Declaring Identity: Being Jazz (2020)

Lesson 4
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ELA

Unit 11

6th Grade

Lesson 4 of 28

Objective


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

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings  pp. 27 – 39

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

What makes Jazz’s fifth birthday party such a turning point in her life? How does it fit into the overall structure of the text? Explain using details from the text.

Key Questions


  • Why does Jazz include the story about being at the dance recital? How does this anecdote fit into the structure of the text overall? (pp. 27-28)

  • Why does Jazz include the story of Dads’ Night? How does this anecdote fit into the structure of the text overall? (pp. 31-32)

  • How does the following sentence on page 24 contribute to the idea that Jazz faced discrimination when she entered school? [Principal Mrs. Reynold’s] concession was that I could enter school as “gender neutral” and be an “it.”

  • Discussion: How has Jazz’s life changed over the course of this chapter? What challenges has she faced? How does her family’s reaction to her gender transition differ from the way other people react?

Lesson Guidance


Standard and Literary Concepts

  • Effective readers examine the author’s technique by examining the text’s organizational structure and how the author uses it to develop his or her ideas.
  • This includes considering how individual paragraphs, sentences, and longer sections of text contribute to meaning. Identifying the structure of ideas helps readers understand why each section of text was included and how it develops the overall structure of ideas.
  • In today’s reading, Jazz describes a number of events that signify major transitions—coming out to her friends at her 5th birthday, starting school and facing discrimination from her principal, and her parents’ use of the media to advocate for Jazz. Many of the stories Jazz includes reveal these moments of transformation.

Notes

  • Today’s reading includes several mentions of genitalia. Remind students to show maturity and sensitivity when discussing these issues.

Homework

  • Read Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen, pages 41–46.

Common Core Standards


  • RI.6.5 — Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.

Next

Explain how the 20/20 documentary about Jazz develops the reader’s understanding of her memoir.

Lesson 5
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