ELA Electives: African-America Lit

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GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

ELA 4: BLM Journal Entry

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GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

SS: US History 11

This culturally relevant and responsive unit of study responds to the various civil rights crises faced by marginalized groups in the United States. Building upon the foundation of what is typically taught in K-12 schools, students will begin by exploring the historical context surrounding the African-American struggle for Civil Rights, with a focus on Jim Crow segregation and systemic racism. Then, by including the stories of individuals and groups that are sometimes lesser-known due to their more “controversial” beliefs and actions, students will examine the Civil Rights Movement from different perspectives. Students will evaluate the success of the movement by weighing the victories against the systemic issues that continue today. Having taken a deeper look at this movement, students will compare and contrast it to movements started by other marginalized groups. In the performance task, students will identify a marginalized group and a civil rights issue that the group is experiencing today, and research and reflect upon the historical context as well as the solutions/actions that are being taken to resolve this issue.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Percentages Math 6

In this unit of study, students continue to think about proportional relationships by extending their thinking to the real life context of percentages. This DE version of the unit will be shorter than a face-to-face version and has yet to be condensed. In face-to-face instruction most learning experiences take us two days. In DE versions, we are finding a learning experience takes four days. We utilize DESMOS as a technology tool to engage students in the work and to see their thinking in real time. Because we are virtual now, when we do the performance assessment, we anticipate advantages to using technology. For example, students can invite their hero or present their proposal to their hero in Screencastify.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

ELA Electives_Journalism and Advocacy

This research project is the culminating assessment for senior Journalism students. It directly follows a unit about understanding the nature of a complex issue (world poverty) and analyzing it from various perspectives. This project requires students to select a local or hyperlocal issue about which they care deeply and feel that a change would improve the lives of those in our community. The project combines the Solutions Journalism model and Connected Learning principles to allow students to research and examine what solutions have already been tried in our community and in other parts of the country, evaluate their effectiveness, and propose an appropriate course of action for ameliorating the problem in our community. Through use of powerful online digital literacies, scholars will take their message to a wider audience by writing, presenting, recording, and posting a TED Talk style presentation on our school YouTube channel in order to further the conversation in the community. The aim for the project is to empower students to use their voices to create lasting, meaningful change around issues they feel are worthy of their advocacy.
Liz Conroy, 2019

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

ELA Electives: Journalism and Advocacy

This research project is the culminating assessment for senior journalism students. It directly follows a unit about understanding the nature of a complex issue (world poverty) and analyzing it from various perspectives. This project requires students to select a local or hyperlocal issue about which they care deeply and feel that a change would improve the lives of those in our community. The project combines the Solutions Journalism model and Connected Learning principles to allow students to research and examine what solutions have already been tried in our community and in other parts of the country, evaluate their effectiveness, and propose an appropriate course of action for ameliorating the problem in our community. Through use of powerful online digital literacies, scholars will take their message to a wider audience by writing, presenting, recording, and posting a TED Talk style presentation on our school YouTube channel in order to further the conversation in the community. The aim for the project is to empower students to use their voices to create lasting, meaningful change around issues they feel are worthy of their advocacy.
Liz Conroy, 2019

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

SS: The Road to Civil Rights is Long and Wide

In this Participation in Government (12th grade course) unit, students will understand that Civil Rights should provide equal protection and opportunity under the law for ALL Americans, even when some groups resist. The unit culminates with a research project on civil rights movements (BLM, Equal Work, Equal Pay, Latinex, LBGTQ, Chicanos', Women, Transgender, Native American, and Disability groups, or another of students' choice).

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Black Classical Musicians

Scholars are paired with a Gateways musician who plays the same instrument as them to learn about the musician's path to becoming a professional musician.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Black Classical Musicians

Scholars are paired with a Gateways musician who plays the same instrument as them to learn about the musician's path to becoming a professional musician.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Studio Art

Black and White Portrait of an inspirational historical figure- drawn using the “grid method” and shaded using drawing pencils of a historical figure that the student finds inspirational. Students will self assess work using the project rubric to reflect on final work and practice drawings created throughout the unit.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

General Chemistry_Unit 1: COVID-19

The Get Real! Science Collective is a group of educators, medical professionals, and community members who in response to the COVID-19 pandemic co-designed a science unit that aims to be responsive to the needs of the community during and after the pandemic. We are a group committed to culturally sustaining, anti-racist, and ambitious science teaching & learning in order to best serve the needs of students, teachers, and community members. We hope to address how science is cultural and intersects The main question driving this unit is “Why do different communities experience COVID-19 differently?”. We explore how our identity and context informs how we have experienced the pandemic. We aim to use youth voice to understand the different challenges that urban, suburban, and rural communities face in regards to the pandemic, and what we share in common across our region. By the end of the unit, students are asked to construct an explanation and design a solution to a challenge facing our community related to COVID-19. Lastly, this unit serves as an improved Scientific Methods Unit by having students employ the Next Generation Science Standards Science (NGSS) / New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) as tools for them to respond to our rapidly changing world.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Black Classical Musicians

Scholars are paired with a Gateways musician who plays the same instrument as them to learn about the musician's path to becoming a professional musician.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Identity Project

Anatomy and Physiology: In this series of lessons, scholars explore their identities as a foundation of classroom culture and for their exploration of biology. Note from the writer: This is my 4th year teaching Anatomy & Physiology and during the summer of 2019, I attended Dr. Sonia’s (Sonia James-Wilson) summer institute on CRRP. I was fascinated with all the information she presented. She had us explore our identity through a different kind of lens. Ourselves. Not how we think others view us, but having us look deep within ourselves. I met with her numerous times about how to incorporate this into the A&P curriculum and it didn’t really fit anywhere so we used it as an introduction and titled it: Who are you? This was a different approach than previous years but I felt it was important for our scholars to look at who they are or who they think they are before getting into the cellular level and exploring all the different systems. The scholars loved the hands on activities which included the mask making. The mask making PPT, lesson plan, identity map and student pictures were utilized Fall of 2019 in school. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to the integumentary system (skin) because Dr. Sonia and I were going to bring back the CRRP material in that unit in regards to why skin colors are different and what does it mean.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Math 3: Statistics

In this Statistics unit, scholars will learn about patterns and deviations from patterns, investigate displays of statistics, use stats to make informed decisions, learn the procedures of well-designed experiments, the impact of bias on a study or experiment, all while using data sets relevant to their community. Note from the writer: Throughout the spring and summer of 2020 I noticed how data and statistics were presented in the news. The statistics that people were asked to consume were usually very different from what is typically taught in high school mathematics classes. Statistics on infection rates and mortality rates for Covid-19, statistics on police violence toward people of color, statistics on the effectiveness of different virus treatments or vaccines, all seem to present categorical data in ratios and percentages that seem different from what students often learn in middle school (and then not again). I decided that I wanted to present a unit that seemed very current and relevant to students’ lives and presented data right from the news. I acknowledge that the level of mathematics in this opening part of the unit is not done at a very high level for high school students; however I want my students to really understand statistics that they see in the news or on social media. I want my students to practice reading and interpreting infographics and developing some digital literacy skills. I want them to see how statistics can be used to mislead people who don’t dig deeper or question the sources. In an attempt to keep students engaged and thinking from home while they Zoom for class I believe that this introduction to the unit on statistics was really important. I am more happy, as a teacher, if my students can research a topic that is important to them and use statistics to support their claim, than if they can calculate a standard deviation or determine whether or not a data value would be considered an outlier. In a normal year of in person teaching this unit introduction might look very different, but this has not been a normal year.

Dr. Kevin Westrich
East High

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Math 3: Statistics

In this Statistics unit, scholars will learn about patterns and deviations from patterns, investigate displays of statistics, use stats to make informed decisions, learn the procedures of well-designed experiments, the impact of bias on a study or experiment, all while using data sets relevant to their community. Note from the writer: Throughout the spring and summer of 2020 I noticed how data and statistics were presented in the news. The statistics that people were asked to consume were usually very different from what is typically taught in high school mathematics classes. Statistics on infection rates and mortality rates for Covid-19, statistics on police violence toward people of color, statistics on the effectiveness of different virus treatments or vaccines, all seem to present categorical data in ratios and percentages that seem different from what students often learn in middle school (and then not again). I decided that I wanted to present a unit that seemed very current and relevant to students’ lives and presented data right from the news. I acknowledge that the level of mathematics in this opening part of the unit is not done at a very high level for high school students; however I want my students to really understand statistics that they see in the news or on social media. I want my students to practice reading and interpreting infographics and developing some digital literacy skills. I want them to see how statistics can be used to mislead people who don’t dig deeper or question the sources. In an attempt to keep students engaged and thinking from home while they Zoom for class I believe that this introduction to the unit on statistics was really important. I am more happy, as a teacher, if my students can research a topic that is important to them and use statistics to support their claim, than if they can calculate a standard deviation or determine whether or not a data value would be considered an outlier. In a normal year of in person teaching this unit introduction might look very different, but this has not been a normal year.

Dr. Kevin Westrich
East High

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Math 3: Statistics

In this Statistics unit, scholars will learn about patterns and deviations from patterns, investigate displays of statistics, use stats to make informed decisions, learn the procedures of well-designed experiments, the impact of bias on a study or experiment, all while using data sets relevant to their community. Note from the writer: Throughout the spring and summer of 2020 I noticed how data and statistics were presented in the news. The statistics that people were asked to consume were usually very different from what is typically taught in high school mathematics classes. Statistics on infection rates and mortality rates for Covid-19, statistics on police violence toward people of color, statistics on the effectiveness of different virus treatments or vaccines, all seem to present categorical data in ratios and percentages that seem different from what students often learn in middle school (and then not again). I decided that I wanted to present a unit that seemed very current and relevant to students’ lives and presented data right from the news. I acknowledge that the level of mathematics in this opening part of the unit is not done at a very high level for high school students; however I want my students to really understand statistics that they see in the news or on social media. I want my students to practice reading and interpreting infographics and developing some digital literacy skills. I want them to see how statistics can be used to mislead people who don’t dig deeper or question the sources. In an attempt to keep students engaged and thinking from home while they Zoom for class I believe that this introduction to the unit on statistics was really important. I am more happy, as a teacher, if my students can research a topic that is important to them and use statistics to support their claim, than if they can calculate a standard deviation or determine whether or not a data value would be considered an outlier. In a normal year of in person teaching this unit introduction might look very different, but this has not been a normal year.

Dr. Kevin Westrich
East High

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

ELA III: Reformation

Scholars are required to think independently about their stance relative to one of three prompts in the culminating assessment. They must develop their own stance and support it using rhetorical strategies they have learned. They have some choice from three prompts and from both oral and spoken components including rhetorical strategies. Current local events (Daniel Prude murder, protests) are used heavily in first lessons. Current texts (Ta-Nehesi Coates) and popular culture (Childish Gambino) are used to provide hooks into text. The unit requires students to reflect on their own identity.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

General Chemistry_Unit 1: COVID-19

The Get Real! Science Collective is a group of educators, medical professionals, and community members who in response to the COVID-19 pandemic co-designed a science unit that aims to be responsive to the needs of the community during and after the pandemic. We are a group committed to culturally sustaining, anti-racist, and ambitious science teaching & learning in order to best serve the needs of students, teachers, and community members. We hope to address how science is cultural and intersects The main question driving this unit is “Why do different communities experience COVID-19 differently?”. We explore how our identity and context informs how we have experienced the pandemic. We aim to use youth voice to understand the different challenges that urban, suburban, and rural communities face in regards to the pandemic, and what we share in common across our region. By the end of the unit, students are asked to construct an explanation and design a solution to a challenge facing our community related to COVID-19. Lastly, this unit serves as an improved Scientific Methods Unit by having students employ the Next Generation Science Standards Science (NGSS) / New York State Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS) Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) as tools for them to respond to our rapidly changing world.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Memoir Narrative

Task: Students will compile pieces that reflect on their experiences from the course of the unit and determine a uniting theme. Students will share their memoir with their class and explain the connection between their theme and the song they choose as the title track of their soundtrack.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Studio Art

Black and White Portrait of an inspirational historical figure- drawn using the “grid method” and shaded using drawing pencils of a historical figure that the student finds inspirational. Students will self assess work using the project rubric to reflect on final work and practice drawings created throughout the unit.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Math 3: Statistics

In this Statistics unit, scholars will learn about patterns and deviations from patterns, investigate displays of statistics, use stats to make informed decisions, learn the procedures of well-designed experiments, the impact of bias on a study or experiment, all while using data sets relevant to their community. Note from the writer: Throughout the spring and summer of 2020 I noticed how data and statistics were presented in the news. The statistics that people were asked to consume were usually very different from what is typically taught in high school mathematics classes. Statistics on infection rates and mortality rates for Covid-19, statistics on police violence toward people of color, statistics on the effectiveness of different virus treatments or vaccines, all seem to present categorical data in ratios and percentages that seem different from what students often learn in middle school (and then not again). I decided that I wanted to present a unit that seemed very current and relevant to students’ lives and presented data right from the news. I acknowledge that the level of mathematics in this opening part of the unit is not done at a very high level for high school students; however I want my students to really understand statistics that they see in the news or on social media. I want my students to practice reading and interpreting infographics and developing some digital literacy skills. I want them to see how statistics can be used to mislead people who don’t dig deeper or question the sources. In an attempt to keep students engaged and thinking from home while they Zoom for class I believe that this introduction to the unit on statistics was really important. I am more happy, as a teacher, if my students can research a topic that is important to them and use statistics to support their claim, than if they can calculate a standard deviation or determine whether or not a data value would be considered an outlier. In a normal year of in person teaching this unit introduction might look very different, but this has not been a normal year.

Dr. Kevin Westrich
East High

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Black Classical Musicians

Scholars are paired with a Gateways musician who plays the same instrument as them to learn about the musician's path to becoming a professional musician.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

Anatomy & Physiology: Identity Project

Anatomy and Physiology: In this series of lessons, scholars explore their identities as a foundation of classroom culture and for their exploration of biology. Note from the writer: This is my 4th year teaching Anatomy & Physiology and during the summer of 2019, I attended Dr. Sonia’s (Sonia James-Wilson) summer institute on CRRP. I was fascinated with all the information she presented. She had us explore our identity through a different kind of lens. Ourselves. Not how we think others view us, but having us look deep within ourselves. I met with her numerous times about how to incorporate this into the A&P curriculum and it didn’t really fit anywhere so we used it as an introduction and titled it: Who are you? This was a different approach than previous years but I felt it was important for our scholars to look at who they are or who they think they are before getting into the cellular level and exploring all the different systems. The scholars loved the hands on activities which included the mask making. The mask making PPT, lesson plan, identity map and student pictures were utilized Fall of 2019 in school. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to the integumentary system (skin) because Dr. Sonia and I were going to bring back the CRRP material in that unit in regards to why skin colors are different and what does it mean.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

SS US Global_Unit 1: Enough is Enough

Using the Enlightenment and French Revolution as the content, scholars will act as informed citizens in our democracy and promote social justice by identifying and researching social, economic and political issues in our community, analyzing underlying factors, and developing strategies to address the issues. (Mission connection: thinks purposefully to inform action; advocates for others; thinks critically to solve problems). Note from the writers: this unit has evolved over years of hard work and dedication from a team of history teachers working to ensure our units and lessons are culturally responsive, historically relevant and connected to the world our scholars live in today. This particular unit explores one constant in world history, change. This unit allows scholars to explore revolutions of the past and make connections through enduring issues to society today. Like everything we do at East, this is a living document. Each day we continue to work with what you see to ensure it is fresh and relevant to our scholars!

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

SS 7: Resistance to Colonization

Using colonization and enslavement as the content, scholars explore resistance from groups of people in an effort to understand if history repeats itself and if so, what should be done about it.

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER

US History: Democracy and Power

Although our constitution was developed to address the issues of equality, freedom, power and the will of the people, scholars will answer the question: How democratic is our constitution? In this bilingual class unit, scholars are encouraged to apply their learning to their lives as Latina or Latino. Current events connections are throughout the unit (e.g. the video on Hispanic activism relative to BLM in Learning Experience 6). By broadening questions about the past, this unit allows application to the present. Students have choice but are required to either 1) create awareness on how we can use the constitution to seek change or 2) demonstrate how they can use their constitutional rights to become active and seek change. This requirement should allow them to utilize their cultural knowledge, address areas of personal interest, and make conceptual connections between past and present

GRADE LEVEL

SUBJECT MATTER