Curriculum / ELA / 4th Grade / Unit 6: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans / Lesson 21
ELA
Unit 6
4th Grade
Lesson 21 of 25
Jump To
Lesson Notes
There was an error generating your document. Please refresh the page and try again.
Generating your document. This may take a few seconds.
Are you sure you want to delete this note? This action cannot be undone.
Explain the significance of the final quote in Heart and Soul.
Book: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson — Epilogue
We participate in the Amazon Associate program. This means that if you use this link to make an Amazon purchase, we receive a small portion of the proceeds, which support our non-profit mission.
Unlock features to optimize your prep time, plan engaging lessons, and monitor student progress.
Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved.
Read the following quote from page 99 of Heart and Soul.
"Our centuries-long struggle for freedom and equal rights had helped make the American promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness a reality for all Americans. We have come a mighty long way, honey, and we still have a good ways to go, but the promise and the right to fight for it is worth every ounce of weight in gold. It is our nation’s heart and soul."
What is the significance of this quote? What is our nation’s "heart and soul"?
Upgrade to Fishtank Plus to view Sample Response.
Questions about the text that will help guide the students understanding
What is the significance of the illustration on page 98? Why does the author choose this as the final illustration?
On page 99, the author states that there'd "be plenty of trouble in the world, but a lot of joy, too." What trouble was seen? What joy was seen? Why were they both important?
Bring your most engaging lessons to life with comprehensive instructional guidance, detailed pacing, supports to meet every student's needs, and resources to strengthen your lesson planning and delivery.
RI.4.8 — Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.4.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
RF.4.3 — Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
RF.4.4 — Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
RI.4.1 — Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.4.4 — Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
RI.4.10 — By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4—5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
SL.4.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
W.4.10 — Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Next
Debate and discuss unit Essential Questions.
Explain who is speaking in the prologue and why the author would choose to write this way.
Standards
RI.4.6RI.4.8
Explain the significance of the statement: "It should have been a proud moment for everybody, but, honey, we didn’t have much to celebrate." (p. 13)
RI.4.3RI.4.5RI.4.7RI.4.8
Explain how the author uses details and illustrations to build a deeper understanding of slavery.
RI.4.7RI.4.8
Analyze what evidence the author includes to support the statement that abolitionists "lit a fire inside many a slave to take their freedom."
RI.4.3RI.4.7RI.4.8
Explain where Frederick Douglass found his inspiration and drive.
RI.4.3RI.4.5RI.4.8
Analyze the details an author includes to support a quote by Harriet Tubman.
RI.4.3RI.4.8
Explain the significance of the quote "Harriet Tubman’s name will never lose its distinction."
2 days
Write a multiple-paragraph essay about how courageous individuals create and drive change.
W.4.2W.4.2.aW.4.2.bW.4.2.cW.4.2.dW.4.2.e
Explain the events that led up to the South being ready for a fight.
RI.4.3RI.4.5RI.4.7
Explain why the chapter was titled "Lincoln’s War" and if Lincoln’s actions helped or hurt the conditions for enslaved people.
RI.4.3RI.4.7RI.4.8SL.4.1
Analyze and discuss unit essential questions by stating a claim and supporting the claim with details from multiple sources.
RI.4.9SL.4.1SL.4.4W.4.9
Write a multiple-paragraph essay to answer a unit essential question.
Defend how Reconstruction was supported by segregationist beliefs.
Explain what life was like on the frontier for Buffalo Soldiers and freed Black people.
Explain what effect the Great Migration had on the lives of African Americans and the challenges they faced in their new communities.
Describe the progress African Americans made in the early twentieth century.
Describe how the experience of fighting in World War II changed the people who returned home and how it changed the country.
Explain why the author titles the chapter "Black Innovation."
RI.4.8
Explain how Jim Crow was dying.
Explain why the author titles the last chapter "Revolution" and why what happened was a revolution.
RI.4.3RI.4.8SL.4.1
Write a multiple-paragraph essay to answer a unit Essential Question.
6 days
Research and present about an African American leader.
RI.4.3RI.4.5RI.4.7RI.4.8SL.4.1SL.4.4SL.4.5W.4.2W.4.2.aW.4.2.bW.4.2.cW.4.2.dW.4.2.eW.4.7W.4.8W.4.9
Gauge student understanding of unit content and skills with one of Fishtank's unit assessments.
Create a free account to access thousands of lesson plans.
Already have an account? Sign In
See all of the features of Fishtank in action and begin the conversation about adoption.
Learn more about Fishtank Learning School Adoption.
Yes
No
We've got you covered with rigorous, relevant, and adaptable ELA lesson plans for free