Teaching U.S. Culture and Reading

1. Teaching U.S. Culture and Reading Mark Dorr United States Department of State English Language Specialist Kazakhstan, 2016 www.MarkDorr.com

2. Basic Structuring for Reading Reading • Make clear the purpose of the text (Students should know what they are supposed to do before they read the text) • Activate schema-discuss topic before reading, give background information, etc. • Try not to pre-teach vocabulary • Review comprehension questions before reading • Provide a framework of how to read-scan, skim, etc. • Read silently • Ask about vocabulary problems after reading • Try to relate questions, problems, and activities back to the text

3. Basic Structuring for Writing • Topics should be broad and flexible-explore the topic • Record ideas on paper-avoid criticism • Comments should be interactive-individual conferences, if possible, are best • Read writing aloud • Work on form and accuracy as it approaches the final draft • Have some writing activities/exercises with feedback without evaluation-journals, etc.

4. Superheroes and their Strengths Invisible Girl Plastic Man Thor Green Lantern Spider Man Invisibility, Shape Shift Flexible, Funny Enchanted Hammer Magic , Multitalented Clever, Agile Wasp Human Torch Iron Man Atom Shrink, Fly, Electronic Blast Fire, Fly Intelligent, Technology Intelligent, Small Size

5. What Is Your Identity? What Are Your Strengths? • List Three

6. You might be one of these, or one of these might appeal to you the most. Write about it! • Are you a trailblazer? Do you like to discover new places or ideas? • Are you a scientist? Do you seek to understand more about the world and tell others? • Are you an activist? Do you stand up for others? • Are you an artist? Do you feel the need to create?

7. Handout “Famous People”

8. Trailblazer! Sacagawea- female, explorer, languages Sacagawea (May 1788 – December 20, 1812), also Sakakawea or Sacajawea, was a Lemhi Shoshone woman who was a very important member of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition that explored the western United States after theLouisiana Purchase. With the expedition, between 1804 and 1806, she traveled thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, established cultural contacts with Native American populations, and researched natural history. In addition to her important skills of language, cultural knowledge, and peaceful presence, Sacagawea is culturally significant because she was an important part of the Lewis and Clark legend in the American public imagination. The National American Woman Suffrage Association of the early twentieth century adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence, erecting several statues and plaques in her memory, and doing much to spread the story of her accomplishments.

9. Trailblazer! Kit Carson- male, explorer, living in different cultures Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. Carson became a frontier legend in his own lifetime via biographies and news articles. Exaggerated versions of his exploits were the subject of dime novels. In the 1830s, at the age of 16, he went on an expedition to Mexican California and joined fur trapping expeditions into the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married into the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes. In the 1840s, he was hired as a guide for John Fremont's expedition in California, Oregon, and the Great Basin area. Fremont mapped and wrote about the Oregon Trail to assist and encourage westward-bound American pioneers. Carson achieved national fame through Fremont's accounts of his expeditions. In the 1850s, Kit Carson was appointed as the Indian agent to the Ute Indians and the Jicarilla Apaches. He is remembered for his fame from being a frontier guide and novels about him (many of which he did not like) as well as his relations with Native Americans.

10. Scientist! Rachel Carson-Female, science, writing Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement. Carson began her career an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her books The Sea Around Us,The Edge of the Sea, and Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. Late in the 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation, especially some environmental problems that she believed were caused by synthetic pesticides. In 1962, she wrote the famous book Silent Spring. Although this book was opposed fiercely by chemical companies, it caused national pesticide policy to change and inspired a grassroots environmental movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter.

11. Scientist! Edward Witten- Male, physicist, mathematics Edward Witten (August 26, 1951-present) is an American theoretical physicist and professor of mathematical physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Witten is a researcher in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathematical physics. In addition to his contributions to physics, Witten's work has significantly impacted pure mathematics. In 1990, he became the first and so far the only physicist to be awarded a Fields Medal by the International Mathematical Union. In 2004, Time magazine stated that Witten is widely thought to be the world's smartest living theoretical physicist. He is also described as having a profound impact on contemporary mathematics.

12. Activist! Susan B. Anthony-Female, women’s rights, anti-slavery Susan Brownell Anthony (February 20, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and feminist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. She began anti-slavery petitions as a teenager. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society. In 1872, she was arrested for voting in Rochester, New York and convicted in a widely publicized trial. In 1878, Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton arranged for Congress to be presented with an amendment giving women the right to vote. It became the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920. Anthony traveled and spoke extensively in support of women's suffrage in the U.S. and internationally, playing a key role in creating the International Council of Women. Though harshly ridiculed and accused of trying to destroy marriage, public perception changed during her lifetime. Her 80th birthday was celebrated in the White House at the invitation of President William McKinley. Later, in 1979, she became the first non-fictitious woman to be depicted on a U.S. coin.

13. Activist! Martin Luther King, Jr.- Male, non-violence, civil rights Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolentcivil disobedience against racial inequality. King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. In 1962, he led the struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize the 1963 nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabamaand the 1963 March on Washington where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. In 1964, King received the Nobel Peace Prize. He went on to help to organize the Selma to Montgomery marches, went to Chicago to work on segregated housing, then King expanded his focus to include speaking against poverty and the Vietnam War.

14. Artist! Jasper Johns- Male, painter, abstract-Jasper Johns Jasper Johns(born May 15, 1930) is an American painter and printmaker. He rose to prominence in the 1950s when his paintings of recognizable symbols—such as targets, numbers, and flags—served as rebellious gestures against the Abstract Expressionist practice of using canvas. Inspired by a dream he had of the American flag, his paintings of flags from that period are among his most celebrated works, and those for which he's best known. During the 1960s and 70s, Johns created over 40 works based on the flag. It's no surprise that one of these, Flag (1960–66), in encaustic (a wax and pigment blend) and paper collage on canvas, became his top-selling work at auction when it sold for $28.6 million at Christie's New York in May 2010, nearly tripling its low estimate of $10 million. John’s use of primitive craft techniques, his readiness to try whatever came to hand, is part of a rejection of received ideas of what an artist or a work of art is; it is a philosophical questioning.

15. Artist! Meghan Trainor-Female, pop star, singer Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. She wrote, recorded, performed, and produced three albums between ages 15 and 17. Later, she signed several publishing deals. In 2014, Trainor rose to fame with the release of her major-label debut studio album, Title (2015). The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, sold over one million copies domestically, and produced four top 20 singles: "All About That Bass," "Lips Are Movin," "Dear Future Husband," and "Like I'm Gonna Lose You." In 2016, her lead single "No" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Her popularity may be attributed to her music’s lively, 1950s and 1960s retro style aesthetic and lyrics that include modern womanhood, body image, and empowerment. Trainor has received several awards and nominations including a Grammy Award, Music Business Association's Breakthrough Artist of the Year accolade and two Billboard Music Awards.

16. How are you the same? How are you different? Would you like to learn more? • Information for historical figures obtained from Wikimedia.com