Curriculum  /  ELA  /  6th Grade  /  Unit 11: Declaring Identity: Being Jazz (2020)  /  Lesson 8

Declaring Identity: Being Jazz (2020)

Lesson 8
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ELA

Unit 11

6th Grade

Lesson 8 of 28

Objective

Differentiate between credible and non-credible sources when beginning research.

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Target Task

Writing Prompt

There have been many trailblazers in the history of athletics—people who have fought against discriminatory laws and social expectations in order to be able to participate in the sport of their choice. Their stories are a testament to bravery, persistence, and determination and are inspiring to all people.

In this task, you will write a short biography of a trailblazer in athletics. You will perform original research and use the information you gather to educate your classmates about this athlete, pairing two paragraphs of biographical text with a photograph of your athlete.

Your project must:

  • Include a photograph
  • Be comprised of two paragraphs
  • Include information about this person’s early life, the challenges they faced, their achievements, and what we should learn from their example
  • Draw from at least two different research sources
  • Cite the sources of the information
  • Include appropriate citations for sources

Lesson Guidance

  • Unpack the prompt.
  • Assign athletes.
  • Explain that students will be conducting their own research. Ask students to brainstorm search terms that their group will use in order to find useful resources.
  • One of the most important things to pay attention to when doing research is the credibility of the source; this is especially true when performing research on the Internet! Because students are researching recent and current events, they will primarily be relying on newspaper articles.
  • There are a number of resources on how to determine the credibility of sources [see Notes below].
  • You may wish to give students examples and non-examples of credible sources.
  • The majority of class time should be left for students to begin their research.
  • Suggest that students create a google document with links to all of their articles so that they can find them easily.
  • By the end of today, students should have found three articles that they want to use, selected the photo they wish to use, and answered basic questions about their athlete’s life [see Notes].
  • Students should begin to draft their biographical paragraphs for homework, including the details from their graphic organizer.

Notes

  • You can take two approaches to this task: allow students to select an athlete of their choice or assign athletes. The benefit of the first approach is, of course, student enthusiasm; the second will result in a broader range of trailblazers and will mean that students learn about people they likely have not heard about.
  • Some possibilities to get you started (by NO MEANS exhaustive!): Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Althea Gibson, Billie Jean King, Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, David Kopay, Orlando Cruz, Serena Williams, John Amaechi, Michelle Kwan, Jim Abbott, Aja Evans, Cathy Freeman, Muhammad Ali, Tahmina Kohistani, Caster Semenya, Natalie du Toit, Kyle Maynard, Jim Thorpe, Gabby Douglas, Tommy Smith, John Carlos, Peter Norman
  • In order to help organize student research, you may wish to provide students with a graphic organizer including the following information:
    • Name
    • Age, birthday
    • Place of birth
    • Sport
    • Challenges faced
    • Achievements
    • Other interesting facts
  • Students should provide a citation for the place where they found each piece of information.

Common Core Standards

  • W.6.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content
  • W.6.2.a — Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  • W.6.2.b — Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
  • W.6.2.d — Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
  • W.6.7 — Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
  • W.6.8 — Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources.

Next

Appropriately cite sources and provide a strong conclusion for biographical profiles.

Lesson 9
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