Black History Month

Unit 4: Between the World & Me

Teaching Notes

PDF of Book

Study Guide

Photos (Body of Work)

Unit Overview

In this unit, students will engage deeply with Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me through annotation, passage analysis, and focused note-taking. The text explores critical global issues such as systemic racism, historical oppression, identity formation, and the impact of institutional structures on marginalized communities. Students will analyze Coates' use of rhetorical strategies, personal narrative, and intertextual references to examine themes of identity, culture, representation, and communication. Through close reading, they will track the author’s arguments and stylistic choices, developing analytical skills. The unit will culminate in a mini HL essay, where students will construct a thesis-driven argument, using textual evidence to analyze how Coates conveys a global issue through literary and rhetorical techniques. This unit will encourage critical thinking and personal reflection, challenging students to connect Coates’ narrative to broader social and historical contexts.

Inquiry Statements

Content-based: How has the historical context of race, and the political, economic, and cultural outcomes influenced Americans’ thinking?

Skills based: As Coates narrates his experiences, what relevant techniques (stylistic/ rhetorical/literary, etc.) does Coates use to make his ideas coherent and to organize his information?

Concept-based: How do individual experiences determine one’s perception of race and race relations in the US today.

What is a Memoir?

A memoir is a form of nonfiction in which an author reflects on personal experiences from their life, focusing on memory, emotion, and meaning rather than a full chronological history. Memoirs often explore identity, culture, trauma, resilience, and social issues, using the writer’s life as a lens to understand larger historical or cultural truths.

Popular Memoirs Connected to African-American History (and Films)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
Angelou’s memoir recounts her childhood experiences with racism, trauma, and self-discovery in the segregated South. (Adapted into film and stage productions.)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X (as told to Alex Haley)
A foundational memoir tracing Malcolm X’s transformation from street life to global civil rights leader. (Inspired documentaries and film portrayals.)
12 Years a Slave – Solomon Northup
A firsthand memoir of a free Black man kidnapped and enslaved in the 19th century. (Adapted into the Oscar-winning 2013 film.)
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson
A memoir focused on racial injustice and mass incarceration through the author’s work as a civil rights lawyer. (Adapted into a 2019 film.)

Global Issues

Themes/Concepts

5 Big Ideas to Underestand:

Allusions – References to history and culture that deepen meaning.

The Body – The physical vulnerability of Black lives under racism.
Diaspora – The global spread of Black people through forced migration (slave trade, Caribbean, French, British)
Mecca – Howard University as a safe center of Black culture.
Plunder – The exploitation of Black bodies for power and wealth.