CoBaLTT Unit Plan

The Death Penalty in the U.S.
Lesson 03: A statistical analysis of the death penalty in the U.S.

Submitted by Dan Dunagan

Objectives:

Content:
Students will...

CON 1. Demonstrate understanding of the various factors correlating to the death penalty (crime in states permitting the death penalty, public opinion and the death penalty, ethnicity and the death penalty, death penalty costs, etc.).

CON 2. Identify which geographic region of the U.S. includes the most states that do not permit the death penalty.

CON 3. Demonstrate understanding that certain organizations propose strong arguments against the death penalty.

Cultural:
Students will...

CUL 1. Demonstrate an understanding that the comparative number of minorities on death row in the United States does not correspond to their percentages of the overall U.S. population.

CUL 2. Demonstrate an understanding that women represent only 1.4 percent of all death row inmates.

CUL 3. Identify that the U.S. is in the minority when discussing the number of countries which permit legalized execution.

Language: Content Obligatory
Students will...

Lang CO 1. Use statistics-related vocabulary to understand and explain mathematical comparisons of number of individuals on death row with words such as la tabla, el indice, el promedio, por ciento, el porcentaje, las estadísticas, and disminuir/bajar.

Lang CO 2. Use questions to predict significant death penalty issues using phrases such as ¿Cuántas mujeres reciben la pena de muerte?, ¿Cuántas personas cumplen sentencias de condena perpetua? ¿Cuánto cuesta una ejecución?, and ¿Si el condenado es inocente?

Language: Content Compatible
Students will...

Lang CC 1. Use "inverted" verb constructions to describe personal opinions with words like gustar, disgustar, sorprender, molestar, encantar and ofender.

Land CC 2. Use the past participle phrases to describe past and present legal events and actions with verbs/adjectives such as han fallado, ha sido probado, había sido utilizado, son obtenidos, han sido ejecutadas, han establecido, and han abandonado.

Learning Strategies / Social and Skills Development:
Students will...

LS 1. Work cooperatively in groups

LS 2. Infer meaning from L2 texts

LS 3. Reexamine previously acquired knowledge

Time Frame:

One 47-minute period

Materials Needed:

Appendix 3-1 - Packet – “Detalles sobre la Pena de Muerte”

Appendix 3-2 – Questions to answer from the packet – “Detalles sobre la Pena de Muerte”

Appendix 3-3 - Amnesty International article - Mitos y Realidades de la Pena de Muerte en Los Estados Unidos

Appendix 3-4 – Three-column graphic organizer for interpretive activity dealing with the article Mitos y Realidades de la Pena de Muerte en Los Estados Unidos

Description of Assessment (Performance Project):

Purpose:
To understand that statistically, some groups are more affected by the death penalty than other groups.

Preview Phase::

Targeted Standards & Objectives

Description of Activities

Standards
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 3.1

Objectives
CON 1,
Lang CC 1

Students hand in homework (interpretive activity related to the article La Corte prohíbe ejecutar a menores).
Based on their homework and the article on the Supreme Court decision, the instructor reviews the arguments for and against the death penalty for minors. The instructor asks three students to provide an argument for the death penalty for minors and three students to provide arguments against the death penalty for minors. The reasons why the Supreme Court ruled against the death penalty for minors would be included in this discussion.
Students predict what other issues are significant in the discussion of the death penalty (possibilities include – women on death row, how long people stay on death row, what if the person is innocent, and the economic costs)
This activity will last 2-3 minutes

Focused Learning Phase:

Targeted Standards & Objectives

Description of Activities

Standards –
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 4.2

Objectives
CON 1-2
CUL 1-2
LS 1-3
Lang CO 1
Lang CC 1-2

The instructor explains that they will be preparing a brief presentation on as issue related to the death penalty.
Hand out the Appendix 3-1 - Text – Detalles sobre la pena de muerte
Jigsaw activity – The instructor splits the class into eleven groups. Each group has two to three students. Each group has five minutes to answer the questions and prepare to inform the rest of the class about their findings. Their answers will be written in complete sentences.
During the presentation of the answers, the other students will fill in the answers to these questions. The answers must be written in complete sentences. The questions are found in Appendix 3-2. This will be turned in at the end of the class period.
This jigsaw is a variation of Roger Johnson’s method (detailed in Tedick, CI 5662 packet, page 93).
This activity will take five minutes to prepare and fifteen minutes to present.

Expansion Phase:

Targeted Standards & Objectives

Description of Activities

Standards
1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 4.2

Objectives
CON 3
CUL 1
CUL 3
LS 2
Lang CO 1
Lang CC 2

Students complete an interpretive task. Students receive a copy of Appendix 3-3 (It is an Amnesty international article – Mitos y Realidades de la Pena de Muerte en Los Estados Unidos. They fill in a three-column graphic organizer by using the information found in the article (Graphic Organizer is found in Appendix 3-4). The first column contains the death penalty myth (Mito) which Amnesty International seeks to disclaim. In the next column entitled Realidad, the students provide two statistical arguments which counter the myth. The final column is for the student to propose his/her support or opposition to the Amnesty International arguments and explain why.
The explanation of this task will take approximately five minutes. The students will then have the rest of the class period to begin the task.

Assessment:

Informal observation of student interaction and participation

Presentation on jigsaw work – verify answers informally; ensure that all class members understand the questions and answers (using “inverted form” verbs)
Collect and correct the homework assignment (three-column graphic organizer related to the article Mitos y Realidades de la Pena de Muerte en Los Estados Unidos.)

Use a checklist to evaluate the eight myths for the article. For each myth, the students must include:

the name of the myth,

two statistical arguments which counter the myth

an explanation of support or opposition to the argument.

Attachments:

NOTE: some attachments are in PDF form (get Acrobat Reader)

Appendix 3-1: Artículo – Detalles sobre la pena de muerte

Appendix 3-4: Mitos y realidades de la pena de muerte en los Estados Unidos

Appendix 3-2: Jigsaw Questions – Detalles sobre la pena de muerte
Appendix 3-3: Article - Mitos y Realidades de la Pena de Muerte en Los Estados Unidos