1. Objective: Analyze themes in multiple poems in order to engage in a collaborative discussion arguing issues of leadership, authority, and citizenship as they pertain to forming a better society.
RL.11.2, RL.11.9, W.11.1

2. What do you know about your family’s arrival in America?
From which country did your family emigrate?
Why did they come here?
Which relatives were not born here?
Was their arrival voluntary or involuntary?
How far back can you trace your family tree?
Did your family experience oppression either in America or from where they came?

3. What do you know about your family’s arrival in America?
Create Your Family Tree

4. The immigrant connection
Unless a person is of full blooded Native American heritage, all people in the United States have ancestors who were immigrants. Yet the immigrant experience in the United States have been different for everyone.
Some people came to the US to escape oppression.
Some people were forcibly brought to America and oppressed.
Now, there is a new generation of immigrants in America with a different story to tell.

5. Sonia Nazario
Read “The Heartache of the Immigrant Family” by Sonia Nazario in The New York Times
Nazario The Heartache of an Immigrant Family
As you read, identify her claim, the evidence and tone.

6. Connection Review the History of Immigration of the United States
History of Immigration in the USA
Identify the differences in the immigration experience based on the time period of the immigration.
In the timeline, there is a reference to Thomas Jefferson ending the slave trade in This did not outlaw slavery. It only outlawed bringing slaves from Africa.

7. Transition
What do you think life was like for the people who came to America from the early 1600s to the late 1700s?
What do you know about that time period?
What does the term Colonial America mean to you?

8. Gather background information:
Watch one of the video clips to learn information about Colonial America.
Colonial Governments Discovery Education
Colonial Williamsburg Discovery Education
US Spanish Colonial Heritage Discovery Education
Proclamation of 1763 Native Americans NBC Learn
While watching, list everything you learn about Colonial America in Cornell Notes format and be prepared to share it with the class.

9. Watch the following video and take notes on Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley Discovery Education
What did you learn about Phillis Wheatley?
Predict the subject matter of her poems.

10. Read “On Being Brought from Africa to America”
As a class, complete the close reading graphic organizer for the poem.
Click the word icon to open

11. Work in pairs. Choose one of the following poems
Work in pairs. Choose one of the following poems. Complete the graphic organizer.
“To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth” by Phillis Wheatley OR
“On the Emigration to America and Peopleing the Western Country” by Phillip Freneau
***Be prepared to share your information with the class.

12. Transition
After we have shared what we have learned as a class, consider all three poems.
Think about their commonalities including topic and theme.
Complete the sheet.

13. Themes
There are three dominant themes in the Wheatley and Freneau poems.
Leaders should use their power to help citizens and make right any suffering previously inflicted on the people governed.
Leaders must be just and praiseworthy.
Liberty can be found only where virtuous, free people can create clear, fair laws.

14. FISHBOWL
Consider these three themes. Discuss which is the most important to form a better society. Cite examples from the text in the fishbowl discussion to support your responses. You may use modern examples where applicable.
Sample Adult Fishbowl Activity
teachers reflective Fishbowl
Explanation of fishbowl can be found here:
The teacher tube example opens with a 30 second unskippable commercial. Teachers should watch that and cue to the beginning of the demonstration.

15. Connection
How does today’s discussion about leadership connect to what we have learned so far in this unit?
Answer this question in journal, poem, song, paragraph or visual form.