Unit Materials for 6th Grade English

Book: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (Yearling, 1997)   —  920L

Article: “Siblings Share Genes, But Rarely Personalities” by Alix Spiegel (NPR)

Article: “'Segregation Forever': A Fiery Pledge Forgiven, But Not Forgotten” (NPR.org, 2013) (produced by by Samara Freemark and Joe Richman, NPR)

Audio Interview: 'Green Book' Helped African Americans Travel Safely (NPR.org, 2010)

Book: The Negro Motorist Green Book, 1949 Edition (Victor H. Green & Co., Publishers, 1949)

Poem: “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes (Poetry Foundation, 2017)

Photo: Outside Looking In, Mobile, Alabama, 1956 by Gordon Parks (The Gordon Parks Foundation)

Photo: At Segregated Drinking Fountain, Mobile, Alabama by Gordon Parks (alibi.com) (from "In Living Color" by Brandon Call)

Photo: Segregated Laundry Service by Birmingham Public Library Archives (Encyclopedia of Alabama)

Poem: “The Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall (Cities Burning, Broadside Press, 1968)

Photo: Department Store, Mobile, Alabama, 1956 by Gordon Parks (The Gordon Parks Foundation)

Rubric: Narrative Writing: Memoir (Essay) Rubric (6–8)

Short Story: “The Drive-In Movies”

Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1993)   —  760L

Article: “Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics” by ReadWriteThink (ReadWriteThink)

Article: “The Harmful Effects of Too Much Screen Time for Kids” by Amy Morin, LCSW (VeryWellFamily)

Article: “Less Screen Time Means a Better Mind and Body for Kids” by Katherine Lee (VeryWellFamily)

Article: “Why the screen babysitter is worse than you think” by Baltimore Sun Editorial Board (The Baltimore Sun)

Article: “Kids Must Learn to Control Their Own Screen Time” by John Keilman (Chicago Tribune)

Article: “Don't Limit Your Teen's Screen Time” by Chris Bergman (The New York Times)

Article: “The History Of The Dystopian Novel Actually Begins With A Book About Utopia” by Charlotte Ahlin (Adapted by Fishtank ELA Staff.)

Assessment Text: “Examination Day” by Henry Slesar (CommonLit)

Rubric: Persuasive Writing Rubric (G6, U2)

Rubric: Analytical Writing Rubric, Mid-Unit Task (G6, U2)

Video: “How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler” by TED-Ed (YouTube)

Video: “3 Fears about screen time for kids—and why they're not true” by Sarah DeWitt (TED)

Video: “3 Fears about screen time for kids—and why they're not true (transcript)” by Sarah DeWitt (TED)

Book: Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland (Touchstone, 2014)

Article: “The Guerrilla Girls: 'We upend the art world's notion of what's good and what's right” by Nadja Sayej

Article: “Favianna Rodríguez: 'Artists are Risk Takers and Truth Speakers'” by Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Article: “The Black Woman Artist Who Crafted a Life She Was Told She Couldn't Have” by Concepción de León

Article: “A Woman of Two Worlds” by Jennifer L. Bender

Article: “Misty Copeland Launches Her Own Foundation and Free After-School Program” by Ashley Brandt (Pointe Magazine)

Article: “The Enduring Legacy of Ruth Asawa's Mesmerizing Sculptures” by Daria Simone Harper (Artsy)

Article: “'It's like we don't exist': Jaune Quick-to-See Smith on Native American artists” by Nadja Sayej (The Guardian)

Article: “Gee's Bend Quiltmakers” (Souls Grown Deep)

Article: “Interview with Mary Lee Bendolph and Lucy Mingo by Josephine Reed for the NEA” by Josephine Reed (Excerpt titled "Recognition As An Art Form")

Painting: State Names (Smithsonian American Art Museum)

Poem: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou

Rubric: Rubric (G6, U3)

Video: “Guerrilla Girls – 'You Have to Question What You See': Artist Interview” by Tate Museum (Youtube)

Video: “Printmaking with Favianna Rodriguez” (PBS (2014))

Video: “Misty Copeland's new foundation focuses on diversity, equity in dance” by Fox 5 New York (YouTube)

Video: “Ruth Asawa: Objects & Apparitions” by Christie's (YouTube)

Video: “What's in a map? Reading the United 'States'” by Smarthistory (YouTube)

Video: “Meet Jaune Quick-To-See Smith” by Smithsonian American Art Museum (YouTube)

Video: “How a Group of Women in This Small Alabama Town Perfected the Art of Quilting | Op-Docs” by The New York Times (YouTube)

Book: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Speak, 2006)   —  750L

Movie: The Outsiders

Poem: “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Frost (poets.org)

Article: “Study: Teens who expect to die young are more likely to commit crime” by The Dallas Morning News (The Dallas Morning News)

Poem: “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks

Article: “At some schools, students find a place for peace” by Lolly Bowean (Chicago Tribune)

Video: “We Real Cool”

Assessment Text: “The War of the Wall” by Toni Cade Bambara

Rubric: Sequel Outline and Exposition Rubric (G6, U4)

Book: Refugee by Alan Gratz (Scholastic, Inc., 2017)   —  800L

Book: The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018)

Website: How to Read Comics by Tracy Edmunds (TracyEdmunds.com)

Article: “Refugee” by Diane Boudreau, Melissa McDaniel, Erin Sprout, Andrew Turgeon (National Geographic)

Article: “U.N. Refugee Agency Deputy On The Humanitarian Crisis In Syria” by NPR

Article: “What Will Winter Bring for Syria's Refugees?” by Meghan Collins Sullivan, Mary Louise Kelly (NPR)