Lesson:

Hollywood: Portrayal of Rags to Riches

7/8th grade US History Class

Student Objectives/Outcomes

The class will read the article From D.W. Griffith to the Grapes of Wrath: Ho w Hollywood Portrayed the Poor from the Smithsonian website. The reading will use the students prior knowledge and teachers ideas to expand the outlook of the poor through the means of Hollywood.

Teachers Goals: Lead an engaging discussion that incorporates different viewpoints on how poverty is displayed in media and the novel Grapes of Wrath. Properly explain and demonstrate the DR-TA strategy to analyze the text by the procedures below. Ask guiding questions or reiterate what the students share with the class to invoke higher level order of thinking.
Materials Enough copies of the Article for the class Loose paper White board & markers Grapes of Wrath Movie (1940) Movie Worksheets & Accommodations Handout
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/movies/2011/11/from-d-w-griffith-to-the-grapes-of-wrath-howhollywood-portrayed-the-poor/

Standards ELA Common Core Standards for 7th Grade Students

CC.8.R.L.1 Key Ideas and Details: Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CC.8.R.I.3 Key Ideas and Details: Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

CC.8.R.L.7 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

Procedures This lesson is planned on the students having already finished the mandatory reading, The Grapes of Wrath, leading up to this lesson. This book was assigned over during the summer vacation prior before the start of the school year

A) Prior to beginning work with the article, the teacher will initiate a class discussion about their prior knowledge of poverty in the early 20th century, based on what they read and comprehended in The Grapes of Wrath. The teacher will take notes on the whiteboard of the students collaborated answers. B) Hand out reading to the students Explain to them that based only on the title and images they need to provide ideas or thoughts as to what the main topics of the article could possibly be, make note of these on the board C) Teacher reads the first paragraph of the article. Over the course of the paragraph, the teacher stops and explains their thought process specifically during difficult terms/phrases. D) After the first paragraph is read the teacher and the students can determine which initial predictions are correct and incorrect (with + or - chart) and also add any new predictions. E) The students continue to read the article with the teachers guidance, especially when complicated ideas, terms, or phrases arise. After every paragraph return to steps B & D. F) The second half of the article will then be read by the students individually now that they have the tools and guidance to carry out this on their own. As a class, we will reconvene to check their comprehension after every two paragraphs, ensuring that they are understand the main points of the article in comparison to The Grapes of Wrath.

G) Once the class has finished reading the article, we will return to the notes and predictions on the board one last time to ensure that everyone in the class was able to both comprehend the content of the article but also will be able analyze it in comparison to clips of The Grapes of Wrath movie and the book.

Assessment/Evaluation A) After the assigned reading, the teacher will show several clips from the Grapes of Wrath film. These clips will include scenes about the different classes of society and races if presented. B) The students will be instructed to take out a piece of paper and write down a few sentences explaining how the movie clips support or contrast the article. They will turn it in at the end of class for the teacher to read.