This Curricular Text Set Examines Conformity
It is designed with High School Level Students in mind.
It is designed with High School Level Students in mind.
WHY DO GOOD PEOPLE GO ALONG WITH EVIL ACTS?
Suggested Audience: 10th grade Advanced Placement World History students. However, if the anchor text is switched to the Novel, this same text set could easily work for a 10th grade advanced placement English class. The same follows if the anchor text is exchanged for a psychology textbook; All the items in this list could be considered supplemental to a psychology class.
Standards Addressed:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.3
Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.5
Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.7
Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9
Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Anchor Text: Documentary Film Lesson Plan: A Documentary About “The Third Wave” accessible in multiple formats at: http://www.lessonplanmovie.com/watch/
Set Purpose: Serve as support, extension, explanation and evidence for concepts and ideas, encountered in the Documentary. Also, students will address the essential question, “How can “good” people go along with evil acts?”
List of Annotated Texts:
- Novel: The Wave by Todd Strasser
1967 social experiment featured in the documentary. Characters and situations
are more dramatic and is written for a YA perspective on the issues. May also
give students a perspective as to how history and science (psychology) are not
mutually exclusive.
- Footage of the Milgram Obedience Study https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTX42lVDwA4
and footage from the actual experiment. This will potentially give students
evidence for support in their answers to the essential question.
- Footage of the Stanford Prison Experiment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZwfNs1pqG0
the study and footage from the actual experiment. This will potentially give
Students evidence for support in their answers to the essential question.
- Social Thinking: Crash Course Psychology #37 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6HLDV0T5Q8
individuals can adjust their thinking to match situations and environment. These
videos are brief and humorous which work well with the YA perspective.
- Social Influence: Crash Course Psychology #38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGxGDdQnC1Y
individuals are influenced by those around them and how environment and
perspective can play a part in this. These videos are brief and humorous which
work well with the YA perspective.
- Article: Think you're above doing evil? Think again. Discover. Apr 2007, Vol. 28 Issue 4, p68-69. 2p
- http://discovermagazine.com/2007/apr/book-excerpt
This Article is a brief explanation of the Stanford Prison Experiment as well as an
excerpt from Philip Zimbardo’s (of the Stanford Prison Experiment) book The
Lucifer Effect. Zimbardo reflects on his experiment as well as its similarities to
the Abu Ghraib prison atrocities. This can provide students with perspective and
evidence when answering the essential question.
- Article: Scientific American Mind: Conformity Starts Young
This article explores the social psych theory of pluralistic ignorance where
individuals will not voice a dissenting opinion due to the erroneous notion that
they are the only one who thinks that way. The article highlights a study of young
children who answered questions incorrectly thinking they were the only ones
who knew the answer so as not to upset the group. This is crucial to the students
understanding and answering the essential question.
- Book Excerpt: The Psychology Book:Big Ideas Simply Explained pages 248-255 *See Librarian for access to resource
showed that people are capable of causing extreme harm to others when told to
do so by a figure of authority and Zimbardo set out to discover how individuals
respond when placed in a position of power with unimpeded authority. These
ideas are important for students to consider when answering the essential
question.