What does it mean to tackle police brutality, racial justice, and being an upstander?
Theme: Racism, Discrimination, and Police Brutality
Purpose: This text set is designed to get people talking about social issues taking place. When exploring the essential question, What does it mean to tackle police brutality, racial justice, and being an upstander?, you will be frustrated, angry, and confused. These texts explore the aftermath of police brutality and racism and the affects they have on the entire community and nation. These are great for fostering discussions about current events.
Audience: 8th grade+ Readers need to be mature enough to handle an understanding of racial tension and police brutality and there is some strong language.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5
Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Purpose: This text set is designed to get people talking about social issues taking place. When exploring the essential question, What does it mean to tackle police brutality, racial justice, and being an upstander?, you will be frustrated, angry, and confused. These texts explore the aftermath of police brutality and racism and the affects they have on the entire community and nation. These are great for fostering discussions about current events.
Audience: 8th grade+ Readers need to be mature enough to handle an understanding of racial tension and police brutality and there is some strong language.
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.5
Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.7
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Anchor Text
Reynolds, J., & Kiely, B. (2015). All American Boys. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
All American Boys, co-written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, is a story told from two young men's perspective. An African American, Rashad, and Quinn, who is White. Rashad was mistaken as a shoplifter, and after a white police officer gets physically aggressive, he ends up in the hospital with multiple injuries. However, Quinn, who knows the police officer and witnessed the police brutality must decide whether to speak up, being an upstander or stay silent. It is a story of two boys, who both experience the same incident, but have two different views. With so much police violence, racial stereotyping, and brutality in society today, this book is a must read to understand the real struggle that is all over the media.
Police Brutality Advocate
Colin Kaepernick
Kaepernick, a former football player for the San Francisco 49ers, started the #TakeAKnee movement to stand up to police brutality and racial profiling.
Click here to read about his standing up for justice by kneeling.
Kaepernick was recognized as GQ's 2017 Citizen of the Year, ACLU receiving the Eason Monroe Courageous Advocate Award (click here to listen to acceptance speech), and the Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award (click here for acceptance speech)
PoetryIt is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. These poems are all about police brutality; they are full of images, metaphors, and powerful statements. Poetry is a healing language and a way for people to cope with the issues they are presented and make their voice herd.
Police Brutality Poems |
PhotographySocial photography is a valuable tool that can be used to depict social issues in order to provoke action. This collection of Pinterest photographs was resulted in completing a search of police brutality
Police Brutality Photography |
Video
Great Performances present Anna Deavere Smith's Twilight: Los Angeles, which is an account of the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. Like in All American Boys, this video has multiple view points and is relevant as a piece of history and our current social events.
Twilight: Los Angeles
Supporting Texts
Volponi, P. (2005). Black and White. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group.
This story is about two high school students who are stars on the basketball team. They commit a crime together, but have different paths within the justice system. This text shows the impact of racism can have on a community. |
Emond, S. (2015). Bright Lights, Dark Nights. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
This novel is about a white boy, Walter, who likes a African-American girl, Naomi. However, Walter's father who is a policeman, is caught up in a racial profiling situation. Walter and Naomi face a lot of pressures as they try to live their lives. |
Magoon, K. (2014). How It Went Down. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
A black sixteen-year-old, Tariq Johnson, is shot and killed by Jack Franklin, who is white. Everyone has an opinion and the community is in uproar from what occurred. |