Declaring Identity: Being Jazz (2020)

Lesson 3
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ELA

Unit 11

6th Grade

Lesson 3 of 28

Objective


Explain how Jazz introduces and illustrates ideas about her life through anecdotes and examples.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings  pp. 15 – 25

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

How does Jazz illustrate the idea that she was drawn to traditionally “girly” toys and colors? Provide at least two examples from the text. (pp. 16–18)

Key Questions


  • What examples does Jazz provide to illustrate the idea that her parents initially felt unsure about how to handle her transition? Provide two examples from the text. (pp. 15–19)

  • How does Jazz illustrate the idea that there were still ways that her preschool did not fully think of her as a girl? Provide two pieces of specific evidence from the text. (pp. 21–22)

  • What anecdote does Jazz use to illustrate the idea that some parents in her preschool were uncomfortable with her after she began to transition? Provide evidence from the text. (pp. 22–23)

  • Discussion: Do you believe that boys and girls are naturally different from one another? Have you ever met people who didn’t like the things that they are “supposed” to like because of their gender? Are there things that you like that are thought of as being for the opposite gender?

Lesson Guidance


Standard and Literary Concepts

  • An author might use examples and anecdotes to introduce unfamiliar ideas or events in a way that helps readers better understand them. Anecdotes and examples introduce, illustrate, and elaborate on important information. Effective readers are able to identify the key ideas, events, or individuals in a text. They think about how the author uses techniques to make the key ideas clear and relatable.
    • Anecdote: A short story about a real incident or person that illustrates a larger idea. (I once had a cat who liked to attack my feet in the middle of the night when I was trying to sleep. Once he managed to bite me so hard I had to go the emergency room to get a tetanus shot.)
    • Example: Specific instances, people, or ideas that illustrate an idea—but does not tell a longer, specific story. (Many people throughout history have hated cats, including Alexander the Great, William Shakespeare, and Queen Elizabeth).
  • Students may not know what it means for an author to “illustrate” an idea.

Notes

  • This lesson is an opportunity to teach students about pronouns.

Homework

  • Read Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen, pages 27–39.

Common Core Standards


  • RI.6.3 — Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

Next

Explain how specific sentences and passages fit into the overall structure of Being Jazz.

Lesson 4
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