English Language Arts

Lesson Plan
Adjusted for Technology
Lesson Plan: Analyzing the Theme of Freedom in Three Speeches
Students define freedom based on three freedom-themed speeches and make an argument
about a current political topic referencing their definition and citations from the speeches.
Subject: English Language Arts
Grades: 9, 10
Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9: Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary
significance, including how they address related themes and concepts.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of
substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Objectives:
Students will be able to analyze and synthesize three texts in order to define freedom, a
theme central to all three texts.
Students will be able to apply their definition, using evidence from the three texts, to
current, real-life issues and topics.
Students will understand that applying general, agreed-upon principles to specific, reallife cases may lead to differing interpretations and policy choices.
Assignment:
Read FDRs State of the Union Address, Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream,
and Ronald Reagans Address to Students at Moscow State University as excerpted.
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Activities:
Assign students to groups of four to five.
Each group defines freedom in 50 words or fewer. The definition need not
(though it may) include quotations from the three speeches, but it must aim to encompass
the notion of freedom presented in all three speeches and not to contradict any of them.
Each group posts its definition. Teacher leads Q&A on differences among
definitions and why groups made the choices they did. Students may question other
groups. All answers reference the speeches.
Teacher takes nominations of current local or U.S. political topics, which revolve
at least partly around notions of freedom (gun control, counter-terrorism efforts, same-sex
marriage, etc.). A student lists the nominations on the board or whiteboard. Teacher polls
students, with each student selecting one nominated topic they would like to explore
further. The top three to six topics are chosen. Teacher may have prepared information on

current topics to share with students. (Alternatively, if multiple days are available,
students can be assigned to research topics.)
Students now form groups based on their chosen topic. Referencing the speeches,
students discuss and begin to form individual opinions on the topics. The guiding
question is, If the government aims to advance freedom, what policy should it adopt on
this issue?. Students discuss (and, perhaps, debate) their ideas. Teacher circulates to
advise and scaffold. As time allows, a reporter from each group shares the central
agreements and disagreements among the group.
Writing assignment:
Using textual evidence from at least one speech, preferably two or all three, each student
writes a policy paper on that topic. The paper includes a definition of freedomany of
the groups established definitions or their ownand the phrase Freedom demands
that, and explains why the quotations from the speech(es) supports their position.
Assessment:
Participation in group discussion may be assessed. Policy paper is assessed based on a
rubric focused on the quality of the case for the students proposed policy, supported by
citing textual references and explaining their application to the chosen topic.

Proposed Changes:
To introduce the lesson, I would show the class videos of each speech. Id have
each group of 4 or 5 students post their own definitions of freedom on the class website
(either on Weebly, Schoology or Google Classroom). Each group will have to post a
response to other groups definitions (agree, disagree and why).
I would have students use DragOnTape to cut and splice youtube videos of the
three speeches. The edited clips would serve as the textual references in support of each
groups definition of freedom. The DragOnTape clips would be included in a
VoiceThread presentation that combines images students find about freedom. Using
VoiceThread, students will have to provide their voices to explain the clips they chose
and the associated images they must include in the presentation. Each group would have
to sequence their images and video clips in a coherent manner that supports their
definition.
The VoiceThread images and any video clips would also include the related
current event chosen by the class. Again, the voice over would include a clear
explanation (associated with images/videos) of how their definition of freedom applies to
the current event topic. Each VoiceThread must also include the answer to the question:
If the government aims to advance freedom, what policy should it adopt on this issue?.