This is a full year of English and social studies built around one central question: how does language shape who we are, what we believe, and what we're willing to fight for? Five units, each with its own arc: Walk a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes — Students shadow someone whose life is nothing like their own, then write and present what they learned about perspective and privilege. Combating Discrimination: Black Like Me — Students read Griffin's account of racism in the 1950s, trace how he uses narrative to expose injustice, discuss discrimination then and now, and write analytical essays about what systems of inequality actually look like. Gender Roles & Equality:
See it on Teachers Pay Teachers — $21.60
A Doll's House — Students examine gender in their own lives, then analyze how Ibsen writes characters who push back against what society expects. Nothing preachy. They discover feminism through observation and literature. Political Turmoil: Propaganda & Animal Farm — Orwell's novella shows how leaders use language to gain power. Students read it alongside real speeches, spot propaganda techniques, write their own persuasive arguments, and design PSAs. PSA & Ad Campaign — The capstone:
students pick a social issue, research it, design 2-4 pieces of visual material, and write about why they made the choices they made. Portfolio work. Everything is here: unit overviews, reading guides, discussion activities, essay prompts with rubrics, rubrics for presentations and projects, study guides, teacher guides full of differentiation ideas and debrief questions. No need to hunt for supplementary materials. 9-12 grade English, social studies, or interdisciplinary classes. CCSS standards for reading, writing, speaking/listening, media literacy.
Your students walk away being able to recognize how language manipulates, how perspective shapes story, and how they can use writing and design to argue for what they believe in.
Designed for grades 9th – 12th.
Starmaker English and Journalism Tools 
Leave a comment