Expressing Yourself: Women in the Arts

Lesson 10
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ELA

Unit 3

6th Grade

Lesson 10 of 27

Objective


Explain how Chapter 13 fits into the overall structure of Life in Motion and how specific sections of this chapter develop ideas about Copeland’s life.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland  pp. 239 – 248 — and the prologue

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

On page 247, Copeland writes, “all the training, all the practicing, all the nurturing had come together for this climactic moment.”

Explain why Chapter 13—and specifically Copeland’s performance as the Firebird—represents the climax of her story. Carefully explain your thinking.

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Close Read Questions

  • What is the purpose of the line, “I was so far away from San Pedro, so different from the nineteen-year-old girl who first timidly stepped into the Metropolitan Opera House stage, awestruck and uncertain.” (p. 247) Why did Copeland include this line at this point in the text? What idea does this communicate?

  • Read the last three paragraphs on page 247. How do these lines fit into the overall structure of this scene, and of the text more generally? Carefully explain your thinking.

  • What is the relationship between Chapter 13 and the prologue of Life in Motion? Support your answer with specific details from the text, and carefully explain your thinking.

Exit Ticket

Assess student understanding and monitor progress toward this lesson's objective with an Exit Ticket.

Vocabulary


Text-based

nurture

v.

(p. 247)

care for and encourage the growth or development of something or someone

Homework


  • Provide students with a summary of pages 248-262:
    • Misty finds out that she has stress fractures in her shin, which require her to drop out of the rest of her performances so she can have surgery.
    • This is very emotionally challenging for Misty, who worries about what this injury will mean for her future as a dancer.
    • She returns to dancing with ABT, but her recovery is slow and takes a lot of hard work.
    • Misty helped found a program with ABT that partners with Boys and Girls Clubs to support young dancers.
  • Note: explain to students that they will be reading a section of text for homework that comes before today’s reading chronologically.

To ensure that students are prepared for the next lesson, have students complete the following reading for homework. Use guidance from the next lesson to identify any additional language or background support students may need while independently engaging with the text.

  • Book: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland  — pp. 234-237 (page break) and Afterword

While reading, answer the following questions.

  • What goal does Copeland achieve in this section of text? Why is it so significant?

  • What kind of criticism has Copeland faced in her career? How has she responded to it?

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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.

Supporting Standards

L.6.6
RI.6.1
RI.6.2
RI.6.3
RI.6.4
RI.6.10
SL.6.1
SL.6.6
W.6.1.a
W.6.1.b
W.6.4
W.6.9
W.6.9.b
W.6.10
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Lesson 9

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Lesson 11

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