Critical Curriculum Analysis: Reflecting on Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb”

Critical Curriculum Analysis
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Critical Curriculum Analysis
This critical curriculum analysis essay will analyze the lesson “Reflecting on Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb”” by Facing History and Ourselves, a non-profit educational organization (the link to the lesson is: /resource-library/reflecting-amanda-gormans-hill-we-climb). The lesson includes activities to help learners think about the emerging themes in Gorman’s poem, which she recited at the inauguration of Joe Biden in January 20, 2021. This essay will address the potential strengths and weaknesses of the lesson activity as well as the ways the lesson can be used or revised to support diversity in the classroom.
The lesson “Reflecting on Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb”” is designed for grade 6 to 12 students and covers three subjects: English & Language Arts, History, and Social Studies. In the lesson, students are required to reflect on the themes covered in Gorman’s inauguration poem including issues of resilience, hope, healing, and unity and consider how their personal voices or understandings can help America become more united. The first potential strength of the lesson activity is its clarity of organization. The lesson activities have been logically sequenced to build upon students’ prior knowledge. For instance, the first activity in the lesson activity is introducing Amanda Gorman. Learners are first familiarized with Gorman including her origins and how the 22-yearl old Los Angeles native managed to become Biden’s inauguration poet. The second activity after learning about the poet is discussing what it means to be unified using excerpts from her inauguration poem. This activity is meant to help learners reflect on the core themes contained within the poem. The third activity involves a close reading of the poet’s call to action for unity in America: the students are prompted to specify the actions they can take to make America a diverse but cohesive country (Facing History & Ourselves, 2023). Succeeding activities follow the same pattern of building on learners’ prior knowledge of the poem, the poet, and the central themes covered in her address.
However, one of the things the lesson activity ignores is the themes of race and racial justice in America. Although the lesson activity tackles the concept of diversity and unity in America, it fails to address the obstacles to diversity or the challenges minority communities face in their fight for racial equality. The lesson activity generalizes the issue of diversity without going to details about the pertinent issues surrounding the poet’s call to action. Consequently, while the lesson activity is a useful start towards encouraging conversations about diversity in the classroom, it does not address the racial injustice...