1. Is Academia Worth It? ~~Ainslya Charlton and Carly Napier~~ Examining the Past to See How the Present Affects the Future

2. f Unit Significance

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5. f Objectives In an 8 th grade Hartford public school English classroom, we will facilitate a weeklong examination of the role academia in “success.”  Students will identify what their view of “success” is and discuss how their environment shaped these views.  Students will compare and contrast statistics, including high school graduation and college enrollment rates, which represent the different socioeconomic groups in the educational system.  Students will then identify and outline the qualifications necessary for their desired occupations.  Students will relate the experiences of Ben Carson and Sonya Sotomayor to their own lives.  Students will evaluate the importance of their education after synthesizing all of the information presented in the unit.

6. CURRICULUM

7. Dreams to Reality Academia from Inner Cities to Success Background  Raised in low income Detroit neighborhood by an overworked single mom with a third grade education.  He was teased by his classmates for receiving the worst grades in the class and was written off as a troubled student.  His passion for knowledge developed with the direction of his mother and reading, astonishing those who once doubted his capacity to learn. Why Ben Carson? Achievements Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Yale University Studied neurosurgery and took over as Johns Hopkins’ Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at 33 Highly regarded for separating Siamese and radical hemispherectomies Inducted into the Academy of Achievement Received Presidential Medal of Freedom

8. Dreams to Reality Academia from Inner Cities to Success Background  Raised in a housing project in the South Bronx by a single mom after the death of her father. Both of her parents were Puerto Rican immigrants.  Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 8  Inspired to become a judge after watching a fictional television show based on courtroom proceedings. Why Sonia Sotomayor? Achievements Bachelor’s degree in from Princeton University and graduated from Yale Law School Ruled in Federal District Court and US Court of Appeals by George W. Bush and Bill Clinton respectively. She was appointed by Barack Obama and confirmed by the US Congress to become the First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice

9. f Evaluations Using two methods, we will assess students’ learning and determine whether our objectives were meet at the conclusion of the unit. 1.Students will use the last 10 minutes of day 5 to evaluate their group members on their engagement and participation during discussions using a questionnaire provided by the teacher. 2.Written Homework Assignment

10. Works Cited ALAS! “The Sky is Falling on Black Men? Pt. Drop Out Rates and Graduation Rates. June 4 th, 2006. http://www.amptoons.com/blog/2006/06/04/the-sky-is-falling-on-black-men-pt1- drop-out-rates-and-graduation-rates/ Churchill, Steven. Learn Higher Paying Skills. “Is College Worth Your Time and Money?” November 2010. http://higherpayingskills.com/2011/12/college-worth-time-money/ Connecticut State Department of Education. “Nearly 1 in 5 Connecticut does not complete high school in 4 years.” December 29 th, 2011. http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/pressroom/2011_graduation_rates.pdf Fitzgerald, Jay. Boston Globe. “College degree is costly, but it pays off over time.” October 7 th, 2012. Weber, Katherine. The Christian Post. “Ben Carson Maintains Stance on Gay Marriage, but Apologizes for Previous Comments.” April 8 th, 2013. http://www.christianpost.com/news/ben-carson-maintains-stance-on-gay-marriage-but-apologizes-for- http://www.christianpost.com/news/ben-carson-maintains-stance-on-gay-marriage-but-apologizes-for- previous-comments-93494/ Youtube. “Exclusive: Justice Sonya Sotomayor.” March 24 th, 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqEHV_ciVY4