Humanities Lessons

by

Debbie Hake
Laurie Furman

Week #1

Introduction

As we begin this unit, our main focus will be on the idea of Leaders/ Leadership and how it pertains to the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding and historical leaders of the Roman Empire to the present day. By identifying the qualities and characteristics of the main characters in the novel and comparing and contrasting them to leaders of the past, present and future, we will be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our own society and leaders. Based upon your evaluations, we will work toward creating the ideal leader and the ideal society in which this person leads. As a possible alternative, we will discuss the need for any type of leaders at all. Although we will be researching historical figures and studying current leaders, our spingboard for ideas and discussions will be the novel Lord of the Flies.

The Task

The end result of our activities will be the creation of an ideal leader and an ideal society. By assessing which variations of leadership are most critical to society, we will defend the chosen characteristics of our ideal leader. You will defend your ideal leader by evaluating your leader's chance for election compared to a current political figure. This will be done in a simulated campaign debate. As a final writing piece, you will be asked to recommend alternatives to current forms of leadership.

Resources

As you research different historical or political figures, you may use the Internet as a primary research tool. However, the library is a reliable source of information also. Other forms of information may be found in artwork and film.

The Process

During this week we will be working on answering the question What is a Leader ? We will start by brainstorming different definitions of leadership. Once we have a specific working definition, we will begin to research and summarize biographical information of four historical leaders in small groups. We will then spend some time semantic mapping by list-group-labeling the different characteristics of the leaders. By the end of the week, we will begin pairing those characteristics down to formulate an ideal leader. Each group may have different characteristics and ideals. Thus, the class will several examples of different types of leaders.

Cleopatra


In Social Studies, you will be concentrating primarily on the historical figures that are known for their leadership abilities. Two of the leaders that you will be researching in groups should be chosen from your Social Studies text. Possible figures include Julius Cesear, Cleopatra or Suleiman of the Ottoman Empire. Your remaining two leaders can be chosen from any timeframe coming after The Enlightenment.

In Language Arts, you will be concentrating primarily on the novel Lord of the Flies. You will be asked to analyze the characteristic and personality traits of two of the main characters from the book. Ralph, Jack, Simon and Piggy are appropriate characters to choose from. The other two figures that you will be asked to analyze will be current leaders. Your primary source for researching these leaders will be articles from the local newspaper. You will then be asked to compare and contrast your current leader's characteristics to the literary figures you are dealing with.

When compiling characteristics for your ideal leader, you may also incorporate information acquired in your Physical Education projects.

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Week #2

The Process

We will start the week by classifying the various qualities of leaders in a semantic feature analysis chart. This chart will help clarify and delineate characteristics in order to place different types of leaders in various types of societies. By using this chart in Social Studies and Language Arts, you will be asked to create a biography of your group's ideal leader. This biography should include the type of society and government that your leader would be found in.

In Social Studies our focus will be exploring the varying forms of government which have existed throughout time. These include democracy, oligarchy, communism and dictatorships for example. We discuss how different characteristics of leaders lend themselves to different forms of government. By studying various forms of government, you will be able to develop an ideal society for your ideal leader.

In Language Arts our focus will be how the characteristics of Ralph and Jack create the different "societies" that they lead. We will also discuss what role Simon, Piggy and the littluns play in the formation of the different camps. We will be concurrently looking for examples of these characters and roles in modern society. Through the process of Socratic seminars, we will discuss and defend how and why the two different "societies" on the island were formed.

At the end of the week you will produce a three to five page biography based on the information and knowledge that you have acquired in both classes.

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Week #3

The Process

This week will be spent determining the differences in leadership through role play and simulation. You will be asked to defend the characteristics of your ideal leader by running them in a mock primary election. This will include political debate, campaign strategies and speeches. As a class, you will nominate one ideal leader to run against a current political figure in a national election.

In both Social Studies and Language Arts, time will be spent organizing a campaign. Activities include making campaign posters and flyers, writing speeches and developing question and answer responses for debate between your candidate and a current political figure. The casting and tallying of votes from the election will occur early in the following week. You will find tips on how to run a campaign by watching CNN, the local news and reading the newspaper. The Internet also provides excellent up to date information and statistics regarding local, state and national elections.

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Week #4

The Process

Now that we asses positive characteristics of leaders and their value to society, we will spend some time defining terms related to the absence of leadership, and illustrate leadership in times of instability. By assessing which variations of leadership are most critical to society we analyze how leaders benefit or detract from society. By the end of the unit you will be asked to predict the future of leadership and answer the question Why do we need leaders?

In Social Studies our focus will explore times in history where society was in chaos. For example, the fall of the Roman Empire, the Spanish conquests of the New World or the modern day Civil Rights movement. What types of leaders emerged from these chaotic times? You will then imagine what would happen if your ideal society lost its ideal leader, creating times of chaos. What type of leader would emerge? How will your ideal society change? Finally, we will predict what qualities of leadership we will need in the future.

In Language Arts we will return to the novel Lord of the Flies. The class will simulate being stranded on a island, much like the boys in the novel. You will be asked to predict who among you will emerge as your leader. Or will there be a power struggle similar to the one between Ralph and Jack? At the conclusion of the simulation, you will be asked to asses how well the society that developed functioned for the good of the whole. We will conclude the unit by evaluating alternatives to current forms of leadership.

Learning Advice

As you work your way through this unit you may come across some concepts or ideas that are foreign to you. The following is a list of helpful hints that may help you clear any stumbling blocks.
  1. When brainstorming you want to be more concerned with quantity rather than quality. Do not stop the flow of ideas. Write down any ideas even though they seem they don't fit.

  2. List-group-labeling - After the brainstorming of characteristics of leaders when you begin to list-group-label, remember that certain characteristics may fall into several other groups. Your labeling however, will remain constant.

  3. Semantic feature analysis charts - when charting characteristics of leaders be sure to mark each with a "+", "-" or "?" before moving on to the next leader.

  4. Socratic seminars - remember the rules are that you must not interrupt the person who is speaking. Showing respect for your fellow students is more important than blurting out your ideas. By raising your hand this gives you time to think before speaking. Use that time wisely.

Evaluation

Your final grade for this unit will be a culmination of grades given throughout the unit. You will be given an individual grade on writing assignments, participation and any charts or worksheets assigned. You will be given a group grade based on your biographies, the development and presentation of your ideal leader and society, art work, and election group work.

Conclusion

At the end of this unit you will be able to recognize the pros and cons of leaders and their leadership abilities. This will give you the tools to make educated and informed opinions about your own community. Should you choose to embrace a leadership role, hopefully you will be able to effect change in your own life as well as others.

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