US History + English II · Studio 1 · Synthesis
Four Reformers,
One Question
Sinclair · Douglass · Hamer · King — four ways to fix a broken system.
Anchor the whole day on the EQ. Ask them to hold it while we recap the four.
The question on the table
When a system fails,
what does it take to fix it —
and who does the work?
Fast recap — 4 people, 4 tools. Read each anchor line aloud. ~4 min total.
You've met all four
The Journalist
Upton Sinclair
Went undercover and exposed a rotten industry in writing that forced the country to look.
The Witness
Frederick Douglass
Taught himself to read, escaped slavery, and testified to what he survived.
The Ordinary Citizen
Fannie Lou Hamer
A sharecropper who stood before the nation and told the plain truth on live TV.
The Moral Voice
Dr. M. L. King Jr.
Nonviolent direct action + a written moral argument from a jail cell.
Sinclair · the journalist
rats, bread, and meat would go into the hoppers together— The Jungle, 1906
He made the country see what it was eating — and swallowing.
Douglass · the witness
From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.— Narrative, 1845
The tool was literacy — and telling the truth in his own words.
Hamer · the ordinary citizen
I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.— DNC testimony, 1964
No title, no office — just an ordinary citizen who refused to sit down.
King · the moral voice
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.— Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963
The tool was a moral argument — written from a jail cell.
Set the task. Warm-up grid first (page 1), THEN pick ONE challenge (page 2). Two if time.
Your turn — synthesis
Show what you see
across all four.
First fill the warm-up grid (system · method · risk). Then choose ONE challenge — and use the readings as your evidence.
Walk the six. Point to the choice board on page 2. They pick ONE (two if time) and work in their studio doc.
Choose your challenge · pick ONE
1
Rank the Reformers
Rank all four; defend your #1 and #4 with evidence. (W.4)
2
The Comparison
Most alike? Most different? Cite a line for each. (R.9)
3
Write in Their Voice
Use one reformer's method on a modern injustice. (W.4)
4
The Meeting
Script two reformers debating how to make change. (Create)
5
Four Paths — visual
Infographic: each path's strength + risk. (Visual)
6
Connect to Your Studio
Whose method inspires your project — and how? (Transfer)
Set the bar before they scatter. 80 min total. Every tile has a "Success =" line — hold them to it.
What "done" looks like · you have 80 minutes
Write · 1 · 3 · 6
~150–250 words
Focused, quotes the readings, answers the whole prompt.
Analyze · 2
Grid + ~150–200 words
Quotes at least 3 of the four reformers.
The Meeting · 4
8+ exchanges
Their real voices; ends on a clear stand.
Visual · 5
All 4 paths
Each with method + strength + risk, and one quoted line.
10 min warm-up grid · 60 min your challenge · 10 min take a stand.
Before you leave
Take a stand.
Who does the work of fixing a broken system — and whose method convinces you most? Name your evidence.
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