Unit 2
The Root of All Evil: Understanding Money, Capitalism, and Consumerism

Week Breakdown

• Monday the 18th

  • Write down Lexicon #12: Marxist theory or lens. 

  • Watch and take notes on the video on Karl Marx.

  • Write down the four ways we are alienated from work.

  • Watch the TikTok videos showcasing modern work at factories today.

  • Take notes and analyze the short clip from Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times. How is the modern worker alienated in the video?

  • Read, annotate, and analyze Franz Kafka's "Poseidon" through a Marxist lens.

• Tuesday the 19th

  • Write down Lexicon #13: Commodification.

  • Watch video on how our personal data is commodified today. 

  •  Take notes on the differences between price gouging and scalping.

  • Watch the CBS news video on price gouging during COVID-19 and The Office clip on scalping.

  • Read, annotate, and discuss "He Has 17,700 Bottles of Hand Sanitizers and Nowhere to Sell Them" by Jack Nicas.

• Wednesday the 20th

  • Write down Lexicon #14: Commodity fetishism.

  • Watch and take notes on the conditions at Foxconn, the factory where most our electronics is from.

  • Read the intro of Xu Lizhi and read his four poems.

  • Watch the video on Black Friday's history.

  • Read, annotate, and discuss "Black Friday, Through the Eyes of Smith and Marx" by Chad Broughton.

• Thursday the 21st - Friday the 22nd

  • Review the texts we've read this week and consider which is most intriguing to you. 

  • Unpack the prompt of Notebook entry #3: Modern Times, Timeless Exploitation

  • Write Notebook entry #3 in your notebook.

  • Use the topic sentence starter and guide to make a strong body paragraph to help you craft your response.

Week Breakdown

• Monday the 2nd

  • Watch and take notes on the video on Franz Kafka.

  • Write down the definition of Lexicon #15: Kafkaesque and Lexicon #16: Extended Metaphor

  • Watch and take notes on what is Kafkaesque in the TEDEd video on Kafka.

  • Today's reading will be "A Little Fable" by Franz Kafka.

  • Today's practice will be unpacking "A Little Fable" by answering three questions in your notebook.

• Tuesday the 3rd - Wednesday the 4th

  • Write down the definition of Lexicon #17: Metamorphosis and Lexicon #18: Masochism, masochistic

  • Read, annotate, and discuss pages 1-8 of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.

  • Answer today's practice questions for the reading in your notebook, ensuring you use two quotes to receive full credit. 

• Thursday the 5th - Friday the 6th

  • Read, annotate, and discuss pages 9-20 of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis. 

  • Review the chapter by reading the graphic novel version.

  • Briefly explore graphic novel terms and components for inspiration.

  • Create an illustration of your scene The Metamorphosis in your notebook, on a separate piece of paper, or on a canvas.

Week Breakdown

• Monday the 16th

  • Continue to create an illustration of your scene The Metamorphosis in your notebook, on a separate piece of paper, or on a canvas.

  • After we've had some time to complete the illustration of a scene, we will delve back into the novella by reading the beginning of chapter 2 (pages 21-24). 

  • Work on the Two Column Notes for pages 21-24 with clear references to the text.

• Tuesday the 17th

  • Review yesterday's reading by reading up to page 27 in the graphic novel (comic) version of The Metamorphosis.

  • Complete Two Column Notes for pages 21-24 of The Metamorphosis. 

  • Read, annotate, and discuss pages 25-27 as a class.

• Wednesday the 18th 

  • Read, annotate, and discuss pages 27-29.

  • Complete the Two Column Notes for pages 25-29 of The Metamorphosis.

• Thursday the 19th

  • Read, annotate, and discuss pages 30-38.

  • Close reading on pages 33-35. 

• Friday the 20th

  • Last day before break! 

  • Extra credit assignment: Bargaining Bug: Kafkaesque Amazon Review