Cry,+The+Beloved+Country

Using //Cry, The Beloved Country// as our anchoring text, seniors explore issues of racial, economic, and educational injustices both in the novel as well as through an exploration of the Chicago public educational system. Throughout this comparative unit, students watch //Amandla!,// listen to South African music, and watch part of //Waiting for Superman//. Students read essays and poems by the following: Jonathan Kozol, William Ayers, LeAlan Jones, David Isay, Gregory Michie, Peggy McIntosh, and Kevin Coval. We also read MLK's "I Have a Dream Speech," the Gettysburg Address, and a few pieces by Mandela and Ghandi. In groups, students study a Chicago public school (we look at traditional, charter, turnaround, and magnet) and complete a 20-minute formal presentation on their school, focusing on the following essential questions: What are the features and challenges of the state of public education in Chicago today? What are the signs of hope? What is our responsibility to this system, if any, as students, citizens? Finally, students write an essay asking them to consider issues of justice, morality, or responsiblity (or an approved topic of their choice) in the novel as well as in Chicago educational institutions.