the rise of computing giants IBM and Microsoft, highlighting the dangers of such unrestrained progress. Most notable is the opening panoramic shot of blazing smokestacks which, together with the haunting synthetic pulses of the Vangelis soundtrack, establishes a festering miasma of technological overload, adding further semiotic weight to the film’s nightmarish dystopian agenda. Indeed, this portrayal of a decaying environment reflects the growing ecological awareness of the 1980’s, which, whilst different to Shelley’s Romantic values, is similarly employed to highlight the destruction of mankind due to technology. Moreover, Scott illuminates us to the dehumanising effects of such progress, foregrounded through Deckard’s â€Å"retiring† of the Replicant Zhora. Here, the stylistic placement of the transparent poncho places further emphasises the violence of her death, with slow-motion low angle shot conveying her heightened sense of humanity within her last painful moments. In contrast, Deckard’s emotionless features, together with the monotonous drone of the droid, suggests that our artificial creations will ultimately lead to the dehumanising of mankind, undermining our humanist framework and hence, warns us of the dire consequences of unchecked scientific progress. Thus, we can see how both Shelley and Scott reflect their zeitgeists in their texts, Frankenstein and Blade Runner, as they draw upon the societal concerns of their times in order to warn us of the consequences of overstepping our boundaries and unbridled technological advancement. Subsequently, it becomes evident that despite their temporal and contextual differences, both texts are in fact linked through their common concerns and concepts. How to cite Module a, Papers

Emergency Severity Index

Questions: 1.How does a triage nurse decide which patient gets seen first? 2.How does health disparity affect the triage nurse's decision-making?3.What ethical and moral issues does the triage nurse take into account when making a decision?4.What are triage-level designations? Answers: 1. In an Emergency Room, a patient whose condition is highly critical is seen first. The US Department of Health Human Services has designed the Emergency Severity Index or (ESI) method. This is an efficient tool for enhancing patient care. As per this index there are five levels starting from most urgent to least resource intensive with which the ED patients are rated of their acquity (Chen et al., 2010). Thus the triage decides to give a patient first priority if his or her vital signs are in abnormal conditions or his symptoms, age, or prior medical history indicate the possibility of a life threatening illness (Domagala Vets, 2015). As per the given case study, the triage nurse may decide to provide immediate care to Brent Damascus. It is because this patient is 58 years old and in addition to respiratory difficulties, his medical history indicate of other complications such as headaches, tremors and asthma. He is given first priority over other patient with inhalation injuries because the other patient is 32 years and his medical history does not indicate a likelihood of life threatening illness. Brent is aged and his condition is more delicate compared to other triage patient although both have underwent industrial accident and needs emergency care. Thus, Brent is an immediate patient who cannot wait to die whereas the other patient can be put in delayed category who is severe but stable enough to receive treatment. Thus, the ESI method is highly advantageous for the triage nurses in making rapid clinical decisions, taking clinical initiatives and in clinical research. Such health care policies have positive effect on the emergency care. 2. At the time of assigning the ESI score the Hispanics and the African-Americans are given less priority as a result they are receive delayed care and less likely to be medicated or discharged when compared to the non-Hispanic White patients with similar conditions. In some cases a patient without medical insurance are not triaged emergently in the study (Chen et al., 2010). Therefore such, Racial or ethnic health disparities during ESI scoring may reflect baseline differences in the physical conditions of the patients during ED intake. It may reflect the biases of the provider irrespective of the patients conditions presented at the time of assessment. Hence, it potentially affects the clinical judgment of severity. This may in turn affect the patient outcomes and increase the health care cost. It may also result in patients distrust in particular hospital. Hence, health disparities effect the decision making process of the triage nurses as the triaging occurs in brief encounter with patients in which the differences are likely with significant intra- and interpersonal characteristics. Thus there is a need of intervention strategies focused on increasing adherence to protocol driven triage and management algorithms that could eliminate disparities (Guidet et al., 2013). During the critical clinical decision making process, the triage nurse must communicate in manner that is expected of nursing professionals and is consistent with the evidence based practice. 3. The triage nurse must consider and apply professional nursing ethical standards and principles to the process of decision-making (Gastmans, 2013). The triage nurses must consider the following- Patients Respect for autonomy-in extremely urgent situation patients consent cannot be considered therefore the nurses can provide necessary care. Respecting patient choices as much possible with clear communication in ED is an important way of respecting patients autonomy (Tingle Cribb, 2013) principle of non-maleficence- when unable to prioritize the patients condition it is safe to refer them to other centers instead of causing delay and death beneficence- nurses are morally obliged to prevent or remove harm and promote patient good (Kangasniemi Haho, 2012) Justice- triage nurse must focus on the salvageable patients and minimize the number of deaths. Decision making should be fair keeping in view the resource limitations and patients vulnerability (Cranmer Nhemachena, 2013) Right to Privacy-As per Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, nurses must maintain confidentiality of the patient information (Aacharya et al., 2011) 4. There are 5 levels of ESI. The first level- relates to resuscitation indicating requirement of life saving intervention immediately for example cardiac arrest. The second level named emergent indicates high risk of deterioration and critical problem for example asthma attack. The third level is designated as urgent but requires investigation of threat with multiple types of resources such as X-ray for example abdominal pain. The fourth level designated as Less Urgent indicates that the patient is stable with anticipation of one-type of resources for example pain on urination. The fifth level or non-urgent stage indicates that the patient is stable enough requiring oral medications such as rash (Gilboy et al., 2012). References Aacharya, R. P., Gastmans, C., Denier, Y. (2011). Emergency department triage: an ethical analysis.BMC emergency medicine,11(1), 1. Chen, S. S., Chen, J. C., Ng, C. J., Chen, P. L., Lee, P. H., Chang, W. Y. (2010). Factors that influence the accuracy of triage nurses' judgement in emergency departments.Emergency Medicine Journal,27(6), 451-455. Cranmer, P., Nhemachena, J. (2013).Ethics For Nurses: Theory And Practice: Theory and Practice. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Domagala, S. E., Vets, J. (2015). Emergency Nursing Triage: Keeping It Safe.Journal of Emergency Nursing,41(4), 313-316. Gastmans, C. (2013). Dignity-enhancing nursing care A foundational ethical framework.Nursing Ethics,20(2), 142-149. Gilboy, N., Tanabe, P., Travers, D., Rosenau, A. M. (2012). Emergency Severity Index (ESI): a triage tool for emergency department care, version 4.Implementation handbook, 12-0014. Guidet, B., Hejblum, G., Joynt, G. (2013). Triage: what can we do to improve our practice?.Intensive care medicine,39(11), 2044. Kangasniemi, M., Haho, A. (2012). Human lovethe inner essence of nursing ethics according to Estrid Rodhe. A study using the approach of history of ideas.Scandinavian journal of caring sciences,26(4), 803-810. Tingle, J., Cribb, A. (Eds.). (2013).Nursing law and ethics. John Wiley Sons.

Stonehenge Essays (587 words) - Wiltshire, Stonehenge, Henges

Stonehenge Despite the many purposes it seems to serve, Stonehenge is still the embodiment of mystery for most of the world. Some believe that its purpose was to be used as an astronomical observatory. Others think that it was used as a religious meeting center for the Druids. However, no one has been able to prove its true meaning and existence. Stonehenge is believed to have been built in three main periods. The first took place between 3100 and 2700 B. C. This part of the construction consisted of building a huge ditch around the area in which Stonehenge was to be built (Castleden 1). This ditch was 320 ft. in diameter with a broken area in which the entrance is located. Just inside the ditch 56 holes were dug equal distance from each other. These holes were then filled with chalk rubble, but some of the holes were filled with the bones of cremated human beings. These holes were called the Aubrey holes after their discoverer John Aubrey. To the northeast of the ditch a 16ft. tall heel stone was erected (Brown 751). The second phase of the building is non-existent to this day (Warwick and Trump I t can however be inferred by to holes known as the "Q" and "R" holes. The two holes form a double circle around the monument. It was originally filled with 38 blue stones. Also during this building phase two ditches were dug parallel to each other. The two ditches go outward from the entrance. This part of the building process is believed to be unfinished. This thought is due to the fact that some holes are missing in the double circles (Brown 751). The third phase in building is the most spectacular of all the phases. This is because of the 100ft. Circle that is filled with 30 sarsen stone columns which weighs 25 tons separately. A continuous circle of lintel stones held in place by mortise and tenon joints tops them off. Inside the circle is the holes known as the "X" and "Y" holes. Also inside are a small horseshoe shape of bluestones. The largest bluestone is called the altar stone. This altar stone's original location and meaning is unknown. It now lies under two fallen trilithon stone. The builders of this age of Stonehenge are the Wessex culture of the early Bronze Age (Brown 752). Those who constructed Stonehenge may never be known. There are many myths and legends as to who really built the huge monument. On such myth is that the great magician Merlin built Stonehenge. This was claimed in the book History of the Kings of Britains written by Geoffrey of Monmouth. According to Geoffrey the huge stones were taken from Ireland and moved to England where they were marked as a burial ground for slain British princes. This monument was set up by King Ambrosius. He sent for Merlin to give him a monument. Merlin suggested the "Dance of the Giants" in Ireland. However the Irish were not going to give up their monument without a fight. They had set up an army to defend the giant monument from King Ambrosius's army of soldiers sent to fetch the monument. The British defeated the Irish but could not budge the giant stones in any way, shape, or form. Merlin, however, could. He came to their rescue and moved the stones with the greatest of ease. This story was a good explanation to all medieval believers. Outline I. Construction A. Phases 1. Period I 2. Period II 3. Period III B. Builders 1. Celts and Druids 2. Merlin and King Ambrossius II. Purpose A. Solstice Calendar B. Druids Meetings C. Astronomical Events III. Feeling toward Stonehenge A. Peoples Feelings Then B. Peoples Feelings now

Eddie George essays

Eddie George essays The question for my report is, What impact has Eddie George had on sports. Eddie George played a big role in the world of football. He and Steve McNair led the Tennessee Titans to the Superbowl, but they lost. Eddie George was 8, just another young kid on the neighborhood playground who fantasized about winning the Heisman Trophy, when his mother, Donna, began to get his life in the order she wants him to grow up in. "Eddie would never stop," said Donna's mother, Jean McCarthy, whose yard in suburban Abington Township, served as one of her grandson's playgrounds. "His friends would be saying, come on, Eddie, we gotta rest, we gotta rest, but Eddie would say, no, no, we gotta play, we gotta play. "He was always running," Jean McCarthy said. "No surprise to me he turned out to be a running back."(7) As Eddie was growing up, he put team goals before his. He wanted to play football, he wanted to go to college by playing football, he wanted to win the Heisman Trophy, and he wanted to play in the pros. His mother Donna said, " to fulfill those goals, you have to build up your character." She was the "architect" in the family. Eddie, 22, and his sister Leslie, 25, who works for an insurance company in suburban Philadelphia, grew up in a single parent household, after their mother separated in 1980 from their largely absentee father, also named Eddie. They were later divorced, and Donna said that Eddie's relationship with his father remains distant. (5) However, "the single- parent" is misleading for despite the circumstances, Eddie and his sister were reared in a structured, loving and religious environment, not only by their mother, but by her parents Fred and Jean. Jean usually was there to help during the years that Donna worked two and sometimes three jobs. She was determined to do more than make ends meat. Their mother was a very busy woman; for the first nine years of Eddie's life, she was a productio...

Waka Flocka ACT Scores

Waka Flocka ACT Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Waka Flocka is running for President - but is he qualified? Are you taking the ACT? You're in good company! Barack Obama, Marilyn Monroe, and Steve Jobs all took the ACT, too, along with several other celebrities. We've compiled their scores so you can see how these successful people performed back when they were in high school. We've also converted the SAT scores of famous people to the ACT scale so you get a sense of how their scores compare. Now if you ever run into Barack Obama, you'll have at least one conversation starter to fall back on... ACT Scores of Famous People We've gathered a complete list of celebrity ACT scores. These were often revealed in interviews or through investigative research. Some people were proud of their high scores, others proud of their low scores - and others couldn't care less. Here it is: Celebrity ACT Score College Attended Sonia Sotomayor 35 Princeton Matt Birk 34 Harvard Waka Flocka Flame 34 None Steve Jobs 32 Reed College Barack Obama 30 Columbia University Lyndon B. Johnson 26 Texas State University Marilyn Monroe 21 None William Faulkner 18 University of Mississippi *(Some of these scores may be unproven) Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you MUST be usingin your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. All these people took the ACT. But many other celebrities took the SAT, and we converted their SAT scores to ACT: Celebrity SAT Score ACT Conversion College Attended Paul Allen 1600 36 Washington State University Will Smith Rumored to be perfect 36 Ben Affleck Almost perfect 35-36 Occidental College, University of Vermont Bill Gates 1590 35 Harvard Ben Bernanke 1590 35 Harvard Bill O'Reilly 1585 35 Marist College Ryan Fitzpatrick 1580 35 Harvard James Woods 1579 35 MIT Ben Stein 1573 35 Columbia Ke$ha 1500 34 Scott McNealy 1420 32 Stanford Natalie Portman 1400+ 32-34 Harvard Al Gore 1355 30-31 Harvard Stephen King 1300s 30-31 University of Maine Meredith Vieira 1300s 30-31 Tufts University George W. Bush 1206 26-27 Yale Derek Jeter 1200 26 University of Michigan John Kerry 1190 26 Yale Courtney Cox 1150 25 Mount Vernon College Amy Tan 1100s 24-26 Linfield College, San Josà © State University Kobe Bryant 1080 23 Scarlett Johansson 1080 23 Bill Clinton 1032 22 Georgetown Peyton Manning 1030 22 University of Tennessee Alex Rodriguez 910 19 As you can see, these famous people's ACT scores are all over the board. You can of course achieve great things in life even with low ACT scores, and, vice versa, excellent ACT scores are just one step on the road to success. For most people in the world (like you and me), working hard in school, getting high grades, and going to a great college will set us up for huge opportunities. If your goal is to get into a good college, expand your mind, and open up more opportunities by working hard in school, then your ACT scores take on greater importance. So if a highly ranked college is in your sights, how can you join the ranks of Sonia Sotomayor, Matt Birk, and Waka Flocka Flame (a sentence that's probably never been uttered before)? Obama attended Punahou Schoolin Hawaii and scored a 30 on the ACT. How to Get Great Scores Doing well on the ACT is all about how well prepared you are. Below are some valuable strategies and resources you can use to perform your best on the ACT and add your name to the top of the list of celebrity ACT scores. Get Well Acquainted with the ACT Do you have a best friend or family member who you know everything about, from her dream travel destination to how she likes her eggs cooked? Well, it's time to make the ACT your new best friend. Learn everything you can about the test, including what its directions say, how many questions it asks in how much time, and what content it covers in each section. As long as your familiarize yourself with the ACT as best you can, there should be no surprises on test day. Instead, it will feel like you're sitting down with an old acquaintance - maybe one that's caused you some stress over the months, but one that you know like the back of your hand. Prep With a Plan The ACT covers a lot of ground. Without a specific approach, you could easily get overwhelmed by the breadth of material. Setting small, manageable goals will help you divide and conquer the content. Rather than focusing on the entire English section, for example, figure out the subskills and question types being asked within the section. Focus on just one or two of these question types at a time, and make sure you understand it fully before moving on. For more strategies on how to approach your test prep, check out our free E-Book: 5 Tips to Get You 4 Points or More. To Thine Own Self Be True Everyone has different experiences, learning styles, and abilities. Maybe you excel in math, but analyzing a work of fiction leaves you feeling lost. To prep for the ACT effectively, you need to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and where you need to focus your energies the most. One way to root out your weaknesses is by answering ACT Questions of the Day. Check out this complete guide on how answering ACT QOTD can help you design your own customized study plan. Stock Up On Resources To truly conquer the content on the ACT, you need some extra resources to help you along the way.How long is the ACT, for example? How exactly is it scored? What tips can a full 36 scorer give you on how to achieve a perfect score? We have all these answers, plus lots of helpful advice, available to you, so be sure to fully pack your mental suitcase with all the provisions you'll need to sustain yourself on test day. What's Next? Before you start prepping, you probably want to define your goals: what exactly are your target scores? To help you figure out what you are aiming for, we explain what's a good ACT score, what's a bad score, and what's an excellent score - and what this means for your test prep. When do you plan to take the ACT? How many times are you taking it? We present the pros and cons of test dates and explain how smart scheduling can help you on test day. Want to score a perfect ACT score, or near it? Be like Bill Gates: read how to get a perfect ACT score, by our perfect scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Mitigating the Toxic Leaders of Tailhook 91 Essay

Mitigating the Toxic Leaders of Tailhook 91 - Essay Example The Tailhook Association was initiated in 1956 during a reunion event in Mexico where aviators from different fleets met. The membership grew rapidly to over sixteen thousand members in 1991. General membership incorporated active aviators, those retired as well as civilians. As indicated the Tailhook represents a political and social situation that incorporated active as well as retired Naval and Marine Corps aviators of different ranks and grades and from different departments of the Department of Defense. In real essence, the entire story is about the disturbing events within the 35th Annual symposium that was organized by Tailhook Association in 1991. The association is recognized for a number of activities one of which includes organizing annual symposium that brings together different members of the association. Most of the social activities took place on the squadron hospitality suites in Las Vegas Hilton. The events that took place during the symposium is what triggered the T ailhook investigations. The investigations were initiated following rampant accusations made by the females in attendance concerning the indecent behavior and assaults of junior officers as well as senior officers towards the female attendees. Several issues should be reviewed and followed by appropriate correction.The toxic leaders in the Tailhook Association annual symposium ’91 were recognized as top ranking navy officials alongside other junior officers who were involved in sexually-related activities.

Peter singer and john arthur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Peter singer and john arthur - Essay Example This may result in getting muddy and the clothes wet, but the fact that it has saved a life is justification enough.. Singer uses the argument that mass starvation and deaths due to hunger and suffering is preventable only if the affluent governments and the well off citizens donated more. Currently, rich governments and rich citizens are not under any moral obligation to help starving people and this is not ethically justified. Singer says that our morality needs to change along with our lifestyle and only then can we become more ethical people. People tend to look after their family and dear ones since they are bound by blood ties an they help someone nearby since the victims are within reach. According to Singer, one must be rid of this fallacy and be ready to help other, irrespective of the distances. Singer (1972) believes that the affluent and people should contribute to help the poor and the starving. According to Singer, the rich and affluent do not respond to famine situations in countries such as Bangladesh where over nine million people were starving because of a failing government, cyclone and failing harvests. According to the author, people do not donate liberally to such causes nor do they take any extra efforts to increase the awareness in their government to take any action. As per the argument that Singer uses, countries continue to fritter away their money on useless expenses such as the Concorde project that would cost 440 million GBP. Even individuals do not care to donate any sizeable amount to help the starving for whom the donation is a difference between life and death. Singer points out that every day, hundreds of people die of starvation in the world and people and governments of affluent nations do not care to help the people and stop people from being kil led. He relates this apathy to a type of murder and that people have come to take human life for granted. Singer

Marketing Metrics for Essex Property Trust Essay Example for Free

Marketing Metrics for Essex Property Trust Essay Via analyzing and discussing the interrelated financial ratios over these three years, the performance and developing trend of Essex Property Trust Inc. Will be measured and understood. Moreover, this study illustrates what the two rivals BRE Properties and Brandywine Realty Trust’s positioning were in property industry. 1. 3 Methodology The companies’ official website has comprehensive information like histories and backgrounds of company, internal and external environment that influencing business running, every detail of financial data and even critical issues. Therefore, it is the most critical resource. In addition, there are other useful methods such as academic reports, journal articles, books and electronic database that provide theoretical knowledge’s about each metric. 1. 4 Limitations However this report has some vital limitations because it is based on the financial statements which reflected historical facts are open to human accruals, error, interpretation and estimation like refunds accounts and depreciation accounts. In order to attract more investors, the economic performance can be inflated by intentionally manipulating figures on inancial reports (Dennis, 2010). Furthermore, besides the financial factors in financial reports, other several elements including economic, social, and environment can also influence an enterprise’s financial position. Thus, due to ignorance of other factors, the financial position disclosed by accountants may be inaccurate. Last but not the least, the financial statement only took quantitative factors into account but fails to disclose information like integrity of management, prestige and reputation of the business with public, customer’s satisfaction, employees’ loyalty and efficiency, etc. hat also impacts business decision making (Dennis, 2010). 2. Real estate investment trust (REIT) Industry and company’s historical background George M. Marcus as the real estate entrepreneur formed Essex Property Corporation in 1971 and after 23years the company became Essex Property Trust, Inc. when it gained the portfolio of 16 multifamily communities. Essex is a self-managed and self-administered integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) in West Coast of America. In 1960, REITs created by congress is a type of real estate firm that provides opportunities for all Americans to invest in income-producing real estate not just for affluent. The method of this investment is similar to the bonds and stocks investments through mutual funds by many Americans (REIT, 2012). Essex develops, manages and acquires multifamily residential properties in the specific provinces like the San Francisco, Southern California and the Seattle metropolitan area and Essex relates to land and its appreciation on it like offices, apartments and hotels. Essex’s Property Portfolio so far Multi-family: [pic] Office: [pic] Retail: other unclassified [pic] Specialty: unclassified [pic] According to the above table charts published by Essex in March of 2013, there are 166 communities comprising 29,506 apartment units and total approximately 315,900 square feet of four commercial buildings which are located in major regions of California and Washington under the property portfolio. Besides the existing markets, Essex intended to evaluate some new markets by identifying new areas and developing new unconsolidated joint venture projects. . Conceptual framework Marketing metric can be defined as a measuring framework which quantifies a dynamic, trend, or characteristic and also can be used by practitioners in marketing monitoring and business planning to explain diagnose causes, phenomena, project the results of future events and share findings in order to justify marketing programs, decide on financial allocations and evaluate their marketing performance (Farris et al. 2010). It’s more effective to use a portfolio of metrics because it can assist managers with maintenance of productive focus on markets and customers and identification of weaknesses and strengths in both execution and strategies (Bazley et al. 2004). [pic] There are seven specific metrics adapt to measure Essex company’s performance and analyze competitors’ positions. According to the above figure, they are return on equity (ROE), Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA), year-on-year growth revenue, return on investment, profitability metrics, efficiency calculations and capital structure ratios. Gross profit margin, net profit margin and cash flow to sales ratio are three critical basic figures that will be used to measure entity’s profitability (Bazley et al. 2004). Then, in order to identify company’s business efficiency, Return on asset and asset turnover ratio will be calculated as well. Finally, there are three capital structure ratios including equity ratio, debt ratio and debt equity ratio(Mcdonald and Mouncey, 2009). The most vital reason to choose those metrics is that they can maximize the accuracy of measurement about an entity’s heath and estimation on the basis of other data. Moreover, they are also interrelated to each other (Birt et al. 2010). 4. Marketing metrics Briefly, The critical purposes of using following particular metrics are judging business performance, evaluating plans, quantifying market opportunities, identifying leverage points for improvement for Essex and recognizing its peers’ threats for the past three years and predict the trend in near future(Farris et al. 010). 4. 1 Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) As an alternative for a cash-based profit measure, EBITDA can be also defined as the profit before interest, taxation and depreciation and amortization expense. Because it excludes financing and tax charge besides asset diminution, its main aim is to measure entity’s raw operating earnings compare and analyze prof itability between companies (Birt et al. 2010). Figures in US$ and ‘000 |2010 |2011 |2012 | |Essex |277,861 |338,679 |456,888 | |BRE |228,219 |255,066 |306,542 | |Brandywine |370,880 |379,556 |383,484 | Based on the above chart, it apparently illustrates that both of them tried to raise their EBITDA and therefore decline their operating cost. Among them, Essex had the most dramatic increasing trend in EBITDA by changing amount of US$179,027,000 during three years. 4. 2 Profitability metrics Under this category, there are three basic metrics: gross profit margin, net profit margin and cash flow to sales ratio to calculate entity’s profit. Gross profit margin refers to the percentage of sales revenue that results in gross profit which measures profitability in selling, producing and buying goods before other expenses are taken into account (Birt et al. 2010). Higher value means better likelihood of success to divide more satisfactory return to owners and cover more other expenses (Atrill et al. 2008). Net profit margin reveals the proportion of sales revenue results in profit before interest and tax (Birt et al. 2010). This ratio is the most appropriate measure of profit from trading operations which is before took any costs of servicing long-term finance into account (Atrill et al. 2008). Cash flow to sales ratio reflects a proportion of cash flow from operating activities compared to its net sales revenue can be used to measure an entity ability to convert its sales into cash. Higher value means more efficient productivity and creditworthiness and indicates the firm has more ability to grow (Business Dictionary, 2012).

Deep into Darkness Peering Essay -- Poetry Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be one of America’s most prominent poets. While his reputation precedes him, there is little that is actually known about the famous author. His life can only be accurately summed up by a few historical accounts and a series of letters written in his own hand. These, of course, do not even come close to describing the man behind the pen, as it were. One critic writes, â€Å"monomania can easily be developed over the motely tragedy of the personal life of Poe, so deeply buried under a shifting mass of conflicting rumours, echoes of rumours, and downright lies† (Bradsher 241). He was, socially, a private man, but he gave the world something more interesting and powerful that can be told in letters and biographies; he gave us himself. Every poem, short story, or piece of literature that his ink marked upon paper was a part of him. They are these things we must study in order to understand Poe. What’s more is that we must understand these things in order to see him. Poe even states that â€Å"the mind of a painter is expressed in his pictures† (Poetical 360). His entire repertoire is the key to the proverbial lock of his intent behind his own masterpiece. These are what have made Poe such a notorious figure in American culture. Experiences within Edgar Allan Poe’s life lead to his different perspectives on death. By analysing Annabel Lee, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, we can see that these perspectives include: hope; despair; and fear. Annabel Lee is one of Poe’s more famous poems. It is about a young man (the narrator) that falls in love with a girl when they are both children. Their love was so strong that it made even the angels jealous, so Annabel Lee was stricken ill by the heavens and perished... ...out the nature of yourself and man more interesting than giving us the answers. After all, where’s the fun in knowing? â€Æ' Works Cited Bradsher, Earl L. "The Poetic Works of Edgar Allan Poe." Review. The Sewanee Review Apr. 1918: 241-44. Print. Campbell, Killis. "Contemporary Opinion of Poe." PMLA 36.2 (1921): 142-66. Print. Campbell, Killis. "Selected Poems of Edgar Allan Poe." Review. American Literature Mar. 1929: 103-04. Print. Law, Robert A. "A Source for Annabel Lee." Journal of English and German Philology 21.2 (1922): 341-46. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan, and J. Montgomery Gambrill. Selections from Poe. Boston: Ginn &, 1907. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Poetical Works by Edgar Allan Poe." The Crayon 5.12 (1858): 360. Print. Werner, W. L. "Poe's Theories and Practice in Poetic Technique." American Literature 2.2 (1930): 157-65. Print. Deep into Darkness Peering Essay -- Poetry Analysis Edgar Allan Poe is considered to be one of America’s most prominent poets. While his reputation precedes him, there is little that is actually known about the famous author. His life can only be accurately summed up by a few historical accounts and a series of letters written in his own hand. These, of course, do not even come close to describing the man behind the pen, as it were. One critic writes, â€Å"monomania can easily be developed over the motely tragedy of the personal life of Poe, so deeply buried under a shifting mass of conflicting rumours, echoes of rumours, and downright lies† (Bradsher 241). He was, socially, a private man, but he gave the world something more interesting and powerful that can be told in letters and biographies; he gave us himself. Every poem, short story, or piece of literature that his ink marked upon paper was a part of him. They are these things we must study in order to understand Poe. What’s more is that we must understand these things in order to see him. Poe even states that â€Å"the mind of a painter is expressed in his pictures† (Poetical 360). His entire repertoire is the key to the proverbial lock of his intent behind his own masterpiece. These are what have made Poe such a notorious figure in American culture. Experiences within Edgar Allan Poe’s life lead to his different perspectives on death. By analysing Annabel Lee, The Raven, The Masque of the Red Death, we can see that these perspectives include: hope; despair; and fear. Annabel Lee is one of Poe’s more famous poems. It is about a young man (the narrator) that falls in love with a girl when they are both children. Their love was so strong that it made even the angels jealous, so Annabel Lee was stricken ill by the heavens and perished... ...out the nature of yourself and man more interesting than giving us the answers. After all, where’s the fun in knowing? â€Æ' Works Cited Bradsher, Earl L. "The Poetic Works of Edgar Allan Poe." Review. The Sewanee Review Apr. 1918: 241-44. Print. Campbell, Killis. "Contemporary Opinion of Poe." PMLA 36.2 (1921): 142-66. Print. Campbell, Killis. "Selected Poems of Edgar Allan Poe." Review. American Literature Mar. 1929: 103-04. Print. Law, Robert A. "A Source for Annabel Lee." Journal of English and German Philology 21.2 (1922): 341-46. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan, and J. Montgomery Gambrill. Selections from Poe. Boston: Ginn &, 1907. Print. Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Poetical Works by Edgar Allan Poe." The Crayon 5.12 (1858): 360. Print. Werner, W. L. "Poe's Theories and Practice in Poetic Technique." American Literature 2.2 (1930): 157-65. Print.

Martin Luther King Essay

â€Å"I have a dream that one day my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character† (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). These wise and upholding words of confidence and determination changed the face of America during a time of hate and discrimination. King’s inspirational leadership and speeches helped make a local bus protest into a historical event (â€Å"King, Martin Luther Jr.†) He gathered thousands of people, both black and white, to many encouraging protests and meetings to bring a hateful and racist world to peace. His strategy of â€Å"encouraging nonviolent protest and interracial cooperation helped him to fight effectively again the southern system† (King, Martin Luther Jr.†). These strategies were also based on the belief of Indian pacifist Mohandas Gandhi. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ambition to seek a perfect world was extravagant; he will always be in the minds and hearts of Americans in years to come. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). His birth name was Michael, but he later changed it to Martin (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). His parent’s names were Alberta and Martin Luther King, Sr. Alberta was a homemaker and Martin Sr. was a minister (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). Martin Jr. also had an older sister, named Christine, and a younger brother, named Alfred Rogers 2 (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.). Young Martin grew up in Atlanta to a very loving family highly devoted to service and faith. When Martin was young, he first encountered racism when his friends’ mother (who was white) did not allow him to play with her white son (Darby 8). Martin was too young to understand completely the meaning of why he was not allowed but the message he was simple, blacks were different from whites (Darby 9). Martin’s knowledge was known at a young age. He began reading at a very early age; his favorite books were about black history and the people who made it (Darby 13). He went to school at local segregated schools in Atlanta. He went to school when he was only five years old, but at the time it was only legal for kids to start school at the age of six. After officials found this out, he was forced to wait another year and start again. Martin attended Young Street Elementary and David Elementary Schools. When Martin was a junior in high school he was taking college exams that showed how advanced he was (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). He was able to go to college at the age of fifteen, skipping two years of high school. Martin attended Morehouse College, an all boy’s school and one of the finest black colleges in the country at the time. He studied sociology and received his bachelor’s degree Morehouse in 1948 (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). At the time Martin was thinking about becoming a minister. His father being a key role model on his decision to become a minister, he described his decision as an â€Å"inner urge,† calling him to â€Å"serve God and humanity (Carson 501). He was ordained during his final semester at Morehouse (Carson 502). At this time and point in his life, this is also where Martin began to precede his first steps towards his political spotlight. After departing Morehouse, King increased his understanding of liberal Christian thoughts while attending Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania from 1948 to 1951 (Carson 502). King had interest in Reinhold Niebuhr neorthodoxy which emphasized the impact of social evil. Martin added he didn’t begin a quest or method to eliminate social evil until he attended Crozer (Darby 20). Even as he continued to question and modify his own religious belief, he was performing outstandingly and graduated at the top of his class (Carson 502). He won the Plafker Award for the most outstanding student and received the J. Luis Crozer fellowship to study at any university of his choice (Darby 21). His parents gave him and hug and bought him a brand new Chevy. After graduating from Crozer, King began his doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston University in School of Theology (Carson 502). The paper King had written during his time at Boston University had showed little originality but much plagiarism but had also formulated a decent perspective (Carson 502). By the time King had completed his doctoral studies in 1955, King had a strong view upon a wide range of theological and philosophical texts to express his views with precise information (Carson 502). His new and increased theological insights became known as he expanded his preaching activities at local Boston churches where he had assisted his father at masses. Also during King’s stay in Boston, he had met Coretta Scott, an Alabama born Antioch graduate who was then a student at the New England Conservatory of Music (Carson 502). On June 18, 1953, the students were married in Marion, Alabama, where Coretta’s family lived (Carson 502). During the following academic year, King began work on his dissertation which he completed during the spring of 1955. Thus finishing his dissertation, he was awarded a doctorate (Ph.D.) I theology and became Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Darby 23). Although he had thought about pursing an academic career, King decided to accept an offer to become the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama (Carson 502). In 1955, King was selected by the Montgomery Improvement Association to protest the arrest of NAACP official Rosa Parks for refusing to give her bus seat up to a white man (Carson 502). With King as their leader, the association led a year long boycott. King gained his leadership abilities through his religious background to gradually form a strategy that involved black churches to gain white support (Carson 502). Many of King’s beliefs were also mixed with the concepts on Indian pacifist leader Mohandas Gandhi to enforce non-violence during his protests. During King’s speech at a local segregated black church, he had gathered four thousand people to hear the story of Rosa Parks (Darby 34). After Martin’s speech, people cheered and stomped their feet as their reaction. The Civil Rights Movement had begun with King as their leader (Darby 35). King had led the MIA’s plan to the use of blacks not using buses until they were legal to have the right to sit anywhere they would please. During the time when blacks did not ride buses, Martin would preach too many to â€Å"not boast or brag,† and if struck, â€Å"do not strike back† (Darby 43). One evening Martin was pulled over by an officer on his way home, he said he was speeding (Darby 29). The officer had told Martin that he was to be taken to the Montgomery Police, but the way he was taking him was a way through Klansman land. Klansman land was where many African Americans were taken, beaten, and hung without anybody knowing (Darby 40). Martin was very scared but soon relieved after seeing the sign: Montgomery Jail ahead (Darby 40). King was soon released from jail too good news; Alabama had passed the new desegregation law, this meant victory for the blacks and the beginning of change for both races (Darby 42). With the victory, Martin cautioned black people to accept their victory with dignity and to resist violence. When King had time away from his social life, he liked spending time with his three kids. Spending time with his kids had made him stronger and more ready mentally for what was to come (Darby 61). King’s campaign to end segregation at lunch counters and in hiring practices drew nationwide attention when police turned dogs and five horses onto demonstrators (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). King was jailed with hundreds of supporters, many of them being schoolchildren (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). After being released from prison, Martin and other Civil Rights Leaders began organizing the historic march in Washington D.C. A mix of races of about 200,000 gathered peacefully at the Lincoln Memorial to demand equal justice for all citizens (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). Here crowds were  intrigued by King’s uplifting â€Å"I have a Dream† speech (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). His speech emphasized his faith that all men, someday, would be brothers (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). His speech encouraged national opinion that resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). The act enforced desegregation of public accommodation and outlawing discrimination in public owned facilities (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). The eventful year awarded King the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in December. Opposition hit within the Civil Rights movement during March of 1965 at a demonstration in Selma, Alabama. The opposition was aimed at giving blacks federal voting rights that would provide legal support for the African Americans in the south (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). King organized the initial march from Selma to the state capital in Montgomery but did not lead it himself. The marchers were turned back with tear gas and night sticks. Determined for a second march, King set out with fifteen hundred marchers, black and white until the group came to a barrage of state troopers. Instead of forcing a confrontation, he led his followers to kneel and pray then unexpectedly turn back (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). The country was amazed by there actions resulting in the passage of Voting Rights of 1965 (â€Å"Martin Luther King Jr.†). In 1957, he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the civil rights movement (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). His ideas were based from Gandhi in the organization. In a period from 1957-1968, King traveled our six million miles and spoke over twenty five hundred times (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). He was arrested at least twenty times (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). He was assaulted at least four times (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). He was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963 (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). His strategy of encouraging nonviolent protest and interracial cooperation enabled him to fight against the Southern system (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). King’s inspirational leadership and his speeches helped to evaluate a local bus protest into a historical event (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). He was not only the symbolic leader of African Americans but also a world figure. He was the youngest man ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (thirty five years of age). He also turned down the prize money of $54, 123 and it would go to the civil rights movement. He delivered his famous speech of â€Å"I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,† April 3, 1968 (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). This had been King’s last speech. At 6:01 p.m. of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, where he lead a protest for striking sanitation workers, he was assassinated (â€Å"King, Martin Luther, Jr.†). Martin was a man, he was not God. His charismatic and powerful way of speaking had changed American lives until present day. He was a man of vision and determination. He was often overworked and overtired, but this had never stopped him of dreaming what could be.

Racial Autobiography Curriculum Unit

Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice Danae O’Bryan EDU 6051: Race & Ethnicity 21 October 2011 Final Action Plan Assignment Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 1 Contents: Introduction to the Action Plan Project Stage 1 For Project/Unit Unit Outline Sample Lesson 1 & Handout(s) Sample Lesson 2 & Handout(s) Sample Lesson 3 & Handout(s) Sample Lesson 4 & Handout(s) Culminating Performance Task ResourcesPage Number 3 4 6 7 9 13 18 23 25 Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 2 Introduction to the Action Plan: Welcome to my action plan! This curricular approach to creating an anti-racist classroom experience was designed for four ninth grade classes at Malden High School in Malden, Massachusetts. The lessons attached to this action plan are anchored in the Massachusetts Common Core Cur riculum Frameworks (2010).Upon first glance at the demographics of Malden High School it is easy to assume that the school has successfully integrated various racial minority and majority groups into its system (African American or Black – 22. 2%, Asian – 22. 7, Hispanic or Latino – 17. 6%, Multi-race, Non-Hispanic – 2. 7%, Native American – 0. 6%, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander – 0. 1%, White – 34. 2%). However, there is still a lack of knowledge among students regarding their own racial identity and the experiences of others of different race and ethnic groups.In Northeastern University’s Race & Ethnicity course the idea of â€Å"colorblindness† was discussed at length as being something as powerfully ineffective as racism itself. At Malden High School students of differing racial groups sort of â€Å"coexist,† which is something I hope this action plan will begin to change through students’ awarenes s of racial identity development. Fortunately, the 9th grade curriculum for English Language Arts has placed a heavy emphasis on the overarching theme of identity.Students read Our America over the summer for their summer reading, and write about their own identity in an essay upon entering school this year. This allowed for a more fluid transition into the introduction of racial identity development. After studying the various racial identity development theories in Northeastern University’s Race & Ethnicity course, it seemed essential to tie the importance of racial identity into a students discovery of his or herself. I have learned that the end goal of our recognition of identity is just as important as the developmental process it took to get there.If students reflect only on who they are today, without acknowledging the events and experiences that have shaped their racial identity, they are missing the key information needed in order to create change; And that is the mo tivation behind exploring our past to change our future through this antiracism action plan project. This action plan is centered around the Understanding by Design model, which allows for essential questions and understanding to be thoughtfully explored while working towards an end product.The end product, or, the culminating performance task, is one that challenges students to think critically about the experiences that shaped their racial identity. In turn, the students are asked to produce a racial identity autobiography. I hope you find this action plan useful and choose to incorporate some of the lessons into your own classrooms. Enjoy! Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 3 Racial Identity Development Autobiography Stage 1Understandings Students will understand that†¦ Racial identity plays a role in how he/she interacts in society and become involved with his/her community Different factors, including lif e experiences, shape his/her racial identity Potential Essential Questions Misunderstandings Students may be unable to see how his/her identity contributes to the community at large Student may overlook or be unable to remember particular experiences that contribute to his/her identity Application: How can we use the knowledge and understanding of our racial identities to overcome racism?Explanation: What are the stages of racial identity development? Interpretation: What do my experiences reveal about my racial identity? Why does knowing my racial identity development process matter? Perspective: How do our racial identities differ from each other? Empathy: How might we reach and understanding of others' racial identities? Self-Knowledge: How are my opinions about other races and ethnicities shaped by stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudices? What are my â€Å"blind-spots† and limitations of understanding the racial experiences of others?There are various consequences for ra cial stereotypes, which affect the society we live in No person fits neatly into a clear racial group, people are individuals, not just members of a racial group Students may have a hard time letting go of stereotypes and bias he/she has seen as â€Å"normal† for so long Students may feel Racial identities are that his/her racial always flux and complex, identity autobiography now never fixed or simple, and should be discussed defines them instead that way in the classroom of realizing that it is a work in progress, and outside of school something that can changeProducts of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 4 Knowledge Students will know†¦ ? Skills Students will be able to†¦ Core vocabulary: Race, ethnicity, (Including MCCR frameworks) stereotype, bias, -ism, ? Discuss what shapes their racial identity with definitive language nationality, prejudice, appropriate to the dialogue (MCF autobiography (MCF L 4). S L 1). ? The following terms: ?Evaluate identity narratives from Socioeconomic status; various authors whole focusing institutional racism and on â€Å"craft and structure† as well discrimination; discrimination as â€Å"key ideas and details† (MCF RL 1-6). through economic, cultural, and ? Create and revise a racial identity political means; scapegoating; autobiography (MCF W 3, 5, 6). dehumanization; segregation; ? Recognize and identify various oppression; civil rights (MCF L 4). stereotypes as portrayed in ?The language involved in anti popular television and other racist activism. media. ? The stages of racial identity development. Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 5 Unit Outline: Since this project is being implemented after the To Kill a Mockingbird unit has already begun, the students have already read chapters 1-11 of the novel. In addition, they have watched a documentary on the Scottsboro t rials titled â€Å"Scottsboro: An American Tragedy. Thus, the lessons that follow are not at the start of the To Kill a Mockingbird unit, but they do start at the implementation of the Action Plan project (which is being incorporated into the To Kill a Mockingbird unit). This is only a suggested timeline. You may wish to include additional lessons. In addition, you may replace or adjust some of these lessons provided.  ¦ Sample Lesson 1: (Included)  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Sample Lesson 2: (Included)  ¦  ¦  ¦  ¦ Sample Lesson 3: (Included)  ¦  ¦  ¦ â€Å"A Product of this Town† by J.Malcom Garcia Rules to follow in class discussion Mark up the Text / In-class discussion Racial Identity Anticipation Guide Discussion (On Racial Identity Anticipation guide) Introduction to the Project – GRASPS Breaking down stereotypes Analyzing media in search for stereotypes PowerPoint slides (uploaded as separate document) – Introduction to theories Teacher shares pe rsonal Racial Identity Autobiography Work as class to develop mini-RIA for Jem (character in TKAM) Using self-interview answers and knowledge of theory stages, plan autobiography Photo definition of self – free write/reflection Computer lab- work on typing RIA Sharing RIA’s – possible â€Å"silent† discussion Revisit Anticipation guides  ¦ Sample Lesson 4: (Included)  ¦  ¦ Sample Lesson 5: (Not Included)  ¦  ¦  ¦ Sample Lesson 6: (Not Included)  ¦  ¦  ¦ Sample Lesson 7: (Not Included)  ¦  ¦ Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 6 Sample Lesson1 : â€Å"A Product of This Town† – Mark Up Text and In-Class Discussion I.Learning Objectives for Today & Evidence/Assessment of Learning Learning objectives: (SWBAT) Students will be able to†¦ Explain the parallels between the â€Å"old† South and the â€Å"new† South with regards to racism, segr egation, and injustice (Scottsboro/Jena) Discuss how Garcia’s experiences in Jena influenced his racial identity Produce a short reflection that sums up the discussion on Scottsboro and P. O. T. T Evidence/Assessment of Work Collection of â€Å"Do Now† notebooks at the end of quarter Informal checks for understanding through participation in the class discussion Collection of reflection for participation credit Standards: MCF (Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks) RI 9, SL 1 & 4 II. Essential Question[s] for Today: ? ? ?Interpretation: What do my experiences reveal about my racial identity? Why does knowing my racial identity development process matter? Perspective: How do our racial identities differ from each other? Self-Knowledge: How are my opinions about other races and ethnicities shaped by stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudices? III. Why Learning this Matters: Up until this point in the unit, students have been reading To Kill a Mockingbird and discussing Jim C row, the Scottsboro Trials, and segregation as well as racism in the south. Today they are reading and marking up the article by J. Malcom Garcia titled â€Å"A Product of this Town. † This article deals with the â€Å"Jena 6† event that happened down in Louisiana in 2006.I wanted to give students a modern day perspective on the existence of extreme racism and segregation to get them talking about these issues in a modern day context. It’s also important that students start learning how to â€Å"talk† about these issues of racism and segregation out loud in a class discussion. IV. Learning Experiences: ? Optional: For this class, the students watched the following video yesterday, but for future classes, it might work to show the video before the discussion (http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=3SrIEM8X0qA). The students also came to class having marked up the article for homework. This could be done as an in-class assignment as well. Products of Our Town: U sing Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 7 ?Do now (10 minutes): Respond the the following questions: (1) What are some of the experiences/interactions/conversations Garcia had with Jenains (people of Jena) that influenced the way he saw the town? (2) Why do you think he included some of the perspectives he included? Which did you think were the most powerful, meaningful, and interesting? (3) What parallels can you draw between â€Å"A Product of this Town† and the Scottsboro: An American Tragedy documentary? Lesson (30 minutes): Desks go into circle. Students create â€Å"ground rules† for discussion (no trash-talking or put-downs, everyone must contribute at least once, the person speaking calls on the next person, no interrupting, respectfully disagree, etc).The â€Å"Do Now† questions kickstart our conversation followed by the preceding few questions: 0 Why did Garcia title his work â€Å"A Product of this Town? † What do you think â€Å"product† refers to? 0 What did you think of Cleveland Riser? Why are words so important to him, what does he say they give us the ability to do? 0 What do you notice about the difference in ages/generations that Garcia interacts with? 0 What role does religion play in Jena? What to the the two pastors (Rev. Thompson and Rev. Moran) say about the event?Independent work/Closing (15 minutes): Students will spend the last ten minutes of class writing a reflection on some of the issues and conversation that came up in class today including (1) One thing they agreed with. 2) One thing they disagreed with, (3) Something that was talked about that you would like to explore more, (4) one thing you did not get to address that you would like to point out at a later date, and (5) how you think the discussion went overall and what should have changed and why. ? ? Materials ? Student notebooks ? â€Å"A Product of this Town† article (J. Malcom Garcia) Prod ucts of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 8 Sample Lesson 2: Anticipation guide, Discussion, GRASPS I. Learning Objectives for Today & Evidence/Assessment of Learning Learning objectives: (SWBAT) Students will be able to†¦Explore a range of questions pertaining to the topic of racial identity to activate background knowledge and personal experiences regarding race Engage in a whole-class discussion on race Demonstrate an understanding of the culminating performance task for the racial autobiography assignment Evidence/Assessment of Work Collection of anticipation guides Participation in discussion Exit slip: Describe briefly (two or three sentences) your racial autobiography assignment. Standards: MCF SL 1 & 4 II. Essential Question[s] for Today: ? ? ? Application: How can we use the knowledge and understanding of our racial identities to overcome racism? Interpretation: What do my experiences reveal about my racial iden tity? Why does knowing my racial identity development process matter? Self-Knowledge: How are my opinions about other races and ethnicities shaped by stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudices? III.Why Learning this Matters: It is really important that students are given the opportunity to talk about the issues surrounding race and racism. By starting with an anticipation guide and giving students a tangible concrete list of vocabulary definitions for terms that will be coming up over the next few days, students are provided some of the foundational terms in which to begin talking about race and racism. In addition, it is important that students learn the acceptable way to have these conversations with peers outside his/her race and ethnicity. IV. Learning Experiences: Do now (5-10 minutes): What words or phrases come to mind when you think of race? (List all that apply) Lesson (10 minutes): Distribute anticipation guide.Today we will be working on kick-starting our racial identity au tobiography end-of-the-unit assignment. Before I introduce the project to you, I want to get a feel for what you know, or think you know, about race. So, take 10 minutes and complete this anticipation guide. (Go through directions) Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 9 Independent (individual, pair, group, whole-class) work (20 minutes): Okay, let’s talk about some of your reactions to the questions in this guide. In your group, share your answers and reactions to the questions. Take ten minutes. Choose one person to jot down some notes about what you are discussing in your group.After ten minutes come back together as a class. Pull the class into a discussion by having one group share some of their reactions and allow those group members to call on other class members to contribute. Closing (10 minutes): I hope today’s lesson got you interested in learning a bit more about race. At the end of our To K ill a Mockingbird unit, you are going to hand in a project which I will explain to you now. Distribute GRASPS handout. Go over with students. In the last two minutes have students, as their â€Å"ticket out the door† complete the following exit slip: Describe briefly (two or three sentences) your racial autobiography assignment.And write one sentence about something they are looking forward to talking about or learning about while we work on these autobiographies. Materials ? ? ? Student notebooks Handouts (Anticipation guide, terms sheet, and GRASPS) Index cards for exit slips Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 10 Name: ______________________ Period: _______ Date: _________ Ms. Nims, Ms. O’Bryan To Kill a Mockingbird/Racial Identity Autobiography Project Racial Identity Anticipation Guide Directions: In the space provided in the right column, write a â€Å"D† if you disagree with the statement , or an â€Å"A† if you agree with the statement.Then explain your reasoning for why you agreed or disagreed. # 1 Statement Racism is mostly a dead issue today. Agree/ Disagree Explanation/Reasoning Why did you agree/disagree? 2 I feel comfortable talking about race and racism with those of the same race as me. I feel comfortable talking about race and racism with those of a different race as me. There is a difference between race and ethnicity. 3 4 5 Stereotypes and prejudices about a person’s race can have a negative effect on their life. I have seen or experienced some form of racism at school or in a non-school setting. Certain races benefit from racism. 6 7 8 There isn’t anything I can do to change the way racism exists today.Discrimination: Denying access of goods, resources, and services to members of a particular social group. Discrimination is an action that typically results from prejudice. Discrimination can occur at the individual, organizational, or societal level. Ethnicity: Refers to membership of in a culturally- and geographically defined group that may share language, cultural practices, religion, or other aspects. Examples include Italian, Kurdish, and Bantu. People of the same race can be of different ethnicities.For example, Asians can be Japanese, Korean, Thai, or many other ethnicities. Institutional discrimination: Discrimination that occurs through educational systems, legal systems, or other public systems or services. Denying people the right to vote is a form of institutional discrimination. See also â€Å"ism. † -ism (racism, sexism, etc. ): The use of social power to systematically deny people access to resources, rights, respect, and representation on the basis of gender, race, age, income, or membership in any other group. Isms are based on the false belief that one group is superior to another group. Nationality: Refers to country of citizenship.However, nationality is sometimes used to mean ethnicit y, even though the two are technically different. People of one ethnic group do not necessarily live in one geographic location (such as an Italian living in Italy and an Italian-American living in the US). Because of this, ethnicity and nationality are not always the same. Prejudice: A negative attitude toward a socially defined group and toward any person perceived to be a member of the group. Like biases, prejudice is a belief. Race: Refers to physical differences of skin tone, hair texture, and facial features. Because people can be grouped by any number of physical differences (height, foot size, resistance to certain diseases), race is an artificial way to categorize people.Nonetheless, race remains an important concept because of the social and political issues that arise from it. Socioeconomic status: Refers to differences in wealth, income, other economic resources, and social ranking. Stereotype: an exaggerated belief, image or distorted truth about a person or group †“ a generalization that allows for little or no individual differences or social variation. Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 12 Same Lesson 3: Decoding Discrimination and Breaking Down Stereotypes I. Learning Objectives for Today & Evidence/Assessment of Learning Learning objectives: (SWBAT) Students will be able to†¦Reflect on their experience with prejudices and stereotypes and how they result in discrimination and illustrate a stereotype and identify stereotypes illustrated by other students Understand that discrimination is not just the result of individual actions, but rather a system of exclusion that affects economic, social, political, and cultural institutions. Analyze stereotypes in the media Evidence/Assessment of Work In-class discussion and â€Å"Do Now† prompt Mini lesson and evaluation of video clip Homework (suggested two nights or a weekend to complete) II. Essential Question[s] for Today:   Perspective: How do our racial identities differ from each other? Empathy: How might we reach and understanding of others' racial identities?Self-Knowledge: How are my opinions about other races and ethnicity's shaped by stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudices? What are my â€Å"blind-spots† and limitations of understanding the racial experiences of others? III. Why Learning this Matters: The conversation will inevitably grow uncomfortable today. And that’s good! It’s important for students to take at least this away from today’s lesson: As long as you are talking about race and racial discrimination in a constructive way (or a way that at least exposes the issue), it is okay for things to get uncomfortable. Without today’s lesson on exposing stereotypes and prejudices, students will not be able to effectively move forward in the process of uncovering their racial identity development.Students will also learn how to analyze stereotypes that they find in their everyday lives, whether it’s the music they listen to, the Internet sites they visit, or the television shows they watch. IV. Learning Experiences: Do now (5-10 minutes): What is a stereotype? What do you think it is? Have you seen or experienced stereotyping? What is an example of one? Can you list some â€Å"groups† or â€Å"categories† of people? (i. e. , â€Å"jocks,† â€Å"hippies,† etc. ) Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 13 Lesson (10 minutes): So where do racial stereotypes come into play? How are racial stereotypes formed? (Display the following on the board:) Race refers to a group of people who share the same physical characteristics such as skin tone, hair texture, and facial features.The transmission of traits from one generation to another is a complex process that is examined in a field of study called genetics. Race is a significant social issue because people use racial differences as the basis for discrimination. Much of today's racism can be traced to the era of colonialism that began in the 1400s. When Europeans began colonizing Africa and the Americas, the white settlers adopted the idea that they were superior to the other races they encountered. The false notion that Africans and Native Americans were inferior (along with the desire for economic power) justified the Europeans' taking land and enslaving people. In this way, naturally-occurring racial differences became the basis for systems of exploitation and discrimination.Racism is the systematic practice of denying people access to rights, representation, or resources based on racial differences. As you will learn in this lesson, racism involves more than personal actions of individuals. It is a thorough system of discrimination that involves social institutions and affects virtually every aspect of society. It's important to remember that racism is neither natural nor inevitable. Through history, people of different racial groups have interacted and co-existed peacefully. During the Middle Ages, for example, Europeans looked up to the people of Africa and China, whose civilization and culture were considered to be more advanced. As noted, however, these ideas changed significantly during the colonial area.As you learn more about race in this lesson, remember that racism is a system people created — and one that people can dismantle. Independent (individual, pair, group, whole-class) work (20 minutes): Okay, let’s explore some of our experiences with stereotypes. As a class make two lists: (1) Race (2) Ethnicity. (1) Begin with a discussion on the concepts of race and ethnicity. Write each word on the board or on a flip chart and ask students to list the attributes that define the terms â€Å"race† and â€Å"ethnicity. † Record their ideas. Next, ask students for the names of five different racial or ethnic groups. (2) Prepare five large sheets of paper (flip chart paper). At the top of each sheet, write the name of one of the groups that the students named. 3) Give each group one of the five sheets of paper. Ask them to list as many stereotypes that are commonly used to describe the category of people written at the top of paper.Give students three minutes to complete the exercise. Emphasize that students should list stereotypes that they have heard, not ones that they necessarily believe to be true. Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 14 (4) When they are finished, rotate the sheets of paper between groups so that each group works on a new sheet. Have them add any unlisted stereotype adjectives. Rotate every three minutes until every group has worked on every sheet. 5) Post the sheets in class where everyone can see them and give students five minutes to read the sheets. (6)Conclude the lesson with a discussion on t he exercise, asking students the following: ? How do the stereotypes recorded by the class make you feel? ? What do you notice about the stereotypes listed? Be aware that the students may have listed good and bad adjectives, many stereotypes for different groups, or the same stereotypes for different groups. ? Where have you seen these stereotypes portrayed? television programs, movies, magazines, books? ? How do you think a stereotype might cause someone to act unfairly toward another person?Now, let’s look at some stereotypes (more specifically some racial stereotypes) we can see in the media. If there’s time play the following clip: This is a clip comprised of many moments from the show â€Å"Modern Family† where Gloria, the only racial minority in the show, is highlighted for all of her mispronunciations: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=bKwOoRd5tHk This clip is meant to be humorous but what is the stereotype it is casting forth about Columbians? Closing (1 0 minutes): In our Racial Identity Autobiographies (RIAs) we will be exploring our own racial identities and how racial stereotypes (good or bad) have shaped some of our experiences. Over the weekend, I want you to fill out this handout.It asks you to evaluate some of the modern â€Å"pop culture† stereotypes you encounter daily. Record the shows you watch, songs you listen to, radio stations you tune into, and Internet sites you visit. Prepare to discuss these on Monday. Materials ? ? Student notebooks Handouts (Stereotypes in the media) Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social JusticeKeep a log over the weekend in which you will record your observations about racial stereotyping in the media (including news stories, advertisements, television programs, music, music videos, billboards and movies). Continue on back or attach extra paper if needed. Type of Media (movie, TV, billboard, song, etc) What racial stereotypes are being shown? What action is taking place? What role does the ethnic character have? Is this person part of the majority or minority? How are the other characters treating this person? In your opinion, was this person being negatively or positively stereotyped? What was your personal reaction to this example of stereotyping (angry, funny, no reaction really, etc)? (1) (2)Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 16 (3) (4) (5) Guidelines for discussion on this assignment:  · Use â€Å"I† statements only. Speak only of your own experiences, thoughts, and beliefs.  · Speak honestly, but also consider the impact of your words. Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 17 Sample Lesson 4: Introduction to Racial Identity Development Theories and Ms. O’Bryan’s RIA I. Learning Objectives for Today & Evidence/Assessment of Learning Learning obj ectives: (SWBAT) Students will be able to†¦ Explain the various stages of Black, White, biracial, and minority racial development.Conduct a â€Å"self-interview† where they explore questions about his or her experience regarding race Evidence/Assessment of Work Informal checks for understanding and checks to see that students are â€Å"marking up† their lecture notes Homework – collected on later date (suggested two days to complete) II. Essential Question[s] for Today: ? ? ? Empathy: How might we reach and understanding of others' racial identities? Self-Knowledge: How are my opinions about other races and ethnicity's shaped by stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudices? Self-Knowledge: What are my â€Å"blind-spots† and limitations of understanding the racial experiences of others? III.Why Learning this Matters: Today will inevitably be a challenging lesson for students. Since most of them have not been exposed to any type of â€Å"theories,† they might have a hard time grasping a theory that pertains to development. However, for students to truly work towards the understanding of their own racial identity, it is important that they are exposed to some research on the subject that can help them make sense of their experiences. Not only will they have a chance to see what the â€Å"normal† stages are for racial identity development, but they will also get a chance to see what an RIA will look like. IV. Learning Experiences: Do now (5-10 minutes): Do you think that stereotyping shapes a person’s racial identity?What other experiences do you think shape a person’s racial identity? Lesson (10 minutes): (If this lesson follows the stereotype lesson, use this time to discuss some of the examples the students brought to class). In addition: Today you are going to see an example of a Racial Identity Autobiography – mine! This will help you get a better understanding of what yours will look like, since you will begin working on it tonight. Before I show you mine though, it’s important that you learn about the â€Å"theories† of how racial identity is formed. Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 18Independent (individual, pair, group, whole-class) work (20 minutes): PowerPoint : Provide students with copies of the slides (3 per page that have a section for taking notes). Encourage (or assign) students to mark up the text as we go through these slides. (See PowerPoint document) Closing (15 minutes): Homework: For tonight, use the handout provided to start exploring some of your own experiences that may have shaped your racial identity development. Materials ? Student notebooks ? Self-interview questions Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 19 Name: _______________________ Date: ______________ Period: ___ Ms. Nims, Ms.O’Bryan Raci al Identity Autobiography/TKAM Self-Interview Questions This assignment will help you start brainstorming some experiences you wish to discuss in your racial identity autobiography. Pretend as though you are â€Å"interviewing† yourself to get at the importance of each of these experiences. Jot down notes to answer these questions. Let them guide but not limit your thinking. Jot down any other memories or ideas that seem relevant to you. (You won't hand in these notes, but they'll help you participate in the discussion. ) 1. Family: Are your parents the same race? same ethnic group? Are your brothers and sisters? What about your extended family — uncles, aunts, etc.? Where did your parents grow up?What exposure did they have to racial groups other than their own? (Have you ever talked with them about this? ) What ideas did they grow up with, regarding race relations? (Again, do you know? Have you ever talked with them about this? Why or why not? ) Do you think of yours elf as white? (If you're not white, do you think of yourself as black, or AsianAmerican, etc.? ) or just as â€Å"human†? Do you think of yourself as a member of an ethnic group? What is its importance to you? Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 202. Neighborhood: What is the racial makeup of the neighborhood you grew up in? What was your first awareness of race? – that there are different â€Å"races† and that you are one. What was your first encounter with another race? Describe the situation. Is there anyone here who hasn't heard the word â€Å"nigger†? [usually no one] Where did you first hear it? What messages do you recall getting from your parents about race? from others when you were little? 3. Elementary and Middle School: What was the racial makeup of your elementary school? Of its teachers? Think about the curriculum: what black Americans did you hear about? How did you celebra te Martin Luther King Day? Cultural influences: TV, advertising,novels, music, movies, etc. What color God was presented to you? angels? S. Claus? the tooth fairy! Dolls?What was the racial makeup of organizations you were in? Girl Scouts, soccer team, church, etc.? 4. High School and community: Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 21 What is the racial makeup of your high school? Of its teachers? Is there interracial dating? Any racial slurs? Any conflict with members of another race? Have you ever felt or been stigmatized because of your race, gender, or ethnic group membership? Because of your sexual orientation? social class? What is the racial makeup of your home town? of your metropolitan area? What of your experiences there, in summer camp, summer jobs, etc.? 5.Future: Realistically, think about where you envision living as you start a family. What is its racial makeup? social class makeup? What occupation do you foresee, 10 years hence? What is its racial makeup? social class makeup? 6. General: What's the most important image, encounter, whatever, you've had regarding race? Have you felt threatened? In the minority? Have you felt privileged? What do you want to tell us that we didn't ask about? About handicap, sexual orientation, social class, whatever? Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 22 Name: _________________________ Period: _________ Date: __________Ms. Nims, Ms. O’Bryan To Kill a Mockingbird- RIA Assignment Culminating Performing Task for To Kill a Mockingbird: Racial Identity Autobiography Description of project: Alright, ninth graders, for your end-of-the-unit assignment you will be working to create a racial identity autobiography. Most of you completed an identity (who am I? ) paper at the beginning of the school year, but this time you will be doing something much different. I will explain the proje ct to you in the terms of an acronym, because I know how much we all love acronyms! GRASPS Goal:  ¦ The goal of this project is for you to get a better understanding of your racial identity.Throughout the rest of our work this quarter, we will be exploring some of the following questions that you should be able to answer by the time you get to your autobiography: Application: How can we use the knowledge and understanding of our racial identities to overcome racism? Explanation: What is a racial identity and what are the stages of racial identity development? Interpretation: What do my experiences reveal about my racial identity? Why does knowing my racial identity development process matter? Perspective: How do our racial identities differ from each other? Empathy: How might we reach and understanding of others' racial identities?Self-Knowledge: How are my opinions about other races and ethnicities shaped by stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudices? What are my â€Å"blind-spots † and limitations of understanding the racial experiences of others? Role:  ¦ You are writing this autobiography as yourself. The experiences you share in this racial identity development are of you past, but they will be helpful in shaping who you are in the future. Audience:  ¦ Just as you are writing this autobiography as yourself, you are also writing it for yourself. I think that it would be great if you would be willing to share it at some point, but that is up to you. Write your autobiography as if no one else will read it.Who knows, maybe towards the end of the unit you will be willing and comfortable enough to share yourself with the class. Situation:  ¦ The situation is as follows: We could talk day in, and day out, about what racism looks like in our society. We could learn every stereotype and become comfortable discussing all of this in class. However, one of the more important parts of overcoming racism is coming to terms with Products of Our Town: Using Th eory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 23 our own racial identity. So think of it this way: In order for Malden High School (and potentially the Malden community) to become leaders in an anti-racist movement, each individual has to reflect on his or her racial identity.In order to understand others and appreciate a truly diverse society, we must learn how experiences shape who we are and how we interact with each other. Product, Performance, Perspective: This is what I like to call the â€Å"nitty-gritty† section. It's what you will turning in and I will be grading. Racial Identity Autobiography (Total: 4 points) 1. 2 Pages typed, double-spaced, 12 font 1. Must include examples from at least two stages of racial identity development (see PowerPoint slides) 2. Must show thoughtful analysis of experiences included 3. Must use a clear, coherent, thesis statement introducing what your autobiography will be about Reflection/Self-Assessment (Total : 4 points) ?This will be due after you have written your autobiography and we have talked about their completion as a class. It will include a one-page reflection on what you have learned form writing this autobiography, what you liked about the assignment, and what you disliked about the assignment. ? This is an easy 4 points to get towards your final grade for the project. You already did the work – now tell me what you think about it! **So for the Racial Autobiography assignment as a whole, you will receive a ___/8 (4 points for the autobiography and 4 points for the reflection).I will also give you a % grade and a letter grade that corresponds) Standards:  ¦ Rubric (http://www. campus. com/rubricshowc. cfm? code=V633X5=yes) (Rubric created on iRubric website – printouts will be attached to GRASPS handout) Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autobiographies and Explore Social Justice 24 Resources and Work's Cited: Useful Websites: ? EdCha nge – (Edchange. org) This website provides great tools for overcoming racism in schools and promoting diversity in curriculum. ? Media Awareness Netwrok – (media-awareness. ca) provides an extensive list of resources for digital media literacy. This program seeks to help educaters, families, and other organizations produce awareness of the responsible way o comsume media.ReadWriteThink – (readwritethink. org) – Another great resource for lesson planning, professional development, and grade-appropriate planning ideas. Useful articles and books: Pollock, M (2008). Everyday antiracism: getting real about race in school New York: The New Press. Tatum, B. (1992) Talking about racism, learning about race: The application of racial identitdy development theory. Harvard Educational Review. 62 (1) Tatum, B. (1997) Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? Basic Books. New York. Products of Our Town: Using Theory to Create Racial Identity Autob iographies and Explore Social Justice 25