Unit 11 6-8: Desired Results
Objectives
The students will be able to:
- define how merit leads to success in a free society.
- discern how to effectuate change.
- Explain how African Americans were agents of change and accomplishment, not passive subjects.
- articulate whether opportunities come through luck or planning.
Key Terms and Definitions
Aviation – The operation of aircraft.
Barnstorm – To appear at county fairs and carnivals in stunt flying and parachute jumping exhibitions.
Cognitive Dissonance – The state of simultaneously holding two ideas that directly contradict one another.
Eugenics – A set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population, historically by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior and promoting those deemed superior.
Merit – The qualities or actions that constitute the basis of one’s deserts.
Opportunity – A favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances; A chance for progress or advancement, as in a career.
Big Ideas
- Minorities often excel in emerging arenas, absent rigid, existing social structures.
- New technologies expand opportunities.
Enduring Understandings
- Despite de jure and de facto racism and segregation, individuals overcame obstacles when they took situations into their own hands.
- Freedom in new businesses or fields, without established hierarchies and bureaucracies, allows minorities to demonstrate competency and excellence. (e.g., Jewish men in the movie industry).
- New technologies bring many opportunities for success and prosperity.
Essential Questions
- Does persistence bring opportunities despite artificial obstacles?
- Were African Americans agents of change and accomplishment or passive subjects of their societal environment?
- Should students look to earlier heroes as models for success?
- How can patriotism serve as motivation for heroics and success?