Plots include a young African American male imprisoned for his involvement in a robbery and homicide, a young African American male struggling with his drug addicted brother and dysfunctional family and a Caucasian female recently raped, respectively. Several of my students complained about the dreary theme of the books we read. The aforementioned Kaplan curriculum (9th grade) includes novels such as Monster by Walter Dean Myers, Tea Cup Full of Roses by Sharon Mathis and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This portion of the unit would be very appropriate for any regular or honors education class. This activity includes examining the notion of double-consciousness in Devil in a Blue Dress and subsequent Easy Rawlins novels. Included in this unit is a section for an activity used as an extension for my population of students with learning disabilities.

It is my opinion that this unit can be modified and adapted for a regular education classroom as well. Administrators instruct me to follow the district adopted Kaplan curriculum, but it is at my discretion to supplement, modify and adapt instruction based on student needs. This proves beneficial in that the students' IEPs drive instruction and I have some flexibility with content. Therefore, the students are given adapted English instruction at their functioning level instead of actual grade level. Each student's educational team has determined that they will not be successful in a regular education English class with their non-disabled peers. Included in the class are students with learning and/or emotional disabilities as determined by a psychological report and Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This unit will be implemented in a mixed grade level (9-12) special education resource English class. We are a Title I school with monies allocated to our school based on the high percentage of student applications for free and reduced lunches.

Over sixty-percent of our students are minorities. Langley High School is one of ten Pittsburgh Public High Schools. It will center on the whole class reading of Devil in a Blue Dress, with the possibility of exploring other Easy Rawlins stories and/or other detective fiction written by African American authors.Ī description of the target student audience follows. This curriculum unit will focus on the writings of Walter Mosley. Using Walter Mosley Detective Novels (Devil in a Blue Dress) to Motivate Reluctant High School Readers by Jessica L.

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley