MULTICULTURAL LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Student____Brendan Riley______________________________

Subject/Concepts________English_________________ Grade
Level____12__

1. Standards:
• Students will be able to analyze the influence of history and culture on a text, and interpret the
given material in a more contemporary context.
• Multicultural goal: Students will be able to examine American history and everyday life from
different cultural perspectives and reflect on what they have learned.
o Observable objective: Students will be able to write about the influence of culture and
history on the works of Tupac Shakur and Sherman Alexie.
• Auditory-Visual-Kinesthetic learning styles: Visual, auditory, verbal, interpersonal, solitary
• Gardner's Intelligence: Linguistic, musical, interpersonal

2. Materials: Handout with reading material, including one song by Bob Dylan (“The Times They Are
a Changing”), two Poems by Tupac Shakur (“The Rose That Grew from Concrete”, “Liberty Needs
Glasses”) two short stories by Sherman Alexie (“Fixed Income”, “Honor Society”) PowerPoint about
three authors. Handout with essay questions.

3. Instruction- learning Process:

• Do First: The historical context for Bob Dylan’s song will be provided for students to read, and
so will the lyrics. They’ll be asked to write about how they think the civil rights movement and
other historical events of the 1960s could have influenced the song.
• Mini-lesson: After discussing the civil rights movement and Bob Dylan’s song, we’ll move on
to Tupac and his poems. In the PowerPoint there will be a very brief overview about his life and
his connection to the Black Panther Party. After we go over that, we’ll read and discuss his poem
Liberty Needs Glasses. Next, we’ll read “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” which sets us up
for Sherman Alexie’s stories. We’ll go over Alexie and his stories almost the same as Tupac and
his poems, but there will be a pinch of Native American history in there as well.
• Guided Practice: Students will discuss the influence of each author’s personal history and
culture on their work.
• Independent Practice: Essay questions.
• 1. Bob Dylan said the times were changing during the civil rights movement of the sixties,
specifically on January 13th, 1964. Tupac’s poems were written between 1989 and 1991. Would
he think the times had changed much? What do you think? Consider contemporary events when
answering.
• 2. Compare Sherman Alexie’s stories about busting his tail to pay for college and support
his family to Tupac’s poem about the rose that grew from concrete. Think about the themes the
stories share with the poem.
• Exit Slip: Two short answer questions.
1. How might the civil rights movement of the ‘60s and the history of police brutality against
African Americans have influenced Tupac’s work?
2. How might the widespread poverty Native Americans face have influenced Sherman Alexie’s
stories?
4. Resources:
Agortist, M. (Mar. 6, 2014). “The Reason Tupac Shot Two Police Officers and Wasn’t Charged.”
Thefreethoughtproject.org
Alexie, S. (Nov. 21, 2016). “Fixed Income” The Rumpus. therumpus.net
Alexie, S. (Nov. 21, 2016). “Honor Society” The Rumpus. therumpus.net
Dylan, B. (1964). “The Times They Are A-Changing” [Recorded by Dylan, B.]
“Kill the Indian, and Save the Man.” Historymatters.gmu.edu
Meline, G. (June 16, 2016). “Remembering the Time Tupac Sued the Oakland Police for $10 Million.”
kqed.org
Shakur, T.A. (1999). “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” The Rose That Grew from Concrete.
Genius.com
Shakur, T.A. “Liberty Needs Glasses” The Rose That Grew from Concrete. Genius.com
Williams, Y. “The 1960s.” history.com
Williamson, T. (Feb. 17, 2017). “Just What Was the Sixties Scoop?” tvo.org

5. Reflection:
I think this was a step in the right direction, but I have some concerns. I don’t think my standard was
narrow enough, and I’m sure my observable objective could be improved. I believe my independent
practice questions were good, and my guided practice questions were solid. I think I chose good,
interesting material that provides different cultural perspectives on history and everyday life.

[Refer to Grading Rubric for the Multicultural Lesson Plan in the Course Syllabus.]