Humanity

Objective:
Students will recognize the effects of humanity on world events and in literature
This will be an on-going discussion/reference point.

Focus and Review:
Teacher will introduce the idea of humanity, beginning with a banner listing definitions for the word.
Humanity:
1. The condition of being human; human nature
2. The quality of being humane; kindness
3. The study of literature, philosophy, and the arts

Instructional Strategy:
Students will read a variety of literature and connect the idea of humanity to the plot of the story. Students will discuss character development within the stories and determine whether characters showed humanity toward others. Students will look at current events and determine where humanity is seen.

Concluding Activity:
As this is an on-going discussion through the year, no concluding activity has been organized.

Favorite Examples:

*"War of the Wall" tells how two boys from the ghetto evolve from hating a painter lady to loving here wall of respect.
*"Song of the Trees" shows a family's struggle to save their woods from the logging business. It is an excellent way to incorporate point-of-view with humanity when deciding who is right.
*"Homeless" is a non-fiction article addressing the human side of being homeless. Bubble Thinking Map is incorporated to provide description and journaling prompt is "If a homeless person lived in a park near my home, I would….."