The document provides information for a performance task that asks 10th grade honors English literature students to write a letter to the President of the United States. Students will analyze historical artifacts and texts from the Civil Rights movement to discuss a current social issue. They will use evidence from their analyses to make an argument in their letter about why the issue needs to change. Students will outline their letter using the ACEIT-CIET model, then write and present their letter to peers who will provide feedback using a rubric.

1.
Zion
Gezaw
Unit
Title:
Analyzing
Historical
Artifacts
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development, organization, and style are appropriate
to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types are defined in standards
1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.5
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by
planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most
significant for a specific purpose and audience.
(Editing for conventions should demonstrate
command of Language standards 1-3 up to and
including grades 9-10 here.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.9
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
Essential
Questions:
Overarching:
1.) How do historical artifacts help us relate to our own
current events today?
2.) How has our society’s view of equity changed over
time?
Topical:
1.) How do MLK’s speeches relate to your everyday
life?
How is MLK using his writing (speeches, letters, etc.) to
influence his audience?
Big
Understandings:
• SWBAT identify how history is illustrated
differently depending on the perspectives and
multiple identities of people at the time of the
civil rights movement.
• SWBAT understand that historical events are
viewed, analyzed and evaluated differently by
various types of people.
Knowledge
and
Skills:
Knowledge
and
Skills
Students will know…
• Interpreting evidence from text to support their ideas
and analysis.
• Understand how to revise their essays within each step
of the writing process.

2.
Key Terms/Events:
• Civil Rights Movement
• Historical Document
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Racism
• Equity
• Empathy
• Microaggressions
Key Skills
Students will be able to…
• Connect their conclusion paragraph to their
introductory/assertion paragraph.
• Applying evidence from the historical texts to support
their ideas about how the letters connect to their
everyday life.
• Formulating arguments from historical texts in valid,
clear and concise sentences.
• Annotating different historical texts to their own
understanding and developing arguments based on how
they connect to the text itself.
Performance
Task:
Description
of
performance
task
(2-­‐3
paragraphs)
A
10th
honors
English
Literature
class
will
be
interpreting
and
analyzing
different
Dr.
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.’s
speeches
and
letters.
While
dissecting
these
works,
students
should
be
annotating
and
making
connections
to
the
outside
world
in
order
to
gain
perspective
of
the
world
back
then
and
the
world
now.
They
are
building
an
understanding
of
awareness
of
what
is
happening
to
people
in
the
outside
world
and
show
empathy
for
other
people
around
them,
while
being
mindful
of
their
feelings
and
other
viewpoints.
Students
will
be
examining
these
works
and
understanding
how
these
historical
events
are
viewed,
analyzed
and
evaluated
differently
by
various
types
of
people.
Performance
Task:
Letter
to
the
President
of
the
United
States
Imagine
you
are
writing
a
letter
to
the
President
of
the
United
States.
In
this
letter,
you
will
be
discussing
a
problem
in
today’s
society
that
you
want
to
change,
whether
that
be
social
justice
issues,
socioeconomic
issues,
etc.
You
will
formulate
an
argument
about
why
this
issue
should
be
changed,
how
it
is
negatively
affecting
our
society
and
how
you
plan
to
change
this
specific
issue.
You
are
expected
to
utilize
evidence
from
the
various
historical
texts
that
we
have
been
analyzing,
all
while
following
the
ACEIT-­‐
CIET
model
for
this
letter.
Historical
evidence
will
be
used
to
provide
context
for
the
issues
students
will
be
discussing
and
to
compare
and
contrast
the
issues
that
are
happening
today
and
those
of
the
past.
All
letters
will
be
shared
out
to
peers
in
small
groups
once
letters
are
complete.
First,
students
will
be
looking
at
real
historical
artifacts
from
the
Civil
Rights
movement.
Then,
they
will
examine
and
annotate
different
news
articles
that
resemble
the
problems
that
happened
during
the
civil
rights
movement.
To
prepare
for
the
letter
to
the
president,
students
will
plan
out
a
rough
draft
two
days
prior
to
the
day
it
is
due
and
write
out
thoughts
they
have
on
what
issue
they
want
to
change,
why
they
want
to
change
it
and
how
they
are
prepared
to
solve
the
issue.
Each
student
should
have
at
least
4
pieces
of
evidence
from
the
MLK
works
we
have
dissected
and
at
least
2
pieces
of
evidence
from
the
recent
news
articles
we
have
been
annotating.
For
the
plan,
the
students
should
have
the
ACEIT-­‐CIET
model
completed
in
their
outline.

3.
Letter
to
the
President
Day:
Students
should
each
have
their
outline
ready
with
their
evidence
prepared
as
well.
Using
the
ACEIT-­‐
CIET
model,
students
will
have
approximately
45
minutes
to
write
their
letter
using
all
of
the
evidence
and
construct
a
detailed
letter
to
the
President
explaining
their
issue
and
how
they
want
it
resolved.
Once
students
are
done
writing
their
essays,
they
will
get
into
small
groups
and
present
their
ideas
to
their
peers,
while
pretending
that
their
peers
are
the
President(s)
of
the
United
States.
Students
will
have
‘grading’
sheets
where
they
will
be
able
to
use
the
rubric
to
grade
their
peers
and
make
sure
that
they
delivered
their
letter
loud
and
proud
and
completed/included
all
of
the
necessary
components
of
the
rubric.

4.
Stage
2,
Part
2:
Performance
Task
Rubric
Letter
to
the
President
Rubric
Score
Level
Content/Information
(60%)
Style,
Fluency
&
Conventions
(10%)
Organization
&
Planning
(10%)
Language/Presentation
(20%)
4
Advanced
• Identifies
4
or
more
pieces
of
evidence
from
historical
artifacts
and
current
news
articles
that
we
have
analyzed
• Exemplary
recognition
of
different
perspectives
and
demonstrating
empathy
for
other
people
through
the
letter.
•
Synthesizes
their
understanding
of
the
topic
and
does
not
stray
away
from
it.
• Formulates
a
clear
goal
that
is
related
to
the
topic
• Is
accurate
and
has
little
to
no
factual
errors
while
using
the
entire
ACEIT
–
CIET
model.
• Minimal
(0
-­‐‑1)
spelling,
grammatical,
or
punctuation
errors
• Models
accurate,
precise
vocabulary
that
is
appropriate
for
audience
and
purpose
of
letter
• Construct
a
letter
that
is
fluent
and
easy
to
read
with
little
to
no
grammar/mechanical
errors
• Establish
an
effective
variety
of
sentence
beginnings,
structures
and
length
• Information
is
clearly
focused
in
an
organized
and
thoughtful
manner
• Information
is
constructed
in
a
logical
pattern
to
support
the
solution
• Evidence
of
having
gone
through
all
of
stages
of
the
revision
process.
• Format
enhances
the
content
• Presentation
is
organized
and
well
laid
out
• Language
skills
successfully
support
the
meaning
behind
the
letter
• Demonstrates
correct
subject/Verb
&
pronoun
agreement
• While
presenting,
peers
are
asking
insightful
questions
and
challenging
the
student
presenter
to
think
critically
about
his/her
issue
that
they
want
to
change.
• Presenter
is
talking
loud
and
proud
about
his/her
presentation.

5.
3
Proficient
• Identifies
3
–
4
pieces
of
evidence
from
historical
artifacts
and
current
news
articles
that
we
have
analyzed
• Moderate
recognition
of
different
perspectives
and
demonstrating
empathy
for
other
people
through
the
letter.
• Mostly
focused
on
the
prompt
but
strays
away
a
little
from
the
prompt.
• Formulates
clear
goal
that
is
related
to
the
topic
and
finds
a
solution
to
accomplish
said
goal.
• Is
accurate
with
little
factual
or
interpretation
errors
using
most
of
the
ACEIT-­‐‑CIET
model
• Few
(1
to
3)
spelling,
grammatical,
or
punctuation
errors
• Models
accurate
use
of
vocabulary
and
word
choice
• Construct
a
letter
that
is
accurate
but
general
word
choice
that
is
appropriate
for
the
audience
and
purpose
• Expresses
familiar
vocabulary
and
phrases
with
some
striking
language
in
their
letter
• Information
supports
the
solution
to
the
challenge
or
question
• Only
going
through
part
(2
-­‐‑4)
of
the
revision
process
• Information/Evidence
given
from
sources
supports
your
claim
well
• Format
is
appropriate
for
the
content
• Presentation
captures
audience
attention
• Presentation
is
well
organized
• Few
mistakes
of
subject/verb
&
pronoun
agreement
• While
presenting,
peers
are
asking
a
couple
insightful
questions,
challenging
the
student
presenter
to
think
critically
about
his/her
issue
that
they
want
to
change.
• Presenter
is
talking
loudly
but
not
enthusiastic
about
his
or
her
presentation.

6.
2
Developing
• Identifies
2-­‐‑3
pieces
of
evidence
from
historical
artifacts
and
current
news
articles
that
we
have
analyzed
• Some
recognition
of
different
perspectives
and
demonstrating
empathy
for
other
people
through
the
letter.
• Not
fully
invested
with
the
prompt
• Does
not
formulate
the
end
goal
in
their
essay
• Has
some
factual
errors
or
inconsistencies
&
only
uses
the
ACEIT
or
CIET
part
of
the
model.
• Minimal
(3
to
5)
spelling,
grammatical,
or
punctuation
errors
• Models
low-­‐‑level
use
of
vocabulary
and
word
choice
• Utilizes
general
word
choice
that
may
include
occasional
errors
in
word
usage
• Uses
a
few
active
verbs
but
most
are
imprecise
or
colorless
• Demonstrates
a
variety
of
sentence
beginnings,
structure
or
length
but
has
many
rambling
or
choppy
sentences.
• Information
appears
to
have
a
pattern,
but
the
pattern
is
not
consistently
carried
out
in
the
project
• Information
loosely
supports
the
solution
• Having
gone
through
only
2
of
the
revision
steps
• Format
does
not
suit
the
content
• Presentation
does
not
capture
audience
attention
• Presentation
is
loosely
organized
• Many
subject/verb
&
pronoun
agreement
mistakes
• While
presenting,
peers
are
not
asking
insightful
questions
or
challenging
the
student
presenter
to
think
critically
about
his/her
issue
that
they
want
to
change.
• Presenter
is
not
speaking
loudly
or
interested
in
his
presentation.

7.
1
Unsatisfactory
• Identifies
0-­‐‑1
pieces
of
evidence
from
historical
artifacts
and
current
news
articles
that
we
have
analyzed
• No
recognition
of
different
perspectives
and
demonstrating
empathy
for
other
people
through
the
letter.
• Provides
inconsistent
information
supporting
the
student’s
argument
• Has
no
application
of
critical
thinking
throughout
the
paper.
• Has
significant
factual
errors,
misconceptions
or
misinterpretations
of
the
texts
analyzed
in
class.
Does
not
use
the
ACEIT
–
CIET
model
at
all.
• More
than
5
spelling,
grammatical,
or
punctuation
errors
• Poor
use
of
vocabulary
and
word
choice
• Utilizes
inaccurate
or
repetitive
word
choice
that
is
occasionally
inappropriate
for
audience
and
purpose
• Practices
passive,
colorless
or
imprecise
verbs
• Demonstrates
vague
language
or
frequent
clichés.
• Uses
simple,
repetitive
sentence
beginnings,
structures
and
lengths.
• Delivery
of
the
content
is
unfocused
and
unclear
• Information
does
not
support
the
solution
to
the
challenge
or
question
• Information
has
no
apparent
pattern
• Did
not
go
through
any
revision
steps
(no
evidence
of
planning).
• Presentation
appears
sloppy
and/or
unfinished
• Format
does
not
enhance
content
• Presentation
has
no
clear
organization
as
writing
is
not
clear
and
concise.
• While
presenting,
peers
are
not
paying
attention
to
the
student
presenter
and
are
off
task.
• Presenter
is
very
quiet
and
unenthusiastic
about
his/her
presentation.

8.
Lesson
Objective,
Rationale,
and
Active
Engagement
Strategy
Assessment
1
Objective:
SWBAT
identify,
in
writing,
how
the
issues
in
historical
artifacts
compare
and
contrast
to
today’s
current
society,
while
using
comparative
adjectives.
Rationale:
It
is
important
for
students
to
be
able
to
analyze
how
different
issues,
between
the
past
and
present,
compare
to
one
another
and
understand
that
not
much
has
changed
over
the
years.
Students
will
be
able
to
address
issues
of
social
justice
through
the
different
texts
we
will
be
reading.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Venn
Diagram
Students
will
read
different
letters
and
speeches
during
the
Civil
Rights
Movement
and
identify
the
different
issues
that
happened
during
that
time
and
compare
them
to
the
issues
that
are
happening
currently.
(Small
Group
Activity)
Venn
Diagram
In
groups,
students
will
create
a
Venn
Diagram
to
compare
and
contrast
the
article
read
for
the
day.
2
Objective:
SWBAT
interpret
evidence,
by
reading
the
historical
texts,
and
distinguishing
the
events
that
have
happened
throughout
the
text
and
understanding
each
event’s
importance,
while
using
key
vocabulary
and
nouns.
Rationale:
In
order
to
understand
the
narrative
of
each
text,
students
need
to
interpret
the
importance
of
each
event
that
has
happened
in
the
writing.
Students
will
also
understand
the
events
that
have
happened
in
history
and
compare
them
to
today’s
current
society.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Story
Map
Students
will
reread
the
text
given
to
them
and
retell
the
plot
of
the
text
(beginning,
middle
and
end)
in
a
story
map,
in
order
to
summarize
their
understanding
of
the
text.
(Small
Group
Activity)
Story
Map
Students
will
read
the
text
from
today
and
fill
out
the
story
map
outline
in
groups.
3
Objective:
SWBAT
categorize
the
different
events
in
the
historical
text,
by
illustrating
the
cause
and
effects
of
the
plotline
in
each
text
we
analyze,
while
using
past
tense
verbs
and
perfect
aspect
(present
and
past).
Rationale:
If
students
can
categorize
and
recognize
the
cause
and
effects
in
a
text,
then
they
are
demonstrating
their
understanding
of
that
specific
text
and
can
draw
conclusions
from
their
cause
and
effect
illustrations;
this
is
also
an
example
to
prepare
them
for
college
readiness.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Cause
and
Effect
Illustrations
Students
will
be
summarizing
the
text
by
using
a
cause
and
effect
map,
where
they
will
illustrate
the
events
that
have
happened
throughout
the
text;
students
will
also
use
captions
in
order
to
explain
their
thought
process
under
Cause
and
Effect
Illustration
Students
will
use
the
cause
and
effect
map
to
illustrate
the
series
of
events
that
happened
in
the
article
read
for
the
day.

9.
each
figure.
(Partner
Activity
then
Jigsaw)
4
Objective:
SWBAT
explore
their
identity,
in
writing,
while
trying
to
relate
their
personal
life
stories
to
the
texts
we
have
read
and
analyzed,
by
using
indirect/direct
object
pronouns
and
correct
subject/verb
agreement.
Rationale:
As
students
are
relating
their
personal
life
to
the
texts
we
have
read,
they
are
starting
to
familiarize
themselves
with
perspectives
and
understanding
another
person’s
point
of
view
by
empathizing
with
them.
This
helps
students
make
connections
to
their
everyday
lives
and
family
culture
as
well.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
“I”
Poem
Students
will
create
an
“I”
poem;
they
can
choose
to
use
the
template
provided
or
free
write
a
poem
about
their
identity
and
try
to
relate
their
personal
life
stories
to
the
texts
we
have
read
and
analyzed.
(Individual
Activity
and
then
share
out
or
do
turn
and
talk)
“I”
Poem
Students
will
create
an
“I”
poem
that
discusses
who
they
are
as
a
person,
then
do
a
turn
and
talk
with
a
partner.
5
Objective:
SWBAT
synthesize
their
thoughts,
in
writing,
by
classifying
one
issue
that
they
are
passionate
about
changing
within
their
society,
all
while
using
correct
sentence
structure.
Rationale:
If
students
are
able
to
classify
their
issue,
then
they
will
be
able
to
critically
think
about
why
it
is
an
issue
in
the
first
place.
This
will
help
with
college
readiness
and
help
them
get
their
points
across
in
an
organized
and
detailed
manner.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Today’s
Tweet:
In
140
words
or
less,
students
will
explain
one
thing
in
this
world
that
they
want
to
change.
It
can
be
anything
in
this
world
but
it
must
be
class
appropriate
and
they
need
to
explain
their
thinking.
(Individual
Activity
and
whole
group
share
out)
Exit
Ticket:
Write
an
assertion
statement
defending
your
stance
on
the
issue
you
have
chosen.

10.
6
Objective:
SWBAT
theorize
and
identify
patterns,
in
writing,
why
different
issues
happening
in
our
society
are
the
same
issues
that
have
been
happening
during
the
Civil
Rights
Movement,
while
using
questions
with
increasing
specificity.
Rationale:
In
order
for
students
to
understand
the
intensity
of
the
issues
happening
in
our
world,
students
need
to
identify
how
important
the
problems
are
and
how
they
connect
to
the
past
and
history
of
the
world
as
well,
by
connecting
this
to
their
everyday
lives.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Planning
Committee:
Students
will
get
into
groups
of
3
–
4
and
imagine
that
they
are
in
a
planning
committee.
They
will
choose
an
issue
that
we
have
discussed
in
the
different
readings
and
brainstorm
a
solution
to
the
issue
at
hand.
Explain
how
you
would
change
the
issue
and
prevent
it
from
happening
again.
EMJOI
EXIT
TICKET.
Assess
Yourself:
Rate
your
understanding
of
today’s
objective
Explain
to
me
what
level
you
believe
you
are,
in
analyzing
and
understanding
the
texts
that
we
have
been
reading.
(Advanced,
Proficient,
Developing
or
Unsatisfactory)
then
explain
what
we
can
do
to
help
you
better
understand
these
texts.
(resources?
Examples
of
annotated
texts,
etc.)
(Individual
activity/Check
for
understanding)
7
Objective:
SWBAT
critique,
in
writing,
news
clips
that
identify
with
the
issue
that
they
have
chosen
for
their
final
performance
task,
while
using
specific
verb
forms
and
nouns
to
ensure
critical
thinking.
Rationale:
In
order
to
help
students
understand
the
issue
that
they
have
in
mind,
they
need
to
critically
think
about
the
issue
by
critiquing
videos
to
fully
understand
the
issue
in
its
entirety.
This
helps
students
make
connections
to
their
everyday
life,
as
they
are
researching
videos
of
issues
that
are
happening
today.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
YouTube/News
Clip
&
Note
catcher
Research
two
YouTube
clips
or
news
stories
(CNN,
BBC,
9news,
etc.)
that
are
prime
examples
of
an
issue
that
you
would
like
to
change
in
our
current
society.
Take
notes
on
these
videos
and
explain
what
has
happened
in
these
videos.
(Individual
Activity/Partner
Talk)
YouTube
/News
Clip
Homework:
Note
catcher:
Take
notes
on
the
two
news
clips/YouTube
videos
and
in
4
sentences,
explain
how
you
could
use
these
to
defend
your
issue.

11.
8
Objective:
SWBAT
critically
analyze
data,
while
reading
and
writing,
in
order
to
familiarize
themselves
with
a
few
issues
that
they
would
like
to
change
in
their
community,
while
using
common
and
collective
nouns
and
verbs
to
brainstorm
their
various
ideas.
Rationale:
By
having
the
opportunity
to
analyze
research
and
data
about
a
few
issues,
students
will
start
to
comprehend
the
depth
of
problems
happening
in
their
community
and
connect
it
to
their
everyday
lives.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Research
Day
in
the
Library
Students
will
research
different
news
articles
using
peer
reviewed
journals
online
to
investigate
different
issues
happening
in
our
society
and
use
that
evidence
to
pick
what
issue
is
most
important
to
them.
They
will
be
taking
notes
using
a
note
catcher
as
well
to
organize
their
thoughts.
(Individual
Activity)
BRAINSTORMING
&
PICKING
YOUR
ISSUE.
Write
down
3
issues
that
you
want
to
change
in
our
society
and
explain
why
they
are
all
important
to
you.
Once
you’ve
picked
3,
narrow
it
down
to
the
most
important
issue
and
write
an
assertion
statement
as
to
why
you
want
this
issue
fixed
and
why
it’s
important.
9
Objective:
SWBAT
apply
their
knowledge
of
the
issue
they
have
chosen,
in
writing
and
illustration,
by
sketching
a
billboard
with
a
message
about
the
importance
of
said
issue,
while
using
common
and
collective
nouns
and
verbs.
Rationale:
Students
will
be
using
their
knowledge
of
the
issue
they
have
chosen
and
thinking
on
a
creative
level
to
try
to
make
the
issue
known
to
the
public,
by
creating
a
billboard.
They
will
use
the
billboard
to
address
issues
of
social
justice
happening
in
their
community.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Drawing
a
Billboard
Activity
Students
will
need
to
draw
a
billboard
about
their
issue
and
pretend
that
they
are
trying
to
make
their
issue
visible
to
the
public.
Students
need
to
be
creative
and
try
to
make
it
interesting,
in
order
to
have
it
be
engaging
to
the
public.
(Think
Pair
Share)
Exit
Ticket:
Use
the
notes
from
last
class
and
the
research
we
did
in
the
library
to
do
an
ACEIT
paragraph
about
the
issue
that
you
chose.

12.
10
Objective:
SWBAT
self
assess
themselves
and
construct
a
rubric,
in
writing,
while
rationalizing
what
is
crucial
to
include
in
their
writing
and
understand
what
aspects
are
essential
to
present
to
their
peers,
while
using
correct
sentence
structure.
Rationale:
It
is
important
for
students
to
understand
what
they
will
be
graded
on,
as
well
as
understanding
what
is
important
to
know
and
include
when
presenting
to
an
audience.
Student
will
need
this
to
prepare
for
college
in
order
to
understand
rubrics
and
why
they
are
essential.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Students
will
create
a
rubric
where
they
explain
what
they
believe
they
should
be
graded
on
while
writing
the
letter
and
when
presenting
their
letter
to
their
peers.
(Individual
activity
then
whole
group
share
out)
Performance
Task
Rubric
11
Objective:
SWBAT
utilize
historical
evidence,
in
writing,
to
provide
context
for
the
issues
students
will
be
discussing
and
to
compare
and
contrast
the
issues
that
are
happening
today
and
those
of
the
past,
all
while
using
comparative
adjectives.
Rationale:
Students
will
be
using
historical
evidence
to
compare
and
contrast
the
issues
that
have
happened
in
the
past
to
the
issues
happening
today.
This
will
also
help
students
understand
how
to
write
on
a
college
level
by
using
evidence
to
back
up
their
ideas
and
thoughts.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Imagine
you
are
writing
a
letter
to
the
President
of
the
United
States.
In
this
letter,
you
will
be
discussing
a
problem
in
today’s
society
that
you
want
to
change,
whether
that
be
social
justice
issues,
socioeconomic
issues,
etc.
You
will
formulate
an
argument
about
why
this
issue
should
be
changed,
how
it
is
negatively
affecting
our
society
and
how
you
plan
to
change
this
specific
issue.
You
are
expected
to
utilize
evidence
from
the
various
historical
texts
that
we
have
been
analyzing,
all
while
following
the
ACEIT-­‐CIET
model
for
this
letter.
Historical
evidence
will
be
used
to
provide
context
for
the
issues
students
will
be
discussing
and
to
compare
and
contrast
the
issues
that
are
happening
today
and
those
of
the
past.
All
letters
will
be
shared
out
to
peers
in
small
groups
once
letters
are
complete.
(Individual
assessment
then
small
group
activity)
Performance
Task
Day:
Letter
to
the
President
of
the
U.S.
&
share
letters
out
to
peers.
12
Objective:
SWBAT
summarize
their
thoughts
and
understandings
of
the
performance
task
and
the
purpose
of
utilizing
historical
evidence
to
provide
evidence
in
one’s
writing,
while
using
common
and
collective
nouns
and
verbs.
Rationale:
Students
will
be
able
to
openly
reflect
on
the
performance
task
and
through
this
reflection,
students
will
understand
how
important
it
is
to
utilize
evidence
to
back
up
their
writing.
Reflection
Questions
(Exit
Ticket)

13.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
(open
reflection)
Explain
what
you
loved
about
this
entire
unit,
what
you
learned
and
explain
to
me
if
you
will
actually
try
to
change
the
issue
you
wrote
about
(how
and
why?)
Also,
include
feedback
on
what
can
be
changed
for
next
time.
(Individual
then
whole
group
share
out)

14.
Lesson
Plan
Template
I. Pre-­‐Assessment
Data
Guiding
Questions:
What
do
students
already
know
about
this
topic?
What
data
(formal
or
informal)
is
available?
In
this
10th
grade
English
class,
we
have
just
begun
our
unit
on
analyzing
historical
artifacts
and
relating
them
back
to
our
everyday
life.
Prior
to
starting
the
lesson,
the
students
already
had
an
informal
understanding
of
the
justice
system
and
the
“good
vs.
bad”
that
happens
through
our
justice
system,
as
well
as
through
our
everyday
lives.
Students
will
be
connecting
the
news
article
we
will
be
reading
to
historical
texts
that
we
have
read
from
the
Civil
Rights
Movement,
as
well
as
compare
and
contrast
the
two.
II. Content
and
Language
Objective
*Must
be
conveyed
to
students
Guiding
Question:
What
will
students
be
able
to
do
at
the
end
of
today’s
lesson?
How
will
this
support
language
development?
¨
Describe
¨
Explain
¨
Apply
¨
Analyze
¨
Compare
¨
Evaluate
¨
Defend
¨
Create¨
Interpret
¨
Formulate
CLO:
Students
will
be
able
to
theorize
and
identify
patterns,
in
writing,
why
different
issues
happening
in
our
society
are
the
same
issues
that
have
been
happening
in
the
past,
all
while
using
questions
with
increasing
specificity.
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-­‐LITERACY.SL.11-­‐12.1.B
Work
with
peers
to
promote
civil,
democratic
discussions
and
decision-­‐making,
set
clear
goals
and
deadlines,
and
establish
individual
roles
as
needed.
Key
Vocabulary:
Public
Defender,
Problem,
Solution,
Civil
Rights
Movement
III. Rationale
*
Must
be
conveyed
to
students
Guiding
Questions:
Why
is
this
important
to
students?
How
is
this
related
to
unit
goals,
essential
questions,
or
relevant
standards?
How
does
this
connect
to
students’
real
lives
and
cultures?
Rationale:
In
order
for
students
to
understand
the
intensity
of
the
issues
happening
in
our
world,
students
need
to
identify
how
important
the
problems
are
and
how
they
connect
to
the
past
and
history
of
the
world
as
well,
by
connecting
this
to
their
everyday
lives.
IV. Assessment
*
Must
be
conveyed
to
students
Guiding
Questions:
How
will
you
measure
students’
progress
toward
the
objective?
Will
the
data
you
gather

15.
allow
you
to
differentiate
future
instruction?
Read
and
Annotate:
“When
the
Public
Defender
Says,
‘I
Can’t
Help’”
By
Derwyn
Bunton
Students
will
circle
words
they
might
not
understand
and
underline
sentences
that
they
find
interesting.
Write
question
or
comments
in
the
margins.
Use
cornell
notes
to
write
notes
about
article,
if
they
would
prefer
to.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Planning
Committee:
Students
will
get
into
groups
of
3
–
4
and
imagine
that
they
are
in
a
planning
committee.
They
will
brainstorm
a
solution
to
the
issue
at
hand
stated
in
the
article.
Explain
how
you
would
change
the
issue
and
prevent
it
from
happening
again.
Students
will
prepare
a
skit
pretending
to
be
the
planning
committee
and
reveal
their
plan
of
change
to
the
community
members.
Students
can
use
white
boards
as
a
tool
if
they
would
like
to
write
down
their
thoughts.
V. Differentiation
Guiding
Questions:
How
will
you
use
data
to
intentionally
group
students
according
to
skills/readiness?
What
choice
will
students
have
in
the
process
or
product
associated
with
this
lesson?
Students
will
do
a
“do
now”
in
the
beginning
of
class
then
share
out
to
their
table
partners.
Students
will
read
an
article
individually
and
annotate
the
article,
then
get
into
small
groups
to
be
in
a
planning
committee,
then
prepare
a
skit
to
share
with
the
class.
Once
they
are
done,
they
will
do
an
exit
ticket
for
a
check
for
understanding
at
the
end
of
class.
VI. Lesson
Components
ü Active
Engagement
Strategies
ü Oral
language
development
ü Cooperative
learning
ü Critical
thinking
ü Arts
Integration
ü Checks
for
understanding
ü Frequent
feedback
ü Student
voice
and
choice
ü Scaffolding
ü Strategies
to
support
ELLs
o Visual
supports
o Explicit
vocabulary
o Realia
o Native
language
support
Component
Time
requi
red

16.
A. Lesson
Introduction:
‘Hook’
students
into
content.
Explain
objective,
rationale,
and
assessment
DO
NOW:
List
2
things
you
would
like
to
change
about
the
justice
system.
Please
explain
why
you
want
to
change
these
things.
Please
try
to
relate
this
to
the
other
articles
that
we
have
read,
by
giving
examples
from
them.
Students
should
be
prepared
to
share
out
their
answers
to
their
table
members.
Objective:
SWBAT
theorize
and
identify
patterns,
in
writing,
why
different
issues
happening
in
our
society
are
the
same
issues
that
have
been
happening
in
the
past,
all
while
using
questions
with
increasing
specificity.
Rationale:
In
order
for
students
to
understand
the
intensity
of
the
issues
happening
in
our
world,
students
need
to
identify
how
important
the
problems
are
and
how
they
connect
to
the
past
and
history
of
the
world
as
well,
by
connecting
this
to
their
everyday
lives.
Read
and
Annotate:
“When
the
Public
Defender
Says,
‘I
Can’t
Help’”
By
Derwyn
Bunton
-­‐Number
the
paragraphs,
find
the
author,
publisher
(if
possible)
and
date.
-­‐Students
will
circle
words
they
might
not
understand
and
underline
sentences
that
they
find
interesting.
-­‐Write
question
or
comments
in
the
margins.
Use
cornell
notes
to
write
notes
about
article
as
well.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
Planning
Committee:
Students
will
get
into
groups
of
3
–
4
and
imagine
that
they
are
in
a
planning
committee.
They
will
brainstorm
a
solution
to
the
issue
at
hand
stated
in
the
article.
Explain
how
you
would
change
the
issue
and
prevent
it
from
happening
again.
Students
will
prepare
a
skit
pretending
to
be
the
planning
committee
and
reveal
their
plan
of
change
to
the
community
members.
Students
can
use
white
boards
as
a
tool
if
they
would
like
to
write
down
their
thoughts.
10
min
25
min
50
min
B. Body
of
Lesson
Think
about
management:
¨
Precise
Directions
¨
Positive
Narration
¨
Whole-­‐class
Incentives
¨Discipline
Hierarchy

17.
Teacher
Does…
- Gives
precise
directions
about
what
is
expected
of
them
while
completing
the
do
now
activity,
reading
and
annotating
the
article,
the
planning
committee
activity/skit
and
the
exit
ticket.
- Explains
that
the
class
is
a
safe
environment
and
students
must
give
each
student
respect,
especially
when
they
are
sharing
their
do
nows
and
their
planning
committee
ideas.
Students
Do…
• Raise
hands
when
wanting
to
answer
a
question
• Participate
throughout
the
class
period
(both
in
small
and
whole
group
discussion)
• Remember
the
classroom
is
a
safe
space
and
to
be
respectful
to
your
peers
- Do
Now
- Read
&
Annotate
- Planning
Committee/Skit
- Exit
Ticket
We
do…
• Respect
each
other
and
listen
to
each
other,
especially
during
the
do
now
activity
• Read
and
Annotate
the
article
“When
the
Public
Defender
Says,
‘I
Can’t
Help’”
By
Derwyn
Bunton
- Give
a
thoughtful
answer
for
the
emjoi
exit
ticket
C. Closing:
Review
progress
toward
objective
(may
include
student
self-­‐assessment)
EMJOI
EXIT
TICKET.
Assess
Yourself:
Rate
your
understanding
of
today’s
objective
Explain
what
level
you
believe
you
are,
in
analyzing
and
understanding
the
texts
that
we
have
been
reading.
(Advanced,
Proficient,
Developing
or
Unsatisfactory)
then
explain
what
we
can
do
to
help
you
better
understand
these
texts.
(resources?
Examples
of
annotated
texts,
etc.)
ALSO
ANSWER
THE
FOLLOWING
QUESTION:
How
did
today’s
activity
align
with
our
objective
for
today?
Did
we
discuss
how
different
issues
happening
in
our
society
are
the
same
issues
that
have
been
happening
in
the
past?
Explain
these
issues
and
how
they’re
similar.
5
min

18.
Materials
and
Resources
Needed
-­‐Article
“When
the
Public
Defender
Says,
‘I
Can’t
Help’”
By
Derwyn
Bunton
-­‐White
boards
and
markers.
Extension
of
Learning
(e.g.,
homework)
No
homework.
Lesson
Plan
Template
VII. Pre-­‐Assessment
Data
Guiding
Questions:
What
do
students
already
know
about
this
topic?
What
data
(formal
or
informal)
is
available?
We
have
been
reading
various
articles
from
the
Civil
Rights
Movement
and
current
articles
discussing
social
justice
issues.
Students
in
my
10th
grade
English
Literature
class
already
have
prior
knowledge
about
what
has
happened
during
the
Civil
Rights
Movement
because
they
have
already
learned
it
in
their
history
or
civics
classes
at
George
Washington
High
School.
This
unit
is
relatively
new
and
this
lesson
is
going
to
be
used
to
introduce
the
unit
and
help
students
understand
different
perspectives
and
empathize
with
others.
VIII. Content
and
Language
Objective
*Must
be
conveyed
to
students
Guiding
Question:
What
will
students
be
able
to
do
at
the
end
of
today’s
lesson?
How
will
this
support
language
development?
¨
Describe
¨
Explain
¨
Apply
¨
Analyze
¨
Compare
¨
Evaluate
¨
Defend
¨
Create¨
Interpret
¨
Formulate
CLO:
Students
will
be
able
to
explore
their
identity,
in
writing,
while
trying
to
relate
their
personal
life
stories
to
the
texts
we
have
read
and
analyzed,
by
using
indirect/direct
object
pronouns
and
correct
subject/verb
agreement.
Standard:
CCSS.ELA-­‐LITERACY.SL.9-­‐10.1.D
Respond
thoughtfully
to
diverse
perspectives,
summarize
points
of
agreement
and
disagreement,
and,
when
warranted,
qualify
or
justify
their
own
views
and
understanding
and
make
new
connections
in
light
of
the
evidence
and
reasoning
presented.
Key
Vocabulary:
Identity
and
Civil
Rights
Movement,
Perspective,
Empathize

19.
IX. Rationale
*
Must
be
conveyed
to
students
Guiding
Questions:
Why
is
this
important
to
students?
How
is
this
related
to
unit
goals,
essential
questions,
or
relevant
standards?
How
does
this
connect
to
students’
real
lives
and
cultures?
As
students
are
relating
their
personal
life
to
the
texts
we
have
read,
they
are
starting
to
familiarize
themselves
with
different
perspectives
and
understanding
another
person’s
point
of
view
by
empathizing
with
them.
This
helps
students
make
connections
to
their
everyday
lives
and
family
culture
as
well.
X. Assessment
*
Must
be
conveyed
to
students
Guiding
Questions:
How
will
you
measure
students’
progress
toward
the
objective?
Will
the
data
you
gather
allow
you
to
differentiate
future
instruction?
“I”
Poem:
Students
will
create
an
“I”
poem;
they
can
choose
to
use
the
template
provided
or
free
write
a
poem
about
their
identity
and
try
to
relate
their
personal
life
stories
to
the
texts
we
have
read
and
analyzed.
(Individual
Activity
and
then
share
out
or
do
turn
and
talk).
Students
will
create
an
“I”
poem
that
discusses
who
they
are
as
a
person,
then
do
a
turn
and
talk
with
a
partner.
XI. Differentiation
Guiding
Questions:
How
will
you
use
data
to
intentionally
group
students
according
to
skills/readiness?
What
choice
will
students
have
in
the
process
or
product
associated
with
this
lesson?
There
will
be
an
individual
“do
now”
activity
first.
Then,
students
will
have
the
choice
to
either
use
the
“I”
Poem
template
or
free
write
the
poem;
this
will
be
an
individual
activity
for
the
first
30
minutes,
then
it
will
turn
into
a
turn
and
talk
for
about
10
minutes.
Once
students
are
done,
I
will
ask
for
volunteers
to
share
out
their
“I”
poems
to
the
class
during
a
whole
group
discussion.
XII. Lesson
Components
ü Active
Engagement
Strategies
ü Oral
language
development
ü Cooperative
learning
ü Critical
thinking
ü Arts
Integration
ü Checks
for
understanding
ü Frequent
feedback
ü Student
voice
and
choice
ü Scaffolding
ü Strategies
to
support
ELLs
o Visual
supports
o Explicit
vocabulary
o Realia
o Native
language
support

20.
Component
Time
requi
red
D. Lesson
Introduction:
‘Hook’
students
into
content.
Explain
objective,
rationale,
and
assessment
DO
NOW:
Students
will
have
5
minutes
to
quick
write
and
finish
the
following
sentence:
What
people
do
not
understand
about
my
culture
is…?
Once
students
are
done,
we
will
do
a
turn
and
talk
and
have
students
share
out
their
statements
for
5
minutes.
Objective:
SWBAT
explore
their
identity,
in
writing,
while
trying
to
relate
their
personal
life
stories
to
the
texts
we
have
read
and
analyzed,
by
using
indirect/direct
object
pronouns
and
correct
subject/verb
agreement.
Rationale:
As
students
are
relating
their
personal
life
to
the
texts
we
have
read,
they
are
starting
to
familiarize
themselves
with
perspectives
and
understanding
another
person’s
point
of
view
by
empathizing
with
them.
This
helps
students
make
connections
to
their
everyday
lives
and
family
culture
as
well.
Active
Engagement
Strategy:
“I”
Poem
Students
will
create
an
“I”
poem;
they
can
choose
to
use
the
template
provided
or
free
write
a
poem
about
their
identity
and
try
to
relate
their
personal
life
stories
to
the
texts
we
have
read
and
analyzed.
(Individual
Activity
and
then
share
out
or
do
turn
and
talk)
10
min
30
min
E. Body
of
Lesson

21.
Think
about
management:
¨
Precise
Directions
¨
Positive
Narration
¨
Whole-­‐class
Incentives
¨Discipline
Hierarchy
Teacher
Does…
- Gives
precise
directions
about
what
is
expected
of
them
while
completing
the
do
now
activity,
“I”
poem,
and
the
exit
ticket.
- Explains
that
the
class
is
a
safe
environment
and
students
must
give
each
student
respect,
especially
when
they
are
sharing
their
do
nows
and
“I”
poems.
Students
Do…
• Raise
hands
when
wanting
to
answer
a
question
• Participate
throughout
the
class
period
(both
in
small
and
whole
group
discussion)
• Remember
the
classroom
is
a
safe
space
and
to
be
respectful
to
your
peers
- Do
Now
- “I”
Poem
- Exit
Ticket
We
do…
• Respect
each
other
and
listen
to
each
other,
especially
during
the
do
now
activity
• Try
your
best
to
make
the
“I”
poem
personal
and
have
it
reflect
your
identity
• Give
a
thoughtful
answer
for
the
journal
entry
(exit
ticket)
F. Closing:
Review
progress
toward
objective
(may
include
student
self-­‐assessment)
Exit
Ticket:
Journal
Entry
In
one
paragraph,
explain
what
you
learned
about
yourself
and
your
peers
through
this
activity.
Did
this
activity
help
you
empathize
with
anyone
or
help
you
see
other
perspectives
other
than
your
own?
Provide
examples
if
possible
and
use
pseudonyms
(fake
names)
if
you
would
feel
more
comfortable.
10
min

22.
Materials
and
Resources
Needed
“I”
Poem
template
Extension
of
Learning
(e.g.,
homework)
No
homework
will
be
given.

23.
© Freeology.com
I Am Poem
I am ______________________________________________________________
(Two special characteristics)
I wonder ___________________________________________________________
(Something you are curious about)
I hear _____________________________________________________________
(An imaginary sound)
I see ______________________________________________________________
(An imaginary sight)
I want _____________________________________________________________
(A desire you have)
I am ______________________________________________________________
(The first line of the poem repeated)
I pretend ____________________________________________________________
(Something you pretend to do)
I feel _____________________________________________________________
(A feeling about something imaginary)
I touch _____________________________________________________________
(An imaginary touch)
I worry _____________________________________________________________
(Something that bothers you)
I cry _____________________________________________________________
(Something that makes you sad)
I am _____________________________________________________________
(The first line of the poem repeated)
I understand _______________________________________________________
(Something you know is true)
I say _____________________________________________________________
(Something you believe in)
I dream _____________________________________________________________
(Something you dream about)
I try _____________________________________________________________
(Something you make an effort on)
I hope _____________________________________________________________
(Something you hope for)
I am _____________________________________________________________
(The first line of the poem repeated)

24.
7 Reasons Why Gentrification Hurts Communities of Color
September 12, 2014 by Patricia Valoy
When I was growing up in East New York, Brooklyn in the early 90s, most residents were
Black or Latinx. Today, the demographics are still about the same, and very little has
changed about the neighborhood.
I distinctly remember noticing that there were no white people that lived near me and that
the neighborhoods that had a large percentage of white residents were simply better:
They had better schools, nicer streets, more businesses, less crime, and no visible drug
use.
It was everything I wanted my neighborhood to be.
As ashamed as I am to admit this now, I assumed that the only way neighborhoods could be
bettered is by having white residents, so I hoped that my neighborhood would become like
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. At the time, Williamsburg was rapidly changing, and what used to
be dirty streets and run-down businesses were now tree-lined blocks and shiny Starbucks.
What I failed to understand then was that the gentrification of neighborhoods might make the space
look better, but my family would never be able to afford the price of living there.
Although my childhood neighborhood is still far from gentrification due to its distance from
New York City and history of gang violence, drug use, and poverty, things seem to be
changing, as this real estate listing demonstrates by calling East New York “the new
frontier.”
Gentrification is new-wave colonialism, and it has economic, societal, and public health
repercussions for poor communities of color.
Many times when wealthy people move into a low-income neighborhood, they truly want
to help. Oftentimes, they even start community programs and become leaders in the

25.
community, often through beautification projects. And while I get why this seems to be
good at first glance, it really isn’t.
When neighborhoods are gentrified, those moving in are looking for cheap rent and the
ability to make a better life for themselves.
And while wealthier people may feel entitled to buy or rent wherever they wish (as is
indeed their right), they must also understand the consequences of their actions.
As our neighborhoods become “up-and-coming areas” that “evoke images of burned-out
buildings, riots, and poverty,” the people that lived there through the poverty and disrepair
deserve to stay in their homes and have a community that supports their needs.
We need to understand that gentrification isn’t about beautifying neighborhoods and
making them safer. It is the systematic displacement of people of color from their homes.
Gentrification hurts communities of color, and these are some of the ways how.
1. As wealthier people move into poor neighborhoods, landlords raise their rents to cash in from the wealth of the new influx of
residents.
As this study states, the median rent prices in New York City rose 75% since 2001. This
same trend can be seen in other neighborhoods that have currently become gentrified,
like Oakland, California.
It’s common to see landlords bully low-income tenants into moving out by not maintaining
apartments or not renewing their lease, forcing residents to move out.
I’ve seen this happen to many of my relatives that moved to New York City in the early
70s and settled in the Lower East Side and Soho neighborhoods of lower Manhattan.
While these areas are now the first choice of home for celebrities and ritzy events like the
TriBeCa Film Festival, they were previously filled with tenement buildings and low-income
housing.
One of my aunts who still lives in what is now the very trendy Soho pays for all repairs and
upgrades in her apartment, as the building owners refuse to do so in an effort to bully her
into leaving and renting her apartment at a much higher cost.
Yes, it’s illegal, but they know she could never afford a lawyer.

26.
None of her neighbors remain, and none of the local businesses she frequented are still
the same. Even her local church no longer offer services in her language.
I ask her often why does she remain, although I know the answer: That’s her home!
Poor people of color living in gentrified neighborhoods find themselves between a rock
and a hard place. They are often unable to move because they could never afford housing
elsewhere, but are constantly pushed to the limit by landlords looking to rent at higher
prices.
It’s illegal, but that doesn’t help a person who does not understand the law or hire
someone to help them navigate the legal system.
Many of these communities are comprised of immigrants that have lived in the United
States for decades, yet have no resources left in their communities. They face language,
cultural, and societal barriers that set them at a disadvantage next to real estate
companies and developers.
2. Local businesses suffer as large competitors start opening shops in what were previously undesired locales.
If wealthier residents are moving into a low-income neighborhood, it follows that they will
spend more on local businesses and generate more profit for them. Yet, unfortunately, this
is rarely the case.
Businesses have a hard time catering to two different types of clientele, though they often try to do
so.
It’s common to see grocery stores start selling a wider variety of products to attract new
residents, but few actually see the increase in profits they thought they would because
new residents often shop in places they feel more comfortable in.
Likewise, new businesses that open up specifically to cater to the new residents bring new
competition to the old ones, further straining the local community.
New businesses open to cater to the wealthier residents of the neighborhood and existing
shops are forced to either a) change their practices to appeal to new residents and survive
or b) stick with their old clientele and likely lose their business.
Additionally, rent increases affect businesses as much as they do low-income residents.

27.
The only businesses that can thrive under these circumstances are large corporations like
Whole Foods.
Whole Foods, unlike other local supermarkets, attract a new set of people and completely
changes a neighborhood. This is evident in the way Whole Foods changed the
neighborhood of Jamaica Plain in Boston. While Jamaica Plain already had a large and
affordable supermarket called Hi-Lo, open since 1964 and known for selling Latin
American products, it couldn’t compete with Whole Foods.
Needless to say, Hi-Lo had to close because it could not keep up with Whole Foods, and
just like that, low-income residents of Jamaica Plain were left without a place to shop for
groceries that were affordable and culturally relevant.
As this article states, “That’s because Hi-Lo and Whole Foods aren’t just stores, they’re
ideas that lead to similar ideas, and attract people who identify with those ideas in cyclical
fashion.”
3. People of color are criminalized because new people feel ‘in danger.’
People of color, and especially Black people, are often perceived as dangerous and
thuggish.
As the recent shooting of Mike Brown – an unarmed young Black man in Ferguson,
Missouri – further proves, the stereotyping of racial minorities has dangerous
consequences.
Black and Latino men are disproportionately arrested, especially for marijuana use and
distribution, while white men who do the same are celebrated.
And we can’t assume that justice is the same for everyone.
In this article, un-ironically titled “I Spent a Day Delivering Weed in New York City,” the
author repeatedly states that these are not your “normal” drug dealers, therefore, not a
threat to your safety.
Our neighborhoods are often the only place where we can feel at home, but as neighborhoods get
gentrified, activities such as panhandling and sleeping in public places become criminalized, too.
While not having poor people live on your streets might be a priority for wealthier
residents, the response should be to help them, not arrest them.

28.
If people of color are getting arrested for everything from drug use to being poor, I don’t
think it’s safe to say that gentrification is improving our neighborhoods and making them
safer.
The reality is that the incarceration of Black and Brown men create the illusion of safety for
white residents, but it’s a sense of security based on stereotypes of Black and Brown men
being thugs, criminals, and dangerous.
The need to feel safe, which is an absolute human right, is a necessity, but the way we
achieve that in gentrified neighborhoods is missing the mark. Crime happens because
former residents of gentrified neighborhoods live in poverty and suffer from lack of
resources and poor educational and health services.
4. New developments are profit-driven and not community-driven.
Gentrification is driven by the private sector.
Close-knit communities thrive on socially conscious business practices that benefit
everyone. Local shops often allow families to shop on credit and use public assistance
funds without shame.
Communities often get together for block parties and potlucks, and in general, there is a
sense that you will be taken care of. But when newcomers see existing residents as
dangerous, this feeling of community is hampered.
In my childhood neighborhood, I would often babysit and tutor younger children that lived
near me. Although some parents would give me some form of payment, I did it because it
was the only way to serve my community – a community that had few affordable childcare
centers and no tutoring services.
It was a community, as imperfect as it may be.
Today, I live in a different neighborhood – one that is far more gentrified than the place
where my family still lives, and a lot less reassuring.
I have a dog park, a Planet Fitness, a yoga studio, and a coffee shop all within reach, but I
have neighbors I have never met, and I could never ask my local grocer to give me a loaf
of bread on credit.

29.
And I will be sincerely honest: I absolutely love that every Sunday, I have a community
garden where I can go shop for local and organic produce and walk one block back to my
apartment. But it will never compare to the free hot dogs I ate while playing near the fire
hydrant on a hot summer day in Brooklyn.
5. Children’s education suffers.
Children who live in areas of concentrated poverty never fare well. They often have low
graduation rates and deal with constant violence.
So it follows that gentrification should improve the lives of poor children of color.
There is no denying that diverse schools, both economically and racially, are a good
learning space for all children. When children are exposed to a variety of individuals, they
have a better understanding of the world.
However, what happens to neighborhoods also happens to schools.
As former residents are pushed out, so are the children attending local schools, which
disturbs their learning process.
While schools do tend to improve and start providing amenities that children benefit from
with the increase in capital coming in from the higher income of new residents, few
minority children stick around to enjoy these perks.
With poverty rates for children at a staggering 22% in the United States, it’s important to
make sure that all amenities and community programs that come with gentrification are also
available to poor residents.
Yet with the profit-driven model that arises as communities are gentrified, it’s unlikely that
any children will benefit from gentrification.
Children succeed when their parents are capable of providing for them. When parents are
unable to afford their own neighborhood amenities, their children start seeing the
difference along racial and social barriers and internalize it.
6. Culture shifts, and communities lose their safety net.
Vibrant communities that rely on social networking are torn apart with gentrification.

30.
Neighbors that people once relied on move out, and services that were beneficial to the
community are replaced.
For those that stay, they become outsiders in their own communities.
In a similar manner, communities that have historically banded to build a community
through strife – like Black people in Harlem, New York and Latinxs in the Mission District
of San Francisco – begin to see their tight-knit and flourishing communities disbanded.
This is evident in the way Vogue categorically dismissed the neighborhood of Bushwick in
Brooklyn as a “disfavored neighborhood.” A year later — and a lot more white and affluent
residents to sell magazines to — it’s the 7th
coolest neighborhood, due in part to the new
influx of white artists to the previously “grimy, industrial Bushwick.”
Yet Bushwick already had a thriving community of artists all along, and it’s where
celebrities such as Rosie Perez and Eddie Murphy hailed from.
While it’s understandable that communities can (and do!) change as time passes, their histories
must be protected. After all, we still associate Plymouth Rock and lower Manhattan with
Dutch settlers, and that was over 500 years ago.
The truth is that new developments and fancy coffee shops will never replace the social
network that helped local residents survive.
7. Public health of residents suffers.
Residents that fear being displaced and losing their social network are under a lot of
stress.
Those who want to remain grapple with rising rent and food prices, while those that leave
lose a lot of their hard-earned capital.
Disparities in health become acute when neighborhoods change rapidly and existing marginalized
communities are pushed to the peripheries.
External problems manifest themselves in mental and physical health issues, such as
anxiety and depression, or high blood pressure and heart problems.

31.
The psychological effects of losing one’s tight-knit community and deep social links can be
traumatizing for some. It’s important to note that gentrification doesn’t just affect our views;
it affects our perceptions and mentality.
Public health programs must address issues that displaced people deal with daily, from
lack of access to affordable healthy food to subpar housing.
***
Neighborhoods are not static. They change through the years, and there is nothing wrong
with an organic shift in the demographics of a neighborhood. But it shouldn’t happen at the
expense of poor people and people of color.
Poor communities of color have spent years battling disinvestment and abandonment, but
redevelopment only seems to occur when white and wealthy people move into a neighborhood.
It’s important to keep in mind that gentrification might make a neighborhood beautiful, but
only for a select few people. If we truly believe in improving and redeveloping our
neighborhoods, we must do so for everyone – regardless of social, racial, or economic
status.

32.
http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/12/news/economy/gentrification-may-help-poor-people/
How gentrification may benefit the
poor
Gentrification has long been a dirty word for
forcing poor people out of neighborhoods across
U.S. cities.
When a poor neighborhood attracts higher income residents, expensive cafes and pricy
vintage clothing stores move in, making daily living more expensive. The narrative is that
gentrification displaces low income residents and in the worst case scenario ​causes
homelessness​.
Now, a new storyline is emerging that shows that it isn't fair to blame gentrification for
displacing low income residents and that there might actually even be some benefits.
A study by the ​Philadelphia Federal Reserve​ recently concluded that poor people are no
more likely to move out of a gentrifying neighborhood than from a non-gentrifying one.
That doesn't mean low income people are not pushed out of their neighborhoods. They are
just not more likely to be displaced than a person of similar income in a neighborhood that's
not gentrifying.
Experts say there are may even be some benefits for the low-income residents that decide to
stay in gentrifying neighborhoods.
-- New job opportunities emerge as more stores open and construction picks up.
-- Longtime homeowners benefit from rising property values.
-- There's often a decline in crime.
-- On average, credit scores of the poor residents improve in gentrifying neighborhoods.

33.
The Opinion Pages | OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
When the Public Defender Says, ‘I Can’t Help’
By DERWYN BUNTONFEB. 19, 2016
New Orleans — ON an ordinary day, the Criminal District Court here begins with a parade of handcuffed
and shackled defendants being led out from cages behind the judge’s bench by sheriff’s deputies. They are
clad in orange jumpsuits and are almost exclusively African-American men. They rattle and shuffle their way
onto benches and into the empty jury box, waiting for the judge.
When their case is called, a lawyer from the public defender’s office will rise and say: “Your Honor, we do
not have a lawyer for this person at this time.”
Eight-five percent of these defendants are unable to afford their own lawyer and will need a public defender
to represent them. But in New Orleans, where I am in charge of the public defender’s office, we simply don’t
have enough lawyers to handle the caseload. Last month, we began refusing new cases.
In a state with one of the nation’s highest poverty rates, the system to defend the poor is broken.
To understand why, look at the other people in the courtroom sitting on benches set aside for the audience.
Most of these people aren’t there to watch the proceedings. Many were subpoenaed for failing to pay fines or
fees for minor offenses and had to take time from work to appear in court or be charged with contempt.
Those fines and fees pay for two-thirds of the Louisiana public defender system. The rest comes from the
state.
It is not an exaggeration to say that fines from traffic offenses, which, in Louisiana, can result in jail time,
play a big part in determining whether one of those men in the orange jumpsuits receives an adequate defense
required by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution.
Poor people must pay $40 to apply for representation, and an additional $45 if they plead guilty or are found
guilty. No other states lean so heavily on fines and fees paid mostly by the poor. And there is a reason for
that. The system isn’t working.
Louisiana spends nearly $3.5 billion a year to investigate, arrest, prosecute, adjudicate and incarcerate its
citizens. Less than 2 percent of that is spent on legal representation for the poor.
It is little wonder that Louisiana has the nation’s highest rates of incarceration and exoneration for wrongful
convictions.

34.
Last fall, at a hearing ordered by the Criminal District Court in response to this crisis, years of underfunding
by the state were chronicled. Public defenders have weathered more than $5 million in budget cuts over the
last five years. For the second time in four years, we have been forced to impose a hiring freeze and, now,
have begun turning down cases.
In response, judges are ordering private lawyers to take poor clients. Other poor defendants have been left to
represent themselves. And in some cases, judges have threatened public defenders with contempt for refusing
to take a case.
James Dixon, the state public defender, and members of my staff and I filed affidavits and testified about
how our workloads had reached unmanageable levels. Many public defenders are unable to visit clients, file
motions in a timely manner or conduct the necessary investigations. In fact, our workload is now twice the
standard recommended by the American Bar Association.
Ellen Yaroshefsky, a professor at Cardozo Law School in New York City and one of three experts who
testified, said it was a misnomer to call the New Orleans court system a “justice system.” Professor
Yaroshefsky told the judge: “You’re not operating a justice system here. You’re operating a processing
system.”
While the situation here may sound extreme, overloaded public defenders are struggling across the country.
A 2013 study in Missouri provided a snapshot of the problem. For serious felonies, defenders spent an
average of only nine hours preparing their cases; 47 hours were needed. For misdemeanors, they spent two
hours when 12 hours were necessary. Similar studies are underway in Colorado, Rhode Island, Tennessee
and here in Louisiana.
“The problem of grossly underfunded public defender organizations with grossly excessive caseloads is a
systemic, endemic problem going back 50 years,” said Stephen F. Hanlon, general counsel for the National
Association for Public Defense, who is overseeing the current studies.
In New Orleans, our decision to refuse new cases didn’t come easily. No one becomes a public defender to
tell a poor person, “No, I can’t help you.” But the outcome of an arrest in a shooting at Bunny Friend
Park here last November that left 17 people wounded influenced my decision to stop taking cases.
A 32-year-old man was arrested in the case and held on $1.7 million bond. He had immediately asserted his
innocence but the police said a witness had identified him. His family hired a private lawyer who went to
Houston to locate video of the suspect shopping with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting. The charges
were dropped.
Reading about this case, I realized my office could not have guaranteed the timely retrieval of this important
evidence before it would have been routinely erased. That would have left an innocent man to face trial for
his life for what was labeled an act of “domestic terrorism” by the mayor of New Orleans.
Louisiana needs fundamentally to reform its system of public defense funding. The state needs to arrange
adequate and stable financing based on reasoned projections of the workload. Fines and fees, to the extent
they exist at all, should act as a supplemental source of financing.
The role of the public defender is to protect the innocent, defend the Constitution and demand justice and
fairness. But when resources are out of balance, as they are in Louisiana, so is the system. The poor are the
ones who are hurt.

35.
Do Nows:

38.
Possible
Reading
List
2017-­‐2018:
My
Name
is
not
Easy
–
Debby
Dahl
Edwardson
(identity
realization)
Night
–
Elie
Wiesel
(holocaust)
Just
Like
Us
–
Helen
Thorpe
(true
story
of
4
Mexican
girls
coming
of
age
in
America)
Freedom
Writers
–
Erin
Gruwell
&
Freedom
Writers
(identity,
gang
violence,
college
prep…)
Monster
–
Walter
Dean
Myers
(young
Black
male
accused
of
murder
–
play)
Tyrell
–
Coe
Booth
(young
Black
male
living
in
a
homeless
shelter…)
Mexican
Whiteboy
–
(young
Mexican
male
dealing
with
identity
crisis)
Nickel
and
Dimed
–
Barbara
Ehrenreich
(social
class)
Class
Matters
–
Bill
Keller
(social
class)
The
Boy
in
the
Striped
Pajamas
–
John
Boyne
(holocaust)
The
Skin
I’m
In
–
Sharon
G.
Flake
(identity)