This unit centers around two pedagogical ideas within the context of the secondary English classroom. The first is that by sharpening skills of critical analysis, students can use those skills across multiple disciplines and in their lives outside of school. The second is that students need more opportunities to respond to texts through the creation of their own texts. Drawing from work that I do in my own classroom, the structure of this YNHTI Seminar led by Dr. Ferguson, and changes happening in college-level composition courses like the First Year Writing course at UCONN, this unit asks students to apply skills of critical analysis to three visual texts by Clotilde Jimenez and then respond to those texts by composing a creative text of their own. Intended to be a unit done with students in the beginning stages of the school year, this unit will provide a foundation for visual literacy skills that can be put to use in other arenas of study both in the English classroom and in other classes throughout the rest of the academic year. For this unit, the three visual texts are all by the artist Clotilde Jimenez, an artist who works primarily in mixed media collage.

Poster encouraging citizens to use the resources at the Schomburg Collection of the New York Public Library to learn more about African and African American history and culture. Posters of the WPA / Christopher DeNoon. Los Angeles : Wheatly Press, c1987, no. 272 Exhibited in: American Responses to Nazi Book Burning, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., 2003.

Poster for a book about African American history, showing a man holding broken chain and lamp. Posters of the WPA / Christopher DeNoon. Los Angeles: Wheatly Press, c1987, no. 258

Poster for Federal Music Project presentation of an African American concert band, showing musicians in silhouette. Attributed to Carken. Posters of the WPA / Christopher DeNoon. Los Angeles: Wheatly Press, c1987, no. 246

Facsimile of poster for Federal Theatre Project presentation of "Big White Fog", sponsored by International House Theatre, 1414 E. 59th St. Fairfax 8200, showing a man trapped in a fog that extends from a hut in Africa to a big city.

Poster for Federal Theatre Project presentation of "Run, Little Chillun" at the Savoy Theatre, San Diego, showing two men singing and two women dancing.

Poster for Federal Theatre Project presentation of "Dixie to Broadway" at the Lincoln Theatre, Decatur, Illinois, showing chorus girl, band, and cotton plant.

Poster for Federal Theatre Project presentation of "African Vineyard" at the Federal Theatre Playhouse, Tulane and Miro, Los Angeles, California, showing an African American woman with a basket of fruit and flowers on her head.

Poster for Negro Theatre Project presentation of "The Case of Philip Lawrence" at the Lafayette Theatre, Seventh Ave. and 131st Street, New York City, showing African-American man with arms chained together, man in electric chair, woman in red dress. Date stamped on verso: Jun 4 1937. Posters of the WPA / Christopher DeNoon. Los Angeles : Wheatly Press, c1987, no. 115

This is an online companion to the 8-part PBS documentary on the American West. The site is divided into sections dealing with an overall tour, events in the West, places, people, and archives.

This lesson allows students to delve into the life of a current or historical member of Congress. Biography can be a powerful too that can impact a person. The Members of Congress categories include: youngest, women, African-Americans, Latino-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, former athletes, former entertainers and Independents/third party. Students should conduct research and then either write a report, give a presentation (or do both) as an assessment. The lesson provides names for each category, a sample rubric and recommended website resources for research.