Unit Materials for 6th Grade English
Explore the texts and supporting materials used in each unit of 6th Grade English.
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Finding Your Way: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Core Texts
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Book: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (Yearling, 1997) — 920L
Supporting Texts
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Article: “Siblings Share Genes, But Rarely Personalities” by Alix Spiegel (NPR)
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Article: “'Segregation Forever': A Fiery Pledge Forgiven, But Not Forgotten” (NPR.org, 2013) (produced by by Samara Freemark and Joe Richman, NPR)
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Transcript: “'Green Book' Helped African Americans Travel Safely” (NPR.org, 2010)
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Book: The Negro Motorist Green Book, 1949 Edition (Victor H. Green & Co., Publishers, 1949)
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Photo: At Segregated Drinking Fountain, Mobile, Alabama (Birmingham Museum of Art) (from "In Living Color" by Brandon Call)
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Photo: Department Store, Mobile, Alabama, 1956 by Gordon Parks (The Gordon Parks Foundation)
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Photo: Outside Looking In, Mobile, Alabama, 1956 by Gordon Parks (The Gordon Parks Foundation)
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Photo: Segregated Laundry Service by Birmingham Public Library Archives (Encyclopedia of Alabama)
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Poem: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes (Poetry Foundation, 2017)
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Poem: “The Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall (Cities Burning, Broadside Press, 1968)
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Short Story: “The Drive-In Movies”
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Challenging Authority: The Giver
Core Texts
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Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1993) — 760L
Supporting Texts
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Article: “Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics” by ReadWriteThink (ReadWriteThink)
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Article: “The Harmful Effects of Too Much Screen Time for Kids” by Amy Morin, LCSW (Parents)
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Article: “Less Screen Time Means a Better Mind and Body for Kids” by Katherine Lee (Parents)
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Article: “Why the screen babysitter is worse than you think” by Baltimore Sun Editorial Board (The Baltimore Sun)
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Article: “Kids Must Learn to Control Their Own Screen Time” by John Keilman (Chicago Tribune)
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Article: “Don't Limit Your Teen's Screen Time” by Chris Bergman (The New York Times)
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Article: “The History Of The Dystopian Novel Actually Begins With A Book About Utopia” by Charlotte Ahlin (Adapted by Fishtank ELA Staff.)
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Assessment Text: “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar (CommonLit)
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Video: “How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler” by TED-Ed (YouTube)
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Video: “3 Fears about screen time for kids—and why they're not true” by Sarah DeWitt (TED)
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Video: “3 Fears about screen time for kids—and why they're not true (transcript)” by Sarah DeWitt (TED)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Expressing Yourself: Women in the Arts
Core Texts
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Book: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland (Touchstone, 2014)
Supporting Texts
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Article: “The Guerrilla Girls: 'We upend the art world's notion of what's good and what's right'” by Nadja Sayej (The Guardian)
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Article: “Favianna Rodríguez: 'Artists are Risk Takers and Truth Speakers'” by Firuzeh Shokooh Valle (Global Voices)
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Article: “The Black Woman Artist Who Crafted a Life She Was Told She Couldn't Have” by Concepción de León (The New York Times)
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Article: “A Woman of Two Worlds” by Jennifer L. Bender
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Article: “Misty Copeland Launches Her Own Foundation and Free After-School Program” by Ashley Brandt (Pointe Magazine)
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Article: “The Enduring Legacy of Ruth Asawa's Mesmerizing Sculptures” by Daria Simone Harper (Artsy)
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Article: “'It's like we don't exist': Jaune Quick-to-See Smith on Native American artists” by Nadja Sayej (The Guardian)
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Article: “Gee's Bend Quiltmakers” (Souls Grown Deep)
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Article: “Interview with Mary Lee Bendolph and Lucy Mingo” by Josephine Reed (National Endowment for the Arts)
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Painting: State Names (Smithsonian American Art Museum)
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Poem: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou
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Video: “Guerrilla Girls – 'You Have to Question What You See': Artist Interview” by Tate Museum (Youtube)
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Video: “Printmaking with Favianna Rodriguez” (PBS (2014))
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Video: “Misty Copeland's new foundation focuses on diversity, equity in dance” by Fox 5 New York (YouTube)
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Video: “Ruth Asawa: Objects & Apparitions” by Christie's (YouTube)
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Video: “What's in a map? Reading the United 'States'” by Smarthistory (YouTube)
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Video: “Meet Jaune Quick-To-See Smith” by Smithsonian American Art Museum (YouTube)
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Video: “How a Group of Women in This Small Alabama Town Perfected the Art of Quilting | Op-Docs” by The New York Times (YouTube)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Finding Connection: The Outsiders
Core Texts
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Book: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Speak, 2006) — 750L
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lnfographic: Teens & Peer Pressure Infographic by Fishtank Staff
Supporting Texts
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Movie: The Outsiders
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Poem: “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost (poets.org)
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Article: “Teen-Agers Are for Real” by S.E. Hinton (The New York Times)
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Video: “Typical Teenagers Talk About Teenage Life In 1966” by Global Image Works (YouTube)
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Article: “Are You Following the Herd?” by Holly Corbett (Scholastic)
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Assessment Text: “Brothers” (Growing Up | ReadWorks)
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Assessment Text: “I AM 17. I HAVE A LOT TO SAY.” by Jackson Holbert (The Poetry Foundation)
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Poem: “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
Fleeing Conflict: Refugee & The Unwanted
Core Texts
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Book: Refugee by Alan Gratz (Scholastic, Inc., 2017) — 800L
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Book: The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018)
Supporting Texts
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Poem: “Refugees” by Brian Bilston
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Article: “What Is a Refugee?” by Abbas Hasan
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Video: “Refugees: The Shared Story of Harry and Ahmed” by UNICEF USA (YouTube)
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Article: “U.N. Refugee Agency Deputy On The Humanitarian Crisis In Syria” by NPR
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Article: “What Will Winter Bring for Syria's Refugees?” by Meghan Collins Sullivan, Mary Louise Kelly (NPR)
- Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading
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