It's Baltimore, 1999. Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior, disappears after school one day. Six weeks later detectives arrest her classmate and ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for her murder. He says he's innocent - though he can't exactly remember what he was doing on that January afternoon. But someone can. A classmate at Woodlawn High School says she knows where Adnan was. The trouble is, she’s nowhere to be found.
This unit's text is a podcast with accompanying readings. To access the podcast, open iTunes, select "podcasts," and subscribe to "Serial: Season 1."
Next review case documents on the podcast site.
Click here ---> Serial Podcast Website
Click here ---> Serial Podcast Website
NOTE: There is now a Serial: Season 2. This unit is on the first season. Make sure you are listening to the correct story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Week 1: Jan 25-29
The basics of the case
- Complete activity - Ep 1. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Complete activity - Ep 1. Exercise 2 Memory Game
- Listen to Episode 1 "Alibi" (55 mins) on the podcast via iTunes. Review the case information on this website --> Serial Podcast website
- Complete activity - Ep 1. Exercise 4 "Lie Detector"
Week 2: Feb 1-5
What makes a good argument?
- Blog Post 1: What makes a good argument?
- Blog Post 2: First Impressions
- Complete activity - Ep 2. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 2 "The Breakup" (37 mins)
- Complete Activity - Ep 2. Exercise "Perspectives" & 2
- Comprehension QUIZ on Ep 1 &2
Week 3: Feb 8-12 (week before Feb. vacation)
How is argument related to opinion and persuasion?
- Blog Post 3: Storytelling
- Blog Post 4: Crazy Meter
- Complete Activity - Ep 3. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 3: "Leakin Park" (28 mins)
- Complete Activity - "Mr. S and Leakin Park"
- Class discussion: How is argument related to opinion and persuasion?
- Complete Activity - Ep 4. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 4: "Inconsistencies" (34 mins)
- Complete Activity: "Inconsistencies" Notes
--February Vacation --
Week 4: Feb 22-26
- Blog Post 5: Research & Detective Work (How the podcast was created - Telling the story without knowledge of the ending)
- NO VOCAB THIS EPISODE
- Listen to Episode 5 "Route Talk" (43 mins)
- Complete Activity - Read and annotate Serial Blog Post "More Than You Ever Wanted to Know about Cell Tower Technology"
- Complete Activity - Route Talk GOOGLE DOC ** Mrs. S's activity
- Map the locations and times of the calls made the afternoon and evening of the 13th. Compare your map & notes to Jay's story. Draw your conclusions Detectives!
Week 5: Feb 29-March 4 Progress Reports
- Vocabulary Assessment - Write your own story using your new vocabulary words (15 words & context clues)
- Detective Notes -- (QUIZ) What do we know so far? Who killed Hae? Submit to your response to your superior, Mrs. Shetenhelm.
Week 6: Mar 7-10 (No class Friday)
- Class discussion: Writing a formal argument - Claims & Counterclaim
- STEP 1: "Claims, claims, claims" handout and overview
- STEP 2: Parallel Structure mini-lesson
- STEP 3: Including counterclaims
Week 7: March 14-18
- Complete Activity - Ep 6. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 6 "The Case Against Adnan Syed" (44 mins)
- Complete Activity - "Evaluating the Evidence"
- Complete Activity - Ep 7. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 7 "The Opposite of the Prosecution" (33 mins)
- GOOGLE DOC -- Take your own personal notes on your questions about the case.
- What is "The Innocence Project"?
- Blog Post 6: Personal Essay "What does it take to be a defense attorney?"
- Comprehension QUIZ on Ep 7
Week 8: March 21-25
- Complete Activity - Ep 7. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 8 "The Deal with Jay" (44 mins)
- Complete Activity - "Diagramming Jay"
- Blog Post 7: What is Jay's Deal?
- Complete Activity - Ep 8. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 9 "To Be Suspected" (45 mins)
- Blog Post 8: "Outside Research - Your Questions & Findings"
- Comprehension QUIZ on Ep 9
Week 9: March 28- April 1 (END OF QUARTER 3)
- Complete Activity - Ep 10. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 10 "The Best Defense is a Good Defense" (54 mins)
- GOOGLE DOC -- Take your own personal notes on your questions about the case.
- Complete Activity - Ep 11. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 11 "Rumors" (41 mins)
- Complete Activity - "Psychotic Possibilities"
- Complete Activity - Ep 12. Exercise 1 Vocabulary
- Listen to Episode 12 "What We Know" (56 mins)
- Complete Activity "Thematic Concerns"
Week 10: April 4-8
