Essential Question:
Main question- Is affirmative action harmful or helpful to students and society?
Secondary question- How can colleges create diversity in their admissions policy?
Grade Level: 11th
Subject: U.S. History
California State Content Standards:
11.10.2 Examine and analyze the key events, policies, and court cases in the evolution of civil
rights, including Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education,
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, and California Proposition 209.
11.10.3 Describe the collaboration on legal strategy between African American and white civil rights lawyers to end racial segregation in higher education.
Common Core Social Studies- English Language Arts Standards:
11.12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
11.12.3 Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
11.12.6 Evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.
11.2.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
11.2.8 Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
11.12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Main question- Is affirmative action harmful or helpful to students and society?
Secondary question- How can colleges create diversity in their admissions policy?
Grade Level: 11th
Subject: U.S. History
California State Content Standards:
11.10.2 Examine and analyze the key events, policies, and court cases in the evolution of civil
rights, including Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education,
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, and California Proposition 209.
11.10.3 Describe the collaboration on legal strategy between African American and white civil rights lawyers to end racial segregation in higher education.
Common Core Social Studies- English Language Arts Standards:
11.12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
11.12.3 Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
11.12.6 Evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.
11.2.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
11.2.8 Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
11.12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Anchor Text: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. (n.d.). Oyez. Retrieved October 28, 2017, from https://www.oyez.org/cases/1979/76-811
Reading Level: Based on the SCAA Qualitative Measures rubric the Text Structure and Meaning are slightly complex. This document is very organized, straightforward and it’s easy to understand the purpose of the reading. The Language Features and Knowledge Demands however are moderately complex, where several words such as “quota” and “equal protection clause” will need to be defined by the teacher.
This is the first court case to challenge affirmative action in the colleges. Allan Bakke sued the University of California Medical School over reverse racism. He applied twice to the medical school and was rejected. Bakke believed that if affirmative action was not in place without a quota system he would have been accepted. He also believes that affirmative action violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. His qualifications for admittance were higher than minority students that had already been accepted to the school. This online document looks at the background surrounding the court case and reveals the ruling by the Supreme Court. It also reveals each Supreme Court Justice and their vote for or against the court case.
Regents of the University of California v Bakke is the anchor text because it’s the very first court case to challenge affirmative action, which would lead to other lawsuits against colleges about equity and equality. This court case sparked the debate of whether affirmative action is creating diversity or is a form of racism against white students. Therefore this is a good document good document to focus the text set around. It is a very straightforward and objective reading that clearly explains the controversy surrounding affirmative action.
This document is a good way to get students to think about affirmative action. After reading about the court case, it can lead into a whole class discussion about what affirmative action is and whether it is necessary. The teacher can have the students take on the essential question provided by the website:
Did the University of California violate the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, by practicing an affirmative action policy that resulted in the repeated rejection of Bakke's application for admission to its medical school?
Part of the discussion can also be used to help define keywords such as:
racism,
reverse racism,
equal protection clause
14th Amendment
affirmative action
Text: Hobson, M. (2014, March). Color Blind or Color Brave? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave/discussion#t-572551
Reading Level: Based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric the overall text for this is slightly complex. The structure is simple to follow. She has a great introduction by sharing a personal story, then she defines color blind and explains why it’s not a very good approach to the issue of race. Finally she explains her reason for being “color brave.” The grammar and vocabulary used is basic enough for anyone in middle school or high school to understand.
Mellody Hobson is married to the famed directory George Lucas, but can independently stand on her own. She is the chair of board of directors for Dreamworks Animation and is a Financial/Investment Management Executive. In this 14 minute TED talk she address issues of prejudice, racism and problems of being color blind. She pitches the notion of being “color brave,” which is to talk about race openly. She is in a unique place, being an African American female in a high position in the corporate world, which helps to explain the issue of race in a better perspective. Dealing with with many workers on a daily basis and the public she believes that race and racism should be recognized candidly.
This TED talk is a good way to introduce and prep the students about affirmative action. Mrs. Hobson encourages the public to talk about race openly instead of avoiding race by claiming, “I don’t see color.” Showing this video will reinforce the idea that it is okay to talk about race and it will make students feel more comfortable as they learn and discuss the controversy surrounding affirmative action. After the video is over the teacher can hold a class discussion and ask the question, “Is it really better to be color blind or color brave?”
Reading Level: Based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric the overall text for this is slightly complex. The structure is simple to follow. She has a great introduction by sharing a personal story, then she defines color blind and explains why it’s not a very good approach to the issue of race. Finally she explains her reason for being “color brave.” The grammar and vocabulary used is basic enough for anyone in middle school or high school to understand.
Mellody Hobson is married to the famed directory George Lucas, but can independently stand on her own. She is the chair of board of directors for Dreamworks Animation and is a Financial/Investment Management Executive. In this 14 minute TED talk she address issues of prejudice, racism and problems of being color blind. She pitches the notion of being “color brave,” which is to talk about race openly. She is in a unique place, being an African American female in a high position in the corporate world, which helps to explain the issue of race in a better perspective. Dealing with with many workers on a daily basis and the public she believes that race and racism should be recognized candidly.
This TED talk is a good way to introduce and prep the students about affirmative action. Mrs. Hobson encourages the public to talk about race openly instead of avoiding race by claiming, “I don’t see color.” Showing this video will reinforce the idea that it is okay to talk about race and it will make students feel more comfortable as they learn and discuss the controversy surrounding affirmative action. After the video is over the teacher can hold a class discussion and ask the question, “Is it really better to be color blind or color brave?”
Text: Sander, R. & Taylor, S. (2012, Oct 2). The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/the-painful-truth-about-affirmative-action/263122/
Reading Level:The overall reading for this is very complex. There’s a lot of arguments and counterarguments along with facts and data. It could be difficult to follow along and understand since there are a lot of big words that would have to be looked up, and there is information that students are not familiar with such as knowing what it means to be part of the 52nd percentile. The reading is also very long therefore the teacher might select certain portions to read only.
This online article is very biased and makes the argument that affirmative action is more harmful than helpful. It’s an opinionated editorial by two journalists that argue from the very beginning the detrimental effects of affirmative action on colleges. The article provides a lot of facts to justify their claims and their arguments are very thorough and detailed. Although it is biased, the authors convincingly justify their point that affirmative action is bad for students and colleges. One main argument is that minority students that have preferential treatment based on race are not academically prepared for college causing them to fall behind.
The text reveals strong arguments as to why affirmative action is bad. The teacher can have half the classroom read the online article and choose five arguments proposed by the authors and counter them. Have them write out the argument and come up with a counterargument next to it. It’’s a good way to get students to think and analyze critically. Doing this exercise will also help them find facts to help answer the essential question for their argumentative essay paper about whether affirmative action should be banned or not. This exercise will fulfill the CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.2 and 11.12.8.
Reading Level:The overall reading for this is very complex. There’s a lot of arguments and counterarguments along with facts and data. It could be difficult to follow along and understand since there are a lot of big words that would have to be looked up, and there is information that students are not familiar with such as knowing what it means to be part of the 52nd percentile. The reading is also very long therefore the teacher might select certain portions to read only.
This online article is very biased and makes the argument that affirmative action is more harmful than helpful. It’s an opinionated editorial by two journalists that argue from the very beginning the detrimental effects of affirmative action on colleges. The article provides a lot of facts to justify their claims and their arguments are very thorough and detailed. Although it is biased, the authors convincingly justify their point that affirmative action is bad for students and colleges. One main argument is that minority students that have preferential treatment based on race are not academically prepared for college causing them to fall behind.
The text reveals strong arguments as to why affirmative action is bad. The teacher can have half the classroom read the online article and choose five arguments proposed by the authors and counter them. Have them write out the argument and come up with a counterargument next to it. It’’s a good way to get students to think and analyze critically. Doing this exercise will also help them find facts to help answer the essential question for their argumentative essay paper about whether affirmative action should be banned or not. This exercise will fulfill the CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.2 and 11.12.8.
Text: Quinlan, C. (2015, July 1). Why We Still Need Affirmative Action Policies in College Admissions. Retrieved from https://thinkprogress.org/why-we-still-need-affirmative-action-policies-in-college-admissions-ce5e0ad992ca/
Reading Level:The Qualitative Measures Rubric would categorize this document as very complex. There is a lot of information to follow along with big and complex words. The author cites a lot of resources to back up their argument and it can be difficult to follow. The reading is also very long, which may distract the students ability to retain all the information.
The online opinion editorial explains why affirmative action is needed and makes a strong case for it. The article provides facts and data to why it is important to continue implementing affirmative action in the colleges. This article reads like a research paper, citing appropriate and relevant sources to support its argument. It is a very biased editorial, but has compelling reasons and adequate justification for affirmative action and the importance of still retaining it as part of the admissions policy. A big argument for affirmative action equally compares poor white families with poor black families. The poor white families still have an advantage in society, leaving poor African Americans at a major disadvantage to get a better education or even pay for college.
This part of the text set because it provides an opposing viewpoint from The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action and it’s important to be subjective and provide facts that look at both arguments. It’s important for students to look at all the facts and have them make their own conclusion about affirmative action. This document has enough detailed information to counter The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action. The teacher can have the other half of the classroom read this article and pick five arguments and counter it. Similar to the The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action reading, have students list the argument and write out the counter argument next to it. Again, this will encourage critical thinking and analysis skills and fulfill CCSS-ELA standards 11.12.2 and 11.12.8. After the assignment is done, the teacher can hold a debate about affirmative action pinning one side of the class against the other, which is the reason for having half the class read The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action and the other read Why We Still Need Affirmative Action Policies in College Admissions.
Reading Level:The Qualitative Measures Rubric would categorize this document as very complex. There is a lot of information to follow along with big and complex words. The author cites a lot of resources to back up their argument and it can be difficult to follow. The reading is also very long, which may distract the students ability to retain all the information.
The online opinion editorial explains why affirmative action is needed and makes a strong case for it. The article provides facts and data to why it is important to continue implementing affirmative action in the colleges. This article reads like a research paper, citing appropriate and relevant sources to support its argument. It is a very biased editorial, but has compelling reasons and adequate justification for affirmative action and the importance of still retaining it as part of the admissions policy. A big argument for affirmative action equally compares poor white families with poor black families. The poor white families still have an advantage in society, leaving poor African Americans at a major disadvantage to get a better education or even pay for college.
This part of the text set because it provides an opposing viewpoint from The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action and it’s important to be subjective and provide facts that look at both arguments. It’s important for students to look at all the facts and have them make their own conclusion about affirmative action. This document has enough detailed information to counter The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action. The teacher can have the other half of the classroom read this article and pick five arguments and counter it. Similar to the The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action reading, have students list the argument and write out the counter argument next to it. Again, this will encourage critical thinking and analysis skills and fulfill CCSS-ELA standards 11.12.2 and 11.12.8. After the assignment is done, the teacher can hold a debate about affirmative action pinning one side of the class against the other, which is the reason for having half the class read The Painful Truth About Affirmative Action and the other read Why We Still Need Affirmative Action Policies in College Admissions.
Text: Sanchez, C. and Nadworny, E. (2015, December 23). What Is Fair? High School Students Talk About Affirmative Action. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/12/23/458466601/what-is-fair-high-school-students-talk-about-affirmative-action
Reading Level: The source is slightly complex based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric. These are high school students revealing how they feel about the topic. It’s easy to follow since they are answering one question.
Four students from various backgrounds are interviewed about college admissions and affirmative action. The interview is created by NPR, located in their education section on their website and has an audio component to it only. The sample population come from two suburban high schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Each student is given the same question and are free to answer how they feel about it. The website provides a picture and a short bio of each student.
It’s important for students to hear what other people their age have to say about affirmative action. They need to be aware that this is a nationwide issue that affects every college applicant in the United States. The text is a good way to continue the debate about affirmative action. Students can see how other people feel about the topic and it helps them to think critically about their beliefs on the issue. After hearing this interview, the teacher can do a writing assignment where they list in ranking order, who makes the most compelling argument and why. The stories provide a human element, in which the class debate based on the two earlier readings in the text set didn’t. Students can also use this interview to help them write their essay about whether affirmative action is helpful or harmful, which fits CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.9. Looking at the different viewpoints and assessing the information meets CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.6. The audio interview also meets CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.7
Reading Level: The source is slightly complex based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric. These are high school students revealing how they feel about the topic. It’s easy to follow since they are answering one question.
Four students from various backgrounds are interviewed about college admissions and affirmative action. The interview is created by NPR, located in their education section on their website and has an audio component to it only. The sample population come from two suburban high schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Each student is given the same question and are free to answer how they feel about it. The website provides a picture and a short bio of each student.
It’s important for students to hear what other people their age have to say about affirmative action. They need to be aware that this is a nationwide issue that affects every college applicant in the United States. The text is a good way to continue the debate about affirmative action. Students can see how other people feel about the topic and it helps them to think critically about their beliefs on the issue. After hearing this interview, the teacher can do a writing assignment where they list in ranking order, who makes the most compelling argument and why. The stories provide a human element, in which the class debate based on the two earlier readings in the text set didn’t. Students can also use this interview to help them write their essay about whether affirmative action is helpful or harmful, which fits CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.9. Looking at the different viewpoints and assessing the information meets CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.6. The audio interview also meets CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.7
Text: Ashkenas, J. Park, H. and Pearce, A. (2017, AUG. 24). Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/24/us/affirmative-action.html
Reading Level: This text is slightly complex based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric. There’s an introduction to each set of graphs that helps the reader understand what they are looking at. Even without the introduction, students will be able to comprehend what they are looking at since there are only four racial groups that are broken down.
This is a great article showing many line graphs pertaining to the racial breakdown of colleges and the percentage of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics that attend. Charts include demographic breakdown of ivy league schools, the University of California, top liberal arts colleges, other top universities, and universities that draw from their state. The charts are objective and provide visual data to how diverse a school population is.
The charts provides a visual understanding of the racial breakdown of major colleges. Visuals provide a clearer picture for students to understand and can express more information than traditional text. Students will be able to see the educational gap among minorities throughout the various universities throughout the United States. The teacher can have the students choose five graphs and have them do an under the surface exercise. This entails students to deduce information about the school that might not be obvious by looking at the data. Students will need to be creative, but realistic about what they can conclude about the school. They don’t have to necessarily guess correctly, but the goal is to get students to think about diversity in the colleges. This meets the CCSS-ELA standard of 11.12.3
Reading Level: This text is slightly complex based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric. There’s an introduction to each set of graphs that helps the reader understand what they are looking at. Even without the introduction, students will be able to comprehend what they are looking at since there are only four racial groups that are broken down.
This is a great article showing many line graphs pertaining to the racial breakdown of colleges and the percentage of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics that attend. Charts include demographic breakdown of ivy league schools, the University of California, top liberal arts colleges, other top universities, and universities that draw from their state. The charts are objective and provide visual data to how diverse a school population is.
The charts provides a visual understanding of the racial breakdown of major colleges. Visuals provide a clearer picture for students to understand and can express more information than traditional text. Students will be able to see the educational gap among minorities throughout the various universities throughout the United States. The teacher can have the students choose five graphs and have them do an under the surface exercise. This entails students to deduce information about the school that might not be obvious by looking at the data. Students will need to be creative, but realistic about what they can conclude about the school. They don’t have to necessarily guess correctly, but the goal is to get students to think about diversity in the colleges. This meets the CCSS-ELA standard of 11.12.3
Text: NBC. (2017, Aug 2). Report: Justice Department to Target College Affirmative Action [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/report-justice-department-to-target-college-affirmative-action-1015436355538
Reading Level: Although the news video is very short, based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric, the video is rated as very complex. There is a fast paced dialogue with political words being tossed around. For example, the students will need help understanding what the Department of Justice is. Although the message and topic is clear, the average student will need to see the video twice to fully understand the story.
The NBC news clip is about four minutes long and reports on the Department of Justice’s efforts to look at affirmative action and college admissions. NBC news anchor Hallie Jackson speaks to New York Times reporter Charlie Savage about the Justice Department targeting affirmative action and the extent of its investigation. He doesn’t have a clear response to the actions of the State Department and leaves the audience with more questions than answers. The DOJ has not clearly outlined their agenda for tackling affirmative action.
It is important to include this video in the text set for several reasons. For one, it’s an objective news report that’s looking for facts about the Justice Department goals and mission pertaining to college admissions. Secondly, it’s a very current news report and it’s important to include information that is current and relevant to the lives of the student. Finally, this video reveals how affirmative action continues to be a controversial topic that has never gone away. This ties back in with the anchor text involving UC Davis v Bakke of where it all started. Will the department’s investigation finally end the question of affirmative action? The teacher can use this video to make a point that affirmative action is an ongoing issue even today. The video clip, which meets CCSS-ELA 11.12.7 standard, would be a good way to introduce students to solutions for the problem. Ask the class, “What do we do now? If we get rid of affirmative action how do we create diversity on college campuses?” Have students answer this out loud and lead a short talk about it.
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/report-justice-department-to-target-college-affirmative-action-1015436355538
Reading Level: Although the news video is very short, based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric, the video is rated as very complex. There is a fast paced dialogue with political words being tossed around. For example, the students will need help understanding what the Department of Justice is. Although the message and topic is clear, the average student will need to see the video twice to fully understand the story.
The NBC news clip is about four minutes long and reports on the Department of Justice’s efforts to look at affirmative action and college admissions. NBC news anchor Hallie Jackson speaks to New York Times reporter Charlie Savage about the Justice Department targeting affirmative action and the extent of its investigation. He doesn’t have a clear response to the actions of the State Department and leaves the audience with more questions than answers. The DOJ has not clearly outlined their agenda for tackling affirmative action.
It is important to include this video in the text set for several reasons. For one, it’s an objective news report that’s looking for facts about the Justice Department goals and mission pertaining to college admissions. Secondly, it’s a very current news report and it’s important to include information that is current and relevant to the lives of the student. Finally, this video reveals how affirmative action continues to be a controversial topic that has never gone away. This ties back in with the anchor text involving UC Davis v Bakke of where it all started. Will the department’s investigation finally end the question of affirmative action? The teacher can use this video to make a point that affirmative action is an ongoing issue even today. The video clip, which meets CCSS-ELA 11.12.7 standard, would be a good way to introduce students to solutions for the problem. Ask the class, “What do we do now? If we get rid of affirmative action how do we create diversity on college campuses?” Have students answer this out loud and lead a short talk about it.
Text: UC Regents (2017). Freshman Applicant. Retrieved from http://admissions.berkeley.edu/freshman
Reading Level: Based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric, the Text Structure and Meaning are slightly complex since they are very easy to comprehend and follow. The Language Features and Knowledge Demands are categorized as moderately complex. There are vocabulary and acronyms that students may not be familiar with.
This online source provides a list of minimum requirements for admission into UC Berkeley. It elaborates on the selection process and details the holistic component of review applications. This text document is very specific and detail in terms of sharing appropriate information for high school seniors. UC Berkeley looks at grades, AP classes, SAT scores and an applicant’s full academic record. It also looks at personal motivation, leadership qualities, and intellectual and cultural contribution to the university.
This text source provides good insight to what schools are looking for when applying to a college. Students should know and understand the school’s perspective and the policy for admitting students into college. This will help them understand the complexity of college admissions. This also get students to think about what kind of criteria should schools use to admit applicants and whether the current one needs to be revised in order to create a more diverse campus.
After watching the NBC segment, Report: Justice Department to Target College Affirmative Action this text source can lead into the secondary idea of how colleges can create diversity in the classroom. The teacher can have students break up into groups and list 20 specific and detailed requirements that their group believe should be necessary to get into a specific type of college. After the brainstorming activity, have students read this online source and have them revise their list if needed. Have each group share their list on the whiteboard and in ranking order. As a class discuss and come up with one list of 20 requirements that colleges should look at when admitting students. Place that list in ranking order of importance. Does UC Berkeley change their admittance criteria? Revisit affirmative action and discuss how colleges can make their campuses diverse and at what cost. The text meets the CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.7 and 11.12.8.
Reading Level: Based on the Qualitative Measures Rubric, the Text Structure and Meaning are slightly complex since they are very easy to comprehend and follow. The Language Features and Knowledge Demands are categorized as moderately complex. There are vocabulary and acronyms that students may not be familiar with.
This online source provides a list of minimum requirements for admission into UC Berkeley. It elaborates on the selection process and details the holistic component of review applications. This text document is very specific and detail in terms of sharing appropriate information for high school seniors. UC Berkeley looks at grades, AP classes, SAT scores and an applicant’s full academic record. It also looks at personal motivation, leadership qualities, and intellectual and cultural contribution to the university.
This text source provides good insight to what schools are looking for when applying to a college. Students should know and understand the school’s perspective and the policy for admitting students into college. This will help them understand the complexity of college admissions. This also get students to think about what kind of criteria should schools use to admit applicants and whether the current one needs to be revised in order to create a more diverse campus.
After watching the NBC segment, Report: Justice Department to Target College Affirmative Action this text source can lead into the secondary idea of how colleges can create diversity in the classroom. The teacher can have students break up into groups and list 20 specific and detailed requirements that their group believe should be necessary to get into a specific type of college. After the brainstorming activity, have students read this online source and have them revise their list if needed. Have each group share their list on the whiteboard and in ranking order. As a class discuss and come up with one list of 20 requirements that colleges should look at when admitting students. Place that list in ranking order of importance. Does UC Berkeley change their admittance criteria? Revisit affirmative action and discuss how colleges can make their campuses diverse and at what cost. The text meets the CCSS-ELA standard 11.12.7 and 11.12.8.
Text: BlueLightSpcl. “IAmA Former Undergraduate Admissions Counselor for the University of Texas at Austin AMA!” Reddit, June 25, 2015, https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3b3hwm/iama_former_undergraduate_admissions_counselor/
Reading Level: The overall text is slightly complex since all the answers are very straightforward. Students will have the ability to easily understand the questions and responses.
A former undergraduate admissions counselor from the University of Texas does an “ask me anything” on the social media Reddit. The counselor provides proof to the moderator of the forum in order to lend credibility to their answers. Members of Reddit can ask the counselor any question and they will answer it. Questions range from the selection process, to diversity and affirmative action, to applications. The former counselor makes a conscious effort to answer every question. In addition to questions there are comments by other members of the forum and personal beliefs about race and diversity from the counselor.
This text document is significant because it provides insight to what really happens during the admissions process. Students can get a better understanding of how applicants are chosen from someone that was actually part of the process. There’s always a lot of mystery behind the selection process and this text allow students to understand it straight from the source. Students need to see a different perspective of affirmative action and this text source provides it.
The teacher can use this Reddit AMA to conclude about diversity on college campuses. Let students select five questions and have them respond as if they were an admissions counselor for a university. What would they say? Have the students share this on a blog and share their responses with the whole class. Come to a class conclusion about whether affirmative action is good for a school or harmful. Finally come to a conclusion on how to create diversity in a fair and equitable manner on college campuses. This meets the CCSS-ELA criteria of 11.12.7 and 11.12.9.
Reading Level: The overall text is slightly complex since all the answers are very straightforward. Students will have the ability to easily understand the questions and responses.
A former undergraduate admissions counselor from the University of Texas does an “ask me anything” on the social media Reddit. The counselor provides proof to the moderator of the forum in order to lend credibility to their answers. Members of Reddit can ask the counselor any question and they will answer it. Questions range from the selection process, to diversity and affirmative action, to applications. The former counselor makes a conscious effort to answer every question. In addition to questions there are comments by other members of the forum and personal beliefs about race and diversity from the counselor.
This text document is significant because it provides insight to what really happens during the admissions process. Students can get a better understanding of how applicants are chosen from someone that was actually part of the process. There’s always a lot of mystery behind the selection process and this text allow students to understand it straight from the source. Students need to see a different perspective of affirmative action and this text source provides it.
The teacher can use this Reddit AMA to conclude about diversity on college campuses. Let students select five questions and have them respond as if they were an admissions counselor for a university. What would they say? Have the students share this on a blog and share their responses with the whole class. Come to a class conclusion about whether affirmative action is good for a school or harmful. Finally come to a conclusion on how to create diversity in a fair and equitable manner on college campuses. This meets the CCSS-ELA criteria of 11.12.7 and 11.12.9.