2. list issues which either unify or diversify society.
3. gather information regarding these issues.
4. present findings to the class.
Note: This unit should be presented as a current events/newspaper unit. The teacher should choose the newspaper most commonly subscribed to by members of the community. The newspaper will be analyzed over a period of several weeks. Make sure several copies are available for student use.
1. Students should use a dictionary to look up the words "unity" and "diversity." On two 5 x 6 index cards, students should write the definition for each. Under each definition, students should list situations in the classroom which unify or diversify t he class. These should be reviewed in a class discussion.
2. When the teacher is confident that students have a clear understanding of these definitions, students should begin a class list containing the forces which unify and diversify the United States. This list should remain on the board and be added to throughout the lesson.
3. Students should browse through newspapers and watch the evening news for several days, adding to the list of unifying and diversifying forces began above.
Some examples might include articles or news stories on:
diversity (something which makes us different, sets us apart): race, occupation, homelessnesss, substance abuse, crime.
5. Students should become familiar with words used in the news by studying the accompanying worksheet entitled "newspaper vocabulary." Proper terminology should be used throughout the unit when analyzing articles. In addition, students should become awa re of the parts of news stories by finding the five "W's" and the "H" in each article: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
6. After several days of collecting articles and reviewing them, students should choose an issue which addresses a concern (diversifying force) at present. Some suggestions might include racial discrimination, environmental pollution, homelessness, subst ance abuse, unemployment, and domestic violence. Each student should find at least three articles from magazines and/or newspapers which address this topic. For each article chosen, the students should identify the five "W's" and the "H." Based on what they have learned, students should then write their own news story including the five "W's" and the "H" based on their findings.
7. Students should next be familiarized with editorials (opinions) in the newspaper. Students should complete the accompanying worksheet entitled "What Do You Think?" which addresses current problems. To gather information for this assignment, students should review newspapers, magazines, and almanacs from the 1980s. Another good resource is _Amazing Century: 1975-1992_. A class list should be made listing political and social issues of importance.
8. As a culminating activity for this lesson, a newspaper should be constructed by the class. Review the accompanying worksheet entitled "News Special: A Nation in Quandary." Define "quandary" for the class as "a state of uncertainty or perplexity." E xplain that all researched articles pertaining to this state of uncertainty should be considered for inclusion in the newspaper. Cooperative groups of four to five students each should be assigned to various sections of the newspaper. The finished product could be reproduced and circulated to the class. Ready-made outlined newspapers for student use may be purchased through Teacher Created Materials, P.O. Box 1214, Huntington Beach, California 92647 (Item # TCM-138).
Amazing Century: 1975-1992. (Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1992).