Declaring Identity: Being Jazz (2020)

Lesson 23
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ELA

Unit 11

6th Grade

Lesson 23 of 28

Objective


Determine central ideas in Being Jazz and explain how specific details support these ideas.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings  — whole text

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

What central message about family does Jazz develop in this text? Provide at least two places in the text where she develops this idea.

Key Questions


  • One of the central ideas that Jazz develops in the text is that being open and honest about being transgender was very important to her. Where in the text does she demonstrate this idea? Provide at least two examples.
  • Consider the title of this book. Why do you think Jazz chose to put the word “transgender” in parentheses? What central idea of this text does that help to support?
  • What central idea does Jazz develop in this text around what it means to be a “celebrity”? Provide at least two places in the text where she develops this idea.
  • Discussion: Do you consider Jazz a hero? Why or why not? Provide examples from the text.

Lesson Guidance


Standard and Literary Concepts

  • Like the thesis of a fiction text, a central idea or message is the big idea an author is trying to communicate in a nonfiction text. The author may state the central idea explicitly or readers might have to determine the central message by considering all the information contained within a text.
  • As thoughtful readers, we pay close attention to even the smallest details because we understand that everything in a text works together to develop the author’s central message.
  1. What is the topic of this text?
  2. What is the author’s big message about this topic?
  3. Do all parts of the text support this central idea?
  4. How does the author support this message with details, evidence, or examples?

Notes

  • When working with central idea, it can be useful to use show-call to develop students’ skill at writing high-quality central idea statements.

Homework

  • Prepare for tomorrow’s Socratic Seminar.

Common Core Standards


  • RI.6.2 — Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Next

Engage in a Socratic Seminar with classmates, using previous feedback to set goals and reflect on performance in the seminar and paraphrasing the ideas of peers.

Lesson 24
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